1 I am unable to discover the meaning of this word.-ED.

624 THE BOOK OF THE WANDERINGS OF

THE DEPARTURE OF THE PILGRIMS FROM MOUNT SINAI, AND THE TROUBLES, EXTORTIONS, AND VEXATIONS ENDURED BY THEM BEFORE THEY COULD GET OUT OF THE CONVENT INTO THE DESERT AGAIN.

On the twenty-seventh day we arose before daylight and celebrated Masses in our chapel, after which we went down into St Catharine's Church and received indulgences in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin at Bush, and at St. Catharine's sepulchre. When we had kissed the holy places, we got leave from St. Catharine to return to our homes, and went up to our own place and made ready for our departure. With difficulty we prevailed on the monks to let us fill our water-skins from the convent well; for in the courtyard there is a great and exceeding deep well, which has water running into it from the bottom, not rain­water, a thing which I never saw in any part of the East save there. They say that Moses dug this well, and that owing to his prayers water flowed into it to refresh the people of Israel. But Moses learned this art of digging wells in Egypt, for Pliny tells us in the first book of his `Natural History' that Danaus, the son of Belus, was the first to dig wells in Egypt, that when he sailed to Greece he there did the same thing, and from thence the knowledge of this thing spread into other regions.

When the Arabs saw that we were making ready to depart, their chief sent a servant to us, who warned us that we must not presume to leave the place where we were without having first paid him his dues; so after much argument. we gave him some ducats, and hoped that we were free. We now waited for our camel-drivers, who were a long time coming to us. At last one came, who said that the camels were in the hands of armed men, who would not let them go unless we paid toll for them. We therefore made an agreement with them, and redeemed our camels from them for money. The ass-drivers also came and told us that their asses were shut up by the heathen, and that we must pay money to redeem them; and so we had our purses continually open, for we were obliged to pay to escape from these troubles. Meanwhile, the Father of the monastery sent a message to us complaining that one of us had chipped off a piece of St. Catharine's coffin with an iron tool, and that if we did not straightway give it back of our own accord, we should presently be forced so to do by the Arabs, into whose hands he would put the matter. When we heard this we were sore afraid; moreover, we found that the coffin was indeed mutilated. But none of us confessed that he had done this thing; each man looked at his neighbour, and all cursed him who had done it; and though we begged of one another that the culprit should not be ashamed to confess, and should give the broken piece back again, and we all declared that we would take his part and pay whatever had to be paid, yet no man would avow it; and at last Calinus said that the culprit must give him the broken piece of stone secretly, and he would smooth the matter over without making it public. Thus it was done; but I do not know at this day who among us was the culprit. We endured much tribulation and disgrace during the whole of this pilgrimage, owing to the foolish desire of some of our party to have pieces broken off the holy places, of which I have spoken in Part I., page 217b. When this trouble was settled, the monks and officers of the convent came and shamelessly asked us for money as a Vale, or parting gift, which also we gave them, albeit they had not deserved it. Then came the Father of the monastery in his own proper person, being a man but little stricken by age, strong and sensible. He asked us to suffer four camels loaded with fruit to journey down into Egypt in our company; for every year at that season the Father of the monastery sends fruit to the Lord Soldan, the King of Egypt. This fruit is packed in wooden boxes, and is gathered in the wilderness of Sinai and Horeb. The King sets great store by this present, because the fruit has grown in that holy spot, and divides it among the greatest men in Egypt, who receive that fruit as though it were a holy thing sent down from heaven. So we took these four camels into our company. For an account of the gardens in the wilderness, wherein these fruits grow, see page 41b.

When at last everything had been peaceably arranged and all men had been paid, we feared that after we had left the convent the Arabs would follow us and plague us in the wilderness; so we went down with Calinus to the mosque, where the chief of the Arabs was, called him out, and begged of him that we might not be troubled by his men when we were without the monastery. He promised that we should suffer no harm at the hands of his people, and said that if we wished to be quite safe, he would send some of his servants with us for three or four days' journey through the wilderness to protect us. We were satisfied with this answer, and left him free from fear. All the aforesaid troubles had hindered our departure till mid-day, and now in the full heat of the sun we loaded our camels with much labour and many quarrels, for the camel-drivers threw away the water-skins which we had filled with water, and we on our side put them on again, and they cast them off, and without coming to blows we abused one another with angry gestures. At last some Arabs came and reconciled us on condition that we paid a fresh fee to the camel­drivers for the carriage of the water-skins. We did so, and had we done so at the beginning, no dispute would ever have arisen. At last our camels were loaded, and we left the monastery. But an Arab came running after us carrying a mattress and a bag, which our camel-drivers had left behind on purpose, and so the pilgrim to whom the mattress belonged was forced to buy it from the Arab, and when he had got the mattress, the camel-driver would not put it on his camel unless some more coppers were paid him. Thus we were thoroughly well plagued. We now left the monastery, going away through the same valley by which we had come, down into the great valley, where the children of Israel worshipped the golden calf. We travelled at a slow pace for four hours, and in the evening pitched our tents in a place which the Arabs called Wachya. Here we had difficulty in finding enough sticks for a fire to cook our food. The Arabs with the camels who bore the fruit pitched their tents in the midst of us, and so we passed that night.

THE JOURNEY.

On the twenty-eighth, which was the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, we rose three hours before daylight, loaded our camels, left the place Wachya, passing through that narrow entrance whereof I have spoken on page 32. We turned our backs upon the highest Sinai Mountains, and came back again into Machera, where Moses used to feed Jethro's flocks. On this level plain we departed from the road whereby we had come in on our arrival, leaving it on the right hand, while we turned off to the left and went down into a pathless torrent-bed, which nevertheless was a pleasant place, because it stood full of tamarisk­trees and bushes. As the asses and camels passed through these, they plucked the leaves with the dew upon them from the little boughs, while we sucked the dew from the leaves, for it was as sweet as sugar or honey, and it is from it that the luscious manna is formed. About noon we came up out of that torrent-bed into the valley where we had our scuffle with the Arabs on St. Matthaeus's Day, eight days before. As we were passing over into this torrent­bed, lo, of a sudden a wild ass ran vehemently down from the heights at a great speed towards us, as though he would dash in among our company. We, who never had seen one before, never thought that he was anything but a domestic ass, and were surprised at his swiftness and beauty. He ran down looking at our asses, and I fancy that he was after them, seeing that otherwise they avoid the company of man. One of the Arabs cautiously followed the beast sidelong, with a bow and arrows, meaning to shoot it, but the beast fled before he was within shot, but yet went slowly away from his pursuer, as if he would draw the man on after him and make sport of him; but at last when the Arab was nearer to him, he drew his bow and wounded the beast, who presently cast forth the arrow and went off down a steep place, but the young man brought us the arrow, and there was blood on the point. Not long afterwards we saw five wild asses together, running among the rocks. Those who write of natural history have much to say about the wild ass. The onager, or wild ass, is a handsome beast, with a smaller head than the common ass, and is a free, untamable; wanton animal which dwells in mountainous and barren places, and is so swift that it can outrun the bear, the wolf, and the lion. For this reason it was reckoned by the ancients among their chief gods, rather than Diomedes, as we are told by Eusebius in his work De Evangelica praeparatione, Book V., ch. xiii. It can endure thirst for a long time, longer than any other creature, and when unable to come at water it lives on the wind, which it stands on rocks and snuffs up: so Jer. xiv. 6, `And the wild asses did stand in the high places, and snuffed up the wind like dragons'; also Psa. civ. II, `And the wild asses quench their thirst' . . . The wild ass brays twelve times in the day and twelve times in the night, and hereby they who dwell in the wilderness are able to distinguish the hours of the night. . . . Swift mules are born of the wild ass and the mare, but swifter than these are the offspring of the wild ass and the tame she-ass. These are exceeding costly mules, such as are ridden by princes and great men. About sunset we came to a dry and desolate torrent-bed which the Arabs called Elphat. Here we unloaded our beasts, pitched our tents, acid lay there for the night. The place was so exceeding waste and barren, that we had no hope of finding wood enough for a fire, but we did find enough to warm water for a cake.

On the twenty-ninth day, which is the Feast of St. Michael, we rose before daylight, and journeyed out through the same desert torrent-beds through which we had come in. We had a tedious and toilsome day, because we made a long journey over exceeding bad ground, not over sand, which we could have borne with patience, but over dust--nay, over ashes. All day long we walked over dust and ashes. We wondered not a little whence came the vast abundance of dust and ashes which is spread all over that country, seeing that there is no human dwelling, no fire, and nothing that will burn. This question we answered as follows according to the Catholic Faith: ‘Forasmuch as God hath sent the curses of all lands upon this stony desert, He hath sent upon it this one also, that no shower of rain, snow, or dew should fall thereon; but showers of dust and ashes, which curse He threatened should come upon the Holy Land in like fashion if they who dwelt therein did not keep His commandments.' 'The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed' (Deut. xxviii. 24). Thus did the Lord to the land of Egypt, when Moses and Aaron, at His command, took handfuls of ashes from the furnace and sprinkled it toward heaven, and it became a boil, breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, as we read in Exod. ix.10. So we imagined that this part of the wilderness also had been struck by the same plague as Egypt, and we feared, lest we should break out into blains like the Egyptians; howbeit, the Lord kept us whole as we passed through that land of ashes.

We came into a valley, where we found an idol in the shape of an Aethiopian boy, standing in a cave in the rock. From time to time the Arabs make offerings to this idol, and they would have been well pleased if we had offered some silver to it, but we would not. Some of them tore pieces off their shirts and hung them up before the idol, as they are wont to do in places where they believe any divinity to be present, as may be seen on pages 29b and 33a. With regard to this silly custom of worship by pieces of rag, one may say that as some men think nothing in the world to be more worthy, noble, and acceptable to God than the skin of dead creatures, on which God has written Himself, His most secret mysteries, and the whole system of the world, even so, by a parity of reasoning, old useless rags of linen and strips of shirts are worthy of reverence, seeing that no less things are written upon them than on the skins of dead creatures, for all things Divine and human, celestial and terrestrial, eternal and transitory, present and future, visible and invisible, natural and miraculous; things which must be believed, and things which can be proved; things reasonable, and things super­natural; and all other things, both good and bad; things to be desired, and things to be shunned, all are written upon either parchment or paper, and perhaps it is for this reason that the infidels think that these rags are acceptable to their gods, and offer them. From this place we journeyed on our way until the evening, and pitched our tents in a wild place, which the Arabs called Effkayl When we had settled ourselves, we again began to be in want and to suffer for lack of water, which was beyond all measure grievous to us, and hard to be borne, for that evening we had scarcely enough water to cook some soup or broth[1] to eat with our cakes of bread. We thought of the great store of meat, of ganders and geese, which is to be found in almost every house in our country on the evening of the Feast of St. Michael, and we began to burn with desire for the flesh-pots, the spits full of roasted meats, the baskets of fish, and the hot puddings. It was with us almost as it was with the children of Israel in the wilderness, when they remembered the plenty of Egypt, and lusted after the flesh, the fish, the onions, the garlic, and the melons (Exod. xvi. 3), and more fully Num. xi. 5. But our desire was in vain, for we had not Moses with us to bring us quails from the parts beyond sea, as he did for them, albeit the wrath of God fell upon them, for the Psalm says: `But when the meat was yet in their mouths the heavy wrath of God came down upon them, and slew them' (Psa. lxxviii 31). So we passed a wretched Michaelmas Day, and had an unquiet night because of the ashes, and the winds which blew them into the air.

[1] Prodium, pro Brodium, nostris Brouet. Statuta Monast. Mellic. an 1451, in ejusdem Chron., p. 426. Die parasceves pro relevatione fratrum detur singulis aliquid coctum, viz., Prodium de furfure, vulgariter Stob, vel de pisis, non tamen nisi sale conditum.'--Du Cange.

HOW WE SUFFERED FOR LACK OF WATER.

On the thirtieth, the last day of September, being the Feast of St. Jerome, we left the aforesaid place immediately after midnight, four hours before daybreak, and went on our way through the pathless wilderness, leaving behind us the loftier and inner ranges of mountains. When it was bright day we came into the wilderness of Ramathaim, to the place where we made our camp on the 19th, at the foot of the country of Rachkaym, where we came down the steep hillside, as is told on page 28b. We did not go up that steep place again into the mountains, but left the hill country on our right hand, and went down toward the Red Sea. It was here that we departed from the road by which we had come, and turned off from it toward Egypt. At this time we were suffering from want of water, and murmured for water, saying to Calinus, who was our Moses: 'Give us water that we may drink,' even as the Jews said to Moses (Exod. xvii. 2). Calinus answered, that if we wanted water, we must turn aside a little way from the true path, away from the camels, who could not be led over that pathless country. We said that we must have water; because all the way from Mount Sinai to this place we had seen no water, and had almost emptied our water-skins. Upon this a certain Arab who had joined us in the wilderness told Calinus that he knew a place where there were many wells, and would guide us thither. So we let the camels and Calinus go straight on toward the Red Sea, and followed the Arab into this other country. We came with him to a wild and rocky torrent-bed, shut in on either side by lofty walls of rock, through which in its season water ran so furiously as to move great rocks. We went a long way down this torrent-bed, and began to be afraid, as the place was a savage desert. We talked one with another, and wondered at ourselves, that to get water we had left all our goods on the camels, had left our guides, ass-drivers and camel-drivers, and had joined one solitary man--the strangest of strangers--and were following him over these pathless wilds. Nevertheless, we all thought that this Arab was a good man, for he strove in every way that he could to encourage us, and merrily ran on before us, pointing out the high rocks and barren bed of that torrent as though he himself wondered thereat. After we had gone down a long way, we climbed up the rocks out of the torrent-bed, and came into a place full of bushes and green shrubs. Passing through this we came into a sandy plain, whereon, we saw many footprints of men, camels, and asses marked on the sand. This plain was set about with bushes and fruit-trees, and in it there were many wells and pits full of water. When we saw them, we leaped off our asses and rejoiced at having found water. We ran up to the nearest pit, and let down into it a bucket made of leather, which our Arab carried with him. We drew up from it some thick muddy water, and when we would have drunk it, we tasted it and found it exceeding salt, even as though it had been drawn out of the sea, so that not even our asses could drink it. But when we looked reproachfully at our Arab guide, as much as to say that he had made sport of us and brought us hither for nothing, he signed to us that we must taste the other wells also, and seek for sweet water. So we went to another pit and drew out some water, which was insipid, yet not so salt as the first, and thus we went round all the pits and found water for our beasts, but there was no water in these wells for us. Hereupon the Arab began to dig and to cast out the earth with his hands in a dry pit which we had found, and which was not very deep. After we had dug for a little while, water began to gush forth, and, albeit muddy, it was sweet. With this water we filled our water-skins and our bellies, caring nothing for its muddiness. Every man who knows this plain does this, and digs a well for himself, for the water below is sweet; but when the sun shines hot into the wells, it makes the water salt, wherefore we only found salt water in the wells which had already been dug. If these wells had been dug deep down, walled round, and shielded from the sun's heat, I believe that there would be good drinkable water at that place. It is indeed a wondrous thing how there should be water in that sandy soil. We wonder at Neptune, the God of the Sea, who after he had set free the daughter of Danaus from the satyr in the wilderness, and had ravished her there, struck his trident upon the ground in the place where he had consorted with the maiden, and a fountain burst forth; but here we had no trident or spade, but made a fountain with our own hands. In this place we find exceeding salt water in springs, like the water of the fountain called Exampeus,[l] which is in the land of the Caliopades (?). This fountain sends forth such bitter waters that it renders the river into which it flows completely bitter. On the other hand, there is a fountain called Alis, which is so sweet to drink of that he that has it cares for no other drink. Even so on this spot we found sweet and bitter waters together. But in a certain place in our own country I have seen even more remarkable qualities in one and the same water. Above Coblenz, near the town of Nassau, there boils forth from the rock hot bitter water, and from out of the rifts and crevices of the same rock hotter and bitterer water; yet sweet cold water is to be found at the same place, and cold bitter water likewise, and nevertheless they all flow out of one rock. This place is called 'The Waters of Ems,' and in it there are lodgings for those who wish to bathe there, for the waters are medicinal.

When we had watered ourselves and our beasts, we hurriedly left the place and came again into another wild torrent-bed. After we had journeyed along it for a long way, we climbed up one side of it and saw our camels walking on far away above us; so we quickened our pace and followed them. By the time that we had reached them, the water in our jars was warm, useless to drink, and slightly salt; for no sooner does this water feel the sun's heat than it inclines to become salt. That day we travelled under an exceeding hot sun over wondrous barren and desert torrent-beds. In the evening we came to a torrent-bed which they called Laccrara, and pitched our tents in it near a stony hill-side overhung by beetling rocks. Here our company took our beds and carried them into a great cave, where we settled ourselves; for we loathed our tent, and would not lie in it unless we were forced, because we lay in it locked close together one with another, and became covered with each other's lice. All the rocks, stones, and ground of this place were formed of an exceeding white earth, so that we were besprinkled with white dust, even as though we had been in a flour-mill where the flour flies about. While we were gathering sticks and cooking, our guides and Arabs came round our tents begging biscuits, eggs, and the like things to eat, yet they ate but little that evening. The cause of this I shall presently set forth.

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER, CONTAINING THE DOINGS OF THE PILGRIMS DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, AND MANY OTHER THINGS.

Two hours before the first day of the month of October dawned, the Saracens and Arabs, and all they of the religion of Mahomet who were with us, rose up, lighted a fire and candles, and began to eat, drink, make merry, laugh, and sing. They became jovial far beyond their usual wont, and roused us with their shouts, and invited us to revel with them. When we questioned them as to the reason of this untimely feasting, they told us that at day­break their fast began, and therefore they ate and were merry before the dawn, forasmuch as this is how they keep the fast which Mahomet has enjoined them in his Alcoran; for they have no fast throughout all the year save in the month of October, in which they fast in such sort that every day from the twilight, when the day is about to dawn and there is sufficient light to tell a black thread from a white one, they fast even to the going down of the sun; and during the day-time they neither eat nor drink, neither do they converse with their wives, but rest, sleep, and pass the day in a kind of sorrowful sluggishness. But as soon as the sun sets, they rouse themselves, wake up, lay tables, and eat and drink, not once, but as often as they please. All night long they shout, sing, and run to and fro, and every night of the fast they go mad thus, and solace themselves with their wives. Those who are not able to watch all night lie down to sleep, but rise two hours before daylight to eat, and cease eating when they see the dawn. In towns, therefore, their priests run through the streets two hours before the dawn and beat pieces of wood together to rouse men up that they may eat and enjoy themselves. O what a strange unnatural fast, fit only for carnal and beastly men! Far, far from us be he that preaches such fasting as this, that after the fast has been fulfilled during the day he bids men spend their night in lust, gluttony, drunkenness, and revelling, so that he seems to have instituted this fast for no other purpose than that after it is over men may indulge all their basest desires with greater enjoyment and appetite. We were much disturbed at night by their rioting throughout this month, as what follows will show. When day was near at hand, after they had gorged themselves and were about to load their camels, they found that one of the camels had been stolen; for thieves roam through the wilderness, who stand in the day-time on the tops of high rocks and watch companies of men passing by, to see where they stop for the night; then when they are all asleep these robbers go quietly in among them and loose camels or asses from their picket-ropes, and take bags and scrips if they can. The camel-drivers were vexed at this, and two of them took spears and ran off into the country to seek the beast, while we put the lost camel's load upon another one's back and set out from Laccrara over a sandy tract. Three hours later our camel-drivers came back with the lost camel. Their clothes were bespattered with blood, and their spears dripped with blood; they had found two thieves with their beast in a cave, to which they were guided by the tell-tale footprints of the beast and of the thieves, and had slain one of them with the spear, but the other had run away and escaped death. This was the same thing which Virgil tells us befell Hercules. While Hercules was feasting with Evander, he placed his oxen among Evander's herds. Now, not far from that place there dwelt in a cave a giant of huge stature named Cacus, a son of Vulcan, who belched forth flames from his mouth, and who vexed all that country with his robberies and thefts. This giant came forth from his cave by night, and dragged the oxen of Hercules into his cave by their tails. When Hercules saw that some of his oxen had been stolen, and could not guess whither they had gone, he saw the footprints of the thief leading from the herd to the cave. Hereupon Hercules ran up, dragged him out of the cave, slew him with his club, and drove his oxen back again.

Meanwhile, as we went on our way, we came out of the mountains into the land of Midian, on the shore of the Red Sea, albeit we were still a long way from its waters. This land is called Midian from the city of Midian which was built by one of Abraham's sons by Keturah, named Midian (Gen. xxv., 2), and he named it after his own name. The first merchants of whom we read, those who bought Joseph (Gen. xxxvii. 28), belonged to this city. Of this city was Jethro, the chief priest and King of Midian, of whom also I have made mention on page 8b, to whom Moses fled for refuge from Egypt, and took his daughter to wife (Exod. ii.).

As we went onward we came out of the pathless wilderness on to the common beaten king's highway that leads up from Egypt to Palestine and Gazara, which we departed from near Gazara, as is told above, page 28, when we entered into the wilderness. From that place to this we had no road to follow, but walked by day and by night, guiding our course by the sun, moon, and stars, even as men do at sea. We were beyond measure rejoiced at finding the road, and it seemed to us that we had come back into the world. At this place the road which leads up from Egypt divides into two roads: one leads up along the shore of the Great Sea to Palestine, and thence to Judaea and Jerusalem, over which road men are continually coming and going from the Holy Land to Egypt and contrariwise; the other road leads from Egypt up to the shore of the Red Sea, Midian, and Tor, a port on the Red Sea mentioned above, page 39b. So we went along this high­road toward Egypt with joy, and we rejoiced in that we had again found the footprints of the Lord Jesus; for it was along this road that Joseph brought the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus into Egypt at the bidding of the angel (Matt. ii.).

Toward evening we came to the wilderness of Elim, where the children of Israel encamped after the crossing of the Red Sea, where there were twelve wells of water and three score and ten palm-trees (Exod. xv. 27). But we went away from the place where the wells are, and also turned aside out of the public road for about one Italian mile, and pitched our tents in a dirty place which they called Derondon. Here the ground was swarming with vermin and insects, and Pharaoh's lice were beyond counting. Of these I have told you on page 27. We were angry with Calinus for not having caused the tents to be pitched in the place where the wells are; but he made a reasonable excuse for this, saying that we were hot and thirsty to such a degree that if we had halted beside the waters we should have never ceased drinking until we killed ourselves. Another reason was that near these waters are swamps, and in the swamps are number­less serpents of divers kinds, worms, and vipers; wherefore it is not expedient to tarry near the waters. Another reason is that the robber Arabs of the desert are wont to pitch their tents beside the waters, and sometimes come by night to the places where water is; and if they found us there, they would plague us and rob us. Another reason is that beside those waters is a village, full of most pestilent Midianites, who would have troubled us in many ways, even in the night-time, if they learned that we had pitched our tents there. Another reason is that the highroad leads close by the wells, and along the road both merchants and robber Arabs and Midianites pass by night, and we should not be undisturbed by them. So after we had pitched our tents, we went down together with our ass-drivers to the place of the wells and palm-trees, and filled both our water-skins and our jars, with which our ass-drivers went back to the tents; but we remained in that delightful spot, stripped ourselves, and bathed, for we found plenty of water, clear and luke-warm, to wash ourselves in. Beside these waters grew bushes and shrubs, and not far away was the village, in which was a multitude of palm-trees. At the time when the children of Israel encamped in this place, there were here twelve wells and seventy palm-trees. At this day there are not precisely twelve wells, but there are many springs of water on a hill-side, which pour forth water every way, neither are there seventy palms, but many more; nevertheless, the place is the same.

Because of these spouting springs of water, I imagine that some one of the nymphs must have made this place famous in the imaginations of the poets; moreover, this idea is assisted by the Arabic name of the place, for it is called Dorindon. Now,. Doris was the daughter of Coelus and Vesta, who was the wife of Oceanus, and the mother of all the nymphs. To which of the nymphs this place was sacred, I know not; yet this I do know for certain, that it was hallowed by being the sixth halting-place of the children of Israel in their flight out of Egypt, as is told in Exod. xv. 27, and Numb. xxxiii. 9. We stayed at these waters for more than two hours, and refreshed ourselves there greatly, and we drank, bathed, and cleansed ourselves from vermin. Meanwhile, some fairly well-looking Midianitish girls came down with their flocks to the waters. They stood by another part of the waters and wondered at us, looked earnestly at us, laughed, and seemed to pray. I did not forget at that place the wantonness of that un­chaste Midianitish woman who companied with one of the children of Israel in the sight of Moses and all the people, or the zeal of Phineas, who struck them both through with a javelin, for which cause twenty and four thousand men died in the wilderness of Shittim (Numb. xxv.). Wherefore the laughter and jests of these girls were an abomination to us, and we made as though we did not see their smiles, howbeit we could scarcely keep some young knights from showing them some sign of amusement. As we stayed a longish time at this place, Calinus sent an Arab to us with a message that we must come quickly back to our tents, and he even went so far as to be displeased with us. So we went down thither, and found our supper ready, which we ate with great and unwonted joy for our drink of water had affected us even as though we had drunk of the red spring which is in Aethiopia, whereof they say that he that drinks becomes mad. While we were making merry, our Saracens and Arabs sat sorrowful, pale, and silent, because of their accursed fast; but as soon as the sun had plunged into chaos, when we had sought rest, they in their turn began to play pranks, sing, howl, bellow, eat, and drink. They gave us no rest for nearly the whole night, and with this riot they carry out the rules of their fast. Sometimes we rose, went out of our tents, ran to them, and forced them by threats to be silent; and sometimes, when they were baking cakes in the ashes, we remained with them, and looked on at their follies.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS AND TERROR OF THE PILGRIMS.

On the second day of October we rose early, but left late because of the loss of three camels, which they thought had been stolen, but by following their tracks they were found grazing in the wilderness. They were brought back after sunrise, and so we loaded our beasts, left Elim, and went along the highway over exceeding wide fields down toward the Red Sea. Behind us came some other men with camels along the road leading from Tor, and we feared that perchance they might be robbers, because they went very fast and gained upon us. When they were close to us, we saw that their camels were bedecked with ornaments, and feared rather that the men might belong to the Court (of the Soldan). The lord of this caravan, a full­-fleshed and handsome man, drove his dromedary in amongst us, and looking round at each of us with an angry countenance, said indignantly to Calinus, `How dare you, who are a Saracen, lead armed Franks through our Lord the Soldan's country, so that they march like men at arms along the King's highway?' To him Calinus replied with deep respect, `These men are pilgrims, and have come hither to visit the holy places in our lands; they do not wish to hurt, to attack, or to wrong any man. But since they heard in Gaza--that is to say, in Jerusalem--that certain pestilent fellows are roaming about the wilderness, who everywhere venture to set at nought our Lord the Soldan's safe conduct, robbing and maltreating those who travel through the desert, even though they be nobles from Cairo, they, being of a manly spirit, begged permission of their dragoman to bear arms, to the end that they themselves may overthrow and put to rout any who attack them and break the peace which the kindness of our Lord the Soldan hath granted to them. This is the reason why they march along girt with swords and carrying bows. 'When he heard this answer, he turned to his serving men, and said merrily, `See, these Franks are braver than the Egyptians; if our Moors, Saracens, or Mamelukes were so bold, the wilderness would long ago have been swept clean of thieves and robbers.’ Thus the man was exceeding well content, gave us a friendly greeting through Calinus, and questioned him about our journey, our native country, and other matters, while we asked him through Calinus whether the merchant ships from India had come to Tor with their cargoes of aromatic spices, and whether those spices had been carried to Alexandria. Our reason for asking this question was that we hoped to cross the sea to Italy together with those spices in ships from Alexandria. The man straightway understood what we were thinking about, and gave us a full and complete answer, saying that the Indian ships had reached Tor many days ago, and that at this time the aromatic spices were being carried on the backs of camels into Egypt to Cairo, that from Cairo they would be carried down the Nile to Alexandria, to the Great Sea, where the Alexandrian trading fleet from Venice was now riding, and would sail as soon as the ships were loaded. When we heard this we became anxious, for we were sore afraid lest those ships should leave Alexandria before we got there, since if this should come to pass we should be forced to winter in Alexandria, which would be very disagreeable to us. After talking thus, this man swiftly outstripped us, while we and our camels followed him at a slow enough pace. From that hour we began to be anxious, and to worry Calinus and the camel-drivers, urging them in season and out of season to march faster and to quicken their journey.

THE EXCEEDING PERILOUS WANDERING AND TURNING ASIDE INTO THE WILDERNESS FROM THE TRUE PATH WHICH WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE PILGRIMS OF THE THIRD COMPANY.

We travelled on over exceeding wide and sandy plains, across which the holy Moses came up from the Red Sea when he came out of the land of Egypt with all the people of Israel; and at an early hour, while there was yet much of the day left, they unloaded the beasts at a place called Wardachii. This displeased us, because we were in a hurry to reach Alexandria; but our guides did not care, about this, because they wanted to sleep and rest before sunset, that they might keep awake and riot all night according to the rule of their unprofitable fast. When we would have pitched our tents in this place, the wooden pegs to which the ropes were fastened would not hold because of the fineness of the sand, into which they were not firmly fixed; moreover, we had not many stakes left, for the rest had been lost in the wilderness. So we sat down very impatiently on the dry sands in the full heat of the sun, and murmured against our guides. From that place we had a view of heaps and hills of sands between us and the Red Sea, and we could distinctly see the Red Sea between them. It seemed to us to be scarce one Italian mile distant, and one of the knights of the third company, to which I belonged, said, `Why do we sit here idle, perishing with the heat of the sun? See, there is the Red Sea, and we have still much of the day left; I pray you, let us go down thither to refresh ourselves and to pass the time. When he said this no one answered him, so he went on to say, `Are there no trusty fellows among you that would dare to come such a little way as that with me for their pleasure and for mine? I should be willing to fight for you, and will no, one come and bathe with me? What do you fear? why are you afraid?’ When we said to him that Calinus would not let us go, unless the other two companies went too, he laughed us to scorn, and with many words cast our want of good-fellowship and cowardice in our teeth. Hereupon all we of the third company, who alone were concerned in this matter, rose up indignantly, re-mounted our asses, and set out together toward the sea. When Calinus saw this, he called loudly to us to come back, and in like manner the Arabs, the camel-drivers, the ass-drivers, and the other pilgrims all called after us, begging us to stay with them; but we pretended that we did not hear them, and departed from them. We were seven--to wit, Master Peter Velsch, Knight, who was the ringleader; Lord Henry of Schomberg, Knight; Lord Caspar of Siculi, Knight; Lord Sigismund of Marspach, Knight ; Master John Lacinus, Archdeacon; Brother Felix, the servant of the others; and John, the cook of the lords of the first company, the servant of the Count of Solms, who had made a fire to bake a cake, and when he saw us going down to the sea, told his masters to expect him back again soon, as he only meant to refresh himself, and come back punctually to cook their supper; for he, like all of us, thought that the sea was only two or three furlongs away from us. When Calinus saw that we were determined, as he well understood the risk which we ran, he called together all the pilgrims, camel-drivers; and ass­-drivers, and said to them, `Behold, those pilgrims are going down to the sea, and are exposing themselves to great peril, for it is possible that they may lose their way and be separated from us, and if this should happen they would be the children of death. Wherefore I declare and protest to you that I have not sent them, neither have I bidden them to go, but have called them back and forbidden them to go down thither, but they have scorned to listen to me. If they do not come back to us before the morrow, then you shall give me a written account of what I have done in this matter, that all men may know that I am innocent of the death of these pilgrims. I shall have to answer for them to many people, and perchance if the matter be heard of in Cairo, I shall be brought before the Soldan to answer for them, and the interpreter will inquire about them, and Naydan, the Governor of Jerusalem, and the Chief Calinus, and all of them will accuse me of carelessness. Wherefore, unless they come back to-night, I shall ask for your written testimony. For once also on another journey I lost two pilgrims in the same way, on whose account I came into great tribulation, and suffered exceeding great trouble without any fault of mine.' On hearing this all promised that they would do as he asked them. Meanwhile, we went on our way merrily, and came among heaps of sand, so that we could not see them any more. After we had journeyed a long way, we could indeed see the sea, but we were a very long while in reaching it, for after we had travelled at a fast pace for some three hours, we saw that we had no more daylight left, and just as we reckoned that we were on the shore of the sea, there appeared another wide tract between us and it, and when we had crossed this there was another to cross; wherefore one of the knights said to me, 'Lo, brother, we are plainly being deluded by the devil, for the sea could not run away from us, but this which we see does run away from us; wherefore it cannot be the sea, but must be the devil transformed into the likeness of the sea.' When the sun set we drew near to the sea, and as we were going down the beach into the water, we came to mud into which the asses sank up to their bellies. We therefore dismounted with great discomfort, because we also sank into the mud, out of which we led the beasts, and tied them together to some thorn-bushes. Next we went into the mud and laboriously reached the water, where we had but poor and little comfort, for we did not undress, but briefly washed our hands, and felt angry with ourselves for having uselessly run so great a risk. After we had washed our hands, we picked up some monstrous oyster-shells on the beach for a proof that we had been to the Red Sea, and made our way up again through the mud, not washed, but dirty, not refreshed, but troubled, not joyous, but sorrowful, and so we left the sea. By this time the night was so dark that we could not even see the tracks of our asses by any means whatsoever; wherefore, seeing that we none of us knew which way or toward which quarter we ought to bear, and disputes arose about this, some of the pilgrims dismounted and felt for the footprints of the asses in the sand, but could find nothing for certain because of the darkness. Thus we stood still in complete doubt as to the quarter to which we ought to turn our faces. We halted, therefore, and took serious counsel together, for we felt that manifold kinds of death were near us. Some advised us to go no further, but to stay fixed where we were, because by going on in the dark we might fall into unknown dangers, and it would be impossible for us to join our comrades on such a wide and bewildering plain, whereas in the morning we could follow them when once we had the daylight to guide us. Others, on the contrary, said that this plan would be our death, because it was certain that as soon as midnight was passed Calinus and all his host would set out from their place, and if we waited till daylight, we should not be able to catch them up during all that day, so that we and our beasts must needs perish, seeing that we should have no food for at least two days and nights; for we had taken none of the necessaries of life with us, neither bread nor water, and moreover during the past day we had scarcely eaten or drunk. The greater part therefore gave their vote for going forward, but in which direction they were quite unable to say, for the darkness was thick, so that we could by no means behold the mountains before us, neither could we see any track, and we could scarce make out the sea behind us, albeit the sea naturally shines somewhat in the darkness. So we wandered on an uncertain course, now to the right, now to the left, and sometimes straight on, at one time following this man's advice, at another that one's. Sometimes we all stood still and listened, hoping to hear the sound of men talking or shouting; but as we heard nothing, we ourselves shouted loudly; and in so doing we feared no robbers, for we wished that some man would come to us, that we might learn somewhat from him. Presently we saw a fire glowing before us, sending forth bright beams, whereat we were glad, for we thought that our comrades had lighted a fire for our sake; but when we cheerily began to follow this light, we straightway found that we were beguiled, for it was an exceeding bright star which as it rose shed abroad its beams from the top of a mountain., Now, the Lord Henry of Schomberg, a wise and thoughtful man, directed his steps toward a certain star, and called upon us to follow him, saying that he had found in the heavens a certain path to our host. How he found out this I know not, but this I know, that had we followed him, we should have come straight into our camp. Howbeit, after we had followed him for a good way, someone said that he was bearing too much to the right, so we left the path which the Lord Henry of Schomberg advised, and followed another to the left thereof. While this was being done, we sometimes fell a-quarrelling, for one man wanted to go this way, and another that. In this tribulation there were two things which I feared as much as our tribulation itself: one was, that our two chief knights should begin to fight and draw swords upon one another, for I knew that they hated one another bitterly; wherefore when they were disputing about the way, I took care to put myself and my ass between them, lest they should be moved to wrath more quickly by being close to one another: the other thing was that, as we differed about which was the right way, I was afraid that someone would follow his own fancy, get separated from us, and perish; wherefore I took great pains to quiet those who were wrangling, and to call back those who would have strayed away. From time to time I said to my sorrowful companions, 'Be not so much afraid, be not angry one with another, and do not separate from one another, for if we observe these two things we cannot well perish.' So we went on in doubt, and we began to fear that we might perhaps have passed them, for it seemed to us that we had made a longer journey in going up again than we had made in coming down to the sea. It was now midnight, and we now all agreed that we should take a little rest on some rising ground. We were close to two rough sandy hillocks, which we did not remember to have seen on our way down, though they were high enough. So we went up one of these hills, looking round about us, listening, shouting, and wailing; but there was no voice, nor understanding. We therefore tied the asses together and laid ourselves down upon the ground, to rest and to get our breath rather than to sleep, for there was no sleep for men in such anxiety, because we were the children of death, and had only the pitiful hope that before we quite perished we might fall into the hands of Arabs, Midianites, or Egyptians, to whom we would of our own accord have rendered ourselves up as captives, because `They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger' (Lam. iv. 9). Yet after all we trusted in God, in the glorious Virgin Mary, and in St. Catharine, that they would not suffer us to perish thus miserably in the wilderness. We called upon one another not to succumb to sleep, but take our rest in such sort as to keep our ears open, so that if we chanced to be anywhere near the host, we might hear the noises made by men and beasts when the camels were being loaded; for when camels are being loaded they are wont to cry out, and the men shout and sing, and we hoped that we should hear this noise.

Now, when all the rest were lying down in silence, I could not remain lying on that exceeding hard couch, but wandered round about them, reading the Hours of the Blessed Virgin, and silently, with the motion of my lips alone, chanting her proper psalms. As I walked round, I saw a shadow in a valley at the bottom of a barren mount, and I thought that this must be some sort of green copse; so I went down thither to get some of it to give to my ass, who was fasting like me. But when I came to the place, it was not a green copse, but a thicket of dry thorns wherefore I went up from that place to the top of the hill over against our hill, if perchance I might see or hear anything from thence, and on that hill I wandered about hither and thither, for men who are anxious and plunged in thought walk from place to place without choosing of their own free will whither they go. After a while I wished to return to my comrades, and I climbed the opposite hill, thinking that our company was encamped thereon, but I did not find them there; so I ran to another mount, but by no means could I find them. So I stood still in much anxiety, and abused the night, saying, `O noxious Night, rightly so named, thou art indeed the daughter of Earth by an unknown father, brought into being by the conflict of Earth with itself, spouse of dread Erebus, enemy to that most useful shepherd Phanetes (? Planetes), and consequently, according to the common proverb, the friend of none save evil-doers, for he whose deeds are evil hateth the light, and fleeth for refuge to thee, the enemy of the sun. Wherefore

At midnight, robbers leave their den [1]

To cut the throats of honest men.

Indeed, for the evil compliance which Night showed to Jupiter when he wished to converse with his beloved Alcmena, she was rewarded with a chariot and four, wherein she continually circles round the earth, and hath also received power to quell even the gods, seeing that with her car she rebukes, overcrows, and brings low the spirits of mighty men, full of high thoughts, until the coming of the dawn.'

After I had finished my reproach of Night, I raged against my own self, for that I had entrusted myself to that same most treacherous Night, so full of snares for all that travel by land or by water. I therefore betook me to the natural resource of a soul in anguish, a troubled spirit, which is to cry aloud (Baruch iii.), and I uplifted my voice unto the strongest, noblest, most faithful and best known to me of the knights, and called upon him by his surname only, crying `Schomberg!' Presently, hearing me, he arose and, together with the others, made reply from a great way off, crying out `Felix! Felix!' A second time I cried out 'Ho, ho! and 'Where shall I find you? Speak to me, I pray you, until I come to you, for the . darkness and silence lead me astray!' Thus we shouted

[1] Hor. Epist., i. 2, 32  

to one another until I reached them, when they bitterly reproached me for my thoughtless and dangerous wandering, for I had been much farther away from them than I thought. When I came back to those who had remained still, they lay down again. Midnight was now past, and the time was at hand when the camel-drivers were wont to begin to load their beasts. So we sat still and listened in perfect silence, hoping to hear the roaring of the camels. After we had sat thus for some time, lo, the longed-for voice of the camels began to sound in our ears, and their roars to be heard. What joy we felt when we heard this he alone can tell who when standing in peril of his life of a sudden hears his deliverer coming; to us that hideous howl of the camels was sweeter than any strain of music, and fully on a level with that puissant song which Orpheus sang to his lyre. The poets tell us that he with his lyre made the mountains skip like rams, made the trees of the woods dance, stayed the course of rivers, and tamed the wild beasts. Moreover, by his songs to the lyre he won the love of that wise, rich, and noble lady, fairest Eurydice, and when after death she had been taken to the shades below, he followed her even to the pit of hell, where he sang and played on his lyre until by his love he turned the hearts of them that bear rule in that place, made the damned forget their torments, lightened the darkness of Tartarus, and won his beloved Eurydice back again. Even so to us at that hour the roaring of the camels was as the lyre of Orpheus, for in our joy we seemed, to see the hills skipping, the woods dancing, the water-floods of sorrow ceasing to flow, and we rejoiced at being led by the roaring of the camels out of the jaws of death. Straightway we arose, mounted our asses, and rather fell than rode down the hill-side. When we reached the rocks below, we flew over them down into the plain, following after the noise of the beasts. Now, a new terror came upon us, lest perchance this should be a strange caravan of Arabs or Midianites, and we might fall into the hands of enemies but when we drew near, we heard well-known voices, and so with praise of the Divine Name we entered the camp again. Here we found two camels laden with bread and water, with two Arab drivers, which our comrades meant to send out to search for us; but they had made no fire in the camp that night, to the end that we might be punished that night for having refused to obey when everyone called upon us to come back. Calinus gave us an ill welcome, showed his discontent with us both in his words and in his manner, and told us a story about how once upon a time near this very spot two pilgrims secretly went down to the sea-shore, lost their way even as we had done, and ran hither and thither about the wilderness for three days, at the end whereof they were found by some Midianites, raving mad, and were by them brought in that condition to their comrades the other pilgrims, who were then in Egypt, where within a few days they died. Had we not by God's mercy found our way back to our comrades, I do not doubt but what we should have fallen into the sorest tribulation, and the knight who instigated us to set out would have been torn in pieces by the other pilgrims. As long as I have lived in this world, I have never had a more doleful night. Of a truth, it was with us even as it was with the comrades of Ulysses, all of whom were brought by their fellow-sailor Euryalus into peril of drowning, albeit they had been warned not to set sail.

JOURNEY TO THE RED SEA AND MIRTH OF THE PILGRIMS.

On the third day of the month, before the day had fully dawned, according to our custom, we left Wardach (sic), travelling over wide sandy plains. Before full daylight we met two companies of (men riding on) camels, into the midst of whom our party must have fallen had we not reached our friends. When it was bright day we came into the Wilderness of Sin, and were pretty near to the sea. This was the wilderness into which the children of Israel first came after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. xvi. I).

Moreover, when Hagar, Sarah's bondwoman, was fleeing from before the face of her mistress, and would have gone back to Egypt, wherein she was born, she was found by the angel of the Lord wandering alone in this wilderness, and was commanded by him to return to Sarah her mistress, and abase herself before her. He likewise prophesied much concerning the child whom she bare in her womb--to wit, Ishmael, who was the father of all the Ishmaelites, Hagarenes, Saracens, and people of Mount Seir.

Now, such of my masters the pilgrims as had not been to the Red Sea asked Calinus if they might go down thither, especially as it was in the place close by us that the children of Israel are said to have come out of the Red Sea into the Wilderness of Sin (Exod. xvii. I). So Calinus gave his Arab servants to the pilgrims to be their guides, and we all went down with them to the Red Sea for albeit the pilgrims of the third company had already been to the sea, as aforesaid, yet, forasmuch as they had learned nothing concerning it, and had been too much disturbed in their minds to view it thoroughly, they went down also with the others, but the camels went on along the highway. After an hour's journey we came to the sea-water, and albeit it was still early, we nevertheless stripped and bathed in the Red Sea, baptizing ourselves, I say, in that very sea wherein, as the Apostle tells us (I Cor. ix. I), all our forefathers were baptized unto Moses; for it was here that the children of Israel walked on dry ground from one shore of the sea to the other, the sea by a miracle standing on a heap on either side. Indeed, the sea is not wide at this place, but it is perhaps one German mile to Pi Hariroth on the other side, howbeit it is exceeding deep and rough. It was at Pi Hariroth, on the shore over against us, that Moses struck the sea with his rod and it gave way, and the children of Israel went into the sea and Pharaoh followed after with his chariots and horsemen. At this place Orosius tells us that there may be seen most certain proofs of what came to pass there, for the tracks of the chariots and wheels may be seen not only on the shore, but also in the deep water, as far as the eye can reach through, and on the bottom of the sea likewise may be seen exceeding deep pits, into which the Egyptians went down like lead. After this thing had been done the surviving Egyptians not only did not learn to know God, but made it an occasion of idolatry, for in the `Lives of the Fathers' Apollonius tells us that those of the Egyptians who did not go with Pharaoh, each of them thought that thing wherewith he was busied at the time of the drowning of the rest to be his god, and worshipped it, saying, `This potherb, this wood, this bread, this beast, and so forth, was today my god, which hath saved me from being swallowed up in the sea with Pharaoh,' and thus were idols multiplied in the land of Egypt beyond all other countries in the world. It was on our side of the sea, where we were bathing that the corpses of the Egyptians were cast up, and here the children of Israel plundered them. On the sea-shore we found monstrous shells, oyster-shells of divers shapes and colours, and great store of white coral, but we did not see any red coral there, though it also grows there. Yet some say that coral while it is growing in the sea is always white and soft, and that it is only when it has been taken out of the sea and dried that if becomes red, as we see in the case of the coral from the Sicilian Sea.

This Red Sea is so called from the rosy colour of its waves, but yet its water is not naturally red, as its name would seem to import, but it is dyed and tinged by the shores which enclose it, for all the land round about this sea is red and sanguine in colour. This, then, being the nature of the earth, it is gradually washed away by the water, and all that is melted colours the water. Moreover, on these shores men find red jewels and red oyster-shells, and on the islands there grows red brazil-wood. We tasted its waters, and compared their saltness with the saltness of our own Mediterranean Sea; it is much salter and bitterer than our sea, albeit both the one and the other flow from the same fount of ocean, which itself is exceeding salt. Different reasons for this saltness are alleged by natural philosophers, theologians, and the ancient poets. The natural and theological reasons are set forth in Part I., page 43; I have kept back the poetic cause until now. Some of the oldest poets declare that one Demogorgon, a most terrible giant and the greatest of the sons of the Earth, lived first of all among the gods in human form, and was presumptuously said by those erring men of old to have been the first cause and creator of all things, as may be read in many ancient poems. About this Demogorgon they tell a legend, of how he was before there were lights in the firmament, when nevertheless the earth was in being, but was veiled in darkness; wherefore Demogorgon, wearied at the never-ending darkness, climbed to the top of the Acroceraunian Mountains, tore out a huge enormous glowing mass from them, which mass he first rounded with his tongs, then hammered it solid upon Mount Caucasus, then carried it beyond Taprobane, dipped the bright orb six times in the waves, and whirled it round as many times through the air. This he did, to the end that it might never consume away nor wax rusty and fall to pieces through age, and that it might move briskly to all parts of the world. He then straightway raised himself aloft, entered the mansion of the skies, and filled all his, father's realm with light. Now, because of the dippings, the water which before was fresh grew bitter with salt, and the air became closely packed together because of the whirlings that it might receive rays of light. So much for this. Albeit this and the like stories may appear fanciful on the outside, yet the marrow of them is full of natural and theological truths, as we learn from Jobait's (?) books on `The Pedigree of the Heathen Gods,' wherein he draws forth an exceeding sweet marrow from the writings of the poets.

The sailors say that the saltness of the sea only affects the water on the surface, and that ten paces down below sweet water is to be found. I have no experience as to whether this be true or no. This Red Sea was in the most ancient times called the Erythraean Sea, after King Erythraeus, who was the son of Perseus and Andromeda and reigned in the country near this sea and in the islands, thereof. He was a mighty king, so, that when he died, on the most famous one of the islands, they built him a vast sepulchre, worshipped him as a god, and called the Red Sea the Erythraean after his name. The Greeks call the sea by this name even to this day, but the Hebrews call it Jam Suph, as Jerome tells us in his Epistle to Fabiola about the Twelve Mansions.

After we had sauntered about by the shore of this sea for more than an hour's time, we mounted our asses, and journeyed hastily back to the highway, hurrying after our camels, which had gone on a long way beyond us; so we quickened our pace, being anxious not to be left behind. When the Arabs who were with us saw our desire to travel fast, they helped us to drive our asses along by goading them from behind with their spears. When the asses felt this, they flew along like horses at an exceeding swift pace to escape from the pricks of the Arabs, but the Arabs still kept up with them. I never saw men run so fast as they ran. They have long lean legs, and wear no shoes, sandals, or girdle. They eat but a little bread, and drink but a little water; wherefore when they run, they do not have any pains in their lungs, pressure on their chest, or shortness of breath, all of which we suffer from, I suppose, because we over-eat ourselves every day. The Arabs run as light of foot as a wild roe,' even as Asahel (2 Sam. ii. 18) nor can a man mounted upon a swift horse get away from them, because they can keep on running for a long time, and do so with mirth and jollity. Never throughout my whole pilgrimage did I laugh so heartily as when we went up from the sea to the king's highway, for the Arabs joked with us, and outran us, and danced and fought with their spears. Among them there was one strange Arab, whom I had never before seen, who played wondrous antics and buffooneries, and made me laugh so much that several times I feared that I should fall off my ass with merriment. We went on at this pace, with the Arabs, sporting round us, for about two German miles. When we came to the king's highway, we went down into another wide plain, where we saw our camels lying down beside some wells, and the camel-drivers with them. We therefore went down thither, and stopped at these springs, where we watered our camels and asses; but we ourselves loathed the water, which was somewhat salt, and was moreover heated by the sun, and of a red colour. This plain and wilderness is called Marath (Exod. xv. 23; Numb..xxxiii. 8); for after the children of Israel had crossed the sea, and had spoiled the Egyptian dead who were cast upon the shore, they sought for water, but found none. Howbeit perhaps by someone's guidance they came down hither, and on the third day they reached this place for the sake of the water, for it did not lie in their way, but they turned aside out of their way to get drink, as men often do in the wilderness. When they had come hither, they could not drink the waters of Marath, because they were bitter (Exod. xv. 23), `and the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.' Mention also is made of this in Judith v. Theologians say that it was a tree of exceeding bitter wood, that the miracle might be the more wondrous, the bitter waters being rendered sweet and drinkable by the casting into them of bitter wood; but the contrary seems to be meant by Eccles. xxxviii. 5, ' Was not the water made sweet with wood?' for there the Scripture speaks of the natural properties of that which grows in the earth. I believe that the sweetness which was wrought in these waters by the wood did not endure, save only until the departure of the people of Israel, after which they returned to their pristine bitterness. These waters are but moderately salt, so that they can be drunk by beasts and by some men, but not by all alike. The whole plain is marshy and full of waters, which spring forth and run down into the Red Sea. Many believe that the Jordan runs from the Dead Sea as far as this place in an underground channel, and bursts forth here, as I have said in Part I., page 199a. The Arabs tell many fanciful tales about these founts, how that ewes which drink thereof bear red lambs, like as we read of the fount called Mella,[1] that ewes who drink thereof

[1] Virg., Georg., iv. 278.

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bear black lambs. Moreover, they slander these springs, and say that whosoever drinks of them is stricken with disease, in such sort that he is no longer a man. After we had drunk, we loaded the camels again, and left Marath, going down to the shore of the Red Sea over exceeding wide sandy plains. At sunset we came to a place which the Arabs call Hanada, where we pitched our tents; but the country was so barren that we had much trouble to find dry sticks enough to cook ourselves some hot food.

MATTERS TO BE NOTED FOR THE RIGHT UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE.

On the fourth day, being the day of St. Francis the Confessor, we left Hanada early in the morning, before daybreak, and travelled over exceeding wide and desolate plains beside the Red Sea, till we came to some mountains; to whose foot the Red Sea sends forth a tongue, and there comes to an end. At the place where this sea ends there is a harbour at which ships touch. At this time I was relieved from a great doubt which I had entertained throughout the whole journey; for albeit I knew for certain that we should come out of the wilderness into the land of Egypt, yet I could not guess how we were going to cross the Red Sea; for I thought that the Red Sea joined on to the Mediterranean Sea, because the children of Israel came into the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea, and I did not suppose that Christians could have any other road from the Holy Land and Mount Sinai save across the arm of the Red Sea over which the children of Israel came out of Egypt; nor indeed could we have done otherwise, if the Red Sea joined on to the Mediterranean, as I supposed. Yet I used to wonder, if there were no way into Egypt save across the Red Sea, how it was that Holy Scripture makes no mention, thereof, since we read of many people going down into Egypt from the Holy Land and coming back again; yet there is no mention of the Red Sea save when the children of Israel came out of Egypt. And, if one can go from Egypt to Mount Sinai by another way, why were the children of Israel led by an unusual road across the sea, and not along the highway over land? Today, experience put an end to my doubts, for the Red Sea does not join the Mediterranean, but a wide space and many hills part the one from the other, and between the two runs the common highway from the Holy Land to Egypt, without crossing an arm of the sea, and they who wish to go up from Egypt to Mount Sinai cross over this and go up thither along the shore of the Red Sea without crossing the sea in ships. But if there was no Red Sea, then they could go up from the land of Egypt straight to Mount Sinai, and they would have a far shorter road than that which now leads round the head of that sea. Wherefore the Lord led out the children of Israel by the shortest way across the arm of the sea, as it were over against Mount Sinai, and saved the people from fetching a compass round about, that they might come more quickly to God's Mount and His wondrous works, that He might show His strength, and drown the enemies of God's people. If the Lord had wished to lead the people of Israel straightway into the Holy Land, then the other road across the space between the two seas would have been a shorter way for them into Palestine; but God did not choose to do this. The reason for this is set forth in Exod. xiv., and above, page 26. See De Lyra's commentary on the text, and the works of the writer of the Speculum Historiale.

In this place, and in the hill-country at the end of the Red Sea, we saw the stupendous works of the ancient Kings of Egypt, who essayed to bring the Red Sea into the Nile; wherefore they began to dig through the mountains of the isthmus at the head of the sea, to divide hills, cut through the midst of stones and rocks, and made a canal and waterway to the city of Arsinoe, which is also called Cleopatridis. This trench was first begun by Sesostris, King of Egypt, before the Trojan War, at a great cost, and afterwards Darius, King of Persia, attempted to make it, but left it unfinished. Afterwards it was completed with consummate art by Ptolemy II., yet in such a manner that the ditch was closed up and would open to himself alone. By this work the men of old meant to join together the East and the West, for the Nile runs into the Mediterranean, so that if it entered the Red Sea, men might sail through that river from the Mediterranean Sea and the Western Ocean into the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, the Persian and Barbarian Sea, even to the Indian Sea in the East. Thus ships from India, Persia, Arabia, Media, and all the kingdoms of the East might freely come to Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, England, and Germany, whereas otherwise ships from the countries of the East cannot come beyond the end of the Red Sea, where Arabia Deserta joins Egypt, neither can ships from Western countries come further than Alexandria, which is the boundary of Asia and Africa; albeit in our own time a certain King of Spain has essayed to find out a way from the Western Ocean--that is to say, from the outer sea, which lies without the pillars of Hercules--into the Eastern Ocean and Indian Sea. But his attempt has been in vain, although he is said to have discovered some valuable isles which hitherto were unknown. Now, in their attempt to join together the East and West in this manner, the Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt, had two objects in view--first, that they might bear rule over both, being, as they were, in the middle between them; secondly, that there might be a road to all parts of the world for merchants and merchandise, and that the Egyptians might take toll and custom-dues from the merchandise of all the world, seeing that the road must needs pass through their land. And of a truth it would have been a glorious work if they had completed it; for then men could have sailed into Egypt from Venice--nay, from Flanders and Ireland--and could have gone up the Nile into the Arabian Gulf, come to the cinnamon country, and reached the exceeding wealthy land of India, whereof we are told among other marvels that it has two summers and two winters in one year, and mountains of gold--real ones, not mere figures of speech--and that there are forty-four different countries in it. Then also through the Indian Sea there would have been a way for us Westerns to Persia, Parthia, Media, Araby the Blest, Sabaea, and Chaldaea, and the peoples of the East would have had a way whereby to come to us; and so by this work the three principal parts of the world--to wit, Asia, Africa, and Europe--would have been brought together.

Attracted by these prospects, the Egyptian Ptolemies attempted with great industry to divide rocky promontories and let in the sea, as though they had been endued with the might of Hercules, who, according to a most ancient tradition, is said to have divided the mountain whose unbroken ridge erst kept out the ocean, and to have made two mounts--Abila and Calpe--out of one, through the midst of which he let in the Mediterranean Sea, which was not as yet in the land, as is told above on page 36.

In this attempt of the Egyptians, if they had had Hercules to help them, and Titan with his sons, who went to war with Jove and the other gods, striving to take away heaven from them, wherefore they are said to have piled up mountains one upon another, that they might make themselves a road into heaven--had they, I say, had such removers of mountains at hand, they could easily have brought the sea into Egypt. Now while the Egyptians were toiling at the aforesaid work, the wise men and Magi of Egypt met together and debated about the great work which had been begun--whether it would be useful and expedient or no. On finding out the truth, they counselled King Ptolemy by all means to desist from the work--nay, they used all means in their power to cause the whole of Egypt to join them in resisting and thwarting one who wanted to let the sea in upon them, seeing that he was the most pestilent foe of the land of Egypt; for by the meeting of those two seas the whole of Egypt would have been swallowed up and overwhelmed by the waves of the ocean. 'We know,' said they, `that the raging waters of the sea do not abide ever in one place; but wheresoever they find away to flow out they rush out furiously, and overwhelm everything. Moreover, even if we grant that the sea-water would abide within the channel of the Nile, yet it would taint the sweet and wholesome Nile water, wherewith all Egypt is watered, and whereof all Egypt drinks, seeing that there arc no wells in the land, and would make it bitter, undrinkable, and useless. But how could Egypt stand if, it lost the use and service of the ''Nile? Of, necessity it would be uninhabitable, since it never receives the gracious rain of heaven, which falls on all other parts of the world. Furthermore, besides all this which we know to be true, we fear, lest by this work Egypt should be laid waste together with lands at a distance, for when we consider the vast body of the monstrous and incomprehensible ocean, with its steep mountainous waves reaching up even to heaven, and the darksome hollows between them, it seems that if we once, suffered the wild and untamed fury of the waters to pass over their bounds soon a weighty mass of water would follow, and first of all the islands of the two seas would be overwhelmed, the waters would sweep away the Persians, Medes, and Arabs, together with the Egyptians, and drown all lands on the shore of either sea; neither would Italy fail to receive its unbridled force, the Venetian lagoons would be flooded, and the sea would never be still, neither would its waves ever cease, until it had filled the lower valleys of the Alps, and come even to the foot of the highest Alps, as signs on those mountains prove it to have done before our own age.' On this subject I have said somewhat in Part I., page 30a.

When King Ptolemy heard this, and perceived that it was true, he left off the work, but nevertheless he has left eternal proofs of his great designs upon those mountains and hills. Indeed, had not his counsellors put an end to his essays by setting forth what they thought upon the matter, he would surely have brought the work to an end-­albeit not the end which he meant--and it would not have been a very difficult matter, seeing that the distance between the Nile and the Red Sea is scarce six German miles.

See, reader, what a long wandering I have here made away from my pilgrimage, roaming almost round the world because of the cleft mountains, and rocks which were here before our eyes! So we stood at the end of this sea for a long while gazing in wonder upon it, and at last went on our way, turning our backs upon the Red Sea, and journeyed over an exceeding wide sandy plain.

THE PILGRIMAGE OF THE SARACENS TO THE CITY OF MECCA, AND THEIR SILLY RITES IN MAHOMET'S TEMPLE.

Upon this plain there met us everywhere this day many troops of people with loaded camels, with asses and horses, and costly furniture; indeed, in one caravan there were more than five hundred camels bearing necessaries for the use of much people of either sex who accompanied them. These were magnificent men, being rich Saracens, who were going on a pilgrimage to Mecca to their own saint, the accursed Mahomet. Indeed, in the Alcoran the worshippers of Mahomet are bidden to go every year to Mecca, to the House of God, which is there, and there they are bidden to worship, to walk round about the same, wearing unsewn garments, and to throw stones backwards between their thighs to pelt the devil. The Saracens say that Adam, when he was banished from Paradise, built this house in the Lord's honour, and that it was a house of prayer for all his sons down to the time of Abraham. Abraham rebuilt and repaired it, and offered sacrifice therein. After his death he left it to his son Ishmael, and for him and for his children it remained a place of prayer, for many revolving years, until the birth of Mahomet. When he was born God gave it to him as a heritage, and to all generations following after him. Lo, what an ingenious and painstaking piece of deceit is this! for all that has been said touching this house has no warrant or authority from any part of the Scriptures, but has been foisted in as a sort of commentary; for before Mahomet preached his law, this house was full of idols. Stay here awhile, my human brother, I beseech you, and I will clearly prove unto you what that house was like in the beginning, what there was holy therein, and why Mahomet bade his people go up thither, and do the things aforesaid. Lot's two sons, to wit, Ammon and Moab, used to honour this house, and worshipped therein two idols. One of these was made of white marble, and they called it Mercury; the other was made of black marble, and they called it Chemosh. They worshipped that which was made of black marble, that they might do honour to Saturn; and that of white marble they worshipped in honour of Mars. Twice in the year the worshippers of these idols came up to do them homage: first, to Mars, when first the sun enters the sign, the `Ram,' because the ram is sacred to Mars, and when he left it stones were customarily cast. Secondly, to Saturn, when first the sun enters the sign of the `Scales,' because the `Scales' are sacred to Saturn, and then they burned incense naked, and with shorn heads. The Arabs also used to worship these idols together with the Ammonites and Moabites. Very many years after this came Mahomet, who, wishing to do away with the former custom of the people, changed the fashion of the worship somewhat. He suffered them to walk round about the house, wearing unsewn garments; but fearing that he might seem to be teaching them to sacrifice to idols, he built the figure of Saturn into the wall at the corner of the house; yet lest its face should be seen, he left only its back without the wall. As for the idol Mars, since it was carved on every side, he buried it beneath the earth, and put a stone over it; but he taught the people, who come thither to pray, to kiss these stones, and in penitential wise with shorn heads to cast stones backwards between their legs. Moreover, they bared their backs, which is a sign of the old law, and they say that they cast stones in this fashion to put to flight the devils whom in this service of theirs they rather worship in secret. This is the famous work, or rather wickedness, of Mahomet--that albeit he has forbidden the worship of other idols to his people, yet in his own city of Mecca he has suffered this one to be made in honour of Venus, and has even enjoined them not to leave altogether without honour his mistress Venus, in whose arts he boasted himself most puissant. When at last this wretch died, his successor Abu-bekr made him a sumptuous sepulchre in the aforesaid temple, putting him into an iron coffin between magnets, as aforesaid, on page 50.

The Saracens, therefore, journey to Mecca, not only to fulfil the commandment of Mahomet, but many go that they may see Mahomet's coffin hung in the air without rope or chain, albeit by natural causes. The people, cheated by this trick, think that his body is thus raised up because of his holiness, and so the besotted people are confirmed in their error.

Furthermore, some Christians, thinking this suspension to be miraculous, renounce the Christian faith; and others are led by curiosity to make the pilgrimage, together with the Saracens, under the pretence of wishing to do honour to Mahomet's sepulchre. The Saracens gladly take such men with them, even without any renunciation of faith, and they suffer them to enter their inns which stand along the road for the entertainment of those who go on this pilgrimage. Often, I confess, I have been tempted to visit that accursed sepulchre in this fashion, and had I had one single companion, I could scarce have withheld myself from so doing. Here, however, arises the question whether he that kisses the tomb of Mahomet, or bows his knee before it, or does anything of the sort in worship thereof, is an infidel. Alexander, of Hall (sic), answers: `If a Christian does so because he believes in it, and acts thus to show his belief, then he is an apostate and a heretic. If he does so merely in words, out of fear and not with all his heart, then, albeit he does a mortal sin, yet he is not a heretic or excommunicate, neither is it needful that he should go to the pope or to a bishop to obtain absolution.' Thus saith Alexander. But he that enters under pretence of worshipping, and pays honour to the tomb with his outward gestures, but in his mind scorns it, and in his heart looks on at their errors and follies with the intent to set them forth to Christian men, such a man, albeit he would commit no small sin by his curiosity and presumption, yet ought, I believe, to be lightly punished or even excused. Many marvels are told of this prodigious sepulchre of Mahomet; indeed, as of old, all the world wondered at the iron image of Bellerophon, in the city of Smyrna, even so now all men wonder at this sepulchre. This aforesaid sepulchre was one of the seven wonders of the world; because so great a mass of iron remained suspended in the air, being neither hung by chains from above, or propped up by any support beneath, for the magnet stone in like fashion to this was placed on the top of an exceeding tall arch, and also in the pavement beneath the same, and pulled the image both upwards and downwards, so that it stayed suspended between the two. In this same fashion the iron tomb of Mahomet is now hung in the air, suspended by the power of a magnet; save only that this tomb of Mahomet is not of such vast weight as was the image of Bellerophon, which contained five thousand, pounds of iron, because it was a great horse with a man on his back. But we have heard a truthful and certain tale; that in the year of our Lord 1480, there came on a sudden and terrible storm, sent, doubtless, by Divine providence. Lightning flashed, dread thunder resounded, fire came down from heaven, and great hailstones fell upon Mecca, and drove the temple and tomb of that accursed seducer, deep into the earth, or rather into hell, so that these after it could not by any means or pains be found again. A great part of the temple also fell, consumed by fire, and thus the Saracens have been deprived of the relics--and body of their false prophet, and utterly put to confusion, had they but minds to understand it; but their foolish heart hath been hardened, and now they go pilgrimages to the place as they did before, and so perchance they will hereafter, even as I have told in Part I, page74. So now for the sake of these pilgrims of Mahomet I have left my own pilgrimage, and have made a pilgrimage with them in imagination, that I might see the difference between our pilgrimage and their pilgrimage; for we journey to the sepulchre of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and seek after the relics of the most chaste virgin St. Catherine; whereas they journey to the sepulchre of Mahomet, the son of the devil, and seek to serve that most wanton harlot Venus.

To resume our pilgrimage. We went on our way and met many other Saracens, Mahometan pilgrims, who were travelling along the shore of the Red Sea to Araby the Blest, wherein stands Mecca on the shore of the Red Sea, being a fair city and considerable sea-port, to which great store of aromatic spices, pepper, cloves, ginger, and the like are brought by sea, and thence are carried away on camels by the pilgrims and sent even to Damascus and other places. The reason why we met so many pilgrims was that their fast had just begun (see page 74), and at that time they prefer to go on pilgrimage, even as Christians do; moreover, at that season of the year the excessive heat of the sun is somewhat allayed.

About noon we came to a great courtyard with many chambers, which was an inn. Entering the courtyard of the inn we found a great and costly well, with wheels, curb-stones, and spouts. This they called the Soldan's Well, and from it oxen were continually drawing water. As our camels went by this place, we alighted from our asses and tasted the water, but could not drink it, because it was warm, tasteless, and somewhat salt, but we watered our beasts. I think that on this spot there must have been an inn from of old, because here meet together roads leading into Egypt from all parts of the world, and it may be that Moses abode in this inn when the Lord would have slain him because he had not circumcised his son Eliezer, and Zipporah circumcised him there (Exod. iv. 24, 25): After we had seen this place, we travelled on over that scorched plain until sunset, and unloaded our beasts to rest in a place upon the plain named Choas. There blew an exceeding strong and violent wind, and by no strength could we set up our tents; no sooner had we made them fast with pegs than the wind pulled the pegs out of the ground and threw the tents down upon us. After they had been cast down many times, we became weary of the task, and let them lie on the ground. We also ran about, according to our custom, to pick up sticks on the plain; but we could not find anything that would burn, so we took the wooden vessels out of which we had emptied our wine and water, our egg-baskets, and our hen-coops, broke them all up, and made a fire of them. But the wind was so strong that it threw about the fire which we had made, so we were forced to stand round about the fire holding out our rugs and clothes, to keep the violence of the wind off the fire. So that night we ate, drank, and slept in the open air, and were much troubled by the blasts of the wind and the movement of the sand. That night there came to us some poor Arabs begging for bread, to whom we willingly gave some, because they seemed very humble and well-behaved.

On the fifth day we arose at midnight, and it was the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. When the beasts were loaded, we left Choas and travelled on over that exceeding wide and barren plain, whereon there was no green thing whatsoever. Before sunrise there befell us an incident which I will not pass over. In our first company was the great and noble Master Bernard von Braitenbach, who then was Chamberlain of the metropolitan Church of Mainz, and who now is he most worthy Dean of the same. By reason of his weakness and feeble health, he had made the entire journey through the desert in a pannier on the back of a camel. Just as day was dawning, he bade the camel on which he rode kneel down, that he might refresh himself by walking a few paces on the sand. When he had recreated himself, he climbed back again into his pannier, and his camel ran after us. But when we had gone some way on, the aforesaid lord perceived that all his money had fallen out of his bosom, wherein he had placed it, sewn into a girdle wherewith he was wont to gird himself at night, that his money might be safe. There was a great store of ducats therein, and it had fallen out upon the sand in the place where he had halted. He called Calinus to him, and complained of the loss of his gold. Hereupon Calinus bade the caravan stop, made his camel kneel that he might dismount, and hurried back to the place where Master Bernard thought that his money had fallen. We pilgrims went thither with him, and sought for it, but did not find it; we went over all the footprints which he had made there, but our toil was in vain. He however, knew for certain that his money could only have fallen in that place; so we went round about the place and turned over the sand with our hands, and took heed that none of the Arabs, camel-drivers, or ass-drivers, whom we had often caught in the act of thieving, should come near; but after we had anxiously sought for a long time and found nothing we judged that the money had been found and stolen by one of the Arabs or camel-drivers, and after consulting among ourselves about what we ought to do to get the money back, we wished that it were lawful to cast lots and inquire by sortilege, even as Achan was proved to be a thief (Josh. vii.), and Jonathan when he took food (1 Sam. xiv. 27). But in such a case as this it is not lawful to cast lot's, seeing that it is forbidden by the Canon against sortilege (ch. i.). So we took thought, and made up our minds that we would bring all the Arabs, camel­drivers, and ass-drivers who were with us, into one place together, and would beseech them to give us back the money; and then, if they would not give it back, we would fall upon them, bind them, strip them, beat them, maltreat and torture them until they restored it; for we were more in number than they, and much better men if it came to blows. Having formed this plan we mounted our asses, and full of sorrow, anger, and rage, rode after the camels which were going on before us. When we came up to the men we looked sternly upon them, and told Calinus what we meant to do. When he heard this he was greatly moved, called together all the men whom we suspected, and earnestly besought them to render up the gold which they had found. But no one answered him truly. We ourselves also begged them give it up, and offered a reward to the man who had found it, but we gained nothing by so doing. Being now angered and roused to wrath, we began to threaten them, and strove to throw them down and to cast the loads off the camels, while the knights stood round with their drawn swords and suffered no one to get away. When our camel and ass-drivers saw that we were in earnest, and that we should presently use them still more roughly, they were astounded, and prayed Calinus that he would allay our wrath, lest innocent men should be ill-used. Calinus set forth to them what we meant to do, saying that first of all we meant to cast down and search all the baggage which was on the camels and asses, and if we did not find the money there, to fall upon them, strip them to the skin, and wring our gold from them by torture. Meanwhile, we had cast down the loads from the camels and were loosing them, and had begun to throw the property of these wretches about while they stood by watching us with trembling arid weeping. While this was being done, one of those Arabs who had joined us on the evening before came secretly up to Calinus and said that the money was found. Straight­way Calinus cried out to us to deal peaceably with them, because the money was found. So we reloaded the camels and went on our way, and that lord received his money from Calinus, and gave one ducat to the Arab who had found it. He was a simple-looking Arab, with an honest face, and the other Arabs said of him that at another time he had found a great treasure which had been dropped in the wilderness, and had taken it back to its owners.

After this we journeyed on over that most tedious plain, and travelled all day long in the most burning heat, until sunset. We agreed to rest in a place named Maffrach, beside the public road; but when we encamped, we did not set up our tents, because we could not fix the pegs in that exceeding fine sand, and withal we were faint and weary; neither did we cook anything that night, because we could not find any kind of fuel. Calinus gave us warning that we must keep better watch than usual that night, for the place was dangerous, because of the outcasts who from time to time are driven out of Egypt into the wilderness for their crimes. These men lurk in such places as this, and often grievously vex those who pass that way. So that night we slept uneasily, both for fear of attack, and because of the strong wind and cold from which we suffered. There we lay under the open sky, wearied and worn out with the toils and hardships of the wilderness; and all the comfort we had was to think that the end of our labours was at hand, and that the boundary of the wilderness was not far distant. We would not have stayed in the wilderness for another fortnight for all the treasures in the whole world, for it seemed to us that we could not any longer undergo such labour.

At this point Fabri's story ceases to have any connection with either Palestine or Sinai. I should have liked to tell of how he saw the 'Garden of Balsams,' and Cairo, 'the greatest city in all the world,' with all the strange, creatures, leopards, ostriches, parrots, and so forth, which he saw there, together with much learned and delightful gossip about the wonders of Egypt; but space does not permit. The pilgrims went down the Nile by boat to Alexandria, sorely fleeced by the infidels, and thence set sail for home on board of the Venetian Fleet. They made a very long voyage, failing several times to weather Cape Malea, and the many incidents of the journey furnished Master John, the Transylvanian Archdeacon, with plenty of opportunities for writing his favourite Latin elegiacs. Fabri and his friends reached Venice on January 8, 1484. Here he met some of his own fellow-townsmen of Ulm, who at first could not recognise the lean, pale, weather-beaten pilgrim. Mistress Margaret, the hostess of St. George's Inn, the German house in Venice, had married again, her husband being Nicolas Frig, one of the servants of the house, whereat Fabri tells us he was pleased, as he knew the new landlord to be a good and merry man.' He seems to have been warmly welcomed, and was invited by Master Bernard von Braitenbach to visit him at Mainz, and compose their 'peregrinalia' together; but this Fabri could not do, as his duty was to go home first to his convent at Ulm. When he got there, after various adventures, the brethren were at vespers; but the convent dog knew his step, and set up such a barking and scratching at the door that it was soon opened, and all the brethren welcomed him as one come back from the dead, while during the following week all the notables of the country round about came to do him honour and congratulate him on his return. Here, then, must reluctantly take my leave of him.-ED.