disciples of one Abu'l Khattab, is too peculiar to be omitted. These maintained paradise to be no other than the pleasures of this world, and hell fire to be the pains thereof, and that the world will never decay: which proposition being first laid down, it is no wonder they went farther, and declared it lawful to indulge themselves in drinking wine and whoring, and to do other things forbidden by the law, and also to omit doing the things commanded by the law.2 Many of the Shiites carried their veneration for Ali and his descendants so far, that they transgressed all bounds of reason and decency; though some of them were less extravagant than others. The Gholâïtes, who had their name from their excessive zeal for their Imâms, were so highly transported therewith, that they raised them above the degree of created beings, and attributed divine properties to them; trans- 2 Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 261. Abulfar. p. 169. 3 Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 262. 4 Idem, ibid. Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Schiah. 5 Vide Poc. ibid. 1 Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 263. 2 Idem. et Ebn al Kossá, ibid. p. 260, &c. gressing on either hand, by deifying of mortal men, and by making GOD corporeal: for one while they liken one of their Imâms to GOD, and another while they liken GOD to a creature.3 The sects of these are various, and have various appellations in different countries. Abd'allah Ebn Saba (who had been a Jew, and had asserted the same thing of Joshua the son of Nun) was the ringleader of one of them. This man gave the following salutation to Ali, viz., "Thou art Thou," i.e., Thou art GOD: and hereupon the Gholâïtes became divided into several species; some maintaining the same thing, or something like it, of Ali, and others of some of one of his descendants; affirming that he was not dead, but would return again in the clouds, and fill the earth with justice.4 But howmuchsoever they disagreed in other things, they unanimously held a metempsychosis, and what they call al Holûl, or the descent of GOD on his creatures; meaning thereby that GOD is present in every place, and speaks with every tongue, and appears in some individual person:5 and hence some of them asserted their Imâms to be prophets, and at length gods.6 The Nosairians and the Ishâkians taught that spiritual substances appear in grosser bodies; and that the angels and the devil have appeared in this manner. They also assert that GOD hath appeared in this manner. They also assert that GOD hath appeared in the form of certain men; and since, after Mohammed, there hath been no man more excellent than Ali, and, after him, his sons have excelled all other men, that GOD hath appeared in their form, spoken with their tongue, and made use of their hands; for which reason, say they, we attribute divinity to them.1 And to support these blasphemies, they tell several miraculous things of Ali, as his moving the gates of Khaibar,2 which they urge as a plain