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of himself, that the Mahometan women are indebted for all the rigours which the Alcoran prescribes them. After the example and according to the precepts of their legislator, the Muffulmen use their wives as fome favage Idolaters do their domeftic Gods: they load them with presents, fhut them up, praise, misuse, and adore them.†

Mahomet has not carried the abfurdity, as fome writers have accused him, so far as to deny a foul to that fex whom he feemed to love and hate in the fame breath. He promifes, both to the men and women, punishments and rewards in the world to come. In entering deeply into the fpirit of the Alcoran, we clearly perceive that these pleasures of the fenfes, of which Mahomet prefents fuch a number of pleafing images, are only the additional felicity of his elect. The fight of him, who beftows all these things, is better than the things themfelves, fay the devout Muffulmen: to enjoy the presence of God then must be the principle of their felicity. Hell, in the Alcoran, is, by the reafon of contraries, a place of phyfical fuffering, defcribed with as much energy as Paradife. But these punishments will

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Cum viros mulieribus præeffe Deo placuit, ut ipfi corrigant eas cum quibus fuam expenderent pecuniam, ipfæque Deum invocent, et maritis pareant, et eorum fecreta fibi commiffa celent jus æquum poftulat. Qua fi fortè præcepta non obfervaverint, à vobis correctæ et caftigatæ in domibus lectifve detentæ verberentur, ufquequo veftris nutibus atque præceptis pareant. Chap. ix, intituled Azoara de Muh

be eternal, only for those who have not been Muffulmen. The true Believers (it is thus Mahomet terms them) will expiate their crimes: by punishments more or less lafting, more or lefs rigorous; and, after expiations proportionable to their offences, they will enjoy the reward of their faith.

One of the most effential and moft tranfgreffed. of Mahonict's laws is the abfolute prohibition to drink wine. Its ufe was more dangerous in Arabia than any other climate. The Arabians, more fufceptible of drunkenness, on account of the heat of their blood, and the strength of the liquor, more fermented than in any other country, aban-` doned themselves, without referve, to a pleasure that almost always became fatal. Inebriation would have hurt fubordination, the effence of Mahometanism, and that exterior gravity which the prophet required from his followers. Thofe, who have collected the principal paffages of the life of Mahomet, relate, that, as he was paffing through a village in Arabia, he faw an affembly of peasants, heated with wine, celebrating a wedding; they appeared all in the greatest gaiety and on the beft of terms; they laughed, they embraced each other: the joy and concord of thefe happy people drew the attention of the prophet, who amused himself some time with the fight; but the evening of the fame day, as he repaffed through the place, he faw the earth co

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vered with blood, and was told that all this gaiety had changed into a quarrel, in which feveral of them had loft their lives, and that thefe people, fo gay and peaceable, were become irreconcileable enemies. From that inftant, they fay, Mahomet refolved to forbid the ufe of wine to all his profelytes. In order to give more weight to this law, it was neceffary to relate abfurdities, which, to the Arabians, were miracles.

According to the Alcoran, two Angels, defcended from Heaven on earth, in human forms, stopped at a young beautiful widow's to request of her a retreat. During the repaft, fhe prefented them with wine; they drank of it to fuch excefs, that, forgetting the laws of decency and hofpitality, they attempted to ravish this woman who had fo generously entertained them. The widow, after a long refiftance, promifed, if they would carry her to Heaven, fhe would grant every thing on her return. The Angels confented; but, as foon as fhe was arrived there, fhe complained to God of the incontinence of thefe two fots, who, to allay their fire, were condemned to be fufpended by the feet in Hell 'till the laft day of judgment, when their penitence is to end. This is but a small fample of the fables of the Alcoran. It was with fimilar hiftories, and numerous armies, that fo many millions of men, and fo many empires, were fubjugated.

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After the hegira*, that is, after the flight to Medina, Mahomet turned his whole attention to the extending of his law by force of arms. Perplexed with the numerous difficulties which furrounded him, he told his difciples, that he was not come to difpute but to fight; that the power of God, which he announced, ought to be manifefted by the courage of his minifters, and by rapid fucceffes.

The arms of the prophet were more powerful than his fermons. All his neophytes became foldiers. The hope of a rich booty, or an eternity of delights, foon 'ranged a vaft number of people under his standard. The impoftor made himself formidable to his countrymen of Mecca. After much blood spilt, and the taking of feveral towns, the Mecchefe concluded a truce for ten years, during which the prophet was to have liberty to come unarmed in pilgrimage to their temple. This temple, built, according to an ancient tradition, by Ishmael, was univerfally revered; a black ftone was particularly venerated there, which the Angels, as they faid, had brought white to that edifice, and the fins of mankind had blackened.

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* This Mahometan epoch begins Friday the 16th of July 622: their year is of twelve lunar months, and has 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes; fo that 33 of our years make 34 of theirs and 6 days. It is this epoch which has rendered Friday the folemn day of the week among the Muffulmen, as Sunday is among the Christians, and Saturday among the Jews. This choice moreover agreed with the usage of the Arabians, who had their affemblies on that day.'

blackened. Though in process of time the temple of Mecca had been filled with idols, Mahomet proclaimed that he was fent, not to. establish a new law, but to reform that which the Idolaters had polluted, and wished to honor more and more this facred edifice which had been fo long revered. He made a pilgrimage thither, and facrificed fixty-three camels, being the number of years he had lived, which, joined to the thirty-feven facrificed by Ali, made the number a hundred*. He performed exterior ceremonies there, which became as many precepts for his difciples. He ordered, that every Muffulman fhould vifit the temple of Mecca, at least once in his life. This temple was called the Caaba, which, in Arabic, fignifies Square.

The great care which Mahomet took to render Mecca the chief place of his religion, should have convinced its inhabitants that he would neglect nothing to poffefs himself of it. His arms became more formidable every day; and when he loft a battle, which feldom happened, the prophet attributed the want of success to the fins of his foldiers,

Befides the facrifices which the Muffulmen make in their pilgrimage to Mecca, they make others likewife in expiation and in actions of grace. Thefe facrifices are generally of fheep by the rich, and of doves by the poor. Mahomet borrowed thefe ceremonies from the Arabians, or the Jews. But he changed the destination of the sacrificed flesh. Among the Jews it turned to the profit of the priests, or was confumed in honor of the Deity. The Mahometan pilgrims make merry together on the facrificed flesh in their journey from Mecca, and diftribute the furplus to the indigent. In their other facrifices, all the facrificed flesh is diftributed to those who are in want.

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