ALSO from Acon beforesaid, men go three[1] journeys to the citie of Philisten, that now is called Gaza, that is to say the rich citie & it is right fayre and full of folke and it is a little uppon the sea, and from that citie broughte the strong Sampson the gates of the Citie uppon a highe hill, where he was taken in the Citie, and there he slewe the King in his palace, and many thousande more with him, for he made an house to fall on them. And from thence shal men go to the citie of Cesaryen,[2] and so to the castell of Pylleryns[3] and then to Askalon, and so forth to Japhat[4] and so unto the holy citie of Hierusalem.
[1:] Pynson and others say four.
[2:] Cæsarea.
[3:] Pilgrims.
[4:] Jaffa.
CAP. XI.
The waye to Babylon whereas the Soudan dwelleth.
AND whoso wyll go through the lande of Babylon where the Soudan[1] dwelleth, to have leave to go more sykerly[2] throughe the Churches & countreys, and to go to mount Sinay before he come to Hierusalem, and then turne agayne by Hierusalem; he shall goe from Gaza to the castell Dayre. And after a man commeth out of Surry, and goeth in the wildernesse, where the waye is full sandy, and the wyldernesse lasteth eyght Journeys,[3] where men findeth all that them nedeth of vytayles and men call that wyldernesse Archelleke,[4] and whan a man commeth out of this deserte, hee entreth into Egypte, and they call Egypte, Canopat,[5] and in another language men call it Mersyne,[6] and the fyrste goode towne that men fynde is called Beleth, and it is at the ende of the Kingdome of Alape,[7] and from thence men come to Babylon and to Kayre,[8] and in Babylon is a fayre churche of our lady, where she dwelled vii yeare when she was oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade of Kynge Herode. And there lyeth the bodye of Saynte Barbara vyrgyn, and there dwelled Joseph whan he was solde of his brethrene, and there made Nabugodonosor put the children in (the) fire, for they were of right[9] trouth, the which chyldren men call Anania, Azaria, and Misael (as ye psalme of Benedicite saith) but Nabugodonosor called them thus, Sydrac, Mysac, Abdenago, that is to say, God glorious, God victorious, God over all Kingedomes, and that was for myracle that he made Goddes sonne, as he sayd, go wyth those chyldren throughe the fyre. There dwelleth the Soudan, for there is a faire citie and a stronge castell and it standeth upon a rocke. In that Castell is always dwellyng to kepe the castell and to serve the soudan, above viii[10] thousand persons or folk that take all theyr necessaries at the Soudans courte. I should well knowe it, for I dwelled with him soudiour[11] in his warres a great while agayne the Bedions,[12] and he wold haue wedded me to a great princes daughter ryght richly, if I would haue forsaken my faith.
[1:] Sultan.
[2:] Certainly, surely.
[3:] Day's march.
[4:] Athylec, Abylech, Alhylet, Alhelet, Abylet.
[5:] Query Canopus, a city 12 miles from Alexandria, named after the pilot of Menelaus' vessel, who was buried here.
[6:] Mersur, Morsyn.
[7:] Aleppo.
[8:] Cairo.
[9:] True faith.
[10:] Other editions say 6,000.
[11:] Soldier.
[12:] Bedouins.
CAP. XII.
YET here followeth of the Soudan and of his Kingdomes that he hath conquered, which he holdeth strongly with force.
AND ye shall understand that the Soudan is lorde of v Kingdomes: the which he hath conquered and gotten to him by strength, and these be they—the Kingdome of Canopate (that is) the Kingdome of Egipte, the Kingdome of Hierusalem: whereof David and Salomon were Kings, the Kingdome of Surry, of the which the citie of Damas[1] was the chiefe, the Kingdome of Alape in the lande of Dameth, and the Kingdome of Arabya: which was one of the three Kinges that made offeryng to our Lorde when he was borne, and many other landes he holdeth in his hande, and also he holdeth Calaphes[2] that is a great thing to the Soudan, that is to say, among them Roys[3] yle and this vale is colde.