On the spikenard of the ancients / By Charles Hatchett.

  • Charles Hatchett
Date:
[1836]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the spikenard of the ancients / By Charles Hatchett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    They were encouraged in these pursuits by the Caliph Almansor and by the celebrated Haroun Al-Raschid, but when, as Mr. Gibbon observes, the sceptre devolved to Al-Mamon, the Seventh Caliph of the Race of the Abbassides, “ He completed the designs of his grandfather (Almansor) and invited the Muses from their ancient seats. His ambassadors at Constantinople, his agents in Armenia, Syria and Egypt, collected the volumes of Grecian Science (and we may truly say of other nations); at his command they were translated by the most skilful interpreters into the Arabic language; his subjects were exhorted assiduously to peruse these instructive writings, and the successor of Mahomet assisted with pleasure and modesty at the assemblies and disputations of the learned.”* It is therefore not surprising that persons eminent for learning, invited by the liberality and affability of Al-Mamon, flocked to the court of that accomplished and amiable Sovereign.f * “ Les Mathematiques en general, et surtout l’Astronomie lul eurent des obligations particulieres. Les Arabes lui doivent la premiere traduction en leur langue de presque tous les Mathematiciens Grecs. Al-Mamon fut meme fort verse en Astronomie, suivant les Historiens, on lui attribue une Observation de l’obliquite de l’Ecliptique. Ce fut sous ses auspices qu’on mesura la terre avec plus d’exactitude qu’on n’avoit fait jusqu’ alors. Cette belle operation fut executee dans une plaine immense sur les bords de la Mer Rouge. Des Geometres habiles mesurerent par ses ordres la coudee a la main une etendue d’un Degre du Meridien, qu’on trouva de 56 milles § dont chacun contient 4000 coudees. Quoique l’ignorance ou nous sommes du rapport de ces mesures avec les notres rende ce travail infructueux pour nous, il ne laisse pas d’etre memorable.”—Moreri, Dictionnaire Historique. -f* “ Quod ad naturam ejus (Al-Mamunis) attinet, fuit omni modo excellens, liberalis, magnse clementiae, et boni regiminis, neque inter Abbassidas fuit quisquam eo eruditior, nec praestantior.”—Georgius El-Macin Historia Saracenica, Lib. II, p. 139- “ Mamun Ben Rasched amabat scientias et sapientes ac viros celebres: ejus tempore translati sunt multi libri ex Greca lingua in linguam Arabicam.”—Rabbi Abraham Sachur, libro Inchasin, vide L’Histoire de la Philosophic Hermetique par Langlet du Fresnoy, Tom. I. p. 69. “ Ex dictis constat Philosophy inter Arabes cultae vera et aperta initia ad Al-
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