A L C ' 
Godwin tells us, the building being greatly decayed, and 
the revenues reduced almod to nothing, the nuns had all 
forfaken it, except two; whereupon bifliop Alcock pro¬ 
cured a grant from the crown, and converted it into a 
college. But Camden and others tell us, that the nuns 
of that houfe were fo notorious for their incontinence, that 
king Henry VII. and pope Julius II. confented to its dif- 
folution: Bale accordingly calls this nunnery Jpiritualium 
ineretricium cotnobium, “ a community of fpiritual harlots.” 
Bifhop Alcock wrote feveral pieces, amongd which are 
the following: i. Mons Perfebtionis. 2. In Pfalmos Pe- 
nitentiales. 3. Homiliae Vulgares. 4. Meditationes Piae. 
He died Odlober 1, 1500; and was bujriedinthe chapel he 
had built at Kingdon-upon-Hull. 
ALCOHOL,/, in chemiltry, fpirit of wine highly rec¬ 
tified. It is alfo ufed for any highly-reblified fpirit. Al¬ 
cohol is extremely light and inflammable; it is a drong 
antifieptic, and therefore employed to preferve animal 
fubdances. The term alcohol is alfo ufed for any fine im¬ 
palpable powder. 
ALCOHOLIZATION,/ The procefs of rectifying 
any fpirit. It is alfo ufed for pulverization. 
To ALCOHOLIZE, v. a. To make an alcohol; that is, 
to rectify fpirits till they are wholly dephlegmated. To 
comminute powder till it is wholly without roughnefs. 
ALCOR,/. [Arab.] In aftronomy, a fmall (tar adjoin¬ 
ing to the large bright one in the middle of the tail of 
urj'a major. It is a proverb among the Arabians, applied 
to one who pretends to fee fmall things, but overlooks 
much greater: “ Thou canlt fee alcor , and yet not fee the 
full moon.” 
ALCORAN, or Al-icoratt,/. the fcripture or bible 
of the Mahometans. The word is compounded of the 
Arabic particle al, and coran or horan, derived from the 
verb caraa or karaa, to read. The word therefore pro¬ 
perly fignifies, the reading', or rather, that which ought to be 
read. The Koran is divided into 114 larger portions of 
a very unequal length, which we call chapters-, but the 
Arabians fowar. Thefe chapters are not, in the manu- 
feript copies, dillinguilhed by their numerical order, but 
by particular titles, which are taken fometimes from a 
particular matter treated of, or perfon mentioned therein ; 
and fome chapters have two or more titles, occalioned by 
the difference of the copies. Every chapter is fubdivided 
into fmaller portions of very unequal length, with us 
called verfes, but in Arabic ayat\ the fame with the He¬ 
brew otoih, fignifying/o-»j or wonders ; fitch as are the fe- 
crets of God, his attributes, &c. Many of thefe have 
their particular titles alfo. 
Belides thefe unequal divifions of chapter and verfe, 
the Mahometans have alfo divided their Koran into fixty 
equal portions, which they call Ahzab, in the lingular 
Hizeb, each fob-divided into four equal parts; which is 
an imitation of the Jews, who have an ancient divifion of 
their Milhma into fixty portions called MaJJiEloth. 
Next after the title, at the head of every chapter, ex¬ 
cept only the ninth, is prefixed the following folemn form, 
by the Mahometans called the Bifmallah, “In the name 
of the most merciful God;” which form they con- 
flantly place at the beginning of all their books and wri¬ 
tings in general, as a peculiar mark or didinguifhing cha- 
ra&eridic of their religion, it being counted a fort of 
impiety to omit it. Mahomet probably took this form, 
as he did many other things, from the Perlian Magi, who 
ufed to begin their books in thefe words, Benam Yczdan 
hahjhaijhgher dadar\ that is, “ In the name of the moll 
merciful jull God.” There are twenty-nine chapters of 
the Koran which have this peculiarity, that they begin 
v/ith certain letters of the alphabet, fome with a Angle 
one, others with more. Thefe letters the Mahometans 
believe to be the peculiar marks of the Koran, and to con¬ 
ceal feveral profound myderies ; but they have been ex¬ 
plained by writers in many different ways. 
The Koran is univerfally allowed to be written with the 
utmeft elegance and purity of language, aha is confeffed- 
A L C 25a 
ly the ftandard of the Arabic tongue. Indeed the more 
orthodox believe, and are taught by the book itfelf to 
con/ider it inimitable by any human pen; a permanent 
miracle; greater than that of raifing the dead, and alone 
fufficient to convince the world of its divine original. To 
this miracle, in faft, did Mahomet himfelf chiefly appeal 
for the confirmation of his million, publicly challenging 
the mod learned men in Arabia to produce even a Angle 
chapter that might be compared with it. 
The general defign of the Koraivwas to unite the pra- 
feflbrs of the three different religions, then followed in 
the populous country of Arabia, in the knowdedge and 
worlhip of one God, under the function of certain laws, 
and the outward figns of ceremonies partly of ancient 
and partly of novel inditution, enforced by the confide- 
ration of rewards and punifhments both temporal and 
eternal; and to bring them all to the obedience of Ma¬ 
homet, as the prophet and ambaffador of the deity. 
The great doCtrine then of the Koran is the unity of 
God ; to redore which point Mahomet pretended w'as the 
chief end of his million ; it being laid down by him as a 
fundamental truth, That there never was, nor ever can 
be, more than one true orthodox religion. Whenever 
this religion became neglefted, or corrupted in elfentials, 
God, he alferted, had the goodnefs to re-inform and re- 
admonifli mankind thereof, by feveral prophets, of whom 
Mofes and Jefurwere the moll didinguilhed, till the ap¬ 
pearance of Mahomet, who is their feal, and no other to 
be expedited after him. The more effectually to enforce 
this idea, great part of the Koran is employed in relating 
examples of dreadful punifhments formerly inflidited by 
God on thofe who rejected and abufed his melfengers ; 
feveral of which dories, or fome circumdances of them., 
are taken from the Old and New Tefiaments, but many 
more from the Apocryphal books and traditions of the 
Jews and Chriflians of thofe ages. Indeed, few or none 
of the relations or circumdances in the Koran were in¬ 
vented by Mahomet, as is generally fuppofed; it 'being 
eafy to trace the greated part of them much higher, as 
the red might be, were more of thofe books extant, and 
were it worth while to make the enquiry. 
The red of the Alcoran is taken up in preferibing ne- 
ceffary laws and directions, frequent admonitions to moral 
and divine virtues, the worlhip and reverence of the Su¬ 
preme Being, and refignation to his will. One of their 
mod learned commentators didinguifhes the contents of 
the Alcoran into allegorical and literal ; under the former 
are comprehended all the obfeure, parabolical, and enig¬ 
matical, paffages, with Rich as are repealed, or abrogated ; 
the latter, Rich as are clear, and in full force. 
The mod excellent moral in the whole Alcoran, inter¬ 
preters fay, is that in the chapter Al Alraf, viz. “ Shew 
mercy, do good to all, and difpute not with the ignorant.” 
Mahomet, according to the authors of the Kefchaf, hav¬ 
ing begged of the angel Gabriel a more ample explica¬ 
tion of this pafliige, received it in thefe terms u “ Seek 
him who turns thee out, give to him who takes from thee, 
pardon him who injures thee ; for God will have you plant 
in your foul the roots of his chief perfections.” It is evi¬ 
dent, this commentary is copied from the gofpel. (See 
Exodus xxxiii. 4, 5.) But it matters not fo much who 
had it fird, as he who obferves it bed. The caliph Haf- 
fan, fon of Hali, being at table, a flave unfortunately let 
fall a difli of meat reeking hot, which Raided him fevere r 
ly. The flave fell on his knees, rehearfir.g the words of 
the Alcoran, “ Paradife is for thofe who refirain their an¬ 
ger.” 1 am not angry with thee, anfwered the caliph.— 
“ And for thofe who for give offences againd them,” con¬ 
tinues the flave. I forgive thee thine, replies the caliph. 
■—“ But above all, for thofe who return good for evil,” 
adds the flave. I fet thee at liberty, rejoined the caliph; 
and I give thee ten dinars. 
The Mahometans believe, that the Koran is of divine 
original; nay, that it is eternal and uncreated, remaining, 
as fome exprefe it, in the very efience of God: that the 
3 fine 
