ever dying or having any hurt After this manner the Alcoran and the Suné describe the glory of the other world The said banquet shall be made in the Paradise called Genete Alcoduz but Muhamed will make another feast to all the Moores at his said fountain called Alcauzar and shall give them drink with his own hand as the Suné says and in the book called in Arabick Quitebe Alainiar i. e. the book of flowers the words in Arabick run thus Aneguaquesin hale c. i. e. that Muhumed will be at his fountain and the Moorish people shall passe by it and Muhamed with his own hand shall give every one of them to drink of the water of that fountaine and those that drink of this fonntaine he sayth shall never thirst In the said book of flowers Muhamed sayes that the water of this fountaine is whiter then milk and sweeter than honey and the buckets bowles and glasses of this fountain are as many in number as the Stars of heaven Now I will speak to thee O Moore and say something upon this glory which yee Moores are to enjoy in the other world and although I am weary and troubled with writing so many gulleryes and things against reason and all Law neverthelesse I will speak of two things which I find wanting in your Paradise and in all the glory aforesaid The first defect is that whereas the Alcoran and the Suné hold forth such and so great Paradises so stately built and so richly adorned they make no mention of Easements and that they are also magnificently built especially having spoken of so much eating and of so much drinking viz. of honey milk Claret and Hypocras The second defect is that he makes no mention of the glory of the women for whereas the Alcoran and the Suné have promised that the men shall have chast Virgins with whom they shall sport and take their pleasure as aforesaid they ought in like manner to have mentioned the women and to have given them eternall servants to have taken their pleasure with them and then the women would also have had eternall glory But tell mee O Moore what will the women who shall be at this feast say and doe when they shall see themselves comfortlesse and when they shall see their husbands which they had in this world sporting with and embracing their Virgins the space of 50 years which he says they shall remaine embraced sporting and taking their pleasures Therefore O Moore I say that the womens glory will be turned into punishment and sorrow especially when each of the men shall take his Virgin and shall goe away with her to his Mansion or fortresse and the women shall be left alone and comfortlesse like widdowes so that O Moore considering all this above thou mayest conclude that this is not a thing of God nor of a Prophet and messenger sent from God and thou wilt know that it is all as Salomon says Vanity of Vanities and all Vanity and here I will conclude this ninth Chapter CHAP. X. The tenth Chapter shewes how the Alcoran contradicteth it self in divers places And trcateth of divers things in the Alcoran which are unseemly and superfluous likewise of some miracles which Muhamed sayes he did although they rather resemble gulls than miracles THe Alcoran in the first Chapter of the first book in the first Chapter of the second book and in the first Chapter of the fourth book says that God cursed the devill and expelled him from the glory of Paradise and cast him into the bottomles pit for ever Likewise in the aforequoted Chapters it says that the devill told God that he would alwaies be mans mortall Enemy and would alwaies tempt men and torment them furthermore the Alcoran in divers places admonisheth men saying that the Devill is mans apparent enemy all which is notorious and manifest in the Alcoran And after all this the Alcoran says that the Devills shall hear the Alcoran and shall become the friends of Muhamed of men and of God and that God will pardon their sins and promiseth them the glory of heaven as appears by the Chapters of the devill and of Caf and of the glorious in the fourth book Furthermore the Alcoran contradicteth it self when he says in the first Chapter of the first book that it was given in the month of Ramadan and in the Chapter of Smoak and in the Chapter of the Holy night in the fourth book he says that the Alcocan was given in one night both which the course of above twenty years-time contradicteth during which Muhamed was making the Alcoran viz. ten years in Mecca and 13 years in Medina which appears by the titles of the Chapters of the Alcoran For there are Chapters of the Alcoran which are called Sorath Midiniya I mean that the songs or Chapters which were made at Mecca during the ten years that Muhamed dwelt there are called Sorath Mekiya i. e. songs of Mecca and the Chapters which were made at Medina during the thirteen years that Muhamed dwelt there are called Sorath Medeniya i. e. songs made at Medina and there is not mention made at Mecca in all the ten years of any of those Chapters made at Medina and the Chapters which were made at Mecca were not made at Medina Wherefore I conclude that the Alcoran was twenty three years in composing and did not descend in one night nor in one month as the Alcoran says Furthermore by the Alcoran it self it appears that it was not inspired in one night nor in one month by the Chapters and verses which were made upon severall occasions as upon actions offences and upon controversies differences between Muhamed and his wives and by the diversity of commandements and by the alterations which wee have shewn above which Acts and occurrences hapned during the thirteen years which Muhamed dwelt at Medina and there is no mention made of them at Mecca during the first ten years that he dwelt there How is it then O Moore that thou sayest the Alcoran descended in a night or in a month And if wee should say it is true that the Alcoran descended in a night or in a month then I would have thee tell mee O Moore where was this night or this month Whether it were at Medina or at Mecca if thou sayest that it was at Mecca then I answer that those Chapters which were made at Medina are not to be reputed or judged for the Alcoran and if thou sayest that this night was at Medina then I say likewise that the Chapters and verses made at Mecca are not to be reputed for the Alcoran so that take it which way you will we must say that the Alcoran says and unsays affirmes and denies the same thing Furthermore the Alcoran contradicteth it self when it sayth in the fourth Chapter of the first book that he chargeth the Moores to hold twelve things as forbidden and prohibited to be eaten In Arabick he says thus O horrimet
night in the house of one of the most eminent amongst them and held counsell about Muhamed and they all concluded to kill him emprison him or at least to banish him and that this was so consulted of wee may read in the second Chapter of the second book which in Arabick sayes thus Ognaid pamcoro c. i. e. That they of Mecca took Counsell to kill him or to send him into banishment or to imprison him And being so in consultation certain men who were secretly become Moores did the same night give Muhamed notice of it and he presently fled and all the Moores with him and went to Medina a City ten dayes journey from Mecca He had also notice of the preparations of the Citizens of Mecca who had set guards in the wayes perceiving that he and his Moores would flee away that night whereupon Muhamed bid all the Moores that every one should lay a handfull of embers on the heads of his horse and cast another handful into the ayr and tye the raynes of their horses reading a verse which is in the 18th Chapter of the third book of the Alcoran and is thus Oguaihalme minbeym c. i. e. That they tooke a vayl or skreen in their hands and about them so that they blinded them and they saw nothing And the book Azar sayes that by the Embers which were laid over the horses heads and by repeating the said verse the Moores and he passed through their enemies and were not perceived and so they went to Medina otherwise called Tribik where he was received for a Prophet and there dwelt thirteen years there finished his sect or religion and dyed there At Medina he found five families of Jews dwelling there and in the parts adjacent who began to dispute and question those things which he had then inserted in the Alcoran and required him to doe some miracles as Moses and the Prophets deceased had done to whom he answered That God was his witnes and that his testimony ought to suffice and that he came not to work miracles but to reduce those which wandered and went astray unto the Law of God and of Abraham of which questions and answers the Chapters of the Alcoran are full and in many Chapters he excuseth himself of doing miracles alleging unto the Jewes that divers messengers and Prophets wrought miracles and yet were not beleeved yea that those Prophets suffered persecution and with this excuse he quotes in the Alcoran the names of divers men which were never heard of nor are named any where els There he relates the history of a Prophet called Hadin alias Had and of another called Zamud alias Hud and of a third called Zaleh and of their nation called the people of Hud and of a camell who with her foale was a League in length which two beasts one day drank up the water of the City where that people dwelt and the next day swallowed up men whereupon one day they of the City slew them and because of the sin in killing them there fell a great tempest upon that people Thus Muhamed had great disputing and debating with the Jewes and himself extolled their Law that so they might be silent nevertheless they still disputed against him and laughed at the Moores and Mussellmen and set strife betwixt him and his Moores as shall appeare in due place which jarring continued untill he got power and then he began to suppress the Jews and fought eleven battailes with them overcame them and slew most part of them and the survivors had their lives given them by the Moores and became their subjects and tributaries and from thence forward he began to combate against the people of Mecca and they of Mecca opposed him as shall be shewen hereafter But that I may not be tedious I will conclude this Chapter and running through the eleven following Chapters I shall finish this treatise and the life of Muhamed and of all that he did whilst he was at Almedina CHAP II. The second chapter treateth of the Alcoran what it signifies of the matters therein contained and of how many songs it is composed who collected it and reduced it into four books in the order it is now in and how many years Muhamed was making it how it begins and ends and which are the first and last chapters ALcoran signifies a lesson or Collection of Chapters or songs though it be also called by another name Alforzan i. e. scattered verses and Chapters because he was so long in making it and the Chapters thereof are called suar and one alone is called in Arabick Surah The Alcoran treateth of divers things and especially of the Sect or Law of Muhamed and of what the Moores should beleeve and doe of the hope of reward in the world to come for the Good and of torment for the Wicked It also treateth of things permitted and forbidden to the Moores aswell of food and drink as of women with whom they may or may not marry also it speaks of the Creation of the world how God Created Adam and Eve how they sinned and were cast out of Paradise and came to the earth how the evill Angells sinned and what was the cause of their sin and how they lost the Caelestiall glory It also speaks how God sent Moses to bring the people of Israel out of the Captivity and power of Pharaoh how the Jewes received the Law what befell them at their going out of Egypt how they had Manna sinned and worshiped the calf and how they passed the red sea wherein Pharaoh was drowned It also treateth of divers other histories although he hath put them confusedly and out of order as the Cutler 's related them It also speaks of the prophets of the old Testament although he mentions divers which are not named in any author It likewise containeth the admonitions which Muhamed used to the people of Mecca and his threats to induce them to beleeve his Sect. It also speaks of glory and discourseth of the glory which the Moores shall have in Paradise as also of Hell and of the paines and torments which are there It speaks of the wonders which God dayly doth and of the mysteries and divine works which we dayly see in the heaven earth and sea It also speaks of the Virgin Mary of Jesus Christ our Lord of the mysteries of his nativity and life and of the miracles that he wrought and of the Euangelists and of the true Law which Jesus Christ hath given us as it shall fully appeare in the eleventh Chapter of this Treatise Furthermore the Alcoran mentions divers frauds and much filthiness used by Muhamed and divers contrarieties and repugnancies which have no reason in them and divers excuses which God accepted from Muhamed and made for him upon severall dishonest and immodest cases which Muhamed committed in his life as wee shall shew in the Chapter of Offences and Wives Finally in the Alcoran are many examples of Iudgements wherewith
That he should understand all languages In Arabick it is exprest thus Ohtito jagua ni ih alquelin The fifth and last was that spoyles of warre and battaills should belong to him only which is in Arabick Ohillet c. Muhamed saies that God gave him all these things that night whereat divers Moores were offended and said that it was all fictions and lies that he never went up to heaven nor spake with God And to the end that the Moores should beleeve all that he said he made certaine verses in the Chapter of the stars in the fourth book which in Arabick run thus Oguaneginni c. which in Prose are That God swears by the Starrs that he will not suffer your freind to be tempted nor to speak untruth nor to speak vainly and that it was all a true revelation which Almighty God had shewn unto him and that he had approached God within two bow-shots or thereabouts And that God had revealed to his servant Muhamed what was revealed to him and that Muhamed's heart lied not and that Muhamed that night saw the great wonders of God and that God shewed him a very high throne in the divine Empire where is the Paradise of God All this Interpretation is drawn Verbatim from the Arabick in the Chapter aforesaid So that when the Moores read these verses they beleeved and held it for a great Miracle though divers of them were offended and returned to their former Sects In the eleventh Chapter of the second book he sayes Oguama c. That God put this Vision for a great offence to men that is in respect of their dammage who were offended the book of Azar sayes that Muhamed took leave of his Creator turned back to goe down by the same way he went up and returning to the seaventh heaven he told the Angell Gabriel all that had passed between him and his Creator And the Angell said to him O Muhamed God hath commanded me that I should lead thee to see Paradise and the secrets there and afterwards we will goe to Hell and thou shalt see the secrets of Hell and the people that are there and how they are tormented of the devill and hereupon they went first to Paradise and saw it's riches excellencies and beatitudes and the chast Virgins and youths and the rivers of water of milk of honey and of wine which are in Paradise and the fountains and their names the Palaces trees and gardens All which you shall see described at large in the ensuing ninth Chapter which is the Chapter of Paradise from whence they went to hell and saw that hell had seven gates and saw an infinite of Devills of divers kinds and figures some fetterd with chaines of fire others with ginnes and boults and divers men sitting at tables who had good meat set before them and amongst the good food also much bad and unwholesome and they left the good food and eat the bad whereupon Muhamed asked the Angell Gabriel what men those were and he told him that they were the maried men of this world who left their own good wives and went to other mens And he sayes that they saw divers men who never did any thing else but drink boyling lead and fill their bellies with it and afterwards their bellies opened and all that they had drank ran out and then they drank again and did thus perpetually And Muhamed asked the Angell what kind of men those were and he answered that they were those who eat and devoured Orphants estates in this world in brief he sayes he saw divers other things which would be too long to rehearse Now hearken O Moore and consider all that I shall say upon this vision of Muhamed and give ear to three things which I shall tell thee and give what answer to them thou canst The first is a naturall reason which cannot be understood but by reason and good judgement The second is a Philosophicall and Astrologicall reason which cannot be understood but by Astrology and Philosophy The third containes a humane and logicall reason for humane and logicall reason is that which separateth truth from falshood Now for the first which is held forth by naturall reason it is from what Muhamed in this vision sayes that the Angell Gabriel brought him a beast called Alborac on which Muhamed should have rid but she would not yeald to it untill Muhamed had promised that shee should be the first beast which should goe into Paradise upon this I ask thee O Moore what reason is there that a bruit beast should or can goe into Paradise yea as he says that this Alborac shall be the first beast that shall goe into Paradise for it he be the first it followes that there must be a second and a third Now how can it enter into the brains of a man endued with naturall reason to beleeve that bruit beasts shall goe into Paradise besides in the six books of the Suné Muhamed says that the Ram which Abraham killed was fed forty years in Paradise and says further that the sheep which the Moores kill at their Easter shall goe into Paradise so that O Moore thou canst not avoyd nor contradict any thing of this above which affirmes that beasts enter and goe into Paradise consider this therefore O Moore with thy naturall reason and thou wilt see that it is ridiculous an impudent lie and utterly false Concerning which beast Alborac I doe further aske thee O Moore who art an Alfaquy and a learned man and who hast read all the Alcoran and the commentaries thereon viz. Buhatia Buzamanim Azamahxari Acahalibi and Mahuma Miquite and who hast also read the six books of the Suné and the Recele Bulugis Halil and Almazhodi and who hast likewise read seaven hundred volumnes which the Moores have in their Laws and Sect if peradventure thou hast found any text gloss or paraphrase which mention this Alborac or from whence he came or whether he went whether he was from heaven or from earth or of what race of beasts he was or what became of him after that Muhamed came from Heaven to the gate of the Temple and so thou wilt say that there is not nor hath been any mention made of him in all the writings of the Moores although he ought to have been had in remembrance especially being a beast which had so much privilege as to be the first that should goe into Paradise Now what wilt thou answer me O Moore to this and to what I shall say further concerning this beast which is That the Moores say and believe and find in the Alcoran and the Suné that those which goe into Paradise are Mazhodin guerammum bararat i. e. That they are holy blessed honoured and Angelicall So that if this Alborac be gone into Paradise wee must say that he is blessed honoured and Angelicall And thus O Moore thou hast no other answer to this first conclusion but silence For the second I
aske thee O Moore who art a Philosopher and an Astrologer where doth it appear to be true that the first Heaven is of Silver the second of Gold the third of a Pearl or a precious stone the fourth of an Emerauld the fifth of a Diamond the sixth of a Carbuncle though he saies the the seventh is of Light knowest thou not O Moore that Gold Silver Pearl and the other following stones are obscure bodies which our sight cannot penetrate because they are opacous and not transparent and knowest thou not that we see the Planet Mercury which is Lodged in the second Heaven and doe likewise see the Planet Venus which is in the third Heaven and we see the Sun which gives light to all the world and is in the fourth Heaven wee see Mars in the fifth Jupiter in the sixth and Saturn in the seaventh Heaven in brief we also see the Stars which are in the eighth Heaven which Planets wee often cannot see because of some little cloud which interposeth between them and our sight and the Moon often Eclipseth and covereth the Suné It is manifest that in the course of the Moon at certain times in the year she interposeth Eclipseth and hides the Sun from our eys because the Moon is an obscure body although the Sun and the Stars be light bodies so that if the first Heaven the second the third and the rest were metalline as Muhamed sayes how could we see the said Planets and Stars and now O Moore what answer hast thou but silence And concerning the third I intend it for the five things which Muhamed sayes God gave him that night which he never gave before to any Prophet Consider O Moore if they are not things which cannot be proved either by human understanding or Logicall reason for human and Logicall reason commandeth and teacheth that a man should say nothing but what can be proved Now tell me O Moore how can it be proved that Muhamed was the most excellent creature that God ever created in Heaven or on Earth Likewise how can it be proved that he shall be Lord over all men at the day of judgement or that he shall be the generall Redeemer at the day of judgement which things are hidden and unknown to all the world neither doth his own word give any proof And therefore I say That what cannot be proved by it self nor by reason should not be spoken nor ought to be regarded Muhamed should at least that night have desired of God some speciall sign as he gave to Moses to David to Salomon to Jesus Christ and to the Apostles after them which signs and miracles they wrought in the presence of the people But Muhamed was very crafty subtile to speak of things which the people neither saw nor could see and thus he sets down all the miracles which the Moores read of him none of them were done in the presence of any Moore but himself saies that he did such and such a thing and that such a thing befell such a one and such a miracle was already done but never mentions in whose presence he wrought them And so also he reported and composed this mystery of the Vision but he doth not bring in the testimony of any that saw him when he went up the Ladder nor when he got upon Alborac nor when he made the Zala or praier on behalf of the Prophets who were already all Moores it had at least been reasonable that some man then living had been in the Temple at the Zala for to have been witness of such things So that O Moore I tell thee that upon consideration of all these things thou mayest of thy self know that it is all false and nothing of it true and because I will not be too tedious I will not lay down the Arguments which might be made upon every thing which Muhamed mentions in this vision but I will conclude as concerning the sayd Vision CHAP. IX The ninth Chapter treateth of the Paradise and glory which Muhamed and the Alcoran promise unto the Moores in the world to come and how many Paradises there are and how they are called and how many kinds of glory the Moores shall have in Paradise THe Alcoran the Suné in describing the Paradise of the Moores and the glory thereof lay down five things First the Paradise it self and the mansions thereof Secondly the riches and ornaments of Paradise Thirdly the food and provisions the servants vessels of Gold and Silver and the eating and drinking in Paradise Fourthly the apparell garments and Jewels which the Moores say are prepared in Paradise And fiftly and lastly the Virgins their beauty their names and whence they are begotten and wherewith they are clothed Now this Paradise is such according as the second chapter of the first book of the Alcoran expresseth in Arabick Cerihoile c. i. e. That the Paradise promised unto the Moores is as big as heaven and earth which is all the world But tell mee O Moore where is this Paradise as big as all the world or els we must say that God hath Created another world besides this wherein this Paradise is which were very confused to say therefore O Moore I tell thee thou must still be silent The Alcoran sayes that God created seven Paradises or seven Habitations each of which is called a Paradise the first is called Genete alhodi the second Genete alfirdeuci the third Genete anahim the fourth Genete reduan the fifth Genete azelen the sixth Genete alcoduz the seventh Genete Almega Which Paradises are wrought with gold and silver Pearls and Pretious stones and have divers palaces halls chambers and Gardens and divers fruit-Trees two sorts or kinds of each under which palaces run Fountains and Rivers of waters and fountains of Milk Honey and most sweet Wine In the midst of Paradise as the Alcoran sayes and the Suné describes is a Tree as big as all Paradise whereof some leaves are of gold others of silver and the branches of this Tree cover the walls of Paradise and this tree is called Tuba The books of the Suné say that in every leaf of it the name of Muhamed is written joyntly with the name of God running thus Le ilehe ille allah Muhamed razollola i. e. There is no other God but the Lord and Muhamed is his Messenger The Alcoran in the nineteenth Chapter of the third Book and in the Chapter of Sacrifices in the chapter of Mount Sinay in the chapter of the Glorious in the Chapter of the Falls and in the Chapter of Man in the fourth Book shewes and describes how these Paradises are furnished and adorned with divers Tapestries and Beds with Curtains and Vallens of cloth of gold of purple of silk and with divers garnishings quilts chayrs of gold and Pretious stones and after what manner the Moores shall sit and lye on these beds couches and tapestries that they shall laugh and take delight without care or grief