Printed for S. RICHARDSON, T. OSBORNE, C. HITCH, M.DCC.LIX. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READ E R. T HE Arabs rendered themselves fo famous, both by their extenfive conquests and their cultivation of antient literature, after the introduction of Islamism amongst them, that their glory, for feveral centuries, eclipfed that of all other nations. Nay, the vaft empire they erected seems to fubfift, even at this day, in thofe of the Othman Turks, Perfians, Tartars, and Moguls; who derived from them both their religion and polity, both their facred and civil inftitutions. No wonder then that a complete history of this wonderful people, from the birth of their falfe prophet and legiflator Mohammed, to the reduction of Baghdad by the Tartars, extracted chiefly from the oriental authors, fhould have been fo long defired in thefe western parts of the world. Nothing, therefore, of that kind having yet appeared in any of the European tongues; we flatter ourfelves, that the laborious and difficult work now offered in three volumes to the public, which comprehends a clear and fuccinct detail of the moft remarkable events that happened in the Arab empire during the aforesaid period, and has been deduced principally from the eastern MOD. HIST. VOL. I. writers, writers, will meet with a fav urable reception from all our candid readers. For the more effectual attainment of which defirable end, it has been judged requifite to mention here the most celebrated authors who have fupplied us with materials for this hiftory, and the affistance we have received in the compilation of it. For the life of Mohammed, which may not improperly be confidered as the first part of the modern history of the Arabs, we have had recourfe to Abu Jaafar Al Tabari, as abridged by Al Makin, Gregory Abu'l Faraj, the Koran, Al Shabreftâni, and above all the famous Ifmael Abu'lfeda, both in his life of that impoftor and his general hiftory; the former of which has been published by Mr. Gagnier, with a Latin verfion, at Oxford, in 1723. We have likewife been furnished with innumerable extracts by Al Kodai, Sharif Al Edrifi, Al Beidawi, Al Zamakhfhari, Ebn Al Athir, Ebn Hefham, Ahmed Ebn Yufef, Abunazar, Al Beihaki, Al Jarra, Al Hafedh, Makhzum, Ebn Khalecân, Ruftem Al Maulavi, Al Bokhári, Jallalo'ddín, Ahmed Ebn Yahya, Al Firauzabadi, Ebn Shobnah, Mohammed Ebn Abd'al Baki, Abdallah Ebn Al Abbás, Ebn Al Jûzi, Abu Horeira, Al Termedi, Ebn Al Khafai, Ebn Ifhak, Abu-Zeid Seid, Al Jawhari, Al Wâkedi, Al Ghazali, and many more oriental writers, whose names it would be too tedious barely to enumerate here. Befides which, we have inferted in this part of our work every thing material to be met with, either in the later Greek hiftorians or other Chriftian authors, particularly M. D'Herbelot, relative to the Molem prophet. We doubt not, therefore, but our readers will find the life of Mohammed, contained in this volume, the moft most complete and perfect piece of its kind that in any European language has ever yet appeared. With regard to our hiftory of the Khalifs, or fucceffors of Mohammed, from the death of that impoftor to the abolition of the Khalifat, this has been likewife compiled almost intirely from the most celebrated eastern writers. Our readers will not only meet with here the fubftance of what has been handed down to us, relative to the Mollem hiftory, by Eutychius, Abu Jaafar Al Tabari, Kemálo ddîn Al Armûni, Al Makîn, Gregory Abul Faraj, Ifmael Abu'lfeda, Ebn Shobnah, Mirkhond, Khondemir, Al Emír Yahya Ebn Abd'ollatif Al Kazwîni, Ahmed Ebn Mohammed Abd'aljaafar Al Kazwini, Abu Mohammed Abd'alaziz Ebn Shedad Tamîm Al Sanháji, Al Kâdi Shahâbo'ddin Ebn Abi'ldam Al Hamawi, Takio'ddin Ahmed Al Makrízi, Al Emir Abu'l Mahaffen Yufef Ebn Tangri Wirdi, Ibrahim Ebn Mohammed Ebn Dakmak, and other oriental hiftorians, more generally known, during the abovementioned period, but alfo with extracts from fome eastern authors scarce ever heard of in these parts of Europe before. As Erpenius's Latin verfion and printed copies of Al Makîn end with the 512th year of the Moslem æra, and Abu'l Faraj's hiftorical epitome is too short and jejune, with respect to the Arab affairs, after that year; in order to fupply both those defects, we have, by the affiftance of the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hunt, Profeffor of Hebrew and Arabic in the University of Oxford, been enabled to infert, from a manufcript in his poffeffion, a tranflation of Ebn Shobnah's annals, from the 512th to the 656th year of the Hejra, in this work. To render more valuable this addition, a 2 |