﻿$ The fourth discourse: 



hies, and another called Sabai, is indeed remarkable, 

 and may hereafter furnish me with obseivations o£ 

 some importance, but not at all inconsistent with my 

 present ideas. 



II. It is generally asserted that the old religion of 

 the Arabs was entirely Sabian ; but I can offer so little 

 accurate information concerning the Sab'ian faith, or 

 even the meaning of the word, that I dare not yet 

 speak on the subject with confidence. This at least 

 is certain, that the people of Yemen very soon fell 

 into the common, but fatal, error of adoring the sun 

 and the firmament ; for even the third in descent from 

 Yoktan, who was consequently as old as Nahor, took 

 the surname of Abdushams, or Servant of the Sun; 

 and his family, we are assured, paid particular ho- 

 nours to that luminary : other tribes worshipped the 

 planets and fixed stars; but the religion of the poets 

 at least, seems to have been pure Theism ; and this we 

 know with certainty, because we have Arabian verses 

 of unsuspected antiquity, which contain pious and 

 elevated sentiments on the goodness and justice, the 

 power and omnipresence, of Allah, or the God. If 

 an inscription, said to have been found on marble in 

 Yemen, be authentic, the ancient inhabitants of that 

 country preserved the religion of Eber, and professed 

 a belief in miracles and a future state. 



\V« are also tolc], that a strong resemblance 

 may be found between the religions of the pagan 

 Arabs and the Hindus ; but, though this may be 

 true, yet an agreement in worshipping the sun 

 and stars will not prove an affinity between the two 

 nations: the powers of God,' represented as female 

 deities, the adoration of stones, and the name of the 

 idojl Wudd, may lead us indeed to suspect that some 

 of the Hindu superstitions had found their way into 

 Arabia; and, though we have no traces in Arabian 



