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special license from the court of Rome, to trade with the nations which they laboured to convert: in consequence of this, they engaged in an extensive and lucrative commerce, both in the East and West Indies; they opened warehouses in different parts of Europe, in which they vended their commodities. Not satisfied with trade alone, they imitated the example of other commercial societies, and aimed at obtaining settlements. They acquired possession, accordingly, of the large and fertile province of Paraguay, which stretches across the southern continent of America, from the bottom of the mountains of Potosi to the confines of the Spanish and Portuguese settlements on the banks of the river De la Plata. Here, indeed, it must be confessed, they were of service: they found the inhabitants in a state little different from that which takes place among men when they first begin to unite together; strangers to the arts; subsisting precariously by hunting or fishing; and hardly acquainted with the first principles of subordination and government.-The Jesuits set themselves to instruct and civilize these savages: they taught them to cultivate the ground, build houses, and brought them to live together in villages, &c. They made them taste the sweets of society, and trained them to arts and manufactures. Such was their power over them, that a few Jesuits presided over some hundred thousand Indians. But even in this meritorious effort of the Jesuits for the good of mankind, the genius and spirit of their order was discernible: they plainly aimed at establishing in Paraguay an independent empire, subject to the society alone, and which, by the superior excellence of its constitution and police, could scarcely have failed to extend its dominions over all the southern continent of America. With this view, in order to prevent the Spaniards or Portuguese in the adjacent settlements from acquiring any dangerous influence over the people within the limits of the province subject to the society, the Jesuits endeavoured to inspire the Indians with hatred and contempt of these nations: they cut off all intercourse between their subjects and the Spanish or Portuguese settlements. When they were obliged to admit any person in a public character from the neighbouring governments, they did not permit him to have any conversation with their subjects; and no Indian was allowed even to enter the house where these strangers resided, unless in the presence of a Jesuit. In order to render any communication between them as difficult as possible, they industriously avoided giving the Indians any knowledge of the Spanish or of any other European language; but encouraged the different tribes which they had civilized to acquire a certain dialect of the Indian tongue, and laboured to make that the

universal language throughout their dominions. As all these precautions, without military force, would have been insufficient to have rendered their empire secure and permanent, they instructed their subjects in the European art of war, and formed them into bodies completely armed, and well disciplined.

The pernicious effects of the spirit and constitution of this order rendered it early obnoxious to some of the principal powers in Europe, and gradually brought on its downfall. There is a remarkable passage in a sermon preached at Dublin by Archbishop Brown, so long ago as the year 1551, and which may be considered almost as prophetic. It is as follows: "But there are a new fraternity of late sprung up who call themselves Jesuits, which will deceive many, much after the Scribes and Pharisees' manner. Amongst the Jews they shall strive to abolish the truth, and shall come very near to do it. For these sorts will turn themselves into several forms; with the heathen, a heathenist; with the atheist, an atheist; with the Jews, a Jew; with the reformers, a reformade, purposely to know your intentions, your minds, your hearts, and your inclinations, and thereby bring you, at last, to be like the fool that said in his heart, there was no God. These shall be spread over the whole world, shall be admitted into the councils of princes, and they never the wiser; charming of them, yea, making your princes reveal their hearts, and the secrets therein, and yet they not perceive it; which will happen from falling from the law of God, by neglect of fulfilling the law of God, and by winking at their sins; yet, in the end, God, to justify his law, shall suddenly cut off this society, even by the hands of those who have most succoured them, and made use of them; so that at the end they shall become odious to all nations. They shall be worse than Jews, having no resting place upon earth; and then shall a Jew have more favor than a Jesuit." This singular passage seems to be accomplished. The emperor Charles V. saw it expedient to check their progress in his dominions: they were expelled England by proclamation 2 James I. in 1604; Venice in 1606; Portugal in 1759; France in 1764; Spain and Sicily in 1767; and totally suppressed and abolished by Pope Clement XIV. in 1773. Enc. Brit. Mosheim's Ecc. Hist. Harleian Misc. vol. v. p. 566; Broughton's Dict.

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21.

CHAPTER XLV.

MAHOMETANS.

THE Mahometans derive their name from Mahomet their founder. They believe in the doctrines and divine mission of this celebrated warrior and pseudo-prophet of Arabia, who was born at Mecca in the year 571 of the christian era. The father of Mahomet was Abdallech, descended from the Korashites, tribes who had long enjoyed the royal dignity in Arabia. Nothwithstanding the royal descent of the prophet, it appears that a variety of adverse circumstances occurred to render him, in the early part of life, indigent and obscure.

His father died before he was two years of age, and his mother when he was about eight; so that he was left in a manner without subsistence, and his education in a great measure if not altogether neglected. After the death of his mother, he was committed to the care of his grandfather, who dying within a year afterwards, he was taken under the protection of his uncle Taleb, a merchant of some respectability.

There are various accounts relative to the manner in which Mahomet first began to invent and propagate his new system of faith and worship. It appears according to the Mahometan histories, that his pretended mission was revealed to him in a dream, in the fortieth year of his age. From that time, say his biographers, Mahomet, under the influence of holy terror, devoted himself to a solitary life. He retired to a grotto in the mountain of Hira, which overlooks Mecca. He there passed his days and nights in fasting, prayer, and meditation. In the midst of one of these profound ecstacies, the angel Gabriel appeared to him with the first chapter of the Koran, and commanded him to read. Mahomet replied that he was unable; upon which the angel repeatedly embraced him, and commanded him to read, in the name of his Creator. A few days after, praying upon the mountain of Hira, Mahomet again saw the angel of the Lord, seated in the midst of the clouds on a glittering throne, with the second chapter of the Koran, and was addressed by him in the following words: "O thou who art covered with a celestial mantle, arise and preach!" Thus the angel Gabriel communicated, by command of the Eternal to his prophet, in the twenty-three last years of his life, the whole book of the Koran, leaf by leaf, chapter by chapter. There are, however, different accounts respecting the portions or parcels in which the Koran was given to Mahomet.

Word the word, Koran or Alcoran, properly signifies reading; a title given it by way of eminence, just as we call the Old and. New Testaments, scriptures.

That Mahomet was the author of the Alcoran, is allowed both by Christians and Mahometans themselves; only the latter are fully persuaded, that it was revealed to him by the ministry of the angel Gabriel; whereas the former, with more reason, think it all his own invention, assisted by one Sergius, a christian monk. The Alcoran is held not only of divine original, but eternal and uncreated, remaining, as some express it, in the very essence of God. The first transcript has been from everlasting by God's throne, written on a table of vast bigness, in which are the records of the divine decrees, past and future. A copy from this table, in one volume, on paper, was sent down to the lowest heaven, in the month of Ramadan in the night of power; from whence it was delivered out to Mahomet by parcels, some at Mecca and some at Medina; though he had the consolation of seeing the whole once a year, and in the last part of his life twice. new chapters were delivered entire, the greatest part though in separate periods, which were written down from time to time by the prophet's amanuensis, in this or that part of this or the other chapter, as he directed. The first parcel that was revealed, was the five first verses of the ninety-sixth chapter, which the prophet received in the cave of Mount Hira, near Mecca.

Ten

It appears that the general aim of the Alcoran was to unite the professors of the three different religions then followed in Arabia, Idolaters, Jews, and Christians, in the knowledge and worship of one God, under the sanction of certain laws, and the outward sign of ceremonies, partly of ancient and partly of novel institution, enforced by the consideration of rewards and punishments, both temporal and eternal; and to bring all to the obedience of Mahomet, as the prophet and embassador of God, who was to establish the true religion on earth, and be acknowledged chief pontiff in spiritual matters. The chief point therefore inculcated in the Alcoran, is the unity of God, to restore which the prophet confessed was the chief end of his mission.

The rest is taken up in prescribing necessary laws and directions, frequent admonitions to moral and divine virtues, the reve, rence and worship of the Supreme being, and resignation to his will. As to the book itself as it now stands, it is divided into 114 saras or chapters, which are again divided into smaller portions or verses. But besides these divisions, Mahometan writers divide it into 60 equal portions, each of which they subdivide in four parts. After the title at the bead of each chapter, except the rinth, is prefixed the formula, "In the name of the most merciful God," called by

the Mahometans Bismallah, wherewith they constantly begin all their books and writings, as the distinguishing mark of their religio.

Twenty-nine of the chapters of the Alcoran have this further peculiarity, that there are certain letters of the alphabet prefixed to them. In some of a single letter, in others two or more. These letters are supposed by the true believers to conceal divers profound mysteries, the understanding whereof has been communicated to no man, their prophet ex epted. Yet some have pretended to have their meaning, by supposing the letters to stand for so many words, expressing the names, attributes, and works of God; others explain these letters from the organ made use of in their pronunciation; others from their value in numbers.

There are several principal editions of the koran, two at Medina, one at Mecca, one at Ĉufa, one at Bassora, one in Syria, and the common or vulgate edition. The first contains 6000 verses; the second and fifth, 6214; the third, 6219; the fourth, 6236; the sixth, 6226; and the last, 6225; but the number of words and letters is the same in all, viz: 77,639 words, and 323,015 letters. The Alcoran is allowed to be written with the utmost elegance and purity of language, in the dialect of the Korashites, the most noble and polite of all the Arabians, but with some mixture of other dialects. It is the standard of the Arabic tongue, and as the orthodox believed, and are taught by the book itself, inimitable by human pen; and therefore insisted on as a permanent miracle, greater than that of raising the dead, and alone sufficient to convince the world of its divine original; and to this miracle did Mahomet himself chiefly appeal, for the confirmation of his mission, publicly challenging the most eloquent schoolmen in Arabia to produce a single chapter comparable to it. A late ingenious and candid writer, who is a very good judge, allows the style of the Alcoran to be generally beautiful and fluent, especially where it imitates the prophetic manner and scripture phrase; concise, and often obscure, adorned with bold figures, after the eastern taste; enlivened with florid and sententious expressions; and in many places, especially where the majesty and attributes of God are described, sublime and magnificent. To the pomp and harmony of expression some ascribe all the force and effect of the Alcoran, which they consider as a sort of music, equally fitted to ravish and amaze, with other species of that art. In this Mahomet succeeded so well, and so strangely captivated the minds of his audience, that several of his opponents thought it the effect of witchcraft and enchantment, as he himself complains. So numerous are the commentaries on the Alcoran, that a catalogue of their bare titles would fill a volume. There is a

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