And Fast Beside
That Church, A Sixty Fathom, Is A Church Of Saint Nicholas, Where
Our Lady Rested Her After
She was lighted of our Lord; and
forasmuch as she had too much milk in her paps, that grieved her,
She milked them on the red stones of marble, so that the traces may
yet be seen, in the stones, all white.
And ye shall understand, that all that dwell in Bethlehem be
Christian men.
And there be fair vines about the city, and great plenty of wine,
that the Christian men have do let make. But the Saracens ne till
not no vines, ne they drink no wine: for their books of their law,
that Mahomet betoke them, which they clepe their AL KORAN, and some
crepe it MESAPH, and in another language it is clept HARME, and the
same book forbiddeth them to drink wine. For in that book, Mahomet
cursed all those that drink wine and all them that sell it: for
some men say, that he slew once an hermit in his drunkenness, that
he loved full well; and therefore he cursed wine and them that
drink it. But his curse be turned on to his own head, as holy writ
saith, ET IN VIRTICEM IPSIUS INIQUITAS EJUS DESCENDET, that is for
to say, 'His wickedness shall turn and fall in his own head.'
And also the Saracens bring forth no pigs, nor they eat no swine's
flesh, for they say it is brother to man, and it was forbidden by
the old law; and they hold him all accursed that eat thereof.
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