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" others with severity, in eating, drinking, and in
" all their other possessions, and drives them about
cc like brutes, in every direction which he pleases;
4' who declares every follower's wife he desires, legal
" for himself and forbidden to the husband; who
4t takes to himself nine wives,' whilst he allows no
ct more than four to his followers; and even of these
u wives he takes whichever he pleases for himself; '2
" and who grants impunity for shedding blood to
' * whomsoever he chooses. On account of what ex*
" 4 cellency, on account of what science, is it necessary
" to follow that man's command; and what proof is
'' there to establish the legitimacy of his pretensions?
^ If he be a prophet by his simple word, his word,
" because it is only a word, has no claim of superi-
" ority over the words of others. Nor is it pos-
" sible to know which of the sayings be correctly
" his own, on account of the multiplicity of contra-
" dictions in the professions of faith. If he be a

1 Hcrbelot says that, according to the Muhammedans, their prophet,
had twenty-one wives, six of whom he repudiated, and five died before*
him; therefore ten remained.

2 Chapter XXXIII. v. 47. has the following passage: " 0 prophet, we
" have allowed thee thy wives unto whom thou hast given their dowert
" and also the slaves which thy right hand possesseth, of the booty which
" God hath granted thee, and the daughters of thy aunts, both on thy
" father's side, who have fled with thee from Mecca, arid any other be-
" lieving woman, if she give herself unto the prophet, in case the pro-
" phet desireth to take her to wife. This is a peculiar privilege granted
44 unto thee above the rest of the true believers."