l e m e . l i b r a r y . u t o r o n t o . c a

s t c 1 7 2 4 7

v e r . 1 . 0  ( 2 0 1 9 )



Of the byrthe of Machomet. ca.xlvi.


ANd ye shall vnderstande that Machomet 
was born in Araby / & he was fyrst a poore 
knaue & kepte hors and wente after marchaundyse 
And so he came ones in to Egypt with marchauun­
dyse / & Egypt was that same tyme crysten / and there 
was a chapell besyde Araby & there was an her­
myte / & whan he came in to the chapell that was 
but a lytell hous & a lowe / as soone that  entre began 
to be as grete as it were of a paleys gate / & that 
was the fyrst myracle that the sarasyns saye that 
he dyde in his youthe. After began Machomet to









be wyse & ryche / and he was a grete astronomer / & 
sythen was he keper of the londe of the prynce Co­ 
rodan & gouerned it full well / in the whiche maner 
that whan the prynce was deed he wedded the la­
dy that men called Quadryge. And Machomet 
felle often in the fallynge euyll / wherfore the lady 
was wrothe that she had taken hym to her husbon­
de. And he made her to vnderstande that euery ty­
me that he felle so / he sayd that Gabryell the angell 
spake to hym / & for the grete bryghtnes of the an­
gell he felle downe. This Machomet regned in 
Araby the yere of our lorde. vi. hondred and. xx. 
& he was of the kynde of Ismaell that was Abra­
hams sone that he gate of Agar / & other are called 
Sarrasyns of Sarra / but some are called Moaby­
tes / and some Amonytes after two sones of Loth 
And also Machomet loued well a good man an 
hermyte that dwelled in wyldernesse a myle from 
mount Synay in the waye as men go fro Araby to 
Caldee & a dayes Iourney fro the see where mar­
chauntes of Venys came. And Machomet wente so 
often to this hermyte that all his men were wrothe / 
for he herde gladly the hermyte preche / & dyde his 
men walke all the nyght / & his men thought they 
wolde this hermyte were deed. Soo it befell on a 
nyght that Machomet was full dronken of good 
wyne & he felle in slepe / and his men toke Macho­ 
mets swerde out of his shethe whyles he lay & slep­
te & therwith they slewe the hermyte / & afterwar­









de they put the swerde vp agayne all blody. And 
vpon the morowe whan he founde this hermyte 
thus deed / he was in his mynde very angry and 
ryght wroth / & wolde haue done his men vnto the 
deth / but they all with one accorde & with one wyll 
sayd that he hymself had slayne hym whan he was 
dronken / and they shewed hym his owne swerde 
all blody / & than byleued he that they sayd sothe / 
and than he cursed the wyne & all those that dron­
ke it. And therfore sarrasyns that are deuoute drynke 
no wyne openly ellys they sholde be repreued / but 
they drynke good beuerage & swete and norysshyn­
ge that is made of Calamels / & therof is sugour 
made.

 
Also it befalleth somtyme that crysten men beco­
me sarrasyns / eyther thrugh pouerte or symplenes









or wyckednesse. And therfore theyr archebysshop 
whan he receyueth theym sayth thus. Laeles ella 
Machomet ro&yogh;es ella. That is to saye. There is 
noo god but one and Machomet his messenger / 
And sythen I haue tolde you a parte of theyr la­
we and of theyr customes / and now I shall saye 
you of theyr letters that they haue with theyr na­
mes. Fyrst they haue for 
A almoy / 
bethath for b. 
cathi c. 
ephoti for d. 
delphoy e. 
fothy f. 
garophin
g. 
hechun h. 
iocchi i. 
kathi k. 
lothun l. 
malach m. 
nahalot n. 
orthy o. 
cho&yogh;iri p. 
&yogh;oth q. 
rutholat r. 
routhi s. 
solathi t. 
chatimus v. 
yrithom x. 
ma&yogh;ot z. 
&yogh;atepin &. 
iohetus ?. 

The Arabic letter appears to be represented by an inverted brevigraph for the word "cetera". It is here arbitrarily realized as a question mark.


thyse are the names. Thyse 
foure letters they haue yet more for dyuersyte of 
theyr langage / for as moche as they spake so in 
theyr throtes as we haue A in our langage and 
speke in Englonde. Two letters may than they 
haue in theyr a. b. c. That is to saye y and &yogh; the 
whiche are called thorn and &yogh;owx.