divinisque traditionibus est derivanda. Repositis igitur ad finem tantis mysteriis, ut fundamenta jaciantur, quibus astrui possint.

De sacrarum Scripturarum veritate et sinceritate tractatus præmittitur: in quo omnes et singuli libri, tam veteris, quam Novi Testamenti, divini esse probantur, auctoritate Pontificum, Conciliorum, et Patrum: Insuper concessione tàm Alchorani, quàm aliorum librorum, quorum auctoritas apud Mohametanos irrefragabilis est. Iisdemque auctoritatibus (adjunctis etiam rationibus) ostenditur, sacras Christianorum Scripturas (prout Mahometani obloquuntur) nunquam fuisse adulteratas, idque magis perspicuum redditur inspectione quorumdam locorum, qui præ cæteris Scripturarum locis (ratione materiæ) maximam in Mohametanorum mentibus excitare possent suspicionem: et tandem omnes ab eis propositæ solvuntur difficultates.

Secundò, agitur de Alchorano, et ex qualitatibus Divinæ legis Psalmo xviii. recensitis, ostenditur, propter mendacia, contradictiones, injustitias, et cætera in eo contenta, Alchoranum Dei legem non esse; sed Mahometi continere imposturas. Qui deinde, non Propheta, aut Paraclitus (prout ipse de se jactat) sed impostor, et seductor fuisse demonstratur, et simul omnia pro eo à Persis allata refelluntur.

Tertiò ostensa sacrarum Scripturarum veritate, et sinceritate; Mahometi, ejusque librorum falsitate: Christianæ Religionis mysteria proponuntur. Et primò sacrosancta Divinarum personarum Trinitas explicatur, deinde probatur auctoritate Scripturarum, et (ostensa priùs ex Mahometanorum libris et principiis, quanta sit sacrorum Conciliorum, Sanctorum Patrum, et aliorum Scriptorum Catholicam fidem profitentium, circa Religionem auctoritas) probatur ex iisdem Conciliis, et Patribus. Deinde ostenditur, Mahometum ipsum, quamvis invitum, vi tamen veritatis tantum mysterium fateri coactum. Et tandem, Filii et Spiritus Sancti ostensa Divinitate, reali Trium Personarum distinctione, Spiritum Sanctum etiam à filio procedere, ad propositas difficultates respondetur.

Quartò, ostenditur Christi Divinitas auctoritate Scripturarum, Conciliorum, Patrum, Sibyllarum, et aliorum. Insuper et Mahometum, et Mahometanos quosdam, etiam nolentes, Christi Divinitatem fateri compulsos, vi veritatis cogente. Et post explicationem mysterii satisfit propositis difficultatibus. In fine tandem veluti in summam quandam colliguntur argumenta, quibus Mahometani excitantur ad Mahometi abjiciendas imposturas, et falsitates Christi vero amplectandam veritatem, &c."

Having given that part of Guadagnoli's work

which points out the line of argument taken by him, it may be unnecessary to make any extracts from it, because the book is to be found in almost every large library; those, therefore, who wish to consult it, can do so at any time. We shall content ourselves with offering a few remarks on it, and on Zain Alábadin's work, and then proceed with our account of Mr. Martyn's controversy.

I do not very clearly see why Guadagnoli gave the title of Zain Alábadin's work Politor Speculi, the title of the book, from which the foregoing

كتاب اللوامع الربانيه في extracts are taken, being A book of divine rays in“ . رد شبه النصرانيه

J.

refutation of Christian error; " unless indeed he had only seen an Arabic translation of it, to which such title might have been prefixed. Of this, however, I have not the means of judging, as no extracts are given in the work of Guadagnoli in the language of his original, whether that was Arabic or Persic.

It might be suggested, perhaps, that this was not the work to which Guadagnoli replied. I should think that scarcely possible, because the objections in this work are those to which his replies are made; and because its date corresponds sufficiently near with that of Xavier and Guadagnoli, to make it extremely probable, that

this was the work to which he gave the title of Politor Speculi. I do not think it will be necessary to detain the reader with his replies to the objections of the Persian writer, as the work itself may be consulted by those who wish to follow out the question. Should it be necessary to prosecute this subject in future, it would be well to translate into the Persian some of our standard books on the apparent contradictions of the Scriptures, with Paley's evidences of Christianity, or the recent work of Mr. Sumner, which is perhaps the best adapted to Oriental readers. Grotius de Veritate Religionis Christianæ was translated into the

Arabic by the very learned Dr. Pococke; which might be circulated with advantage in the mean time. That work, however, is rather too short, and could only be considered as a substitute for a more extensive one.

NOTICE OF OTHER WORKS ON THE GENERAL

CONTROVERSY.

It would be difficult to say how many books have been written by the Mohammedans on this subject. In Marracci's refutations of the Koran we find mention of one Ahmedus filius Abdholhalimus, (p. 26.) who urges several of the arguments detailed in these tracts. In Hottinger's Thesaurus Philologicus (p. 126. Ed. 1659.) we find

h

one Ahmed Ibn Edris, asserting that the Scriptures have been corrupted. In the life of Abdollatif edited by Mouseley,* page 59, we find that a tract against the Jews and Christians had been written by that celebrated author. We find another cited by Abraham Ecchellensis in Labbe's edition of the Councils. (Tom. II. p. 393.)

In the collection of Mr. Burkhardt, now preserved in the Public Library of Cambridge, there is another against both the Jews and Christians, by

Ali, surnamed Elmunir, of the علي المنير الشافعي

Sect of Sháfia.

The principal, and indeed almost only, arguments urged on this question by the Mohammedans are also to be found in Pococke's specimen of Arabian History, pp. 14, 188, &c. which have also been given in the following tracts in reply to Mr. Martyn. Other books may probably be found in the different libraries of Europe: but, as there is no probability of their affording any thing new on the subject, we may be excused in not making the enquiry.

NOTICE OF THE CONTROVERSY

MR. MARTYN, &c.

WITH

We shall now give some account of the con

* Oxon 1808.