Mohammed has also been accused of contradicting himself, in saying, sometimes, that he could read, and at others, that he could not; and the following passage of the Koran (ch. xlvii.) is thence produced as evidence that he could read: God is introduced as saying to Mohammed—“God knows what you do, and what you read.”[166] But the whole is a mistake, both of the version and of the annotator, for in the original Arabic, God does not speak to Mohammed, but the latter speaks to other men, and says, “God knows what ye do, and what ye meditate,” (not read). With regard to marriage, the Koran (chap. iv.) allows four wives: “Receive in marriage such women as you like, two, three, or four wives, at the most. If you think you cannot maintain them equally, marry only one.” (This subject has been elucidated in a preceding chapter, it is therefore unnecessary to say any thing further upon it here). It has been said by Euthymius Zygabenus, and an anonymous author, who wrote Mohammed’s life, in Sylburgh’s _Saracen._ p. 60, that Mohammed, in his Koran, placed Moses amongst the damned; but whoever has the least knowledge of Arabic, must know, by consulting the Koran, that Moses is every where mentioned with great respect, and the Mohammedans call him Seedna, i.e. _our Lord_ or _Master_. From the foregoing observations, it will be perceived that the principles of the Mohammedan religion are neither so pernicious nor so absurd as many have imagined. They have sometimes been vilified from error, or for the purpose of exalting the Christian doctrine; but that doctrine is too pure and celestial to need any such aids. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 161: Forty muzuna make one mitkal.] [Footnote 162: In the evening of the feast of L’ashora, they have a masquerade, during which the masquers proceed through the different streets, and go to the houses, to collect charity: their masks are made in a rude way, but the characters are well represented throughout. Amongst them we generally find an English sailor, a French soldier, a cooper, a lawyer, an apothecary, and a sheik or alkaid, who determines all disputes, and whose decree is absolute.] [Footnote 163: This is similar to the Catholic lady, who, worshipping the picture of Satan alternately with that of the Virgin, declared that her object was to secure a friend on both sides.] [Footnote 164: He translated the Bible into Arabic in 1671.] [Footnote 165: All date-stones have a circular mark on them, like the letter O.] [Footnote 166: Robert de Retz’s translation.] CHAPTER X. _Languages of Africa — Various Dialects of the Arabic Language — Difference between the Berebber and Shelluh Languages — Specimen of the Mandinga — Comparison of the Shelluh Language with that of the Canary Islands, and Similitude of Customs._