And Whoso Will Go By Another Way From Babylon, Then Men Go By The
Red Sea, That Is An Arm Of The Sea Ocean.
And there passed Moses
with the children of Israel, over-thwart the sea all dry, when
Pharaoh the King of Egypt chased them.
And that sea is well a six
mile of largeness in length; and in that sea was Pharaoh drowned
and all his host that he led. That sea is not more red than
another sea; but in some place thereof is the gravel red, and
therefore men clepen it the Red Sea. That sea runneth to the ends
of Arabia and of Palestine.
That sea lasteth more than a four journeys, and then go men by
desert unto the Vale of Elim, and from thence to the Mount of
Sinai. And ye may well understand, that by this desert no man may
go on horseback, because that there ne is neither meat for horse ne
water to drink; and for that cause men pass that desert with
camels. For the camel finds alway meat in trees and on bushes,
that he feedeth him with: and he may well fast from drink two days
or three. And that may no horse do.
And wit well that from Babylon to the Mount Sinai is well a twelve
good journeys, and some men make them more. And some men hasten
them and pain them, and therefore they make them less. And always
men find latiners to go with them in the countries, and further
beyond, into time that men con the language: and it behoveth men
to bear victuals with them, that shall dure them in those deserts,
and other necessaries for to live by.
And the Mount of Sinai is clept the Desert of Sin, that is for to
say, the bush burning; because there Moses saw our Lord God many
times in the form of fire burning upon that hill, and also in a
bush burning, and spake to him. And that was at the foot of the
hill. There is an abbey of monks, well builded and well closed
with gates of iron for dread of the wild beasts; and the monks be
Arabians or men of Greece. And there [is] a great convent, and all
they be as hermits, and they drink no wine, but if it be on
principal feasts; and they be full devout men, and live poorly and
simply with joutes and with dates, and they do great abstinence and
penances.
There is the Church of Saint Catherine, in the which be many lamps
burning; for they have of oil of olives enough, both for to burn in
their lamps and to eat also. And that plenty have they by the
miracle of God; for the ravens and the crows and the choughs and
other fowls of the country assemble them there every year once, and
fly thither as in pilgrimage; and everych of them bringeth a branch
of the bays or of olive in their beaks instead of offering, and
leave them there; of the which the monks make great plenty of oil.
And this is a great marvel. And sith that fowls that have no
kindly wit or reason go thither to seek that glorious Virgin, well
more ought men then to seek her, and to worship her.
Also behind the altar of that church is the place where Moses saw
our Lord God in a burning bush. And when the monks enter into that
place, they do off both hosen and shoon or boots always, because
that our Lord said to Moses, Do off thy hosen and thy shoon, for
the place that thou standest on is land holy and blessed. And the
monks clepe that place Dozoleel, that is to say, the shadow of God.
And beside the high altar, three degrees of height is the fertre of
alabaster, where the bones of Saint Catherine lie. And the prelate
of the monks sheweth the relics to the pilgrims, and with an
instrument of silver he froteth the bones; and then there goeth out
a little oil, as though it were a manner sweating, that is neither
like to oil ne to balm, but it is full sweet of smell; and of that
they give a little to the pilgrims, for there goeth out but little
quantity of the liquor. And after that they shew the head of Saint
Catherine, and the cloth that she was wrapped in, that is yet all
bloody; and in that same cloth so wrapped, the angels bare her body
to the Mount Sinai, and there they buried her with it. And then
they shew the bush, that burned and wasted nought, in the which our
Lord spake to Moses, and other relics enough.
Also, when the prelate of the abbey is dead, I have understood, by
information, that his lamp quencheth. And when they choose another
prelate, if he be a good man and worthy to be prelate, his lamp
shall light with the grace of God without touching of any man. For
everych of them hath a lamp by himself, and by their lamps they
know well when any of them shall die. For when any shall die, the
light beginneth to change and to wax dim; and if he be chosen to be
prelate, and is not worthy, his lamp quencheth anon. And other men
have told me, that he that singeth the mass for the prelate that is
dead - he shall find upon the altar the name written of him that
shall be prelate chosen. And so upon a day, I asked of the monks,
both one and other, how this befell. But they would not tell me
nothing, into the time that I said that they should not hide the
grace that God did them, but that they should publish it to make
the people have the more devotion, and that they did sin to hide
God's miracle, as me seemed.
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