They
Taking Vs By The Hande, Brought Vs To The Place Where They Saye Mahumet
Is Buried.
CHAPTER XII.—Of the Temple or Chapell, and Sepulchre of Mahumet, and of
his Felowes.
His temple is vaulted, and is a hundred pases in length, fourscore in
breadth; the entry into it is by two gates; from the sydes it is
couered with three vaultes; it is borne vp with four hundred columnes
or pillers of white brick; there are seene, hanging lampes, about the
number of three thousande. From the other part of the temple in the
first place of the Meschita, is seene a tower of the circuite of fyue
pases vaulted on euery syde, and couered with a cloth or silk, and is
borne vp with a grate of copper, curiously wrought and distant from it
two pases; and of them that goe thyther, is seene as it were through a
lateese.[FN#12] Towarde the lefte hande, is the way to the tower, and
when you come thyther, you must enter by a narower gate. On euery syde
of those gates or doores, are seene many bookes in manner of a
librarie, on the one syde 20, and on the other syde 25. These contayne
the filthie traditions and lyfe of Mahumet and his fellowes:
[p.340] within the sayde gate is seene a sepulchre, (that is) a digged
place, where they say Mahumet is buried and his felowes, which are
these, Nabi, Bubacar, Othomar, Aumar, and Fatoma[FN#13]; but Mahumet
was theyr chiefe captayne, and an Arabian borne. Hali was sonne in lawe
to Mahumet, for he tooke to wyfe his daughter Fatoma. Bubacar is he who
they say was exalted to the dignitie of a chiefe counseller and great
gouernour, although he came not to the high degree of an apostle, or
prophet, as dyd Mahumet. Othomar and Aumar were chief captaynes of the
army of Mahumet. Euery of these haue their proper bookes of factes and
traditions. And hereof proceedeth the great dissention and discorde of
religion and maners among this kynde of filthie men, whyle some confirm
one doctrine, and some another, by reason of theyr dyuers sectes of
Patrons, Doctours, and Saintes, as they call them. By this meanes are
they marueylously diuided among themselues, and lyke beastes kyll
themselues for such quarelles of dyuers opinions, and all false. This
also is the chiefe cause of warre between the sophie of Persia and the
great Turke, being neuerthelesse both Mahumetans, and lyue in mortall
hatred one agaynst the other for the mayntenaunce of theyr sectes,
saintes and apostles, whyle euery of them thynketh theyr owne to bee
best.
CHAPTER XIII.—Of the Secte of Mahumet.
Now will we speake of the maners and sect of Mahumet. Vnderstande,
therefore, that in the highest part of the tower aforesayde, is an open
round place. Now shall you vnderstande what crafte they vsed to deceyue
our carauans. The first euening that we came thyther to see the
sepulchre of Mahumet, our captayne
[p.341] sent for the chiefe priest of the temple to come to him, and
when he came, declared vnto him that the only cause of his commyng
thyther was to visite the sepulchre and bodie of Nabi, by which woord
is signified the prophet Mahumet; and that he vnderstoode that the
price to be admitted to the syght of these mysteries should be foure
thousande seraphes of golde.
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