_Of the City of Damascus_. _Of three ways to Jerusalem_; _one_, _by land
and by sea_; _another_, _more by land than by sea_; _and the third way to
Jerusalem_, _all by land_
NOW after that I have told you some part of folk in the countries before,
now will I turn again to my way, for to turn again on this half. Then
whoso will go from the land of Galilee, of that that I have spoke for, to
come again on this half, men come again by Damascus, that is a full fair
city and full noble, and full of all merchandises, and a three journeys
long from the sea, and a five journeys from Jerusalem. But upon camels,
mules, horses, dromedaries and other beasts, men carry their merchandise
thither. And thither come the merchants with merchandise by sea from
India, Persia, Chaldea, Armenia, and of many other kingdoms.
This city founded Eliezer Damascus, that was yeoman and dispenser of
Abraham before that Isaac was born. For he thought for to have been
Abraham’s heir, and he named the town after his surname Damascus. And in
that place, where Damascus was founded, Cain slew Abel his brother. And
beside Damascus is the Mount Seir. In that city of Damascus there is
great plenty of wells. And within the city and without be many fair
gardens and of diverse fruits. None other city is not like in comparison
to it of fair gardens, and of fair disports. The city is great and full
of people, and well walled with double walls. And there be many
physicians. And Saint Paul himself was there a physician for to keep
men’s bodies in health, before he was converted. And after that he was
physician of souls. And Saint Luke the evangelist was disciple of Saint
Paul for to learn physic, and many other; for Saint Paul held then school
of physic. And near beside Damascus was he converted. And after his
conversion ne dwelt in that city three days, without sight and without
meat or drink; and in those three days he was ravished to heaven, and
there he saw many privities of our Lord.
And fast beside Damascus is the castle of Arkes that is both fair and
strong.
From Damascus men come again by our Lady of Sardenak, that is a five mile
on this half Damascus. And it sitteth upon a rock, and it is a full fair
place; and it seemeth a castle, for there was wont to be a castle, but it
is now a full fair church. And there within be monks and nuns Christian.
And there is a vault under the church, where that Christian men dwell
also. And they have many good vines. And in the church, behind the high
altar, in the wall, is a table of black wood, on the which sometime was
depainted an image of our Lady that turneth into flesh: but now the image
sheweth but little, but alway, by the grace of God, that table evermore
drops oil, as it were of olive; and there is a vessel of marble under the
table to receive the oil. Thereof they give to pilgrims, for it heals of
many sicknesses; and men say that, if it be kept well seven year,
afterwards it turns into flesh and blood. From Sardenak men come through
the vale of Bochar, the which is a fair vale and a plenteous of all
manner of fruit; and it is amongst hills. And there are therein fair
rivers and great meadows and noble pasture for beasts. And men go by the
mounts of Libanus, which lasts from Armenia the more towards the north
unto Dan, the which is the end of the Land of Repromission toward the
north, as I said before. Their hills are right fruitful, and there are
many fair wells and cedars and cypresses, and many other trees of divers
kinds. There are also many good towns toward the head of their hills,
full of folk.
Between the city of Arkez and the city of Raphane is a river, that is
called Sabatory; for on the Saturday it runs fast, and all the week else
it stand still and runs not, or else but fairly. Between the foresaid
hills also is another water that on nights freezes hard and on days is no
frost seen thereon. And, as men come again from those hills, is a hill
higher than any of the other, and they call it there the High Hill.
There is a great city and a fair, the which is called Tripoli, in the
which are many good Christian men, yemand the same rites and customs that
we use. From thence men come by a city that is called Beyrout, where
Saint George slew the dragon; and it is a good town, and a fair castle
therein, and it is three journeys from the foresaid city of Sardenak. At
the one side of Beyrout sixteen mile, to come hitherward, is the city of
Sydon. At Beyrout enters pilgrims into the sea that will come to Cyprus,
and they arrive at the port of Surry or of Tyre, and so they come to
Cyprus in a little space. Or men may come from the port of Tyre and come
not at Cyprus, and arrive at some haven of Greece, and so come to these
parts, as I said before.
I have told you now of the way by which men go farrest and longest to
Jerusalem, as by Babylon and Mount Sinai and many other places which ye
heard me tell of; and also by which ways men shall turn again to the Land
of Repromission. Now will I tell you the rightest way and the shortest
to Jerusalem. For some men will not go the other; some for they have not
spending enough, some for they have no good company, and some for they
may not endure the long travel, some for they dread them of many perils
of deserts, some for they will haste them homeward, desiring to see their
wives and their children, or for some other reasonable cause that they
have to turn soon home. And therefore I will shew how men may pass
tittest and in shortest time make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A man
that comes from the lands of the west, he goes through France, Burgoyne,
and Lumbardy. And so to Venice or Genoa, or some other haven, and ships
there and wends by sea to the isle of Greff, the which pertains to the
Genoans.
And syne he arrives in Greece at Port Mirrok, or at Valoun, or at Duras,
or at some other haven of that country, and rests him there and buys him
victuals and ships again and sails to Cyprus and arrives there at
Famagost and comes not at the isle of Rhodes. Famagost is the chief
haven of Cyprus; and there he refreshes him and purveys him of victuals,
and then he goes to ship and comes no more on land, if he will, before he
comes at Port Jaffa, that is the next haven to Jerusalem, for it is but a
day journey and a half from Jerusalem, that is to say thirty-six mile.
From the Port Jaffa men go to the city of Rames, the which is but a
little thence; and it is a fair city and a good and mickle folk therein.
And without that city toward the south is a kirk of our Lady, where our
Lord shewed him to her in three clouds, the which betokened the Trinity.
And a little thence is another city, that men call Dispolis, but it hight
some time Lidda, a fair city and a well inhabited: there is a kirk of
Saint George, where he was headed. From thence men go to the castle of
Emmaus, and so to the Mount Joy; there may pilgrims first see Jerusalem.
At Mount Joy lies Samuel the prophet. From thence men go to Jerusalem.
Beside their ways is the city of Ramatha and the Mount Modyn; and thereof
was Matathias, Judas Machabeus father, and there are the graves of the
Machabees. Beyond Ramatha is the town of Tekoa, whereof Amos the prophet
was; and there is his grave.
I have told you before of the holy places that are at Jerusalem and about
it, and therefore I will speak no more of them at this time. But I will
turn again and shew you other ways a man may pass more by land, and
namely for them that may not suffer the savour of the sea, but is liefer
to go by land, if all it be the more pain. From a man be entered into
the sea he shall pass till one of the havens of Lumbardy, for there is
the best making of purveyance of victuals; or he may pass to Genoa or
Venice or some other. And he shall pass by sea in to Greece to the Port
Mirrok, or to Valoun or to Duras, or some other haven of that country.
And from thence he shall go by land to Constantinople, and he shall pass
the water that is called Brace Saint George, the which is one arm of the
sea. And from thence he shall by land go to Ruffynell, where a good
castle is and a strong; and from therein he shall go to Puluual, and syne
to the castle of Sinope, and from thence to Cappadocia, that is a great
country, where are many great hills. And he shall go though Turkey to
the port of Chiutok and to the city of Nicæa, which is but seven miles
thence. That city won the Turks from the Emperor of Constantinople; and
it is a fair city and well walled on the one side, and on the other side
is a great lake and a great river, the which is called Lay. From thence
men go by the hills of Nairmount and by the vales of Mailbrins and strait
fells and by the town of Ormanx or by the towns that are on Riclay and
Stancon, the which are great rivers and noble, and so to Antioch the
less, which is set on the river of Riclay. And there abouts are many
good hills and fair, and many fair woods and great plenty of wild beasts
for to hunt at.
And he that will go another way, he shall go by the plains of Romany
coasting the Roman Sea. On that coast is a fair castle that men call
Florach, and it is right a strong place. And uppermore amongst the
mountains is a fair city, that is called Tarsus, and the city of
Longemaath, and the city of Assere, and the city of Marmistre. And when
a man is passed those mountains and those fells, he goes by the city of
Marioch and by Artoise, where is a great bridge upon the river of Ferne,
that is called Farfar, and it is a great river bearing ships and it runs
right fast out of the mountains to the city of Damascus. And beside the
city of Damascus is another great river that comes from the hills of
Liban, which men call Abbana. At the passing of this river Saint
Eustace, that some-time was called Placidas, lost his wife and his two
children. This river runs through the plain of Archades, and so to the
Red Sea. From thence men go to the city of Phenice, where are hot wells
and hot baths. And then men go to the city of Ferne; and between Phenice
and Ferne are ten mile. And there are many fair woods. And then men
come to Antioch, which is ten mile thence. And it is a fair city and
well walled about with many fair towers; and it is a great city, but it
was some-time greater than it is now. For it was some-time two mile on
length and on breadth other half mile. And through the midst of that
city ran the water of Farphar and a great bridge over it; and there was
some-time in the walls about this city three hundred and fifty towers,
and at each pillar of the bridge was a stone. This is the chief city of
the kingdom of Syria. And ten mile from this city is the port of Saint
Symeon; and there goes the water of Farphar into the sea. From Antioch
men go to a city that is called Lacuth, and then to Gebel, and then to
Tortouse. And there near is the land of Channel; and there is a strong
castle that is called Maubek. From Tortouse pass men to Tripoli by sea,
or else by land through the straits of mountains and fells. And there is
a city that is called Gibilet. From Tripoli go men to Acres; and from
thence are two ways to Jerusalem, the one on the left half and the other
on the right half. By the left way men go by Damascus and by the flum
Jordan. By the right way men go by Maryn and by the land of Flagramy and
near the mountains into the city of Cayphas, that some men call the
castle of Pilgrims. And from thence to Jerusalem are three day journey,
in the which men shall go through Caesarea Philippi, and so to Jaffa and
Rames and the castle of Emmaus, and so to Jerusalem.
Now have I told you some ways by land and by water that men may go by to
the Holy Land after the countries that they come from. Nevertheless they
come all to one end. Yet is there another way to Jerusalem all by land,
and pass not the sea, from France or Flanders; but that way is full long
and perilous and of great travel, and therefore few go that way. He that
shall go that way, he shall go through Almayne and Prussia and so to
Tartary. This Tartary is holden of the great Caan of Cathay, of whom I
think to speak afterward. This is a full ill land and sandy and little
fruit bearing. For there grows no corn, ne wine, ne beans, ne peas, ne
none other fruit convenable to man for to live with. But there are
beasts in great plenty: and therefore they eat but flesh without bread
and sup the broth and they drink milk of all manner of beasts. They eat
hounds, cats, ratons, and all other wild beasts. And they have no wood,
or else little; and therefore they warm and seethe their meat with
horse-dung and cow-dung and of other beasts, dried against the sun. And
princes and other eat not but once in the day, and that but little. And
they be right foul folk and of evil kind. And in summer, by all the
countries, fall many tempests and many hideous thunders and leits and
slay much people and beasts also full often-time. And suddenly is there
passing heat, and suddenly also passing cold; and it is the foulest
country and the most cursed and the poorest that men know. And their
prince, that governeth that country, that they clepe Batho, dwelleth at
the city of Orda. And truly no good man should not dwell in that
country, for the land and the country is not worthy hounds to dwell in.
It were a good country to sow in thistle and briars and broom and thorns
and briars; and for no other thing is it not good. Natheles, there is
good land in some place, but it is pure little, as men say.
I have not been in that country, nor by those ways. But I have been at
other lands that march to those countries, as in the land of Russia, as
in the land of Nyflan, and in the realm of Cracow and of Letto, and in
the realm of Daristan, and in many other places that march to the coasts.
But I went never by that way to Jerusalem, wherefore I may not well tell
you the manner.
But, if this matter please to any worthy man that hath gone by that way,
he may tell it if him like, to that intent, that those, that will go by
that way and make their voyage by those coasts, may know what way is
there. For no man may pass by that way goodly, but in time of winter,
for the perilous waters and wicked mareys, that be in those countries,
that no man may pass but if it be strong frost and snow above. For if
the snow ne were not, men might not go upon the ice, ne horse ne car
neither.
And it is well a three journeys of such way to pass from Prussia to the
land of Saracens habitable. And it behoveth to the Christian men, that
shall war against them every year, to bear their victuals with them; for
they shall find there no good. And then must they let carry their
victual upon the ice with cars that have no wheels, that they clepe
sleighs. And as long as their victuals last they may abide there, but no
longer; for there shall they find no wight that will sell them any
victual or anything. And when the spies see any Christian men come upon
them, they run to the towns, and cry with a loud voice; _Kerra_, _Kerra_,
_Kerra_. And then anon they arm them and assemble them together.
And ye shall understand that it freezeth more strongly in those countries
than on this half. And therefore hath every man stews in his house, and
in those stews they eat and do their occupations all that they may. For
that is at the north parts that men clepe the Septentrional where it is
all only cold. For the sun is but little or none toward those countries.
And therefore in the Septentrion, that is very north, is the land so
cold, that no man may dwell there. And, in the contrary, toward the
south it is so hot, that no man ne may dwell there, because that the sun,
when he is upon the south, casteth his beams all straight upon that part.