purfued commerce and hulbandry; whilft the latter (that is, the great
body of the nation,) followed the ufual occupations o f the paftoral life,
occafionally made inroads upon their more wealthy neighbours, attacked
the caravan, and plundered the traveller.— In this general
outline time has produced but little alteration. — Subdued by the
arms, or allured by the promifes, of the Prophet, the tribes of the
defert united their forces, and, iffuing from their native wilds, over-run
the neighbouring nations with an impetuofity of valour which nothing
could refill, and with an uninterrupted uniformity of luecefs to which
hiftory oppofes no parallel. This, however, was only an extraordinary
convulfton, proceeding from the coincidence of accidental caufea, placing
them in a fitiiation which fubfequent events have evinced was by no
means natural. As the grit impreffions of fanatic zeal abated, they reco'-
vered from their dream o f univerfal conqueft ; and, after having altered
the religion of a large portion of mankind, overturned the moll powerful
monarchies, and ellablilhed various royal dynallies in the .furrounding
countries, fucceeding revolutions gave back the Bidweens to their original
independence and their original folitude. In the mean while, the
exclufion of ilrangers or unbelievers from their principal cities in a great
meafure prevented the more polilhed from mixing with the reft of mankind,
from being contaminated with their vices, or improved by their
example. Hence, except in the Angle article of religious belief, the Arabs
perhaps differ little at this day from what they were two thoufand years
ago, and indeed prelent to us almoft the fame pidture in point of genius,
temper, and manners, as m the time o f the Jewijh patriarchs.
W hen Mohammed affirmed the prophetic charafler, he found his
countrymen, in general, Haves to the moll grofe and llupid idolatry.
T h e paganifm of the Sabians had over-run . almoft the whole nation__
From Perjia the eallern tribes had caught much of the fuperftition of the
Magians. There were, indeed, numbers, of Jews and Chriftians, T h e
former had feveral confiderable eftablilbments ; and. many whole tribes had
embraced the Mofaic creed or the GoJpel. But their conduct. and prin-
5 ciples
ciples little deferved the titles they affumed. T h e Jews' paid more regard
to the fabulous traditions .of theiir Rabbins than to the fevere and unaccommodating
precepts of the Pentateuch; and the eallern churches were divided
and convulfed by fcholaftic difputes, in which, inllead o f the mild
and forbearing fpirit of Chriftianity, nothing but mutual rancour, malice,
and unoharitablenefs, prevailed ; whilft the pure and fimple worlhip
inculcated :by its divine Author had degenerated into mere outward Ihew,-
expreffive only of a debafing and idolatrous fuperftition.— Among the
pagan Arabs, the nice diflindtions of property were imperfectly untlcrllood.
Each tribe was governed by its own law ; and difputed caufes were either-
referred to the determination ©f the .chief, or (more frequently) .decided
by an, appeal to the fword. Their only lalting memorials were the
effufions ©f their poets, tranftnit-ted orally from age to age, which ferved
to preferve ancient u leges, or to keep alive the feuds of contending neighbours.
Private revenge was not merely tolerated, but encouraged, and
the jufiice and neoeffity of it inculcated. Hence every diflenfion was the
occafion either of fingle combat or of civil w a r ; and tradition furnilhes us
with .accounts of above 1560 battles fought before the introdudlion of the
faith.— T h e art of writing was little known, and the practice of it confined
chiefly to the Jews and Cbrijlians. Thefe were diftinguithed by
the common appellation of Kitabees, (feripturijis,) or A hl a l K itab,
(people o f the book,) becaufe of each having .received a written revelation
from Heaven.—-The accomplilhment principally elleemed among
the, Arabs wasr .expertnefsj. at weapons .and in horlemanlhip. T h e
fciences moftly lludied were, genealogy, aftronomy, and rhetoric. T h e
firll of thefe was carefully employed in preferving the- purity of their
•defeent; the fecond was applied chiefly to aftrological purpofes.; and the
third they exercifed in the compofition of love-fongs and elegies, or poetic
fictions concerning the exploits of their chiefs, the relation of which
cheered the aged, and animated the young. Their great virtues were,
hofpitalit-y, temperance, and munificence, which laft was frequently
carried to an unwarrantable and (perhaps) oftentatious excefs, to the prejudice
of their children and kindred.— Their moft odious vices were a difpofition