[Footnote 651: Amina, or Emina, was of Jewish birth. V. Hammer,
Geschichte der Assass. p. 10.--M.]

[Footnote 66: The safest aeras of Abulfeda, (in Vit. c. i. p. 2,) of
Alexander, or the Greeks, 882, of Bocht Naser, or Nabonassar, 1316,
equally lead us to the year 569. The old Arabian calendar is too dark
and uncertain to support the Benedictines, (Art. de Verifer les Dates,
p. 15,) who, from the day of the month and week, deduce a new mode of
calculation, and remove the birth of Mahomet to the year of Christ 570,
the 10th of November. Yet this date would agree with the year 882 of
the Greeks, which is assigned by Elmacin (Hist. Saracen. p. 5) and
Abulpharagius, (Dynast. p. 101, and Errata, Pocock's version.) While we
refine our chronology, it is possible that the illiterate prophet was
ignorant of his own age. * Note: The date of the birth of Mahomet is not
yet fixed with precision. It is only known from Oriental authors that
he was born on a Monday, the 10th Reby 1st, the third month of the
Mahometan year; the year 40 or 42 of Chosroes Nushirvan, king of Persia;
the year 881 of the Seleucidan aera; the year 1316 of the aera of
Nabonassar. This leaves the point undecided between the years 569, 570,
571, of J. C. See the Memoir of M. Silv. de Sacy, on divers events in
the history of the Arabs before Mahomet, Mem. Acad. des Loscript. vol.
xlvii. p. 527, 531. St. Martin, vol. xi. p. 59.--M. ----Dr. Weil decides
on A.D. 571. Mahomet died in 632, aged 63; but the Arabs reckoned his
life by lunar years, which reduces his life nearly to 61 (p. 21.)--M.
1845]

[Footnote 67: I copy the honorable testimony of Abu Taleb to his family
and nephew. Laus Dei, qui nos a stirpe Abrahami et semine Ismaelis
constituit, et nobis regionem sacram dedit, et nos judices hominibus
statuit. Porro Mohammed filius Abdollahi nepotis mei (nepos meus) quo
cum ex aequo librabitur e Koraishidis quispiam cui non praeponderaturus
est, bonitate et excellentia, et intellectu et gloria, et acumine etsi
opum inops fuerit, (et certe opes umbra transiens sunt et depositum
quod reddi debet,) desiderio Chadijae filiae Chowailedi tenetur, et
illa vicissim ipsius, quicquid autem dotis vice petieritis, ego in me
suscipiam, (Pocock, Specimen, e septima parte libri Ebn Hamduni.)]

[Footnote 68: The private life of Mahomet, from his birth to his
mission, is preserved by Abulfeda, (in Vit. c. 3-7,) and the Arabian
writers of genuine or apocryphal note, who are alle