- Purch.
I Have Somewhere Read, Many Years Ago, But Cannot Recollect The
Authority, "That, When Alexander Besieged A Certain City
In India, the
Brachmans, by the power of magic, raised a cloud of smoke around the
walls, whence broke frequent
Flashes of lightning, with thunder, and the
thunderbolts slew many of his soldiers." This would infer the very
ancient use of fire-arms of some kind in India. - E.]
The Mahometans have fair places of worship, which they call mesquits,
well built of stone. That side which looks to the westwards is a
close-built wall, while that towards the east is erected on pillars, the
length being from north to south. At the corners of their great mosques,
in the cities, there are high turrets or pinnacles, called minarets,
to the tops of which their molahs or priests resort at certain times of
day, proclaiming their prophet in Arabic, in these words, - Alla illa
Alla, Mahomet resul Alla; that is, There is no God but God, and Mahomet
is the ambassador of God. This is used instead of bells, which they
cannot endure in their temples, to put religious persons in mind of
their duty. On one occasion, while Mr Coryat was residing in Agra, he
got up into a turret over against the priest, and on hearing these
words, he contradicted him, calling out, in a loud voice, - La Alla illa
Alla, Hazaret Esa Ebn-Alla; there is no God but God, and Christ, the
Son of God, is his prophet.
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