274 THE KORAN.' 



Each parcel, as revealed by Gabriel during a period 

 of twenty-three years, was carefully treasured up in 

 the memories of the faithful, or committed to -wTiting 

 by amanuenses, who for want of more dignified ma- 

 terials wrote them on palm-leaves, skins of animals, 

 and shoulder-bones of mutton, — a device practised 

 by the ancient Arabs, who preserved their poems 

 and works of imagination on these rude tablets, tied 

 together on a string. 



The first transcript of this divine volume was 

 thrown in promiscuous detachments into a chest 

 intrusted to the charge of Haphsa, next to Ayesha 

 the most favoured of the apostle's wives. Two 

 years after his death the originals were collected and 

 published hj his friend and successor Abu Beker,who 

 took this method of rescuing them from the peril of 

 being lost or forgotten. The volume was afterward 

 revised, or perhaps rewritten, by the Caliph Othman, 

 in the thirteenth year of the Hejira. This prince 

 had observed a great disagreement in the manuscripts 

 already extant, those of Irak differing from the Sy- 

 rian ; both, however, were superseded by the new 

 copies, which were distributed over the several pro- 

 vinces of the empire ; the old being burnt and sup- 

 pressed. This amended edition of Othman is that 

 read by the Moslems of the present day. 



Like the Jews, the Moslems hold their sacred 

 book in the most extraordinary veneration, and 

 attribute to it many cabalistic virtues. They will 

 not sulTer it to be read or touched by any of a differ- 

 ent persuasion ; and if found in their possession the 

 crime might be capital. They peruse it with great 

 respect, never holding it below their girdles-, and 

 always qualifying themselves by first performing 

 their legal ablutions. They swear by it, consult it 

 on all occasions of moment, carry it with them to 

 battle, and inscribe verses or passages from it on their 

 banners and their garments, as they formerly did on 



