via To t k R E A D E R *
fuch as I had in my mum ftudy, except only the Commentary o f al Beidä-
wi and the Gofpel o f S. Barnabas, the firfi belongs to the library of
the Dutch church in Auftin Fryars, and for the uj.e o f it I have beent-
chiefly indebted to the reverend Dr. Bolten, one o f the mtmfiers o f that
church : the other was very obligingly lent me by the reverend Dr. Holme,
reblor o f Hedley in Hamplhire; and I take this opportunity o f returning
both thofe gentlemen my thanks for their favours. The merit of
al Beidawi’i commentary m il appear from the frequent quotations I have
made thence; but o f the gojpel o f S. Barnabas, (which I had not fern
when the little 1 have faid o f it in the Preliminary Dtfcourfe *, and the
eXtra£l I had borrowed from Mr. de la Monnoye and Mr. Tolandf,
-were -printed o f) I muß beg leave to give feme further account. _
The book is a moderate Quarto, in Spanilh, -written in a very legible
hand, but a little damaged towards the latter end. I t contains two^
hundred and twenty two chapters o f unequal length, and four hundred:
and twenty pages -, and is faid, in the front to be tranflated fromMg
Italian, byan Arragonian Modem, named Moftafa de Aranda. There
is a .prefate prefixed to it, wherein the difcoverer o f the original MS.
who was a Chriftian monk, called Fra Marino, tells us, that baying
accidentally met with a writing o f Irenaus, (among others,) whenm he-
fpeaks againfi S. Paul, alledging, for his authority the gojpel o f S. Barnabas,
he became exceeding defirous to find this gojpel-, and that God, of
his mercy, having made him very intimate with pope Sixtm V day
as they were together in that, popes library, his holtnefs fe ll afieep, and
he to employ bimfelf, reaching down a book to read, the firfi he laid Mis.
hand on proved to be the very gofpel he wanted: overjoyed at the difcoven
he fcrupled not to hide bis prize in his fleeve, and on the popes,
awaking, took leave of him, carrying with him that celeftiat treafure,.
by reading o f which he became a convert to Mohammedrfm. _
This gofpel o f Barnabas contains a complete htfiory o f Jefus Chriit
from his birth to his afcenfion-, and moftof the circumfiances inthe four
real go/pels are to be found therein, but many of them turned, and fame
artfully enough, to favour the Mohammedan Jyftem. From the defign
of the whole, and the frequent interpolations o f ft ones and pafiages wherein
Mohammed is fpoken o f and foretold by name, as the mejfenger o f
God, and the great prophet who was to .perfebithe difpenfation of Jefus,
it appears to be a mofi barefaced forgery.. One particular I obferve
therein induces me to believe it to have been dreffed up by a renegade
' Chriftian, flightly inftruSted in his new religion, and not educated a
* J. IV. p. 74. t In not. äd cap. 3. p. 43.
Mohammedan,
Mohammedan, (unlefi the fault be imputed .to the Spanifh, or perhaps
the Italian tranfiator, and not to the original compiler-,) I mean the giving
to Mohammed the title 0/Mefliah, and that not once or twice only,
but in feveral places -, whereas the title of ihe Mefliah, or, as the
Arabs write f t , al Mafih, i. e. Chrift, is appropriated to Jefus in the
Koran, and is confiantly applied by the Mohammedans to him, and
never to their own prophet. The pajfagesproduced from the Italian MS.
by Mr. de la Monnoye are to be feen in this Spanilh verfion almoft
word for' word.
But to return to the following work. Tho' I have freely cenfured
the former tranfiations of the Koran, I would not therefore be Jufpecled
6f a defign to make my own pafs as free from faults: I am very JenJi-
ble it is not ; and I make no doubt but the few who are able to difcern
them, and know the difficulty o f the undertaking, will give me fa ir
quarter. I likewife flatter myfelf that they, and all conjiderate perfons,
will excufe the delay which has happened in the publication o f this
work -, when they are informed, that it was carried on at leifure times
only, and amidfi the neceffary avocations o f a troublefome profejfton.
C O R R I G E N D A & A D D E N D A .
I N the Preliminary Difcourfe. Page 5. line 3. farTbabir, read A ir. P. 7. in quot- 10. f. 25,' r. 15. P, 18. ftrike
out the firft note entirely. P. 21. L 2Z, 23* f. is forbidden by the Koran, r, was forbidden by Mohammed. P. 45.
"1. 16. f. Abd'al Motalleb, r. A l Motalleb. P . '51 . I. 3. f. Oreitab, r. Oreiiat. P. 78. in quot. 4. ftrike out the
words in Kor. c. 79. P. 86. in quot. 1. f. 9. r. 14. P. 96, 1. 3'5. f. Tanjim, t . Tafnim. P. 117. 1. 2. f. Yufof fur-
stapled, a l Hejaj, r. alH cjaj Ebn Yufof. P. 157. 1. 5. after Arabia, add, and Perjia.
In the Koran and Notes. P. 10. in the notes, col. 2. line 15. add, And from the heifer dire&td to be flainforthe expiation
o f an uncertain murder. See Deut. xxi. 1— 9. P. 38. in the notes, col. 1. 1. 14. f. another daughter, r. a JiJler. P.
5a. in the notes, ,cph .and p . 55, .in the "notes, col. 1. the laft line but one, f. A b i, r. Obba. P. 73, in the notes,
cil;;2.* 1. 3, 4. f, What if. ‘1 Jkouldbe blind? r. What tho' I be blind? for he really was fo. P. 86. text, 1. 15, 16. f.
Without adding thereto the murder o f another foul, or without committing, x. Without having Jlain a foul, or' committed, See.
P. 94. text, 1. 10. ftrike out the word inconfiderate. P. 95. in the notes, col. 2. 1. 7, 8. f. Ans-Ebn Malec, x.Malcc
EfinAns. P. h i . text, 1. 9, 10. f. by neceffity eb to f, r. eat o f by neceffity. P. 128. text, 1. 14. f. and ajfiemble the
inhabitants that they may bring, r. perfons who may ajfemble ana firing, & p | P. 154. in note c. f. §. VIII. r. §. VII.
P : i6“8. text, 1. 24. f. had, r. hath, and f. behaved, r. behave. P. 182. text, 1. 21. ftrike out alfo. P. 189. in the
notes, col. 2. 1. 23. f. Thofe, r. They. P. 213. in,the notes, col. 1. 1. 5. ftrike out the words, they being o f the fame
tribe j and add, Abulfeda fays tbefe people dwelt near-Tabu c, 'And that they were not o f the fame tribe with Sboaib. See
alfo Geogr. Nub. p. n o . P. 246. in the notes, col. 1. 1. 5. add, who reigned in Oman. See Poc. Spec. p. 42. P. 257.
t6xt, 4. the laft, f. befiow, r. beftowed. P. 299. in the notes,' col. 2.- 1. 9, ftrike out the words, the prophet. See chap.
36*1 ?• 342, in the qoot. f. §. V . r. §. V I . P. 3f t . in the quot. .f. 55. r. 32. P. 477. in the notes, col. 2. 1. 7.
f.'dujly, x. dusky.
A