The Galley Anchored near Jaffa. -- Sermon by Fra. F. Trivulzio. -- Letters Received from Jerusalem. -- Death of a Young Pilgrim. -- Another Sermon from Fra. Francesco. -- Amusements Provided by the Captain for the Pilgrims. -- Some Moors Visit the Galley. -- Guinella. -- Pilgrims Discontented. -- Arrival of the Prior of Mount Sion. -- Conference with the Deputy-Governor of Jerusalem. -- The Moors again Visit the Galley. -- Irritating Delays in Landing. -- Some Pilgrims go Ashore followed at Intervals by the Rest. -- 3rd Sermon by Fra. Francesco.-- The Governor of Nabule Extorts 100 ducats from the Captain. -- Arrival of the Governor of Gaza. -- The Pilgrims Ransom Ten Slaves. -- Death of a French Pilgrim. -- Casola Lands. -- His Description of Jaffa.

ON Thursday, the 17th of July, the anchors were cast, and the galley anchored near to Jaffa, because there is no port there. While we were waiting for the Scribe or for the permission to land, the Venerable Fra Francesco Trivulzio, in order that every man -- the galeotti as well as the pilgrims -- should carry some good spiritual provision to the Holy Land, gathered all the company (both pilgrims and galeotti) together before dinner, by means of the comito of the galley, with his whistle, in his usual place, that is, the poop of the galley. And when there was silence he preached a beautiful sermon exhorting the company to prepare their consciences well, if they wished to gain the indulgences and the merit of that pilgrimage.

He took for his text, certain words of the Gospel for the previous Sunday, according to the use of the Court of Rome; that is, "Omnis arbor qui non facit fructum bonum excidetur et in ignem mittetur."(1) And there, in the first place, he laid down what he wanted to say, namely, that belief is of the heart, confession of the mouth; and he concluded by saying that without the confession of the mouth faith has no merit. Then he proceeded to the sermon, comparing the tree to the Christian and repeating that he that bringeth not forth fruit is hewn down. And here, condemning sins in general and exhorting the company to amendment, he preached a very remarkable sermon, so that the indulgences might be obtained by every person.

On Friday, the 18th of July, while we were waiting thus in expectation of being able to escape from this exile -- which indeed appeared to us as hard as exile and very cruel -- written papers were brought from Jerusalem together with a letter written by the Reverend Father the Prior of the Monastery at Mount Sion (Note 75) to the Venerable Father the preacher. These writings were signed in Moorish by the hand of one Abrayno Grasso, who, by the will of the Usbech, as he is called -- that is, the chief Minister near the person of the Sultan, who is really, after the Sultan, the chief Lord of Jerusalem -- administers like a Commissioner the affairs of Jerusalem as to the revenues, and is more powerful than all the others, especially the Governor of Rama.

The said letters ran as follows, according to the translation made into Latin: -- The one, that the said Abrayno would set out and come to Jaffa according to custom, and that he would do all he possibly could for the Christians.

1. "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire."--Matthew, vii, 19.

The other writing was addressed to the Custodian of Jaffa, called Marano, who knew Italian well, and ordered him to permit four friars of the Franciscan Order to go on shore. This was written because Fra Francesco had written to the Prior, asking him to provide animals for riding, and obtain permission for him to go on instead of remaining in this state of uncertainty.

The said animals, however, did not appear at the time the aforesaid Fra Francesco hoped. At that hour the Governor of Rama, hoping to get something better in return, sent a present to the magnificent captain of the galley consisting of a young ox (at home we say a jucho), black and very thin, and certain very over-ripe apples, plums and grapes. It must be understood that the Governors, who will be mentioned in speaking of places subject to the Sultan, are like our Commissioners. The said Governorships are bought from the Sultan, and are given to the highest bidder, except that of Jerusalem.

On Saturday, the 19th of July, we remained still in this exile, and there was nothing new, except that a young pilgrim, a Datian,(1) passed from this life. It was said that he had fallen ill at Candia through eating unripe grapes. The truth is that hardly enough money was found on him to bury him. With the permission of the Custodian of Jaffa, who represents there the Governor of Jerusalem, he was carried on land and buried in a cave on the seashore.

On Sunday, the 20th of July, in order to provide some food to cheer the souls so vexed by that exile, Don Fra Francesco, by means of the comito of the galley, as usual, summoned every man to the poop, the accustomed place, to hear the sermon, which was announced by a whistle.

1. Casola wrote " Natione Datianus," but Rohricht in his summary of the voyage of Bemmelberg and Parsberg, who travelled on the same galley, says, "Before they left the ship however on arriving at Jaffa, one of the Pilgrims, Lorenz Heuglin from Denmark, died and was hurled on Shore." Deutsche Pilgerreisen, p.184.

When the company was gathered together he preached a beautiful sermon, taking for his subject: "Facite vobis amicos de mamm ona iniquitatis, ut cum defeceritis recipiat vos in tabernacula sua."(1) And he took this from the Gospel appointed for the said day at Mass, according to the use of the Court of Rome. There he expounded the Gospel fully, and drew from it most remarkable moral lessons, beginning at the beginning: "Erat quidam homo qui habebat villicum, et cetera."(2) There was not a word which was not very well applied to the galley and those on board; and (he explained) who was that certain man. Although on account of the language all did not fully understand him, nevertheless he was understood by the majority, and after the sermon he was magnified by all.

That evening a Mameluke arrived, who said he was sent by the Governor of Gaza for the protection of the Christians. It seemed to me that his protection would not be of much account, for he was barefooted; true he was dressed in camlet, and full of every virtue -- Spanish ones I mean. In my opinion he had come rather to extort something from the Christians than for any other purpose, and the majority agreed with me.

On Monday, the 21st of July, the Venerable Father Don Francesco, being eager to go ashore, left the galley with his companions. When he landed, a Mameluke of the Governor of Gaza(3) would not let him depart, and he returned to the galley. For, all those Governors, hearing that the pilgrims galley had arrived, had set out for Jaffa and pitched their tents opposite the galley, so that it appeared as if there was an army there, preparing to make war, as was the case -- at least on the purses of the pilgrims.

1. "Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, &c." -- Luke, xvi. 9.
2. "There was a certain rich man which had a steward." -- Luke, xvi. 1.
3. Gaza or Guzzeh is on the southern frontier of Palestine, three or four miles from the sea, and on the road leading to Egypt.

Nevertheless we remained, like they say Tantalus does in the Inferno. He has the water up to his lips and cannot drink. We saw the land we had come so far to enter, and those Moorish dogs would not let us go on our way. They made difficulties, now about one thing, now about another, as they had never done before, from what I could hear from those who had been there on previous occasions. However, it was necessary to tie everything up in the sack of patience, as we did not want to loosen the sack of money.

Each one who goes on the voyage to the Sepulchre of our Lord has need of three sacks -- a sack of patience, a sack of money and a sack of faith. The first two sacks had been used several times up to that hour; the third was still untouched.

As no conclusion was arrived at, the captain sought to procure us a little amusement, and he permitted some fishing; he even allowed anyone who wished, to leave the galley and go to certain places where it was said Saint Peter used to fish. On this day, with certain contrivances of very strong cord and great hooks, an immense fish was caught. There was great difficulty in hauling it up out of the water, because it defended itself boldly and resisted with force all the efforts to draw it out of the water; so that it was necessary to hold it thus tied in the water until it was exhausted. The hook that caught it was so big that it took a large sheep's lung to bait it. The men wounded the fish with certain iron weapons suitable for the purpose. It made the sea so red that it seemed as if there had been great slaughter done, and the company enjoyed all this greatly, and the more so because they hoped to have something good to eat. Afterwards it was found to be a shark, and the mariners said it had such an evil nature that if anyone had courage enough to swim in the sea and met this fish he would be killed, because it is such an enemy to man. It was skinned. The hide was like iron. Some of the poor pilgrims, though only a few, ate some of it. It was a fearful thing to see both before and after being skinned.

We had another pleasure that day. A turtle, called in our language a balsa scudelera, appeared in the sea and swam round the galley. It was so large that its case would cover the body of a man. If I had not seen it I would not have believed anyone who told me about it; yet so it was, and almost every day it showed itself as long as the galley remained there. We also took pleasure in watching certain long slender fish which went in great numbers and seemed like a great sea-wave when they were pursued by some large fish.

At this juncture, while we were so occupied, the Venerable Father Don Fra Francesco Trivulzio returned to the galley and certain Moors came with him. We could not understand anything they said or did except certain actions; as, for example, when one of them, as soon as he arrived jumped on to the table where the captain was and those who ate with him -- I also amongst them -- and sat himself down on it as the tailors sit on their benches. He was barefooted, though he was dressed in camlet.

Another action could be understood. Many pilgrims having gathered to see the said Moors, and to hear them -- for all the company hoped to have news of the end of that exile -- one of the Moors, wishing to spit, opened the breast of his garment and spat within, in order not to spit amongst the company. It seemed to all a much more honest action than that of Guinella,(1) which someone recounted. Guinella was in the chamber of the Marquis of Ferrara, which was much decorated even to the pavement, and wishing to spit, he spat in the face of the Marquis, saying that in that room he had not been able to find an uglier place for spitting than the face of the Marquis.

On Tuesday, the 22nd of July, the day of Saint Mary Magdalen, the pilgrims began to murmur still more against the captain, as did the children of Israel against Moses when he was leading them through the desert into the country where we also desired to go. For it seemed to them that our delay in landing, prolonged beyond the usual time, was now out of all reason; and certain of them said that the captain was not using his accustomed diligence with the Moors, so that we might leave the galley and go on our way. Certain of them, especially the French, said many biting things to the captain's face; and he very justly replied that he lost more than they did by the delay, because as long as they remained on the galley he was obliged to maintain them, and that it would be a good thing for him to end the journey quickly. As well as he could, he calmed the irritation of the discontented.

On Wednesday, the 23rd of July, the Prior of Mount Sion came on board the galley, and talked with the captain a long time about the iniquity of the Moors who kept the pilgrims in such embarrassment. Then they went ashore to speak to Abrayno, whom I mentioned above, and another Sabbatino,(1) sent by the Governor of Gaza, and other Mameluke Lieutenants who were encamped there, as I said before, and would not allow any of the pilgrims to land.

On Thursday, the 24th of July, the vigil of the day of Saint James the Apostle, very early in the morning the pilgrims, amid a great noise, shouting and rejoicing, prepared to leave the galley, each with his baggage, flasks and his wooden stirrups -- I had iron ones and no others -- each one according to his needs and his choice. It seemed a camp in movement; one trod on the heels of the other in the anxiety to be first. When they approached the place where they were to get off the galley and enter
the boats, it was found that the captain had changed his mind and did not wish any of the pilgrims to leave the galley. He said that they were better off where they were than they would be ashore, where they would have to suffer many hardships. Indeed he spoke the truth, and there were some who proved it, for they lost their lives because of their anxiety to be amongst the first and because they would not listen to the orders or even to the persuasions of the captain.

As the pilgrims remained on board, the captain sent renewed entreaties to those dogs to see if they would change their minds and let us go on our way according to custom, without waiting further for the Governor of Gaza, but those dogs would not listen to us.

On this day the chief Moors came aboard the galley to amuse themselves, and a great festival was made. The ship was decorated with carpets and hangings, the trumpets were sounded, the cannon fired and tile galeotti shouted, as is the custom of sailors. That Sabbatino presented to the captain some wax, sugar and a sexula -- that is, one of the white cloths the Moors wear on their heads -- and a large sack of snow. It was a great marvel to all the company to be in Syria in July and see a sack of snow. It was also a comfort to many, because some of the snow was put into the water -- which was hot -- and cooled it.

Nothing else could be got from these dogs, except that when lunch was over, which had been prepared very sumptuously for them, Abrayno restored to the galley, in the sight of every man, what he had eaten on board the galley and outside. Then, throwing himself on the carpets, which were spread all over the poop, where they had been received on the galley by the captain, he stayed there to rest, with his slaves, for the space of two hours. The Sabbatino and the other dogs who had come, departed immediately when they saw the festival of Abrayno, and went ashore.

On Friday, the 25th of July, Saint James's day, in response to the earnest prayers of Fra Francesco Suriano (Note 76) , Prior of Mount Sion, and of the scribe of the galley, who was on land representing the captain, those dogs consented to allow the pilgrims to go on shore -- that is, to suffer for lack of everything. But when two boat-loads had been sent, the rest were stopped because the Scribe of Jerusalem said he could not stay any longer in the sun to count the pilgrims, and that the others must wait until the following day. There was great distress in consequence, on the part of those ashore and those who remained on the galley, because we saw that we were ill-treated and separated, and we could not understand why. One thing was evident, however, that no pilgrims in that place had ever been so badly used as we were. Nevertheless, as well as possible, we laid hands on one of those sacks we had brought on board the galley -- I mean the sack of patience.

Many of the pilgrims, seeing how badly we were treated, told the captain that he should not hesitate to lay hands on the other sack if necessary -- I mean that of the money -- rather than super such torments. In truth he always treated the pilgrims courteously and with great consideration; and now he begged them to have patience, saying that he did not want to create bad precedents with those Moors, and that if we did not show them our teeth they would do worse.

On Saturday, the 26th of July, the magnificent captain made the rest of the pilgrims get up early, thinking to send them all on land; and two other boat-loads went. In obedience to the advice given me the first day I entered the galley -- that is, never to be among the first to go off the galley -- I always let the Ultramontanes -- who trod on each other's heels in their haste to leave -- rush in front. When the boats returned for the rest, that often-mentioned Abrayno wanted to come on board the galley
to see the merchandise which had been brought; and when he had seen it, and also bought what he wanted, and, further, settled his accounts with his mouth as much as he could (I speak as covertly as I can not to disgust the readers of this chapter), he departed, saying that he did not want any more pilgrims to be sent on land that day, as the sea had upset him and he did not feel he could attend to the counting of them. And this -- to torment further the poor pilgrims who were already eleven days in this exile.

On Sunday, the 27th of July, the rest of the pilgrims were put ashore save five, who, according to his wish, remained with the captain; amongst them were Fra Francesco Trivulzio and the priest Pietro Casola, both Milanese.

When the Dry Mass had been said, Fra Francesco caused the galeotti to be summoned to the usual place, and preached them a beautiful sermon, taking for his subject; "Et coepit ejicere vendentes et ementes in Templo."(1) He gave thereon a beautiful dissertation on trading -- buying and selling -- and what was lawful and unlawful in that connection, and he expounded everything very fully.

On his return to the galley the captain was accompanied by the Governor of Rama and the Diodar(2) of Gaza, who remained on board looking at a great many cloth goods; then they went away about their business.

On Monday, the 28th of July, the captain went ashore, and while he was there, an Arab chief (as they say) called the Governor of Nabule,(3) a place in Samaria, arrived, and, as the captain afterwards recounted, took from him by force a hundred ducats before he would let him return to the galley. The captain was in a very bad humour because of the money and also on account of the wretched life he saw the pilgrims leading in those caves, where they were badly off for everything and could neither go on their journey to Jerusalem nor return to the galley, as they would have done very gladly. About the twenty-first hour the said Governor Nabule came to the galley and bought certain cloths and other things. Still we remained in exile, on the galley and outside the galley, and this was the twelfth day.

1. "And he began to cast out the buyers and sellers in the Temple." -- Matt. xxi. 12; Luke. xix. 45
2. This appears to be the same person as the "Sabbatino" or representative of the Governor of Gaza, mentioned before.
3. Shechem or Sichem, the original capital of Samaria, now called "Nablus," a corruption of Neapolis, the name given to it by Vespasian.

On Tuesday, the 29th of July, in the morning, the Governor of Gaza arrived at Jaffa with a large company, and established himself on the highest place there, which looks like a hill -- really there are extensive ruins there which have formed a sort of small hill. At the sight of so many tents pitched, the parono and the scribe were sent from the galley; and having heard everything from the Prior of Mount Sion, they returned to the galley and told the captain that the Governor of Gaza wished him to go ashore to send off the pilgrims. As he delayed somewhat, the aforesaid Prior came to fetch the captain, and they went ashore together, and visited the said Governor of Gaza.

While they were arranging for the expedition, the Governor of Nabule, the Arab chief, departed, and went home with the hundred ducats he had taken from the captain. In the evening, the aforesaid captain returned to the galley, saying, that he had come to terms and arranged everything with the Governor of Gaza.

On Wednesday, the 30th of July, in order that we should not go on our journey too quickly, certain mushrooms(1) sprang up among those ruins of Jaffa which we had to eat before we could depart. For when the captain -- who had gone with two boat-loads of different things to offer to the Moors according to custom in order to have the license to depart -- was in the tent of the Governor of Gaza, the said Governor caused ten Christians, natives of Cyprus, whom he had taken prisoners, to be brought into his presence in chains. According to what they said, they had left Acre, otherwise Ptolemaida, in a ship loaded with merchandise; but a storm arose and the ship broke up. As, in the opinion of the sailors, there was nothing else to be done, they begged to be put ashore to save themselves, and while they were in a wood they were found by the Moors, who seized them saying that they had gone there to steal.

1. i.e., Difficulties, annoyances.

The Governor of Gaza said to the captain and also to the Prior of Mount Sion, that the pilgrims must redeem the prisoners, or that he would flay them alive before their eyes. As an altercation followed, he caused one of the prisoners to be stripped and stretched out by the executioner, and made as if he would have him flayed. The Prior -- as a monk, and belonging to the Order he does -- moved with compassion, put an end to the scene; and thus, just as we ought to have arisen and gone on our way, it was necessary to stay there and bargain for those chained men, for whose ransom the Governor of Gaza demanded a thousand ducats. Finally he was brought down to a hundred and fifty, and the collection was made among the pilgrims, so that the prisoners were redeemed and taken naked and famished on board the galley. I was taxed a ducat, which I paid.

Seeing that the ground was soft, and that the Christians were compassionate, those dogs brought in a Jew and a Frenchman, and the Governor of Gaza threatened to flay them if we did not ransom them. The captain told him he could do as he pleased provided he let us go on our way. The Jew was well beaten, and that coward of a Frenchman denied Christ, and the sexula was placed on his head.

By this time, as the sun had almost set, they said we should depart in the morning; for the present we remained there. The pilgrims suffered much in those caves, for they were not even at liberty to go out and make a little water, so many were there of those Moorish dogs there.

On Thursday, the 31st of July, when we thought to set out, those dogs began to bark and to try and extort more from the captain -- some one thing and some another. The trouble was two-fold -- that of the captain who saw the outrages inflicted by the Moors, and the other of the pilgrims who suffered more than usual on land, and many were ill in consequence.

That morning, one of the pilgrims -- a Frenchman -- died, and was buried on the seashore. This was the third pilgrim who died before we could go to Jerusalem. As the pilgrims saw that we were in great danger, at least from sickness, they said to the captain that he must either take them back to the galley or conduct them from that place; if not, proceedings would be taken against him for damages and interest.

In the opinion of many, the said captain did his duty, and would gladly have departed or taken the company back on to the galley, but those dogs wanted nothing but money.

Many pilgrims fell ill on account of the great privations of every kind they had to endure; and when anyone fell ill he had need to recommend himself to God, for there was no other remedy or medicine to be had. The captain remained on land that night, but I stayed on board the galley by his order, and felt compassion for those outside.

On Friday, the 1st of August, in the morning, the captain received license to depart, having satisfied those dogs up to that point; and he sent for me to go ashore. Taking the baggage I had already prepared, I gave the rest of my possessions in charge to a galeotto, and landed at Jaffa, anciently called Joppa, which was built by the descendants of Ham, the son of Noah, who was cursed by his father. This country, inhabited by Canaanites, fell to him by lot when he divided the world with his two brothers, one called Shem the other Japhet.

Saint Peter performed many miracles in Joppa; amongst others he raised Tabitha from the dead. To judge by the ruins and also by the numerous marbles found there by the great Sultan -- and used by him for building a new mosque which they say is a very beautiful building -- the said Joppa must have been a beautiful citadel. It has a fine circuit of ruins, but one cannot understand what they were. Towards the sea there are certain vaults, one behind the other, where the poor pilgrims were lodged on the bare ground very uncomfortably. On the other side, that is, towards Rama, there are certain vestiges of a wall, as if the place had been surrounded by a wall. As I said before, what looks like a hill is formed by ruins which have fallen one on top of the other and made a sort of hill. The two towers there, were built for protection on the side facing the sea, because the Moors are always on the alert. This place or city was always without a harbour; there are continual tempests there, and it is dangerous to go among those ruins.

I find that the Romans destroyed Joppa after the destruction of Jerusalem. When I inquired why it is called Jaffa and not Joppa, I learned that there is a large village near, with a population of perhaps a thousand souls, which is called Jaffa, and as Joppa has ceased to exist, the port has taken the name of Jaffa. Just as people speak of the port of Turbigo,(1) and yet Turbigo is some distance away, and sometimes that same port is called the port of Galliate.(2) There is nothing else to be said about this shore of Jaffa.

1. Turbigo is on the west bank of the Ticino to the north of Magenta, and north-west
of Milan. 2. Galliate is on the east bank of the Ticino, almost opposite Turbigo.

Pilgrims leave Jaffa. -- Casola's Bargain with his Mule Driver. -- Ride from Jaffa to Rama. -- Hostel at Rama. -- Sermon Preached by the Prior of Mount Sion. -- Visit to Lydda. -- Christians of the Girdle. -- Description of Rama. -- Death of Cypriano dePorri. -- Ride from Rama. -- Casola's Adventure. -- Arrival at Jerusalem. -- The Pilgrims' Quarters there. -- The Captain's Lodgings. -- Father Fran.Trivulzio Attacked by Fever. -- The Prior of Mount Sion and His Treatment of the Pilgrims.

AT Vespers, with great shouting from the Moors and Christians, the pilgrims mounted -- some on asses, some on mules, some on horses, and each beast had a pack saddle on its back and a cord or chain round its neck. These animals were all provided by that Abrayno Grasso named above, in accordance with the agreement he had made with the captain of the galley. The captain paid him so much a head for the pilgrims, and he furnished the animals for them. In addition, the pilgrims had to give something to the owners of the animals; otherwise they cause you many annoyances, and are very disagreeable. Sometimes
they make a rider tumble off his animal and then extort several marchetti (1) before they will help him up.

Chance gave me a mule, and as I was advised to do so by the captain, I bargained with the owner of the mule to give him a ducat extra as a gratuity,(2) for the whole journey, with the understanding that I was not to pay him until he had brought me back to Jaffa. He was satisfied with this, and asked my name, and I asked his; he was called Balzi. In this way I had no further annoyance from those gratuities, though, truth to tell, the said driver was of little service, even to me, on the way.

1. The Marchetto was coined by Francesco Dandolo about 1330. It was worth twelve piccoli, and was also galled a soldo. (Gallicciolli, i. p. 580.)
2. Casola uses the word "Cortesia."

When all the Christians were mounted, and also the Moors -- that is, that grand escort given us by Abrayno Grasso, of barefooted Mamelukes, armed with bows and quivers full of arrows -- we set out, in the name of the Most High God, for the city of Rama through a beautiful plain. The heat was great and there was a great deal of dust. There was little shade by the way, and very few green boughs were to be found with which to drive away the flies. All the country round is cleared -- that is, of trees, but very full of cotton, which at that time was beginning to ripen. Half way between Jaffa and Rama there is a place called Malcasale, because sometimes there are great robberies there. The said Mamelukes had a hunt through that country with horses only, and they caught a hare without dogs.

In the evening, all sunburnt and dusty, we reached Rama, and those Moorish dogs made us dismount a good way from Rama because we had to pass by a place where they bury their dead; and when we had dismounted, every man carried his baggage to the place where we went to lodge near the gate of Rama.

The said place(1) belongs to the friars of Mount Sion, although there acre not always friars there. It is taken care of by a Christian of the Girdle (Note 77) called Moyses. There is not a stool to be found in the place; it is like a disordered hospital. The entrance is like a square window large enough to admit one person.

I felt as if I were going into the Stinche (Note 78) at Florence. There was no order in the lodgings; he was wisest who
seized a place first. There was nothing but the ground. Whoever was willing, however, to spend a few marcelli(1) could get matting from the Moors; there was no straw.

1. The Marcello was a piece of silver money coined first in 1472 or 1473. It was worth ten soldi, and seems to have taken its name from the Doge Nicolo Marcello, at whose election "Marcelli" were thrown to the populace.

As soon as we entered the said place, as it was evening, many of the inhabitants of Rama came there, both Moors and Christians of the Girdle, as they are called. I could not find out with certainty the reason for this name; some say one thing some another, so I leave the matter. These men brought bread, cooked eggs, much fruit and rice cooked in milk to sell to the pilgrims. Wine is not sold by the Moors; those Christians sell a little, but it is dear. Many barrels of it were brought from the galley and sold at a high price. In the said lodging there was a good cistern which greatly alleviated the thirst of the pilgrims.

As to eating and drinking, I did not lack good things because I ate with the captain; so did Frate Francesco, who was always summoned at meal times; and at table there was no lack of the best things that could be found.

On the morning of Saturday, the 2nd of August, after Mass and a sermon preached in Latin by the Prior of Mount Sion, the said Prior ordered certain of his friars to direct the pilgrims, some on foot, some on horseback, to a certain little village (Note 79) , where there was formerly a beautiful church built of square blocks, which contains an altar on which they say Saint George was beheaded. It is much venerated also by the Moors, according to what those Christians of the Girdle said. I am sure I do not know in what way, because when I saw the place it was very neglected. It is true that those Moors took a marchetto from each Christian who wished to enter.

After gaining the indulgence, whoever wanted to mount there mounted; whoever wanted to go could do as he liked. I was not in a hurry because we were near Rama, and I stayed a while to watch the cotton making (Note 80) because many of the Moors in the little village were busy at that work; nevertheless I was back at Rama as soon as the others. And after such a dinner as could be got, for there were no other provisions for the pilgrims save the hard-boiled eggs sold by the Moors, some went to rest, others went to see the place.

I went to see what I could with certain of those Christians of the Girdle who knew a little Italian, only a little, but on that occasion I made good use of them. In the past the city of Rama must have been a beautiful city. It covers a large area, is situated in a plain, and has walls and gates, though they are not strong enough to resist the attack of an armed force. The gates are carefully closed, nevertheless they can be opened easily. There are many vestiges of what seem to have been fine houses there in former times, but now they are all tumbled down. There was a palace where Abrayno lodged which was very beautiful to look at, but it was partly in ruins. I pass over the dwelling of the Lord of Rama, which is beautiful and which has its mosque and a very beautiful bell-tower, on which during the night a man stood who, to my hearing, did nothing but yelp.

In the said city I saw two beautiful streets called bazaars. In one street, on one side, nothing is sold except things to eat, both cooked and raw; in the other there was their merchandise. This city has a more abundant supply of fruit than Jerusalem. From what I could understand, the supply of fruit came at that time from the city of Gaza; and this I understood because the sellers frequently invited the buyers by saying that their wares came from Gaza. Indeed the Prior of Mount Sion said to me several times that they were the best fruits in those bazaars. He had been many years in those parts, both as a layman and as a friar, so that he knew the Moorish tongue well; and he told me further that he had seen bunches of grapes at Gaza which weighed thirty-six pounds of twelve ounces. As he belongs to the Order he does I took his word for this, although it seemed to me an extraordinary thing. I saw very large grapes, larger than I ever saw in our country, and much better than ours. Besides other fruit, Rama has a greater abundance of dates than any place I saw in the Levant. The pilgrims bought also a great quantity of melanzane,(1) cooked and well prepared.

The houses have flat roofs which collect all the rainwater. Besides the tower I mentioned, which is called the Governor's Tower, there are other very beautiful bell-towers. At night the priests or cathibissa, as they call them, go up and yelp like dogs. When I asked our interpreter what they said, he told me that after midnight they called to those who had wives to increase and multiply on the earth; whether that be true or not I cannot say. They have indeed many women for wives, so that they can increase in the world.

1. The Melanzana is a herbaceous plant which bears white or blue flowers. The fruit, which contains a white pulp, is long in shape and violet in colour. It is generally fried.

On Sunday, the 3rd of August, after Mass, the Moors began to swarm into the hostel where we were, because of a great controversy which had sprung up since our arrival at Rama, between our captain and Abrayno on account of certain unusual extortions Abrayno wanted to make -- and not a few either. For that reason a sermon which Father Fra Francesco wished to preach was prohibited, and thus we were delayed in port longer than usual.

At Vespers one called Cipriano de' Porri passed from this life. He said he was a Milanese, and paymaster for Count Filippo Rosso, captain of some men-at-arms of the Signoria of Venice. He was buried in a certain place outside Rama, said to have been bought for that purpose by the pilgrims. The funeral service was held in the hostel, and then after a certain sum had been paid to those Christians of the Girdle, he was carried outside in the evening on a piece of matting as secretly as possible.

In consequence of the disputes between the captain and the Moors the pilgrims suffered great hardships, sleeping on the ground, and many fell ill. As well as I could I kept myself on that plank mentioned above.

On Monday, the 4th of August, after a great altercation with that Abrayno often mentioned -- who provoked new ones every hour to extort money -- which was calmed by the intervention of the Prior of Mount Sion, and after the pilgrims had been counted like sheep, at the hour of Vespers, we all -- both those who were well and those who were sick -- left Rama in immense heat. And those dogs compelled us to go a good way on foot in great disparagement of the Christian faith, because we had to pass by a place where they buried their dead. When we had passed that place, with loud shouts and contemptuous acts they made us mount the animals prepared for us by the said Abrayno according to the agreement made at Jaffa. As the sun continually beat down upon us, and as we rode through a plain where there was not a plant as long as a finger, we were consumed with the heat; nevertheless this malady was doctored, though badly, by laying hands on the second sack I mentioned above.

At sunset, when it was rather dark, the Mamelukes, who preceded us as an escort to defend us from the attacks of
the Arabs, rode back towards the pilgrims in great haste, saying that they had been assailed by Arabs. They stopped the pilgrims, and it appeared as if they were doing great things for our protection; and that commotion was arranged with ten ducats.

As night fell we began to leave the plain and to ascend, following the Moors who had large lanterns on the tops of long poles, so that we could see for more than half a mile. As we rode thus some trees could be seen, but we could not distinguish what they were. The way was very stony, so that the beaten track could not be recognized. One person went behind the other, and perhaps the animals we were riding knew the way.

An adventure befel me. The Moor to whom my mule belonged had heaped so many sacks on its back, both for feeding the mule and also of the merchandise he was taking to Jerusalem to sell, that I was very uncomfortable, and could hardly move. As the mule had no bridle, but only a cord round his neck, I could not control him; he went where he pleased. Besides this, in the evening the owner put a boy up behind me on the croup, who, he said, was his son. Thus riding, the boy fell asleep and tumbled off the mule, dragging me, the sacks and the pack-saddle to the ground, or rather on to a stone, and I hurt my arm and foot so badly that when I got back to Milan my wounds were not yet healed.

As best I could I put my wallet and the stirrups on my back and went lamenting and limping behind the caravan in order not to lose myself, leaving the mule and all he had without any other guard. It was a piece of good luck for me that we were near the place where the Moors wanted the pilgrims to stop and rest in a large olive grove. With some difficulty I sought out the captain, who had kindly sent to look for me. When he heard my woes he could do nothing for me but console me by saying that I should not lack a mount. While we were waiting thus on the stones my arm swelled so that it was necessary to unsew the whole of the sleeve of my doublet. As well as I could I made use of the first sack -- that is, of patience.

On Tuesday, the 5th of August, at sunrise, the order was given to get on horseback, and in a moment all were mounted on their animals. By order of the captain I had already taken a horse, when suddenly the Moor appeared who owned the mule I had left behind and had a great dispute with the owner of the horse. Finally I was obliged to get off the horse and mount again on the mule, but I gave the owner to understand through the interpreter that I would not have a single thing on the mule.

Thus we set out towards Jerusalem by a very stony, mountainous and disagreeable road. By the way a few ancient but ruined houses were to be seen -- habitations for goats. The country seemed to me very bare and wild; there was no fruit to be seen, nor did we come across any beautiful fountains. These are not like the countries of Italy.

God willing, at an early hour we reached the Holy City of Jerusalem, almost dead of heat and thirst, and those dogs made us dismount outside the city near a castle called the Castle of the Pisans. It is said that the Pisans were formerly Lords of Jerusalem, and built the said castle. I have not found any authentic record of the fact, nor did I open the third sack on this account.

When we were all gathered together and counted again we were conducted into the city by certain friars of Mount Sion who had come to meet us, and quartered in the Hospital of St. John, as it is called. When we entered, after asking for a little fresh water, we began to lie down on the ground; then certain persons appointed by the friars gave each pilgrim a carpet to spread on the ground. The magnificent captain was in the habit of lodging with two persons in Mount Sion, which is a good way outside the city; but this Prior, however, in order to appear wiser than his predecessors, had taken him a house within the city(1) near to the Sepulchre. He went there to rest, and then in his goodness he sent to fetch me from the hospital, and made me lodge with him.

The Venerable Don Fra Antonio Regna, a true and excellent friar, with whom I made good friends because he was a Milanese, seeing that my arm, foot and almost all my body were badly hurt, provided me with two carpets and a mattress as large as my person, and two leather cushions. A good room was assigned to me, which I shared with Don Simone Fornaro of Pavia and Giovanni Luchino of Montecastello, companions of the Venerable Father Don Fra Francesco, who, although he lodged with the friars in Mount Sion, could not obtain permission for these two companions to join him. In general they took their meals in Mount Sion, but at night they came to sleep in the room with me.

I took rest for that day because I had need of it, but I did not lose courage. Father Fra Francesco at once fell ill of a fever; however, he lacked nothing in the world; he had a good doctor and excellent medicine. We lived like lords in the house and at the table of the captain, but the poor pilgrims fared badly, and it was all fault of that Prior who had little charity for the pilgrims; not a single person was satisfied with him, beginning with the captain. All the friars shrugged their shoulders and excused themselves because they could not treat the pilgrims as they used to do in the time of the former Priors. And worse befell us when he gave the order that we were not to go out of the house without his permission.

The Pilgrims visit the Mount of Olives, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and other Holy Places. -- Casola's description of Jerusalem. -- The Great Mosque and the Temple of Solomon. -- The Palace Miraculously Ruined. -- Mount Sion and the Friar's Church and Monastery. -- Castle of the Pisans. -- The Inhabitants of Jerusalem. -- First Visit to the Holy Sepulchre. -- Death of a French Pilgrim. -- Expedition to Bethlehem. -- Second Visit to the Holy Sepulchre. -- Ten Knights Created there for whom Casola wrote Letters of Testimony.

ON Wednesday, the 6th of August, Mass having been said in the midst of the hospital, all the pilgrims set out early, guided by certain friars of Mount Sion, who were familiar with all the places to be visited by the pilgrims.

Leaving Jerusalem and passing that torrent called in the Holy Scriptures the torrent Cedron, we came to a monument built in the ancient fashion which was said to be that of Absalom, the son of David, who was killed by Joab, David's captain, when he was hung up by his hair while he was pursuing his father. On seeing it, I thought it was more probably the monument of Helena, Queen of the Adiabene, because so I had read in Josephus' wars of the Jews.

Then, going further, we visited all those sacred places on the Mount of Olives where the mysteries which precede the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ were shown to us: where he remained to pray, where the three disciples were when he prayed "Pater si possible est transeat a me calix iste,"(1) and where he was apprehended. Then we mounted higher to where there was a small church, or part of one, and over the altar there was a stone still bearing the mark of the foot of Our Lord Jesus Christ when he ascended into heaven, and this was touched with the rosaries and other objects of devotion. In these places -- because they are so despised by those Moorish dogs and are not otherwise venerated -- it is necessary to open the third sack, called the sack of faith, otherwise the voyage would be made in vain. I do not mention that any antiphons or prayers were said there, because those Fathers did not say any; they only explained in Latin and in the vulgar tongue what those places were and nothing else. Many itineraries, however, both Italian and Ultramontane, written in the vulgar tongue and in Latin, mention that formerly antiphons and prayers appropriate to the places visited used to be said. I can only say that in fact this was not done. I can well believe that as the friars were in such a hurry to show us those places, they omitted some of the usual ceremonies.

1. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." -- Matthew, xxvi.39.

Afterwards we descended the Mount of Olives and, turning to the right hand, we went into the valley of Jehoshaphat, who was King of Jerusalem. It is a small valley, nevertheless it is said that it will be the place of the Last Judgment of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In this valley there is a beautiful church containing the Sepulchre in which Our Lady was placed by the eleven Apostles. The place of the Sepulchre proper is governed by the Latin friars -- that is, by those of Mount Sion. In the same church there are several other altars served by Greek priests. The said Church, from what I could hear, is held in great veneration also by the Moorish women. At the entrance to that church the Moors made a charge for each person. I do not know how much it was because the captain paid.

After the prescribed prayers had been offered in the said church, which descends many steps, we returned to Jerusalem by the gate called the gate of St. Stephen, where he was stoned. Above the torrent Cedron, outside the gate on the left-hand side of the entrance, there is what looks like a little church. When I asked a Christian of the Girdle what it was, he said that the Lord of Damascus had built it in memory of one of his sons who was buried there, and that he had placed there a reservoir of water for wayfarers, which is never empty; and this is the will of the said Lord, even though the water would have to be brought from Damascus. And all this he has done for the repose of the soul of his said son.

Within the said gate, a house was pointed out which they said was the house of Pilate, and another which they said was Herod's. We went to a certain place said to be the pool of Siloam, where the blind man was sent to bathe his eyes. There is no water now, and the pace is full of ruins.

We went to see the Probatic pool.(1) This has running water, and there are even a few vestiges of the five porches which the Holy Scripture says were there at the time of Christ. This was a pool which had the virtue that an angel descended from heaven into the said pool and moved the water, and the fist sick person who entered the pool after the moving of the water was cured of all his infirmities. Therefore, under those porches, there used to lie a great multitude of sick person in order to be ready to enter the water quickly; and Christ with a word only healed one who had been there eighteen years. Now, as could be seen, the Moors washed there the hides which had been in lime. Many of the pilgrims drank the water. When I saw the filth I left it alone, it was enough for me to wash my hands there.

1. The Pool of Bethesda. -- John, v.1-9.

As it was on our way, we afterwards saw the Mosque which they say stands on the site of the temple of Solomon. It is a beautiful building to look at from the outside, and strong compared with the greater part of the habitations in Jerusalem. It is wonderful to see the courts -- so well paved with the whitest marble -- which are built around at the base of the Mosque.

When we had seen what the friars wanted us to see -- opening the first and third sacks where it was necessary and where I judged it advisable to do so -- we arrived at the hospital all hot and covered with dust, and took a little repose and also some refreshment, and whoever had a lodging went there. The Prior of Mount Sion now sent to tell the pilgrims that every man must be ready to enter the Holy Sepulchre that evening. But when he wanted to arrange for the entrance with Abrayno, who was the person in authority, he demanded first a thousand ducats. An altercation followed, and in consequence the project of entering the Sepulchre was given up.

As the captain's house was frequented by a very agreeable Moor who had formerly been forced into slavery at Rhodes, and who knew a little Latin, to while away the time, I got him for a few marchetti to take me and certain other pilgrims to see as much as possible of the city; and I studied it as carefully as I could.

The city of Jerusalem is very ancient. Its first founder was Canaan,(1) the grandson of Ham, son of Noah -- that son as I said who was cursed by his father Noah because seeing him uncovered he mocked him. When the three sons of Noah -- that is, Shem, Ham and Japhet -- divided the world amongst them after the deluge, that part called Judea fell to the progeny of Ham, and in Judea Jerusalem has always bee the chief city.

1. Canaan was the son of Ham.

At first it was called Solyma,(1) and was an insignificant place, but afterwards from time to time it was enlarged, as Rome was. Although it lies between various mountains or rather hills, it seems that there are many flat parts, nevertheless it is in the mountains. As is generally known, Titus Caesar in the second year of the reign of Vespasian destroyed it so completely that no one who looked on the ruins could have imagined that it had ever been inhabited. He did not leave there one stone upon another except in three towers preserved as a record that the Romans had subdued such a great city. I saw the foundations of the said towers; they are very wonderful. They are on the way down from Mount Sion before crossing the torrent Cedron.

After a long time Hadrian caused the city to be re-built and wished it to be called Helias.(2) To judge by the ruins it was nor re-built as it had been at first, and he gave it for a habitation to the Christians. Since that time it has been attacked very often -- now by the Saracens, now by the Christians. As all the histories relate, Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, caused all the mysteries of the humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be adorned, but afterwards many of them were destroyed and few remain to us because those Moorish dogs will not permit any restorations to be made.

1. That is "Salem," the City of Peace. -- Psalms, lxxvi. 2; Genesis, xiv 18.

2. Aelia Capitolina was the Roman name of Jerusalem.

As I went about in the city I did not see beautiful dwelling-houses. There are a great number, and they are close together, but they are ugly. All the houses appear to be vaulted and have vaults above vaults. The roofs are flat, and there is little woodwork inside. The more a man wishes to say about this city the less he has to say, except that such a famous city, called by Christians the Holy Place, is a great cavagniaza.(1) There are some very honourable dwellings, though not many. Among the number is the house of the Governor, who, as I said, is Grand Cathibissa, or as they call him the Old Man of the Faith,(2) to whom honour and reverence is paid as if he were a saint.

What pleased me most was the sight of the bazaars -- long, vaulted streets extending as far as the eye can reach. In one of them all the provisions, are sold -- I mean also the cooked provisions, as they sell the chestnuts at home. When I marvelled at this I was told that not a single person in Jerusalem does the cooking in the house; and whoever wishes to eat goes to buy in the bazaar. However, they make bread at home -- that is, flat cakes made without leaven; they are good when there is no other bread to be got. Leavened bread can only be had in the Monastery at Mount Sion. Cooked fowls, cooked meat, eggs and all other eatables are very cheap. I saw another long bazaar like the other, with both sides full of merchandise, and of the things the people know how to make, and this was a beautiful sight.

The city has one beautiful building; that is its Mosque (Note 81). Neither Christian nor Jew can enter there. Outside one can see what a beautiful place it is with those courts round it as I mentioned above. I heard from the Moors that there are neither paintings nor images inside. They say that there are a thousand lamps within, which on certain occasions are all lighted at the same moment.

1. "Cavagniaza"= a market basket made of rushes. Casola's idea in applying the term to Jerusalem is not clear to me.

2. The Turkish title "Sheik-el-Islam" = the Old Man of the Faith.

Many people say that this Mosque is the Temple built by Solomon. but I cannot believe it, because I have not found any writing which would give me a reason for believing this, or that it is on the site of the Temple of Solomon; because the Holy Scripture relates that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, caused the Temple of Solomon to be thrown to the ground. We know also that Ezra, with the permission of Cyrus, King of the Medes and Persians, caused it to be re-built from the foundations. Then in true histories we find that Herod the Great -- the one was King of Judea at the time of the birth of Christ -- caused it to be re-built. And besides all that, the Temple of Solomon was built on a mountain, and on that mountain called Mount Moriah, which was pointed out by God to Abraham when he told him he must sacrifice his son Isaac. This was also the place where the sleeping Jacob saw in a dream the ladder which reached from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending, and said: "This is the house of God and the gate of Heaven"; and it was also the place where David saw the angel, sword in hand, striking the people with the plague, and prayed God to pardon the people and strike him instead. And God commanded him to build an altar there and offer sacrifices, and David did at once as God commanded him. He bought the site from Hornan, who was a Jebusite -- that is, a Gentile; and he commanded Solomon, his son, to build a temple there after his death, and this was done. Therefore this Mosque cannot be on the site of the Temple of Solomon because it is in the valley, and that was one a mountain. Further, there is authentic record that, after Titus caused the Temple to be levelled to the ground because it was the greatest fortress the Jews then possessed, -- it has never been re-built.

It appears to me that there are no vestiges remaining of the said Temple, and that this Mosque was built according to the will of the Moors after the Christians had lost Jerusalem, which was in the reign of Saladin, Lord of Babylon, and they have never been able to recover it since. However that may be, like the other smaller one which the Usbech -- the present Governor of Jerusalem -- caused to be built ten years ago, it is a stupendous thing; and it appears to me that the Moors do not lack good master workmen for their buildings. I heard from certain of the friars at Mount Sion that he used many of the marbles which were found at Joppa -- that is, Jaffa -- buried under the ruins; and some were also raised out of the water. Our magnificent captain assured me that this was true, because a few years ago he was obliged with his boats to help to raise certain columns which were afterwards dried and taken to Jerusalem to be used in the building of the new Mosque about which we have been talking. So that, in my judgment, there is not a vestige left of the said Temple of Solomon.

At the side of this Mosque there is a beautiful dwelling, almost the most beautiful in Jerusalem, where lives one who is called the Old Man of his Faith. He is a handsome man, and besides the Faith he is worth looking at. He has the care of these mosques, and especially of this new one. It is not an article of belief or unbelief -- what was said while our magnificent was with the said old man -- that is, that in the said new Mosque there were a thousand lamps constantly burning. I wanted to find out for certain, but it was impossible. I saw nothing else beautiful in the said city.

I saw indeed a thing worth recording; that is, a miracle. There is a palace ruined on one side. It is built in the modern style, rooms above rooms; in short, there is not its equal in Jerusalem. It belonged to a rich Moor. When the friars of Mount Sion were building at the side of their monastery a certain chapel of Our Lady, which was greatly venerated, the said Moor stirred up all the people on account of the said building to such an extent that all the Moors in a state of fury rushed there and destroyed the said chapel. And immediately the said palace was ruined, and no one has been able to re-build it since. I recount this because I saw both places, and heard the story from the Fathers of Mount Sion.

The Mount of Sion is the highest in Jerusalem, and in ancient times it was called the rock or city of David. The said rock was so strong that the children of Israel -- that is, the Jews or Hebrews -- even when they had entered the Promised Land and divided it by lot could never conquer it until David became King, and even He was King several years before he could take it. At last he took it and made it his dwelling. Now the observant friars of St. Francis live there, and they have a very well kept convent, and as the friars say, if it were not for the prohibition of the Moors who will not let them build, they would make it much more beautiful.

The friar's church is very beautiful, but it is not very large. They say that at the time of Our Lord Jesus Christ this church was the large room in which he ate the last supper with his disciples before his passion. Where the high altar stands was the place where, after supper, he first ordained the Sacrament of his Body and Blood and gave it to his disciples. At the right of the said altar there is another altar said to be the place where Our Lord Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. In these two places, in spite of my unworthiness, I said Mass and prayed to God for all my friends.

Outside the said church, on the right-hand side going in towards the habitation of the friars, there is the place where the Apostles were gathered together when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Under the said church there is a certain little chapel, where it is said that Saint Thomas put his hand into the side of Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he said to him: "Be not faithless but believing."

The convent is in good order considering that there are so few friars; they say there are always twenty friars who administer their part of the Sepulchre and also the place at Bethlehem. As I said above, if it were not for the prohibition of the Moors, the friars would do great things. As to building, they can do nothing, and if they do any repairs in the house they do them very secretly.

At the side of the church there is a chapel of Our Lady which was destroyed by the fury of the Moors, as I mentioned before, and immediately the house of him who caused the evil fell down.

The said friars have certain gardens round the monastery, but when we were there everything was dried up. When I went into the said gardens I saw many ruins all round, which showed that the city of Sion had been an important place in the time of the Kings. Near the said monastery there is what looks like a grand palace, and within the gate there is a little church belonging to certain Christians of the Girdle. They say that Saint James, who was said to be the brother of our Lord, was beheaded in that place by order of Herod, the son of that Herod who killed the Innocents.

A little further on, going towards the gate of Jerusalem -- because the Mount called Sion is a good way outside Jerusalem -- there is castle the castle of the Pisans. Seen from outside it appears to be strong. In my opinion no care is taken of it. I never saw a guard there, although I often passed that way, going from the lodging of the captain where I also lodged, to the monastery of the friars at Mount Sion.

The said city, as I said above, has not strong walls nor any moat. I have not said anything yet about the place of the Holy Sepulchre because up to this day I had not seen it.

Among the inhabitants of Jerusalem there are many of good condition and handsome men. They all go about dressed in the same way, with those clothes that look like quilts.(1) Many are white, others are made of camlet, and of other silks of the Moorish kind. According to their means they display great care and magnificence in the white cloths they wear on their heads. This cloth is called a sexula if it is all white, and moro naturale if there are some black stripes woven in the said sexula.

1. Casola writes: "Vano tuti vestiti a uno modo, con quilli panni pareno preponte: assaj ghe ne sono de bianche, ghe ne sono de zembeloti, e de altre siede a la morescha."

Whether they are renegade Christians or true Christians of the Girdle, they all live in the same way, and eat on the ground on carpets; they have a few white cloths, but they are rare. They do not drink wine -- I mean in public -- but if they get the chance they take a good long drink of it. They like cheese very much. They would not eat a fowl which had its neck drawn, as is the custom with us. They always cut the fowls' throats; otherwise they are clean in their cooking. For sleeping they have no place but the ground. They lie upon carpets, of which they have a great many. In their manner of eating they are very dirty; even persons of importance thrust their hands into the dishes. They do not use knives or forks or spoons, but they thrust their hands into everything.

With regard to their prayers, I observed -- from a window which overlooked certain Moors who slept in the open air because of the extreme heat -- that in the morning when they rose they went through so many genuflexions -- throwing themselves all their length stretched out on the ground -- that it was a marvel to see them. When I inquired further I learned that when they go to pray in the Mosque they go barefooted, and first they wash themselves in certain places set apart for that purpose, but only from the waist downwards, and then they uncover their heads, which they never uncover even in the presence of the greatest lord in the world. It is great madness to talk to them about our faith, because they have no rational sentiment in them. They are very impetuous and easily excited to anger, and they have no gracious or courteous impulses or actions. And I declare that they may be as great and as learned as you like, but in their ways they are like dogs.

In Jerusalem I was never able to see a beautiful woman; it is true that they go about with their faces covered by a black veil. They wear on their heads a thing which resembles a box, a braccio long, and from that, on both sides, a long cloth, like the white towels in Italy, hangs down.

I know nothing more about these Moorish people, except that they are very disagreeable to us Italians and to other kinds of Christians in asking for money, which is an extreme annoyance. On this account I was obliged to use a great deal of two of the three sacks.

On Thursday, the 7th of August, all the pilgrims went to Mount Sion, and there many confessed and also communicated in that most holy place where this most Holy Sacrament was instituted; and many said Mass there. We had amongst us sixty-three priests of different Orders. I said Mass and communicated one of our Milanese -- Bernardino Scotto by name -- and two Ragusans. Then the friars chanted very solemnly a Mass of the Holy Spirit, and a beautiful sermon was preached in Latin by one of the friars of Mount Sion, in which he expounded all the mysteries contained in the said church of Mount Sion. When Mass was ended a procession was formed to the places of the said mysteries; and when the said procession was finished the said friars of Mount Sion refreshed all the pilgrims with a good dinner.

After dinner all the pilgrims were advised to go and take a rest in order to be ready that evening either to enter the Holy Sepulchre or to go to Bethlehem. At a very late hour the order was given to enter the Sepulchre. And this was because of a new extortion which was invented out of the ordinary way. Thus in the evening, at the twenty-third hour, all the pilgrims congregated before the door of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in a little court very beautifully paved with slabs of marble. In the middle of the court there is a stone which is honoured because it is said that Christ rested there on the way to the place of his passion.

The deputies who had been appointed to count the pilgrims were now ready. They were ten Moors -- men of imposing appearance and not priests -- who wore dresses as white as snow and had those large sexule on their heads. It made me feel very hot only to look at them. These men were seated on a certain small platform raised about two braccia from the ground and arranged with mats over the boards, because the said platform was made of wood; and there they were all seated on their legs, like the tailors sit at home. They made, however, a fine picture.

We waited until sunset expecting the Moor who keeps the keys and who could not be found. you must know that although the Sepulchre is governed by the friars of Mount Sion and by other sects of Christians, as you hear, nevertheless they cannot go in or out at pleasure, but must do so at the pleasure of that dog who always keeps the keys. He is the Moor who auctions the tolls on the pilgrims and on those who wish to visit the Sepulchre even at other times. It is indeed true that in the door of the church there are certain cracks through which victuals and other things can be passed to those within.

The pilgrims were finally dismissed, as it was said that for that evening they could not enter, and the company therefore began to depart. The captain had already gone some distance when he encountered the man who had the keys. After much altercation and many words which I did not understand because they were in Moorish -- although the Prior of Mount Sion understood them -- we returned to the church of the Sepulchre and the door was opened to the praise of God. The deputies mentioned above began to count the pilgrims like sheep in Moorish, and the interpreter in Italian; and by the grace of God we entered that Holy Church (Note 82).

Because it was already night every pilgrim immediately lighted his candle, and the friars of Mount Sion who had come for that purpose began to form the procession, beginning at a Chapel of Our Lady where the offices are said continually by the friars who are shut up there all the year. In that place Christ appeared to his blessed Mother after the Resurrection. When an anthem had been chanted there and the appointed prayer said, one of the friars declared in Latin all the mysteries and relics contained in the said chapel; in which, besides the apparition I mentioned, a large piece of the Cross of Christ is honoured. It is placed in a window in the said chapel on the gospel side of the altar, and can be seen but not touched. On the other side of the said altar a large piece of the column at which Our Lord Jesus Christ was scourged is honoured. It is a wonderful relic, because the marks of the blows can be seen sculptured upon it; but they cannot be touched too much or they would disappear. This column may be touched with one hand, and also with a few rosaries. In all the places there are large indulgences.

On leaving the said chapel the procession entered the body of the church and visited all the other places usually visited, and first the place where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalen in the form of a gardener. All the time the appointed anthems were being sung, and the Litanies chanted by the way. We then visited the place where Christ remained in prison whilst the hole was being made in which the Cross was erected. Then we visited the place where the garments of Christ were divided, and where the lots were cast for them. Then we went into the Chapel of Saint Helena, which goes down several steps, and after descending several other steps we saw the place where the Cross of Christ was found, which is below the place of the Calvary. Then returning above, we visited a chapel where there is the column to which Christ was bound when the crown of thorns was placed on his head. Then we mounted to the place of the Calvary, by a wooden staircase, with the greatest reverence.

There a beautiful sermon was preached on the passion of Christ by one of the friars of Mount Sion, in such a way that I believe that if those Moorish dogs had been present, together with all the pilgrims, they would have wept. We stayed there for over an hour, and when the sermon was finished and the usual prayer had been chanted we descended to the Holy Sepulchre and entered one by one.

When the offices commenced by the said friars were finished, the company set about refreshing themselves as well as they could -- that is, those of the pilgrims who had laid in a store of provisions. I went with the magnificent captain to a small place belonging to the friars of Mount Sion, and had supper, although it was late, because he had made good provision. The other pilgrims stayed in the church on the floor, some in one place, some in another. When the refection was over some lay down on the ground to sleep, others did not.

As soon as I saw that the crowd of Ultramontanes had diminished, I went again with my lighted candle to make all the visitations, and I touched the places and relics with my rosaries without any impediment. Then after the scrutiny had been made, and the number of the pilgrims taken by the friars -- I mean of those who wanted to say Mass -- they made out the clear lists, and we were divided between three places -- that is, the Sepulchre, the place of the Calvary and the Chapel of Our Lady. Mass could also be said in the place where the body of Christ was laid when he was taken down from the Cross, while he was being anointed with the mixture brought by Nicodemus and Joseph of Rama,(1) before he was laid in the Sepulchre. In that place anyone who wished could say Mass without any other order. According to this first arrangement I said Mass above the Sepulchre.

On Friday, the 9th of August, early in the morning, all the pilgrims were gathered together in Mount Sion, and we were led by two friars of the monastery on a pilgrimage -- that is, to seek certain places usually visited by pilgrims, and which we had not yet visited. Meanwhile the Venerable Don Fra Francesco was ill with the fever and suffering pain; he was doubtful, but full of courage.

1. According to some authorities Rama is the ancient Arimathea, the country of Joseph, who buried the body of Jesus.

After the said visitation we all returned to Mount Sion, and that day a Frenchman, also a pilgrim, who had been ill from the time we went on board the galley, was buried.

Immediately after Mass had been heard, every man went to prepare to go to Bethlehem according to the order given by the friars, and thus at the nineteenth hour we set out in extreme heat, riding the usual animals; and we went along a very gay and beautiful road with beautiful gardens on both sides. In my opinion, the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is the most beautiful we saw in those parts, there are so many beautiful things there -- grapes, figs and olives. By the way, we came to three springs. The Prior said that those springs began to flow when the star appeared to the wise men as they went from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to seek Our Lord Jesus Christ to adore him. Further on, near to Bethlehem, I saw the sepulchre of Rachel, the wife of the Patriarch Jacob, who died in childbed. It is beautiful and much honoured by the Moors.

At the twenty-third hour we reached Bethlehem. It was the vigil of Saint Lawrence, and we went to the convent of the friars, which is a very comfortable place. Immediately the procession was set in order by the friars and we went into the grotto where Christ was born, and there a sermon was preached. Then we sought out the other places usually visited.

After the devotions were performed, the pilgrims were lodged as well as possible. As I have said several times, thanks to the captain, I fared extremely well compared with the others.

At midnight the pilgrims began to say Masses in the place where Christ was born, and where he was laid in the manger. The places are near together. In the same grotto, down several steps, there was the place where Saint Jerome made his dwelling for many years. Mass was also said there. I said my Mass where Christ was laid in the manger.

On Sunday, the 10th of August, the Prior, having made instance, whoever wished to visit those holy places again could do so -- that is, where Saint Jerome translated the Bible from Hebrew into Latin, where his body was laid, and where the Innocents were killed by order of King Herod, who sought thus to slay Christ, when he was deceived by the three wise men.

The church at Bethlehem (Note 83) seems to me the most beautiful between Venice and Bethlehem. It is not only fine but extremely beautiful. Besides the body of the church in the centre, it has two shoulders, or as we say, two naves, each supported by eleven columns, so thick that one man alone cannot put his arms round them. They are very tall and all of one piece. The church is all adorned with most beautiful mosaics that look quite new. I was never tired of looking at the many beautiful pillars. I counted up to forty-four of them.

The said church is inhabited by a sect called Armenian Christians, although it is administered by the friars of Mount Sion. The Armenians, both big and little, male and female, live there on the ground, like pigs. They did nothing but cry out all night without intermission. At the entrance to the church it is necessary to pay money to the Moors.

From the ruins which are to be seen, the city of Bethlehem must have been a beautiful place. The country is fine and fruitful. There are few inhabitants now. A few families live there in certain ruins arranged for keeping cattle, which they keep even up to the door of the said church, to our great shame.

When day broke and the pilgrims had finished saying their Masses, the order was given that every man must mount the animal assigned to him, and we went to the hills of Judea. There we visited a ruined church said to be the place where Saint Elizabeth greeted Our Lady, and where she made that canticle: "Magnificat Anima mea Dominum"(1); and then another church. Although this last was not in ruins and was a fine body of a church, yet those Moorish dogs keep their animals inside, and make all kinds of filth.

We visited the place where Saint John the Baptist was born, and the place where Saint Zachariah, his father, made the canticle: "Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel quia visitavit, etc."(2) Then we departed from there and returning to Jerusalem by another way, we visited the Church of the Holy Cross, which is in very good order and served by certain Greek monks. They say that the wood was cut down there of which the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ was made.

After this visitation we returned to Jerusalem to rest a little, because in truth the heat exhausted us greatly. The Venerable Don Fra Fancesco Trivulzio, who, as I said, was more ill than well, and who yet wanted to visit every place, remained behind in Bethlehem, saying that he did not want to ride in so much dust, and that he wanted to make that visitation with certain friars of Mount Sion.

The rest of us went again that evening into the church of the Holy Sepulchre, but without the captain, because between age -- for he is old -- the great heat and the great trouble given him by those Moorish dogs, he was very sick. We made the visitations as we did the first time we entered, but without either procession of friars, and each one performed his devotions as his feeling dictated. A new list was made, arranging how Masses were to be said by the pilgrims, in order that there should be no confusion. I said Mass in the place of the Calvary because that was the order.

That night ten knights were created in the Sepulchre (Note 84), and they belonged to every nation of Italy. One was Don Giovanni Simone Fornaro of Pavia, who, as I said, had come with Fra Francesco from Ferrara; another Don Giovanni de Burgho of Antwerp, in Burgundy; others were Germans and also Spaniards. As there was a dearth of scribes, I wrote several letters testifying that they had been created knights at the Sepulchre, according to the form given me by the Superior, and he sealed the letters.