Now will we speake of the maners and sect of Mahumet. Vnderstande,
therefore, that in the highest part of the tower aforesayde, is an open
round place. Now shall you vnderstande what crafte they vsed to deceyue
our carauans. The first euening that we came thyther to see the
sepulchre of Mahumet, our captayne
[p.341] sent for the chiefe priest of the temple to come to him, and
when he came, declared vnto him that the only cause of his commyng
thyther was to visite the sepulchre and bodie of Nabi, by which woord
is signified the prophet Mahumet; and that he vnderstoode that the
price to be admitted to the syght of these mysteries should be foure
thousande seraphes of golde. Also that he had no parents, neyther
brothers, sisters, kinsefolkes, chyldren, or wyues; neyther that he
came thyther to buy merchaundies, as spices, or bacca, or nardus, or
any maner of precious jewelles; but only for very zeale of religion and
saluation of his soule, and was therefore greatly desirous to see the
bodie of the prophet. To whom the priest of the temple (they call them
Side), with countenance lyke one that were distraught[FN#14], made
aunswere in this maner: Darest thou with those eyes, with the which thou
hast committed so many horrible sinnes, desyre to see him by whose
sight God hath created heauen and earth? To whom agayne our captayne
aunswered thus: My Lord, you have sayde truly; neuertheless I pray you
that I may fynd so much fauour with you, that I may see the Prophet;
whom when I haue seene, I will immediately thrust out myne eyes. The
Side aunswered, O Prince, I will open all thynges unto thee. So it is
that no man can denye but that our Prophet dyed heere, who, if he
woulde, might haue died at Mecha. But to shewe in himself a token of
humilitie, and thereby to giue vs example to folowe him, was wyllyng
rather heere than elsewhere to departe out of this worlde, and was
incontinent of angelles borne into heauen, and there receyued as equall
with them. Then our captayne sayde to him, Where is Jesus Christus, the
sonne of Marie? To whom the Side answered, At
[p.342] the feete of Mahumet.[FN#15] Then sayde our captayne agayne: It
suffyceth, it suffyceth; I will knowe no more. After this our captayne
commyng out of the temple, and turnyng to vs, sayd, See (I pray you) for
what goodly stuffe I would haue paide three thousande seraphes of golde.
The same daye at euenyng, at almost three a clock of the nyght, ten or
twelue of the elders of the secte of Mahumet entered into our carauana,
which remayned not paste a stone caste from the gate of the
citie.[FN#16] These ranne hyther and thyther, crying lyke madde men,
with these wordes, Mahumet, the messenger and Apostle of God, shall ryse
agayne! O Prophet, O God, Mahumet shall ryse agayne! Have mercy on vs
God! Our captayne and we, all raysed with this crye, tooke weapon with
all expedition, suspectyng that the Arabians were come to rob our
carauana; we asked what was the cause of that exclamation, and what
they cryed? For they cryed as doe the Christians, when sodeynly any
marueylous thyng chaunceth. The Elders answered, Sawe you not the
lyghtning whiche shone out of the sepulchre of the Prophet
Mahumet[FN#17]? Our captayne answered that he sawe nothing; and we also
beyng demaunded, answered in lyke maner. Then sayde one of the old men,
Are you slaues? that is to say, bought men; meanyng thereby Mamalukes.
Then sayde our captayne, We are in deede Mamalukes. Then agayne the old
man sayde, You, my Lordes, cannot see heauenly thinges, as being
Neophiti, (that is) newly come to the fayth, and not yet confirmed in
our religion. To this our captayne answered
[p.343] agayne, O you madde and insensate beastes, I had thought to haue
giuen you three thousande peeces of gold; but now, O you dogges and
progenie of dogges, I will gyue you nothing. It is therefore to bee
vnderstoode, that none other shynyng came out of the sepulchre, then a
certayne flame which the priests caused to come out of the open place
of the towre[FN#18] spoken of here before, whereby they would have
deceyved vs. And therefore our captayne commaunded that thereafter none
of vs should enter into the temple. Of this also we haue most true
experience, and most certaynely assure you that there is neyther iron
or steele or the magnes stone that should so make the toombe of Mahumet
to hange in the ayre, as some haue falsely imagined; neyther is there
any mountayne nearer than foure myles: we remayned here three dayes to
refreshe our company. To this citie victualles and all kynde of corne
is brought from Arabia Fælix, and Babylon or Alcayr, and also from
Ethiope, by the Redde Sea, which is from this citie but four dayes
journey.[FN#19]