If
By Euil Fortune It So Chaunce That Any Trauaile That Way Southward, If
In The Mean Time The Wind Come To The North, They Are Ouerwhelmed With
Sande, That They Scatter Out Of The Way, And Can Scarsely See The One
The Other Ten Pases Of.
And therefore the inhabitants trauayling this
way, are inclosed in cages of woodde, borne with camels, and lyue in
them,[FN#22] so passing the jorney, guided by pilots with maryner’s
compasse and card, euen as on the sea, as we haue sayde.
In this
jorney, also many peryshe for thirst, and many for drynkyng to muche,
when they finde suche good waters. In these sandes is founde Momia,
which is the fleshe of such men as are drowned in these sandes, and
there dryed by the heate of the sunne: so that those bodyes are
preserued from putrifaction by the drynesse of the sand; and therefore
that drye fleshe is esteemed medicinable.[FN#23] Albeit there is
[p.345] another kynde of more pretious Momia, which is the dryed and
embalmed bodies of kynges and princes, whiche of long tyme haue been
preserued drye without corruption. When the wynde bloweth from the
northeast, then the sand riseth and is driuen against a certayne
mountayne, which is an arme of the mount Sinai.[FN#24] There we found
certayne pyllers artificially wrought, whiche they call Ianuan. On the
lefte hande of the sayde mountayne, in the toppe or rydge thereof, is a
denne, and the entrie into it is by an iron gate. Some fayne that in
that place Mahumet lyued in contemplation. Here we heard a certayne
horrible noyse and crye; for passyng the sayde mountayne, we were in so
great daunger, that we thought neuer to have escaped. Departyng,
therefore, from the fountayne, we continued our journey for the space
of ten dayes, and twyse in the way fought with fyftie thousande
Arabians, and so at the length came to the citie of Mecha, where al
things were troubled by reason of the warres betweene two brethren,
contendyng whiche of them shoulde possesse the kyngedome of Mecha.
CHAPTER XV.—Of the Fourme and Situation of the Citie of Mecha; and why
the Mohumetans resort thyther.
Nowe the tyme requireth to speake somewhat of the famous citie of
Mecha, or Mecca, what it is, howe it is situate, and by whom it is
gouerned. The citie is very fayre and well inhabited, and conteyneth in
rounde fourme syxe thousande houses, as well buylded as ours, and some
that cost three or foure thousande peeces of golde: it hath no walles.
About two furlongs from the citie is a mount, where the way is cutte
out,[FN#25] whiche leadeth to a playne
[p.346] beneath. It is on euery syde fortified with mountains, in the
stead of walles or bulwarkes, and hath foure entries. The Gouernour is
a Soltan, and one of the foure brethern of the progenie of Mahumet, and
is subject to the Soltan of Babylon of whom we haue spoken before. His
other three brethren be at continuall warre with hym. The eighteen daye
of Maye we entered into the citie by the north syde; then, by a
declynyng way, we came into a playne. On the south syde are two
mountaynes, the one very neere the other, distant onely by a little
valley, which is the way that leadeth to the gate of Mecha. On the east
syde is an open place betweene two mountaynes, lyke vnto a
valley,[FN#26] and is the waye to the mountayne where they sacrifice to
the Patriarkes Abraham and Isaac.[FN#27] This mountayne is from the
citie about ten or twelve myles, and of the heyght of three stones
cast: it is of stone as harde as marble, yet no marble.[FN#28] In the
toppe of the mountaine is a temple or Meschita, made after their
fashion, and hath three wayes to enter into it.[FN#29] At the foote of
the mountayne are two cesterns, which conserue waters without
corruption: of these, the one is reserued to minister water to the
camels of the carauana of Babylon or Alcayr; and the other, for them of
Damasco. It is rayne water, and is deriued far of.[FN#30]
But to returne to speake of the citie; for as touchyng the maner of
sacrifice which they vse at the foote of the mountayne wee wyll speake
hereafter. Entryng, therefore, into the citie, wee founde there the
carauana of Memphis, or Babylon, which prevented vs eyght dayes, and
came not the waye that wee came. This carauana
[p.347] conteyned threescore and foure thousande camelles, and a
hundred Mamalukes to guyde them. And here ought you to consyder that,
by the opinion of all men, this citie is greatly cursed of God, as
appereth by the great barrennesse thereof, for it is destitute of all
maner of fruites and corne.[FN#31] It is scorched with drynesse for
lacke of water, and therefore the water is there growen to suche pryce,
that you cannot for twelve pence buye as much water as wyll satysfie
your thyrst for one day. Nowe, therefore, I wyll declare what prouision
they have for victuales. The most part is brought them from the citie
of Babylon, otherwyse named Memphis, Cayrus, or Alcayr, a citie of the
ryuer of Nilus in Egypt as we have sayde before, and is brought by the
Red Sea (called Mare Erythreum) from a certayne port named Gida,
distaunt from Mecha fourtie myles.[FN#32] The rest of theyr prouisions
is brought from Arabia Faelix, (that is) the happye or blessed Arabia:
so named for the fruitfulnesse thereof, in respect of the other two
Arabiaes, called Petrea and Diserta, that is, stonye and desart. They
haue also muche corne from Ethyopia. Here we found a marueylous number
of straungers and peregrynes, or pylgryms; of the whiche some came from
Syria, some from Persia, and other from both the East Indiaes, (that is
to say) both India within the ryuer of Ganges, and also the other India
without the same ryuer.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 117 of 170
Words from 119424 to 120452
of 175520
