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 370 THE DECLINE AND FALL to six thousand captives, twenty-four thousand camels, forty thousand sheep, and four thousand ounces of silver ; a tribe who had fought at Honain, redeemed their prisoners by the sacrifice of their idols ; but Mahomet compensated the loss by resigning to the soldiers his fifth of the plunder, and wished for their sake that he possessed as many head of cattle as there were trees in the province of Tehama. Instead of chastising the disaffection of the Koreish, he endeavoured to cut out their tongues (his own expression) and to secure their attach- ment by a superior measure of liberality : Abu Sophian alone was presented with three hundred camels and twenty ounces of silver ; and Mecca was sincerely converted to the profitable religion of the Koran. The fugitives and auxiliaries complained that they who had borne the burthen were neglected in the season of victory. ^^^^ " Alas," replied their artful leader, " suffer me to conciliate these recent enemies, these doubtful proselytes, by the gift of some perishable goods. To your guard I entrust my life and fortunes. You are the companions of my exile, of my kingdom, ^i^^fm' ^^ "^y paradise." He was followed by the deputies of Tayef, who dreaded the repetition of a siege. " Grant us, O apostle of God ! a truce of three years, with the toleration of our ancient worship." " Not a month, not an hour." " Excuse us at least from the obligation of prayer." " Without prayer religion is of no avail." They submitted in silence ; their temples were de- molished, and the same sentence of destruction was executed on all the idols of Arabia. His lieutenants, on the shores of the Red Sea, the Ocean, and the Gulf of Persia, were saluted by the acclamations of a faithful people ; and the ambassadors who knelt before the throne of Medina were as numerous (says the Arabian proverb) as the dates that fall from the maturity of a palm-tree. The nation submitted to the God and the sceptre of Mahomet ; the opprobrious name of tribute was abo- lished ; the spontaneous or reluctant oblations of alms and tithes were applied to the service of religion ; and one hundred and fourteen thousand Moslems accompanietl the last pilgrimage of the apostle. i^*' rirstwarof When Heraclius returned in triumph from the Persian war, tans agaiS' he entertained, at Emesa, one of the ambassadors of Mahomet, the Roman empire 165a ^Yor this incident see Stira 9; and Muir, Life of Mahomet, ed. 3, p. 408-9. J i-''" The last conquests and pilgrimage of Mahomet are contained in Abulfeda (p. 121-133), Gagnier (tom. iii. p. 119-219), Elmacin (p. 10, n), Abulpharagius (p. 103). The ixth of the Hegira was styled the Year of Embassies (Gagnier, Not. ad Abulfed. p. 121).