LIFE OF MOHAMMED. 225 



bearance. But no sooner did a concurrence of 

 favourable circumstances draw over a sufficient 

 party to his views, and open a friendly retreat in 

 the heart of a warlike city, than he threw off the 

 mask, and resolved to substitute a mode of conversion 

 less tedious and uncertain in its operation than the 

 gentler arts of argument and persuasion. The per- 

 mission of Heaven to take up defensive arms was 

 changed into the stem command to make war. 

 Chapter after chapter descended, to encourage the 

 faithful in the work of extirpation ; for Gabriel, 

 who had Avithheld these injunctions so long as dis^ 

 cretion was the better part of valour, was now ready 

 to quicken the sacred process of excision by new 

 revelations. " Make war against unbelievers — strike 

 off their heads, and strike off the ends of their fin^ 

 gers. This shall they suffer because they have re- 

 sisted God and his apostle." (Chap. viii. and xlvii.) 

 Of the secret confederacy with the Medinians the 

 Koreish were soon apprized : and they foresaw the 

 possibility of immediate invasion from the two most 

 warlike tribes in their vicinity. An extraordinary^ 

 council was assembled, headed by Abu Sofian, who 

 had usurped the sovereignty of Mecca at the death 

 of Abu Taleb, and thus excluded the family of He- 

 sham from the throne. The proposition of Abu 

 Jehel was carried, that ^Mohammed should be put to 

 death by assassination. A man from each tribe wa^ 

 to be selected, who with their poniards were to 

 execute the sentence while he lay asleep : and by 

 imbruing so many hands in the guilty deed, they 

 hoped to overpower any attempts on the part of 

 his kinsmen or followers to avenge his death. The 

 devoted apostle had timely information (by the 

 agency of Gabriel, or rather the aid of a human 

 spy) of this conspiracy, though the following night 

 was to have witnessed its execution. He commu- 

 nicated the secret to the generous Ali ; and having 

 instructed him to Avrap himself in liis green mantle' 



