upon some tribes of the Arabs that pretended to be of the Jewish religion; and after several bloody and desperate engagements, with various successes on both sides, Mahomet at last having taken their fortified places, and made many of them prisoners, he sold them for slaves, and divided their effects among his soldiers and followers. But towards the end of the year, Mahomet received a very signal defeat, which reduced his affairs to a low condition; for the people of Mecca, in order to revenge the last year’s affront, marched against Mahomet with an army of three thousand foot, and two hundred horse; and having seized upon a mountain, only four miles distance from Medina, they so distressed the town from thence, that Mahomet, though he could muster no more than a thousand men, was forced to hazard a battle, in order to dislodge them from that important post, at the first onset Mahomet had the advantage, but being at last overpowered by the enemy’s numbers, he lost many of his men; and among the rest his standard bearer. The Impostor himself received several dangerous wounds, and would probably have lost his life, had not two of his companions come in timely to his assistance; in which action he received a wound in his hand, that deprived him ever after of the use of some of his fingers.
From this ill success, the people of Medina, began to argue that Mahomet was no prophet, nor so much in favour with God, as he pretended; and others murmured, and were ready to mutiny, on account of their friends and relations that were killed in the battle. To silence the former he told them, “That his defeat was occasioned by the sins of some in his army, and for this reason God
