Sister of Aaron Observe O Moore the great error which the Alchoran committeth in this place and how he takes one person for another putting the Virgin Mary for the Sister of Moses and Aaron who was called Mary the Prophetess and there were above 1500. years between them Now can we call a Scripture which erres in so much time the Word or Scripture of God And if it were as some learned Moores say that even as God would and Commanded that Sarah Abraham's Wife should conceive her son Isaac when she was already ninety years old and was forty years past the time of conception So also God had preserved this Mary the Sister of Aaron that from her Jesus Christ our Saviour the Messias should come This reason is not good because in the second Chapter of the first Book he relates the conception of the Virgin Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ and how she was offered in the Temple for the service of God and that the Priests in those times cast lots which of them should have the tuition of her and the said Chapter sayes that the lot fell upon Zachary and that he took charge of her And in the same chapter sayes further that this Mary had communication with the Angels and talked with them and that she was fed and nourished with celestiall food which ye may read thus in the Arabick Ogna id calati c. and likewise he sayes in Arabick O quullenie da hale c. i. e. That the Angell said to Mary O Mary certainly God hath chosen adorned and exalted thee above the women of all generations and sayes further that one day Zachary went into Maries Oratory he having the keyes and there found her eating food which he had not given her and he said O Mary whence hadst thou this food seeing I have the Keyes of the Oratory and she answered him that God sent it her The Commentators of the Alcoran say upon this place that the food which Zachary found Mary eating was ripe fruits out of their season This was the same Mary to whom the Angell Gabriel came as appears in the same Chapter which is called in Arabick Sorathe alehamran i. e. a Song of the generation of Joachim the Father of the Virgin Mary I have set down this here for the greater demonstration and proof that this Mary was she unto whom the Angel Gabriel came with the salutation saying Hayle Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee and that conceived Jesus Christ of the Holy Ghost This salutation is in Arabick thus Oya Maryemujune c. Wherefore O Moore I conclude that this Mary was not the Sister of Aaron for the Sister of Aaron was not in the time of Zacharias the Father of St. John Baptist as this Mary was And Muhamed was deceived here by the name of Moses father who in Arabick is called Hembram by which name Joachim our Ladye 's father is called in Arabick And thus O Moore I tell thee that the reason which the Moores give of Maries being Aarons Sister is invallid seeing it is proved by the same Alcoran that this Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ lived in the time of Zacharias above 1500. years after the other Mary So that wee must say that Muhamed and the Alcoran take one person for another and erre in so long time A thing which is not sutable to a Prophet nor to the Scripture of God and therefore I say that Muhamed was neither a Prophet nor the Alcoran the Scripture of God And hence it appears how the Cutler 's made him erre and put one thing for another in the Alcoran and transpose the Histories of the Prophets out of due place putting the first last and the last first as shall hereafter appear so that it hapned to Muhamed with his Cutlers as the Proverb sayes When the blind leads the blind they both fall into the ditch The fourth Argument is from what he sayes in the third Chapter of the third Book the words in Arabick are O qualacad c. i. e. That God sent the Alforcan which is the same with the Alcoran unto Moses and Aaron for a Light and admonition to the just If the Moores say that Alforcan doth not signifie the Alcoran I will prove the contrary by the same Alcoran which in the second Chapter of the first Book sayes Onzele athorata y aliugile y nezele alforcane haleique i. e. God inspired the Thora the Gospell and the Alforcan into Muhamed and the same is in the seventh Chapter of the third Book in Arabick Otabaraque c. i. e. blessed be he that caused the Alforcan to descend upon his servant Muhamed for to admonish the Nations whence it appears from the Alcoran it self that Alforcan imports as much as Alcoran and therefore O Moore I conclude that Muhamed and the Alcoran erre likewise in this passage in saying that God sent it to Moses and wee need not wonder if Muhamed lay down this error seeing he sayes further in the Suné that David read all the Alcoran whilst they sadled his Mule for hee that sayes the one may as well say the other and he that makes one girdle may make a hundred And if thou sayest O Moore that by the Alcoran is meant the Psalter of David I say and prove the contrary by the Alcoran it self which in Arabick sayes thus O qualacad ateyne deude Zabora i. e. God sent and gave the Psalter to David hee doth not say that he gave him the Alcoran And the said Muhamed in the Suné sayes that God sent the Thorah to Moses the Gospel to Jesus Christ the Son of Mary the Psalter to David and the Alcoran to Muhamed And so I tell thee that thou hast no other answer than silence And knowest thou not O Moorish Alfaqui * Chief Priest in the Mahometan Religion who canst say the Alcoran by rote that it sayes in above 300 places that God gave the five books to Moses which he calls in Arabick Athorata and saies likewise in above as many places that God gave the Gospel to Jesus Christ and the Azabor i. e. the Psalter to David and in a thousand such places he doth not any where say that Alforcan signifies the Athora nor that the Psalter signifies the Alcoran therefore consider this well and thou wilt see and know the truth The fifth Argument is from what is said in the first Chapter of the first Book concerning two Angels called Harod and Marod who are hanged by the eye-lids in a Cave in the City of Babylon and are there tormented untill the day of Judgement the which he expresseth thus in Arabick O guame unzile c. signifying what hapned to the two Angels called Harote and Marute in Babylon The gloss upon this text sayes That God sent two Angels as Judges to the City of Babylon to doe judgement in that City unto the people and every night they ascended into heaven and descended every morning and sayes
wilt find that Muhamed doth not come from a high and excellent generation nor in the best times of the world but in a vile time and of a vilde generation notwithstanding that his originalls which were Abraham and Ismael were holy and good But let us return to Muhamed under the tuition of his nurse Alima The book Azar sayes that when Muhamed was 4 years old he went forth on a certain day with the Nurses son to bring home the Cattle and he being in a field alone the Angell Gabriel came to him in the appearance of a man cloathed with a garment as white as snow and takeing him by the hand led him behind a little hill and there with a razor lanced his breast cut out his heart and took a drop of black matter which the Moores say is in every man in the world and that the devill tempteth men by it which the Angell took from him that he might not be tempted of the devill at any time and after it was taken out the Angell put his heart into his brest again and it became whole as it was before and this the book Azar sayes was the first miracle that Muhamed wrought Concerning which I shall make an argument in due place in the Chapter of offences which shall be the sixth Chapter and so Muhamed remayned with his nurse till he was 16. years old The said book Azar sayes that when Muhamed was 25 years old he took to wife a certaine rich Cosen german of his called Gadisa which was his first wife This womans former husband was a rich merchant and kept many Camells and slaves and traded as a Carryer from Mecca into Syria Persia and Cayre with whom Muhamed made severall journies untill he dyed Muhamed and Gadisa lived together in wedlock till he was 38 years old and Muhamed had 3 daughters and 1 son by her the eldest daughter was called Fatima the second Zeyneb the third Umicultum and his son was called Cazin and dyed at 22 years of age The same year that Muhamed took the said gentle-woman to wife he did an act of Idolatry whereby I will prove to the Moores that he was an Idolater and it was thus Yee must understand that it chanced that year that the people of Mecca repaired a breach which was in the Tower where the said Idoll stood and were constrayned to take the Stone from it's place having repayred the Tower they agreed to put the Stone again in it's place and to avoyd all strife and offence which might arise about which of them should set the Stone again in it's place all the gentry of Mecca cast lots and the lot fell upon Muhamed and a cousen of his Whereupon Muhamed and his cousen came to the Temple to set the Stone again it it 's place and Muhamed took off his Turbane from his head and he and his cousen layd the Stone upon the Turbane to honour it the more so he on one side his cousen on the other took up the Turbane and with great reverence set the stone in it's place and kissed it with an immense devotion and in honour to the said Idoll whence it plainly appeares that Muhamed was an Idolater and did honour and worship the Idoll and kissed magnified and exalted the stone which only thing is of it self great Idolatry And Muhamed not only kissed and adored this Stone before he was a professed Propher but also kissed and adored it after he was a publick Prophet and he commannds and layes down the adoring and kissing of this Stone for an Article of his Law and faith which I prove by the books of the Suné and by a book intituled Aericele in the Chapter of the Ceremonies of the Alhage or Pilgrimage where he sayes and Commands all the Moores which goe a Pilgrimage to Mecca when they goe into the Cathedrall of Mecca the first thing they must doe is to goe to the said Stone adore it and kisse it on the right side The words in Arabick are these Oquahale qulli c. i. e. That every Moore that goes into the Minster of Mecca must first salute and kisse the blessed Stone on the right side which Ceremony the Idolaters observed in the times when the Idoll was in that Tower Elcabba and to this day the Moores observe divers other Ceremonies which those Idolaters observed in reverence to the Idoll as namely the Behiram of the Aladees which is after their Passeover when they kill the sheep the which the said Caydar the Arabians grandsire Ismael's son ordayned and instituted in honour of the Idoll and in memoriall of the ramme which Abraham Sacrificed in stead of his son Isaack nothwithstanding many Moores yea the most part say that it was Ismael and not Isaack but their greatest Doctors say it was Isaack Likewise the Moores keep the Ceremony of the Alhage i. e. Pilgrimage which they doe once in their lives And once a yeare in the three dayes of the Passeover they kill sheep and divers other beasts as the Idolaters did likewise the Moores forbear hunting or killing so much as a lowse or a flee in all the Countrey of Mecca during the aforesaid 4 prohibited months and ye must understand that the Moores make their account and Calculation of time according to the Lunar year and not the Solar and call the twelve Moones of the year each by a particular name whereof 4 are called Prohibited months because of the said hunting forbidden them in the Countrey of Mecca which prohibition they retain from Caydar and his successors in honour to the said Idoll one of these months or Moones is called Rajab the next Quedda the third Hegia the last Moharram from which Moharram they begin their annuall account likewise the Moores observe the fast of the tenth day of the said fourth month which begins the year on which day the Idolaters fasted in reverence to the said Idoll the which I prove by a saying of Muhamed in the sixth book of the Suné where he sayes That the Coraxistes and the people of Mecca fasted this tenth day when they were Idolaters and the words in Arabick are these Oqua quenet c. Likewise the Moores observe the going about the Tower called Elcabba and going seaven times about a pit called Birsemsem which Ceremony the Idolaters observed in memoriall of Hagar and saying that when Hagar was delivered of her son Ismael she brought him to this pit and layd him by it and went to the Temple of Mecca and prayed God to cause water to come forth of the said pit And the Book Azar sayes that Hagar went about the Tower praying to the God of Abraham and went back againe to the well and did thus seaven times and that hereupon God heard her prayers and caused water to issue out of the pit and for this reason and in memoriall hereof the Idolaters went about the Tower and walked seaven times to the well which Ceremonies the Moores observe and they are
is that which he speaks of in the first Chapter of the first Book which in Arabick saies thus Oniz Uquum c. i. e. O yee Moores your Wives are your ground therefore cast seed into them as you please which Text or verse is filthie villanous and immodest of it self and extreme superfluous but the Glossers of the Alcoran in expounding and excusing it have polluted it more saying that those words as yee please doe not intend otherwise than at the usuall Orifice but also that a man may lye with his Wife after what manner hee pleaseth either standing side-wayes filewayes or in any other posture So that although the Text of it self be filthie and baudie yet the Gloss and Comment thereon is far worse Now tell me O Moore what thinkest thou of this verse of the Alcoran Indeed such discourses ought not to be written in a Book which you say is the word of God at least all the Moores must say that God will here teach you how you should use your Wives which is not a reasonable excuse for we doe not read that God taught Adam which way he should lye with his Wife though they were the first married Couple in the world therefore I say that this verse is superfluous and base and the gloss far more filthy for the Scripture of God should not mention a thing so naturall to men especially in the seventh age of the world and which is not only naturall to men but also to bruit beasts and birds Now speak thou Moore who art beyond the Seas Dost thou not observe the bashfulness which the Camels use in this Act for when the Male will Couple with the Female hee never doth it but in the night and in some obscure place where he may not be seen of Man or beast and if such modesty or bashfulness be found amongst bruit beasts how much more ought it to be used amongst men Likewise the Alcoran sets down another filthiness and baseness saying in the first Chapter of the first Book that the Moore who repudiats and puts away his wife once yea twice may take her again if the parties be agreed but if he puts her away the third time he cannot take her again untill she have known another husband Now tell me O Moore if thou regardest God what avails it this woman that the first and second time she must only return to her husband and that the third time she may not return untill she have lyen with another husband for it seems to be very void of Reason and is an immodest and a very superfluous expression and it doth not become God or a Prophet to speak of such things this is what hee saith in the first Chapter of the first book The words are in Arabick thus O Attalcaco c. i. e. that a woman repudiated once or twice may return to her husband but if she be repudiated the third time she cannot return to her former husband untill another husband hath had to doe with her Likewise the Alcoran saies and laies down many superfluous things which have no reason in them and are altogether unnecessary as is the story of King Alexander whom they call in Arabick Dulzarnaini in the twelfth Chapter of the second-second-Book where hee saies that this King Alexander went to the place where the Sun setteth and from whence it riseth and that he daily saw the Sun set in a hot Fountain the which oppugneth Philosophie Likewise in the same Chapter he relates another story of what befell Moses and his servant and Enoch whom they call in Arabick Alhadir of which story there is no mention in all the Bible Now tell me O Moore who art an Astrologer whether it be consonant to Reason and truth that the Sun which is in the fourth heaven should daily set in a hot or a cold fountain doth it not appear to thee O Moore to be against Astrologie and Reason Likewise he tells another story of King Alexander in the same Chapter how he lockt up the Lake with bars of Iron and melted Lead that those of Gog and Magog might not pass divers other the like stories the Alcoran mentions which are unreasonable and altogether needless and which I omit because I would not be too tedious But observe and consider O Moore that if the said Histories were true they would all be found in the Bible but because they are not true therefore are they not found any where but in the Alcoran and not in any Authentique writings wherefore I say that Muhamed had done enough is he had inserted into his Alcoran the histories which are in the Bible But in regard he put down nothing but what the two Cutlers told him he hath inserted stories like the persons Now speak O Moore and compare the histories which Moses mentioneth in his five Books called in Arabick the Thora and observe their order and their Chapters and how they follow each other in order and good Computation and what distance of time there was from Adam unto Noah and from Noah unto the Deluge and from the Deluge unto Abraham and from Abraham to Moses and from Moses unto David and from David to Jesus Christ our Lord without fayling in a day or a moment of Time whence it truly appears that it is Divine and truly inspired by God and ordained by his will and then O Moore observe the order of the histories of the Alcoran and thou shalt see that he keeps no order or succession of time for he puts the history of Abraham before that of Noah and the history of Joseph before Abraham and the history of David before Moses and doth not make the Accompt true for he saies that Mary the Sister of Aaron was the Mother of Jesus Christ and that the Virgin Mary was the sister of Moses and Aaron wherein his accout faileth above 1500. years Thou shouldest likewise O Moore consider that Moses hath set down the Historie of the Creation of the World once in the first Chapter of Genesis and sets down the History of Adam and Eve once and how they sinned and were cast out into the earth once in a Chapter by it self he hath also set down the history of Noah and of the Deluge and of the Ark once so also are set down the Histories of Abraham Lot Jacob Joseph Moses David and of all the Patriarks and Prophets each history once and each orderly in its Chapter and thou wilt see O Moore and observe that Muhamed sets down the said histories in the Alcoran 12. 15. 16. 20. times yea even without order for he puts the last first and the first last and so thou wilt come to know that the Alcoran is not of God nor sent from God by his Angell as Muhamed saies Now tell me O Moore what availeth it or what Reason is there to insert the same History so often and every time in Rymes and Consonance after the manner of measured verses Hence it was that
crow also and whilst Muhamed stood wondring at it this great Cock began to crow and all the Cocks in heaven crowed with him and presently afterwards all the Cocks on earth crowed also The said book sayes That from this place they ascended to the second heaven which was made of beaten gold and knockt at the gate and the Porter asking who was there the Angell Gabriel answered it is I and Muhamed the friend of God is here with me and as soon as he had named Muhamed presently the gates of that heaven opened of themselves and they went in and saw upon all the gates of that heaven the name of God written together with the name of Muhamed which is in Arabick thus Ole ilehe ille allah Muhemed razolo allah i. e. This God is the onely God and Muhamed is the Messenger of God It sayes that entring in at the gate of this second heaven they found Noah a very old gray-headed man Muhamed embraced him and Noah was very glad to see Muhamed and to speak with him and Noah made application to him and entreated him to remember him when he came to God Hee sayes that in this second heaven they found a great multitude of Angels half as many more as were in the first heaven and of very wonderfull and great shapes amongst which was one Angell who stood on the second heaven and his head reached to the third and one of his hands to the East and the other unto the West end of heaven and many other wonderfull things they saw here And from this heaven they ascended to the third heaven which was made of a pretious Stone and there they met with Abraham being an old hoary man and the Angels in this heaven were far more in number than those of the two other heavens and much greater and amongst them they saw an Angell who from one eye to the other had the distance of 70000. dayes-journey Which Angell held a book in his hand and never did any thing else but look on the said book and expunge what was therein written and write anew therein Muhamed asked the Angell Gabriel who this Angell was and what it was he read in that book and what he wrote and expunged The Angell answered and told him that this Angell was called in Arabick Malach almenti i. e. The Angell of the dead And the book which he had in his hand was the book called in Arabick Alhaunhe ahnafod i. e. the preserved book wherein are the names of all men that are born and the Angell noteth and calculateth the years and dayes that every one must live and when any mans dayes are expired hee expunges such a mans name and presently the man dies on earth Likewise he writes down the names of all men that are born and the dayes of their life and how long they shall live so that this Angell hath no other office but to put in and expunge out of this book He sayes that from thence they went to the fourth heaven which was made of a very pure Emerauld in which heaven they found Joseph the son of Jacob who greeted Muhamed and made great application to him and there they saw many more Angels than were in the other heavens and of far greater bodyes amongst which there was one great Angell which made great lamentation Muhamed asked the Angell Gabriel wherefore this Angell lamented so and Gabriel answered him that that angell lamented the sins of men and those which went to hell From thence they went to the fifth heaven which was made of a Diamond where Moses was who made application to Muhamed and in this heaven were as many Angels as in the other but farre greater And so they ascended to the sixth heaven where was John Baptist who saluted Muhamed and in this heaven they saw a multitude of Angells far greater than any of the former and this heaven was made of a Carbuncle In the seventh heaven they met with Jesus Christ unto whom Muhamed made application and this heaven was made of the Light of God and here they saw many more Angels than in the other six heavens and far greater amongst which was one that had seventie thousand heads and every head had seven hundred thousand tongues and each of these tongues had seven hundred thousand voyces with all which voyces or languages they praised God day and night Likewise amongst these Angels were divers which alwayes watched without ever shutting their eies others alwayes bowed their heads without ever erecting themselves others lay alwayes prostrate and never arose and others praised God with such loud voyces that they put their fingers into their ears lest they should become deaf with the noise of their voyces In this seventh heaven the Angell Gabriel took his leave of Muhamed and told him that he might not goe further and that now God would guide him himself Muhamed saies that he began to ascend certain sublimities and hights and through so much rain and snow that hee became so wearied and tyred that hee could goe no farther and at that instant Muhamed heard a voyce saying in Arabick thus Oya Muhamed anden gualirabach cellem i. e. O Muhamed approach and salute thy Creator Whereupon Muhamed drew neer to the voyce and saw so great a light that it troubled his sight He sayes that God had on his glorious face seventy thousand vayles of Devine light and the Text of the Alcoran in the third book sayes that Muhamed approached God within two bowe-shots or little lesse In Arabick it is thus O zumen c. i. e. That Muhamed approached God within little less than two shots of a Cross-bow Muhamed sayes further that so great a light proceeded from the vayles which God had on his face that hee could not behold the visage of God Nevertheless Muhamed sayes that God interpos'd his hand for a shadow unto Muhamed but he could not endure it by reason of the great cold which proceeded from it He saies that in this place God spake to him and gave him divers Commandements of the Law and told him many secrets and yee must know that if I should write all the things which Muhamed sayes hee saw that night a ream of paper would not contain them Muhamed sayd as the book Azar reporteth that this night God granted five things unto him which were never given to any Man before nor since The first was that he should be the chiefest and most elect creature that God ever created either in heaven or on earth which the Arabick calls Hayriall quilleh The second was That he should be the most excellent and most Honourable Lord of all the sons of Adam at the day of judgement the Arabick says thus leydo qualidiademe y aume alquima The third was That he should be the generall Redeemer which in Arabick is said Safey Mustafa and for this cause Muhamed is by another name called Almebi i. e. he that takes away sins The fourth was
c. i. e. That God hath forbidden the Moores that which is murrain blood Swine that which is offered to Idols and that which hath bin strangled that which dyes by the thrust of a horn or by a casualty and also wild beasts c He forbids all these things in the said Chapter the which also the Moores doe hold for prohibited And in another song in the fifth Chapter of the first Book God commands and chargeth Muhamed to tell the Moores that they should say nothing was prohibited and forbidden to be eaten or drunk but murrain blood Swines flesh and that which is offered to Idols the said verses in Arabick sayes thus O Zolle agido c. So that the Moores in the first Chapter forbad twelve things and in the other Chapter contradicting themselves they forbid but four And if thou wilt say O Moore that the verses of the last Chapter are revoked by the first I prove that the first much less the last are not revoked but are verses which remain in force and vertue and which are called in Arabick Ayetum Mohquemetum i. e. decisory and valid verses Nay it is not found in all the Alcoran that any former verse revokes the second for it may be reasonable that the second may revoke the first but not that the first should revoke the second therfore I say that if the first verse is valid and decisory the second verse must likewise be valid and decisory and this was so concluded amongst the Moores viz. That both the verses should be valid and decisory What sayst thou now O Moore in this great confusion where one verse forbids twelve things and the other forbids but four for hence it plainly appears that these are not verses of God nor of a Prophet sent from God Furthermore the Alcoran in the eleventh Chapter of the second book writes that the use of wine is allowed the words in Arabick say thus O guamin Zamarati c. Which signifies that of the fruit of the dates of the Palme tree and of Grapes ye may drink and take lawfull sustentation By force of which Verse the Moores drank wine lawfully the space of twelve years but afterwards upon a fancy which Muhamed took he forbad it by word of mouth not by the Alcoran so that Muhamed contradicteth the Alcoran and thus in divers Chapters yee find that the Alcoran contradicteth it self Likewise the Alcoran sayes to Muhamed that if he doubted whether the Alcoran was of God or of man he should enquire of the Jews and Christians who had read the Scripture before him the words in Arabick are thus O fainz unte c. i. e. verbatim O Muhamed if thou doubtest or art uncertain of this Alcoran which we have caused to be sent down to thee aske of those who have read the Scripture before thee All the glossers say that they who had read the Scripture are the Jews and Christians and yet in the first Chapter of the first book he sayes that the Jews and Christians have no Law and that they erre and the same Alcoran calls the Jews cursed and the Christians erronious Furthermore in divers places he speaks well of the Jews and Christians and sayes that the Thora or Law is the true book of God and that God sent the said Law of Moses good and true by which Law the Prophets and messengers doe judge and all those who doe not judge by the Thora are unjust and unbelievers in God the words in Arabick in the fourth Chapter of the first book run thus Ogua anzelne c. i. e. verbatim We God sent the Thora which is the Law of Moses a Light and streight path by which the Prophets doe judge and they who doe not judge by this which God sent to the world are Insidels and unrighteous Likewise he says that the Gospell is the Light Life Law and Salvation of men and yet afterwards he says that the Christians and Jews have no Law and that they are cursed and erronious And if thou O Moore sayest as all the Moores generally doe That the Thora and the Evangelists are not now what they were in the time of Moses and in the time of Jesus Christ and that the Christians have altered the Gospell and the Jews have perverted the Thora To that I will answer O Moore and say that that Argument is not good for two reasons The first and principall as concerning the Thora is that the same books and Chapters which the Jews had in the time of Moses and in the time of the Prophets untill Jesus Christ the very same they have still and the Christians have alwaies had them without wanting a tittle not only the Thora which is the five books of Moses but also all the old Testament Now thou knowest O Moore that the Jews and Christians differ in Worship so that if the Jews had changed and altered the Scripture it would not have continued one and the same in the hands of the Jews and in the hands of the Christians as now it is and hath alwaies been The reason O honest Moore is because the Scripture was given by God and that Scripture which is given by God will never be lost as are the books of Muhamed's Suné As we have said above in the third Chapter The second reason is because that when Muhamed published his Reliligion it was already 600. years since the Christian Law or Religion had been Preached to all the world and so long also had the old Testament and the new been united to wit the figure and the thing figured so concordant and harmonious as if they had been both one and the same thing And seeing God commanded Muhamed to inquire of the Readers of this Scripture for his information the Scripture doubtless was then good and true and is likewise at present good and true for the same as it then was it still is and if it had been altered at the time of Muhamed God should have given Muhamed notice of it and have given him to know that at first it was good but then bad so that O Moore thou hast no right on thy side notwithstanding whatsoever the Moores and Musselmen say for he that brings the testimony of two for proof of his own cause doth yield that those witnesses are good and true not bad and reprochable because if they were reprochable and of ill fame they are not worthy to be received for witnesses now if God bids Muhamed to inquire of the Jews and Christians for his own information and satisfie himself from their two Scriptures you must conclude O Moore that those Scriptures at the time of such inquiry were good and true as still they are and will alwaies be and for this Reason O Moore thou must be silent and acknowledge that the Alcoran contradicteth it self in divers places and so I will conclude this point Concerning the superfluous and immodest things which Muhamed hath inserted in the Alchoran the first
and return again to heaven where they were at first if hee did all this hee promised to be converted and to become a Moore and Musselman The Books aforesaid say that Muhamed prayed unto God and beseeched him for his Divine power to doe all that his Uncle demanded and they say that the Moon presently came into the midst of heaven full and divided it self in the midst and descended and did what is above recited and after all was done his Uncle answered saying that it was all done by the Art of Negromancie these words the said Chapter there mentions and in Arabick they are thus Ogua iniaran aeyten i. e. the wicked say that it was a manifest sorcerie The seventh Miracle was when the trunk of the Palme tree wept the book of Azar saies that the night when Muhamed departed from Mecca to goe to Medina which departure the Moores call Alhigera i. e. Lapidation or banishment Muhamed had a dry Trunk of a Palm tree in his house and because that the night of his departure after midnight the Trunk was very moist Muhamed called the Moores and desired them to come and see a great miracle The Moores answered that they desired nothing else but to see Miracles then he brought them all where the trunk lay and bad them touch the Trunk with their hands and see how the Trunk wept for Muhameds departure These are his greatest miracles and the most authentique amongst the Moores Muhamed saies that he did all the Miracles above-mentioned but hee doth not mention any witnesse that saw any one of them done Concerning which Miracles there might be great arguments made which I omit for fear of being too tedious but shall leave them to the Readers own judgement that I may conclude this Chapter for if I should set down all the Miracles which we read of and are reported in the Suné to be done by Muhamed they could not be comprized in twenty five quires of paper for the Suné and all the six books report that Muhamed did a thousand such Miracles CHAP. XI The Eleventh Chapter treateth how the Christian faith is approved for good holy and true and given by God by the very Alcoran and Suné of Muhamed THe Alcoran testifieth that Jesus Christ our Lord is the most excellent Prophet that ever came into the world and that his blessed mother Mary was a Virgin and brought him forth in her Virginity and that when shee was a little mayden of three years of age shee went into the temple to serve God and was attended by Angels and talked and conversed with Angels in the temple and that she was brought up in the temple and fed on celestiall food and was saluted by the Angell Gabriel who declared unto her that she was the best of the women of all nations and that she should conceive of the holy Ghost and should bring forth Jesus Christ the word of God who should be a great Prophet and be endowed with all graces Likewise the Angelick salutation is in the Alcoran and the words which the Virgin and the Angell had together as they are in the Gospell and that the Virgin Mary said how can it be and that the Angell answered her the holy Ghost shall come into thee and the power of the most high shall over-shaddow thee and that the Virgin Mary consented and was impregnated by the operation of the holy Ghost and that Jesus Christ our Lord was born of a most glorious and miraculous birth and that he did all supernaturall miracles dyed rose again and ascended to heaven by his own power and how he must come again to the earth to judgement as the true Judge and that his disciples were holy men and wrought divers miracles raysing the dead and healing incurable diseases and mentioneth some Saints and Christian Martyrs All this above I will prove by the Alcoran and the Suné Furthermore in the first Chapter of the first book he says in Arabick thus O delique c. i. e. That the bible to wit the old and new testament is the Law and way of the just likewise in the same Chapter he says in Arabick qualazai atenne c. i. e. Wee God gave the scripture to Jesus Christ and assisted him by the holy Spirit the same words he says a little further in the same Chapter In the second Chapter of the first book he says in Arabick thus Onezele haleique c. i. e. that God inspired the Alcoran into Muhamed and sent the Thora and the Gospell for a Law and way unto men In the 4th Chapter of the first book he says in Arabick thus Ogua attenne c. i. e. wee God have given the Gospell to Jesus Christ a way light and salvation to men and they who will not submit to what God hath given shall be condemned In severall other places of the Alcoran and the Suné he says that the Thora of Moores and the Gospell of Jesus Christ came from God for a Law salvation and Light unto men and thus I have proved that the Law of Jesus Christ is in the Alcoran approved for good and holy Concerning the blessed Virgin Mary in the second Chapter of the first Book which is called the Chapter of the generation of Joakim the Father of the Virgin Mary he sayes in Arabick thus O Guait calet c. i. e. That when Anne Joakims wife was with child of the Virgin Mary she said O my Creator I freely offer unto thy service what I bear in my womb therefore hear me O Lord for thou givest ear and art wise and when her time was out she brought forth a woman child which birth was holy and she called the child Mary and prayed God that she and her child might be protected and defended from the temptations of the Devill and the Commentators on the Alcoran say and conclude on this place that only Jesus Christ and Mary his Mother were exempted from the temptation of the Devill and they firmly hold that the Virgin Mary was Conceived without originall sin in the said Chapter he saies that the Virgin Mary came to divine service at the Temple when she was a little Maiden and lived there a most holy life and that Zacharias the Father of St. John Baptist had the tuition of her and that she was fed and nourished with Celestiall food and that Angels discoursed and conversed with her The Arabick saies thus Ogua id c. i. e. That the Angell said O Mary God hath chosen and purifyed thee and exalted thee above all the women of all generations and presently he mentions that she was saluted by the Angell Gabriel and that the Angell Gabriel told and discovered to her the mystery of the Incarnation and that she answered the Angell and did consent and was with child in which words is contained the Ave Marie and all that which the Holy Gospell relates he saies in Arabick thus Ogua Zaleti c. which is the Salutation
the faith of Jesus Christ why tarriest thou then O Moore why dost thou not become a Christian that thou mayest goe to the place where this Christian Martyr is I believe that divers Moores hear this aforesaid but doe not believe it but bid thou the Moore which denies it to read the gloss of Alzamaxeri and the gloss of Buhatia and if he doe not find what I have set down above word for word in the said two glosses let him call me the greatest lyer in the world This History his Grace Martin Gartia Lord Bishop of Barchinone hath set down in his Book of the Alcoran which I translated out of Arabick into the Spanish tongue by his Graces command and himself hath the said two Arabick glossaries Yee must know that the Alcoran holds forth and attributes three excellencies to our Lord Jesus Christ which it doth not give to any other of the Prophets not to Moses Abraham David no nor to Muhamed The first is that which the Alcoran mentions in the second Chapter of the first Book viz. That he ascended to Heaven in Soul and Body and upon this place the Suné sayes that he must come into the world to judge as a just Judge in Arabick and the Suné he sayes thus Oguayniziolo c. i. e that Jesus the Son of Mary shall come down to the earth and shall be a just Judge therein The second excellency which the Alcoran attributes to Jesus Christ is that it calls him Calimethuallah i. e. The word of God The third is that he is called in the Alcoran Rohc alkodus allah i. e. The holy Spirit of God of which two names never was any man worthy nor ever will be so that having proved that Jesus Christ is the word of God and the holy Spirit of God it is proved that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and very God This appears in the third Chapter of the first Book of the Alcoran which in Arabick runs thus Omet mazeho c. i. e. The Messras Jesus the Son of Mary is no other than the word of God sent to Mary the Spirit of God himself and the messenger of God by which words O Moore thou mayest see that he declares that Jesus Christ is God and Man CHAP. XII The twelfth and last Chapter treateth and sheweth that Christians should not wonder why Muhamed's Sect hath so propagated and that the Moores should not be so presumptuous and say as they usually doe that if their Religion were not good it had never propagated so much for that reason is of no waight It likewise sheweth how Muhamed's Disciples carried themselves after his death and what discords contests and murthers were practised amongst them for dominion and the Vanities of this world and to become Kings Califes and great Potentates NOw to the end that Christians may not have occasion or ground to wonder and much less the Moores to presume I will lay down three causes whereby the Sect of the Moores hath propagated and augmented but not by any goodness in it self The first cause was that Muhamed began and instituted this Law or Religion of the Moores in a Nation very rustick ignorant beastly and Idolatrous being men voyd and destitute of all knowledge and understanding for amongst that people were no Logicians Astrologers Philosophers nor Physicians but they were all earthly given to eating drinking and luxury an ignorant and rude people as the Alcoran calls them in the first Chapter of the first Book in Arabick Sufeha i. e. ignorant people The Countrey likewise was full of Idolaters aswell in Arabia the happy as in Arabia the great and throughout all Persia and Armenia where were twelve sorts or Sects of Idolaters as we shewed in the first Chapter of this book some of them worshiped a tree unto which they Sacrifised and annually celebrated Feasts and a kind of Easter which tree they called Detulanger the Lord and Captain of the Province where this tree was in Muhamed's time was called Azamahinali Others worshipped a great statue made of a black metall which was three fathoms long this Idoll was called Bohinum and it was in the Province of Armenia the Lord and Captain of this Idoll in Muhameds time was called Alquazad Others in Armenia worshipped the Sun and the Prince of that people was called Sanharben Carquar They of Mecca and the Provinces adjacent worshipped Alzete and Alluza as we have said before so that Muhamed began his Sect amongst the most blockish people in the world and unto these Muhamed gave to understand that they were Idolaters and that they ought to worship the God of heaven and earth who was the true God who had Created the Heavens the Planets the earth and the waters that caused rain to fall from heaven and fruits to proceed from the earth for Man and beast that God who caused men to dye and after death to rise again for to reward every man according to his deserts with glory or punishment that God who created the Paradises with so many excellent things for the blessed and that God who created Hell with so many Torments for the Damned All which they of Mecca and the other Idolaters denyed and by his preaching this aforesaid to them which is the Contents of half the Alcoran divers began to believe in Muhameds Law or Sect many likewise were induced to believe Muhamed by reason of the great boasting and threatning which he used when hee read the Alcoran and the scrowles of the Punishment of their predecessors viz. Those who are drowned in the world by the Deluge and who escaped in the Ark of Noah also the People of Lot and of the five Cities which are very neer unto Mecca he also threatned and terrified them with the example of Pharaohs People and the nine plagues which God sent upon them and told them how they were swallowed up in the Sea because they did not believe in Moses hee also terrified them with the pains of Hell and with the horror of the things which hee writes of Hell which is obvious in divers chapters of the Alcoran and thus they beleeved in Muhamed and were perswaded that he who Created all things and hath power over all was the true God so that whereas Muhamed converted them to his own opinion and made them know nine Articles of the Christian faith and those other things of the Christian faith expressed in the precedent Chapter if he had as well given them knowledge of the whole Christian faith and had injoyned them to believe all the 12. Articles and be Baptised he had done very well and they had all been Christians but hee would not doe so because he could not that way have made himself so great as he did The immoderate ambition wherewith Muhamed was transported hath undone the Moores and been the cause of his own and their error and utter perdition Yet this wee must believe that the Moores who believed in God and acknowledged that he