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)

powers, who notwithstanding have cleared themselves by disliking the publishing, and questioning the publishers thereof; buy for the danger, I will deliver in these ensuing Propositions my opinion, yet with submission to wiser judgments.

1. Though it may be dangerous to such as like reedes are shaken, and like empty clouds carried about with every winde of doctrin, yet to staid and solid Christians, the reading of Mahomets Heresies will be no more dangerous, then the reading of those errors which are recorded in Scripture, for in them are mentioned many damnable errors and abominations of the Egyptians, Canaites, Hittites, Sidonians, and other Gentiles, and of the Hebrews themselves, of the Sadduces who denied Spirits, Angels, and the Ressurection.

2. Is there more danger in reading the Alcoran, then in reading the Errors of ancient and moderne Hereticks? Surely Tertulian, Ireneus, Epiphanius, Austin, and other Fathers were not of this opinion, who have left upon record to posterity, the damnable heresies of Arians, Eutychians, Nestorians, Macedonians, and others; and in the Alcoran there are not such dangerous errors as among the Tetratheits, Angelites, and Theodosians, who held there were four Gods, or the Tritheites, who affirmed there were three, or the Gnosticks, Manicheans, Cerdonians, Marcionites, who maintained there were two contrary gods, the one good, the other bad, whereas the Alcoran sets down there is but one true God; and although it denieth with Arius, the Divinity of Christ, yet it holds him a great Prophet; nor doth it speak so blasphemously of Crist as the Simonians, who held Simon Magus, or the Ophites, and Manicheans, who said, the Serpent was Christ, or Menander, Who affirmed himself to be Christ, and the Saviour of the world. Besides; are not the dammable Heresies of the modern Familists, Who deny Christs Divinity, making as many Christs as there be illuminated Elder in their Congregations? are not also the Heresies of the Socinians, Antitrinitarians, Adamites, Servetians, Antisabbatarians, and many others exposed to the view of all that will read them? why then may not the Alcoran? Besides, are men debarred from reading the Greek and Latine Poets? nay, are not many of them translated into our English tongue? as also the modern