There can, then, be no more doubt that Omar did order the destruction of this library, under an impression of its uselessness or its irreligious tendency, than that the Crusaders burnt the library of Tripoli, fancifully said to have consisted of three million volumes.  The first apartment entered being found to contain nothing but the Koran, all the other books were supposed to be the works of the Arabian impostor, and were consequently committed to the flames.  In both cases the story contains some truth and much exaggeration.  Bigotry, however, has often distinguished itself by such exploits.  The Spaniards burnt in Mexico vast piles of American picture-writings, an irretrievable loss; and Cardinal Ximenes delivered to the flames, in the squares of Granada, eighty thousand Arabic manuscripts, many of them translations of classical authors.

We have seen how engineering talent, stimulated by Alexander’s Persian campaign, led to a wonderful development of pure science under the Ptolemies; a similar effect may be noted as the result of the Saracenic military operations.

The friendship contracted by Amrou, the conqueror of Egypt, with John the Grammarian, indicates how much the Arabian mind was predisposed to liberal ideas.  Its step from the idolatry of the Caaba to the monotheism of Mohammed prepared it to expatiate in the wide and pleasing fields of literature and philosophy.  There were two influences to which it was continually exposed.  They conspired in determining its path.  These were—­1.  That of the Nestorians in Syria; 2.  That of the Jews in Egypt.

Influence of the Nestorians and Jews.  In the last chapter I have briefly related the persecution of Nestor and his disciples.  They bore testimony to the oneness of God, through many sufferings and martyrdoms.  They utterly repudiated an Olympus filled with gods and goddesses.  “Away from us a queen of heaven!”

Such being their special views, the Nestorians found no difficulty in affiliating with their Saracen conquerors, by whom they were treated not only with the highest respect, but intrusted with some of the most important offices of the state.  Mohammed, in the strongest manner, prohibited his followers from committing any injuries against them.  Jesuiabbas, their pontiff, concluded treaties both with the Prophet and with Omar, and subsequently the Khalif Haroun-al-Raschid placed all his public schools under the superintendence of John Masue, a Nestorian.

To the influence of the Nestorians that of the Jews was added.  When Christianity displayed a tendency to unite itself with paganism, the conversion of the Jews was arrested; it totally ceased when Trinitarian ideas were introduced.  The cities of Syria and Egypt were full of Jews.  In Alexandria alone, at the time of its capture by Amrou, there were forty thousand who paid tribute.  Centuries of misfortune and persecution had served only to confirm them in