Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 5 (1897).djvu/357

I OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 335 a dowry of twelve ounces of gold and twenty camels, which was supplied by the liberality of his uncle."*^ By this alliance, the son of Abdallah was restored to the station of his ancestors ; and the judicious matron was content with his domestic virtues, till, in the fortieth year of his age,"^ he assumed the title of a prophet, and proclaimed the religion of the Koi-an. According to the tradition of his companions, Mahomet "- was Quauacations distinguished by the beauty of his person, an outward gift which is seldom despised, except by those to whom it has been refused. Before he spoke, the orator engaged on his side the affections of a public or private audience. They applauded his commanding presence, his majestic aspect, his piercing eye, his gracious smile, his flowing beard, his countenance that painted every sensation of the soul, and his gestures that enforced each expression of the tongue. In the familiar offices of life he scrupulously adhered to the grave and ceremonious politeness of his country ; his respect- ful attention to the rich and powerful was dignified by his con- descension and affability to the poorest citizens of Mecca ; the frankness of his manner concealed the artifice of his views ; and the habits of courtesy were imputed to personal friendship or universal benevolence. His meiTiory was capacious and retentive, his wit easy and social, his imagination sublime, his judgment clear, rapid, and decisive. He possessed the courage both of thought and action ; and, although his designs might gradually expand with his success, the first idea which he entertained of his divine mission bears the stamp of an original and superior genius. The son of Abdallah was educated in the bosom of the noblest race, in the use of the purest dialect of Arabia ; and the ^t* I copy the honourable testimony of Abu Taleb to his family and nephew. Laus Dei, qui nos a stirpe Abrahami et semine Ismaelis constituit, et nobis regionem sacram dedit, et nos judices hominibus statuit. Porro Mohammed filius AbdoUahi nepotis mei {nepos meus) quocum [non] ex tequo librabitur e Koraishidis quispiam cui non piaeponderaturus est, bonitate et excellentia, et intellectu et glorii et acumine etsi opum inops fuerit (et certe opes umbra transiens sunt et depositum quod reddi debet), desiderio Chadijas filise Chowailedi tenetur, et ilia vicissim ipsius ; quicquid autem dotis vice petieritis, ego in me suscipiam (Pocock, Speci- men, e septimi parte libri Ebn Hamduni [p. 171]). 71 The private life of Mahomet, from his birth to his mission, is preserved by Abulfeda (in Vit. c. 3-7) and the Arabian writers of genuine or apocryphal note, who are alleged by Hottinger (Hist. Orient, p. 204-211), Maracci (torn. i. p. 10-14), and Gagnier (Vie de Mahomet, tom. i. p. 97-134). '■^ Abulfeda, in Vit. c. 65, 66 ; Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, tom. iii. p. 272-289 ; the best traditions of the person and conversation of the prophet are derived from Ayesha, Ali, and Abu Horaira (Gagnier, tom. ii. p. 267 ; Ockley's Hist, of the Saracens, vol. ii. p. 149), surnamed the father of a cat, who died in the year 59 of the Hegira. [Traditions reported by Abu-Horaira require corroboration.]