— of the temple or chapell, and sepulchre of mahumet, and of his felowes.

his temple is vaulted, and is a hundred pases in length, fourscore in breadth; the entry into it is by two gates; from the sydes it is couered with three vaultes; it is borne vp with four hundred columnes or pillers of white brick; there are seene, hanging lampes, about the number of three thousande. from the other part of the temple in the first place of the meschita, is seene a tower of the circuite of fyue pases vaulted on euery syde, and couered with a cloth or silk, and is borne vp with a grate of copper, curiously wrought and distant from it two pases; and of them that goe thyther, is seene as it were through a lateese.12 towarde the lefte hande, is the way to the tower, and when you come thyther, you must enter by a narower gate. on euery syde of those gates or doores, are seene many bookes in manner of a librarie, on the one syde 20, and on the other syde 25. these contayne the filthie traditions and lyfe of mahumet and his fellowes: within the sayde gate is seene a sepulchre, (that is) a digged place, where they say mahumet is buried and his felowes, which are these, nabi, bubacar, othomar, aumar, and fatoma13; but mahumet was theyr chiefe captayne, and an arabian borne. hali was sonne in lawe to mahumet, for he tooke to wyfe his daughter fatoma. bubacar is he who they say was exalted to the dignitie of a chiefe counseller and great gouernour, although he came not to the high degree of an apostle, or prophet, as dyd mahumet. othomar and aumar were chief captaynes of the army of mahumet. euery of these haue their proper bookes of factes and traditions. and hereof proceedeth the great dissention and discorde of religion and maners among this kynde of filthie men, whyle some confirm one doctrine, and some another, by reason of theyr dyuers sectes of patrons, doctours, and saintes, as they call them. by this meanes are they marueylously diuided among themselues, and lyke beastes kyll themselues for such quarelles of dyuers opinions, and all false. this also is the chiefe cause of warre between the sophie of persia and the great turke, being neuerthelesse both mahumetans, and lyue in mortall hatred one agaynst the other for the mayntenaunce of theyr sectes, saintes and apostles, whyle euery of them thynketh theyr owne to bee best.