206 THE BOOK OF THE WANDERINGS OF BROTHER FELIX FABRI

Now that my wanderings have brought me by the grace of God across the sea to the Holy Land, I shall proceed in future to tell of the progress of our pilgrimage day by day, usually beginning each day from the previous evening; for thus it is that one visits the holy places, as will appear hereafter. Herewith also I shall faithfully describe all the places to which our pilgrimage extended and which we visited. But I shall not meddle with any description of other places to which pilgrims are not conducted, or of the entire Holy Land, or of the ancient condition of the city of Jerusalem, save as far as I may be incidentally forced to mention places which I have not myself seen. Whosoever will see a most beauteous and most ancient description of the Holy Land, let him read the book of Brother Burcard, of the Order of Preaching Friars, which is in the Library of the Dominicans or Preaching Friars at Ulm. From this book my fellow-pilgrim, the nobly-born Lord Bernard von Braitenbach, the most venerable Dean of the Cathedral Church of Mainz, has copied the description of the Holy Land, which he has inserted into his own pilgrim's diary or book of travel.

THE month of July, the pilgrim's joy, was the month on whose first day the most venerable of all lands appeared to the pilgrims whose doings are noted in this book. We had sailed swiftly and prosperously from the sea of Pamphylia to that of Syria and Phoenicia, and after being driven from thence towards the south, we came that same night into the desirable sea of Palestine. Soon, when the dawn began to shine, there shone forth also the land which is brighter than the sun-I mean the Holy Land, the land of Canaan, the land whose name is above every name. As soon as the watchman in the maintop beheld it, he suddenly burst out into the cry: 'My lords pilgrims, rise up and come on deck; behold, the land which you long to see is in sight !' On hearing this shout all hurriedly rushed forth from every corner of the galley, men and women, old and young, sick and well, and climbed aloft that they might behold the land for whose sake they had left their native country, and exposed themselves to many hardships and to the danger of death. Howbeit, as it was yet a great way off, we were not able to see anything except the sea; but the sailors declared that they could see the land, for they are used to the sea, and can make out ships or land while yet a great way off. After an hour had passed, as we drew nearer and nearer, we ourselves began to see peaks and mountain-tops rising as it were out of the sea. Our pilots were still doubtful as to what land it might be. Some said that it was Cappadocia, some that it was Cilicia, and some that it was Syria Phoenice. The greater part declared that we had Cappadocia on our left hands, and had already passed beyond it, so that we were off Antioch, and that land which appeared on our left was Syria Phoenice, and that in front of us, a great way off [7Ia], was nevertheless Philistia in Palestine, which joins on to the Holy Land: and so it was. When there was at last no doubt but what we saw the Holy Land, and had the mountains of Israel before our eyes, the captain commanded that all men should hold their peace, and he with the voice of a herald certified to us that this was that blessed land wherein Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord, was conceived, was born, lived, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again from His sepulchre on the third day, as we all declare that we steadfastly believe. Wherefore, he told us it was meet and right that we should give thanks to our Redeemer, and sing a hymn of gladness with our loudest voice. So two pilgrims who were priests and monks, and who had good voices, went along the rowing benches as far as the mast, to the place where sea Mass is wont to be read, and there in union they began to sing with a loud voice the hymn of Ambrose and Augustine which was taken up by all the other clergy present as it is sung in church, each man singing it according to the notation of his own choir at home. I have never heard so sweet and joyous a song, for there were many voices, and their various dissonance made as it were sweet music and harmony; for all alike sang the same words, but the notes were different and yet sweetly harmonized together, and it was a joyous thing to hear so many priests singing the same song together out of the gladness of their hearts. There were many Latin priests, Sclavonians, Italians, Lombards, Gauls, Franks, Germans, Englishmen, Irishmen, Hungarians, Scots, Dacians, Bohemians, and Spaniards, and many there were who spoke the same tongue, but came from different dioceses, and belonged to different religious orders. AII these sang the glorious Te Deum, in which even the laity, pilgrims, and the crew of the galley alike joined in, shouting aloud for joy at our good fortune. Our trumpeters blew their trumpets loudly, and sounded their shawms, and one Bogadellus, a jongleur, played upon a drum and sackbut; while others blew flutes and bagpipes. Meanwhile some bowed their faces to the deck and prayed, looking toward the Holy Land; others wept for joy while they sang, and so all sang a new song before the throne-of God, and the earth and sea rang with their voices. It seemed to us that while we sung thus our galley bounded beneath us and sailed faster, ploughing the waves more freely, that the wind filled the sail fuller, and the water, stirred by the wind, sent us along more swiftly. When we had finished our hymns of praise, the trumpets sounded the call to dinner, and every man with joy made 'himself ready to sit down at the table. One priest, a heavy, respectable man, well stricken in years, who lay in the berth on my right hand, was hurrying to his berth after the singing, and when his foot touched the first step of the ladder, which was polished with constant walking over it, he stumbled, fell violently down into the cabin, and lay there as though dead. [b] Upon this we all ran to comfort our brother; but he, with a broken head and shaken limbs, was carried into his berth for dead: yet some. hours later he came to himself was bandaged and medically treated, and some days afterwards grew better. After dinner we stood along the sides of the ship, and could only see the mountains, which looked to us bare and white. In the afternoon we saw lofty mountains to the northward, between which and ourselves, and nearer to the sea, was Mount Carmel, in the province of Phoenicia. When I gazed upon it, I remembered how the holy prophet Elisha prayed to God upon that mountain for rain, when it had not rained for three years and six months and how, while he prayed, there arose a little cloud like the print of a man's foot from this sea, whence there came forth a.great rain, as we read in the third Book of Kings, chapter 18. I thought, also, how King Saul set up a vaulted building on that mountain, a. triumphal arch after the manner of the Gentiles, whereon he engraved his victories, and raised it so high that it could be seen by those who travelled both by sea and by land, whereby he greatly displeased God, as may be read in the fifteenth chapter of the first book of Kings. I wondered also why the bridegroom, in the seventh chapter of Solomon's Song, likens the head of his bride to this mountain, saying: 'Thy head upon thee is like Carmel.' From this mountain, on account of its fruitfulness, the entire Holy Land was named Carmel, as saith Jeremiah ch. ii. v.7:: 'I brought you into the land of Carmel.'

· From this mount the Carrnelite friars took their origin, and in the days of old they had a great monastery there. This order was instituted by one Albert, who was Patriarch of Jerusalem at the time when the Latin Christians held Syria, and the aforesaid Albert bade; them wear a cope for an upper garment, made of silk, with several wide gray horizontal stripes: for thus they say the prophet Elias was habited, which thing, however, cannot be proved either from the canon of Scripture or by any trustworthy authority. After a while Pope Honorius III. changed the striped cope into a white one, and confirmed and approved of the order under the title of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Carmel. They say that the Soldan of Egypt cherished this order with exceeding great respect, devotion, alms and benefits for the sake of the memory of the prophet Elias, whom the Saracens worship; but only so long as they wore their former habit, for when this was changed he drove them out of his own country and all his dominions, wherefore, being forced to leave Mount Carmel, they now are spread abroad over the whole of Christendom. Had they not assumed the white habit, the Carmelites might have dwelt on their mount to this day without hindrance from the Saracens. For Among the Saracens white garments are so highly prized that no Christian is suffered to use them; and for this cause the Preaching Friars, because they wear a white habit, were driven out from the field of Aceldama, which they had bought from the Soldan for much gold: and at the present day, if the Minorite brethren were to wear their white mantles, the Saracens would not suffer them to remain in Jerusalem. At the foot of Carmel is the brook Kishon, where the prophet Elias slew the prophets of Baal, as is written in the eighteenth chapter of the third (first) book of Kings. At its foot also are the great cities of Tyre and Sidon, and Acon or Ptolemais, whereat we read much in the Scriptures. At length we turned away our eyes from the north, and turning them toward the east, we saw Judaea with its mountains, and above all the mount Modin, upon which the Maccabees were buried, above whose sepulchres Simon set up a building which was lofty to look upon, made of polished stone both behind and before; and there he set up seven pyramids, and placed round about them great columns, and upon the columns were carved arms for a perpetual memorial, and beside the arms were carved ships, which might be seen by those who sailed on the sea, as is written in the third chapter of the first book of Maccabees. I pointed out this mountain and what other places I knew, to my lords, while we were yet at sea. Meanwhile we were drawing near to the Holy Land, and put into the port of Joppa, where we found Master. Augustine's galley with his pilgrims not yet landed, whereat we were exceeding glad, for had they been landed we should have been neglected. When we were at no great distance from Augustine's galley we sounded, and finding the bottom, we let go our anchors, and brought up the ship outside of Andromeda's Rocks, which guard that port. We dared not go nearer to the shore, lest we should move the Saracens to anger, for we had received no safe-conduct from them: and to the end that those Saracens who were guarding the Port of Joppa on the towers might know that we came in peace, we lowered our mainyard, furled our mainsail, and made no gallant show, as we were wont to do when in other harbours, hoisted no banners, fired no cannon, lowered no boat, did not dress our galley in any way, nor sound our trumpets, shawms or horns; but like timid, humble tributaries of the Lord Soldan, needing his safe-conduct, like captives and slaves of the Moors and Saracens, we lay off he towers of Joppa awaiting their good pleasure. Before our arrival Master Augustine, the captain of the other galley, had sent a messenger to the men on the towers of Joppa, to treat with them about getting a safe-conduct for his own galley alone. But when the Saracens understood that another galley also was coming thither with pilgrims, they would not listen to Master Augustine, and drove him away from them, forcing him to return on board of his galley until the other galley should come; which thing was quite contrary to what the captains had in their minds, for each of them meant to lead his own pilgrims round the holy places by themselves, because of the grudge which they bore one another. Howbeit, the Saracens conformed themselves to the wishes of the pilgrims rather than to those of these two quarrelsome men, for the pilgrims on both galleys were all of one mind, and wished us all to be taken to see the holy places together. So thus ended the first day of July, and that night we slept on board the galley, as we were forced to do.

-On the second of July, which is the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our steersmen lowered a boat into the sea before sunrise, and the captain sent some of his servants, who were able to manage such business, to row ashore and obtain a safe-conduct. The like was done by Augustine, the other captain. This Augustine had a galley-slave, a native of Jerusalem, a baptized Saracen, whom he sent to manage this business for him. So the servants of both captains went up to Ramatha, and notified the arrival of the pilgrims to the Governor of Ramatha, after which they went to Jerusalem and told the news to the Father Guardian of the Mount Sion, begging him to obtain without delay a safe-conduct from the Governors of Jerusalem, Ramatha, Gazara, and to bring the dragoman Calinus with some armed Mamelukes, and to send asses and ass-drivers, and everything else needful for the bringing thither of the pilgrims, as quickly as he could, and to come himself and bring them ashore. Meanwhile, while these things were being done, the pilgrims stayed on board their ships, waiting for the time when they might leave them. On that same day, at the hour at which Mass is accustomed to be celebrated, I called together all the German pilgrims and preached them a sermon about the pilgrimage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which she performed after her visitation, when she went into the hill country of Juda; [St. Luke i.39] and from her most devout pilgrimage I derived rules for our own pilgrimage, which I recommended to them; and I set forth the praises and glories of our pilgrimage, and extolled the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But above all I praised the visiting of Mount Sinai, desiring to move some to do so, lest they might be afraid. For I was determined to go the pilgrimage to Sinai, but I had told no man thereof, nor had any man told me that he was going, wherefore I greatly feared that it might chance that [b] in all that great band of pilgrims there might not be one who was going to Sinai, even as it befell me on my former pilgrimage. Thus ended this day, and we again passed the night on board of the galley

On the third I thought that the time had come for me to declare to my lords my intention of making the pilgrimage to Mount Sinai. Wherefore I called all my four lords to a place apart, away from all the serving-men, and with tearful eyes and a sorrowful heart and countenance, I said: ' Behold, my generous lords, my most beloved children, brethren, and companions, I confess that it is by your kindness that I have been brought thus far, and it is owing to you that I have obtained leave to come, and have had my charges paid for all this time, for which goodness of yours I am exceeding grateful to you. Yet one thing there is which greatly vexes me and renders me anxious and disquieted. I had hoped when we left our own land and country that at least one of you, if not all of you together, after you had visited the Holy Land would have journeyed further, as far as Mount Sinai, to St.Catharine's, and that with him I also might have had an opportunity of going to those most holy places; but, alas! I have been disappointed of my hope in regard of this matter. Moreover, I neither dare to ask you to give me leave to depart from your company, nor is it my duty so to do, since on your return you will incur greater dangers than in coming hither. If, however, you were of your own free will to grant me leave, I should receive this kindness of yours as a most acceptable gift. Should you refuse it to me, I will return with you willingly as far as Venice; but at Venice I shall fall at the feet of your lordships, and shall beg of you to give me.the means of returning hither; nor will I ever cross the Alps again before I have climbed the mount.of God, Horeb and Sinai, and visited the tomb of Saint Catharine the Virgin. For; I.have long ago bound myself by a vow that I would do this.'

When my lords heard of this intention of mine, and saw. that I was serious, they took time to consider it, and after the space of an hour called me back and granted me leave. 'And,' said they; 'lest you.should think that you have not been beloved by us as our chaplain, we will give you a proof of our love towards you when we part, and will contribute and.subscribe towards your expenses. If a however, this pilgrimage should come to naught, or should you repent of your determination, you shall remain in our company as before, and we.will take you home again.' When I heard this, I thanked my lords with all due and proper respect,and declared that in gratitude for this kindness I would ever be their servant; I promised them also that I would make.this pilgrimage just as though I had been stirred up by them to do so, and sent out by them. Indeed, I was as much pleased at receiving.their leave to do this as I was at Ulm when I received leave to go to Jerusalem. So having in this matter obtained just what I wanted, I went about the galley to all the knights whom I knew, to see whether any of them were going on the pilgrimage to St. Catharine's, and I found five chosen noble knights, who had hitherto concealed this intention in the tablets of their breasts. After dinner I left the galley in the small boat and had myself rowed to Master Augustine's galley, as though I wanted to visit some of my acquaintances there. When I was come among them, I made secret inquiries, of the man whom I knew best, about the pilgrimage to Mount Sinai, and he told me that there were twelve pilgrims on board of that galley who had bound themselves by an oath to accomplish that pilgrimage, one of whom, and the chief, was the Lord John, Count of Solms; but that they did not wish this to be noised abroad, but kept it secret. For pilgrims who mean to visit Mount Sinai always keep their intention secret as long as they can, in order that they may not be laughed at if they cannot accomplish their journey thither. I now took great pains to find out straightway whether any were going to visit Mount Sinai, because I knew by experience that unless I did this while we were still on board ship, I should scarce be able to find out the truth about it when we were in the Holy Land or in Jerusalem; for in the Holy Land pilgrims are too full of business, and rarely, if ever, all together at the same time, and are disturbed in their minds, so that had I not managed this matter with my lords while still on shipboard, I should have been altogether wanting to myself. When I had learned how matters stood on board of Master Augustine's galley, I returned with gladness to our own galley, rejoicing at having found companions; but my joy was soon turned into sorrow, for when I came out of the boat on board of our galley, and was standing talking to someone in front of the poop, the captain asked me to step into his private cabin, wherein I found sitting with him an armed Mameluke, who had come off in a boat from Joppa, bringing news which he had told to the captain, and which the captain wished me also to hear. This Mameluke said that the Arabs had laid waste the convent of St. Catharine at the foot of Mount Sinai, and had slain all the monks there, and that, therefore, this year no pilgrimage could be made to Mount Sinai. Moreover, on that day there came some Saracens from the country, bringing us loaves of new bread, and fresh water, and grapes, which they sold to us, and they also told us the same rumours from Arabia. Now, when I heard these evil reports, I was disquieted at the outset; but after thinking the matter over I took courage, for I straightway suspected that it was by practice of the two captains that these lies were spread abroad, in order that the pilgrims might be frightened and might give up their intention of making the pilgrimage to Mount Sinai, because the captains lose twelve ducats for every pilgrim who goes to Mount Sinai; and this is so grievous to their avarice that they invent cunning lies, and suborn lying Saracens and apostate Mamelukes to bear them out in their falsehoods. Wherefore I took the less heed of their words, and comforted the hearts of my companions, because I knew the falsehoods told by the captains in this matter. I had so utterly made up my mind, that, even if what they said were true, nevertheless I meant [b] to go to Mount Sinai, because, even though the Arabs might have been able to destroy the monastery of St. Catharine and lay waste her sepulchre, yet they never could have been able to destroy or take away the mount of God, Horeb and Sinai, which I was more eager to see than I was to see the sepulchre of St Catherine. So all that day I busied myself in bringing this matter to a conclusion during this time of quiet, for I knew that after we should have disembarked there would be no time to discuss it. On that day I began for the first time to taste the fruits of the Holy Land, and to drink its water. The aforesaid lying Mameluke, who had spread abroad that news in our galley, sat in the castle with.the captain and others drinking wine, contrary to the law of Mahomet, and became so drunk that he could not get off the galley into the small boat for dizziness, and so the accursed brute remained on board and passed the night with us.

On the fourth, when the sun rose, it happened, through I know not what conditions of the air or water or other elements, that the fishes swam on the top of the sea and showed themselves on the surface more than their wont. There we beheld wondrous fishes. Some were large and quite round, like a winnowing-fan. Some had heads like dogs, with long ears hanging down, and we saw many dolphins that morning, and saw them more plainly them ever before. After dinner we beheld a host of armed Saracens who came riding on horses and mules, and, pitched tents and put up booths over against us on the shore, and round about the towers of Joppa, and on the mountain. When the captains saw this they rowed towards them, supposing that the lords and governors of the cities had come, but these were only servants sent on in advance to prepare the place, and the Moorish lords were to arrive on the morrow. These men ran to and fro all day on the shore opposite to where we lay, and skirmished with one another in sport, mounted on their mules, as if they were fighting. We also saw the caves above the seashore on the side of the mountains into which we were to be driven, and all day long we watched the Saracens continually going in and out of them, and. wondered what they could be doing in our dark abodes. But what they were doing in those caves we could not guess, until, to the offense of our noses, we discovered; for they had defiled those places with ordure, as will appear hereafter.

On the fifth there assembled a great multitude of armed men, so that the surface of the earth was covered with them, and our captains and all the mariners and galley-slaves wondered what such a gathering of people could mean, and they were disquieted, because they had never before seen them come with such a force, [74a] and they feared that some evil was being prepared for us: for three powerful governors were there in person with their armed followers--to wit, the Governor of Jerusalem, the Governor of Gazara, and the Governor of Rama. To them rowed the captains, taking with them presents wherewith they hoped to win their favour, and greeted them, displaying their presents, and begging that we might disembark in peace, each captain pleading for his own pilgrims. They received the presents of the captains, and promised that they would deal loyally with us. The captains asked the Moorish lords wherefore they had come with such a power, and what need there was to bring unarmed pilgrims into the land with so many armed men. To this they replied that the Arabs had come into the land out of the desert in great numbers, and plundered all whom they met, sparing none save those who were stronger than themselves; that at this very time they had led a great host into the mountains, and that many believed that they had gathered that host together because of the Christian pilgrims who were coming. They therefore had come in force that they might bring us into Jerusalem in safety. Some of them said that there was another cause besides this why so many were gathered together, and told us that in the spring of that year there had been a violent storm in the region of the city of Mecca, where stands the temple of the sepulchre of Mahomet the accursed, during which storm a thunderbolt had fallen from heaven and had burned and ground to powder the sepulchre of Mahomet and his accursed body: in which fact his followers had seen an omen of his most unholy law being brought to an end, and feared that the Christians would obtain dominion over them; therefore they had come with a strong force lest any attempt should be made by the pilgrims. Both of these reasons were true; but this second one about the destruction of Mahomet's body they did not openly tell us, but it was told us in secret by a Mameluke. Howbeit, lest the worshippers of Mahomet should lose their faith, and despair, and give up the pilgrimage which they make every year to Mecca, their priests had concocted the following falsehood: They said that God was exceeding angry with them this year, and would have utterly destroyed them, but Mahomet interceded for them, and begged God to turn away His wrath from them, and let the evil fall upon himself; that God hearkened to this prayer, and sent a thunderbolt from heaven which burned Mahomet's body. They preached this falsehood to the people,-and now the pilgrimage to Mecca is more numerously attended than it was before. Meanwhile, while our captains were talking with the lords' we saw a new host coming down to the seashore, in which host there were no horses, but [b] only asses, which had been collected in different villages for our use. With this host of asses came also several men of mark from Jerusalem as the two Calini, our greater and lesser dragomans, and the venerable Father- Guardian of Mount Sion with two of his brethren, and with them some Christian merchants de cinctura.*

The journey to which our eager minds had so long looked forward was now just about to begin. After the captains had talked with the governors and had consented that they should bring us ashore from our galleys, there rowed off to us the venerable Father Paul, provisor of the Latin Church in the East, and Guardian of the Mount Sion, with his brethren, and with the elder Calinus, a Saracen, who was master of the hospice for pilgrims at Jerusalem, and they sat down with our captain on the poop. After we had all been assembled the Father Guardian, who was a respectable and learned man with a long beard, greeted us politely and ornately in a Latin speech, wherein he bade us welcome, urged us to be devout, patient, and exemplary, and promised that at Rama he would give us the rules whereby we should govern ourselves during our stay among the Saracens in the Holy Land. In like manner Calinus, our dragoman, greeted us respectfully, and forbade us to carry any arms, whether sword or bow, out of the ship, but to go unarmed as became pilgrims. After saying this the Father Guardian with his brethren and Calinus went into the boat, telling us to make haste and get ready to follow them. Now, it was the dinner hour, and when the pilgrims were called to dinner we all ate and drank hurriedly, that we might come more quickly into the Holy Land. During dinner all the officials of the galley came one after another, and went from one pilgrim to another with silver cups, asking for gratuities, which we call drink-money. They begged very insolently, and if anyone refused to give to them, they said that they would not set him on shore in the boat. Much trouble was caused on board by their shameless and importunate begging. When this trouble was over, and we had given our gratuities, we prepared to leave the vessel, and we took two small jars of wine, which we hid in sacks lest the Saracens should see them, because they will not suffer wine to be openly carried about; but if they see it they break the jars, if they are able. We also took in our sacks cheese and smoked meat, and our bottles and all our pilgrims' gear, [75a] and came up from the cabin to the poop, from whence we went down on board of the boat, and began to row towards the Holy Land, singing with great joy, and in a loud voice: 'In Gootes Nahmen fahren wir,' etc., as may be seen on page 10.

This song of ours could not be heard by the Saracens ashore, because between us and the shore were Andromeda's Rocks, on which the sea breaks with a loud and fierce roar, and our song could not be heard by reason of the noise which it makes.

We came close to these rocks, and as we passed between them through the waves which beat upon them, we were splashed with water and wetted, howbeit we escaped dashing our little bark against the reefs, which was what we feared, and arrived at the shore and landed. As soon as we trod the holy land beneath our feet, we cast ourselves down upon our faces and kissed the sacred earth with great devotion. By merely touching the holy land we received plenary indulgences for the remission of sins, which I have decided to mark in the sequel with this sign (^^). Wherever one cross is placed, it means a seven years' indulgence: where there is a double cross, it means a plenary indulgence remitting both penance and sin, as the saying is; and the first cross stands for the indulgence for sins and the second one the indulgence for penance. When we had finished our thanksgiving we went up from the.bed of the sea to the higher ground, up the steep rocks with which; the sea there is girded, and its shore beset. Above us stood the Father Guardian of Mount Sion and his brethren together, with the governors of the land, and the elders of the Saracens and Moors, and with a scribe; and they had so ranged themselves on either side that the pilgrims must needs pass through the midst of them: nor could two pilgrims pass through them together, but one after the other. Nor would they let us pass in a continuous stream, but they laid hold of each man, looked at him narrowly, and demanded his own name and the name of his father, both of which names the scribe wrote down in his documents. My name of Felix causes I know not what difficulty in their language, for both in my former pilgrimage and in this one I was obliged to repeat my name to them several times, and even then they could neither pronounce it or write it without putting some outlandish diphthong before it, and gurgling its syllables in their throats so as not to say 'Felix,' but some word which I cannot pronounce in the place thereof I afterwards inquired more carefully into this difficulty about my name, for I became well acquainted with a Saracen, the younger Calinus, who sometimes would ask me in the Italian tongue to tell him my name. But when I told it to him, he could by no means pronounce it, but said some horrible word in lieu of it, whereat I wondered, seeing that he was well skilled in the Italian tongue. Now, as soon as the name of each pilgrim and that of his father had been written down, there were appointed certain Saracens who straightway seized him and dragged him to the entrance of a darksome and decayed dwelling beneath a ruinous vault, wherein they thrust him even as men are wont to thrust a sheep into a stable to be milked. [b] In this cavern there is a seven years' indulgence (^), which the pilgrim obtains if he enters therein with a devout spirit. These caverns are called ' St. Peter's Cellars.' In order to obtain these and other indulgences, many of the pilgrims had confessed to me previously on board of the galley, and some confessed themselves here as we stood on the sea-beach. Now, when we entered these caverns we found the very place of our abode abominably defiled and befouled with filth, nor was there any place to sit down save upon filth. Wherefore each man was forced to clean a space wherein to lay his body, and to move the filth towards the middle of the room with his feet, the result of which was that in the midst of our dwelling there arose a great pile of filth and impurities. We established ourselves along the walls all round the room, alongside of one another, just as we had lain in the galley, upon the bare and wet ground. Lo, what a wretched inn, what a scanty hospitality, what a foul abode! Might not a devout pilgrim, accustomed to hold converse with his God, complain with pious impatience, or rather wonderment, and say: 'O Lord Jesu, with what strange courtesy dost Thou receive Thy pilgrims, Thy guests in Thy holy land, who are come from beyond the seas and beyond the Alps, and from the uttermost parts of the earth to present themselves at Thy court, to show Thee honour, and to do homage to Thee even as knights do to their king. O most holy Jesu, oughtest Thou not to have granted to those who are wearied with so long a journey, footsore with such far wanderings, some better couch than among the loathsome ordure of the infidels ? Hast Thou no bed for us save the dunghill ?' To this the Lord would make answer: 'Verily the servant is not greater than his Lord, nor the disciple above his Master, nor is the Apostle greater than Him that sent him. Ye call Me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for indeed I am. If, then, I have patiently suffered these things, and worse things than these, do you also arm yourselves with the like patience. I was a stranger and a pilgrim in this land, and on the day whereon I first landed upon the earth from the sea of the deep counsels of God, and from the ship of the Virgin's womb, it was not in a chamber, but in a foul stable, in a noisy inn, a wretched tavern that I was received: My sweetest mother laid Me in no soft bed, but in a hard manger among the beasts, because there was no room elsewhere for Me in the inn. Throughout My whole life I had no house of My own in this land, for I came to Mine own, and Mine own received Me not. They that dwelt in Mine house and My maids counted me for a stranger, and I was an alien in their sight (Job xix.). In this land foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man had not where to lay His head. I often passed the night in prayer, not indeed beneath a vault of stonework, but on the mountains beneath the sky. Even in the rich and royal city of Jerusalem I had no bed save the shameful gibbet of the cross, nor after death had I a sepulchre of My own, but that of another. For thus it was [76a] that the Son of Man was obliged to suffer, that He might enter intoHis glory. Wherefore, My beloved pilgrim, let it not grieve thee, if in this land thou hast no soft couch, if thou art laid upon the dunghill, if thy inn be the common sewer. Bethink thee that thy Lord raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill, that he may sit with princes, and occupy the throne of glory So also He accepted David . . . and made him King of Israel. The noble Job sat on a dunghill poor and stricken with dreadful ulcers, and by his patience won twice what he formerly possessed. For Gregory tells us in his commentary upon Job, that in the dunghill lies hid the pearl of God, that is, the knowledge of his own vileness, and the renunciation of poverty. Do thou then, pilgrim, search for this pearl while thou sittest upon the dunghill.' On hearing these words the devout pilgrim giveth thanks for that he hath been held worthy to suffer even as his Lord did.

Now, while we were in this place of abominations there came to us certain Saracens, poor men, who had collected together rushes and branches of trees, which they sold to us, and we covered the wet earth with them and made beds of them. Moreover, merchants who came from Rama and from Jerusalem entered our abode with sweet-scented merchandise, and made a market there. They brought water of roses from Damascus, in glass bottles, very precious, which they sold for one Venetian penny apiece. Some of them had balsam, some musk, some soap, some precious stones, some rolls of the whitest muslin, and mitres and many other precious and sweet-scented things were brought in to us, while both the merchants and the Saracens were anointed with aromatic unguents and distilled perfumes, so that they spread scent far around them. Moreover, the merchants, not being able to bear the stench and foulness of our abode, burned frankincense and Arabian gums, whence it resulted that this place of loathly smells became a storehouse of sweet perfume, and they who had defiled it now of their own accord cleansed it, and carried away its abominations on their feet as they walked. In a brief: space. of time, by their continued walking, the place which shortly before had been abominabIe, was rendered quite pleasant and fit for mankind, and weak and sickly men, if. they had entered it, would have grown strong again by smelling the good smells of a place which but now even beasts would have shuddered at entering. We came into it with great displeasure and bitterness, but within the space of one hour we found repose and pleasure therein. Meanwhile there came some Saracens, who cooked eggs in a frying-pan with.oil, and some of them. brought loaves of bread, some cool water, some fruit, some salads, and some hot cakes made of eggs, and sold them to us. .Of these we bought and ate, and prepared ourselves. for rest because the day was far spent. As soon as every man had laid himself down in the. place where he meant to sleep that night, [b] there came to us a fierce Saracen, begirt with arms, and bearing a club in his hands, who exacted from each pilgrim a Venetian. penny, which was a thing which I had never seen done before; howbeit, to save ourselves trouble, we each paid a penny for our lodging. When it became dark we hired two Saracens to keep guard during the night at the mouth of our cave, that no one might come in and molest us, because there.was a great throng of people of all sorts.. there. So we passed that night not without fear. I conceive that the aforesaid extortioner must.have.now become the owner and lord of that cave, and that this.encouraged him to levy a tax upon us as his lawful right.

On the sixth, which was the sixth Sunday after.1rinity, before it was fully light, this same fierce extortioner, who had annoyed us the evening before, came back and posted himself with his club at the door of the cave, and would not allow anyone to leave the cave for necessary purposes without giving him a penny. This we all paid with great dissatisfaction; but we were not angry with this extortioner alone, but with the captains and the Father Guardian and the dragoman--all of whom were sleeping in pavilions higher up the hill, and allowed us to be plagued with unheard-of extortion here in our prison; albeit, they were bound to help us and defend us from anything of the sort. So after paying our penny, we were permitted to leave the cave, yet we dared not go far from it, only just down to the sea shore, because we were beset on every side by armed infidels. Meanwhile came merchants with their merchandise, and cooks with their gear, and offered their wares to us for sale, not knowing that it was the Lord's day. I had intended to have read the Gospel for the day to the pilgrims in the cave, and to have added a sermon, but there was such a noise going on round about the cooks and the merchants, such a crowding together of Saracens, and such running to and fro of young men, that I could not so much as read my Hours without many hindrances; for when they saw me reading the book, they stood round about me, laughing and shouting, and looking at the letters and wondering at them. After dinner there came to us in the cave Calinus the younger--that is to say, the sub-governor of the hospice, a Saracen, named Elphahallo, but an honest man, as you will learn from what follows, who knew me well from my former pilgrimage, and who could speak Italian and a corrupt German, which he had learned from the pilgrims with whom he had often journeyed to St. Catharine's. I asked this man what the truth was about Mount Sinai, and told him what I had heard on board of the galley. He answered that everything that Mameluke had said was false, and that the pilgrimage to St Catharine's was now as safe as possible, and that, though the previous year the Arabs had troubled the monks of St. Catharine's, yet that now the Soldan had settled the whole matter. On hearing this, I was much delighted, and led the man to my lords, and introduced them to him. The man straightway bade us come with him, and led us forth from the cave and all through the midst of the camp, among the tents of the Saracens, showing us all their gear, and the vast ruins of the city of Joppa. We passed two towers which stand in the sea in ruins; and after we had seen everything, he brought us back to our prison again. We found the cave in an uproar by reason of the young men of the Saracens, who were exercising and irritating the pilgrims in various ways, and offering many insults to them, of which it would take long to tell. They carefully seek an opportunity of putting a pilgrim into a rage, if possible, without giving him any great cause for being angry; and when he is angry, they themselves make this anger.a reason for taking offense and demanding money. They go round about the pilgrims, and whatever they find, they steal or snatch openly and run away with it. One nobleman had brought with him from Crete a large flask full of precious malvoisie, and had hung up the flask on the wall beside.him. Seeing this, an armed Saracen ran through the midst of the pilgrims, snatched up the flask, and ran away with it. After some time the he returned and flung the empty flask into our abode. One beardless young pilgrim from Picardy was much plagued by them with filthy jests, and could neither hide himself from them, however much he cowered down among the other pilgrims, nor obtain any peace. He made,complaint about the matter to the dragoman, who made light of it saying that if anyone had done him any hurt, struck him, or wounded: him, he would protect him and avenge: him, but that he could do nothing because young men made a jest, and he could not prevent their jesting. On hearing this that pilgrim, for fear that be might suffer any stain to his honour, and that he might not be a daily laughing stock to the Saraicens, put off his pilgrimages and went back on board of the galley, where he lived with the crew until the pilgrims returned from the hoIy places. For this youth was very fair to look upon, and therefore the Saracens set upon him, more perhaps in order to vex him than because they mean any harm. Those young Saracens devise a thousand means whereby they may subtly provoke the pilgrims to anger, in order that if they forget themselves and strike a blow, they may bemulcted of a rnoney-fine. Here applies that verse in the fifth chapter of St. Matthew: ' I say unto you that ye resist not evil. Whoso is unable to follow this counsel, he cannot pass through the Holy Land in peace. There Another like passage in the sixth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel: ''' Of him that taketh away thy goods, ask.them not again.' Moreover one must keep that saying in the fifth chapter of St. Matthew to the letter: 'Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,turn to him the other also.' When it was late, and had grown dark, one came and stood at the mouth of the cave, and called me in a loud voice, saying, "Master Felix, come forth!' At this I was frightened, and answered that I was taking my rest and would not come forth; whereupon he began to implore me to come, saying that there was great need of me. So I went forth to the man, who was a boatman belonging to our galley, sent to me by one who was lying on board of the galley in the agony of death, and had called for me to hear his confession. Albeit, I was very loath to return on board the galley; yet, rather than neglect the soul of a brother, I walked down to the sea in the dark, got into the boat, and make a most dangerous voyage through the rocks to the galley, which lay hardly as far from the shore as Seflingen is from Ulm. I straight-way confessed the sick man, and then carried up my own bed from my berth to the deck, where I lay down upon a cross bench, from which I had a view of the shore, so that in case the pilgrims should be brought out of the cave to start on their journey, I might see the movement of the host. I should have been able to see that the pilgrims were leaving the place by the removal of the lanterns which blazed near the tents of the Moorish lords; for over against each tent there hung six lighted lanterns on a tall pole, in: honour of Mahomet, and out of respect for the lords who slept therein, and for the convenience of the people. This I saw from the sea, and felt great compassion for my lords and fellow-pilgrims, who were lying in a foul and darksome cave without the comfort of any light whatever, while these Saracea dogs were enjoying a plenteous illumination.

On the seventh, before sunrise, I entered the boat and was hurriedly rowed to the shore, through the roaring waters and past the rocks, for I supposed that we should set out straightway. But we were detained because our two captains were at variance. This quarrel had begun at Venice, for which see page 33, and had endured until our arrival here. So each one of them had tried to bring his own pilgrims into the Holy Land without the pilgrims which belonged to the other captain, and they wanted to make two companies, two separate bands, who should never meet at the same times and places. But all of us pilgrims begged to be taken all together, and once for all by one and the same contract, which plan was so far agreeable to the Saracens, that they did not choose that we should be divided from one another, though both the captains continually urged that this division ought to be made. But seeing that this quarrel between the captains was hindering the accomplishment of the pilgrimage, and was making us a scandal to the Saracens, and rendering them impatient, the Father Guardian of Mount Sion called a meeting of the chief men among the pilgrims and of some respectable and peaceable Saracens, and endeavoured to put an end to the strife. Howbeit, after many speeches and exhortations there still was no word nor thought of agreement between them, and at the end of a long debate, the captains seemed all the more hardened in their wrath and hatred one of another. All that day the question of making peace between the captains was discussed. Meanwhile, the other pilgrims, who took no part in this debate, plucked up their spirits and were bold enough to come out of.their cave down to the sea-shore, and to the place where the asses stood with their drivers, and they went to and fro among the Saracen host without fear, and bought what they needed from the Saracens, and made friends with them. I myself with some companions walked a long way along the sea-shore to a fountain of living water which ran down a gorge in the hills, and there we drank of that water without payment, though for many days we had drunk no water save what we had bought and paid for. Below this fountain there stands a rock in the sea, which rises high out of the water, round about which St, Peter the Apostle is said to have fished, and simple men, who know not the Scripture and the Gospels, add that this is the place where our Lord Jesus called Peter himself and his brother from the sea, saying, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,' as we read in the nineteenth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew; and lay knights write in their books about their pilgrimages that it happened here; but this is not true, because this calling of the Apostles took place by the sea of Galilee, nor do we read [78a] that our Lord Jesus ever came to Joppa in the flesh; albeit, we read in the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that St. Peter was once here; wherefore I do not deny that it is possible for him to have fished here. We found on the sea-shore a countless multitude of oyster shells of every variety of form, whereof we picked up those which we thought the most beautiful and curious. On that same day a knight bought some stones from a Saracen who was selling them in the cave, for five ducats, and thought that they'were precious gems; but while he was showing them to his comrades, he found out that they were not true gems, but false imitations made of coloured glass, wherefore he carried the glass back to the merchant, and desired to have his gold back again. But that knavish merchant would neither give back the gold, nor take back the glass. So the knight told his captain about the fraud, and the captain denounced the Saracen to the Governor of Rama. The governor, when he heard this charge, straightway sent a pursuivant with a staff to our prison, wherein that merchant was sitting with his wares, who took from him by force five ducats, which he restored to the pilgrim, and belaboured him with many blows of his staff, and gave him his glass back again. Thus we passed this day with less weariness than those previous to it. Howbeit, when it was night there came some young Aethiopians, shield-bearers of the Moorish lords, who were very mischievous and vicious, and wanted to come into the cave to pilfer and to plague us; but the watchmen whom we had hired would not suffer them to come in, and they disputed and strove with one another for some time before the mouth of the cave. When they found that they would not be suffered to enter therein, they sat down before the door and sang all night long--howling, barking, and grunting like beasts, dogs, and pigs. For all Easterns have most harsh voices; nor can they form any melody, but their singing is like the noise of goats or calves. So with this disturbance we spent that night.

On the eighth the Father Guardian and the pilgrims and Saracens of the better sort strove to bring about concord between our two captains, but had no success. When the Moorish lords and Saracen governors saw this, they declared that unless they straightway became friends they would clap them in irons and send them to prison at Gazara until their master, the Soldan, should determine what was to be done with them. The pilgrims, they said, they would drive back on board of their galleys without allowing them to visit the holy places, and would supply them with other captains and send them back to their town country. By this threat the two.captains were forced to end their quarrel, and they shook hands and made peace. Now, according to an agreement entered into with the lords and governors for all of us, Elphahallo, the younger Calinus, came and told us that we must make ourselves ready to start. So we got ready in haste, and stood. loaded with ours bags and bottles awaiting the signal. Now, after the saracen lords had drawn themselves up in front of our cave that they might count us a second: time as they did when we came up from the sea, and after many pilgrims had been sent away to the asses, lo! of a sudden they fell to a fury about [b] I know not what, and drove us back again into our cave, threatening us with sticks, and spurned us from them into the cave as though we were beasts. They fell upon those pilgrims who had already been counted, and had gone down the hill and were about to mount their asses, beat them with sticks, and forced them to run back into the cave. So we stayed in.the cave all that day, and I never was able to discover for what reason we were sent back.

:Before we Leave the port it is fitting that we should see when. it arose,and in what places in Holy Scripture it is mentioned; especially as we pilgrims are not going to return thither: for on our return we took ship at the port of Alexandria; and, never saw this port again. Joppa is the.oldest port and the most.ancient city of the province of Palestine, and was the eighth city of the world...built before Noah's Flood, which is proved, by the findng therein, after the Flood of altars to those gods who were worrshipped before the Flood. This city has two names; being called,Japha from Japhet, the son of Noah, who is.said to.have dwelt here awhile, and to have rebuilt it after the Flood; and it is called Joppa from Job, a simple,and holy man who.also is supposed to have dwelt here. When ther land was divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, this place fell to the lot of the tribe of.Dan. This place is mentioned by St. Jerome in his book on the 'Distances of Places,' where he says Joppa is a city of Palestine in the tribe of Dan; where even to this present day are shown the rocks on the shore whereon the virgin giantess Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus, for her mother's crime, and by the sentence of Amon, was bound to the rock and offered to the sea monster, while her parents stood weeping on the shore. But Perseus, the father of all the nobles of Greece, the.son of Jove and Danis (Danae), had a winged horse and the shield of Pallas, and the sandals. and sword of Mercury. He .soared aloft from Mount Ydolium, and, while flying high in the air upon his winged horse, beheld the maiden bound to.a rock in the harbour of Joppa, and the great sea monster about to devour her. Seeing this, he straightway flew thither, and made a covenant with her parents that if he saved her from the monster she should be his wife. When the parents agreed to this, he slew the hideous monster, set the maiden free, and had her to wife. Now, when Phyneus, the brother of Cepheus, King of Joppa, saw this, because Andromeda had before been betrothed to him, he essayed to take her away by force; but Perseus overcame him, and went away to Persia, where he conquered that land and called it after his own name. That Cepheus was King of Joppa is proved by [79a] some most ancient altars whereon the ancients found his name inscribed. The bones of that sea monster which Perseus slew were of vast size, and used to be publicly on the beach over against the city, and were shown to all who visited Joppa; but afterwards they were removed from thence to Rome by Titus and Vespasian, and hung up in a public place for a marvel, for indeed they were worthy of admiration: for every one of its ribs were forty-one feet in length. But Saint Sylvester, and the other saints who consecrated Rome to Christ, broke up those bones and all other marvels, lest pilgrims should come thither to see them, and likewise lest pilgrims who had come to Rome for the sake of honouring God and His Apostles should lose their time, and waste hours which might be spent in viewing such strange sights. Some declare that these were the bones of the virgin giantess Andromeda, which seems impossible, because Perseus took Andromeda away with him into Persia, and ended his days there, and we nowhere read of his coming back to Joppa. Josephus says that he saw the chains and great brazen hoops with which Andromeda was bound, still hanging on the rocks.*

I have hardly anywhere seen such great ruins as here, and I wondered how they could have thrown down such thick walls. Just at the entrance as one comes up from the sea they have left two vaulted buildings standing, which are cut out of the hill itself, and are covered above with earth and ruins: wherefore it is always damp in those vaults, and water drips down from above, the walls are wet, the foundation muddy, and all the year round the place is used by the Saracens as a common sewer. Into this sewer they thrust Christian pilgrims, as has been said; but what especially troubles the pilgrims who are confined there is that as you enter the cave the vault is broken, and great stones hang threatening to fall upon their heads, so that a push of one's finger would bring down a great heap of stones, and it is beneath these dangerous ruins that the pilgrims are forced to go in and out continually. Besides this, it is very difficult and dangerous to make one's way into this port from the sea, and I believe there is hardly such another abominable harbour to be found in the whole Circuit of the sea; for no-great ship, from whatever quarter it comes, can enter the harbour, but must stay outside and find an anchorage by sounding: for out in the deep sea as far as the flight of an arrow there are reefs and steep rocks and shoals and stones rising up from the water and standing up above it, among which the sea always roars, even when it is quiet elsewhere, and dashes against the rocks with such force that the broken water flies high up into the air, and makes a loud noise which may be heard at a long distance either on sea or on land. The port is beset by these rocks just as though they had been ranged by human art for its protection; nor can even small. boats pass through them save in one place, between two lofty rocks, between which boats are rowed with great care, because the water there washes backwards and forwards with wondrous swiftness, and dashes itself against both sides of the rocks; and unless the pilot or boatman be careful the water gets the mastery over the boat, hurls it against the rocks, and breaks it into a thousand pieces. Wherefore those who are entering this port must row through the swelling waves with the utmost force which they can throw into.their oars, lest the boat should be . swept out of the middle of the channel to this side or to that, and strike against the rocks. Yet, however active the boatman may be, he can hardly escape being splashed by the fall of the water which is thrown violently up the rocks on either side of the entrance. These are Andromeda's rocks, as we. have seen.

On the ninth, before daybreak, there came into our cave a Saracen with a lantern, who roused us to set out on our journey. We therefore arose with joy and came forth from our prison, even as captives do from the place of their captivity. [50a] Between the caves and. the sea, to the north, there is a way down over the rocks to the.place where the asses stood with their drivers; and the way down this descent is narrow, so that no one can go on the right hand or on the left, but only in the middle of this path. Our captains stood with some Saracens at this narrow way, holding lights, both lanterns and torches, and asked every pilgrim, one after another, his name and his father's name, and sought for it in the schedule which they had drawn up when we disembarked from the ship. When they found the pilgrim's name they allowed him to go down to the asses who stood in a crowd down below near the sea. But if the number of the pilgrims had been more or less than that in the schedule, and had the captains been unable to give an account of it, we should all have been thrust back again into our prison. So we went down to the place where the asses were, and here the drivers stood waiting for us, and as soon as a pilgrim came down to the level ground the nearest driver laid hold of him, and led him to his asses. Wherefore it not seldom happened that two or three drivers were dragging one pilgrim, one in one direction, another in another; for when the country people in the neighbouring villages heard that pilgrims were come they brought many asses, more than there were pilgrims. So each man tried to bring a pilgrim to his asses; for one Saracen brought seven or eight asses, of a sort, and hence it happens that when there are not above two hundred pilgrims there will be four hundred asses, wherefore the drivers fight for the pilgrims, and drag them hither and thither, because he to whom no pilgrim comes has made his journey for nothing. I did not understand this when I made my first pilgrimage, and as soon as I came down a black Moor ran up to me and snatched me violently away, trying to drag me towards the crowd of asses, round which a wondrous riot was going on. I, fearing that he meant to rob me, hung back all the harder, and by great force shook myself free from him, and hurriedly reascended to the place where the governors stood with their lights, where I told the Father Guardian what had befallen me. When the Guardian heard this, he said, 'Go down quick, quick, and go willingly with whosoever leads you away.' When I went down a Saracen met me, and it chanced that he caught me by the right hand with his right hand. He began to run very swiftly, because by this time all were already mounted on their asses. Now, as he ran I was forced to run sideways and awkwardly, because, as I have told you, he held my right hand hard with his own, and so he ran holding me, over stones against which I struck several times as I ran sideways, and fell. At last he came with me to his asses, and gave me a good little ass, black all over, and showed me much kindness and friendship throughout the whole of my first pilgrimage. For albeit his face had a very cruel look, so that in the beginning I was much afraid of him, yet he was all kindness, and ministered to my wants like the best of servants, even before he knew my disposition. He was the slave of a saracen lord whom I did not know, who was named Galela, and his slave was named Cassa; and whoever wanted to call that slave used to call him by both these names, Galelacassa. The ass driver Cassa himself [b] told me that whenever I wanted to call him I ought to say Galelacassa. For a pilgrim keeps the driver whom he gets at Joppa throughout his whole journey through the Holy Land, and he does not get an ass from anyone else; and whenever the pilgrim has to leave any place, he must run among the crowd of asses and seek for his own driver, loudly calling him by name. So when in this my second pilgrimage I had come down from the place where the governors stood, I wished to get my old ass-driver, and before I came to the herd of asses I called out for my ass-driver, Galelacassa. When the other drivers heard this, none of them pulled me. towards their asses, seeing that I had a driver whom I knew. While I was shouting thus, ' Galela!' the lord of my driver, whom I did not know, who was a kinglike Saracen noble, seated on horseback, rode up to me and touched me gently with a staff which he held in his hand, signing to me to hold my peace, and stand quietly by his side. Now, this running hither and thither of pilgrims and ass-drivers is very disorderly, and everyone is in a hurry to make a good bargain for himself; so while I stood still there and all the other pilgrims were running or being dragged to the asses I began to be uneasy lest the Saracen should have forgotten me, and I attempted to go away from him When he saw this, he said something to me in the Chaldee tongue which I did not understand, but I have since then guessed that he said: 'Stand still here by my side; I am Galela, and my slave Cassa will presently come to me, and will furnish you with a beast.' At length Cassa came to his master. As soon as he saw me he recognised me, and I him, and he ran to kiss me after the fashion of the Saracens, end greeted me with a most joyous countenance, rejoicing and marvelling much at my return; and he laughed and said much to me which I did not understand. Now, I had brought with me from Ulm two iron stirrups, which I presented to him, and which he received with many thanks. He led me to where his own asses stood amongst the herd, and gave me his best beast. My lords and the other pilgrims wondered to see the Saracen treat me with such friendship, for pilgrims often suffer great annoyance from their ass-drivers, in being struck by them and thrown from their asses and having their property stolen, from all of which troubles I was free, for as in my former pilgrimage, so now this man served me most faithfully and obeyed all my orders as though I had been a prince. He often changed my asses that I might have one which pleased me better; when the ass was climbing a hill he supported me; when going down steep and rough road he held me that I might not fall; gave me drink from his water-skin, and shared his biscuits with me: he would climb over the stone walls of gardens and bring me figs, grapes, and other fruits out of them. He gave me [81a] the goad which he used for his ass, albeit none of the other drivers will suffer pilgrims to have goads for their asses. Because of his great services to me the nobles and all my companions used to think that I gave him much money in secret; but this was not so, for I gave him nothing at all beyond what I was obliged. I have often fancied that he may have supposed me to be some great lord, and that this was why he served me so zealously. Indeed, during both my pilgrimages I was so fortunate as never to be ill-treated in any way by any Saracen, Arab, Midianite or Mameluke with whom I had to do, nor can I tell you of any blows or insults which I received, albeit I often saw the other pilgrims insulted and beaten. I always had good beasts in both my pilgrimages, and withal remained strong and healthy, God be praised.

Having finished the tale of our wanderings by sea, I must now pass to that of our wanderings on land. So when, as I said before, we had come to the herd of asses, and everyone was at length provided with a beast, we mounted them by the sea-shore, and sat for some time waiting until the Moorish lords were ready. There were some pilgrims who in their piety refused to have asses, but wanted to run after our company. The Saracens allowed them to do this, and were satisfied provided that they would run as far as our asses could go in a day's journey, and that they went with the company and did not lag behind it. But when we went fast they could not keep up with us because of the pace at which we travelled, and because of the sandy roads by which we went, and so they were perforce obliged to mount asses. Nor is the story true which is so often told in our country, that the Saracens force us to ride to Jerusalem and pass through the Holy Land on the backs of asses, because they hold us unworthy to touch the earth with our feet. They care not whether the pilgrim walks on his feet or rides on an ass, provided that the contract made with them by the captains is kept, and that he who walks on foot does not lag behind and force them to wait for him. The reason why they make us take asses is that we may always keep together, and may arrive at Jerusalem without falling sick; for if the pilgrims had to walk on their feet all the way from the sea to Jerusalem, and pass through the Holy Land in such hot weather, and over a road which is sandy on the. plains and rough in the mountains, few of them would remain alive by reason of the heat, and thirst, and labour in a strange climate. Moreover, if we were forced to walk on foot through the Holy Land, how could we flee from the Arabs and the peasants in the villages, or withstand them when they attack us? So it is for our good [b] that our beasts are provided, not out of contempt for us, as is said by the ignorant. When all were ready, the captains and the governors led the way riding on horses, and rode away from the sea; we followed, mounted on our asses, the servants of the Moorish lords rode behind the pilgrims, our drivers accompanied us, and in this order we all marched away from the sea very hurriedly. There was a great host collected together of Christians and Saracens. We turned our backs to the sea(shore), which here trends from the north to the southward, and has the port of Joppa, as it were, in the midst of it; for towards the south it has Iamnia and Gazara, and on the north side Caesarea of Palestine, and Ptolemais, and Tyre, Beyrouth, and Tripoli. All these we left behind us on the seashore, and went our way towards the east, through the land of Philistia, which is not altogether flat, but set about with low hills of various shapes. It would be a good and fertile land were there any people to cultivate it and dwell in it, for indeed the greater part of the Holy Land is a desert. When we were half a mile [German mile] from the sea, we came to the city of Gath, which once was a city of most warlike giants, and wherein Goliath of Gath was born. The legends say that St. Christopher also was born there, and it was to the King of Gath that David fled from the face of Saul. [I Sam xxi.] The Chronicles tell us of this city, that, owing to the nature of the place, fierce and brave men are born therein, wherefore even in late time the Christians took it with much bloodshed, and fought stout battles with the Saracens in its defence, until at last, after great slaughter both of themselves and of the Saracens, they lost it for the second time. The infidels, when they took it, razed it to the ground, so that at this day it stands even as Joppa. Meanwhile the sun was rising, and we passed through a pleasant land, set thick with ruins of walls. We were astonished at the ruins which we beheld as we passed along by the side of a city named Assur, which was built by Solomon according to Jerome in his book 'On the Distances of Places.' The Arabs, who at that time were spread abroad throughout' many parts of the Holy Land, thrice came to meet us; but seeing that we were well protected by armed defenders, they offered us no violence with either stones or cold steel, but secretly joined our host by the side of the pilgrims, and tried to steal scrips, clothes, and the like; for they knew that we were unarmed, and therefore they ran round about us, and snatched up whatever the pilgrims let fall, or did not guard carefully. Had we not travelled with so great a force, they would have fallen upon us and beaten us with stones, sticks, and staves, as often befalls pilgrims between Joppa and Rama. And when the Arabs are not in the country the villagers assemble together and assail the pilgrims on their march, doing them much hurt. Wherefore the journey from Joppa to Rama [82a] is exceeding perilous because of these ambuscades and insults of the infidels. As we marched along we saw the city of Rama on a low hill in a most beauteous country. When we were come within one furlong thereof, we were forced to dismount from our asses and walk on foot, each of us carrying our baggage on our shoulders. So we gave up our asses to the drivers, and hastened towards the town in great discomfort, because the heat was exceeding great, and the dust flew about, and there was a vast crowd and much jostling. The infidels will not endure that Christians should enter their cities and towns riding on beasts, unless they come in the dark: by daylight they cannot do so. They consider this city of Rama to be of especial dignity beyond all others, because Thadi, that is, their bishop, dwells therein, wherefore they keep watch that no Christian enters it save on foot. When we were come into the city, at no great distance from the gate, we came to a house with a low and narrow door, before which the governors stood and counted us, one by one, just as they had done when we left the sea, and bade us enter through the little door. Howbeit, within there was a large and beautiful court, with many chambers and vaulted rooms of various kinds, and a fountain full of good wholesome water. This house was bought long ago by Philip, Duke of Burgundy, of blessed memory, for the use of pilgrims, and was entrusted by him to the charge of the brethren of Mount Zion; wherefore it is called the pilgrims' hospice. The brethren of Mount Zion let it to an Eastern Christian who dwells therein. I have heard that before this house was obtained for a lodging for pilgrims, they used to be obliged to lodge in the public inn of the city near the market-place, in great misery and contempt, and that they were greatly ill-treated by the Saracens; for the Saracens and Moors of Rama bear an especial hatred to Christians,: and maltreat them greatly, as I shall tell you. So here we divided ourselves among the various chambers, each company by itself, and my lords and all their followers had spacious dwelling, for which we bought mats to cover the earth so that we might not be obliged to sit, lie, sleep and eat on the bare ground; for there was nothing more than a vaulted chamber with walls and paved floor, without any furniture whatever, save what we brought into it ourselves Now, the time at which we entered the city was about nine in the morning, so the Father Guardian arranged and set up an altar in the inner garden of the house where the captains' houses were, against the trunk of a great palm-tree which stood there loaded with dates; and then, after calling all the pilgrims into that garden, and after having barred the doors, that the infidels might not interrupt us, one of the brethren celebrated Mass. After Mass the Father Guardian preached a beautiful sermon in Latin, because he was an Italian, and knew no German. So, as he had no one with him who was eloquent in the German tongue, who could interpret his sermon to us Germans, he asked me to stand beside him, and translate his exhortations to the German pilgrims. This I willingly did, and I stood by his side, and when he uttered a sentence in Latin, I took it from his mouth and repeated it in the common German tongue. Moreover, in his sermon he delivered to the pilgrims certain articles wherein were contained the rules and,method of seeing the holy places which they ought to observe while dwelling among Saracens and infidels in the Holy Land, lest they should run into danger through ignorance.

First article. Should any pilgrims have come thither without express leave from the Pope, and have thereby incurred the Pope's sentence of excommunication, such persons must present themselves to him after Mass, and he himself would absolve them from their guilt by virtue of the Apostolic authority committed to him; for the Pope takes cognizance of anyone who goes on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land without obtaining leave from him, as may be seen on p. 5a. The cause of this excommunication is that after the Christians were driven out of the Holy Land some bad Christians, even.of the Latin Church, remained behind therein, and associated themselves with the Saracens, swearing allegiance to them. Some also of those who left that country returned thither again to these men and became their subjects, and afterwards sailed to Christian lands and brought from thence ironwork and arms whereof the Easterns were in need. Seeing this, the Pope excommunicated all those who stayed behind in the Holy Land with the Saracens, or who made common cause with them. He also excommunicated those who carried arms and other needful thirigs to them. Moreover,. he excommunicated the land itself, so that whosoever should enter it without his leave might be anathema, seeing that he could not dwell therein without consorting with infidels and heretics. Howbeit, members of religious orders who visit the Holy Land are exempt from this excommunication, and if any man have a friend who is held captive among the Saracens, he may enter that country without leave from the Pope, and bargain with the Saracens for his friend's freedom. These particulars I read in an old book written by a pilgrim who visited the Holy Land one hundred and fifty years ago. The General Master of the Dominican Order grants leave to no friar who has not first obtained leave from the Pope.

Second article. No pilgrim ought to wander alone about the holy places without a Saracen guide, because this is dangerous and unsafe. I, Brother Felix Fabri, did not observe this article strictly, as will appear hereafter.

Third article. The pilgrim should beware of stepping over the sepulchres of the Saracens, because they are greatly vexed when they see this done, and pelt with stones anyone who steps over them, because they believe that our passing over them torments and disturbs the dead.

Fourth article. Should any pilgrim be struck by a Saracen, however unjustly, he must not return the blow, but must complain of him that struck him to the Guardian, or the dragoman or [83a] Calinus, who will see him righted if they are able; if not, seeing that young men are sometimes insolent and stiff-necked, the pilgrims must bear it with patience for the glory of God, and for their own greater merit.

Fifth article. Let the pilgrims beware of chipping off fragments from the holy sepulchre, and from the buildings at other places, and spoiling the hewn stones thereof, because this is forbidden under pain of excommunication. About this matter more will be said hereafter, on p. 217b.

Sixth article. Pilgrims of noble birth must not deface walls by drawing their coats-of-arms thereon, or bywriting their names, or by fixing upon the walls papers on which their arms are painted, or by scratching columns and marble slabs, or boring holes in them with iron tools, to make marks of their having visited them; for such conduct gives great offense to the Saracens, and they think those who do so to be fools.

Seventh article. The pilgrims must proceed to visit the holy places in an orderly manner, without disorder or disagreement, and one must not try to outrun another, because much disorder often occurs at these places, and the devotion of many is hindered thereby.

Eighth article. Pilgrims must beware of laughing together as they walk about Jerusalem to see the holy places, but they must be grave and devout, both on account of the holy places, and of the example which they afford to the infidels, and also lest the latter should suspect that we are laughing at them, which annoys them exceedingly. They are always suspicious about laughter and merriment among pilgrims.

Ninth article. Let the pilgrims beware above all of jesting with or laughing at the Saracen boys or men whom they may meet, because, however well meant this conduct may be, yet much mischief arises from it; so if anything laughable should be done by such boys, the pilgrim ought to turn himself away and remain grave, and so he will have peace.

Tenth article. Let the pilgrims beware of gazing upon any women whom they may meet, because all Saracens are exceeding jealous, and a pilgrim may in ignorance run himself into danger through the fury of some jealous husband.

Eleventh article. Should any woman beckon to a pilgrim or invite him by signs to enter a house, let him on no account do so, because the woman does this treacherously at the instigation of some men, In order that the Christian when he enters may be robbed, and perhaps slain. Those who are not careful in these matters incur great danger.

Twelfth article. Let every pilgrim beware of giving a Saracen wine when he asks for drink, whether on the roadside or elsewhere, because straightway after one single draught thereof he becomes mad, and the first man whom he attacks is the pilgrim who gave it him.

Thirteenth article. Let the pilgrim keep the ass which he first received from his driver, and let him not change it or exchange it with another, save with the consent of the driver, because otherwise disturbances arise. [b]

Fourteenth article. Let pilgrims of noble birth beware of revealing their nobility in the presence of Saracens, because it is imprudent to act so for many reasons.

Fifteenth article. Let no pilgrim put upon his head white turbans, or wind white cloths or napkins about his head when there are Saracens present, because they consider themselves alone to be privileged to do this and it is a sign by which they are distinguished from other nations. Neither will they endure to see Christians clad in white garments, which nevertheless is contrary to the teaching of their Al Koran, wherein Christians are often called 'white-robed,' and whenever they are mentioned they are called 'clad in white,' as we read in the translation of the Al Koran by Nicholas Cusa; for the Saracens, contrary to the ordinance of Mahomet, have readopted many customs which they were wont to use in the days of idolatry, as in the matter of garments; for they wear hermaphrodite garments which do not distinguish men from women, such as we read Queen Semiramis wore of old when she marched against the Bactrians in the midst of her men-at-arms, dressed so that no one knew whether she was a man or a woman; and this custom still obtains in the East. So also in heathen fashion they wrap up their heads with cloths, even as we read was done by Dionysus, the son of Semele, who was addicted to drunkenness and luxury: for whenever his head ached after drinking he was wont to bind it up with a turban, whence he received the name of Mitrophoros. The wine-bibbing Mahomet, imitating him always, had his head bound up with a turban; but after he renounced wine because of a homicide which he committed during the frenzy brought on by wine, he retained the ball-shaped turban for the head, and left it as a custom to his followers, for at this day they walk about wearing these balls of cloth on their heads like crowns, and will not suffer us to have white head-coverings.

Sixteenth article. No pilgrim may wear knives or anything else slung about him, lest they be torn from him and carried off, nor may he bear any arms whatsoever.

Seventeenth article. Should any pilgrim form a friendship with any Saracen, he must beware of trusting him too far, for they are treacherous; and he must especially beware of laying his hand on his beard in jest, or touching his turban, even with a light touch and in jest: for this thing is a disgrace among them, and all jests are at once forgotten thereat, and they grow angry. Of this fact, I, Brother Felix Fabri, have had experience.

Eighteenth article. Let every pilgrim carefully guard his own property, and never leave it lying about in any place where Saracens are, otherwise it will straightway vanish, whatever it may be.

Nineteenth article. If any pilgrim has a bottle of wine and wishes to drink, let him hide his bottle and drink secretly if Saracens are present; let him ask his comrade to stand before him, or let him cover himself with his cloak, so that he may drink unseen. For, because the drinking of wine is forbidden to them, they envy us when they see us drink it, and if they can, they molest those who drink.

Twentieth article. Let no Christian have money dealings with a Saracen except in such sort that he knows he cannot be cheated; for they strive to cheat us, and believe that they are serving God by deceiving and cheating us. And, above all, let the pilgrim beware of German Jews, and be on his guard against them, for their whole object in life is to cheat us and rob us of our money. Let him also beware of Eastern Christians when he has dealings with them, for they have no conscience, less even than the Jews and Saracens, and will cheat pilgrims if they can.

Twenty-first article. When pilgrims make covenants with Saracens, let them not dispute with them, nor swear at them, nor become angry with them; for they know that these things are contrary to the Christian religion, and when they see anything of this sort they straightway cry out, 'O thou bad Christian!' for all of them can say this either in Italian or German; and whenever any pilgrim discovers any vice they cast the name of 'Christian' in his teeth, as though they were quoting that passage of St. Augustine about Christian doctrine. 'How,' he asks, 'canst thou be called a Christian,who dost not act like a Christian? Christian [84a] is a name implying justice, goodness, honesty, long-suffering, chastity, prudence, lowliness, kindness, innocence, and piety.' Wherefore a pilgrim ought to bearhimself so as not to bring shame upon so noble a name in his own person.

Twenty-second article. Let the pilgrim beware of entering mosques, that is, Saracen temples and oratories, because if he be found therein, he will in no case escape unharmed, even should he escape with his life. This subject is discussed at greater length on page 261, and the following pages.

Twenty-third article. Let the pilgrim especially beware of laughing to scorn Saracens who are praying and practising the postures required by their faith, because they cannot bear this at all. For they themselves refrain from molesting or laughing at us when we are at our prayers.

Twenty-fourth article. If a pilgrim be detained longer than he wishes in Rama, or elsewhere, let him endure it with patience, and not think it to be the fault of the Father Guardian, but of the Saracens, who do what they please in these matters, not what is convenient to us.

Twenty-fifth article. Pilgrims must not grudge to pay money to save themselves from the many annoyances which beset them, but when money has to be paid they must give it straightway without grumbling. Yet no one need give money to the driver of his ass, because all this is paid by the captain, unless anyone out of generosity chooses to give his driver a penny to buy forage for his ass, which nevertheless he is not bound to do.

Twenty-sixth article. The pilgrims must give something to the keeper of the hospice in which we stand, to the end that the house may be repaired and raised from its ruins.

Twenty-seventh and last article. The pilgrims must show respect to the poor convent of the brethren of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, by whose help pilgrims are conducted into and out of the Holy Land, and must by their alms cherish this convent and help the brethren thereof, who dwell there among the infidels for the comfort of pilgrims, and who are willing to serve pilgrims according to their means, even by laying themselves down beneath their feet if necessary. And if any pilgrim be not dealt with according to his wish and his needs, let him not blame the brethren for this, because if they were forced to satisfy all with bread and wine, after the departure of the pilgrims, they themselves would not have wherewithal to live. Howbeit, they are prepared to nurse sick pilgrims with all care and diligence, and to refresh them and treat them charitably in their own infirmary.

These articles were read aloud to the pilgrims, both in Latin and in German. Now, as the sermon lasted so long, the Saracens, who were shut out from us in the outer court, became impatient, and beat upon the door with stones as though they would break it down. Others mounted upon the house-top and looked down upon the court where we were, laughing and shouting. But we, being disturbed thereby, looked in our turn at those youths with serious countenances, [b], and signed to them to go down. They, seeing that we were in earnest, ceased their clamour, and went away one after another. We completed the entire service in peace, and it was now about noon. So we unbarred the door, and came out into our court, which we found full of Saracens, Jews, Heretics, and Eastern Christians, with various things for sale, more especially victuals. There we found cooked chickens and fowls, cooked milk, puddings made of flour, and rice cooked with milk, most excellent loaves of bread, eggs, bunches of the sweetest grapes, pomegranates, apples, oranges, watermelons, lemons, figs both great and small, confections of almonds and honey, dried figs, some confections of sugar, almonds and dates, and cold water. One man likewise brought leather bottles full of an artificial drink used by great Saracen lords instead of wine. So we bought what food we pleased, and ate it in the places where we slept. After dinner that day, Calinus the lesser, who was called 'Elphahallo,' led us through the city of Rama to the streets of the merchants, and we saw there many precious wares and great mosques, and went to a warm bath wherein many pilgrims bathed in company with Saracens. This hot bath, like all Saracen baths, is built in a wondrous and clever fashion, enclosed between four towers, so that it brings up the heat from below, and makes it pass along a pavement formed of fair polished marble of divers colours. You will find much about the hot baths of the Saracens, whether it is lawful for Christians to bathe in their company, and other matters relating to this subject, in the second part. So after we had seen the city we went back to our own place, and when it grew late we turned out all the merchants, barred the door of the house, and composed ourselves to sleep.

On the tenth, which is the feast of 'the seven brethren, we were roused for Mass early in the morning, before sunrise, before the Saracens and merchants were awake. We set up an altar in our court, and one of the brethren celebrated Mass. After Mass we were told that we must make ourselves ready to visit the church of St. George* at Diospolis, which stands on the place whereat the saint was martyred.

On the eleventh, the day of Procopius the Confessor, I rose before daylight, and said my service on a higher vault than that whereon I had slept, sitting upon the convex roof of a loftier chamber, from whence I could see all the sleepers round about me. When it grew light the Saracens arose, folded up their beds, arranged their clothes, [b] and then straightway bent their knees in devotion, and prayed very seriously, saying their prayers in a kind of roaring tone, with their hands clasped together and raised on high. Several times they would bow their heads and bodies to the very earth, and remain awhile in that posture, and then would raise themselves up again and look upwards towards the heavens. All of them prayed at the same time, and in the same fashion, just as though they had all been monks of the same rule. When.they had finished their prayers they went about their wonted business. This I beheld that morning at Rama, and often afterwards in other places. Now, after the sun had risen our pilgrims arose, and straightway, without. any previous prayer, began to talk and laugh with one another.

So as I sat there I compared what I had seen done by the one party, and by the other, and I became saddened and disquieted at heart, seeing that those.unregenerate and utterly lost men do but aggravate the pains of their eternal damnation by the gravity and seriousness of their prayers, thereby they provoke the inexorable.wrath of God against themselves, when they so solemnly and methodically dishonour the saints and angels and all the heavenly host by their blasphemous prayers, while we most wretched and most ungrateful Christians, who have been redeemed by Christ's most precious blood, offer our prayers with levity and wantonness, with unspeakable lukewarmness at all times, with wandering thoughts and weariness, to the true and living God, from whom we hope with a steadfast faith that we.shall receive grace and glory. 0 Lord God, what grace wilt Thou accord to us for our most brief and most undevout prayers? And would that even our exceeding lukewarm prayers were made at any rate with sound faith! But what can I say? I fear that many Christians pass the whole day without any adoration of God, or any prayer to Him, which is a thing which could not happen among Saracens, Turks, Barbarians, Jews or Arabs; for all these heathens have even a fixed attitude and fashion wherein to pray, which they do not depart from in any case unless compelled by force. For a complete account of their prayers and fastings see Part II.; page 94. My aforesaid comparison of them with ourselves gave me occasion to speak of them in this place. So when the sun had risen, as we saw no preparation for setting out, we returned to our chambers, bought food, and ate it there. While we were thus sitting there came in to us a poor and miserable Saracen, carrying oranges anal grapes in a basket to sell to us, and sat himself down upon the ground with his basket just beside me. We took some of his fruit, and gave him bread and what was left of our meat, which he ate like one an hungered. On his head he wore a red hat with the badge of the Saracens. Now, as he seemed to me to be a good simple fellow, I took his hat from his head, and while I was looking at it, pretended to feel sick, and frowned and turned away my head from the hat which I held In my hand, as though out of loathing for the religion of the Saracens; and I spat at the cloth which was wound round the hat, wishing to see what he would say or do at this. Howbeit, [87a] the Saracen looked round all the corners of the chamber, and, seeing no one whom he feared, snatched up his hat, collected spittle in his mouth, and spat upon the badge of the Saracens thereon, cursed the turban, and made the sign of the cross by laying his right thumb over his left. He kissed the sign of the cross thus made upon his hand, and with tears said much to us which we could not understand; howbeit, we understood. full well that he was a Christian, and was forced to abjure his faith, and. that he was not a Saracen, but a poor Mameluke. After we had dined we remained in our chamber in quiet, and in the shade. Now, on one of the walls of our chamber we heard someone working with an iron tool on the other side, as though.he would bore through the wall, whereof we took no heed, nor did we suspect any danger. At last a hole was made by the taking out of one stone. On the other side were Saracen women, who had made the hole that they might see the pilgrims through it. As they looked at us some of the knights smiled, and signified by nods and signs what they could not do in words. But when this hole was seen by a Minorite friar, who was sent by the Guardian to make the round of the pilgrims' rooms, he straightway brought mortar and built up the hole, swearing by God, that had the Saracens seen this they would have put all the pilgrims to the most frightful tortures, because they are furiously jealous, and all join together without any reason to avenge any affront to their honour. Indeed, the Saracen women appear to be very wanton; for some young knights, while walking and looking around them on the roof of the house, saw three women standing in another house, who made signs to them to come down to them. Whether they did this out of wantonness, or, which I should rather believe, out of treachery and malice, the danger was the same; for this is their law: that if a Christian be found consorting with a Saracen woman, he is given his choice of either renouncing his faith or suffering death, nor is there any middle course between these two. Meanwhile hour after hour passed, and we still stood there longing to depart; for the insults and teasings of the young men grew worse every hour, and we saw that further delay would be dangerous to us, because pilgrim after pilgrim kept being put out of patience by the insults which he received. One of them lightly struck a bad boy who was casting stones at him, so that he wept, and at the sound of his weeping the Saracens ran together even as swine run together to defend a comrade who grunts to them, and the pilgrim who struck the boy could not have peace until he quieted the boy's weeping with money. Indeed, the naughty boys at Rama are worse than at any other place where pilgrims are lodged, and there one is not allowed to return blow for blow. We feared, therefore, lest we might come into peril, and went to-the captains, earnestly intreating them to lead us out of that fiery furnace. They promised that we should start in an hour's time.

[b] Rama, or Ramula, is a city between Palestine and Judaea, on the border of the Philistine country, and of the Jews' country, in the lot of the tribe of Judah, and stands upon a hill, whence it is called Rama, which is, being interpreted, lofty. Wherefore not only this, but many other cities in the Holy Land, which are built upon high places, are called Rama. In many, however, there is a difference in the end of the word, so that from Rama we have Ramatha, Ramathaiim,Ramasse, Ramoth, Ramula, Aramathya. This Rama whereof I speak is often mentioned in Scripture, and here the holy Samuel was born. At this day it is a populous town, greater than Jerusalem, and finds a living for many merchants; but it is not well fenced with walls all round about, like many other Saracen cities, but lacks walls. There are many mosques within it and round about it. It stands in a most pleasant and fertile place, and everything there is right cheap, sweet, and exceeding good, save the people, who are most evil-minded, and bear a special hatred to Christians. Many pestilent Ethiopians dwell there, and Moors and other people without understanding. This city is mentioned in the third (first) book of Kings, chapter xv., and the second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel.[Matt. ii.18.]

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