response 126 of 278:

May 6 00:08 UTC 1999

Okay, here's my quote du jour:

     Having put his religious house in order, Mohammed now began to
enjoy his power as the undisputed ruler of a large number of Arab
tribes. But success has been the undoing of a large number of men who
were great in the days of adversity. He tried to gain the good will of
the rich people by a number of regulations which could appeal to those
of wealth. He allowed the Faithful to have four wives. As one wife was a
costly investment in those olden days when brides were bought directly
from the parents, four wives became a positive luxury except to those
who possessed camels and dromedaries and date orchards beyond the dreams
of avarice. A religion which at first had been meant for the hardy
hunters of the high-skied desert was gradually transformed to suit the
needs of the smug merchants who lived in the bazaars of the cities. It
was a regrettable change from the original program and it did very
little good to the cause of Hohammedanism. As for the prophet himself,
he went on preaching the truth of Allah and proclaiming new rules of
conduct until he died, quite suddenly, of a fever on June the seventh of
the year 632.