LITERATURE OF THE ARABS. G3 



of poets, philosophers, and mathematicians, from 

 every country and of every creed. His ambassa- 

 dors and ajjents in Armenia, Syria, and Eg-ypt were 

 ordered to collect the most important books that 

 could be discovered. The literary relics of the con- 

 quered provinces, which his governors amassed with 

 infinite care, were broujO^ht to the foot of the throne 

 as the most precious tribute he could demand. 

 Hundreds of camels might be seen entering Bagdad 

 loaded with volumes of Greek, Hebrew, and Per- 

 sian literature ; and such of them as were thought 

 to be adapted to the purposes of instruction, were 

 at the royal command translated by the most skilful 

 interpreters into the Arabic language, that all classes 

 might read and understand them. Masters, instruct- 

 ers, translators, and commentators formed the 

 court of Bagdad, which appeared rather to be a 

 learned academy than the capital of a luxurious and 

 warlike government. Aware of the vast treasures 

 that were deposited in the libraries of Constantino- 

 ple, Almamoun, in concluding a treaty of peace with 

 the Grecian emperor, Michael HI., stipulated, as 

 one of the conditions, that a collection of rare and 

 valuable authors should be delivered up to him. 

 These were immediately subjected to the process 

 of translation ; but it must be recorded with regret 

 that, through an ill-judged partiality for his native 

 tongue, he gave orders that after the Arabic ver- 

 sions were finished, the original manuscripts should 

 be burned. 



The Caliph Vathek not only admired and coun- 

 tenanced literature and the sciences, but was him- 

 self a proficient in some of them, especially poetry 

 and music. He was particularly addicted to astrol- 

 ogy ; and having conferred with some of his learned 

 fraternity in his last illness, they assured him, on 

 consulting his horoscope, that his reign was yet to 

 endure fifty years. His death in ten days falsified 

 this prediction, and ruined the credit of Hassan ibn 



