74 LITERATURE OF THE ARABS. 



chiefly engrossed with books and study. Even in 

 his father's lifetime, and during his journey to Kho- 

 rasan, of which he was appointed governor, he had se- 

 lected for his companions the most eminent scholars 

 among the Greeks, Persians, and Chaldeans. His 

 accession to the throne did not abate his ardo 

 for knowledge. Bagdad became the resort of poets, 

 philosophers, and mathematicians, from every coun- 

 try and of every creed. His ambassadors and 

 agents in Armenia, Syria, and Egypt, were order- 

 ed to collect the most important books that could 

 be discovered. The literary relics of the conquered 

 provinces, which his governors amassed with in- 

 finite care, were brought 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 skil- 

 ful interpreters into the Arabic language, that all 

 classes might read and understand them. Masters, 

 instructors, 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 Constantinople, 

 Almamoun, in concluding a treaty of peace with the 

 Grecian emperor Michael III., stipulated, as one 

 of the conditions, that a collection of rare and valu- 

 able authors should be delivered up to him. These 

 were immediately subjected to the process of trans- 

 lation ; but it must be recorded with regret that, 

 through an ill-judged partiality for his native tongue, 



