HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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different points ; while, on the other hand, the most extensive revolutions, aswell religious as civil, have been carried into effect even with very inferiorpowers, and from the most humble origins, when those means have been stea-dily, and unremittingly applied to the attainment of one point, towards whichall efforts have been directed as to one common focus. Mahomet, well awarethat the least complex means that can be adopted in furtherance of a pro-ject must invariably prove the best, ceased not to inspire his followers withan enthusiasm for military pursuits, which he contrived, by various artificesand allurements, to raise almost to a pitch of phrenzy. This not only pro-cured them success in their undertakings, but for a time, rendered'them, appa-rently, almost invincible. The collection of an army, more particularly con-sidering the simple state in which military tactics then were, was the operationof a few days, or perhaps only of a few hours. Every peasant could be trans-formed on the instant into a soldier. He readily became acquainted with all theduties of his profession. The productions and plunder of the districts which heover-ran with religious zeal, and in the inspired hope of obtaining eternal sen-sual felicity after death, made him totally regardless of his life, and supplied himwith food, as well as with raiment; so that his sword and his Koran became theonly necessary articles of equipment for the field of ravage and of glory.

A navy was not to be collected by such slender means. Its formation re-quired a species of deliberation that was incompatible with the views of Ma-homet and his followers ; and even the ambition of acquiring maritime conse-quence was postponed for ages, till the proselytes to the new faith had acquired,by the means of support to which they had first resorted, sufficient strength andleisure to admit of their indulging themselves in those propensities and pursuitswhich were common to the inhabitants of other countries, and to the professorsof a different religion. The success which attended the measures adopted bythe pretended prophet and his successors, sufficiently proved the deep laid policyby which they were regulated and conducted. Within the short space of twocenturies, the tenets of the Koran were received as of divine promulgation, fromthe Ganges to the Mediterranean, from the southern Atlantic almost to theCaspian. In all probability, half of that part of the globe then known toEuropeans, had either voluntarily, or compulsively, embraced the creed ofMahomet, without ever experiencing the actual necessity of possessing, orfinding any serious inconvenience from the want of a fleet. That celebratedand powerful prince, the Caliph Haroun A1 Raschid, whose subjects as well as

H h 2 himself