INASMUCH as I haue told you of the Sarasins and of other landes, if ye
will I shall tell you a parte of theyr law, and of theyr beleve, after
as theyr boke sayeth, that they call Alkaron,[1] and some call that
boke Mysap,[2] some call it Harme[3] in diverse language of countreys,
which booke Machomet gave them, in y^e which boke he wrote among other
things as I have often red and sene, that they that are good shall goe
to Paradise, and the evill folkes to hell, and that beleeve all the
Sarasyns. And if a man aske of what Paradise they meane, they say it
is a place of delytes, where a man shall finde all maner of fruites at
all times, and waters, and rivers running with milke & hony, wine
and fresh water, and they shall have faire houses & good as they have
deserved, and those houses are made of precious stones, gold & sylver
& every man shall haue ten[4] wives and all maydens. Also they speake
often & beleve of the Virgin Mary and tell of the Incarnation, that
Mary was learned[5] of Aungels and that Gabriel sayd to hir that she
was chosen before all other from the beginning of the world, and that
wytnesseth well theyr booke, & Gabriel tolde hir of the incarnation of
Jesu Christ, and that she shoulde conceive and beare a childe and they
saye that Christ was a holy prophet in word & dede, and also meke &
rightwise to all men, and without any blame worthy. And they saye that
when the Aungell tolde hir of the incarnation, she hadde great dread,
for she was righte younge, and there was one in the countrey
that medled with sorcery, that men called Takina,[6] that with
enchauntements could make him lyke an Aungell and he went often and
lay with maidens, and therefore was Mary the more aferde[7] of the
Aungell, and thought in hir mynde that it had bene Takina that went to
maydens, and she conjured him that he should tell hir if he were the
same Takina, and the Aungell bad hir have no dreade for he was for
certayne a true messenger of Jesu Christ. Also theyr booke of Alkaron
saith, that she had a child under a palme tree, then was she greatly
ashamed and sayde that she woulde she had bene dead. As sone as hir
childe was borne, he spake and comforted hir and sayd, _Ne timeas
Maria_, That is to say, Be not afraide Mary. And in many other places,
sayth theyr booke Alkaron, that Jesu Christ spake as sone as he was
borne, & the booke sayth that Jesu Christ was sent of Almighty God to
be ensample to all men, and that God shall deme[8] all men, the
good to heaven and the wicked to hell & that Jesu Christ is the best
prophete of all other and nexte to God and that he was a holy prophet,
for he gave to the blynde theyr sight, and heled Mesels[9] & raysed
men and went all quick[10] to heaven. And if they may finde a boke
with gospels, namely, _Missus est Angelus_, they doe it great worship,
they fast a moneth in the yere & they eate but in the night, and they
kepe them from theyr wyves, but they that are syke are not Constrayned
to that. And that booke Alkaron speaketh of Jewes and sayth, they are
wicked people for they will not beleve that Jesu Christ is of God.
And they say, y^t the Jewes lye on our Lady and hir sonne Jesu Christ,
saying that they did him not on the crosse, for Sarasyns beleve so
nere our fayth, that they are lightly converted when men preche
the lawe of Jesu Christ, and they saye that they wote well by theyr
prophicies, that theyr lawe of Machomet shall fayll as doth the law of
Jews and that Christen mens laws shall last unto the worlds ende. And
if a man aske them wherein they beleve they say that they beleve in
god almightie, that is the maker of heaven and earth and all other
things and without him is nothing done and at the day of Judgement
when euery man shall be rewarded after his deserving, & that all
things is soth[11] that Christ said through the mouthes of his
prophetes.
[Footnote 1: The Koran.]
[Footnote 2: Some say Meshaf. Mishaf means written sheets of
paper.]
[Footnote 3: Harme is "Haram," _sacred_.]
[Footnote 4: Some say 80.]
[Footnote 5: Taught by.]
[Footnote 6: Other editions have Taknia.]
[Footnote 7: Afraid.]
[Footnote 8: Judge.]
[Footnote 9: Lepers.]
[Footnote 10: Alive.]
[Footnote 11: True.]