George Sale, The Koran, commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed, translated into English immediately from the original Arabic; with Explanatory Notes, taken from the most approved Commentators. To which is prefixed A Preliminary Discource (1734)

such as I had in my own study, except only the Commentary of al Beidâwi, and the Gospel of S. Barnabas, The first belongs to the library of the Dutch church in Austin Fryars, and for the use of it I have been chiefly indebted to the reverend Dr. Bolten, one of the ministers of that church: the other was very obligingly lent me by the reverend Dr. Holme, rector of Hedley in Hampshire; and I take this opportunity of returning both those gentlemen my thanks for their favours. The merit of al Beidâwi’s commentary will appear from the frequent quotations I have made thence; but of the gospel of S. Barnabas, (which I had not seen when the little I have said of it in the Preliminary Discourse *, and the extract I had borrowed from Mr. de la Monnoye and Mr. Toland †, were printed off) I must beg leave to give some further account.

The book is a moderate Quarto, in Spanish, written in a very legible hand, but a little damaged towards the latter end. It contains two hundred and twenty two chapters of unequal length, and four hundred and twenty pages; and is said, in the front, to be translated from the Italian, by an Arragonian Moslem, named Mostafa de Aranda. There is a preface prefixed to it, wherein the discoverer of the original MS. who was a Christian monk, called Fra Marino, tells us, that having accidentally met with a writing of Irenæus, (among others,) wherein he speaks against S. Paul, alledging, for his authority, the gospel of S. Barnabas, he became exceeding desirous to find this gospel; and that God, of his mercy, having made him very intimate with pope Sixtus V. one day, as they were together in that pope’s library, his holiness fell asleep, and he, to employ himself, reaching down a book to read, the first be laid his hand on proved to be the very gospel be wanted: overjoyed at the discovery he scrupled not to hide his prize in his sleeve, and on the pope’s awaking, took leave of him, carrying with him that celestial treasure, by reading of which he became a convert to Mohammedism.

This gospel of Barnabas contains a complete history of Jesus Christ from his birth to his ascension; and most of the circumstances in the four real gospels are to be found therein, but many of them turned, and some artfully enough, to favour the Mohammedan system. From the design of the whole, and the frequent interpolations of stories and passages wherein Mohammed is spoken of and foretold by name, as the messenger of God, and the great prophet who was to perfect the dispensation of Jesus, it appears to be a most barefaced forgery. One particular I observe therein induces me to believe it to have been dressed up by a renegade Christian, slightly instructed in his new religion, and not educated