not I better than Kadijah?  She was a widow; old, and had lost her looks:  you love me better than you did her?”—­“No, by Allah!” answered Mohammed:  “No, by Allah!  She believed in me when none else would believe.  In the whole world I had but one friend, and she was that!”—­Seid, his Slave, also belie ed in him; these with his young Cousin Ali, Abu Thaleb’s son, were his first converts.

He spoke of his Doctrine to this man and that; but the most treated it with ridicule, with indifference; in three years, I think, he had gained but thirteen followers.  His progress was slow enough.  His encouragement to go on, was altogether the usual encouragement that such a man in such a case meets.  After some three years of small success, he invited forty of his chief kindred to an entertainment; and there stood-up and told them what his pretension was:  that he had this thing to promulgate abroad to all men; that it was the highest thing, the one thing:  which of them would second him in that?  Amid the doubt and silence of all, young Ali, as yet a lad of sixteen, impatient of the silence, started-up, and exclaimed in passionate fierce language that he would!  The assembly, among whom was Abu Thaleb, Ali’s Father, could not be unfriendly to Mohammed; yet the sight there, of one unlettered elderly man, with a lad of sixteen, deciding on such an enterprise against all mankind, appeared ridiculous to them; the assembly broke-up in laughter.  Nevertheless it proved not a laughable thing; it was a very serious thing!  As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him.  A noble-minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards; full of affection, of fiery daring.  Something chivalrous in him; brave as a lion; yet with a grace, a truth and affection worthy of Christian knighthood.  He died by assassination in the Mosque at Bagdad; a death occasioned by his own generous fairness, confidence in the fairness of others:  he said if the wound proved not unto death, they must pardon the Assassin; but if it did, then they must slay him straightway, that so they two in the same hour might appear before God, and see which side of that quarrel was the just one!

Mohammed naturally gave offence to the Koreish, Keepers of the Caabah, superintendents of the Idols.  One or two men of influence had joined him:  the thing spread slowly, but it was spreading.  Naturally he gave offence to everybody:  Who is this that pretends to be wiser than we all; that rebukes us all, as mere fools and worshippers of wood!  Abu Thaleb the good Uncle spoke with him:  Could he not be silent about all that; believe it all for himself, and not trouble others, anger the chief men, endanger himself and them all, talking of it?  Mohammed answered:  If the Sun stood on his right hand and the Moon on his left, ordering him to hold his peace, he could not obey!  No:  there was something in this Truth he had got which was of Nature herself; equal in rank to Sun, or Moon, or whatsoever thing Nature had made.  It would speak itself there, so long as the Almighty allowed it, in spite of Sun and Moon, and all Koreish and all men and things.  It must do that, and could do no other.  Mohammed answered so; and, they say, “burst into tears.”  Burst into tears:  he felt that Abu Thaleb was good to him; that the task he had got was no soft, but a stern and great one.