_Yet of the holy citie of Hierusalem._
[Illustration]
AND ye shall understand that whan men fyrst come to Hierusalem, they
go fyrste a pylgrimage to the Church, where that the holy grave is,
the whiche is out of the citie on the North syde, but it is now
closed in with the wall of the towne, and there is a full fayre church
rounde, all open aboue, and well covered with leede and on the west
syde is a fayre toure and a strong for belles.
And in the middes of the church is a Tabernacle made like a little
house, in maner of halfe a compasse, ryght well and richly of gold
and asure and other coloures well dyght & on the ryght syde is the
sepulchre of oure Lorde, and the tabernacle is viii foote long and
v fote wide and xi fote of height. And it is not longe sythen the
sepulchre was all open, y^t men might kysse it and touche it: but for
men that came thether payned[1] them to breake the stones in peces or
pouder, therefore the Soudan hath made a wall about the sepulchre that
no man may touch it. On the lefte syde is no wyndowe, but therein
is many lampes light, and there is a lampe that hangeth before the
sepulcre lyght brenning and on the fryday it goeth oute by itselfe,
and lyghteth againe by itselfe at the houre that our Lorde rose from
death to life. And within that church upon that right side is the
mount Calvary, where our Lord was done on the crosse, and the crosse
was sette in a morteys[2] in the roche that is white of coloure, and a
lyttle redde medled[3] with, and upon that roche dropped the bloude
of the woundes of our Lord whan he was pained on the crosse & that is
called Golgatha and men go up to that Golgatha upon greces.[4] And in
that mortays was Adams head founde after Noyes flood, in token that
the sinnes of Adam, shoulde bee boughte in the same place, and
aboue that roche made Abraham sacryfice to our Lord, and there is an
auter,[5] and before that auter lyeth Godfry of Boleyn,[6] Bawdewyn[7]
and other that were Christen and kinges of Hierusalem. And ther as our
Lord was done[8] upon the crosse, is thys wrytten in greke, _Otheos[9]
basylon, ysmon persemas, ergaste sothyas oyos_. That is to say in
latine, _Hic Deus Rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in
medio terræ_, That is to saye, This God our King before worldes, hath
wrought healthe in the myddes of the earth. And also upon the roche
where the crosse was fyxed is wrytten within the roche, _Eros[10]
guyst basys, thou, pestes, thoy, thesmoysy_. That is to say in latin,
_Quod vides est fundamentum totius mundi et hujus fidei_. And it is to
saye, that thou seest, is grounde of all the world and of this faith.
And ye shall understande that our Lorde whan he dyed was thyrty &
two[11] yeare olde and three monethes and the prophecie of David sayth
that he should haue xl yeares, when he saith thus. _Quadraginta annis
proximus fui generatione huic_, that is to say, fourtie yeare was I
neighbour to this kinde, and thus it should seme that prophecie were
not sothe,[12] but it is. For in olde time men called yeares of ten
monethes of the which Marche was the fyrst & December the last. But
Cayus Cezar[13] that was Emperour of Rome dyd sette to these two
moneths Januarie & Februarie and ordeyned the yere of xii months. That
is to say ccc[14] dayes without lepe yere the proper course of the
sonne and therefore after the accompting of x moneths to the yeare, he
dyed in xl yeare and three moneths.
[Illustration]
Also within mounte Calvary at the ryghte syde is there an aulter where
the piller lyeth that our Lorde was bound to when he was scourged and
thereby are three[15] other pyllers that alwaye drop water, and some
saye that those pyllers weepe for our Lords death, and neare this
aulter in a place xlii grees[16] depe was founde the verye crosse by
the assent[17] of sainct Eleyn[18] under a roch where the Jewes had
hydde it and it was assayed, for they founde three crosses, one of our
Lorde and two of theves. And Saint Elene assayed them on a dead body
that rose as sone as the very[19] crosse of our Lorde was laid on him.
And thereby, in the vale, is the place where the foure nayles of our
Lord were hyd, for he had two nayles in his handes and two in his
fete, and one of those nailes the Emperour of Constantinople[20] dyde
make a bridell for his horse to beare him in bataile, for by[21] the
vertue that it had, he overcame his enimies, and wan[22] all the
land of Asye, Turky, Damasse the more[23] and the lesse, Surrey and
Hierusalem, Araby, Percy, and Mesopotamy, the Kingdome of Alabe,[24]
Egipt the high and the lowe, and other kingdomes many full nyghe all
unto Ethyope the low, and also unto Inde the lesse, that then was
chrysten. And there was in that tyme many good men and holy hermits,
of whome the booke of[25] the fathers lyves speaketh, and they are now
in Paynims & Sarasins handes, but whan God will righte[26] as these
landes are lost through sinne of Christen men, so shall they be won
againe by christen men throygh the helpe of God. And in the myddes of
this Church is a compasse,[27] in the which Joseph of Armath[28] layd
the body of our Lord whan he had taken him of[29] the crosse & upon
the same place dyd he wash the fete of our Lorde, & that compasse men
say is in the myddes of the world.
[Footnote 1: Tried hard.]
[Footnote 2: Mortise.]
[Footnote 3: Mixed.]
[Footnote 4: Steps.]
[Footnote 5: Altar.]
[Footnote 6: Bouillon.]
[Footnote 7: Baldwin.]
[Footnote 8: Placed.]
[Footnote 9: Should read "[Greek: Ho Theos Basileus hêmôn pro
aiônôn eirgasato sôtêrian en mesô tês gês.]"]
[Footnote 10: Should read "[Greek: Ho eides, esti Basis tês
pisteôs holês tou kosmou toutou.]"]
[Footnote 11: Other editions have 33 years and 3 months.]
[Footnote 12: Sooth, true.]
[Footnote 13: Caius Julius Cæsar.]
[Footnote 14: Other editions give the proper number of days,
_viz._, 365.]
[Footnote 15: Other editions say four, which is the number
represented in the engraving.]
[Footnote 16: Paces.]
[Footnote 17: Perception, or sagacity. _Lat._, sensus.]
[Footnote 18: Helena, mother of Constantine.]
[Footnote 19: True, veritable.]
[Footnote 20: Another is said to be incorporated in the
so-called Iron Crown of Lombardy. Guisto Fontanini, Archbishop
of Ancyra, gives a list of twenty-three places claiming to
have a nail--Venice having _three_. M. Rohault de Fleury gives
six more--whilst, according to tradition, Helena sent two
to her son, and threw one in the sea to still a storm, thus
leaving but one to meet all demands.]
[Footnote 21: Through.]
[Footnote 22: Won or conquered.]
[Footnote 23: Greater.]
[Footnote 24: Aleppo.]
[Footnote 25: The Vitæ Sanctorum Patrum, many old printed
copies of which exist.]
[Footnote 26: When God thinks fit.]
[Footnote 27: A linen swathing-band.]
[Footnote 28: Arimathæa.]
[Footnote 29: Off.]