pursued. Aristotle, no doubt, was the great
master to whom, in philosophy, all deference was paid. The Prophet had
prescribed their religion. Their schools were of two kinds, or rather
classes; the one comprehending the inferior institutions, in which
elementary branches of instruction, such as reading, writing, and
religious doctrine were chiefly attended to; the other, called
_Madras_, mostly connected with the mosques, as were all the schools of
the former class, included those institutions in which the higher
departments of knowledge were explored. Here grammar, logic, theology,
and jurisprudence were studied. The management of each school was
confided to a principal of known ability, and not always, a Mohammedan.
The professors lectured on the several sciences; and the pupils, if not
in every department, of which there is some doubt, certainly in that of
medicine, were publicly examined, and diplomas were given under the
hand of the chief physician.

Of elegant composition, the Koran was {251} universally esteemed the
model. Hence it was studied with the most diligent care by all who
sought to distinguish themselves in the art of eloquence, one of the
leading acquirements of Arab scholars. Subordinate to this pre-eminent
composition, their schools of oratory boasted of models scarcely
inferior to the celebrated orators of antiquity. Malek and Sharaif,
the one for pathos, the other for brilliancy, are the chief of these.
Horaiai was esteemed as the compeer of Demosthenes and Cicero.
Bedreddin, of Grenada, was their "torch of eloquence;" and Sekaki
obtained the honourable designation of the Arabian Quinctilian.

The ancient Arabs were much inclined to poetry. The wild, romantic
scenery of the land they inhabited, the sacred recollections of their
earliest history, the life they led, everything around them,
contributed to poetic inspiration. After the revival of letters, this
art was cultivated with enthusiasm. The heroic measures of Ferdousi,
the didactic verses of Sadi, and the lyric strains of Hafiz, even
through the medium of imperfect translations, discover animated
descriptions, bold metaphors, and striking expressions, that at once
delight and surprise us. In splendour, if not in strength, the poets
of the courts of Haroun and Almamoun, or those of the Ommiades of
Spain, have, perhaps, in no age been excelled. In this art, as among
other {252} people, so among the Arabs, the fair sex have disting