FOr to knowe and to here some newe ty­dynges for to refresshe y^e mēnes wyttes and vnderstandynge. So wyll I som­what wryte of y^e turkes lawes / whiche lawe in many poyntes accordeth w^t our lawe & is y^e lawe of Machomet / y^e whi­che in his lawe vsed a worde (oteidite. That is to saye kylle. So all them y^t wyll not byleue in theyr lawe they flee them. And y^t is agaynst y^e lawe of oure lorde Ihesu cryst / for he byddeth y^t we shall loue them y^t loue not vs and praye for oure enemys. And y^e turkes ben charged to theyr byleue. But the crysten people be not soo / but amyably lerned & teched. And whan y^t the predycante or prechour shal go to preche theyr fals byleue he hath a naked swerde in his hande as longe as his sermon shall endure & last. Or elles he putteth y^e sayd swerde in a hyghe place wher as euery body may beholde it y^t is there for to fere and threten them therwithall. And we crysten people putteth a crucyfyxe in the myddes of y^e chyrche on hyghe for humylyte & not for fere or threte­nynge lyke as the turkes do the forsayd swerde. And so forthe I wyll procede and wryte of theyr lawes and bo­ke the whiche is named comenly Alcaron. And some men dothe call it the boke of Mesaap and some of them be of dyuers langages and in lyke wyse of dyuers coū ­trees y^e whiche boke Machamet made and gaue it vn­to them. In the whiche boke this fals nygromancer Machamet wrote amōge other thynges as many one hathe redde and sene here before that they the whiche ben good shall go vnto paradyse and they the whiche ben euyll to helle / and that byleueth all the sarasyns / [Page]¶ And yf a man asketh theym what paradyse meneth they saye it is a place of delyte and Ioye / where a man shall fynde all maner of delytes and fruytes / & all ma­ner of fruytes at all tymes / and the ryuer renneth myl­ke / wyne / hony / and fresshe water. And they shall ha­ue fayre houses / after y^t they haue deserued them here and those same houses ben made of precyous stones / of golde and syluer / and eche man shall haue ten wyues / & all maydens / and also they speke & troweth vpon the vyrgyn Mary and in lyke wyse vpon the Incarnacyō of our lorde Ihesu cryst. ¶ And how that Marye was lerned of the aungell and that gabryell sayde vnto her that she was cho [...]en before all other women from y^e be­gynnynge of the worlde / and that wytnesseth theyr bo­ke that tolde of her and of the Incarnacyon of our lorde Ihesu cryst. And that she conceyued and bare a chylde and yet she was a mayden. And they saye that our lor­de Ihesu cryst spake as soone as he was borne / and y^t he was very god & prophete in worde and dede & that he was meke / & ryghtwys vnto euery body withoutē ony vyce. ¶ And they saye also that whan the aungell tolde her of the Incarnacyon she hadde greete drede / for she was but yonge and there was one in that coun­tree the whiche hadde the crafte of sorcery & nygromā ­cye and men called hym Takney the whiche with en­chaūtement coude make hymselfe lyke vnto an aūgell And he wente often and layde by maydens and ther­fore was our lady aferde of hym for she wende that the aūgell hadde ben Takney that wente to the maydens And she cōiured hym and badde hym tell yf that he were Takney. And the aungell badde her not drede for he was very aungell & messager of our lorde Ihesu cryst. [Page]And also thyr boke sayth that she hadde chylde vnder palme and than she shamed and wepte & saye that she wolde haue ben deed / and the chylde cōforted her and sayd. Ne time as maria. That is for to saye drede the not Marye. And in many other places the boke sayth that he spake as soone as he was borne. And they saye also that he was sente from oure lorde almythy for to gyue example vnto all theym that were in the worlde at y^e tyme and that sholde come after and that god shall deme all good vnto heuen and all euyll vnto helle there for to abyde in payne euerlastynge. And that our lorde Ihesu cryst is the best prophete nexte vnto god / and y^t he was a very prophete / & gaue the syghte vnto the blynde men / and he let the lepres / and reysed the dede & styed a quycke vp in to heuen. And yf that they may fynde a boke of the gospelles and manely of the gospell of Missus est angelus gabriel. They do grete worshyp therto. And also they fast seuen monethes in the yere / and they ete not but vpon the nyghtes / and thenne they kepe them from theyr wyues / and whan they be syke they be not constreyned vnto that fast. And the boke speketh of the Iwes & sayeth that they ben wycked people for they byleue not that Ihesucryst is one with god and they saye that the Iewes lyeth vpon our la­dy and on her sone Ihesucryst for they saye y^t they dyd hym not vpon the crosse. And the sarasyns byleueth so [...]oche in our fayth that they ben lyghtely conuerted whan men dothe preche vnto them the fayth of our lorde Ihesu cryst. And they saye that they knowe well y^t theyr lawe of Machamet shall fayle as dothe the lawe of the Iwes and that the crysten lawe shall last vnto y^e [Page]worldes ende. And yf a man aske theym wherin they byleue they saye in god almyghty maker of heuen and erthe and all other thynges that ben therin and with­oute hym is nothynge done nor begōne and at the day of dome all thynge shall be rewarded after theyr deser­uynge and all thynge is true that cryst sayd by y^e mouthes of the ꝓphetes. And also Machamet bade in his Alcarō that euery man sholde haue two or thre wyues and nowe they take ten or twelue or as many lemmās as they may gete. And yfony of theyr wyues dothe a mysse to theyr husbādes they maye dryue them away and take another but he muste gyue her a parte of his goodes. Also whan men speketh of the fader and sone and holy ghost they saye that they are thre persones & not one god but they scorne it and speke not therof but of the trynyte. But they saye that god spake or elles he was domme and god is a goost or he were on lyue and saye that goddes haue grete strength and so saye they in scorne. And the saye also that Abraham and Macha­met were well in y^e grace of god for they spake w^t hym dyuers tymes. And they saye in lyke wyse y^e Macha­met was the very messanger of god and they haue many good artycles of oure fayth and they all vnderstan­de y^e scryptures & the prophecyes for they haue theym wryten in the gospelles and in the byble in theyr lāga­ge and so they knowe moche of the holy scrypture but they vnderstande it not but after the lettre of y^e gospell and therfore saynt poule sayth thus.

¶ That is to saye the lettre sleeth and the ghost quyc­keneth. And the sarasyns saye that y^e Iwes kepe not the lawe that Moyses toke vnto them. And also crystē men do not well bycause that they kepte not y^e ten commaundementes of the gospell the whiche Ihesu cryst gaue vnto them▪ And therfore I shall tell you what y^e soudan sayde vnto a crysten man vpon a daye in his chambre. He made for to auoyde out of his chambre lordes & ladyes and all that was therin for he wolde spe­ke with hym in counsayll. And whan all was auoyded he demaūded hym how y^e crysten men gouerned them and he sayd ryght well blessyd be god. And the soudan sayd sykerly naye for he sayd that our prestes sayd not theyr seruyce as they sholde doo nor gyue not good ex­ample of good lyuynge vnto the people as they ought for to do. And whan y^e people sholde go for to serue god they go vnto the tauerne and lyeth there ī glotonye all the daye and all the nyghte and eteth and drynketh as beestes and wote not whan they haue ynoughe and he sayd that crysten men enforced them for to fyght togy­der and echone to begyle other / and they be soo proude that they wote not how for to clothe them nor how lon­ge nor howe shorte now streyte now wyde in all maner of guyses / and sayd that they sholde be meke & symple and soth fast & do almesse as cryst dyde in whome they byleue. And they be so couetous that for a lytell syluer they sell theyr trouhte and theyr chyldren & theyr sys­ters & theyr wyues that one taketh another mannes wyfe and fewe holdeth theyr trouthe. And therfore he sayd for these synnes crysten men haue lost all the lan­des [Page]that we holde. For thoughe synne hathe god put this lande in to oure handes and not thrugh strengthe but thorughe your synnes and wretchedenes.

¶ But we knowe ryght well for a certaȳte that whan ye serue well your god that he wyll helpe & socoure you In suche wyse y^t no man can withstande agaynst you. And that also we knowe well by oure prophecyes that the crysten men shall wyune these landes agayne whā they serue theyr god well. But whyles that they lyue so synfully & so wretchedly as they do we haue no drede of them. And thenne he asked the soudan how that he knewe so a [...] the estate of crystendome. And the soudan sayd that he knowe it bothe of lordes and comons / and by his messangets the whiche he sente thorughte all countrees as they were marchauntes with perles & precyous stones and dyuers other marchaundyses for to knowe the maner of all countrees. And then the soudan called in the lordes agayne. And thenne he shewed vnto me the gretest lordes of that contree / the whiche dyde speke you [...]yght well euer ch [...]e and the sou­dan also and than I had grete mer [...]ayll of the dysclaū dre of our fayth. And so the [...]kes and sarasyns y^e whiche sholde be [...]orned to Ihesu cryste by good example / they ben drawen awaye thorughe our synne and wret­ched lyuȳge for they saye sot he / wherfore it is grete pyte for to beholde and here y^e synnes that reygneth now thorughe all crystendome. But the sarasyns ben true For they kepe well the lawe or wrytynge of Alcaron y^t they saye that god sente then by his messāger Machamet vnto whome they saye that Saynt gabryell spa­ke often with hym / & tolde to hym y^e wyll of oure lorde / [Page]And this Machamet was borne in Arabye / & he was fyrste a knaue and kepte the horses in the stable and he wente after marchantes So he came ones in to Egypte with a marchaunt, And egypte was y^e tyme crysten and there was a chapell besyde Arabye / wherin dyde dwelle an hermyte & whan he entred in to the chapell the whiche was but a lytell hous and a lowe anone it ganne for to waxe as grete as a palays gate. And y^e sa­rasyns sayd that it was y^e fyrste myracle that Macha­met dyde in his yongthe. And afterwarde Machamet beganne for to be ryght wyfe. And he was afterwarde a grete astronomyer & syth he was keper of all the gol­de of the prynces of Corydan and he gouerned and kepte it full wysely. And whan that the prynce of Corydan was deed he wedded his wyfe the lady that men called Quadryge. And this fals Machamet fell often into y^e fallynge euyll / wherfore the lady was wrothe bycause that she hadde taken hym to her husbande. But this Machamet made her to byleue that at euery tyme y^t he fell soo that the aungell gabryell spake vnto hym / & that for the grete bryghtnesse of y^e aungell he felle dow­ne. This machamet regned in Arabye the yere of our lorde Ihesu cryst. vi. hōdreth and twenty. And was of the kynred of Ismael that was Abrahams sone & he begate hym on Arage his chambere [...]. And therfore y^e sarasyns ben calld Ismahelytes and some Agaren / & some of Agar. And some there be that ben called Moa­bytes / and some Amonytys after the two sones of Lo­the. And this fals Machamet loued well an holy man y^e whiche dwelled in a wyldernesse y^t was a myle from the mounte of Synay in the vale as men dothe go fro Arabye vnto Caldas / & it is but a dayes Iourneye fro [Page]the see whan marchaūtes come from Venis. Macha­met went often īto that hermytage wherfore his men wexed all angry and wrothe & forsothe he wolde gladly here the hermyte preche and made his men for to wa­ke all nyght wherfore they wolde gladly haue hadde y^e hermyte deed. And so it be fell vpon a nyght y^t Macha­met hadde well dronken wyne and fell a slepe / and his men toke his swerde oute of his shethe whyles that he laye and slepte so fast & slewe therwith this hermyte. And then they put vp his swerde agayne in his shethe all blody and vpon the morowe whan he founde y^e her­myte deed he was wrothe out of mefure and wolde ha­ue stayne his men. But they with one accorde sayde y^t he hymselfe hadde slayne hym whan he was dronken. And then they badde hym loke vpon his swerde y^e whiche was all blody. And whan he behelde it he wende y^t they had sayde sothe and this is the seconde myracle y^e Marchmet dyde / and he cursed the wyne and all them that dronkke [...]ny wyne. And therfore the sarasyns dare not drynke no wyne but some drynke it pryuely for and they drynke good beuerage and nourys [...]hynge the whiche is made of Camamyle and thereof is the sugre ma­de. Also it be falleth somtyme that crysten men be come sarasyns eyther thrughe pouerte or throughe wyckednes and whan y^t they haue renoūced the crysten fayth they lerne hym theyr fals bylyue and maketh hym for to saye thus whan they receyue hym.

¶ La oles ella Machamet roses alla.

¶ That is to saye / there is no god but one and Machamet is his messenger. &c.

Also the turkes byleue is strongly kepte in theyr cyrcū cysyon. And they ben cyrcumcysed whan they be of the aege of .xii. yere for Ismael Abrahams fyrst sone was circūcysed at thyrten yere olde of whome they be [...] all proceded & comen. And that lawe they kepe styll after the olde maner / and theyr byleue is that they may drȳ ke no wyne. And theyr lawe is that they sholde praye & faste moche but they kepe it but lytell. But Macha­met knewe not y^e our lorde Ihesu cryst was god & man And he sayth also in his Alcarō that y^e Iewes put not our lorde Ihesu cryst vpon y^e crosse nor put hym not vnto deth. For the turkes saye that whan they wolde ha­ue taken out lorde they toke Iudas his traytoure in his stede. For thy saye that our lorde Ihesu cryst had­de altred hymselfe in his lykenesse & incontynent as he hadde done this he wente into heuen and Iudas was put vpon the cr [...]sse in his stede thi [...] is th [...]yr [...]als byle­ [...]e. And shall come again in the end [...]o the worlde & Iuge and shall dystroye [...]tecryst. And they saye that suche a grete ꝓphete wolde not deye suche a shame full dethe. For he dyde aray [...]e the deed and in this fals opynyon they accorde with [...]secte of Manacheen & they saye that the crosse is a token of the deuyll and that no man sholde worshyp it. And they byleue not that he is arysen from dethe vnto lyfe and they forsake. Also y^e seuen sacramētes of holy c [...]rche the whiche ben ronne out of his holy fyue wou [...]es y^e whiche kepe vs frome all mysbyleue and brynge vs in to euerlastynge Ioye there as his holy sy [...]e w [...]des ben bryghter & [...]ayrer than the sonne. Amen.