28 ARABIA. 



and used by Mahommcdans In their worship : for, as the Koran was 

 wi'itten in this language, they will not suffer it to be read in any 

 other; they look upon it to have been the language of Paradise, and 

 think no man can be a master of it without a miracle, as consisting of 

 several millions of words. The books which treat of it say they have 

 no fewer than a thousand terms to express the word cumel, and five 

 hundred for that of a lion. But among these are reckoned the meta- 

 phorical expressions and images of their poets. The Lord's prayer 

 in Arabic is as follows: • 



Abuna elladhi Ji-ssamwat ; jetkaddas esmdd ; titti malacutac : 

 taouri ?vascbiatic, cama fi-snama ; ktdhalec ala lardh dating chobzena 

 kefatna iaum beiaum ; wagsor Una donubcna wac/iataina, cama nog for 

 nachna Itmen aca doina ; ivala tadalchalna Jihajarib ; laken mejjina me 

 nnescherir. Amen. 



History.. ..The history of this country in some measure differs from 

 that of all others ; for, as the slavery and subjection of other nations 

 make a great part of their history that of the Arabs is entirely com- 

 posed of their conquests, or independence. The Arabs are descended 

 from Ishmael, of whose posterity it was foretold, that they should be 

 invincible, "have their hands against every man, and every man's hands 

 against theirs." They are at present, and have remained from the re- 

 motest ages, during the various conquests of the Greeks, Romans, and 

 Tartars, a convincing proof of the divinity of this prediction. Towards 

 the north, and the sea-coasts of Arabia, the inhabitants are, indeed, 

 kept in awe by the Turks ; but the wandering tribes in the southern 

 and inland parts acknowledge themselves the subjects of no foreign 

 power, and do not fail to harass and annoy all strangers who come into 

 their country. The conquests of the Arabs make as wonderful a part 

 of their history, as the independence and freedom which they have ever 

 continued to enjoy. These, as well as their religion, began with one 

 man, whose character forms a very singular phenomenon in the history 

 of mankind. This was the famous Mahommed, a native of Mecca, a 

 city of that division of Arabia, which, from the luxuriancy of its soil 

 and happy temperature of its climate, has ever been esteemed the love- 

 liest and most delightful region of the world, and distinguished by 

 the epithet of the Happy. 



Mahommed was born in the year 569, in the reign of Justinian II, 

 emperor of Constantinople. Though descended of mean parentage, il- 

 literate a'ul poor, he was endued with a subtile genius, like those of the 

 same cc <try, and possessed a degree of enterprise and ambition pecu- 

 liar to himself, and much beyond his condition. He had been employed 

 in the early part of his life, by his uncle, Abuteleb, as a factor, and had 

 occasion, in this capacity, to travel into Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. 

 He was afterwards taken into the service of a rich merchant, upon 

 whose death he married his widow, Khadija, and by her means came 

 to be possessed of great wealth and of a numerous family. During his 

 peregrinations into Egypt and the East, he had observed the vast va- 

 riety of sects in religion, whose hatred against each other was strong 

 and inveterate, while at the same time, there were many particulars in 

 which the greater part of them were agreed. He carefully took ad- 

 vantage of these ; by means of which, and by addressing himself to 

 the love of power, riches, and pleasure, passions universal among 

 men, he expected to raise a new system of religion, more general than 

 any which hitherto had been established. In this design he was assist- 

 ed by Sergius, a monk, whose libertine disposition had made him for* 



