In that spacious place we saw twenty foure Chambers hewen out of a Marble Rocke. Each roome hath a hanging stone doore of a great thicknesse, so artificially done by the skilfull Art of Masons, that the rarest spirit of tenne thousand cannot know how these doores have bene made, so to move as they do, being a firme Rocke both below and above; and the doores have neither iron nor timber-worke about them: but by cunning are made so to turne, and in that same place where they grew they are squared; yea, and so exquisitely done, that the most curious Carpenter cannot joyne a peece of boord so neatly, as these stone doores joyne with the Rocke. In each of these roomes are two Sepulchers, wherein I saw the bones of some of these dead Princes.
Thursday, the tenth day of my being at Jerusalem, not reckoning the two dayes we spent in going to Jordan, the weeke before: We I say, ishued forth of the Citty [VI. 275.]earely, with our aforesayd guides, riding Westward: The first remarkeable thing we saw, was the place (as they say) where the Crosse grew, whereon Christ suffered: being reserved by Greekes, who have a Convent builded over it: That Crosse is sayd to have bene of foure sundry kinds of wood, and not of one Tree, for they shewed us but one hole where it grew, and so they hold it to have bene of one peece of Olive Tree, but this I suspend, leaving it to be searched, by the pregnancy of riper judgements then mine, howsoever opinious.
The leying vilany of a Rogish Greeke.And here I cannot forget a dissembling knavish Greeke, who came here to London some eight yeares ago, to beg support for the reparation of this decayed Monastery of the holy Crosse. Well, Gundamore the Spanish Ambassadour intertained him; and recommended his cause to our politicque power: A contribution is granted, over all England for the same purpose, and also recoiled, besides the severall acknowledgements of our Noble Courtiers: Oportunity come, I rancountred with this counterfeit Rascall in White hall: Whereupon diverse Gentlemen his Majesties servants, desired me to try him, if he had bene at Jerusalem, or dwelt at the Cloister of the holy Crosse: presently I demanded him, where the Convent stood, he replied within Jerusalem, and upon Mount Moriah: which was false, for the Convent is remote from the Citty, about three English miles: I posed him further about the situation of Jerusalem, &c. The quantity of this Cloyster, of its Church, of the number of Friers, who lived in it, with many more questions, whose circumstances would be tedious: To any one of which, he could not reply, but stood shivering for feare and shame; neither had he never bene in Asia nor these parts: whereupon stealing out of the Court, he was no more seene abroad: [VI. 276.]for he had got at Court, and in the Kingdome, above twelve hundreth pounds starling, besides the advancement of the Papists, and Recusants: and here was a tricke, that then the Spanish faction put upon us and themselves also being deceaved by a deceiver, deceived us with a double deceit, policy, and lyes.
About five miles further, we arrived at a Village, on the Mountaine of Judea, where we saw a disinhabited house, in which Elizabeth the mother of Saint John Baptist dwelt, when Mary came up from Galilee to salute her; and neare to this, we beheld (as they say) the Sanctuary, wherein Zacharias was stricken dumbe till Elizabeth was delivered: Two miles further, on a Rocky Mountaine, Saint John the Baptists Cave.we arrived at a Cave, wherein (say they) S. John did his pennance till he was nineteene yeare of age, after which time, he went downe and dwelt at Jordan: It is a pretty fine place hewen out of a Rocke, to the which we mounted by twelve steppes, having a window cut through a great thicknesse of firme stone, whence we had the faire prospect of a fruitfull valley: and from the mouth of this delectable Grotto, gusheth forth a most delicious Fountaine.
Returning thence, we passed over an exceeding high Mountaine, from whence we saw the most part of Judea; and to the Westward, in the way of Egypt, the Castle of the Prophet Elisha, and Idumea the Edomits land, lying also betweene Egypt and Jerusalem: This cloudy height, is called the mountaine of Judea, because it over-toppeth all the rest of the mountaines, that circumviron Jerusalem, Palestine, Galilee, Phenicia, or Samaria. Descending on the South side of the same Hill, we arrived at Phillips Fountaine, in which he baptized the Eunuch of Æthiopia, standing full in the way of Gaza. Here [VI. 277.]we paid some certaine Madins unto the Moores of the Village, for accoasting the place, and drinking of the water: So did we also for the sight of every speciall Monument in Judea.
At night, we lodged in Bethleem, in a Monasterie of the same Fransciscans of Jerusalem, being onely sixe Friers: After Supper we went all of us (having Candles) to the place, where our Saviour was borne; over the which, there is a magnificent Church builded: yea, the most large and royall workmanship that for a Church is in all Asia, or Affricke, being decored with a hundred and fifty Pillars. But before we came where the Crub had beene, we passed certaine difficile wayes; where, being arrived, wee entered in a gorgeous roome, adorned with Marble, Saphyre, and Alabaster stones; and there they shewed us Christs Crub at Bethleem.both the place and the resemblance of the Crub: over which were hanging lampes of pure Gold, and within their circles oyle continually burning. Not farre from that place, and within the body of the admirable Church, they shewed us the part, over the which the Starre stayed, that conducted the three Wise-men from the East, who came out of Chaldea, to worship Christ, and presented gifts unto him. From thence they brought us to a Cave without the Towne, wherein (say they) the Virgin Mary was hid, when Herod persecuted the Babes life, (from which also being warned by the Angell) She and Joseph fled downe into Ægypt with the Child.
In this time of her feare, say they, the milke left her blessed breasts, so that the Babe was almost starved, but Shee praying to the Almighty, there came forthwith abundance, which overflowing her breasts, and falling to [VI. 278.]the ground, left ever since, as they alledge, this consequent vertue to this Cave.
Admirable dust.The earth of the Cave is white as Snow, and hath this miraculous operation, that a little of it drunke in any Liquor, to a Woman, that after her Child-birth is barren of Milke, shall forthwith give abundance: which is not onely availeable to Christians, but likewise to Turkish, Moorish, and Arabianish Women, who will come from farre Countries, to fetch of this Earth. I have seene the nature of this dust practised, wherefore I may boldly affirme it, to have the force of a strange vertue: Of the which earth I brought with me a pound weight, and presented the halfe of it to our sometimes Gracious Queene Anne of blessed memory, with divers other rare relicts also, as a Girdle, and a paire of Garters of the Holy Grave, all richly wrought in silke and gold, having this inscription at every end of them in golden letters, Sancto Sepulchro, and the word Jerusalem, &c.
Wednesday following, wee hired foure and twenty Moores to conduct us unto Salomons Fish-ponds.Salomons Fish-ponds, which are onely three, being never a whit decayed; and to Fons Segnatus, whence commeth the water in a stone-Conduit, along the Mountaines, that serveth Jerusalem, which worke was done by Salomon. The Ponds being hewne out, and made square from the devalling face of a precipitating mountaine; through which the streame of Fons Signatus runneth, filling the Ponds till it come to its owne aquadotte.
Returning thence, and keeping our way Southward, we passed through the valley of Hebron, where Jacob dwelt, and entered into the fields of Sychem, where Jacobs Sonnes kept their fathers Sheepe; and not far hence, they [VI. 279.]shewed us a dry Pit, which they called Josephs Pit, that was at Dothan; wherein he was put by his Brethren, before they sold him to the Ismaelites.