_Yet of the temple of God._
AND ye shall understande that this is not the temple that Salomon
made, for that temple lasted but a thousand, an hundred and two yeare.
For Titus, Vespasianus Son, that was Emperour of Rome that layde
syege about Hierusalem for to discomfyte the Jewes, for they hadde put
Chryst to death without leave of the Emperour, and when he had taken
the citie he did brenne the temple and caste it downe, and toke all
the Jewes and put to death CXIM and the other he put in prison, and
solde xxx for a peny for they sayd that they bought Jesu Christ for
xxx pence. And sithen[1] gave Julian Apostata leve to y^e Jewes to
make the Temple of Hierusalem againe for he hated christen men, and
yet he was Chrysten, but he forsoke his lawe. And whan the Jewes hadde
made the Temple, then came an earthe quacke (as God woulde) and caste
downe all that they had made. Sythen Adryan the Emperour that was of
them of Troye made Hierusalem againe and the Temple in that same maner
that Salomon made it, and would that no Jewe should dwell there but
all christen men, for if all it were[2] so that he was not chrystened,
he loved the christen men more than other men, save men of his owne
fayth. And this emperour dyd enclose and wall the church of the holy
sepulcre within the citie, that before was farre without the citie,
and he would have chaunged the name of Hierusalem and called it
Helyam,[3] but that name lasted not longe. And ye shall wete[4] that
the Sarasins do greate worship to that Temple and they saye that place
is right holy, and when they go therein they go bare foote and knele
many times downe. And when I and my felowes came therein, we did of[5]
our harnesse[6] and came bare foote into the Temple & thought that we
should doe as much or more than they that were mistrowing.[7] And this
Temple is three score[8] and three cubites of wydenesse and as much of
length and xxxii[9] cubites in height and covered with lead and it is
within full of pillers of Marble. And in the middes of the Temple is
a stage of twenty[10] and foure greces of height and good pillers all
about. This place called of Jewes _Sancta Sanctorum_. That is to say
Holy of Holyest and in that place cometh none but their prelate that
maketh theyr sacrafyce, and the people standeth all about in divers
stages, after they are[11] of dignitie and worshippe, and there be
foure entrings into that Temple and the dores are of Cipres
well dighte,[12] and within the East dore our Lord sayd, here is
Hierusalem. And on the northe syde within the dore is a fountaine but
it runneth not; of the which holy writ speaketh & saith thus--_Vidi
aquam egredientem de templo_. That is to saye, I saw water comming
out of the temple. And upon the other side is a roche that men calle
sometyme Moryach, but after it was called Belet,[13] or the arke of
God, with the reliques of the Jewes. Thys arke did Titus cary with him
to Rome when he had discomfited all the Jewes. In that same arke were
the ten commandementes and Aarons rodde and Moyses rodde with which he
departed[14] the red sea, when the people of Israell passed through
on dryefoote & with that rod he did many wonders, and there was the
vessell of gold ful of manna, & clothing & ornaments & the tabernacle
of Aaron, and a table square of golde with twelve precious stones, &
a box of Jasper graven with four figures & eight names of our Lorde
within, & seven candlesticks of golde, & foure sensers of golde, and
an aulter also of fine gold & foure lions of gold, uppon the which
they had Cherubin of gold twelve spanne long, & a tabernacle of golde
& also twelve[15] trumpets of silver & a table of sylver & seven barly
loves and all other reliques that were before the nativitie of Jesu.
Also upon this roch slept Jacob, when he sawe Aungels go up and downe,
and sayde, _Vere locus iste sanctus est, et ego ignorabam_, That is
to say Forsooth this place is holy & I wist[16] it not. And there the
Aungel chaunged Jacob's name and called him Israell. And in that same
place David saw the aungell that slew the people with a sworde, and
put it all blody in the shethe. And in this roch was saynct Symeon
when he received our Lorde into the temple, and on this roch he set
him when the Jewes would have stoned him and the roch rived in two and
in that refte[17] he hid him and after a sterre came downe & gave him
light. And on this roch sat our Lady and learned hir sauter.[18] And
there forgave our Lord the sinnes of the woman that was taken and
found in adoultry, and there was our Lorde Jesu Christ circumcised,
and there the Aungell denounced to Zachary the nativitie of sainct
Jhon Baptist, and there offred fyrst Melchisedech bread and wine and
water to our Lorde in tokening of the sacrament that was to come, and
there fell Davyd, praying to our Lorde for mercy for him and for his
people, when he sawe the Aungell slea[19] his people, and our Lorde
anon herde his prayer, & therefore woulde he make the Temple in that
place, but our Lorde Jesu Christ forbadde hym by an Aungell, for he
had done treason when he did slea Euryas, a good knight, for to haue
his wyfe. And therefore all that he had ordeined for to make the
Temple he betoke[20] it to Salomon hys sonne, and he made it, and he
prayed our Lorde, that all those that prayed in that place devoutly,
and wyth good hearte, that he woulde heare theyr prayer and graunt
that they asked ryght wysely, and our Lorde graunted it, and therefore
Salomons son called it the Temple of counseyll and helpe of God.
Wythout the dores of that Temple is an auter, where Jewes were wont to
offer doves[21] and turtylles, and in that Temple was Zachary slayne,
and on that pynacle the Jewes sette Sainct James that was the fyrst
Byshoppe of Hierusalem. And a lyttle from this temple on the right
syde, is a church covered with lead, that is called the scole[22] of
Salomon. And toward the south is the temple of Salomon that is full
fayre, and a greate place, and in this place dwell knightes y^t are
called Templars and that was the founder thereof and of theyr order
and in that Templum Domini dwell Chanons. From this Temple towarde
the East xxvi[23] paces in a corner of the citie, is the bathe of our
Lorde, and (_in_) thys bath was wont to go[24] to Paradise & beside
is our Ladies bed and nere there is the tombe of Saynt Symeon. And
without the Cloyster of the Temple towarde the North is a ryght
fayre Churche of Sainct Anne our Ladies mother, & there was our ladye
conceyved, and before that churche is a great tree that began to grow
that same nighte. And as men go downe from y^t Church xxii greces
lieth Joachim our ladyes father, in a tombe of stone and there nere
was layde sometyme sainct Anne, but saint Eleyne did translate hir to
Constantinople. In this churche is a well in maner of a cesterne that
is called _Probatica piscina_ that hath five entrings, and in that
cesterne was wont an Aungell to discende and sterre the water, and
what man that bathed him firste therein after the morning,[25] was
made hole that was sicke, what sycknesse so euer he had, and there was
the man of the palsye made hole, that was sicke xxxviii yeare and
our Lorde sayde to him in this maner of wyse _Tolle grabatum tuum et
ambula_. That is to say, take thy bed and go. And there besyde, was
the house of Pylate and a little thence was the house of Kinge Herode
that dyd slea the Innocentes.
[Footnote 1: Since then.]
[Footnote 2: For even if he were not baptised.]
[Footnote 3: Ælia.]
[Footnote 4: Know.]
[Footnote 5: Put off.]
[Footnote 6: Armour.]
[Footnote 7: Unbelieving.]
[Footnote 8: Other editions say, respectively, 64, 120, and
14.]
[Footnote 9: As Footnote 8.]
[Footnote 10: As Footnote 8.]
[Footnote 11: According to their dignity, &c.]
[Footnote 12: Finely ornamented.]
[Footnote 13: Bethel.]
[Footnote 14: Divided.]
[Footnote 15: Other editions say 2.]
[Footnote 16: Knew.]
[Footnote 17: Rift or cleft.]
[Footnote 18: Psalter.]
[Footnote 19: Slay.]
[Footnote 20: Bequeathed.]
[Footnote 21: Pigeons and turtle doves.]
[Footnote 22: School.]
[Footnote 23: Other editions say 120.]
[Footnote 24: Others say, "wont to come water _from_
Paradise."]
[Footnote 25: _Pynson_ has it "moving."]
[Decoration]