And
among all other folk, they say that they be best beloved of God,
and that to them belongeth the heritage that God behight to his
beloved children.
And they have also diverse clothing and shape to
look on than other folk have; for they wrap their heads in red
linen cloth, in difference from others. And the Saracens wrap
their heads in white linen cloth; and the Christian men, that dwell
in the country, wrap them in blue of Ind; and the Jews in yellow
cloth. In that country dwell many of the Jews, paying tribute as
Christian men do. And if ye will know the letters that the Jews
use they be such, and the names be as they clepe them written
above, in manner of their A. B. C.
Aleph Beth Gymel Deleth He Vau Zay
Heth Thet Joht Kapho Lampd Mem Num
Sameth Ey Fhee Sade Coph Resch Son Tau
CHAPTER XIII
OF THE PROVINCE OF GALILEE, AND WHERE ANTICHRIST SHALL BE BORN. OF
NAZARETH. OF THE AGE OF OUR LADY. OF THE DAY OF DOOM. AND OF THE
CUSTOMS OF JACOBITES, SYRIANS; AND OF THE USAGES OF GEORGIANS
FROM this country of the Samaritans that I have spoken of before go
men to the plains of Galilee, and men leave the hills on that one
part.
And Galilee is one of the provinces of the Holy Land, and in that
province is the city of Nain - and Capernaum, and Chorazin and
Bethsaida. In this Bethsaida was Saint Peter and Saint Andrew
born. And thence, a four mile, is Chorazin. And five mile from
Chorazin is the city of Kedar whereof the Psalter speaketh: ET
HABITAVI CUM HABITANTIBUS KEDAR; that is for to say, 'And I have
dwelled with the dwelling men in Kedar.' In Chorazin shall
Antichrist be born, as some men say. And other men say he shall be
born in Babylon; for the prophet saith: DE BABILONIA COLUBER
EXEST, QUI TOTUM MUNDUM DEVORABIT; that is to say 'Out of Babylon
shall come a worm that shall devour all the world.' This
Antichrist shall be nourished in Bethsaida, and he shall reign in
Capernaum: and therefore saith holy writ; VAE TIBI, CHORAZIN! VAE
TIBI, BETHSAIDA! VAE TIBI, CAPERNAUM! that is to say, 'Woe be to
thee, Chorazin! Woe to thee, Bethsaida! Woe to thee, Capernaum.'
And all these towns be in the land of Galilee. And also the Cana
of Galilee is four mile from Nazareth: of that city was Simon
Chananeus and his wife Canee, of the which the holy evangelist
speaketh of. There did our Lord the first miracle at the wedding,
when he turned water into wine.
And in the end of Galilee, at the hills, was the Ark of God taken;
and on that other side is the Mount Endor or Hermon. And,
thereabout, goeth the Brook of Torrens Kishon; and there beside,
Barak, that was Abimelech's son with Deborah the prophetess
overcame the host of Idumea, when Sisera the king was slain of Jael
the wife of Heber, and chased beyond the flome Jordan, by strength
of sword, Zeeb and Zebah and Zalmunna, and there he slew them.
Also a five mile from Nain is the city of Jezreel that sometime was
clept Zarim, of the which city Jezabel, the cursed queen, was lady
and queen, that took away the vine of Naboth by her strength. Fast
by that city is the field Megiddo, in the which the King Joram was
slain of the King of Samaria and after was translated and buried in
the Mount Sion.
And a mile from Jezreel be the hills of Gilboa, where Saul and
Jonathan, that were so fair, died; wherefore David cursed them, as
holy writ saith: MONTES GILBOAE, NEC ROS NEC PLUVIA, ETC.; that is
to say, 'Ye hills of Gilboa, neither dew ne rain come upon you.'
And a mile from the hills of Gilboa toward the east is the city of
Cyropolis, that was clept before Bethshan; and upon the walls of
that city was the head of Saul hanged.
After go men by the hill beside the plains of Galilee unto
Nazareth, where was wont to be a great city and a fair; but now
there is not but a little village, and houses abroad here and
there. And it is not walled. And it sits in a little valley, and
there be hills all about. There was our Lady born, but she was
gotten at Jerusalem. And because that our Lady was born at
Nazareth, therefore bare our Lord his surname of that town. There
took Joseph our Lady to wife, when she was fourteen year of age.
And there Gabriel greeted our Lady, saying, AVE GRATIA PLENA,
DOMINUS TECUM! that is to say, 'Hail, full of grace, our Lord is
with thee!' And this salutation was done in a place of a great
altar of a fair church that was wont to be sometime, but it is now
all down, and men have made a little receipt, beside a pillar of
that church, to receive the offerings of pilgrims. And the
Saracens keep that place full dearly, for the profit that they have
thereof. And they be full wicked Saracens and cruel, and more
despiteful than in any other place, and have destroyed all the
churches. There nigh is Gabriel's Well, where our Lord was wont to
bathe him, when he was young, and from that well bare he water
often-time to his mother. And in that well she washed often-time
the clouts of her Son Jesu Christ. And from Jerusalem unto thither
is three journeys. At Nazareth was our Lord nourished. Nazareth
is as much to say as, 'Flower of the garden'; and by good skill may
it be clept flower, for there was nourished the flower of life that
was Christ Jesu.
And two mile from Nazareth is the city of Sephor, by the way that
goeth from Nazareth to Akon.
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