_Of the maner of hunting in Cipres._
[Illustration]
IN Cipres men hunte with Pampeons[1] that be lyke to Leopards, and
they take wylde beastes right well and they are somewhat more than
lions, and they take more sharply wilde beastes then houndes. In
Cipres is a maner that lordes and other men eate upon the earthe, for
they make diches within the earth all about the hall depe to the knee,
and they pave them, and when they will eate, they goe therein & sit
there, this they do to be more freshe, for that lande is hotter then
it is here. And at great feastes and for strange men, they set formes
and bordes as they do in this countrey, but they had lever[2] sit in
the earth. From Cipres men go by lande to Hierusalem, and by sea, and
in a day and a night he that hath good wind may come to that haven of
Tyre that now is called Sur, and it is also at the entre of Surry.[3]
There was sometime a fayre citie of christen men, but the Sarasins
haue destroyed the most parte thereof, and they kepe y^e hauen righte
well, for dread that they haue of Christen men. Men might go right
to that haven and come not in Cipres, but they go gladly to Cipres to
rest them on the lande, or else to by[4] thinges that they haue nede
of to their living. Upon the sea side men may find many rubies, and
there is a well that holy write speaketh of
_Fons ortorum et puteus aquarum viventum._
That is to say, The well of gardeines and diches of waters living. In
the citie of Tyre sayde the woman to our Lorde, _Beatus venter qui te
portavit et ubera que succisti_. That is as much to say, Blessed be
the body that bare thee, and the pappe of the which thou suckest. And
there our Lorde forgave the woman of Canee hir sinnes, and there was
also in that place wont to be the stone on which our Lord sat and
preached & on the same stone was founded the Church of Sainct Saviour.
And upon that See is the citie of Saphon, Sarep, or Sodome and there
was wont to dwell Elias the prophet & there was raised Jonas the
prophete the widowes sonne, and fiue myle from Saphen is the citie of
Sydon, of which citie Dido that was Eneas wife after the destruction
of Troy was queene, and that founded the Citie of Carthage in
Affryke and now is called Didonsart. And in the citie of Tyre raigned
Achilles, the father of Dido and a myle[5] from Sidon is Beruth, &
from Beruth to Sardena is three days journey and from Sardena is five
myle to Damas.
[Footnote 1: Large wild dogs; they are described by _Jacobus
de Vitriaco_ (the Cardinal), in his _Historiæ Orientalis_,
thus: "_Papiones_ quos appellant, canes silvestres, acriores
quam lupi."]
[Footnote 2: Liefer, rather.]
[Footnote 3: Syria.]
[Footnote 4: Buy.]
[Footnote 5: Other editions say 16 miles.]