¶ Here beginneth a little treatise of the turks law called Koran. And also it speaketh of Machamet the necromancer.   a clergyman preaches to nuns from a pulpit  two wealthy men, one accompanied by the devil, and one by an angel, talk to each other from balconies while a woman begs on the ground below 
FOr to know and to here some new tidings for to refresh the men's wits and understanding. So will I somewhat write of the turks laws/ which law in many points accordeth with our law & is the law of Machomet/ the which in his law used a word (oteidite. That is to say kill. So all them that will not believe in their law they flee them. And that is against the law of our lord Ihesu cryst/ for he biddeth that we shall love them that love not us and pray for our enemies. And the turks been charged to their believe. But the christian people be not so/ but amiably learned & teached. And when that the predycante or preacher shall go to preach their falls believe he hath a naked sword in his hand as long as his sermon shall endure & last. Or else he putteth the said sword in a high place where as every body may behold it that is there for to fere and threaten them therewithal. And we christian people putteth a crucifix in the mids of the church on high for humility & not for fere or threatening like as the turks do the foresaid sword. And so forth I will proceed and write of their laws and book the which is named commonly Koran. And some men doth call it the book of Mesaap and some of them be of divers languages and in like wise of divers countries the which book Machamet made and gave it unto them. In the which book this false necromancer Machamet wrote among other things as many one hath red and seen here before that they the which been good shall go unto paradise and they the which been evil to hell/ and that believeth all the sarasyns/ ¶ And if a man asketh them what paradise meaneth they say it is a place of delight and joy/ where a man shall find all manner of delights and fruits/ & all manner of fruits at all times/ and the river runneth milk/ wine/ honey/ and fresh water. And they shall have fair houses/ after that they have deserved them here and those same houses been made of precious stones/ of gold and silver/ and each man shall have ten wives/ & all maidens/ and also they speak & troweth upon the virgin Mary and in like wise upon the incarnation of our lord Ihesu christ. ¶ And how that mary was learned of the angel and that gabriel said unto her that she was cho●en before all other women from the beginning of the world/ and that witnesseth their book that told of her and of the incarnation of our lord Ihesu christ. And that she conceived and bore a child and yet she was a maiden. And they say that our lord Ihesu christ spoke as soon as he was borne/ and that he was very god & prophet in word and deed & that he was meek/ & rightwise unto every body withouten any vice. ¶ And they say also that when the angel told her of the incarnation she had greet dread/ for she was but young and there was one in that country the which had the craft of sorcery & nygromancye and men called him Takney the which with enchantment could make himself like unto an angel And he went often and laid by maidens and therefore was our lady afeard of him for she wend that the angel had been Takney that went to the maidens And she conjured him and bad him tell if that he were Takney. And the angel bad her not dread for he was very angel & messenger of our lord Ihesu christ. And also thyr book saith that she had child under palm and than she shamed and wept & say that she would have been deed/ and the child comforted her and said. Ne time as maria. That is for to say dread the not mary. And in many other places the book saith that he spoke as soon as he was borne. And they say also that he was sent from our lord almythy for to give example unto all them that were in the world at the time and that should come after and that god shall dame all good unto heaven and all evil unto hell there for to abide in pain everlasting. And that our lord Ihesu christ is the best prophet next unto god/ and that he was a very prophet/ & gave the sight unto the blind men/ and he let the lepers/ and raised the deed & stied a quick up in to heaven. And if that they may find a book of the gospels and manely of the gospel of Missus est angelus gabriel. They do great worship thereto. And also they fast seven months in the year/ and they eat not but upon the nights/ and then they keep them from their wives/ and when they be sick they be not constrained unto that fast. And the book speaketh of the Iwes & sayeth that they been wicked people for they believe not that Ihesucryst is one with god and they say that the jews lieth upon our lady and on her son Ihesucryst for they say that they did him not upon the cross. And the sarasyns believeth so ●●oche in our faith that they been lightly converted when men doth preach unto them the faith of our lord Ihesu christ. And they say that they know well that their law of Machamet shall fail as doth the law of the Iwes and that the christian law shall last unto the worlds end. And if a man ask them wherein they believe they say in god almighty maker of heaven and earth and all other things that been therein and without him is nothing done nor begun and at the day of doom all thing shall be rewarded after their deserving and all thing is true that christ said by the mouths of the prophets. And also Machamet bade in his Koran that every man should have two or three wives and now they take ten or twelve or as many lemans as they may get. And yfony of their wives doth a miss to their husbands they may drive them away and take another but he must give her a part of his goods. Also when men speaketh of the father and son and holy ghost they say that they are three persons & not one god but they scorn it and speak not thereof but of the trinity. But they say that god spoke or else he was domme and god is a ghost or he were on live and say that gods have great strength and so say they in scorn. And the say also that Abraham and Machamet were well in the grace of god for they spoke with him divers times. And they say in like wise the Machamet was the very messenger of god and they have many good articles of our faith and they all understand the scriptures & the prophecies for they have them written in the gospels and in the bible in their language and so they know moche of the holy scripture but they understand it not but after the letter of the gospel and therefore saint paul saith thus.  ¶ Littera occidit. spiritus vivificat. 
¶ That is to say the letter sleeth and the ghost quickeneth. And the sarasyns say that the Iwes keep not the law that Moses took unto them. And also crysten men do not well because that they kept not the ten commandments of the gospel the which Ihesu christ gave unto them▪ And therefore I shall tell you what the sultan said unto a christian man upon a day in his chamber. He made for to avoid out of his chamber lords & ladies and all that was therein for he would speak with him in counsel. And when all was avoided he demanded him how the christian men governed them and he said right well blessed be god. And the sultan said sickerly nay for he said that our priests said not their service as they should do nor give not good example of good living unto the people as they ought for to do. And when the people should go for to serve god they go unto the tavern and lieth there in gluttony all the day and all the night and eateth and drinketh as beasts and wot not when they have enough and he said that christian men enforced them for to fight together and eachone to beguile other/ and they be so proud that they wot not how for to cloth them nor how long nor how short now strait now wide in all manner of guises/ and said that they should be meek & simple and soothe fast & do alms as cryst died in whom they believe. And they be so covetous that for a little silver they sell their trouhte and their children & their sisters & their wives that one taketh another man's wife and few holdeth their truth. And therefore he said for these sins christian men have lost all the lands that we hold. For though sin hath god put this land in to our hands and not through strength but thorughe your sins and wretchedenes.  
¶ But we know right well for a certainty that when ye serve well your god that he will help & succour you In such wise that no man can withstand against you. And that also we know well by our prophecies that the christian men shall wyune these lands again when they serve their god well. But whiles that they live so sinfully & so wretchedly as they do we have no dread of them. And then he asked the sultan how that he knew so a● the estate of christendom. And the sultan said that he know it both of lords and commons/ and by his messangets the which he sent thorughte all countries as they were merchants with pearls & precious stones and divers other merchandises for to know the manner of all countries. And then the sultan called in the lords again. And then he showed unto me the greatest lords of that country/ the which died speak you starlight well ever ch●●e and the sultan also and than I had great marvel of the dysclaundre of our faith. And so the ●●●kes and sarazens the which should be ●orned to Ihesu christ by good example/ they been drawn away thorough our sin and wretched living for they say sot he/ wherefore it is great pity for to behold and here the sins that reigneth now thorough all christendom. But the sarasyns been true For they keep well the law or writing of Koran that they say that god sent then by his messenger Machamet unto whom they say that Saint gabriel spoke often with him/ & told to him the will of our lord/ And this Machamet was borne in araby/ & he was first a knave and kept the horses in the stable and he went after merchants So he came once in to Egypte with a merchant, And egypt was the time christian and there was a chapel beside araby/ wherein died dwell an hermit & when he entered in to the chapel the which was but a little house and a low anon it gan for to wax as great as a palace gate. And the sarasyns said that it was the first miracle that Machamet died in his youth. And afterward Machamet began for to be right wife. And he was afterward a great astronomyer & sith he was keeper of all the gold of the princes of Corydan and he governed and kept it full wisely. And when that the prince of Corydan was deed he wedded his wife the lady that men called Quadryge. And this falls Machamet fell often into the falling evil/ wherefore the lady was wroth because that she had taken him to her husband. But this Machamet made her to believe that at every time that he fell so that the angel gabriel spoke unto him/ & that for the great brightness of the angel he fell down. This machamet reigned in araby the year of our lord Ihesu christ. vi. hundreth and twenty. And was of the kindred of Ishmael that was abraham's son & he begat him on Arage his chambere●. And therefore the sarasyns been called Ismahelytes and some Agaren/ & some of Agar. And some there be that been called Moabytes/ and some Amonytys after the two sons of Loath. And this falls Machamet loved well an holy man the which dwelled in a wilderness that was a mile from the mount of Synay in the vale as men doth go fro araby unto Caldas/ & it is but a days journey fro the see when merchants come from Venice. Machamet went often into that hermitage wherefore his men waxed all angry and wroth & forsooth he would gladly here the hermit preach and made his men for to wake all night wherefore they would gladly have had the hermit deed. And so it be fell upon a night that Machamet had well drunken wine and fell a sleep/ and his men took his sword out of his sheath whiles that he lay and slept so fast & slew therewith this hermit. And then they put up his sword again in his sheath all bloody and upon the morrow when he found the hermit deed he was wroth out of mefure and would have stain his men. But they with one accord said that he himself had slain him when he was drunken. And then they bad him look upon his sword the which was all bloody. And when he beheld it he wend that they had said sooth and this is the second miracle the Marchmet died/ and he cursed the wine and all them that dronkke ●ny wine. And therefore the sarasyns dare not drink no wine but some drink it privily for and they drink good beverage and nourys●hynge the which is made of Camamyle and thereof is the sugar made. Also it be falleth sometime that christian men be come sarasyns either through poverty or through wickedness and when that they have renounced the christian faith they learn him their false believe and maketh him for to say thus when they receive him.  
¶ Lafoy oles ella Machamet roses alla.  
¶ That is to say/ there is no god but one and Machamet is his messenger. etc.  
Also the turks believe is strongly kept in their circumcision. And they been circumcised when they be of the age of xii year for Ishmael Abraham's first son was circumcised at thyrten year old of whom they be● all proceeded & comen. And that law they keep still after the old manner/ and their believe is that they may drink no wine. And their law is that they should pray & fast moche but they keep it but little. But Machamet knew not the our lord Ihesu christ was god & man And he saith also in his Koran that the jews put not our lord Ihesu christ upon the cross nor put him not unto death. For the turks say that when they would have taken out lord they took judas his traitor in his stead. For thy say that our lord Ihesu christ had altered himself in his likeness & incontinent as he had done this he went into heaven and judas was put upon the cr●sse in his stead thi● is their ●als byle●●e. And shall come again in the end ●o the world & judge and shall destroy ●●●tecryst. And they say that such a great prophet would not die such a shame full death. For he died arraign the deed and in this falls opinion they accord with ●●●secte of Manacheen & they say that the cross is a token of the devil and that no man should worship it. And they believe not that he is arisen from death unto life and they forsake. Also the seven sacraments of holy c●●rche the which been run out of his holy five wounds the which keep us from all misbelief and bring us in to everlasting joy there as his holy sy●e w●●des been brighter & fairer than the son. Amen.   

¶ Thus endeth the Koran of the Turks law/ made by the falls necromancer Machamet. imprinted at London in Fleetstreet in the sign of the Son by me Wynkyn de word.  

winkin. de. word.   printer's device of Wynkyn de Worde