Page:History of Mahomet, the great imposter.pdf/15

 visits: the great men he soothed with flattering praises, and the poor he relieved with gifts and alms: and towards all men managed himself with that art of insinuation, that at length he surmounted all difficulties, which so bold an imposture, in the first venting of it, must necessarily, be liable unto; and several other new proselytes joined themselves unto him, among whom was Omar Ebno'l Chattal, who was one of his successors, and then a considerable man in the city. His example was soon followed by several others; so that in the fifth year of his pretended mission, he had increased his party to the number of thirty-nine, and himself made the fortieth.

On his having made this progress, several began to be alarmed at it. Those that were addicted to the idolatry of their forefathers, stood up to oppose him as an enemy of the Gods, and a dangerous innovator in their religion. But others, who saw further into his designs, thought it time to put a stop thereto, for the sake of the public safety of the government, which it manifestly tended to undermine, for the establishing of tyranny over them; and, therefore, they combining together, against him, intended to have cut him off with the sword. But Abu Taleb his uncle, getting notice thereof, defeated the design: and by his power, being chief of the tribe, preserved him from all other like attempts as were afterwards framed against him. For although he himself persisted in the Paganism of his ancestors, yet he had that affection for the Impostor, being his kinsman, and one that was bred up in his house, that he firmly stood by him against all his enemies, and would suffer no one to do him any hurt as long as he lived. And therefore being safe under so