And leaves you for your paines, curst Hamans gallowes.
Having bid farewell to Syon, we marched that afternoone in the way of Gaza; and arrived at night in a Kind Jewes to us Franks.goodly Village, more full of Jewes than Moores, called Hembaluda, situate on the face of a fruitfull hill, and the last limit of Judea: Here the Germanes and I were well intertained gratis, by certaine Jewes that spoke Italian, and much rejoyced to see such strangers in these bounds, for two of them had beene borne in Venice: The Captaine, and our company were all Ægyptians, all of them being Christians, called Copties, viz. beleevers: Their number was about eight hundred persons, who had come up from Ægypt, to dignify for devotions sake this Easter time, being the great feast of Jerusalem; Of whom by the way we received great affability & kind respect without any offence.
That night the whole Caravan lay in the fields, and we stayed within the Towne making merry with our Hebraick friends, earely the next morning wee imbraced our Idumean way, finding this Edomitish land sorely [VI. 291.]distressed by the Arabs, and yet the Inhabitants were subject to the Turke: In this long dayes journey we found abundance of water, and all other necessaries for our reliefe, and yet the people were both rude & extreame barbarous, having no more show of humanity then the foure footed Leopards of Berdoa.
The Dutch Gentlemen grew affrayed at these savages, as being unacquainted before with such an awful sight; and to dispell their feare, tush sayd I, courage Gentlemen, no scope, no hope, and flashd over these lines in Italian to them;
To gallant mindes, all kind of soyles they be,
Their native land; as fish imbrace the Sea:
For they who would traverse earths variant face,
Must take their hazard, as they finde the place;
And that’s my soyle, best meanes can me defray,
But Sirs be glad, wee came not here to stay.