> as lemmas

1643 J. Owen Θεομαχία Ἀυτεξουσιαστικη viii. 85 If the mountaine will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will goe to the mountaine.

1691 J. Ray Creation (1692) i. 38 The stupid Matter..would be as sullen as the Mountain was that Mahomet commanded to come down to him.

1776 T. Francklin Contract i. i. 7 I have it. If the mountain won't come to Mahomet, why, then Mahomet must come to the Mountain—that is, if you cannot go to the Captain, why, then the Captain must come to you.

1827 Freedom's Jrnl. 28 Sept. 114/3 ‘If Mahommed cannot bring the mountain to him, he can go to it.’—If we cannot remove the evil, it would be wise to remove from it.

1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. xii. 219 The mountain will never be brought to Mahomet, so all you can do is to aid Mahomet to go to the mountain.

1852 Harper's Mag. Sept. 455/1 No such pleasant surprise awaits you in Tunis—the mountain will not thus come to Mohammed, and Mohammed must go to the mountain—at second hand.

1863 W. Steele Let. 15 Apr. in War of Rebellion (U.S. War Dept.) (1888) 1st Ser. XXII. ii. 820 A large number of troops were sent to the Red River district for food. ‘If the mountain would not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.’

1950 M. Gilbert Smallbone Deceased ii. 31 I can only see one thing for it. If the mountain won't come to Mahomet—you know. You'd better slip over to Belsize Park and stir him up.

1998 Church Times 13 Nov. 24/4 Taking Muhammad to the mountain rather than the other way round.

2000 Business Day (S. Afr.) 27 Jan. 13/2 The meeting at the Union Buildings had all the feel of a Mohammed and the mountain encounter.