Mr Thomas Coriat to his friends in England sendeth greeting from Agra the capitall city of the dominion of the great Mogoll in the Easterne India, the last of October, 1616. Thy trauels and thy glory to ennamell, with fame we mount thee on the lofty cammell; ... .

❧ The Copy of a speech that J made to a Mahometan in the Italian tongue.

THe Coppy of a speech that I made extempo∣re in the Italian tongue to a Mahometan at a Citie called Moltan in the Easterne India, two daies iourny beyond the famous Riuer Indus, which I haue passed, against Mahomet and his accur∣sed Religion, vpon the occasiō of a discurtesie offe∣red vnto mee by the said Mahometan in calling me Gtaur, that is infidell, by reason that I was a Christi∣an: the reason why I spake to him in Italian, was be∣cause he vnderstood it, hauing been taken slaue for many yeeres since by certaine Florentines in a Gal∣ly wherein hee passed from Constantinople towards Alexandra, but being by them interrupted by the way, he was carried to a Citie called Ligorne in the Duke of Florences Dominions, where after two yeeres he had learned good Italian, but he was an Indian borne and brought vp in the Mahometan Religion. I pronounced the speech before an hun∣dred people, whereof none vnderstood it but him∣selfe, but hee afterward told the meaning of some part of it as far as he could remember it to some of the others also. If I had spoken thus much in Tur∣ky, or Persia against Mahomet they would haue rost∣ed me vpon a spitt; but in the Mogols Dominions a Christian may speake much more freely then hee can in any other Mahometan Country in the world. The speech was this as I afterward transla∣ted it into English.

But I pray thee tell me thou Mahometan, dost thou in sadnes call me Giaur? that I doe quoth he, then (quoth I) in very sobersadnes I retort that shamefull word in thy throate, and tell thee plainly that I am a Musulman and thou art a Giaur: For by that Arab word Musulman thou dost vnder∣stand that which cannot be properly appli∣ed to a Mahometan but onely to a Christi∣an, so that I doe consequently inferre that there are two kindes of Muselmen, the one an Orthomusulmā, that is a true Musulman which is a Christian & the other a Pseudo-musulman that is a false Musulman which is a Mahome∣tan. What, thy Mahomet was from whom thou dost deriue thy Religion, assure thy selfe I know better then any one of the Ma∣hometans amongst many millions: yea all the particular circumstances of his life and death, his Nation, his Parentage, his dri∣uing Camels through Egipt, iria, and Pa∣lestina, the marriage of his Mistris, by whose death he raised himselfe from a very base and contemtible estate to great honor and

riches, his manner of cozening the sottish people of Arabia, partly by a tame Pigeon that did fly to his eare for meat, and partly by a tame Bull that hee fed by hand euery pay, with the rest of his actions both in peace and warre: I know aswell as if I had liued in his time, or had beene one of his neighbours in Mecca, the truth whereof if thou didst know aswell, I am perswaded thou wouldest spit in the face of thy Alca∣ron, and trample it vnder thy feete, and bury it vnder a Iaxe, a booke of that strange and weake matter, that I my selfe (as meanely as thou dost see me attired now) haue already written two better bookes (God be than∣ked) and will hereafter this, (by Gods gra∣tious permission) write another better and truer, yea I wold haue thee know (thou Ma∣hometan) that in that renouned Kingdome of England where I was borne, learning doth so flourish, that there are many thou∣sand boies of sixteene yeeres of age▪ that are able to make a more learned booke then thy Alcaron, neither was it (as thou and the

rest of you Mahometans doe generally be∣leue) composed wholy by Mahomet, for hee was of so dull a wit, as he was not able to make it without the helpe of another, name∣ly a certaine Renegado Monke of Constantino∣ple, called Sergis. So that his Alcoran was like an arrow drawne out of the quiuer of ano∣ther man. I perceiue thou dost wonder to see me so much inflamed with anger, but I would haue thee consider it is not without great cause I am so moued, for what greter indignity can there be offered to a Christian which is an Arthomusulman, thē to be called Giaur by a Giaur: for Christ (whose Religion I professe) is of that incomparable dignity, that as thy Mahomet is not worthy to bee named that yeere wherein my blessed Christ is, so neither is his Alcoron worthy to be named that yeere wherein the * 1.1Iuieel of my Christ is. I haue obserued among the Mahometans such a foolish forme of prai∣er euer since my departure from Spahan, (which I confesse was no nouelty vnto me, for that I had obserued the like before both

in Constantinople and diuers other Turkish cities) that what with your vain repetions & diuers other prophane fooleries contained therein▪ I am certaine your praiers doe euen stinke before God, and are of no more force then the cry of thy Camell when thou doest lade or vnlade him: But the praiers of Christians haue so preuailed with God, that in time of drought they haue obtained con∣uenient aboundance of raine, and in time of pestilence a suddaine cessation from the plague, such an effect of holy and feruent praier as neuer did the * 1.2Scofferalahs, or the Allamissel alow of any Mahometan produce: yet must wee, whose praiers like a sweete smelling sacrifice are acceptable to God, be esteemed Giaurs by those whose praiers are odious vnto his Diuine Maiestie: O times! O maners! Now as I haue told thee the dif∣ference betwixt the effect of our Christian & your Mahometan praiers, so I pray thee obserue another difference betwixt you & vs, that I will presently intimate vnto thee: thou by the obseruation of the Law of thy

rediculous Alcaron dost hope for Paradice, wherein thy Master Mahomet hath promi∣sed Riuers of Rice, and to Virgins the im∣bracing of Angels vnder the shaddowe of spacious Trees, though in truth that Para∣dice be nothing else then a filthy quagmire so full of stincking dung-hils that a man cannot walke two spaces there but he shall stumble at a dung-hill and defile himselfe, but where this Paradice is, not one amongst a thousand of you knoweth, therefore I will tell thee, it standeth in a Country scituate betwixt Heauen and Earth called Ʋtopia, whereof there is mention in the third book of thy Alcaron and in the seuen and thirty A∣saria, but expressed with those misticall and obscure termes that is very difficult to vn∣derstand it, for this Vtopian Paradice I say as the reward of al your superstitious mum∣bling in your praiers, and the often ducking downe of your heads when you kisse the ground, with such a deuoute humilitie for∣sooth, doe you Mahometans hope in ano∣ther world: But wee Christians hope to liue

with God and his blessed Angels for euer and euer in Heauen, as being a proper and pecullar inheritance purchased vnto vs by the precious blood of our Christ, yet must wee be reputed Giaurs by those that are Gi∣aurs? One thing more will tell thee (O thou Mahometan) and so I will conclude this te∣dious speech, whereunto thy discurtious calling of me Giaur hath inforced mee, and I prethee obserue this my conclusion.

Learning (which is the most precious Iew∣ell that man hath in this life, by which he at∣taineth to the knowledge of diuine and hu∣mane things) commeth to man either by re∣uelatiō which we otherwise cal inspiration, or by industry: Learning by reuelation I cal that which God doth infuse from aboue by his special grace, vnto those whō he will vse as the instruments of his glory, who with∣out labour or trauell doe aspire to a most eminent degree of knowledge. Learning by industry I call it that which a man doth pur∣chase to himselfe by continuall writing and reading, by practise and meditation: now by

neither of these meanes haue the Mahome∣tans acquired any meane, much lesse any singular learning, for as Mahomet himselfe was a man of a very superficiall and meane learning, so neuer was there any one of his Disciples in any part of the world that was indued with any profound knowledge▪ but wee Christians by the one and the other meane, haue attained to the most exquisite science that can be incident to man: * 1.3some of our men that neuer were brought vp in Studies hauing been so expert in a generall learning (onely by Gods speciall illumina∣tion) as those haue spent forty yeeres in the practise thereof, and others by continuall practise of writing and reading, haue beene so excellent, that they became the very Lampes and Stars of the Countries where∣in they liued. These things being so, it can∣not possible come to passe that the omnipo∣tent God should deale so partially with mankind as to reueale his will to a people altogether misled in ignorance and blind∣nes as you Mahometans are, and conceale

it from vs Christians that bestowe all our life time in the practise of diuine and hu∣mane disciplines, and in the ardent in∣uocation of Gods holy name with all since∣rity and purity of heart? Goe to then thou Pseu-domusulman, that is, thou false-beleeuer, since by thy iniurious imputation laid vp∣on mee, in that thou calledst mee Giaur, thou hast prouoked mee to speake thus. I pray thee let this mine answere be a war∣ning for thee not to scandalize mee in the like manner any more, for the Christian Religion which I professe, is so deare and tender vnto mee that neither thou nor any other Mahometan shal scotfree call me Gi∣aur, but that I will quit you with an answer muchto the wonder of those Mahometans▪

I pray you Mother expect no more letters from me after this till my arriuall in Christendom, be∣cause I haue resolued to write no more while I am in the Mahometans Countries, thinking that it will be a farre greater comfort both to you and to all my friends whatsoeuer, to heare newes that I haue accomplished my trauelles in Mahometisme, then that I am comming vp and down, to and fro in the same, without any certainty of an issue therof; ther∣fore I pray haue patiēce for a time: about two yeers and a halfe hence I hope to finish these Mahometan trauelles, and then either from the Citie of Raguzi in Sclauonia which is a Christian Citie and the first we enter into Christendome, from those parts of Turky by Land nere vnto the same or, from famous Venice, I will very dutifully remember you againe with lines full of filiall piety and officious respect. I haue written two letters to my Vncle Williams since I came forth of England and no more, where∣of one from the Mogols Court the last yeere, iust at the same time that I wrote vnto you; and another now, which I sent ••ointly by the same Messenger that carried yours out of India by Sea. Once more I recommend you and all our hearty wel-willers & friends to the gratious tuition of the Lord of Hosts; I pray you remember my duty to Master Hancoke that reuerend and Apostolicall good old man, and his wife, if they are yet liuing; to their Sonnes Tho∣mas and Iohn, and their Wiues.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  This doe all Maho∣metans call our Gospell or the Hi∣story of our Saniour, written by the foure E∣vangelists.
• * 1.2

  Words that the Maho∣metans doe often repeat in their praiers.
• * 1.3

  I mean the blessed Apo∣stles of our Sauiour.