_Of the holy place betwene Bethany and flom Jordane and
other things._
ALSO from Bethany men go from Jordan thorow the Wildernesse and it is
nere a daies journey betwene. Toward the East is a great hill where
our Lord fasted XL dayes & upon this hill was Christ brought of the
fende[1] of Hell, & sayd to him thus, _Dic ut lapides isti panis
fiant_. That is to say, Commaund that these stones be made bread.
And there is an Hermitage wher dwelled a maner of Christen men called
Georgins[2] for sainct George converted them, and upon that hill
dwelled Abraham a great whyle. Also as men go to Jerico, in the way
sate many sicke men crying, _Jesu fili David, misere nobis_. That is
to say, Jesu the sonne of David have mercie upon us. And two myle from
Jerico is flom[3] Jordan & ye shall wete the dead sea departeth the
lande of Jude and of Araby and the water of the sea is right bitter
and this water casteth out a thinge that men call _aspatum_[4] as
great pieces as a horse. And Hierusalem is cc furlonges from this
sea, and it is called the dead sea, for it runneth not, nor no man, ne
beast, that hath life, that is therein, may lyve, and that hath bene
proved many times, for they have cast therein men that were judged to
death, nor no man may drinke of that water & if men cast yron therein
it commeth up againe, and if a man cast a fether therein it goeth to
the grounde, and that is against kinde.[5]
[Illustration]
And there about grow trees that beare fruite of faire color and seme
rype, but when a man breaketh them or cut them, he findeth naught in
them but coales or asshes, in tokening that throughe the vengaunce of
God these cities were brent with the fyre of hell. And some men call
that lake the lake of Alphytedde,[6] and some call it the flome of
the divell, and some call it the stinking flome, for the water thereof
stynketh. There sanke these five cities through the wrath of God, that
is to saye, Sodome, Gomor,[7] Aldema,[8] Solome,[9] and Segor, for the
sinne that raigned in them, but Segor through the prayer of Loth,
was saved a great while, for it sat on an hyll, and yet apeareth much
thereof above the water, and men may see the walles in cleare weather.
And in this citie of Segor, Loth dwelled a great while . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . and at the ryght side of this see dwelled Lothes wife in
a stone of salt for that she looked againe when the citie sanke downe.
[Footnote 1: Fiend.]
[Footnote 2: Georgians.]
[Footnote 3: River. _Lat._, Flumen.]
[Footnote 4: Asphaltum.]
[Footnote 5: Nature.]
[Footnote 6: Assa f[oe]tida.]
[Footnote 7: Gomorrah.]
[Footnote 8: Aldama.]
[Footnote 9: Seboym.]