FOr to knowe and to here some newe tydynges for to refresshe the mennes wyttes and vnderstandynge . So wyll I somwhat wryte of the turkes lawes / whiche lawe in many poyntes accordeth with our lawe & is the lawe of Machomet / the whiche in his lawe vsed a worde ( oteidite . That is to saye kylle . So all them that wyll not byleue in theyr lawe they flee them . And that is agaynst the lawe of oure lorde Ihesu cryst / for he byddeth that we shall loue them that loue not vs and praye for oure enemys . And the turkes ben charged to theyr byleue . But the crysten people be not soo / but amyably lerned & teched . And whan that 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 the sayd swerde in a hyghe place wher as euery body may beholde it that is there for to fere and threten them therwithall . And we crysten people putteth a crucyfyxe in the myddes of the 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 countrees the whiche boke Machamet made and gaue it vnto them . In the whiche boke this fals nygromancer Machamet wrote amonge 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 / ¶ 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 that 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 Incarnacyon 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 the 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 that he was very god & prophete in worde and dede & that he was meke / & ryghtwys vnto euery body withouten 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 & nygromancye and men called hym Takney the whiche with enchauntement coude make hymselfe lyke vnto an aungell And he wente often and layde by maydens and therfore was our lady aferde of hym for she wende that the aungell hadde ben Takney that wente to the maydens And she coniured 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 . 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 conforted 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 the 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 that 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 that 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 that theyr lawe of Machamet shall fayle as dothe the lawe of the Iwes and that the crysten lawe shall last vnto the 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 begonne and at the day of dome all thynge shall be rewarded after theyr deseruynge and all thynge is true that cryst sayd by the mouthes of the ꝓphetes . And also Machamet bade in his Alcaron that euery man sholde haue two or thre wyues and nowe they take ten or twelue or as many lemmans as they may gete . And yfony of theyr wyues dothe a mysse to theyr husbandes 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 the grace of god for they spake with hym dyuers tymes . And they saye in lyke wyse the Machamet was the very messanger of god and they haue many good artycles of oure fayth and they all vnderstande the scryptures & the prophecyes for they haue theym wryten in the gospelles and in the byble in theyr langage and so they knowe moche of the holy scrypture but they vnderstande it not but after the lettre of the gospell and therfore saynt poule sayth thus .

¶ That is to saye the lettre sleeth and the ghost quyckeneth . And the sarasyns saye that the Iwes kepe not the lawe that Moyses toke vnto them . And also crysten men do not well bycause that they kepte not the ten commaundementes of the gospell the whiche Ihesu cryst gaue vnto them ▪ And therfore I shall tell you what the 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 demaunded hym how the 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 the people sholde go for to serue god they go vnto the tauerne and lyeth there in 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 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 certaynte that whan ye serue well your god that he wyll helpe & socoure you In suche wyse that no man can withstande agaynst you . And that also we knowe well by oure prophecyes that the crysten men shall wyune these landes agayne whan 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 dysclaūdre of our fayth . And so the ●●●kes and sarasyns the whiche sholde be ●orned to Ihesu cryste by good example / they ben drawen awaye thorughe our synne and wretched lyuynge for they saye sot he / wherfore it is grete pyte for to beholde and here the synnes that reygneth now thorughe all crystendome . But the sarasyns ben true For they kepe well the lawe or wrytynge of Alcaron that they saye that god sente then by his messanger Machamet vnto whome they saye that Saynt gabryell spake often with hym / & tolde to hym the wyll of oure lorde / 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 the 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 the sarasyns sayd that it was the 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 the 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 that he fell soo that the aungell gabryell spake vnto hym / & that for the grete bryghtnesse of the aungell he felle downe . This machamet regned in Arabye the yere of our lorde Ihesu cryst . vi . hondreth and twenty . And was of the kynred of Ismael that was Abrahams sone & he begate hym on Arage his chambere● . And therfore the 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 the whiche dwelled in a wyldernesse that 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 the see whan marchauntes come from Venis . Machamet went often into 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 the hermyte deed . And so it be fell vpon a nyght that 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 the hermyte deed he was wrothe out of mefure and wolde haue stayne his men . But they with one accorde sayde that he hymselfe hadde slayne hym whan he was dronken . And then they badde hym loke vpon his swerde the whiche was all blody . And whan he behelde it he wende that they had sayde sothe and this is the seconde myracle the 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 that they haue renounced 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.