would think it fhould be for the intereft of the neighbouring princes and ftates at any hazard to root out fuch a peftilent race of robbers: and actually it hath several times been attempted, but never accomplished. They have from first to laft maintained their independency, and notwithstanding the most powerful efforts for their deftruction, still dwell in the prefence of all their brethren, and in the prefence of all their enemies.

We find that in the time of Mofes, they were grown up into twelve princes according to their nations; (Gen. XXV. 16.) and they dwelt (faith Mofes, ver. 18.) from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goeft towards Affyria: but yet we do not find that they were ever fubject to either of their powerful neighbours, the Egyptians or Affyrians. The conquefts of Sefoftris, the great king of Egypt, are much magnified by Diodorus Siculus; and probably he might fubdue fome of the western provinces of Arabia bordering upon Egypt, but he was obliged, as (9) Diodorus informs us, to draw a line from Heliopolis to Pelufium, to fecure Egypt from the incurfions of the Arabs. They were therefore not fubjects, but enemies to the Egyptians; as they were likewife to the Affyrians, for they affifted (1) Belefis and Arbaces in overturning that empire, affifted them not as fellow-rebels, but as an independent state with their auxiliary forces.

The next great conquerors of the east were Cyrus and the Perfians; but neither he nor any of his fuccefforsever reduced the whole body of the Arabs to fubjection. They might conquer fome of the exterior, but never reached the interior parts of the country: and Herodotus, the hiftorian who lived nearest to those times, faith exprefly, that (2) the Arabs were never re

(9) Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p. 36. Edit. Stephan. p. 52. Edit. Rhodomani.

(1) Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 79. Edit. Steph. p. 111. Edit. Rhod.

(2) Apabios de una a επί δηλούσυνη Πέρσησι, αλλά ξεινοι Eyevoro, wapsiles Kaubuσea in Aγυπτον. ασκόπων γαρ Αραβίων, εκ αν

Caλ Пepσal εις Asyurlov. Arabes nunquam a Perfis in fervitutem redacti funt, fed hofpites extiterunt; quum Cambyfi aditum in Egyptum permififfent: quibus invitis haudquaquam fuiffent ingrefli Periz Egyptum. Herod. Lib. 3. Sect. 88. p. 198. Edit. Gale.

duced

'duced by the Perfians to the condition of fubjects, but were confidered by them as friends, and opened to them a paffage into Egypt, which without the affiftance and permiffion of the Arabs would have been utterly impracticable; and in (3) another place he faith, that while Phoenicia, Paleftine, Syria, and the neighbouring countries were taxed, the Arabian territories continued free from paying any tribute. They were then regarded as friends, but afterwards they affifted with their forces (4) Amyrtæus king of Egypt against Darius Nothus, and (5) Euagoras king of Cyprus against Artaxerxes Mnemon; fo that they acted as friends or enemies to the Perfians, juft as they thought proper, and as it fuited their humor or their intereft.

Alexander the great then overturned the Perfian empire, and conquered Afia. The neighbouring princes fent their embaffadors to make their fubmiffions. The (6) Arabs alone difdained to acknowlege the conqueror, and fcorned to fend any embaffy, or take any notice of him. This flight provoked him to fuch a degree, that he meditated an expedition against them; and the great preparations which he made for it, fhowed that he thought them a very formidable enemy: but death intervened, and put an end to all that his ambition or refentment had formed against them. Thus they happily efcaped the fury of his arms, and were never fubdued by any of his fucceffors. Antigonus, one of the greateft of his fucceffors, (7) made two attempts upon them, one by his general Athanæus, and the other by his own fon Demetrius, but both without fuccefs; the former was defeated, and the latter was glad to make peace with them, and leave them at their liberty. Neither would they fuffer the people employed by Anti

(3) Ibid. Set. 91. p. 199. Any posing the Apabian (Tauta yag την ατελεα). -præter Arabun tem (hæc enim erat immunis.)

par

(4) Diodorus Siculus. Lib. 13. p. 355. Edit. Stephani. Tom. 2. p. 172. Esit. Rhodomani. Prideaux Connect. Part 1. B. 6. Anno 410.

(5) Diodorus Siculus. Lib. 15.

p. 459. Edit. Stephani. Tom. 2. p. 328. Edit. Rhodomani. Prideaux Connect. Part 1. B. 7. an. 386.

(6) Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 1076. & 1132. Edit. Amftel. 1707.. Arrian. Lib. 7. p. 300. Edit. Gronovii.

(7) Diodorus Siculus. Lib. 19. p. 722. &c. Edit. Stephani, Tom. 2, p. 730. Edit. Rhodomani.

gonus,

gonus, to gather the bitumen on the lake Afphaltites, whereby he hoped greatly to increase his revenue. The Arabs fiercely attacked the workmen and the guards, and forced them to defift from their undertaking. So true is the affertion of (8) Diodorus, that "neither "the Affyrians formerly, nor the kings of the Medes "and Perfians, nor yet of the Macedonians, were able "to fubdue them; nay tho' they led many and great "forces against them, yet they could not accomplish "their attempts." We find them afterwards fometimes at peace, and fometimes at war with the neighbouring ftates; fometimes joining the Syrians, and fometimes the Egyptians; fometimes affifting the Jews, and fometimes plundering them; and in all refpects acting like a free people, who neither feared nor courted any foreign power whatever.

The Romans then invaded the east, and subdued the countries adjoining, but were never able to reduce Arabia into the form of a Roman province. It is too common with hiftorians to fay that fuch or fuch a country was conquered, when perhaps only a part of it was fo. It is thus that (9) Plutarch afferts that the Arabs fubmitted to Lucullus; whereas the most that we can believe is, that he might fubdue fome particular tribes; but he was recalled, and the command of the Roman army in Afia was given to Pompey. Pompey, tho' he triumphed over the three parts of the world, could not yet conquer Arabia. He (1) carried his arms into the country, obtained fome victories, and compelled Aretas to fubmit; but other affairs foon obliged him to retire, and by retiring he lost all the advantages which he had gained. His forces were no fooner withdrawn, than the Arabs made their incurfions again into the Roman pro

και

(8) 0 of Accupios to waλaior, εθ' οἱ Μηδων και Περσων ετι δε Μακεδόνων βασίλεις ηδυνήθησαν αυτες καταδελωσασθαι, πολλας μεν μεγαλας δυναμεις επ' autes ayaγοντες, εδεποτε δε τας επιβολας συν TEλEσAVTES. nec Affyrii olim, nec Medi ac Perfæ, imo nec Macedonum

reges fubigere illos potuere; qui licet magnis in eos copiis moverint, nunquam tamen incepta ad finem perduxere. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 92. Edit. Steph. p. 131. Edit. Rhod.

(9) Plutarch in Lucullo paffim. (1) Plutarch in Pompeio, p. 640, &c. Edit. Paris. 1624.

vinces.

vinces. Elius Gallus in the reign of Auguftus (9 (2) penetrated far into the country, but a ftrange diftemper made terrible havock in his army, and after two years Spent in this unfortunate expedition, he was glad to ef cape with the fmall remainder of his forces. The emperor Trajan reduced fome parts of Arabia, but he could never fubdue it entirely; and when he befieged the city of the Hagarenes, as (3) Dion fays, his foldiers were repelled by lightnings, thunderings, hail, whirlwinds and other prodigies, and were conftantly fo repelled, as often as they renewed their affaults. At the fame time great fwarms of flies infefted his camp; fo that he was forced at laft to raife the fiege, and retired with difgrace into his own dominions. About eighty years after the emperor Severus twice befieged the fame city with a numerous army and a train of military engins; for he had no better fuccefs than Trajan. God, (4) fays the heathen hiftorian, preferved the city by the backwardness of the emperor at one time, and by that of his forces at another. He made fome affaults, but was baffled and defeated, and returned with precipitation as great as his vexation for his difappointment. And if fuch great emperors and able warriors as Trajan and Severus could not fucceed in their attempts, it is no wonder that the following emperors could prevail nothing. The Arabs continued their incurfions and de

predations, in Syria and other Roman provinces, with equal licence and impunity.

Such was the ftate and condition of the Arabs to the time of their famous prophet Mohammed, who laid the foundations of a mighty empire: and then for feveral centuries they were better known among the European nations by the name of the Sarraceni or Saracens, the Arraceni (5) of Pliny, and the (6) Hagarenes of holy fcripture. Their conquefts were indeed amazingly rapid; they can be compared to nothing more properly than to a fudden flood or inundation. In a few years the Saracens overran more countries, and fubdued more people than the Romans did in feveral centuries. They were then not only free and independent of the rest of the world, but were themselves mafters of the most confiderable parts of the earth. And fo they continued for (7) about three centuries; and after their empire was diffolved, and they were reduced within the limits of their native country, they still maintained their liberty against the Tartars, Mamalucs, Turks, and all foreign enemies whatever. Whoever were the conquerors of Afia, they were ftill unconquered, ftill continued their incurfions, and preyed upon all alike. The Turks have now for feveral centuries been lords of the adjacent countries; but they have been fo little able to reftrain the depredations of the Arabs, that they have been (8) obliged to pay them a fort of annual tribute for the safe paffage and fecurity of the pilgrims, who ufually go in great companies to Mecca; fo that the Turks have rather been dependent upon them, than they upon the Turks. And they still continue the fame practices, and preferve the fame fuperiority, if we may believe the concurrent teftimony of modern travellers of all nations.

(5) Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 6. Cap. 32. ubi vide notam Harduini.

(6) Hagarenes, the defcendents of Ishmael. They are called alfo Ifhmaelites and Saracens, &c, Calmet's Dict.

(7) The Saracens began their conquefts A. D. 622. and to reign at Damascus A, D. 637. Their empire

was broken and divided A, D. 936. See Dr. Blair's Chronol. Tables. Tab. 33 and 39. and Sir Ifaac New ton on the Apocalypfe. Chap. 3, P. 304, 305.

(8) See Thevenot in Harris Vol. 2. Book 2. Chap. 9. and Demetrius Cantemir's Hift. of the Othman empire in Ahmed, II. p. 393.

Two