feet of Hatim, and solicited his forgiveness, after which he returned to Yemen.

A story still more romantic is told in another legend. One day Hatim went to the desert where on a sudden a lion met him, he said in his heart"If I attack this lion with my weapon, it will be remote from humanity, and if I smite him not the lion will devour me; perhaps by the divine favour I will soothe the lion's heart."* In mild language he addressed the lion saying, "Creature of God, if thou hungerest for my flesh it is at thy service, and if thy longing be for flesh wherewith to fill thy belly, here is my horse, eat and appease thy hunger; but if thou hast a wish for my own flesh, for the sake of God I will give it thee; devour me and be not sad-hearted." At these mild expressions the lion crouched, and Hatim removed his armour from his person, and took down the saddle from his horse, and with clasped hands came before the lion, and said, "Of the two whichsoever be thy choice, eat and be not sad in heart." At these words the lion lowered his head and fell at the feet of Hatim, and began to wipe his eyes against them. Hatim said, "Creature of God, far be it from Hatim that thou shouldst depart hungry, for God the Supreme has created the horse for the benefit of his creatures, therefore eat; and if thou hast a desire for my own flesh, as a divine duty, I will bestow it on thee, but go not away hungry and distressed in heart. Of my own free will I give myself up, and if thou eat me not thou wilt distress me." The lion, deeply affected, laid his head in the dust and then departed to his haunt.

It is said that Hatim had a large store-house having seventy doors, at each of which he used to bestow alms upon the poor. After his death his brother Cherbeka, who succeeded him, wished to imitate his great example, but his mother dissuaded him from the attempt, saying, "My son, it is not in thy nature." He would not attend to her advice, upon which she one day, having disguised herself as a mendicant, came to one of the doors where her son relieved her, she went to another door and was a second time re

lieved; she then went to a third, when her son exclaimed

"I have given thee twice already, yet thou importunest me again."

"Did I not tell thee, my son," said the mother discovering herself, "that thou couldst not equal the liberality of thy brother? I tried him as I have tried thee, and he relieved me at each of the seventy doors without asking me a question. But I knew thy nature and his; when I suckled thee and one nipple was in thy mouth, thou always heldest thy hand upon the other, lest any one should seize it; but thy brother Hatim the contrary."

In her concluding phrase the old lady alludes to the legend that Hatim was so generous even in infancy as to refuse to be suckled unless others shared the milk with him.

"He never used to cry," says the legend, "nor suck milk if alone, nor listlessly indulge in sleep. After he had been weaned and began to live on ordinary food, if at any time he was taken out and saw a poor person, he used to make signs with his hands, imploring his attendants to give him alms."

Ingenuity and subtility of spirit are more marked traits of Saracenic than of feudal chivalry; habits of keen observation were formed in the trackless desert, where the difficulty of discovering his course is not less to the traveller than to the early navigators of the ocean. The Indians of North

America were trained to similar acuteness by the difficulty of discovering the proper path in their dense forests, and the Icelandic sagas dwell at great length on the skill with which the seakings discovered the proximity of the land for which they steered by the faintest indications in the sky, the sea, or the breeze. Voltaire's Zadig is based on the old legends of Arab ingenuity; we shall select one of the original stories which he has grievously mutilated. Three Arabian brothers who were travelling for their improvement were met by a camel-driver, who asked them if they had seen his beast, which had unfortunately gone astray. "Did not your camel want an eye?" asked the first of the brothers. "Had

he not lost a front tooth?" was the

query of the second. "Was not he lame?" interrogated the third. The camel-driver answered all these questions in the affirmative, and naturally supposing that they must have seen the beast, asked them to tell him where it was. The brothers replied, "Pursue the road on which we are travelling." After some time they said to him, "He is laden with corn;" again they said, "He had a pannier of honey on one side and of oil on the other." The owner of the camel convinced by the minute accuracy of their description that they had seen the beast, reiterated his request that they would show him where the camel was; but when they averred that they had never seen the beast, and had heard of it only from himself, he regarded them as robbers, and brought them before the judge. The brothers were thrown into prison, but their rank being subsequently recognised, they were liberated and sent to the royal palace. After the monarch had entertained them hospitably he asked, "How were ye able to describe with such precision a camel which you had never seen?" They replied, "We saw his track, and observed that the grass was cropped only on one side, whence we conjectured that he wanted an eye; we remarked in the grass that he cropped the trace of his wanting a tooth; and from the impression of his feet, one appeared to have been dragged, whence we conjectured that he was lame. The same impression showed that he was heavily laden; and as the forefeet had sunk deeper than those behind we guessed that the load was grain, which is usually placed on the camel's neck; seeing ants in clusters on one side of the road, we knew that drops of oil had fallen there; while swarms of flies on the other side showed honey to have been scattered in that direction."

Personal loyalty to a monarch or suzerain is rare in the annals of Saracenic chivalry; the only instance of it which occurs to our memory is the devoted attachment of Antar to King Zeer or Zohier, the Melek or king of the tribe of Abs. Like all the other emotions of this swarthy chevalier it found vent in extempore poetry. We shall quote one of the scenes in which Antar thus showed his affection to his sovereigns, and our readers will see

that it partakes more of the character of patriarchal than of feudal chivalry.

"After the numerous and brilliant exploits which had brought them peace and prosperity, the warriors of the tribe of Abs, assembled by the invitation of their King Zeer, near the source of a bubbling fountain in a fertile and verdant valley. When, after their splendid repast, the slaves sent round cups filled with wine, whilst the young damsels danced on the green sod to the sound of timbrels and the song of their mothers.

"Surrounded by the princes his sons, and the chief lords of his tribe, King Zeer, who with patriarchal kindness presided over the festivities required Antar to sing one of his poetic compositions. A profound silence reigned in the assembly; Antar, after meditating a few moments with his eyes fixed on the ground, raised his head, and sung the following verses in a rich mellow tone

May his glories endure ! may his warriors so brave,

Send death on before-leave behind them a grave!"

The horse is generally as renowned as the knight in all chivalric romances, but among the Arabs the love for their noble breed of horses amounted to a passion. Even at the present day a true Bedouin cherishes his steed with a tenderness and affection of which Europeans cannot form any adequate notion. Well, indeed, do the noble horses of Arabia deserve this fostering care; they are generally of a delicate make, but able to support the fatigue of very long journeys; well proportioned with small bellies, little ears, and a short tail. They are rarely vicious, indeed they are for the most part tended by women and children, and they wander quietly over the plain, mixed with the other cattle; the Arab horsemen have such confidence in their steeds that they often ride them without a saddle or any bridle but a halter. It is a common proverb, "Cherish the steed that has the breast of a lion and the rump of a wolf." Great attention is paid to the genealogy of the different races, and certificates of their blood and antiquity are common. We shall insert one of these certificates of modern date, as a matter of curiosity

، In the name of God the most merciful, from whom alone we expect aid and succour. The prophet saysMy people shall never join to affirm a lie."

"The following is the object of this authentic document: -We the undersigned attest, certify, and declare, swearing by our fate, our fortune, and our girdles, that the bay mare having a white star in her forehead, and white fetlocks on the off side, is of a noble birth for three generations on both sides. Her dam was of the Seglaman and her sire of the Eliseban blood: she unites all the qualities of those mares, of which the prophet (on whom be the peace and mercy of God!) says, their beasts are treasures and their backs seats of honour.

"Supported by the testimony of our predecessors, we attest on our fate and fortunes, that the mare in question is of noble descent, that she is as pure as milk, renowned for swiftness and speed, able to bear thirst, and accustomed to the fatigue of long journeys. In wit

ness whereof, we have delivered the present certificate, after what we have seen and known ourselves, God is the best of witnesses.

"Signed and sealed," &c.

Antar's steed, Abjar, is scarcely less celebrated than his master; the appearance of the horse is thus described by Asmái. "When Antar had driven away the cattle (acquired in a marauding expedition), and had proceeded some distance on his road home, a knight suddenly rushed out from a ravine in the rocks, mounted on a dark-coloured colt, beautiful and compact, and it was of a race much prized among the Arabs; his hoofs were as flat as the beaten coin; when he neighed, he seemed as if about to speak, and his ears were like quills; his sire was Wasil, and his dam Hemama." Antar chased the knight who possessed this steed, Harith, the son of Obad, and overtook him after a long and fatigu ing pursuit. Asmái's account of the interview which ensued is singularly marked by a high sense of knightly courtesy, and a remarkable attachment to the safety of a gallant steed, and a noble reverence for the laws of hospitality. We quote from Mr. Hamilton's translation :

"Antar having nearly overtaken the flying warrior, said to him, O young man, by the faith you profess and believe, will you not wait for me awhile and grant me a favour ? for I see you are a noble horseman. Hear what I have to say, and give me an answer; I shall be accountable for your security.'

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O young man,' said Harith, trusting to his promise, what do you want? I see you are also a valiant knight.' Will you sell me this horse you are riding?' asked Antar, or will you give it me if you are the owner of it? By heavens, young man,' said Harith, smiling, 'had you accosted me thus at first, I would have given him to you, with some camels also, and you need not have acted thus ; but, Arab, did you ever see any one surrender his horse and his armour in a plain like this, alone and a stranger? and particularly a horse like this whose lineage is as well known as that of the noblest warrior's, for should his master be in difficulties, he will liberate him; he moves and flies without wings, and if you have not heard of his fame, I will tell you: he is called Abjùr, whom Chos

roe and the Grecian emperors, and the princes of the tribe of Asfar have been anxious to possess. I was angry with my own people and repaired to this noble tribe. I ate with them and remained with them a long time. It costs me much to part with this horse, but my heart is attached to this tribe, and is greatly distressed about them. I am no coward in the assault of heroes; but I was afraid that this horse might receive a blow that should injure him, and therefore, only followed you, in order to draw off your attention till the men of the tribe might overtake you in pursuit over the hills and wilds, and that I might point out to them your course, for you have invaded a tribe where there are only women, and but a few men, unable to encounter so fierce a foe; and I do not perceive a single feeling heart among you all.'

"Harith having ceased speaking, Antar said, 'I wish you would sell me this horse; demand what you please from me, and I will be the purchaser of it.' O young man,' said Harith, ‘if you are indeed desirous of a horse that is in this age quite invaluable, I will not sell it but in restitution of all this booty; and then do not imagine you will lose by your bargain. I swear by the God who knows all secrets, I do not avoid fighting you from the fear of death, for I am a warrior and can defend myself; but I feared this horse would be injured. If you, young man, wish to strike a bargain, and act like a man of honour, as I am a guest of this tribe, and have eaten with them, my wish is to ransom their property with this horse; and had it not been for this misfortune, I never would have parted with such an animal.' '

Antar gave all his plunder in exchange for this noble steed, which thenceforth became the faithful companion of his brilliant career.

Soon

after he witnessed an encounter between two brothers, who fought for the inheritance of the celebrated sword Damé, (the blood-drinker,) which their father had manufactured out of meteoric iron; Antar obtained possession of the weapon, which in his hands became not less renowned than the Excalibar of King Arthur.

The age of Antar, Hatim Tai, and the other heroes of the chivalrous romance of the Saracens, immediately preceded the coming of Mohammed; one of Antar's favourite companions be

came a follower of the prophet, and Hatim Tai's daughter, by a generous heroism worthy of her race, saved her tribe from the fury of Mohammed's soldiers. Hatim's tribe rejected Islamism; the prophet led an army against them, and having gained a complete victory, ordered that all the captives, with the exception of the daughter of Hatim, should be put to the sword. The noble lady, seeing the executioners ready to begin the work of massacre, threw herself at the feet of the prophet, and said, "take back your unwelcome boon; to survive my fellow-citizens, would be to me a fate infinitely worse than that with which they are menaced; spare them, or include me in their condemnation." Mohammed was so affected by this devotedness that he revoked his sentence and pardoned the entire tribe.

In

Although the preaching of Mohammed was the great cause of the fanaticism which mingled with the military spirit and love of adventure, that previously characterized the Arabian warriors, we find that some religious enthusiasm existed even in the days of idolatry. The pagan Arabs were often found to pollute the temple of an idol belonging to a rival tribe, and nothing but the extermination of the offenders could gratify the offended votaries of the insulted shrine. Religious wars were therefore not wholly unknown, and the enthusiasm which they generated could scarcely be regarded as a new social element. the very year of Mohammed's birth, there was a fierce religious war between the Christian viceroy of Yemen and the tribes of the Koreish, the hereditary guardians of the temple of Mecca. The change which Mohammed wrought in Saracenic chivalry was not so much the introduction of the religious element, as the giving of that element a prominence and intensity which overshadowed all the rest; yet in the great body of the traditions preserved in the Mishcat, we find that the prophet was not insensible to the influence of romantic appeals to the knighterrantry of the Saracens. His magnificent hyperbole-" in the shade of the scimitars Paradise is prefigured"— is, in fact, but a summary of Antar's

That which Antar had just plundered.

VOL. XXII.-No. 127,

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war-songs; but the great change which Mohammed effected in the chivalrous sentiments of the Arabs, was that he taught them not merely to despise death in the field of battle, but to desire it as the greatest of blessings. High as are the praises bestowed on martyrdom in the Koran, they fall very short of the eulogies given to such a death in the Mishcat al Masabih, or great collection of traditions. We

may remark incidentally, that without studying this collection, which unfortunately is placed beyond the reach of English readers, it is impossible to form any adequate notion of the genius of the Mohammedan religion.

In the section Gilead, which treats of "fighting against infidels," it is related that Mohammed said, "thou shalt in nowise reckon those who are killed in the cause of God, dead; but they are living near their cherisher, and receiving daily bread." Ebn Masud

said, "verily, I asked the prophet the meaning of this revelation, and he said, the souls of martyrs are in the crops of green birds, and they have golden chandeliers suspended from God's imperial throne, in place of nests; and they feed them in every part of Paradise they like, after which they take asylum in the chandeliers: their Cherisher (that is, God) then turns his face towards them and saysdo you wish for any thing? They say, what can we wish for and what desire, now that we feed in whatever part of Paradise we like? And God asks them the same question thrice, and when they understand that their Cherisher's object is for them to ask something, they say, O Cherisher! we wish you to return our souls into our bodies and send us into the world, that we may be slain again in thy cause. Then, when God knows that they are in want of nothing, on account of their great rewards obtained, he leaves them.'

Ebn Madicarib authenticates another tradition :-" Six boons are assured to a martyr when he approaches near the throne of God: first, on the falling of the first drop of his blood, all his iniquities and transgressions are washed away, and with the blood his name is written on the throne which he shall occupy in Paradise; second, Moukir and Ñekir, the dreadful inquisitors of the tomb shall not molest him in his grave; third, he shall be for ever delivered from the power of Satan, and the tortures of

the infernal lake; fourth, a crown of glory shall be placed upon his head, one jewel of which is better than the world, and every thing contained in it; fifth, seventy-two black-eyed virgins of Paradise shall be given him as companions; and sixth, if he asks forgiveness of the sins of seventy of his relations the request shall be granted." On this declaration, Abu Horeira remarked, that the prophet had further declared, "whoever shall be in God's presence without fighting for the faith, will meet him with a flaw in his religion;" and also, "he who fights in the cause of God a period of time, equal to the interval of milking a camel, will have earned admission to Paradise." Abu Amirah added, I heard the prophet say, "there is no Mussulman whom God causeth to die that wishes to return to the world, except a martyr; for every martyr is anxious to be killed again in the cause of God."

Mohammed anticipated the Roman pontiffs in promising complete forgiveness of their sins to all who fell in the Holy Wars. Ebn Ayid Kais gave as a tradition-" The prophet came out to the bier of a nobleman to recite prayers over the deceased; when the body was set down before him, Omar (afterwards kaliph) said-do not say prayers over him, O messenger of God, for he was a wicked man!— Then his highness looked towards the people and said-did any one of you ever see him employed in a work of Islam? A man said, yes; I did, O messenger of God! he kept watch one night on the road of God. Then the prophet said prayers over him and threw dust on him, and said to the corpse, your friends imagine you are in hell; but I bear witness that you are one of the people of Paradise. And he said to Omar, you will not be asked about men's actions, but of their services to the religion of Islam." To this Ebn Amir added, "I heard the prophet say, verily, God forgives three persons their sins, and brings them into Paradise on account of one arrow the first, the maker of the arrow if he designs it for holy war ; the second, the shooter of it in the cause of God; the third, the person who gives the arrow into the hand of the archer."

While the prophet animated the Saracens by promises of glory and eternal felicity, he sedulously denounced all meaner motives, declaring that