_Of the Temple of God._
AND from the churche of the sepulcre towarde the East at xviii[1]
paces is _Templum Domini_. That is a fayre house and it is all rounde
and ryghte high & covered with leed,[2] and it is well paved with
white marble, but y^e Sarasins wyl suffre no christen men ne Jewes to
come therein, for they say that so[3] foule men should not come into
that holye place, but I came therein and in other places where I
woulde, for I had letters of the Soudan, wyth hys great seal, and,
commonly, other men but have of his signet, and men beare hys letter
with his seale before them hanginge on a speare, and men do great
worship thereto, and kneele against[4] it as it were against God's
body: for those men that it is sent to, before they take it, they
encline[5] thereto and then they take it, and laye it upon their
heads, and afterward they kisse it, and then they reade it, all
enclining with great worship, and then they profer[6] them to do all
that the bringer will. And in this Templum Domini were wont to be
Chanons regulers, and they had an Abbot to whome they were obedient,
in this Temple was Charlemaine when the Aungell brought him the
prepuis of our Lorde when he was circumsised, and after King Charles
brought it to Acon[7] into our Ladies Chapell.
[Illustration]
[Footnote 1: Other editions say 160 paces.]
[Footnote 2: Lead.]
[Footnote 3: Such unclean.]
[Footnote 4: Before.]
[Footnote 5: Bow.]
[Footnote 6: Proffer or offer.]
[Footnote 7: _Pynson_ and others say Paris.]