ged by Hottinger,
(Hist. Orient. p. 204-211) Maracci, (tom. i. p. 10-14,) and Gagnier,
(Vie de Mahomet, tom. i. p. 97-134.)]

According to the tradition of his companions, Mahomet [69] was
distinguished by the beauty of his person, an outward gift which is
seldom despised, except by those to whom it has been refused. Before
he spoke, the orator engaged on his side the affections of a public or
private audience. They applauded his commanding presence, his majestic
aspect, his piercing eye, his gracious smile, his flowing beard, his
countenance that painted every sensation of the soul, and his gestures
that enforced each expression of the tongue. In the familiar offices of
life he scrupulously adhered to the grave and ceremonious politeness
of his country: his respectful attention to the rich and powerful was
dignified by his condescension and affability to the poorest citizens of
Mecca: the frankness of his manner concealed the artifice of his views;
and the habits of courtesy were imputed to personal friendship or
universal benevolence. His memory was capacious and retentive; his wit
easy and social; his imagination sublime; his judgment clear, rapid,
and decisive. He possessed the courage both of thought and action; and,
although his designs might gradually expand with his success, the first
idea which he entertained of his divine mission bears the stamp of an
original and superior genius. The son of Abdallah was educated in the
bosom of the noblest race, in the use of the purest dialect of Arabia;
and the fluency of his speech was corrected and enhanced by the practice
of discreet and seasonable silence. With these powers of eloquence,
Mahomet was an illiterate Barbarian: his youth had never been instructed
in the arts of reading and writing; [70] the common ignorance exempted
him from shame or reproach, but he was reduced to a narrow circle of
existence, and deprived of those faithful mirrors, which reflect to our
mind the minds of sages and heroes. Yet the book of nature and of man
was open to his view; and some fancy has been indulged in the political
and philosophical observations which are ascribed to the Arabian
traveller. [71] He compares the nations and the regions of the earth;
discovers the weakness of the Persian and Roman monarchies; beholds,
with pity and indignation, the degeneracy of the times; and resolves
to unite under one God and one king the invincible spirit and primitive
virtues of the Arabs. Our