Alexander Ross, The Alcoran of Mahomet, translated out of Arabick into French, by the Sieur Du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and resident for the French king, at Alexandria. And newly Englished, for the satisfaction of all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities. (1649)

them, they did eat for company; but God shall chastise them for their discourse, he is most wise, and Omniscient. Such as slay their Children are wretched men, fooles and ignorant, they have forbidden to eat the good things that God hath given them, to blaspheme, and are gone astray from the right way. It is God who created the gardens full of fruits, and hearbs of divers colours with Olives, Pomegranets, and other fruits alike, and different: Eat of the fruits of the Earth: Pay the dues appointed when you reap, and dispense not your substance lightly; God abhorreth prodigals: Of clean beasts, some there be that have borne the burden, and others that are young, and have not borne it; Eat what God hath given you, and follow not the footsteps of the Devill, he is your open enemie. Say unto them, behold eight paire of beasts, viz. two paire of Weathers, two of Ewes, two of Camels, and two paire of Cowes, of which is it permitted, or forbidden you to eat? Is it lawfull for you to eat the males, or females? Which are those that God hath forbidden you? Who is more wicked than he that blasphemeth, to seduce from the right way the people that are ignorant? God guideth not the unjust; Say unto them, In all that God hath inspired into me, I finde not that it is prohibited to eat of those beasts, except they die of some disease, and if they be slain without pronouncing the name of God. The flesh of Swine is forbidden you; if you eat of it, you incurre the wrath of God; If any one be in necessity, and eateth without designe to provoke God, he shall find God gracious and mercifull. We forbad the Jews to eat of beasts whose feet were cloven, and of the fat of beasts, except of such as is interlarded in the flesh; the entrails and the bones. We enjoyned this prohibition by reason of their sinne, and we are veritable in our words, and exact in our promises: If they slander thee, say unto them, the mercy of God is great, and the wicked shall not avoid the punishment of their crimes. The Infidels have said, had it pleased God, we had not been unbelievers, neither our fathers also, and nothing had been prohibited. Their predecessors spake as they, until they felt the