would imagine, to hear fome men talk, or to read fome books, that the setting up of a religion by dint of miraculous pretences was a thing of every day's experience; whereas I believe, that, except the Jewish and Christian religion, there is no tolerably well authenticated account of any fuch thing having been accomplished.

II. Secondly, the establishment of Mahomet's religion was effected by causes which in no degree appertained to the origin of Christianity.

During the first twelve years of his miffion, Mahomet had recourse only to perfuafion. This is allowed. And there is fufficient reafon from the effect to believe, that if he had confined himself to this mode of propagating his religion, we of the present day should never have heard either of him or it. "Three years were filently employed in the conversion of fourteen profelytes. For ten years the religion advanced with a flow and painful progrefs within the walls

of

of Mecca. The number of profelytes in the feventh year of his miffion may be esti-' mated by the abfence of eighty-three men and eighteen women, who retired to Ethiopia*. Yet this progrefs, fuch as it was, appears to have been aided by fome very important advantages which Mahomet found in his fituation, in his mode of conducting his defign, and in his doctrine.

1. Mahomet was the grandson of the moft powerful and honourable family in Mecca; and although the early death of his father had not left him a patrimony suitable to his birth, he had, long before the commencement of his miffion, repaired this deficiency by an opulent marriage. A person confiderable by his wealth, of high defcent, and nearly allied to the chiefs of his country, taking upon himself the character of a religious teacher, would not fail of attract ing attention and followers.

Gibbon's Hift. vol. ix. p. 244 et feq. ed. Dub.

2. Mahomet conducted his design, in the outfet especially, with great art and prudence. He conducted it as a politician would conduct a plot. His firft application was to his own family. This gained him his wife's uncle, a confiderable person in Mecca, together with his coufin Ali, afterwards the celebrated Caliph, then a youth of great expectation, and even already dif tinguished by his attachment, impetuofity and courage *. He next addreffed himself to Abu Beer, a man amongst the first of the Koreish in wealth and influence. The intereft and example of Abu Becr drew in five other principal perfons in Mecca, whofe folicitations prevailed upon five more of the

*Of which Mr. Gibbon has preferved the following Specimen :-" When Mahomet called out in an affembly of his family, Who among you will be my companion, and my vizir? Ali, then only in the fourteenth year of his age, fuddenly replied, O prophet, I am the man; whofoever rifes against thee, I will dash out his teeth, tear out his eyes, break his legs, rip up his belly. O prophet, I will be thy vizir over them.' Vol. ix.

P. 245.

fame

fame rank. This was the work of three years; during which time every thing was tranfacted in fecret. Upon the ftrength of these allies, and under the powerful protection of his family, who, however some of them might difapprove his enterprise, or deride his pretenfions, would not fuffer the orphan of their house, the relict of their favourite brother, to be infulted, Mahomet now commenced his public preaching. And the advance which he made, during the niné or ten remaining years of his peaceable` ministry, was by no means greater than what, with these advantages, and with the additional and fingular circumftance of there being no established religion at Mecca at that time to contend with, might reasonably have been expected. How foon his primitive adherents were let into the fecret of his views of empire, or in what stage of his undertaking thefe views firft opened themfelves to his own mind, it is not now eafy to deter mine. The event however was, that thefe his first profelytes all ultimately attained to 6 riches

riches and honours, to the command of armies, and the government of kingdoms*.

3. The Arabs deduced their defcent from Abraham through the line of Ifhmael. The inhabitants of Mecca, in common probably with the other Arabian tribes, acknowledged, as, I think, may clearly be collected from the Koran, one fupreme deity, but had affociated with him many objects of idolatrous worship. The great doctrine, with which Mahomet fet out, was the ftrict and exclufive unity of God. Abraham, he told them, their illuftrious ancestor; Ifhmael, the father of their nation; Mofes, the law-giver of the Jews; and Jefus, the author of Chrif tianity, had all afferted the fame thing; that their followers had univerfally corrupted the truth, and that he was now commiffioned to restore it to the world. Was it to be wondered at, that a doctrine so fpecious, and authorised by names, some or other of which were holden in the highest

* Gib. vol. ix. p. 244.

veneration