Cadijah, a rich and noble widow of Mecca, who soon rewarded
his fidelity with the gift of her hand and fortune. The marriage
contract, in the simple style of antiquity, recites the mutual love of
Mahomet and Cadijah; describes him as the most accomplished of the tribe
of Koreish; and stipulates a dowry of twelve ounces of gold and twenty
camels, which was supplied by the liberality of his uncle. [67] By
this alliance, the son of Abdallah was restored to the station of
his ancestors; and the judicious matron was content with his domestic
virtues, till, in the fortieth year of his age, [68] he assumed the
title of a prophet, and proclaimed the religion of the Koran.

[Footnote 63: In eo conveniunt omnes, ut plebeio vilique genere ortum,
&c, (Hottinger, Hist. Orient. p. 136.) Yet Theophanes, the most ancient
of the Greeks, and the father of many a lie, confesses that Mahomet was
of the race of Ismael, (Chronograph. p. 277.)]

[Footnote 64: Abulfeda (in Vit. Mohammed. c. 1, 2) and Gagnier (Vie de
Mahomet, p. 25-97) describe the popular and approved genealogy of the
prophet. At Mecca, I would not dispute its authenticity: at Lausanne,
I will venture to observe, 1. That from Ismael to Mahomet, a period of
2500 years, they reckon thirty, instead of seventy five, generations: 2.
That the modern Bedoweens are ignorant of their history, and careless
of their pedigree, (Voyage de D'Arvieux p. 100, 103.) * Note: The most
orthodox Mahometans only reckon back the ancestry of the prophet for
twenty generations, to Adnan. Weil, Mohammed der Prophet, p. 1.--M.
1845.]

[Footnote 65: The seed of this history, or fable, is contained in the
cvth chapter of the Koran; and Gagnier (in Praefat. ad Vit. Moham. p.
18, &c.) has translated the historical narrative of Abulfeda, which may
be illustrated from D'Herbelot (Bibliot. Orientale, p. 12) and Pocock,
(Specimen, p. 64.) Prideaux (Life of Mahomet, p. 48) calls it a lie of
the coinage of Mahomet; but Sale, (Koran, p. 501-503,) who is half a
Mussulman, attacks the inconsistent faith of the Doctor for believing
the miracles of the Delphic Apollo. Maracci (Alcoran, tom. i. part ii.
p. 14, tom. ii. p. 823) ascribes the miracle to the devil, and extorts
from the Mahometans the confession, that God would not have defended
against the Christians the idols of the Caaba. * Note: Dr. Weil says
that the small-pox broke out in the army of Abrahah, but he does not
give his authority, p. 10.--M. 1845.]