_Of the citie of Hierusalem._
FOR to speake of Hierusalem, ye shall understande that it standeth
fayre among hylles, and there is neither ryver nor well, but water
commeth by conduit from Ebron, and ye shall wete that men called
it first Jebus and sythen it was called Salem unto the time of King
David, and he set those two names togither and called it Hierusalem
and so it is called yet. And aboute Hierusalem is the Kingdome of
Surry, & thereby is the lande of Palestyne and Askalon, but Hierusalem
is in the lande of Jude, and it is called Judee, for Judas Maccabeus
was King of that lande, and also it marcheth afterward on the
Kingedome of Araby, on the South side on the lande of Egipt, on the
west side on the great sea, on the north syde on the Kingdome of Surry
and the sea of Cipres. About Hierusalem are these cities. Ebrone at
viii[1] myle, Jerico at vi myle Barsebe at viii myle Askalon xviii[2]
myle, Jaffa at xxv[3] Ramatha at iiii[4] mile. At Bethlem towarde the
South is a church of saint Markerot,[5] that was abbot there, for whom
they made much sorow when he should dy & it is painted there how they
made dole[6] when he dyed, and it is a piteous thing to beholde.
This lande of Hierusalem hath ben in dyvers nations hands, as Jewes,
Cananens, Assyrians, Percians, Macedons, Grekes, Romayns & Chrysten
men, Sarasins, Barbaryans, Turkes & many other nacions. For Chryste
wyll not that it be long in the handes of traytours ne sinners be
they Christen or other. And now hath the mistrowing[7] men holden that
lande in theyre handes Lx yeare & more, but they shall not holde it
long and if[8] God wyll.
[Footnote 1: Other editions say respectively 7, 17, 16.]
[Footnote 2: As Footnote #1.]
[Footnote 3: As Footnote #1.]
[Footnote 4: Other editions say 3 miles.]
[Footnote 5: Variously written, Markertot, Karitot, Karscati,
and Mercaritot.]
[Footnote 6: Grieved, from _Lat._ Dolor.]
[Footnote 7: Unbelieving, or heathen.]
[Footnote 8: Unless it is God's pleasure.]
[Decoration]