of Gréece is right in the mid way and beside this cittie of Acon toward the sea some viij hundred furlongs on the right hand toward the South is the hill Carme where Elias the prophet dwelled there was the order of Carmes first founded This hill is not right great ne high and at the foot of this hill was somtime a good cittie of christian men that was called Caiphas for Cayphas founded it but it is now all wasted at the left side of the hill is a towne that men call Saffre that is set vpon another hill there was Saint Iames and Saint Iohn borne in worship of them is there a fayre church made And from Tholomoda that men now call Acon to a great hill that men call Ekale de Tyrees is an hundred fourlongs and beside that cittie of Acon runneth a little riuer that men call Belion and there néere is the fosse of Minon all round that is an hundred cubites or shaftments broad and it is all full of grauell cléere shining whereof men make white glasse cléere and men come from far countries by ship and by land with carts to take of the grauell and if there be neuer so much taken therof on a day on the morrow it is full againe as euer it was and that is great meruaile and there is alway winde in the fosse that striketh away the grauell maketh it trouble And if a man put therein any mettall as soone as it is therein it waxeth glasse the glasse that is made of this grauell if it bée done into the grauell turneth againe into the grauell as it was before and some say that it is a gulfe of the sea grauell How Sampson slew the King and his enimies Chap. x. ALso from Acon before said men goe thrée dayes iourney to the Cittie of Philisten that now is called Gaza that is a rich cittie right faire and full of folke and it is a little vpon the Sea and from that Cittie brought the strong Samson the gates of the Cittie to an high hill and was taken in the said Cittie and there he slew the king in his seat and many thousands more with him for hée made an house to fall on them And from thence shall men goe to the cittie of Cesarien and so to the castell of Pillerins and then to Askalon and so forth to Iaphat and so vnto the holy cittie Hierusalem The way to Babilon whereas the Souldan dwelleth Chap. xj AND who so will go through the land of Babilon where the Souldan dwelleth to haue leaue to goe more securely through the churches and countries and to goe to mount Sinay before he come to Hierusalem and then turne againe by Hierusalem he shal go from Gaza to the castell Dayr And after a man commeth out of Surry and goeth by the wildernesse where the way is full sandy and the wildernesse lasteth eight dayes iourney where men findeth all that them néedeth of vittailes and men call that wildernesse Archelleke and when a man commeth out of this desert he entreth into Aegypt and they call Aegypt Canopat and in an other language men call it Mersine and the first good towne that men finde is called Beleth and it is at the end of the kingdome of Alape and from thence men come to Babilon and to Kayre and in Babilon is a fayre Church of our Lady where shée dwelled seauen yéere when shée was out of the land of the Iewes for dread of king Herod And there lyeth the body of Saint Barbara virgin and there dwelled Ioseph when hée was sold of his brethren and there caused Nabuchodonosor to put the children in fire for they were of right truth the which children men call Anania Azaria and Misaell as the Psalme of Benedicite saith but Nabuchodonosor called them thus Sidrac Misac and Abednago that is to say God glorious and victorious God ouer all kingdomes and that was for miracle that hée made Gods son as he said goe with those children through the fire There dwelleth the Souldan for there is a fayre cittie and a strong Castle and it standeth vpon a rock In that Castle is alway dwelling to kéepe the castle and to serue the Souldan aboue eight thousand persons that take all their necessaries of the Souldans Court. I well know it for I dwelled with him Souldier in his wars a great while against the Bedions and he would haue wedded me to a great princes daughter right richly if I would haue forsaken my faith Yet here followeth of the Souldan and of his kingdomes that he hath conquered which he holdeth strongly with force Chap. xij ANd yée shal vnderstand that the Souldan is Lord of seauen kingdomes the which hée hath conquered and gotten to him by strength and these be they the kingdome of Canopate the kingdome of Aegipt the kingdome of Hierusalem wherof Dauid and Salomon were kings the kingdome of Surry of the which the citty of Damas was the chiefe the kingdome of Alape in the land of Dameth and the kingdome of Arabia which was one of the thrée kings shat made offering to our Lord when hée was borne and many other lands hée holdeth in his hand and also hée holdeth Calaphas that is a great thing to the souldan that is to say among them of Royes Ile and this vale is cold And then men goe vpon the mount of Saint Katherin and that is much higher then the mount Moyses And this saint Katherin was grauen in no Church ne castle ne other dwelling place but there is an hill of stones gathered together about the place where shée was buried there was wont to be a chappell but it is all cast downe and yet lyeth there a great part of the stones But vnder the foot of mout Sina is a monastery of Monks and there is the Church of saint Katherin wherein be many lamps burning and they haue oyle oliue enough to eate and to burne and that they haue by miracle of God there come certaine of all manner of birds euery yéere once like pilgrims and each of them bringeth a braunch of oliue in token of offering whereof they make much oyle For to returne from Sina to Hierusalem Chap. xiij NOw sithen a man hath visited this holy place of saint Katherin and he will turne to Hierusalem if he shall first take leaue at the Monkes and recommend him specially to their prayers then those said monks giue with a good will to Pilgrims vittails to passe with through the wildernesse to Surry and that lasteth well xiij dayes iourney And in that wildernesse dwell many Arabins that men call Bedions and Ascoperds these are folke that are full of all manner of ill conditions and they haue no houses but tents the which they make of beasts skins as of Cammels and other beasts the which they eate and there vnder they lye and they séeke to dwell in places where they may find water néere the red sea for in that wildernes is great
THE Voyages and Trauailes of Sir John Maundeuile KNIGHT Wherein is treated of the way towards Hierusalem and of the meruailes of Inde with other Lands and Countries LONDON Printed by Thomas Este The Preface Heere beginneth a little treatise or booke named Iohn Maundeuile Knight borne in England in the Towne of S. Albone and speaketh of the wayes to Hierusalem to Inde and to the great Caane and also to Prestor Iohns land and to many other countries and also of many meruailes that are in the holy land FOrasmuch as the land ouer the Sea that is to say the holie land that some call the land of Bihest among all other lands is most worthie and soueraigne for it is blessed hallowed and sacred of the precious bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ in the which land it liked him to take flesh and bloud of the Virgin Marie and to enuiron that land with his owne feete and there he would do many miracles preach and teach the faith and the law of christian men as vnto his children and there he would suffer manie reproues and scornes for vs and hee that was king of heauen and hell of earth of aire of sea and land and of all things that are contained in them would alonely be called king of that land when hee said Rex sum Iudaeorum I am King of the Iewes For at that time it was the land of Iewes and that land he chose before all other lands as the best and most worthie of vertues of all the world And as the Philosopher saith Virtus rerum in medio consistit that is to say the vertue of things is in the midst and in that land hee would lead his life and suffer passion and death of the Iewes for vs to saue and deliuer vs from the paines of hell and from death without end the which was ordained to vs for the sinne of our father Adam and our owne sins also for as for himselfe he had none euill done nor deserued for he neuer thought ne did any euill for he that was king of glory and of ioy might best in that place suffer death For hee that will doe any thing that he will haue knowne openly he will proclaime it openly in the middle place of a towne or of a Citie so that it may be knowne to all parties of the citie So he that was king of glorie and of all the world would suffer death for vs at Hierusalem which is the midst of the world so that it might be knowne to all nations of the world how deare he bought man that hee made him with his hands to his owne likenesse for the great loue that he had to vs Ah deare God what loue hee had to his subiects when hee that had done no trespasse would for his trespassours suffer death for a more worthie cattel he might not haue set for vs then his owne blessed body and his owne precious bloud the which he suffered for vs right well ought men to loue worship dread and serue such a Lord praise such an holy land that brought forth a Lord of such fruite through the which each man is saued but if it be his owne default This is that land prepared for an heritage to vs and in that land would he die as seased to leaue it to his children For the which each good christian man that may and hath wherewith should strength him for to conquere our right heritage purchase out of the euill peoples hands for we are cleped christian men of Christ our father and if we be the right children of Christ we ought to challenge the heritage that our father left vs take it out of strange mens hands But now Pride Couetise and Enuie hath so inflamed the hearts of the Lords of the world that they are more busie to disherite their neighbours then to challenge or conquere their right heritage aforesaid And the common people that would put their bodies and their cattell for to conquere our heritage they may not do it without lords for assembling of the people without a chiefe Lord is as a flock of sheepe without a shepheard the which depart asunder and wot not whither they shall go But would God the worldly Lords were at a good accord with other of their common people would take this holy voyage ouer the sea I trust well that within a little time our right heritage before said should be reconciled and put into the hands of the right heirs of Iesu Christ And forasmuch as it is long time that there was any generall passage ouer the sea that many men desire to heare speaking of the holy land and haue thereof great solace and comfort Wherefore yee shall heare by me Iohn Maundeuile Knight which was borne in England in the towne of Saint Albones and passed the sea in the yeare of our Lord Iesu Christ a thousand iii. C. on the day of Saint Michael and there remained long time and went through many lands many prouinces kingdomes Iles and haue passed through Turky and through Armony the little the great through Tartary Persia Surry Araby Egypt the high and the low through Libia Chalde and a great part of Ethiope through Amazony through Inde the lesse the more a great part and through many other Iles which are about Inde where many people dwelleth of diuers lawes and shapes Of the men of which lands Iles I shall speake more plainly and I shall declare part of the things what they are when time shall be after it may best come to my minde and specially for them that will and are in purpose for to visite the holy citie of Hierusalem and the holy places that are thereabout and I shall tell the way that they shall hold thether for I haue many times passed and ridden it with good company and with many Lords The Voyages and Trauailes of Sir Iohn Maundeuile Knight Hee that will goe toward Hierusalem on horse on foote or by sea Chap. j. IN the name of God Almightie Hée that will trauaile to Hierusalem may goe many waies both by sea and by land after the country that he commeth from but thincke not I will tell all the Townes Cities and castels that men shall go by for then should I make too long a tale but onely the most principall countries cities and townes that men shall go by and through to go the right way First if a man come from the West side of the world as England Ireland Wales Scotland and Norway he may if hée will goe through Almaine and throughout the kingdome of Hungary which King is a great lord and a mightie and holdeth many lands and great for he holdeth the land of Hungary Sauoy Camony a great part of Bulgary that men call the land of Bugres and a great part of the kingdome of Russie and that lasteth to the land of Milland and marcheth on Ciprus and men passe thus through the land of
send to him presents so much that hée shall haue more then C. Cammels loden with gold and siluer béeside other iewels that he shal haue or Lords as precious stones and gold without number and horse and rich clothes of Camacas and Tarius and such other What Countries and Kingdomes lye next to the land of Cathay and the fronts thereof Chap. lxxix THis land of Cathay is in Asia the déepe and this same Land reacheth toward the West vpon the Kingdome of Sercy the which pertained sometime to one of the thrée kings that went to séeke our Lord in Bethlem all those that come of his kin are christian men These men of Tartary drincke no wine In the land of Corosaym that is at the North side of Cathay is right great plentie of goods but no wine the which hath at the East side a great wildernesse that lasteth more then an hundred dayes iourney and the best cittie of that land is called Corosaym and alter the name of that cittie is the land called and men of this land are good warriours and hardy and thereby is the kingdome of Comayne this is the most and the greatest kingdome of the World but it is not all inhabited for in one place of the Land is so great cold that no man may dwell there for cold and in another place is so great heat that no man may dwell there and there are so many faithes that a man cannot tell on what side hée may turne him and in this land are few trées bearing fruit In this land men lye in tentes and they burne doung of Beastes for lacke of wood This Land descendeth toward Pruse Russy and through this land runneth the Riuer Echel that is one of the greatest riuers of the world and it is frozen so hard euery yéere that men fight thereupon in great battailes on horse and footmen more then C.M. at once And a little from the Riuer is the great of Occian that they call Maure and betwéene this Maure and Aspy is a full strayght passage to go toward Inde and therefore king Alexander did make there a cittie that men call Alexander for to kéepe that passage so that no man may passe vnlesse hée haue leaue and now is that cittie called Port de Fear and the principall citty of Comaine is called Sarachis that is one of the thrée wayes to goe to Inde but through this way may not many men go but if it be in winter and this passage is called Berbent And another way is to goe from the land of Turkescon through Persia in this way are many dayes iourneys in wildernesse And the third way is that commeth from Cosmane and goeth through the great cittie through the kingdome of Abachare And yée shall vnderstand that all these kingdomes and Lords vnto Persia are holden of the great Caane and many other and therefore hée is a great Lord of men and of land Of other wayes comming from Cathay toward the Greeke Sea and also of the Emperour of Persia Chap. lxxx NOW that I haue shewed you the lands towards the North to come from the lands of Cathay to the lands of Pruse Russy where Christian men dwell Now shall I shew vnto you of other lands and kingdomes in comming downe from Cathay to the Gréekes Sea where Christian men dwell and forasmuch as next the great Caane of Cathay the Emperour of Persia is the greatest Lord therefore I shall speake of him and ye shall vnderstand that hée hath two kingdomes the one beginneth Eastward and it is the kingdome of Turkescon and it lasteth Westward to the sea of Caspy and Southward to the land of Inde This land is great and plaine and well manned with good citties but two most principall the which are called Bacirida and Sormagaunt The other is the kingdome of Persia and lasteth from the Riuer of Phison vnto great Armony and Northward vnto the sea of Caspy and Southward to the land of Inde and this is a full plenteous country and a good In this land are thrée principall citties Nassabor Saphen and Sermesse Of the land of Armony which is a good land and of the land of Myddy Chap. lxxxj THen is the land of Armony in the which was sometime thrée kingdomes that is a good land and plenteous and it beginneth at Persia and lasteth westward to Turky of lenght and in breadth lasteth from the Cittie of Alexander that now is called Port de Fear vnto the land of Middy In this Armony are many faire citties but Canrissy is most of name Then is the land of Middy and it is full long and not broad and béeginneth Eastward at the land of Persia and Inde the lesse and lasteth Westward to the kingdome of Chalde and Northward to little Armony in this Myddy are many great Hills and little Plaines and there dwell Sarasins and other manner of men that men call Cordines and Kermen Of the kingdome of George and Abcan and many meruailes Chap. lxxxij THen next is the kingdome of George that beginneth Eastward at a great hill that men call Abior this land lasteth from Turky to the great Sea and to the land of Middy and great Armony and in this Land are two Kingdomes one to Abcan and an other of George but hée of George is in subiection of the great Caane but hée of Abcan hath a strong Countrie and defendeth him well against his enimies and of this land in Abcan is a great maruaile for there is a country in this land that is néere thrée dayes iourney in length and is called Hamfon and that country is all couered with darknesse so that it hath no light that no man may sée there and no man dare goe into that countrie for darknesse And neuerthelesse men of that country thereby say that they may sometime heare therein the voyce of men horse crying and cocks crow and they know well that men dwell there but they know not what manner of men they say this darknesse came through the miracle of God that hée did for Christian men there For there was a wicked Emperour that was of Poy and was called Saures and hée pursued sometime all christian men to destroy them and did make them do sacrifice to their false gods in that country dwelled many christian men the which left all their goods and cattell riches and would goe to Gréece and when they were all in a great plaine that is called Mecon the Emperour and his men came to slay the christian men and then the christian men knéeled downe and prayed to God and anon came a thicke cloud and couered the Emperour and all his hoasts so that he might not goe away and so dwelled they in darknesse and they neuer came out after and the christian men went forward as they would and therefore they say thus A domino factum est istud est mirabile in oculis nostris That is to say of our Lord is this
thus sayd shée entred the fire and anone the fire went out and those branches that were burning became red Roses and those branches that were not kindled became white Rosiers full of white Roses and those were the first Roses and Rosiers that any man euer saw and so was the mayden saued through the grace of God and therefore is that field called the field of God flourished for it was full of Roses Also beside the Quire of that Church aforesaid at the right side as men come downeward xij steps is the place where our Lord was borne that is now full well dight of marble and full richly painted with gold siluer and asure and other colours And a litle thence by thrée paces is the crib of the Oxe and the Asse and béeside that is the place where the Star fell that lead the thrée kings Iasper Melchisor and Balthasor but men of Gréece call the kings thus Galgalath Saraphy Galgalath these thrée kings offered to our Lord Incence Gold and Mirre and they came together through the miracle of God for they mette together in a cittie that men call Chasake that is iiii daies iourney from Bethlehem and there they were at Bethlehem the fourth day after they had séene the Starre And vnder the Cloyster of this Church xviii degrées at the right side is a great pit where the bones of the Innocents lye and by that place is the tombe of Saint Hierom that was a Priest and a Cardinal that translated the Bible and the Psalter out of Ebrew into Latine and beside that Church is a Church of Saint Nicholas where our Lady rested her when shée was deliuered of childe and forasmuch as shée had so much milke in her paps that it grieued her shée milked it out vpon the red stones or Marble so that yet may the traces bée séene white vpon the stones And yée shall vnderstand that all that dwell in Bethlehem are Christians and there are fayre vines all about the Cittie and great plentie of wine but their booke that Mahomet betooke them the which they call Alcaron and some call it Massap and some call it Harme forbiddeth them to drinke any wine for in that booke Mahomet curseth all those that drincke of that wine and all that sell it and some men say that hée once slew a good hermit in his dronkennesse whom hée loued much and therefore hée cursed the wine and them that dronke wine but his malice is turned to himselfe as holy writ saith Et in verticem ipsius iniquitas eius discendit That is to say in English His wickednesse shall descend on his owne head And also the Sarasins bréed no Géese ne they eate no swines flesh for they say it is brother to man and that it was forbidden in the old law Also in the land of Palistine and in the land of Aegypt they eat litle Veale and Béefe except it be so olde that it may no more trauaile ne worke not that it is forbidden but they kéepe them for tilling of their land In this Cittie of Bethlehem was king Dauid borne and hée had fortie wiues and thrée hundred Concubines At Bethlehem toward the South side is a Church of saint Markerot that was Abbot there for whom they made much sorrow when hée dyed and it is painted there how they made dole when he dyed and it is a pittious thing to behold From Bethlehem to Hierusalem is two myle and in the way to Hierusalem halfe a mile from Bethlehem is a Church where the Angell told the Shepheards of the birth of Christ in that way is the tombe of Rachel that was mother to Ioseph the Patriarke and shée dyed as soone as shée had borne Beniamin and there shée was buried and Iacob her Husband set xij great stones vpon her betokening that she had borne xii children In this way to Hierusalem are many Christian Churches by the way which men goe to Hierusalem Of the Cittie Hierusalem Chap. xix FOr to speake of Hierusalem ye shall vnderstand that it standeth faire among hils and there is neither riuer nor well but water commeth by conduite from Ebron and yée shall vnderstand that men called it first Iebus and sithen it was called Salem vnto the time of king Dauid and hée set those two names together and called it Hierusalem and so it is called yet and about Hierusalem is the kingdome of Surry and thereby is the land of Palestine and Askalon but Hierusalem is in the land of Iuda and it is called Iuda for Iudas Machabeus was king of that land and also it marcheth afterward on the kingdome of Araby on the South side on the land of Aegypt on the west side on the great sea on the North side on the kingdome of Surry and the sea of Cipres About Hierusalem are these citties Ebron at eight myle Ierico at sixe mile Barsebe at eight myle Askalon at eightéene mile Iaffe at twentie and fiue myle Ramatha at foure myle This Land of Hierusalem hary beene in the hands of diuers Nations as Iewes Cananites Assyrians Persians Masedonians Gréekes Romaynes and Christian men also Sarasins Barbarians Turkes and many other Nations For Christ will not that it bée long in the hands of traitours nor sinners bée they Christians or other And now hath the misbeléeuing men holden that Land in their hands thréescore yéeres and more but they shall not hold it long and if God will Yet of this holy Cittie Hierusalem Chap. xx AND yée shall vnderstand that when men first come to Hierusalē they go first a pilgrimage to the church where that the holy graue is the which is out of the cittie on the north side but it is now closed in with the wall of the towne and there is a full faire Church rounde all open aboue and well couered with lead and on the west side is a faire Towre and a strong for belles and in the middest of the church is a tabernacle made like a little house in manner of halfe a Compasse right well and richly of gold and asure and other colors wel dight and on the right side is the sepulchre of our Lord and the tabernacle is viij foote long and fiue foote wide xj foote of height and it is not long since the Sepulcher was all open and men might then touch it but béecause men that came thether spoyled and also brake the stones in péeces to pouder therefore the Souldan hath made a wall about the Sepulcher that no man may touch it On the left side is a window and therein is many lamps light and there is a lamp that hangeth before the sepulcher light burning and on the Friday it goeth out by it felfe and lighteneth againe by it selfe at the houre as our Lord rose from death to life And within that church vpon that right side on the mount Caluary where our Lord was crucified and the crosse was set in a morteys in the rock that is white of coulour and mingled with a
the Cittie is nothing but the vale of Iosaphat and that is not very large and vpon that hill stoode our Lord when hée went into heauen and yet séemeth there the step of his lefte foote in the stone and there is an abbey of black Chanons that was great sometime but now is there but a Church And a little thence xviij paces is a Chappell and there is the stone on the which our Lord God sate when hée preached and said thus Beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum est regnum coelorum that is to say in English Blessed bée they that are poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen and there hée taught his Disciples their Pater noster There also is a Church of that blessed woman Mary Egyptian and there is shée buryed And vpon the other side toward the East thrée bow shootes from thence standeth Bethphage where our Lord Iesus Christ sent Saint Peter and Saint Iames for to fetch an Asse on Palme Sunday Of the Castle of Bethania Chap. xxviij THere toward the East is a castle that men call Bethania and there dwelled Simon the Leper that harboured our Lord and them that were baptised of his disciples and hée was called Iulian and was made Bishop and that is hée that men call on for good Harboure In that same place our Lord forgaue Mary Magdalene her sins and there shée washed his féete with teares and wiped them with her heire and there was Lazarus raised when hée was foure dayes dead Of Iericho and other things Chap. xxix IN the retourning to mount Olyuet is the place where our Lord wept vpon Hierusalem and therby our Lady appeared to Saint Thomas after her assumption and gaue him her girdle and thereby is the stone on the which our Lord sate often and preached and thereon hée shall sit at the day of iudgement as himselfe sayd And there is mount Galile where the Apostles were gathered when Mary Magdalene told them of Christs rising Betwéene mount Oliuet and mount Galile is a Church where the Angell told our Lady when shée should dye And from Bethany to Iericho is fiue myle Iericho was sometime a little cittie but it was wasted and now it is but a little towne that towne tooke Iosua through the miracle of God and bidding of the Angell and destroyed it and cursed all those that builded it againe Of that cittie was Rahab that common woman that receiued messengers of Israell and kept them from many perils of death and therfore shée had a good reward as holy writ saith Quando accipis Prophetam in nomine meo mercedem Prophetae c. That is to say hée that taketh a Prophet in my name hée shall receiue the reward of a Prophet Of the holy place betweene Bethany and the riuer Iordane and other things Chap. xxx ALso from Bethany men goe to the riuer of Iordane through the wildernesse and it is néere a daies iourney betwéene Toward the East is a great hill where our Lord fasted xl daies and vpon this hill was Christ tempted of the Diuel when he said to him Dic vt lapides isti panes fiunt That is to say Commaund that these stones be made bread and there is an hermitage where dwelled a manner of Christians called Georgiens for saint George conuerted them and vpon that hill dwelled Abraham a great while and as men goe to Iericho sate many sicke men crying Iesu fili Dauid miserere nobis that is to say Iesu the Sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon vs. And two mile from Iericho is the riuer Iordane yée shal vnderstand that the dead sea parteth the land of Inde Araby the water of that sea is right bitter and it casteth out a thing that men call Aspatum as great péeces as an horse and Hierusalem is two hundred fourlongs from the sea and it is called the dead sea because it runneth not neither may any man or beast liue therein and that hath beene proued many times for they haue cast therein men that were iudged to death nor no man may drinck of that water and if men cast yron therein it commeth vp againe but if a man cast a feather therein it sinketh which is against kinde And thereabout grow Trées that beare fruite of faire coulour and séeme ripe but when a man breaketh or cutteth them hée findeth naught in them but coales or ashes in token that through the vengeance of God these Citties were burnt with the fire of hell And some men call that lake the lake of the Alphited and some call it the poole of the diuell and some call it the stinking poole for the water thereof stinketh There sancke these fiue citties through the wrath of God that is to say Sodome Gomor Aldema Solome and Segor for the sin of Sodome that reigned in them but Segor through the prayer of Lot was saued a great while for it stood vpon an hill and yet appeareth much thereof aboue the water and men may sée the wals in cléere weather and in this cittie of Segor Lot dwelled a great while and there he was made dronk by his daughters and lay by them and they thought that God would haue destroyed all the world as hée did with Noes floud and therefore they lay by their father that men might be borne of them into the world but if he had not béene dronken he had not lyen by them And at the right side of this sea standeth Lots wife in a piller of salt because shée looked back when the cittie sanck downe Of Abraham and his generation Chap. xxxj AND yée shall vnderstand that Lot was Aarons sonne Abrahams brother and Sara Abrahams wife was Lots sister and Sara was xc yéere olde when she bare Isaac and Abraham had an other sonne named Ismaell that hée had gotten of his mayden Agar and hée was xiiij yéeres of age when Isaac was borne and when Isaac was viij dayes old hée was circumcised and his other sonne Ismael was Circumcised the same day and was xiiij yéeres of age therefore the Sarasins that be of the generation of Ismael doe circumcise them at xiiij yéeres of age and the Iewes that bée of the generation of Isaac doe circumcise them the eight daye of their age And into that dead Sea aforesaid runneth the riuer Iordane and maketh there an end and this is within a mile of Saint Iohns Church and a little beneath that same Church Westward were the Christians wont to bath them and a mile thence is the riuer Loth through which Iacob went when hée came from Mesopotamia Of the riuer Iordane Chap. xxxij THis riuer Iordane is no great nor no déepe riuer but there is much good fish therein and there commeth from Mount Lybany two Wels that men call Ior and Dane and of them it taketh the name and vpon the one side of that riuer is mount Gelboe and there is a fayre plaine And on that other side men goe by Mount Libany
shée haue children shée may liue with them if shée will and if the wife die before shée shall bée burnt and her husband also if he will In this country groweth good wine and women drinck wine and men none and women shaue their heads and not men Of the kingdome of Mabaron Chap. liiij FRom this land men goe many dayes iourney to a country called Mabaron and this is a great kingdome therein is many faire Citties and Townes In this land lyeth Saint Thomas in a faire tombe in the cittie of Calamy and the arme and the hand that hée put in our Lords side after his Resurrection when Christ said vnto him Noli esse incredulus sed fidelis that is to say bée not of vaine hope but beléeue that same hand lyeth yet without the tombe bare and with this hand they giue their domes in that country to wit who saith right and who doth not for if any strife bée betwéene two parties they write their names and put them into the hand and then incontinently the hand casteth away the bill of him that doth wrong and holdeth the other still that doth right and therefore men come from farre countries to haue iudgement of causes that are in doubt In this Church of Saint Thomas is a great Image that is a simulacre and it is richly beset with precious stones and pearles to that Image men come in pilgrimage from farre countries with great deuotion and there come some pilgrimes that beare sharpe kniues in their hands and as they goe by the way they sheare their shanks and thighes that the blood may come out for the loue of that Idoll and they say that hée is holy that will dye for that Idols sake And there is some that from the time that they goe out of their houses at each third pace they knéele till that they come to this Idoll and when they come there they haue insence or such other thing to offer to the Idoll And there before that Minster or Church of this Idoll is a riuer full of water and in that riuer pilgrims cast Gold Siluer pearles and other precious stones without number instead of offerings and therefore when as the minster hath any néed of mending then the master of the Minster goes vnto that riuer and takes out therof as much as is néedfull for the mending of the Minster And yée shall vnderstand that when any great feasts of that Idol come as the dedication of the Church or of the throning of the Idol all the country thereabout assemble there together and then men set this Idol with great reuerence and worship in a chaire well dressed with cloth of gold and other tapistrie and so they carry him with great reuerence and worship round about the Cittie and before the chaire goeth first in Procession all the maydens of the country two and two together and so after them goe the pilgrims that are come from farre countries of the which pilgrimes some fall downe before the Chaire and letteth all go ouer them and so are they slaine and some haue their armes legs broken and they doe it for loue of the Idoll and they beléeue the more paine that they suffer here for their Idoll the more ioy shall they haue in the other world but a man shall finde few Christians that will suffer so much penance for our Lords sake as they do for their Idol And nigh before the chaire goe all the minstrels of the Country which are without number with many diuers melodies And when they are come againe to the Church they set vp the Idoll againe in his Throne and for worship of the Idoll two or thrée are willingly slaine with sharp kniues and the men in that country think they haue great worship if that holy man which is slaine bée of their kindred likewise they say that all those that are there slaine are holy men and Saints and they are written in their lettany and when they are thus dead their friends burne their bodies and they take the ashes and those are kept as reliques and they say it is an holy thing and that they haue doubt of no perill when they haue of those ashes Of a great country called Lamory where the people go all naked and other things Chap. lv FRom this country two and fifty dayes iourney is a country that is called Lamory and in that land is great heat and it is the custome there that men and women goe all naked and they scorne all them that are clad for they say that God made Adam and Eue all naked and that men should haue no shame of that God made and they beléeue in the same God that made Adam and Eue and all the world and there is no woman marryed but women are all common there and they refuse no man And they say that God commaunded to Adam and Eue and all that come of him saying Crescite et multiplicamini et repleti terram Encrease and multiply and fill the earth no man there may say this is my wife nor no woman may say this is my husband and when they haue children they giue them to whom they will of them that haue medled with them Also the Land is all common for euery man taketh what hée will for that one man hath now this yéere an other man hath the next yéere And all the goods as Corne Beasts and all manner of things in that country is all common For there is nothing vnder lock and as rich is one man as another but they haue an euill custome in eating of flesh for they eate more gladly mans flesh then other Neuerthelesse in that land is abundance of corne of flesh of fish of gold of siluer and of all manner of goods And thether doe Marchaunts bring children for to sell and those that are fat they eat but those that be leane thay kéepe till they bée fat and then are they eaten And beside this I le of Lamory is another called Somober the which is a good I le and there both men and women that are of the nobilitie are marked in the visage with an hot yron that they may be knowne from other for they thinke themselues the worthyest of the world and they haue euermore warre with those men that are naked of whom I spake before And there are many other Iles and people of the which it were ouermuch for to speak here Of the country and I le named Iana which is a mightie Land Chap. lvi ANd there is also a great Ile that is called Iana and the king of the country hath vnder him seauen kings for hée is a full mightie Prince In this I le groweth all manner of spices more plenteously then in any other places as Ginger Cloues Nutmegs and other and yée shall vnderstand that the Nutmeg beareth the Mace also in that I le is great plentie of all things saue wine The king of this Land hath a rich Pallace and the