We will leave it to the
judgment of our readers, only observing, that Mr. Gibbon has very
unnecessarily brought Christianity into the comparison; and has perhaps
touched the errors of the false prophet with a lighter hand, that the
disparity might be the less apparent.
"But Heraclius had a much more formidable enemy to encounter in
the latter part of his reign, than the effeminate and divided
Persian. This was the new empire of the Saracens. Ingenious and
eloquent, temperate and brave, as had been invariably their
national character, they had their exertions concentred, and
their courage animated by a legislator, whose institutions may
vie, in the importance of their consequences, with those of
Solon, Lycurgus, or Numa. Though an impostor, he propagated a
religion, which, like the elevated and divine principles of
Christianity, was confined to no one nation or country; but even
embraced a larger portion of the human race than Christianity
itself.
"Mahomet, the son of Abdallah, was born on the 9th of April,
571, in the city of Mecca. Having been early left an orphan by
both parents, he received an hardy and robust education, not
tempered by the elegancies of literature, nor much allayed by
the indulgencies of natural affection.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155