The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire . i. c. 28), Evagrius (1. vi. c. 21), and Pocock(Specimen, p. 72, 86) attest the human sacrifices of the Arabs in the vith danger and escape of Abdallah is a tradition rather than a fact (Gagnier, Vie deMahomet, tom. i. p. 82-84). 56 Suillis carnibus abstinent, says Solinus (Polyhistor. c. 33), who copies Pliny(1. viii. c. 68) in the strange supposition that hogs cannot live in Arabia. TheEgyptians were actuated by a-natural and superstitious horror for that uncleanbeast (Marsham, Canon, p. 205). The old Arabians likewise prac
The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire . i. c. 28), Evagrius (1. vi. c. 21), and Pocock(Specimen, p. 72, 86) attest the human sacrifices of the Arabs in the vith danger and escape of Abdallah is a tradition rather than a fact (Gagnier, Vie deMahomet, tom. i. p. 82-84). 56 Suillis carnibus abstinent, says Solinus (Polyhistor. c. 33), who copies Pliny(1. viii. c. 68) in the strange supposition that hogs cannot live in Arabia. TheEgyptians were actuated by a-natural and superstitious horror for that uncleanbeast (Marsham, Canon, p. 205). The old Arabians likewise practised, post coitum,the rite of ablution (Herodot. 1. i. c. 80 [leg. 198]), which is sanctified by theMahometan law (Reland, p. 75, &c.; Chardin, or rather the Mollah of Shaw Abbas,tom. iv, p. 71, &c.). The Mahometan doctors are not fond of the subject; yet they hold circum-cision necessary to salvation, and even pretend that Mahomet was miraculously bornwithout a foreskin (Pocock, Specimen, p. 319, 320; Sales Preliminary Discourse,p. 106, 107).. 2 -^^ 2 e g,-1 ? 5^ J J HX H Chap. L] OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 353 from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. In a remote period ofantiquity, Sabianism was diffused over Asia by the science ofthe Chaldeans ^^ and the arms of the Assyrians. From theobservations of two thousand years the priests and astronomersof Babylon ^^ deduced the eternal laws of nature and adored the seven gods or angels who directed the courseof the seven planets and shed their irresistible influence on theearth. The attributes of the seven planets, with the twelvesigns of the zodiac and the twenty-four constellations of thenorthern and southern hemisphere, were represented by imagesand talismans; the seven days of the week were dedicated totheir respective deities; the Sabians prayed thrice each day ;and the temple of the moon at Haran was the term of theirpilgrimage.^^ But the flexible genius of their faith was alwaysready either to teach or to learn ; in t
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