OF THE EOMAN EMPIKE 233 and, from the Oxus to the Euphrates, these militarj- colonies were protected and propagated by their native princes. But the Turks or the court and city were refined by business and softened by pleasure ; they imitated the dress, language, and manners of Persia ; and the royal palaces of Nishabur and Rei displayed the order and magnificence of a great monarchy. The most deserv- ing of the Arabians and Persians were promoted to the honours of the state ; and the whole body of the Turkish nation embraced with fervour and sincerity the religion of Mahomet. The north- em swarms of barbarians, who overspread both Europe and Asia, have been in*econcilably separated by the consequences of a similar conduct. Among the Moslems, as among the Christians, their vague and local traditions have yielded to the reason and authority of the prevailing system, to the fame of antiquity, and the consent of nations. But the triumph of the Koran is more pure and meritorious, as it was not assisted by any visible splen- dour of worship which might allure the Pagans by some re- semblance of idolatry. The first of the Seljukian sultans was conspicuous by his zeal and faith : each day he repeated the five prayers which are enjoined to the true believers ; of each week, the two first days were consecrated by an extraordinary fast ; and in every city a mosch was completed, before Togrul pre- sumed to lay the foundations of a palace.-'^ With the belief of the Koran, the son of Seljuk imbibed aHedeUvers lively reverence for the successor of the prophet. But that sub- Ba?dad.^*A.D. lime character was still disputed by the caliphs of Bagdad and^***" Egypt, and each of the rivals was solicitous to prove his title in the judgment of the strong, though illiterate, barbarians. Mah- mud the Gaznevide had declared himself in favour of the line of Abbas ; and had treated with indignity the robe of honour which was presented to the Fatimite ambassador. Yet the ungrateful Hashemite had changed with the change of fortune ; he ap- plauded the victory of Zendecan, and named the Seljukian sultan his temporal vicegerent over the Moslem world. As Togrul executed and enlarged this important trust, he was called to the deliverance of the caliph Cayem, and obeyed the holy [Ai-Kaim] summons, which gave a new kingdom to his arms.-^ In the palace of Bagdad, the commander of the faithful still slumbered, a venerable phantom. His servant or master, the prince of the ^ Hist. G^n^rale des Huns, torn. iii. p. 165, 166, 167. M. de Guignes quotes Abulniahasen, an historian of Egj-pt. '^ Consult the Bibliotheque Orientale, in the articles of the Abbassides, Caher, and Caiem, and the Annals of Elmacin and Abulpharagius.
