thedecenciesofwordsandactionswerespurnedbythesefavoritesofHeaven；^2andtheyemployedseveraldaysinmysticandamorousconverse。AnobscuresentenceofhisKoran，orbook，isyetextant；^3andintheprideofhismission，Moseilamacondescendedtoofferapartitionoftheearth。TheproposalwasansweredbyMahometwithcontempt；buttherapidprogressoftheimpostorawakenedthefearsofhissuccessor:fortythousandMoslemswereassembledunderthestandardofCaled；andtheexistenceoftheirfaithwasresignedtotheeventofadecisivebattle。Inthefirstactiontheywererepulsedbythelossoftwelvehundredmen；buttheskillandperseveranceoftheirgeneralprevailed；theirdefeatwasavengedbytheslaughteroftenthousandinfidels；andMoseilamahimselfwaspiercedbyanAethiopianslavewiththesamejavelinwhichhadmortallywoundedtheuncleofMahomet。ThevariousrebelsofArabiawithoutachieforacause，werespeedilysuppressedbythepoweranddisciplineoftherisingmonarchy；andthewholenationagainprofessed，andmoresteadfastlyheld，thereligionoftheKoran。
TheambitionofthecaliphsprovidedanimmediateexercisefortherestlessspiritoftheSaracens:theirvalorwasunitedintheprosecutionofaholywar；andtheirenthusiasmwasequallyconfirmedbyoppositionandvictory。
[Footnote1:SeethedescriptionofthecityandcountryofAlYamanah，inAbulfeda，Descript。Arabiae，p。60，61。Inthexiiithcentury，thereweresomeruins，andafewpalms；butinthepresentcentury，thesamegroundisoccupiedbythevisionsandarmsofamodernprophet，whosetenetsareimperfectlyknown，Niebuhr，Descriptiondel\'Arabie，p。296—302。]
[Footnote*:ThisextraordinarywomanwasaChristian；shewasattheheadofanumerousandflourishingsect；Moseilamaprofessedtorecognizeherinspiration。Inapersonalinterviewheproposedtheirmarriageandtheunionoftheirsects。Thehandsomeperson，theimpassionedeloquence，andtheartsofMoseilama，triumphedoverthevirtueoftheprophetesawhowasrejectedwithscornbyherlover，andbyhernotoriousunchastityostherinfluencewithherownfollowers。Gibbon，withthatpropensitytoocommon，especiallyinhislatervolumes，hasselectedonlythegrosserpartofthissingularadventure。—M。]
[Footnote2:Thefirstsalutationmaybetranscribed，butcannotbetranslated。ItwasthusthatMoseilamasaidorsung:—