I Neuer Sawe In Anye Place Greater Abundaunce
And Frequentation Of People, Forasmuche As I Could Perceyue By Tarrying
There The Space Of 20 Dayes.
These people resort thyther for diuers
causes, as some for merchandies, some to obserue theyr vowe of
pylgrymage, and other to haue pardon for theyr sinnes:
As touchyng the
whiche we wyll speake more hereafter.
[p.348]CHAPTER XVII.—Of the Pardons or Indulgences of Mecha.
Let vs now returne to speake of the pardons of pilgryms, for the which
so many strange nations resort thither. In the myddest of the citie is
a temple, in fashyon lyke vnto the colossus of Rome, the amphitheatrum,
I meane, lyke vnto a stage, yet not of marbled or hewed stones, but of
burnt bryckes; for this temple, like vnto an amphitheatre, hath
fourscore and ten, or an hundred gates,[FN#33] and is vaulted. The
entrance is by a discent of twelve stayers or degrees on euery
part[FN#34]: in the church porche, are sold only jewels and precious
stones. In the entry the gylted walles shyne on euery syde with
incomparable splendour. In the lower part of the temple (that is vnder
the vaulted places) is seene a maruelous multitude of men; for there
are fyue or sixe thousande men that sell none other thyng then sweete
oyntmentes, and especially a certayne odoriferous and most sweete
pouder wherewith dead bodyes are embalmed.[FN#35] And hence, all maner
of sweete sauours are carried in maner into the countreys of all the
Mahumetans. It passeth all beleefe to thynke of the exceedyng
sweetnesse of these sauours, farre surmounting the shoppes of the
apothecaries. The 23 daye of Maye the pardones began to be graunted in
the temple, and in what maner we wyll nowe declare. The temple in the
myddest is open without any inclosyng, and in the myddest also thereof
is a turrett of the largnesse of sixe passes in cercuitie,[FN#36] and
inuolued or hanged with cloth or
[p.349] tapestry of sylke[,][FN#37]and passeth not the heyght of a man.
They enter into the turret by a gate of syluer, and is on euery syde
besette with vesselles full of balme. On the day of Pentecost licence
is graunted to al men to se these thynges. The inhabitantes affyrm that
balme or balsame to be part of the treasure of the Soltan that is Lorde
of Mecha. At euery vaulte of the turret is fastened a rounde circle of
iron, lyke to the ryng of a doore.[FN#38] The 22 day of Maye, a great
multitude of people beganne, early in the mornyng before day, seuen
tymes to walke about the turret, kyssing euery corner thereof, often
tymes feelyng and handelyng them. From this turret about tenne or
twelue pases is an other turret, like a chappell buylded after our
maner. This hath three or foure entryes: in the myddest thereof is a
well of threescore and tenne cubites deepe; the water of this well is
infected with salt peter or saltniter.[FN#39] Egypt men are therevnto
appoynted to drawe water for all the people: and when a multitude of
people haue seuen tymes gone rounde about the first turret, they come
to this well, and touchyng the mouth or brym thereof, they saye thus, “Be
it in the honour of God; God pardon me, and forgeue me my synnes.” When
these woordes are sayde, they that drawe the water powre three
buckettes of water on the headdes of euery one of them, and stand neere
about the well, and washe them all wette from the headde to the foote,
although they be apparelled with sylk. Then the dotyng fooles dreame
that they are cleane from all theyr synnes, and that theyr synnes are
forgeuen them. They saye, furthermore, that
[p.350] the fyrst turret, whereof we haue spoken, was the fyrst house
that euer Abraham buylded, and, therefore, whyle they are yet all wette
of the sayd washyng, they go to the mountayne, where (as we have sayde
before) they are accustomed to sacrifice to Abraham.[FN#40] And
remayning there two daies, they make the said sacrifice to Abraham at
the foote of the mountayne.
CHAPTER XVIII.—The Maner of sacrificing at Mecha.
Forasmuche as for the most parte noble spirites are delyted with
nouelties of great and straunge thyngs, therefore, to satisfie their
expectation, I wyll describe theyr maner of sacrifycyng. Therefore,
when they intend to sacrifice, some of them kyll three sheepe, some
foure, and tenne; so that the butcherie sometyme so floweth with blood
that in one sacrifice are slayne above three thousande sheepe. They are
slayne at the rysyng of the sunne, and shortly after are distributed to
the poore for God’s sake: for I sawe there a great and confounded
multitude of poor people as to the number of 20 thousande. These make
many and long dyches in the feeldes, where they keepe fyre with camels
doong, and rost or seeth the fleshe that is geuen them, and eate it
euen there. I beleue that these poore people came thither rather for
hunger than for deuotion, which I thinke by this coniectur,—that great
abundance of cucumbers are brought thyther from Arabia Fælix, whiche they
eate, castyng away the parynges without their houses or tabernacles,
where a multitude of the sayde poore people geather them euen out of
the myre and sande, and eate them, and are so greedie of these parynges
that they fyght who may geather most.[FN#41] The
[p.351] daye folowing,[FN#42] their Cadi (which are in place with them
as with vs the preachers of God’s worde) ascended into a hygh mountayne,
to preach to the people that remaineth beneath; and preached to them in
theyr language the space of an houre. The summe of the sermon was, that
with teares they should bewayle theyr sinnes, and beate their brestes
with sighes and lamentation.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 118 of 170
Words from 120453 to 121455
of 175520
