The Turkes have no Bels in their Churches, neither the use of a clocke, nor numbring of houres, but they have high round Steeples, for they contrafact, and contradict all the formes of Christians: when they goe to pray, [IV. 142.]they are called together by the voyce of crying men, who goe upon the bartizings of their Steeples, shouting and crying with a shrill voyce: La illa, Eillalla, Mahomet Rezul allah, that is: God is a great God, and Mahomet is his Prophet, or otherwise there is but one God.
In Constantinople, and all other places of Turky, I ever saw three Sabboths together, in one weeke: The Friday for the Turkes, the Saturday for Jewes, and the Sunday for Christians: but the Turkes Sabboth is worst kept of all: for they will not spare to do any labour on their Holy Day. They have meetings at their publicke Prayers, Times of Turkish prayers.every day five severall times: the first is, before the rising of the Sunne: The second is, a little before midday: The third is, at three of the clocke in the afternoone: The fourth is, at the Sunne-setting, Sommer and Winter: Fifthly, the last howre of Prayer, is alwayes two or three howres within night. Many of them will watch till that time, and not sleepe; and others sleeping, will awake at the voyce of the Cryer, and go to Church.
In signe of reverence, and in a superstitious devotion, before they go into their Mosquees, they wash themselves in a Lavotoio, beginning at the privy members, next their mouthes faces, feete and hands: And entring, they incline their heads downeward to the earth; and falling on their knees, do kisse the ground three times. Then the Talasumany, which is the chiefe Priest, mounteth upon a high stone, where he maketh many Orations to Mahomet: and the rest to assist him, continue a long time shaking their heads, as though they were out of all their naturall understanding, repeating oft this word Haylamo, Haylamo; and after that will sigh grievously, saying, Houpek. And sometimes will abruptly sing the Psalmes of David in the Arabick tongue, but to no sense, nor verity of [IV. 143.]the Scriptures. And at their devotion, they will not tollerate any women in their company, lest they should withdraw their minds and affections from their present zeale: But the men observe their turnes and times, and the women theirs, going alwayes when they goe, either of them alone to their devotion: The like custome, but not after the same manner have I seene observed among the Protestants in Transilvania, Hungaria, Moravia, Bohemia, and Silesia, who when they come to Church on the Sabboth day, there is a Taffaty Curtaine drawne from the Pulpit to the Church wall over against it: The men sitting on the right hand of the Preacher, the women on the left; whose eyes and faces cannot see other during divine Service, save only the Minister that over-toppeth both sides; and truly me thought it was a very modest, and necessary observation. The Turkes are circumcised.The Turks are generally circumcised after the manner of the Jewes, but not after 8. dayes, but after 8. yeares. The Church men are called Hadach Casseis, or Darvises, who weare on their heads greene Shashes, to make distinction betweene them and others: for they are accounted to be of Mahomets kindred.
They hold all mad men in great reverence, as Prophets or Saints, & if they intend any far journey, privat purposes, or otherwise, before they go to battell, they come to crave counsell of these Santones, to know if they shall prosper, or not, in their attempts. And whatsoever answer these Bedleem Prophets give, it is holden to be so credible, as if an Oracle had spoken it. The Turkish Priests are for the most part Moores, whom they account to be a base people in respect of themselves, calling them Totseks: Their principall Church governour is called Mufti, Whose definitive sentence in Lawe or Religion is penetrable, and [IV. 144.]absolutely valiant: Neither abaseth he himselfe to sit in the Divano, nor affordeth more reverence to the Emperour, than he to him. The Turkish Church-men.The other sort of Church-men are the Naipi or young Doctors, the Caddi, whereof there is two or three in every Citty to judge the offences; the Calsi or Readers, and the Mudressi which use to oversee the Cadeis in their Office: They were all formerly Idolatrous Pagans, and were fast initiated in Mahometanisme, when they got the Soveraignty of the Persian Scepter; by the great Battell, and fortunate conduct of Tangrolipix in overthrowing Mahomet a Saracenicall Sultan of Persia; who inthronized himselfe, in the Persian Chayre of Estate, Anno 1030. This prerogative Title of Mufti, was first intituled Caliph, whose residence was in Babylon, and wholly supreme over the Mahometans: But the Ægyptians after the death of Mot adi Bila, withdrew themselves from this Babylonian obedience, and choosed one of their owne, to whom the Moores of Barbary submitted themselves.
Babylon recovered by the Persians.But now since Bagdat, or Babylon hath beene recovered by the Persians, about foure yeares agoe, their Mahometanicall Mufti or Caliph, that then was Resident there, is now retired to Constantinople, where he sitteth in a more securer place, thinking rather to follow the Grandeur of the Turke, than the broken Estate of the Persian, whence I may truly say, he is Fortunes Page, that favoureth them most, who have most favourers.
This unwealdy body having two heads, began to decline; for Allan a Tartarian Captaine, starved Mustatzem the last divided Babylonian Caliph to death and rooted out all his posterity: And then Sarancon the first Turkish King in Ægypt, brained the last Ægyptian Caliph with his Mace, leaving none of the issue, or Kindred surviving. The Office of the Caliph is now executed in [IV. 145.]Turkey, under the name Muphti, or high Priest. All Turkes do detest the colour of blacke, and thinke those that weare it, shall never enter into Paradise: But the colour of greatest request among them is greene; wherewith if any Christian be apparrelled, he shall be sure of Bastinadoes, and other punishments: Neither may he use the name of their Prophet Mahomet in his mouth, (under the paine of a cruell censure to be inflicted upon him) whom they so much adore, and honour.
Mahomets birth.This Mahomet was borne, Anno Dom. 591. in Itraripia, a beggarly Village in Arabia, whose father was Abdillas, an Ismaelite; and his mother Cadiges, a Jew; both different in Religion, and also of diverse Countries: In his youth he was partly taught the Judaicall Law, and partly the superstition of the Gentiles. Many alleadge his parentage was never knowne (being so base) untill his riper yeares bewrayed the same, I also learned that his Parents dyed whiles he was a young child, and was turned over to his Unckle, who afterward sold him to one Abdeminoples, a Merchant in Palestina: And he, after a little time, having remarked his ready and prompt wit, sent him downe to Ægypt, to be a Factor in his Merchandise; where, by his dissimulate behaviour, he crept in favour with Christians, Jewes, and Gentiles. He was in proportion of a meane stature, lively faced, big-headed, eloquent in language, of a sanguinicall complexion, and a couragious stomacke, in all attempts exceeding desperate: he was also deceitfull, variant, and fradulent, as may appeare in his Satanicall Fables, expressed in his Alcoran, where oft one saying contradicteth another, both in words, and effect.
About this time there was one Sergius, an Italian borne, banished from Constantinople, because he allowed of the [IV. 146.]Arrian sect; who afterward came to Palestina, and frequenting the house of Abdeminoples, fell in acquaintance with the young man Mahomet; and this Frier perceiving the aspiring quicknes of his braine, bore a great affection
to his naturall perfections. Shortly after this, his Maister dying without heires, and his Mistresse enjoying many rich possessions; she, for these his extraordinary qualities, from the degree of a Servant, advanced him to be her owne Husband.
That unhappy match was no sooner done but she repented it with teares: Mahomet possessed with the falling sicknes.for he being subject to the falling sicknesse, would often fall flat on the ground before her, staring, gaping, and foaming at the mouth; so that his company became loathsome and detestable. The which begun contempt in his bed-fellow; being to him manifested, he strove (under the shaddow of invented lies) to mitigate the fury of her hatefull disdaine; faining, and attesting, that when he fell to the ground, it was the great God spoke with him, before whose face (sayth he) I am not able to stand; such is the soliciting of me, with words of terrour and Majesty, to reforme the wayes of the degenerate people with fire, and sword; sith Moses and Christ (notwithstanding of their miracles) have beene rejected by the world. The old Trot, believing all these flattering speeches, was not onely appeased of her former conceit, but also loving him more then a husband, reverenced him for a divine Prophet; imparting the same unto her neighbours and gossips. After they had lived two yeares together, the bewitched Matron dying, left all her possessions to Mahomet; both because she accounted him to be a Prophet, and next for that loving regard she had of his tender body, being but 30. yeares of age. He being thus left with great riches, was puft [IV. 147.]up in pride, and hauty desires, striving by all inordinary meanes, to bring his new devised plots to perfection. For the better performance whereof, he consulted with this Sergius a Nestorian Monk, and Atodala another Thalmudist, a diverted Jew; hereupon these two helhounds, and the other perverst Runagate, patched up a most monstrous, and divellish Religion to themselves, and to their miscreant beleevers; partly composed of the Judaicall law, partly of Arrianisme, partly intermixed with some points of Christianity; and partly of other fantasticall fopperies, which his owne invention suggested unto him.