Visit to the River Jordan. -Jericho.-Fountain of Elisha. -Illness of Fra. Francesco Trivulzio. -Mountain of the Quarantina. -Return to Jerusalem. -Some Pilgrims Arrested. -Accusations brought against them. -Casola remains at Mount Sion, and Visits the Sepulchre of Our Lady. -Mass celebrated there by Georgian Christians. -Difficulties arranged and the Pilgrims released. -Third Visit to the Holy Sepulchre. -Tombs of Godfrey and Baldwin. -Description of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. -Casola Visits Bethany. -History of the Sultan and the Usbech.

ON Monday, the 11th of August, at the usual hour, we were let out of the church of the Sepulchre, and all the pilgrims were told that those who wanted to go to the River Jordan must be ready at the nineteenth hour. For my part, I was not anxious to go, because of the extreme heat, and also because it appeared to me that the expedition was prompted rather by curiosity to see the country than by any sentiment of devotion. Nevertheless the aforesaid Don Fra Francesco, ill as he was, said he wanted to go at all costs, and I who was well and strong felt ashamed of myself and mounted the accustomed mule. At the twenty-first hour all those who wished to go were gathered together in Mount Sion ready mounted, and there we remained in the blazing sun until the twenty-third hour waiting for the escort, which the Governor of Jerusalem was to send to protect us against the Arabs. At last a Mameluke arrived with certain barefooted soldiers; it is true that they had a bow apiece. And with this escort we set out, though many even at the last moment remained behind because of the intensity of the heat.

We rode fast because night was overtaking us, and we passed by Bethany without being able to see it. In response to the entreaties of one of the Venetian gentlemen deputies, whom I mentioned in the beginning, called Don Giovanni Bernardo Valessi,(1) who came with us instead of the captain, who had remained in the house with the fever, we stopped for a short time, as the pilgrims were already very tired, at a fountain called the fountain of the Apostles, and there we refreshed ourselves a little. Why the said fountain was called the fountain of the Apostles I could not find out. At the command of the Mameluke every man mounted immediately, and riding through the night, it appeared to me that all the way we went was very wild and stony.

At last we came to Jericho, that famous city which God miraculously destroyed in order to give it to the children of Israel. It was the first city taken by them in the Promised Land. As many of the pilgrims were much afflicted in consequence of the night riding--amongst whom was the Venerable Father Fra Francesco, who was completely exhausted--those Moorish dogs were persuaded to let us stop there. And having stopped and dismounted we located the aforesaid Father as well as we could beside a tower there (there was no other dwelling), on the bare ground; there was nothing else to be got save some chaff--that is, the part left when the wheat is purged. The aforesaid Father had already begun to repose when all at once those Moorish dogs began to bark that every man must mount, and it was necessary to obey, although with great suffering on the part of the Father. We rode so fast that we came by many thorny and arid ways to the River Jordan, and there the order was given that whoever wanted to enter the river must do so quickly. The sun had not yet risen.

1. Don Giovanni Bernardo Vallaresso.

Before sunrise on Tuesday, the 12th of August, we reached the River Jordan. I and many others who could swim entered the water naked; many, however, only washed their feet and hands there. Within the space of an hour the order was given to mount at once, and this was done.

The River Jordan in that part is not wider than our Naviglio,(1) which comes to Porta Ticinese. It is deep and the mud is high and sticky, almost like bath mud;(2) and the water is muddy, like that of the Po. When it is purified it is beautiful to look at. Many drank it from devotion, and I let them drink.

We returned by the same way by which we had come. It was very clear, and we could see well and examine the country, which is flat as far as Jericho. There is not a fruit tree to be seen, nor any other plant save abominable thorns, both large and small. I made acquaintance with them, for the mule I was riding carried me off the road among those thorns, and they tore my mantle and doublet. I showed the torn garments when I got home; my flesh was already healed when I arrived.

As we passed by I looked well at that city of Jericho. There was nothing left but ruins and the tower I mentioned above, and a but or two propped up against the ruins. Neither bread nor wine is to be found there for money or as a gift. The men and women of that country are not black, but they are burnt and dried

1. The Naviglio is the great canal which goes through Milan and connects the city with the Ticino, Lago Maggiore, and the Po.

2. Caeola was probably thinking of the mud-bathe at Abano and elsewhere in Italy.

up by the sun. This is all that can be said about Jericho. True, we read in the Holy Scriptures that when God had caused Jericho to be destroyed he laid a curse on anyone who should ever re-build it again.

When we had passed by Jericho we were led to a spring of water called the spring of Elisha. It is a large spring, and the water gushed out through two large stones. It is cool and good to drink, and if it were in our country there would be good mills built there and many meadows around, but in that country it is not used. That fount is called the fount of Elisha because when the Prophet Elisha lived in those parts the water was bitter, and especially the water of that spring. As he was prayed to do so by those who visited him--that is by the sons of the other prophets--he blessed all the waters, especially the water of that spring, and threw salt therein, and those waters became good to drink, as they are at present; therefore this fount is called the fount of Elisha.

When we got there both Moors and Christians wanted to rest and eat. We lodged the Father and his company under a certain plant that was covered with brambles and formed by itself a sort of pavilion. We laid him there as comfortably as possible. He was suffering greatly, and I doubted very much whether we should be able to take him back to Jerusalem, because he did not want to eat, but only to drink. With gentle words and also a little scolding we got him to take some refreshment, and then we covered him in order that he might sleep.

After a good meal I left the company, and seeing some other pilgrims about to ascend a mountain near there, which is called the Mount of the Quarantina, and hearing that they were going to the place where Christ fasted forty days and forty nights, I also went there. Whoever wanted to go up had to pay certain marchetti to the Moors. When I saw those places they were very arid and desert. I saw many cells among the stones; it was said they were places where in ancient times many hermits dwelt to do penance. One thing may be recorded, namely, that the day we were there it was so hot that the stones burnt my feet, although the boots I had on my feet had double soles. When I had visited the said QuarantinaI returned to the company; then I refreshed myself in the said fount while waiting for those Moorish dogs to cry, "Get up."

Thus, after midday, in the hour when the sun was hottest, we set out towards Jerusalem, where we arrived suffering greatly from heat and thirst at the third hour of the night, and dismounted in Mount Sion. We had difficulty in entering Jerusalem because the guards at the gates wanted money. Having calculated and collected the tax amongst us and paid, we were allowed to go in.

Whoever had seen many pilgrims by the way and because of the extreme heat, drink water in which at home they would have disdained to wash their feet, would have been moved to great compassion. Some among them fell ill, and even died in consequence.

On Wednesday, the 13th of August, the Prior of Mount Sion gave the order to enter the Sepulchre for the third time. The pilgrims were already in order for entering, when the Governor of Jerusalem sent to the hospital where the majority of the pilgrims, as I said, were lodged, and caused six of them to be seized and chained and cast into prison. Then he sent to the house where our magnificent captain lodged to seize him and conduct him chained to the prison, together with all the pilgrims found with him in the house, but because he was ill it was impossible for him to go. They chained all the pilgrims who were with him, however, and took them to the prison where the others were. At that hour I was at Mount Sion, where I had gone for certain affairs of mine. If I had been in the house I should have been led in chains like the others. Owing to this unexpected occurrence the project of entering the Sepulchre was given up for this day.

Meanwhile the Prior of Mount Sion and Don Frate Antonio Regna, a' true Milanese, succeeded in inducing the aforesaid Governor of Jerusalem to release all the prisoners from the prison, which was in truth a wretched place, and send them all to the house of the captain, where they were guarded by certain Moors. The reason why those dogs had treated the Christians in this unexpected way was the following: --

A Jew who lives in Jerusalem--a doctor, brought up in Italy, who had made great acquaintance with me, and with whom I had talked much because he speaks our tongue as if he were a Milanese--had accused the Christians to the said Governor, saying that certain of the pilgrims had refrained from going to the River Jordan in order to spy out and explore Jerusalem, and that he had heard certain of the pilgrims say that within two years the Christians would be masters of Jerusalem. Upon this accusation he caused those poor men to be chained.

I remained in Mount Sion--though I was very uncomfortable, especially for the sleeping--because the said Don Frate Antonio Regna advised me to do so in order to escape from the fury of those dogs, who appeared to be dogs indeed.

On Thursday, the 14th of August, the vigil of the Assumption of Our Lady--as the said Lord of Jerusalem persisted in the wickedness of trying to rob more money than usual from the pilgrims for the reason above mentioned--we all remained dismayed and alarmed, and we had not courage to go and seek any indulgence in all the world. We were all prisoners, some here, some there; some at the hospital, some in Mount Sion and some at the house of the captain, which was guarded by Moors; so that we began to weary of this pilgrimage, although it procured us great merit in the sight of God--for all the time we drew on that sack of patience.

On Friday, the 15th of August, the festival of the Assumption of Our Lady, as I had remained at Mount Sion and slept with some pilgrim friars, I got up before daybreak, together with certain friars of the place--that is, of the Friary of Mount Sion--appointed to say the offices, and went into the valley of Jehoshaphat to visit the Sepulchre of Our Lady. It is situated, as I said above, in a very well-kept church which goes down many steps below the level of the ground. I paid certain marchetti before entering, and then visited the aforesaid sepulchre and heard the Mass which was said over the sepulchre.

Afterwards I stayed there a good while to hear another Mass chanted by a certain sect of religious called Georgians. They chanted it at an altar apart from the altar of the sepulchre. After watching their gestures and hearing the cries they made, I got tired of staying there, perhaps because I did not understand them as they were Greeks; and as certain friars of Mount Sion were returning to the house I joined them, for it was not yet quite light.

When we got back, having said my offices, I said Mass in the place where Our Saviour instituted the Sacrament of his body and blood.

All this time the Prior, together with Frate Antonio Regna--who appeared to me to have much more experience in dealing with the Moors than the Prior, but who did not speak their language; he had been nine years there without being able to learn it--and the magnificent captain, used every effort to put an end to this exile, for so it might be called. The pilgrims were all inclined to go or send word to the Sultan rather than pay a single marchetto; so for that day also nothing could be done.

As it came into my mind that the captain had appointed me his scribe, I went into the city and returned to his lodging, and there I found the pilgrims guarded by the Moors like prisoners and the magnificent captain sick of a fever. He made me write several letters to Beyrout, in Damascus, and also to Cairo (where the Sultan lives), addressed to certain Venetians who live there, telling them of the ill-treatment and grievous injury he was victim of on the part of the Moors, and asking them to report those things to the Sultan, and to the Usbech Governor of Jerusalem; and then he sent a messenger who promised to go and return very quickly. After that, as my lodging was occupied by the prisoners, I wanted to return to Mount Sion, but I was obliged to remain--I also--as if I were in prison. Finally, by means of another Moor who frequented the house of the captain, I paid a tribute of certain marchetti to the guard and thus obtained permission to return to Mount Sion, for my lodging was occupied by those other pilgrims guarded as if they were in prison. And that Moor guided me by certain roads where I was somewhat afraid.

Very early on Saturday, the 16th of August, the Prior and the captain, ill as he was, went to the Great Cathibissa, who is, as I said, the oldest [priest] of their faith. A word from him has more weight than that of any other Moor. They told him about the malice and iniquity of that Jew, and begged him to use his influence with the Governor of Jerusalem, so that he might let the pilgrims go on their voyage; and they assured him that those who had refrained from going to the River Jordan had remained behind because they were afraid of falling ill, and not to spy out the city. They used their best efforts with the said Governor, doing their duty before the Old Man of his Faith; but that dog of a Governor, who wanted to make extortions at all costs, would not give them any other reply for that time. All the pilgrims in consequence remained in great confusion and depression of mind, the more so because the said Governor had sent an order forbidding the captain to leave his lodging. Finally, at a late hour it was necessary to call in the help of the Venerable Don Fra Antonio Regna, our Milanese, who has greater courage in dealing with those mastiffs than any other person who was there. When he has to deal with those Moors he seems indeed another Judas Maccabeus in word and sometimes also in act; and this I say from what I saw.

They remained--that is, he and the Prior--to contend with that Old Man of his Faith and that Governor about the accusations made against the pilgrims. At last that business also was settled for money, the sum being reduced from a thousand ducats to twenty-five. Thus at the third hour of the night they arrived in Mount Sion and gave the good news to the pilgrims that everything was well arranged.

On Sunday, the 17th of August, the pilgrims gathered together in the morning at Mount Sion and comforted each other again on account of the good news brought by the Venerable Fathers aforesaid. We had been afraid of being kept there until we were dead or at least half dead, because it had been decided to appeal to the Sultan rather than pay a quattrino.(l)

When the magnificent captain arrived he gave notice to the company that they were to enter the Holy Sepulchre for the third time according to custom, and so we went

1. The quattrino was a copper coin worth four bagattini; that is to say, it was the third part of a soldo.

Before daybreak on Monday, the 18th of August, at the accustomed hour, I said Mass at the altar of Our Lady, where Christ appeared to her after the Resurrection. Then when I had visited and re-visited the sacred places, and it had become quite light, as the Masses which were being said by the pilgrim priests were not yet finished, I set myself to examine carefully that sacred Temple (Note 85) which contains so many beautiful mysteries of our redemption.

The Temple is large. It has two doors, which seem to me to be in the middle of the body of the said Temple towards the west. One of the two doors is walled up, and only one is open; nor is there any other entrance. On the left hand of the said door outside there is a beautiful bell tower, but at present there are no bells.

Immediately on entering the church there is the place where the body of Christ was anointed when it was taken down from the Cross. At the side there is the ascent to the place of the Calvary, which is governed by a sect of Christians called Georgians. Underneath there is a dark chapel, said to be the centre of the world.(1) In this same place there are two very humble monuments (Note 86). One is said to be that of Godfrey, who was the first King after the Christians had rescued Jerusalem from the hands of the Saracens. On the other there are certain Latin

1. It was a general belief in the middle ages that Jerusalem was the centre of the earth. The belief was based on a literal interpretation of the words in Ezekiel, v. 5, This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her."

The cupola above the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ is very remarkable, and was built with great magnificence. It is indeed a miracle that those Moorish dogs have left it standing, but if God does not provide, I think it will tumble down. A piece has already fallen from the vault near the Latin friars, and those dogs will not allow it to be repaired, notwithstanding that the true Governor of Jerusalem--that is to say, the Usbech--obtained from the Sultan permission for them to make repairs; so those friars told me who went for it.

At the first glance the said cupola, seen from below, resembles that of Santa Maria Rotonda at Rome, because it also is somewhat low and decorated, and has a large hole in the centre which gives all the light, not only to the said cupola, but to all the rest of the Temple. After a more careful examination, however, the said cupola is seen to be built on the same plan as that of San Lorenzo the Greater at Milan, for below one can walk all round by means of a gallery, and the same above.

1. Baldwin, who was a second Maccabeus.

Below, towards the west, there are two square pillars, which show signs of having been formerly encrusted with slabs of marble. Beside the said pillars, on the right as well as the left, there are three columns on each side as thick as two tall men could embrace. Behind these columns on both sides, in the same order and of the same size, there are two other square pilasters, which were formerly encrusted with slabs of marble. Then, in the order aforesaid, on each side, follow two columns of the same thickness as the aforesaid. Then, behind these, on each side, there are three columns a braccio thick, and almost all three together; and over these six columns there springs a large arch: and the cupola remains round in this order. The gallery above is as large as that below, but its columns are a braccio thick, and arranged in this order--a column and a square encrusted pilaster alternately all round the circle.

The Holy Sepulchre is in the middle. It is like a little round chapel, carved in stone, which has the diameter of the Sepulchre on which Mass is said; and when four persons are in the said little chapel there is no room for more. It is entered by a hole, as there is no door, and a man has to stoop greatly in order to enter there. In front there is a sort of square cell annexed to the said chapel, and there is a stone, somewhat raised, before the hole at the entrance to the Sepulchre. It is said to be the stone on which the angel was seated when he told the Maries that Christ-had risen.

Behind the said little chapel, there is a sort of chapel served by a sect of Christians called Jacobites. They have a very strange way of chanting the offices. At night I stood a while to watch their ceremonies and chants, which rather provoked the company to laughter than anything else.. The calogeri, as their priests are called, had little hammers in their hands, and as they chanted they beat with the said hammers on a piece of iron. I could not understand why they did so.

In the galleries which go round above and also below, the sects of Christians I have mentioned are lodged with their wives and families. They arrange their lodgings with matting and canvas, but everything they do can be seen.

After passing that arch which springs from those three columns on each side, as I said above, forming the cupola, there are two vaults higher than the cupola, which form the body of the church; and this is, as it were, the beginning of the Temple with its altar, which appears to be the principal altar. This body is surrounded by a wall, except the part towards the Sepulchre, which indeed has a wall, but it is low. I think it has been left so in order to receive light from the hole which is in the cupola, because it cannot obtain light in any other way. This place is administered by the Greeks who chant their offices there.

Outside one can walk all round this place, and there are certain chapels where various mysteries of the passion of Christ are honoured, as I said above. The habitation of the minor friars, who are called the Latins, maybe said to be outside the circuit of this Holy Temple, although they have no other entrance or exit except that of the Temple. These friars have the care of the Sepulchre and of the little chapel in front. It is very commonly said that Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine, caused this wonderful Temple to be built, nor do we read anywhere that it was built by anyone else.

On Monday, the 18th of August, when God willed--it was after the second hour of the day--notice was given to all the pilgrims to be ready at Vespers to escape out of the hands of those Moorish dogs who were never tired of tormenting the Christians, now about one thing, now about another.

After dinner I went with certain others as far as Bethany to see the tomb out of which Christ raised Lazarus, the brother of Martha and of Mary Magdalen, when he had been dead four days. I had passed twice by Bethany, but I had never seen the said monuments. It is very well worth seeing. I had to pay a few marchetti to the Moors in order to see the said monument.

After this I returned to my lodging to get my baggage, and then went to Mount Sion, where the pilgrims were gathered together anxiously waiting for the animals for riding, and for the moment when those dogs would say, " Get out of this," so that one hour seemed a year to us.

Finally, at the nineteenth hour, without entreaties from anyone, we all mounted the usual animals, and praising God, we left the Holy City of Jerusalem-about which so much has been written by saints and others--which is extolled in the sacred Scriptures, which has been the dwelling-place of so many holy men, and, finally, the habitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, in which he willed to endure so much opprobrium and so many blows, and, finally, a cruel death to redeem the human race. Now, owing to the great strife and discord among Christians, it is ruled by those renegade dogs, because no one can reign over the Moors who is not a renegade Christian. And if one of the renegades should take a wife and have sons, these sons cannot succeed the father in any dignity. Such sons as these are called sons of the people, even though they be the sons of the Sultan (Note 88).

In the said office, when the holder dies, the man who has most influence with the soldiers, who are all renegade Christians, succeeds him, and the oftener he has abjured the more he is esteemed. The present Sultan was seized in the field together with the Usbech, on whom he bestowed the Governorship of Jerusalem. They are Circassians, belonging to a country near the possessions of the Sultan. They both abjured the Christian faith and were sold as slaves several times in their youth. As they grew up they became sworn brothers, and so valiant in arms that the late Sultan set them over all his army.

When he died these two sworn brothers were masters of the situation, because they had the army under their control. And when they were talking together--that is, the present Sultan and the Usbech--about this dominion, the Sultan said that if the Usbech would help to procure him this honour he should be Sultan as much as himself. These words were no sooner said than the Usbech went out and made all the Mamelukes proclaim the other, Sultan, while he himself remained at the head of the army and received the Governorship of Jerusalem. In course of time the Usbech, Governor of Jerusalem, sold his Governorship to another for many ducats, nevertheless he is still the Governor.

The Usbech has a great friendship for the minor friars, and gives them large alms. Whenever they go to Cairo and whenever they appeal to him on account of any trouble given them by the Moors he inflicts heavy punishments on the Moors and fleeces those malefactors right well (Note 89).

Pilgrims leave Jerusalem and reach Rama, where they are delayed.-The Governor of Gaza and the Ten Slaves.-Sermon from the Prior of Mount Sion and Warning to Intending Pilgrims.-Rumoured Night Attack on the Hostel.-Messengers sent to Jaffa.-Giovanni Simone Fornaro and his Parrot.-The Slaves Given up.-The Pilgrims leave Rama for Jaffa.-Death and Burial of a German Pilgrim.-The Galley sets Sail for the West.

WE left Jerusalem, as I said, and set out towards Rama, following the road to Emmaus, the castle where Christ appeared after his Resurrection to those disciples who said to him: "Tu solus peregrinus es in Jerusalem?"(1) And he replied to them: " 0 stulti et tardi ad credendum."(2)

When we reached the said castle, as there was a fountain there, the owners of the animals wanted to give them to drink. I looked at the place meanwhile. There are still a few dwellings there, but not many.

Then when it was already evening Abrayno Grasso and his companions wanted to stop in the open country to sup; and thus all the pilgrims dismounted to refresh themselves and wait for the moon to rise before starting again. Our lodging was on many stones, because in the open country there, there was nothing but stones.

As soon as the moon had risen, we all mounted, by order of the Moors, and rode all night until we came near Rama. Here those dogs, making a great noise, thrust us

1. "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem?"-Luke,xx:iv.18.

The Venerable Father Don Fra Francesco had insisted on coming with us, though he was ill. Certain sick persons, however, of various countries had remained behind in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, the 19th of August, when the company arose, the Venerable Prior and the magnificent captain began to make arrangements for going to Jaffa before any other obstacle arose, because some new mushrooms (1) sprang up each day. But our solicitude could not outrun the fury of those dogs who were not yet satisfied with what they had extorted from the Christians, so the arrangements came to nothing.

On Wednesday, the 20th of August, the Governor of Gaza, who had come to Rama on hearing that the pilgrims had arrived there, invented another bewildering fraud. He said he wanted back the ten slaves who had been redeemed after we left the galley to go to Jerusalem, or that he wanted five hundred ducats. This was a more than diabolial invention, because there was no court of justice there, and the Sultan was ten days' march away, according to what people said. There was no remedy. However, on the intervention of the Prior the robbery was compounded for a hundred and twenty-eight ducats, and this was a great consolation to the pilgrims, who hoped to depart at least the following day.

In the evening the captain went to take him the money,

1. Difficulties, obstacles.

On Thursday, the 21st of August, as the pilgrims were cheated out of the departure, the Prior of Mount Sion said Mass very early in the morning. Then, wanting as well as he knew how, poor man, to comfort the company, he preached a sermon in Latin, racking his brains a prisiano [sic] as dexterously as he could, and exhorting the pilgrims to have patience under the tribulations inflicted on us every day by those Moors, and this with most excellent authority of the Holy Scriptures and also the examples of the saints, " quia oportet per multas tribulationes intrare in regnum Dei." (1)

In the second part of his sermon he asked pardon of all the pilgrims if he and his friars had not shown them all the attention that perhaps they hoped would have been shown them both in Jerusalem and elsewhere.

In the third part of his aforesaid sermon he admonished all the pilgrims when they returned to their countries and native places, to exhort all those who might have the intention of visiting the Holy Sepulchre, either because of a vow made, or out of devotion, not to go there for the next two years; and he gave as a reason for this warning the great vexations inflicted on the pilgrims by the Moors, and said that they will do worse in the future until the Sultan hears about it and takes steps. After this sermon the door of the hospital was opened

1. Since it is necessary through many tribulations to enter into the Kingdom of God.

When the captain went to pay the sum agreed upon, however, the said Governor of Gaza began to do as Pharaoh, King of Egypt, did to Moses when God wanted him to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land where we were. He began a new tyranny, saying he did not want money for the slaves who had been redeemed and were on board the galley, but he wanted them back again. And now he said one thing, and now another, till both the aforesaid Prior and the captain were thoroughly perplexed, and we did not know what to do in order to satisfy that raging dog of a Governor of Gaza.

Finally, it was agreed to send a messenger to Jerusalem to the Old Man of his Faith and await until his opinion on the matter was known. The messenger was sent, and for that day there was nothing else to be done.

There was never a day of greater murmuring among the pilgrims, because the wine and the water had come to an end, and the heat was very great. A great company of Ultramontanes arose and went to the captain's lodgings, crying out as did the children of Israel against Moses when they lacked water in the desert. It was more painful than I can say to hear the words spoken by the pilgrims and to see the affliction of the captain who had so many men, as it were, in prison. As well as they could, the Venerable Father Don Fra Francesco, who had a great reputation among the pilgrims, and the Prior, comforted the company and told them that provision would be made as to the drinking, in the morning. The pilgrims calmed down, because the sun had already set and they had had supper.

At this juncture, I think it was a Christian of the Girdle who warned the captain that certain Moors intended to attack the hospital that night in order to rob the pilgrims. The captain summoned those who appeared of most importance as representing the different nations, and told them what that Christian had said, adding that he thought guards ought to be posted for the night, and this was done.

About midnight one of the guards thought he saw armed men near the door of the hospital, and began to call out, and the cries so increased right up to the room of the captain, that at the first moment we thought we were all cut to pieces.

I slept, as I said before, in the captain's room with certain others, and I was lying on a plank raised perhaps half a braccio from the ground. On hearing the noise, half asleep as I was, I fell from the plank to the ground in such a way, that there was not a single pilgrim who came to grief on account of those cries except Casola who fell off from his perch. There was no real cause for all the alarm, nevertheless everyone was very much frightened.

When the company had breathed again somewhat, I began to laugh, saying : "And if there had really been an attack what resistance could we have made?" In all the hospital there was not a stick a braccio long to be found, nor a sword, nor a knife half a braccio long; in short, not a weapon of any kind. There were not even stones without pulling down the hospital. Every man said I was right, and we went back to rest on the beds several times mentioned, until the morning.

On Friday, the 22nd of August, in order to give a little satisfaction to the company until the messenger came back from Jerusalem, certain barrels of wine were brought in and distributed among the persons there. While we were waiting thus in expectation, some messengers came from the Moors and urged the pilgrims to mount the asses, etc., at once to go to Jaffa. As we thought that Abrayno had given this order we rejoiced greatly, but immediately after we heard that it was not true, and that the Moors were only mocking the Christians.

At that hour the messenger arrived from Jerusalem from that old Man of his Faith, who wrote to the Governor of Gaza and told him, that he was on no account to give up the redeemed slaves sent on to the galley, unless he had as many Moorish slaves in exchange, and that if he had received money for the slaves he should restore it. This was a great affliction for us and a great misfortune for the men who had been ransomed.

The captain was now obliged to write with his own hand to the comito of the galley and to the scribe, ordering them to bind those poor men and give them up to the Mamelukes who carried the letters.

While the Mamelukes went to the galley, in order that we should not find the delay tedious, Dan Giovanni Simone Fornaro, a pilgrim belonging to Pavia, who had been created knight in the Sepulchre, was accused before the Governor of Gaza of having brought a fine parrot from Jerusalem, and the said lord sent a Mameluke to take it away by force. It was defended a good while by Frate Antonio Regna, both with words and acts, but at last he was obliged to give it up to the Mameluke, who took it away with peril of a scandal and injury to the pilgrims, because those Moors sought nothing but some excuse for spoiling us.

The captain immediately followed the man who carried the parrot, in order to make excuses for the disturbance made, and the said Giovanni Simone insisted on following the captain against the advice of his friends, who were all of the opinion that he ought not to go. When they were all in the presence of the said Governor, the Moors accused the said Giovanni Simone of having stolen the parrot in Jerusalem. The said Giovanni Simone sought to exculpate himself by saying that he had bought it, but he was told that he must either name the seller or lose his hand or pay fifty ducats; and with these words they put him in " cima," (1) as the prisons are called. However, the matter was arranged for ten ducats of the Venetian Mint, which he paid. He also gave certain maydini (2) to those who guarded him, and he left the parrot behind with that Governor for that time. But the game of the dogs was not yet finished.

This was one of the festivals we enjoyed while waiting at Rama for the ten slaves to be brought from the galley. And worse befell us after the affair of the parrot, for at the third hour of the night, a Frenchman, who said he was of royal blood, passed from this life. He was buried in the place set apart by the friars.

On Saturday, the 23rd of August, the Mamelukes who had gone to the galley to fetch the slaves returned with empty hands, because the officers of the galley, believing that the captain's letters had been extorted by force, refused to give the prisoners up. Before the said Mamelukes left the sea, they had put thirteen galeotti who happened to be on shore, in chains and placed them in custody in one of the two towers at Jaffa.

1. Cima in Ital= the top, summit.

2. The Maidino was a small piece of silver money whose value varied according to the place and the time. The Maidino of Cairo was worth twice as much as that of Damascus. (Porro).

When they arrived at Rama without the slaves, there was a great outcry amongst the pilgrims, who all thought that they would never escape out of the hands of the Moors, and from such hard exile, where everything was lacking except extreme heat. The Prior, Fra Antonio Regna and the captain went at once to the said Governor of Gaza, who was very angry on account of these things; and, seizing the excuse that the officers of the galley had refused to give up the slaves on account of the galeotti who had been put in chains, they finally, with much difficulty, persuaded him to send once more.

The Mamelukes were therefore sent back, accompanied by a certain Don Giovanni Bernardo--belonging to the Valessi (1) family, who was one of the gentlemen appointed to the galley by the Signoria--with the stipulation that if the slaves were not brought back by midday on the following day, the Governor of Gaza would exact two thousand ducats. They departed at the twenty-first hour, and the said Don Giovanni Bernardo said afterwards that they arrived at the sea at the second hour of the night. The said Don Giovanni Bernardo did all he had been commissioned to do by the captain in my presence, and vehemently abused and threatened the officers of the galley. He was in truth very much disturbed.

On Sunday, the 24th of August, the day of Saint Bartholomew, when all the pilgrims had arisen and heard the Masses, and we had recommended ourselves to God, we waited in great anxiety of mind to know the result of the work of the messenger who had gone to the sea; and we remained on the roof of the hospital in the sun with that great desire to escape.

By the will of God the messenger and the Mamelukes arrived before the hour fixed and brought those poor

1. i.e., the Vallaresso family--one of the Venetian patrician families

The men of the galley sent word to the captain that he need not hesitate to add to the first sum paid because everything would be refunded, and they informed him that three of the slaves belonged to Candia and were well off at home.

I spoke to them, and found that they knew Italian well, though whether they were from Candia or elsewhere I did not otherwise inquire. I was very sorry for one thing, and so were the other pilgrims, and that is, that when the slaves were ransomed I paid a Venetian ducat for my share, but when the money was returned, the captain would not give it back to me.

As soon as those poor chained men had been handed over to those dogs, we had licence to go on our journey, and every man prepared himself until the animals were brought which we were to ride. Meanwhile the Governor of Gaza, who had kept the parrot and had received ten ducats from Don Giovanni Simone Fornaro, sent to say that he was to take that parrot away and that he wanted five braccia of scarlet cloth. When they heard this, the Prior and the captain went to the Governor of Gaza. I did not hear what they did, but the parrot was taken on board the galley by order of the captain.

At this time the pilgrims were mounting in great haste, some on mules, some on asses. It appeared to us as if we should never escape from that cruel prison where we had been kept so many days contrary to custom.

We departed without further delay, and arrived at Jaffa very early, so that if those dogs had been weary of eating our flesh the pilgrims could have gone on board; but they wanted also to gnaw the bones. We were weary, afflicted and a great many of us were sick; but that mastiff, Abrayno Grasso, compelled us to pass that night also on the seashore, on the bare hot ground. I really think that was our worst night, although we had many bad ones before which we had forgotten. The Venerable Father preacher alone, in consequence of the entreaties of the Prior and the captain, was allowed to go on board the galley with his servant, because he was ill.

On Monday, the 25th of August, as those dogs were satiated, they consented to let the pilgrims be put on board the galley; and thus by the grace of God we were all carried by the boats with great speed to the galley. Nevertheless, as long as the captain, who remained behind us a good while, was not also on the galley, it seemed to us as if we must be summoned on shore again.

The officers of the galley and the galeotti gave us such a cordial and affectionate greeting that if we had been their brothers and sons they could not have done more.

After the pilgrims were on board the galley the captain and the scribe were detained until the following night, and Abrayno did not let the captain leave his tent until he had got all he wanted from him.

On Tuesday, the 26th of August, when the captain had been dismissed by those dogs and had entered the galley, he found that one of the German pilgrims (1)-one of those who had been created knights in the Sepulchre-was dead. It was necessary to come to terms with those dogs, who insisted on having ten ducats before they would let us bury him on land. He was buried on the seashore. This

1. The name of this pilgrim was Albrecht Maetsch aus Preussen, as we learn from Ludwig Freiherr von Greiffenstein, and two other German pilgrims, Reinhard von Bemmelberg, and Konrad von Parsberg. See Deutsche Pilgerreisen, by Reinhold Rohricht.

When the boat which had carried the body on land returned, the captain, to the great consolation of the living, decided to set sail before eating. The poor gentleman had been so maltreated by the Moors that he was in a great hurry to depart. Thus at the fourth hour of the day he ordered the anchors to be heaved, and to the praise of God and of our glorious lady we set sail towards the West.

Galley Carried out of its Course.-Arrival at the Salines of Cyprus.-Galley Touches at Limasol.-Contrary Winds.-Sermon from Fra Francesco Trivulzio.Death of Andrea Alemano.-Last Sermon Preached by Fra Francesco.-Contrary Winds and Calms.-Fra Francesco complains of a Swelling on his Neck.-Fears of the Plague.-Precautions taken.- Beyrout Fleet Encountered.-News of the West.-Contrary winds and Storms.-Death of a Native of Zara and of Fra Francesco.-Arrival at Rhodes.-Burial of Fra Francesco Trivulzio.-The Galley leaves Rhodes.

ALTHOUGH there was not a favourable wind, nevertheless, by tacking, we navigated so far that the towers of Jaffa were lost to sight. Then the sea began to rise so much against us that, between the hard times we had endured on land and the contrary sea, we almost all fell sick, and we felt better lying down than eating and drinking.

Thus navigating against the wind from the aforesaid hour, the galley was carried so far out to sea that no land was seen again until the last day of August, which was a Sunday. On that day, at midday, a cape on the island of Cyprus was sighted, called Cape Greco. This greatly comforted the pilgrims because we believed that we should never again see land. Already the firewood began to run short, as the galley had remained at Jaffa beyond the usual time, and wood cannot be procured there because there are no woods. And we who sat at the captain's table had begun to use salt water for washing our hands--a thing which had never happened before--and the drinking water was so bad that it turned my stomach.

The desire for many things made us cheer up a little; but we were disappointed in our expectations, because we arrived very late at a place called the Salines of Cyprus (Note 90), where there was not a single thing to be had. Four other Venetian ships were there on their way to Beyrout, and they had taken everything.

As the captain heard that at Nicosia, one of the principal cities of Cyprus, people were dying [of the plague] he made a general exhortation to the pilgrims, and advised them not to go to that city. There were, however, certain impatient Germans, who, when they heard that the captain had to stop there some time, went to see the island at their pleasure. I was obedient, being afraid of risking my life. Certain of the pilgrims also, who had suffered greatly from the sea, landed and went by land to await the galley at Limasol, where the captain intended to call, in order that whoever wished to buy and sell might do so, and also to get a supply of biscuits.

We stayed so long at the Salines that whoever on the galley wished to do so got a supply of salt. The salt costs nothing there, and all the world could be furnished without exhausting the supply. There is a lake there like certain of our lakes of the Seprio (Note 91), which can be seen all at once. It is called the lake of San Lazzaro, and is said to have taken the name because of the favour he asked from God that salt might never be lacking there; and thus the said lake appears always as if frozen, and it is the salt. The galeotti enter with hatchets or other tools and take out as much as they want and carry it away; when morning comes the lake is the same as ever.

The whole island of Cyprus is supplied from there and all the ships that pass by, and the salt is never lacking. It appears to me to be a miracle, though certain persons think it may be the nature of the place. The said salt is white as snow, and salts excellently. It cannot be taken to Venice, except in secret, under a penalty. In the galley they used the salt very liberally, and salted everything, even the skins of the animals which were killed.

When the galley was supplied with the said salt, at the second hour of the night, a slight wind arose, and all the night we navigated as well as possible in the circumstances, making as much progress as a snail would have done.

On Monday, the first day of September, we advanced very slowly on our voyage, because there was a calm at sea, and the galley could not be driven with the oars, as I have said several times, because it was too large a ship, so that I felt vexed that I also had not gone by land with many others as far as Limasol. Suffice it to say that we took eight days to go the two hundred and sixty miles from Jaffa to Cyprus. It is true, as the sailors said, that we really made more than eight hundred miles, because the course followed was in the shape of a great curve which carried us far into the high sea. There was no help for this on account of the wind, which was contrary to our path.

On the above-mentioned day we came to a place called " A la Canuta," and there stopped, for there was such a calm at sea that the galley did not move.

On Tuesday, the 2nd of September, as the galley could not proceed, the captain ordered the anchor to be cast, and many of the pilgrims went ashore to go to Limasol, thinking to procure some good refreshment; but all were deceived. I took the advice of the captain, who said to me, " Don't go," and I bore the hardships patiently.

Two hours before daybreak on Wednesday, the 3rd of September, they began to work the oars, because, as I said, there was a great calm at sea; and the poor men worked so hard that we arrived at Limasol.

The captain stopped there and fastened the galley with the anchors, because there is no port there to which the cables could be attached, but only the seashore.

Every man went on land, where, however, provisions were not found to refresh the company as we had hoped. There was nothing but bread and a few grapes. The dearth was due to the fact that a few days before, a Venetian galley, one of those of the guard, had put in there because the greater number of those on board were ill, and the galeotti had so harried the peasants--taking away their goods and refusing to pay for them--that they were afraid to show themselves.

Nevertheless, on our arrival they were somewhat reassured, and began to come with some things to sell, and bought some of the merchandise carried on land by the galeotti, though not as much as we had thought. There was an abundance of melons good for the teeth of old folks, not after the Lombard fashion where they like them hard; there you could eat them with a spoon.

The quantity of carobs or ultramarine beans was almost incalculable. A great trade was done in them, and the quantity brought on board the galley was stupendous. Whoever could find a place for them in the galley was lucky; a sack of a moggio was sold for three marcelli. I did not buy any, because I do not care for that fruit. It seemed to me that the carobs brought on the galley were sufficient to supply all the world; but after seeing the quantity held by the agents of certain Venetian merchants who live there, and which was all to be sent to Venice, I changed my opinion. I can assure you that the trade in this fruit is of immense importance and value, and I can say the same of the sugar I saw there.

Although the captain had decided to depart that same day, he was unable to do so, because the supply of biscuits and the cattle he had ordered were not ready in time, so he was obliged to wait until the following day.

On Thursday, the 4th of September, the pilgrims and the galeotti who had gone on land, some for one thing, some for another, were recalled by the firing of mortars and the blowing of trumpets. At the third hour of the night we set sail, and by the morning we had gone about forty miles.

On Friday, the 5th of September, in the morning, the provenza,(l) a wind directly contrary to our path, was blowing, and so hard that although all the sails were furled it drove us back. As well as possible the galley was brought under control by means of the oars. All the sailors sweated copiously and shouted, because in truth they were exerting themselves beyond their strength. The sight of them roused one's compassion. At a place near what is called Cape Bianco (2) there is a certain stretch of quite white coast which forms part of the island of Cyprus.

On Saturday, the 6th of September, the captain, seeing that he could not go ahead, ordered the anchors to be cast. We were then so near land that the galeotti were sent out in a certain little boat called a copano, and went to get wood and water, and also a few sheep. To obtain these, it was necessary to go some miles distance from the shore.

As this weather continued all Saturday and also all the following night, the captain and the pilgrims were very

1. West wind.

2.Cape on the south coast of Cypress not far from papos or Baff.

On Sunday, the 7th of September, as the provenza had dropped and the sea was calm, the captain ordered all the saiIs to be spread as quickly as possible in order to leave the place where we were. We made so little progress, however, that it appeared to the company as if we were going back; nevertheless we really went ahead, at least obliquely.

In order to assuage in some degree the great sadness on board among the pilgrims and also the galeotti, due to the lack of what the company wanted--that is, some good victuals--the Venerable Don Fra Francesco de Trivulzio caused all the company to be gathered together in the usual way, by means of the whistle sounded by the comito of the galley, and they came to the usual place in the poop at the second hour of the day.

There he preached a beautiful sermon--the last but one preached by that holy man--and encouraged the company not to have so much anxiety about the things of the world as they appeared to have. It was all very well for him to talk, because he did not lack anything, but for many of his hearers, to whom they were lacking, talking was not enough.

He took for his subject: " Primo quaerite regnum Doi et justitiam ejus." (1) And in the first place, following the text, he expounded the Gospel which occurred in the Mass according to the use of the Court of Rome. Then he proceeded to his sermon by way of a question--namely: Whether a person can be solicitous about temporal things without sin; and this because Christ said: " Respicite

1. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness."-Matt., vi. 33

Before we left this place news was brought to the captain that one, Andrea Alemano, a knight, (2) from Cambray, in Brabant, son of the Governor of Antwerp, and the only son of his father, had passed from this life. As the galley was quite motionless and near land, the parono (3) with certain strong galeotti undertook to carry the body ashore and walk until they should find a church of some kind in which to bury him; and this was done. When he returned the parono said that he had gone more than four miles, and that he had found a poor little church. His compatriots could tell the father, who was very rich, so they said,.that his son was buried in Cyprus.

Two hours before daybreak on Monday, the 8th of September, which was the nativity of Our Lady, as it appeared to the comito of the galley that a little wind had arisen favourable for our journey, he at once ordered the anchors to be heaved and the sails spread; but in spreading the artimone--that is, the main sail--a great rent was made, and it was necessary to let it down again. It was said that Our Lady wanted something from us.

1. Casola confused here two texts; Matt. vi. 26 and 28,

2. The phrase in the text is "Andrea Alemano Cavalero, fiolo del governatore de Anversa, Cameracense in Barbantia.

3. See p. 160.

Then the aforesaid Venerable Don Fra Francesco caused the company to be summoned to the last sermon he ever preached in this world in the midst of the sea. When the company was gathered together he preached a beautiful sermon on the nativity of Our Lady, taking for his subject "Exiet Virga de radice Jesse." Thereupon he said most beautiful things in praise of Our Lady, which greatly pleased the company. It was the last time he preached.

During the whole of that day we did not go more than six miles towards Paphos, and it was necessary to cast the anchor, because the provenza, which was a contrary wind for us, began to blow so terribly. Nevertheless in the evening, as the sea had calmed down, the comito decided to trust to fortune, and ordered the anchor to be heaved and all the sails to be spread, saying that he wanted to navigate at all costs even if he had to go backwards.

At sunrise on Tuesday, the 9th of September, we were found to be more than sixty miles out of our course, and when we had well boxed the compass and almost returned to land it was said that we had only gone eighteen miles on our way. Nevertheless in the evening the sails were turned to another side, and it was decided to navigate all the night, because, in that gulf of Natalia, there is no danger from rocks; by the grace of God it is wide and ampler than the gulf of Sclavonia.

On the morning of Wednesday, the 10th of September, we were so far out at sea that the island of Cyprus could not be seen any more. Nevertheless, according to what the pilot, who was a Greek and an old sailor, said, we were right opposite Paphos. This was bad news, not only for the captain, but also for the mariners and the pilgrims, because the stores were running short. So many mouths as there were on that galley took some feeding. At that moment the captain had to provide for not less than four hundred persons, because every man looked to him. The company was the more alarmed, because the captain said, that such a thing had never happened to him before, in that sea. It really appeared as if God had determined to consume us in that gulf.

After dinner the Father preacher, Don Fra Francesco complained, when only the captain and I were with him, of a swelling which had come on his neck. The captain and I examined it and told him not to touch it nor have it medicated. He said he would take our advice, but afterwards it was found that he had had it medicated, and that caused his death.

As soon as the swelling on the neck was mentioned, the captain said he wanted to use every remedy in order not to perish together with the pilgrims,(2) and he sent criers to order all those .who had brought water from the River Jordan to throw it into the sea.(3) The order was not much obeyed by certain persons, principally Italians. Then he had a search made to see if there was anything aboard which had been stolen from a church; and proceeding further, together with the Father preacher, he proposed that a vow should be made to Our Lady in order to escape from this anxiety; but no ear was given to this. It appeared to me that that galley was full of all iniquity,

1. Casola uses the word "Brusarola" (Ital : Brufolo), which may mean, according to circumstances, boil, carbuncle, tumour, &c. I have preferred, therefore, to adopt in translating the general term, "swelling."

2. The captain evidently feared an outbreak of the plague on board.

3. It was a superstitious medieval belief that Jordan water brought bad luck on board. For example Santo Brasca was told "that as long as there is any Jordan water on the Galley the sea always remains calm," that is, the ship is becalmed. The priest who wrote the voyage to the "Saincte Cyte" heard that as long as there was a drop of Jordan water aboard, it was useless to hope for a favourable wind, but he stigmatizes this as "foolishness."

Very late in the day three galleys were sighted belonging to the Levant Trading Fleet, which were on their way from Venice. The captain-in-chief was Don Juliano Gradenigo, and they were called the Beyrout galleys.(1) They had a stern wind, which was unfavourable for us. They recognised us immediately, and when they came near, the two largest lowered their sails in order not to pass us by. At the second hour of the night we were so very near one another, that there was general rejoicing on the one side and the other; the cannon were fired, and there was much shouting, as is the custom of sailors.

A small boat, or rather, as they say, a copano, was lowered into the water from one of the Beyrout galleys, and many persons came to visit our captain, and many letters were brought to him from Venice. They told us the news of the West, especially about the movements of the King of France; and, amongst other things, a Franciscan friar, belonging to the Zorzi family (Note 92), said, that in Venice, on the Vigil of Saint Lawrence, it was said publicly, that the King of France was expected at Milan on the 16th of August (Note 93), and much other news. They remained on board, and there was a great illumination for nearly an hour, and then, having taken leave of the friends, they returned to their galleys, which looked like the daughters of ours. We still remained with

1. In the month of August or September every year, from three to five trading galleys went together to this Syrian port and returned about Christmas to Venice. The Patrons or Captain-owners were always Patricians

On Thursday, the 11th of September, the sails were not moved. We went on drifting until the evening with a violent wind, desiring indeed to come to some good place if God willed; but we were not on our proper course. One person said we were in one place, another said we were in another. The mariners did not understand where we were at all.

On Friday, the 12th of September, Saturday the 13th, Sunday the 14th, and Monday the 15th, I did not note down anything, because, although we were navigating day and night in that gulf with all the sails spread, and with a high though contrary wind, nevertheless the mariners had gone so far out into the high sea that no one knew where we were, and the many navigating charts on board were no help. The captain said one thing and the comito and the parono another, and the pilot another. There was great confusion in the said galley, and the pilgrims who saw this confusion felt very depressed. Then a storm arose so violently, especially at night, that it appeared as if the galley would split open and break up, and, as has been said, all the stores were running short.

When the captain lost courage, as he showed by calling us all together and saying that if we thought it best he would return to Cyprus, I began to lose courage also to such an extent that I thought it was all over with me. Although, seeing so many Observant friars and other good people on the galley, it appeared to me too much to suppose that God would destroy so many souls all at once. It made me very low-spirited to see the Father Preacher, who, amid this general depression and because of his own special suffering from the swelling I spoke of above, had quite lost heart. I was accustomed to amuse myself alone, but this day I was quite unable to do so; rather I said: "Casola, we are lost! I shall never again see Rhodes, which I have so desired to see." Vows were made by every man. I never thought to see land again after so many days without seeing any.

Two hours before daybreak on Tuesday, the 16th of September, the Most High God, wishing to show us that all things are in his hands, and that he wills to be prayed to without any other expectation, sent a stern wind so favourable for our journey that it appeared a miracle.

Immediately afterwards a headland was sighted which belongs to the Turk, and is called Phenice.(1) The galley approached it, which greatly cheered everybody. Thus navigating with a good wind, we passed a castle in the mountains of Phenice called Castle Rugi. Judging from the outside, it must be strong. It belongs to the King of Naples, though I think it is little use to him; enough, however, that it is not possessed by the Turk. In those mountains there are two cities, one called Patera (2) and the other Saurinia.(3) In the one Saint Nicholas was born, and in the other he was afterwards bishop. They are far from the coast, however, and could not be seen from the sea.

On this day there passed from this life a man, who said he belonged to Zara, that he had escaped from the hands of the Turks, and afterwards reached Cyprus. He had come on board the galley to go to his own country, but when he was on the galley he fell ill, and, as I have said, not being able to get remedies any more than the others, he died. The sea was given to him for his monument.

On Wednesday, the 17th of September, it was said that we were making good progress, and although the company

1. Casola seems to have confused Phenicia with Lycia. From the position of the Galley it was evidently the mountains of Lycia which had been sighted at this point.

2. Patera, Patana or Panthers, a city of the province of Lycia, where St. Nicholas was born.

3. St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra in Lycia.

At the dinner hour, as he did not come as usual to the poop, the captain's servant was sent to tell him to come, but he sent word that he could not come, and that he felt very ill. The captain was much disturbed about his illness, and sent to ask him if there was anything he wished for, and ordered all his subordinates to take care that the Father did not want for anything there was on the galley. After dinner I went to see him, and stayed a long time with him. I discovered that he had had the swelling medicated and with medicines that were not suitable. I did my best to cheer him. He asked constantly if we were yet at Rhodes, and I replied that we should be there immediately.

On Thursday, the 18th of September, we came near Rhodes very very slowly. In the evening, when we hoped to enter the port, such a terrible provenza arose, that, whereas we had been only eighteen miles from Rhodes, we were driven more than a hundred miles out to sea. A turn, however, was made which at last brought us into port.

When I saw the violence of the wind I took leave of the Father Preacher, whom I had been visiting, and who was in a high fever and suffering greatly from thirst, and went to my own quarters, which were far away from his. He was at the prow and I was near the poop beside the canteen. About midnight I was summoned to go to the Father Preacher by one of his companions named Frate Michele da Como. I jumped up immediately, wrapped myself in my cloak, and went to see his Reverence, who was in the last agony. I could not get him to say even one word, nor to open his eyes. He raised himself unaided to render a service to nature, and then fell back again in a heap on his pallet. I got a Florentine hermit--who had also come out of sympathy to visit him at that hour--to take him in his arms. Then, as the other friars of every Order began to come to say the appointed offices, and as the place was small, I took leave of them and went in a very high wind to my quarters, carrying to my neighbours very bad and distressing news of the preacher, because he was loved and revered by all.

When I had been resting a couple of hours or less, a galeotto came to tell us that he had passed from this life, and everyone felt very pained and sad.

On Friday, the 19th day of September, at the second hour of the day, we reached the port of Rhodes; but as the other ships which had arrived before us had spread the news that in Cyprus, especially at Limasol, the people were dying of the plague, when the galley entered the port, the sanitary officers came at once and ordered that not a single person was to be allowed to leave the galley. While the matter was under discussion it came to their ears that the Preacher had died of a auspicious malady, which had manifested itself on the throat. On this account it was necessary to desist from going ashore.

The news spread throughout Rhodes that the galley had come, and immediately the quay was crowded with friends, especially Ultramontanes, of whom indeed there are many there, come to visit their friends whom they were expecting eagerly. Finally, through the efforts of the friends, and especially of the Lord of Longo, a Genovese, about whom I said a great deal before, the Grand Master was persuaded to accept testimony to the effect that the galley was not infected, and that the Preacher had left Jerusalem with the fever. In consequence of these impediments the pilgrims left the galley very late.

It must be confessed, that, in the matter of dinner, the aforesaid Lord of Longo made such provision at the captain's table as almost made me forget many wretched meals I had had during the preceding days; for sometimes the only dish they had given me was red beans and vinegar.

As to the body of Fra Francesco, whom the magnificent captain and all the galley desired to honour, permission could not be obtained to carry it off the galley until the evening, when the pilgrims were already scattered here and there about Rhodes with a great desire to eat a good meal. In the evening the body was taken off the galley and accompanied to a gate leading to his monastery, called Santa Maria della Vittoria, which is being restored. I think we were four Italian pilgrims who did him honour as well as we could. We did not go through the city because of the prohibition of the Grand Master. That great preacher was buried before the high altar with few words.

On Saturday, the 20th of the month of September, we--that is, the magnificent lord our captain and many pilgrims of every nation--gathered together at the said church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, where the once great preacher was buried, and we remained there until the obsequies were over, and many Masses had been said; then all went freely about the city occupied in restoring afflicted bodies and minds with good things and also in buying some carpets.

As I had not much business to attend to, and also in order to fare better as regards living, I never left the captain, who received many attentions from many people, and especially from the Governor of Longo, who kept him to meals with him as long as he was on land, and Casola as well, because Casola is a Milanese and he a Genoese. He did not entertain us after the Rhodian fashion, but like a great noble and true Italian; there were banquets and very sumptuous ones every day.

On Sunday, the 21st of September, in the morning after Mass was heard, as the captain had been invited, we went to do honour to a certain bride who was accompanied to the church for the benediction and afterwards to her husband.

When dinner was over at the house of the Lord of Longo, the captain ordered the trumpet to be sounded to give notice, that, at the hour of Vespers, every man must be on the galley, because he intended to set sail. But he changed his mind, because a great flaw was discovered in the helm of the galley, and on Sunday no master could be found who would repair it. The pilgrims were glad to have the chance of resting a little longer.

On Monday, the 22nd of September, every man being supplied with carpets, which were numberless-I was told that between the galeotti and the pilgrims more than four thousand were carried aboard, though according to my reckoning there were seven thousand of them--and the helm of the galley having been repaired, the captain ordered the trumpet to be sounded and certain cannon to be fired to give notice to the company to come on board the galley, and he ordered all the cables to be loosened in order to set sail. But in spite of all his haste and the many signals given, he could not depart until it was already the first hour of the night.

We Italians wanted to leave orders for a stone to be prepared with a few affectionate words and placed over the tomb of Fra Francesco, in order that some record should remain of him. The captain was of the same opinion, and I offered to leave the money it would cost, but the Governor of Longo, with whom these matters were discussed, would not agree to this. He said that the Grand Master himself wanted to erect the monument at his own expense, and that he did not wish for anything from us except the name of the Father's family and of his country.

With the help of his companions, I put together a few words which were left with the Prior of the Monastery of Santa Maria della Vittoria, where he lies, with the request that he would hasten the matter.

When this was arranged we entered the galley, and at the first hour of the night we set sail, heading towards Turkey, because the wind was not favourable for going in the direction of Candia; though we hoped that as soon as we were out at sea some good wind would spring up for us.