depths of his soul, and placed him before the public in an entirely new character — that of a man claiming to be God's specially commissioned Apostle or Ambassador. It is to the more direct tracing of this gradual inward process from its first inception till it reached its full manifestation, or, as it were, crystallised into solidity, that we have now to direct our attention.

V. The Product of the afore-mentioned Factors, or Mohammed assuming the character of a Prophet and Messenger of God.

The facts and data hitherto marshalled furnish us with adequate means, apart from all reference to any special intervention of Providence, for comprehending that remarkable character which stamped itself so mysteriously on the pages of history as the Prophet and Ruler of Arabia and as the Author of the Politico-religious System of Islam.

We have seen that by birth Mohammed belonged to a family which, from its influential political position, and from its enjoyment of valuable privileges connected with the national sanctuary, naturally took a special interest in the concerns of the whole nation, and regarded with indignation and pain the progress of foreign domination in the common Arab fatherland. It can be easily conceived, especially if we take into account the sociable manner in which the Arabs like to spend their leisure hours, how inevitably these matters must have formed, within the temple precincts, that regular rendezvous of the people, the topic of frequent and earnest conversations, to which Mohammed could not possibly have remained a stranger.

These deliberations about the degraded, suffering state of the nation, about the urgency and best method of doing something for its deliverance, necessarily affected Mohammed all the more deeply and strongly, the more he was distinguished by susceptibility, pensiveness, and activity of mind. Whatever stirred his soul, stirred it to the bottom, and took possession of it with something like overwhelming force. The patriotic feelings, extensively called into play around him, were sure to find in him a patriot of uncommon

devotion and of a planning, plotting thoughtfulness. The ills and wounds of the country lay patent to all. The Arab nation was one only in name, was a mere 'geographical idea;' but in reality it was broken up into endless subdivisions of independent tribes and clans, kept asunder by frequent inter-tribal feuds and worried by acrimonious internal dissensions, so that they fell an easy prey to the covetous designs of surrounding nations. Under these circumstances the earnest patriots could not easily mistake their duty. It must have appeared plain to them that, before everything else, they were to seek to unite the discordant elements into one political whole, and thus to form a power strong enough to effect a speedy emancipation from the foreign yoke, and to guard against the danger of a return of such calamities in the future. Of some such kind as this, were, in all probability, the political thoughts and aspirations which occupied and possessed Mohammed's mind, up to the time of the great personal crisis from which he emerged as the Prophet of his people; and their reflex action can be distinctly traced in the excessive political colouring of the religion which he bestowed on his followers.

But let Mohammed and his fellow-patriots set about realising their political plan, and by what truly appalling obstacles will they find themselves confronted! To call into existence a great political union — how difficult everywhere, and what a truly Herculean task in a country like Arabia! Where was the authority, the overawing power, likely to command recognition and submission from so many independent tribes, jealous of their liberty and morbidly suspicious of each other, or even from the small but proud aristocratic oligarchy of Mecca? The only thing known to them as possessing a sort of national influence was their temple in Mecca and the religion it represented: but this had wholly failed thus far in proving the uniting force required. Still it seemed that nothing short of a power possessing Divine authority could serve the purpose. Might not, therefore, the traditional religion be rendered serviceable by means of reform? Or might, perhaps, any other religion, with its supernatural prestige, be found preferable? Was it not by their religion, that the Christian Abyssinians and the