0 
Trctvel 
s mto 
thi 
E V A N T. 
Part 
I 
Mahomet, 
The Alcoran 
fent from 
Heaven, in 
the Month 
Ji-imadan. 
The Alcoran 
in great Rc 
verence. 
CHAP. XXVIII. 
Of Mahomet and the Alcoran. ' 
T^He Turks Religion is fo full of Fopperies and Abfurdities, that certainly 
X it is to be wondered at, that it hath fo many Followers ; and without 
doubt, if they would but hearken, it would be no hard matter to undeceive and 
convince them of the Brutality of their Law -, but they are fo refolutely deaf, 
that they have Ears, but will not hear ; and indeed Mahomet took care of that ; 
for being a Man of Wit, he forefaw very well that his Sed would go down 
if they once came to Difpute about it, and therefore he commanded that who- 
foever contradided it, Ihould be put to Death. So many havewritten the Life 
of Mdhomet^ that one can hardly fay any thing,but what hath been already faid, 
and therefore I'll wave it : only I fhall obferve that Mahomet^ who was an Arahe 
and an Illiterate Man, ( for the Turks themfelves confefs that he could neither 
Read nor Write ) having llruck in with a Greek Monk, called Sergim^ who 
had forfalîcn his Monaftery j this Monk who had fome fmattering in Learning, 
made him lay the foundation of that great and damnable Sedl,which hath hither- 
to infeded a great part of the World. He made ufe of the Old and New 
Tefiament in compofing of the Alcoran., (but in a very confufed manner ), 
thac fo he might draw in both Cbnfilans and Jews. Neverthelefs that Book 
hath got fuch great Credit amongfc all thefe People, that they fay it was 
Written in Bcaven, and fent from God to Mahomet^ by the Angel Gabriel in, 
the month of Ramadan.^ not all at once, but chapter by chapter : and they, 
have fo great reverence for it, that they never touch it, but prefently lift it up 
■ to their head, before they read it ; and if a man ftiould fit upon an Alcoran, he 
would be guilty of a great crime. If a Chriftian touched an Alcoran, he would 
be foundly bang'd, for that would be a prophanation of the book. They fay 
that they gain great indulgences by reading it all over -, and in the fchools when 
a fcholar hath made an end of reading over the he treats the reft. 
They fay that whofoever reads it over fo many times in his life, fhall after death 
go ftrait to Paradife. This \noï à Alcoran lignifies Reading, it is written in 
moft excellent, pure and exaét Arabick. The Turks believe that it cannot be 
tranflated into any other language, and look upon the Perfians as Hereticks, 
purely becaufe they 'have tranflated it into Perfian. This Book contains all 
their La-w both canon and civil, but it is full of fables and follies, taken for the 
moft part from the Rabbins, who are excellent at fuch ridiculous ftufF. 
CHAP. XXIX. 
Of the Belief of the TurJ^. 
The Relief of E Turks believe -in and worlhip one God, the Eternal and Almighty 
the Turks. JL Creator of Heaven and Earth,but they believe not at all the Trinity ; they 
believe that Jefus Chrift was conceived by the Breath of God ( this Breath is 
in Arabick exprelTed by the word which fignifies afwell as in Hebrew, 
Breath or Spirit ) They fay then that he was conceived by the Breath of God, 
in the Womb of the Virgin Mary, a Virgin both in his Birth and after his Birth, 
which goes a great way, but they deny that he is the Son of God, thinking it 
The opinion an Unworthy thing to attribute a Son to God, who is One aud hath no 
of the Turks companion. They believe that Jefus Chrift is a great Prophet, who wrought 
SïS"! S^eat Miracles among the Jews, to whom he foretold the coming of Mahomet, 
. under 
