216 EPOCHS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CONTEMi LATION 



magical arts, and mystic fancies ; but the Arabians, inces- 

 sant in their own independent endeavours, as well as labo- 

 rious in appropriating to themselves by translations the 

 fruits of earlier cultivated generations, have produced much 

 which is trdy their own, and have enlarged the view of 

 nature. Attention has been justly called ( 33 ) to the dif- 

 ferent circumstances in respect to cultivation of the invading 

 and immigrating Germanic and Arabic races. The former 

 became civilized after their immigration ; the latter brought 

 with them from their native country not only their religion, 

 but also a highly polished language, and the tender blos- 

 soms of a poetry which has not been altogether without 

 influence on the Provencal poets and the Minnesingers. 



The Arabs possessed qualities which fitted them in a 

 remarkable manner for obtaining influence and dominion 

 over, and for assimilating and combining, different nations, 

 from the Euphrates to the Guadalquivir, and southward to 

 the middle of Africa : they possessed a mobility unexampled 

 in the history of the world ; a disposition, very different 

 from the repellent Israelitish spirit of separation, to effect a 

 fusion with the conquered nations ; and yet, notwithstanding 

 perpetual change of place, to preserve unimpaired their own 

 national character, and the traditional remembrances of their 

 original home. No nation can shew examples of more 

 extensive land journies undertaken by individuals, not always 

 for commercial objects, but also for collecting knowledge : 

 even the Buddhistic priests from Thibet and China, even Marco 

 Polo, arid the Christian missionaries who were sent to the 

 Mogul princes, moved over a smaller range of geographical 

 space. Through the many relations subsisting between 

 the Arabs and India and China, for their conquests had ex- 



