The Voiage and Travayle of Sir John Maundeville Knight / Which treateth of the way towards Hierusalem and of marvayles of Inde with other ilands and countreys

by Sir John Mandeville

[1:] Others say Sardenak.

[2:] On wood panel.

[3:] Others say Beruthe.

[4:] Tyre.

CAP. XLI.

How a man may go furdest and longest in those countreys as heare are rehersed.

NOWE have I tolde you of wayes by the whiche men goe furthest and longeste, as by Babylon and mount Synay, and other places many, through the which landes men turne againe to the lande of promission. Now will I tell you the way of Hierusalem, for some men will not passe it, some for they have no company[¹] and many other causes resonable and therefore I shall tell you shortely how a man may go with lyttle coste and short tyme.

A man that commeth from the lande of the Weast, he goeth through Fraunce, Burgoyn,[²] Lumberdy & to Venys or to Geen[³] or some other haven of those marches, and take there a ship and go to the yle Gryffe,[⁴] and so arryveth he in Grece, or else at port Myrock,[⁵] or Valon or Duras or some other haven of those marches, and to go lande for to reste hym, and goeth againe to the sea and arryveth at Cypres and commeth not in the yle of Rodes and arriveth at Famagost that is the Chiefe haven of Cypres or else at Lamaton, And then enter shyppe againe, and passe besyde the haven of Tyre and come not to lande, and so passeth by all the havens of the coste, untill he come to Jaffe, that is the next hauen to Hierusalem, for it is xxviii[⁶] myle betwene. And from Jaffe men go to the Citie of Ramos[⁷] & that is but little thence, & it is a fayre citie & beside Ramos is a fayre churche of our lady, where our lord shewed hym unto hir in three shadowes, that betokeneth the trinitie, and there nere is a church of Sainct George where his head was smitten of, and then to the Castell of Emaux, and then to the mount Joye & from thence pilgrimes see Hierusalem, and then to mount Modyn & then go to Hierusalem. At mount Modyn lyeth the prophet Machabe,[⁸] and over Ramatha[⁹] is the towne of Donke, whereof Amos the prophet was.

[1:] i.e., it was unsafe to go alone.

[2:] Burgundy.

[3:] Genoa.

[4:] In some editions Gryffh, Grif, or Gresse, probably Crete.

[5:] In other editions Moroche or Myroche.

[6:] Others say 27.

[7:] Rames, Ramla.

[8:] Maccabeus.

[9:] Ramah Gibeon.

CAP. XLII.

Of othar wayes for to go by lande unto Hierusalem.

FOR as muche, as many men may not suffer the savour of the sea, & better it is to go by lande even if it be more payne, and a man shall go to one of the havens of Lumberdy as Venys or another, and he shall passe into Grece to port Myroche, or another and shall goe to Constantinople, and shall passe the water that is called the brache of Saynt George that is an arme of the sea. And from thence ye shall come to Pulveral, and then to the castel of Synople. And from thence shall ye go unto Capadoce, that is a great countrey, wherein is many great hylles and he shall go thorow Turky, and to the citie of Nike, the which they wan from the Emperour of Constantinople, and it is a faire citie and well walled, and there is a river that men call the Lay, and there go men by the Alpes of Mormaunt, & through the vales of Malebrynes and the vale of Ernax, and so to Antioche lesser, that sitteth on the river richly, and there is about many good hills & fayre and many fayre woddes and wild beastes. And he that will go another way, he goeth by ye plaine of the Romain[¹] Coste and the Romaine sea. On that coste is a fayre castell that men call Florage, and when a man is oute of the hilles, he passeth through the citie of Moryach and Artose, where there is a great bridge upon the river of Ferne, that men call Fassor,[²] & it is a great river bering ships, and beside the citie of Damas, is the river that cometh from the mount of Libany, and that men call Alban,[³] at the passing of this river Sainct Eustache lost his two sonnes when he had lost his wife. And it goeth through the playne of Archades, & to the red sea, and then men go to the citie of Fermyne, and so to the citie of Ferne, and then to Antioche & that is a fayre citie and well walled, for it is two myle long, and there is a bridge over the river, that hath at eche pillar, a good tower, and is the best citie of the Kingdome of Surrey. From Antioche, men go to the citie of Locuth[⁴] and so to Geble[⁵] and to Tortouse,[⁶] & thereby is the lande of Lambre & a strong castell, that men call Mambeke. And from Tortouse, men go to Trypelle[⁷] on the sea, and upon the sea men go to Dacres,[⁸] and there is two wayes to Hierusalem, on the lefte way men go first unto Damas by flom Jordan, and on the right syde men go throughe the lande Flagme and so to the citie of Cayphas,[⁹] in which citie Cayphas was lorde, & some call it the castell Pelleryus and from thence it is foure dayes journey to Hierusalem & they go throughe Cesarye Phylyp,[¹⁰] and Jaffe, and Ramas, Eumaux, & so forth to Hierusalem.