And The Preacher Hymselfe With Loude Voyce
Spake These Wordes, “O Abraham Beloued Of God, O Isaac Chosen Of God, And
His Friend, Praye To God For The People Of Nabi.” When These Woordes Were
Sayde, Sodenly Were Heard Lamenting Voyces.
When the sermon was done, a
rumor was spredde that a great armye of Arabians, to the number of
twentie thousande, were commyng.
With which newes, they that kept the
caraunas beyng greatly feared, with all speede, lyke madde men, fledde
into the citie of Mecha, and we agayne bearyng newes of the Arabians
approche, fledde also into the citie. But whyle wee were in the mydwaye
between the mountayne and Mecha, we came by a despicable wall, of the
breadthe of foure cubites: the people passyng this wall, had couered
the waye with stones, the cause whereof, they saye to be this: when
Abraham was commaunded to sacrifice his sonne, he wylled his sonne
Isaac to folowe hym to the place where he should execute the
commaundement of God. As Isaac went to follow his father, there
appeared to him in the way a Deuyl, in lykenesse of a fayre and
freendly person, not farre from the sayde wall, and asked hym freendlye
whyther he went. Isaac answered that he went to his
[p.352] father who tarryed for him. To this the enemie of mankynde
answered, that it was best for hym to tarrye, and yf that he went anye
further, his father would sacrifice him. But Isaac nothyng feareyng
this aduertisement of the Deuyl, went forward, that his father on hym
myght execute the commaundement of God: and with this answere (as they
saye) they Deuyell departed. Yet as Isaac went forwarde, the Diuell
appeared to hym agayne in the lykenesse of an other frendlye person,
and forbade hym as before. Then Isaac taking vp a stone in that place,
hurlde it at the Deuyl and wounded him in the forehead: In witnesse and
remembraunce whereof, the people passyng that waye when they come neare
the wall, are accustomed to cast stones agaynst it, and from thence go
into the citie.[FN#43] As we went this way, the ayre was in maner
darkened with a multitude of stock doues. They saye that these doues,
are of the progenie of the doue that spake in the eare of Mahumet, in
lykenesse of the Holye Ghost.[FN#44] These are seene euery where, as in
the villages, houses, tauernes and graniers of corne and ryse, and are
so tame that one can scharsely dryue them away. To take them or kyll
them is esteemed a thyng worthy death,[FN#45]
[p.353] and therefore a certayne pensyon is geuen to nourysshe them in
the temple.
CHAPTER XX.—Of diuers thynges which chaunced to me in Mecha; and of Zida,
a port of Mecha.
It may seeme good here to make mention of certayne thynges, in the
which is seene sharpenesse of witte in case of vrgent necessitie, which
hath no lawe as sayeth the prouerbe, for I was dryuen to the point howe
I myght prieuly escape from Mecha. Therefore whereas my Captayne gaue
me charge to buy certayne thynges, as I was in the market place, a
certayne Mamaluke knewe me to be a christian, and therefore in his owne
language spake vnto me these woordes, “Inte mename,” that is, whence art
thou?[FN#46] To whom I answered that I was a Mahumetan. But he sayde,
Thou sayest not truely. I sayde agayne, by the head of Mahumet I am a
Mahumetan. Then he sayde agayne, Come home to my house, I folowed hym
willingly. When we were there, he began to speake to me in the Italian
tongue, and asked me agayne from whence I was, affyrming that he knewe
me, and that I was no Mahumetan: also that he had been sometyme in
Genua and Venice. And that his woordes myght be better beleeued, he
rehearsed many thinges which testified that he sayed trueth. When I
vnderstoode this, I confessed freely, that I was a Romane, but
professed to the fayth of Mahumet in the citie of Babylon, and there
made one of the Mamalukes; whereof he seemed greatly to reioyce and
therefore vsed me honourably. But because my desyre was yet to goe
further, I asked the Mahumetan whether that citie of Mecha was so
famous as all the world spake of it: and inquired of him where was the
great aboundaunce of pearles, precious stones, spices, and other rich
merchandies that the bruite went of to be in that citie. And all my
talke was to the ende
[p.354] to grope the mynde of the Mahumetan, that I might know the
cause why such thinges were not brought thyther as in tyme paste. But
to auoyde all suspition, I durst here make no mention of the dominion
which the Kyng of Portugale had in the most parte of that ocean, and of
the gulfes of the Redde Sea and Persia. Then he began with more
attentyue mynde, in order to declare vnto me the cause why that marte
was not so greatly frequented as it had been before, and layde the only
faulte thereof in the Kyng of Portugale. But when he had made mention
of the kyng, I began of purpose to detracte his fame, lest the
Mahumetan might thinke that I reioyced that the Christians came thyther
for merchandies. When he perceyued that I was of profession an enemy to
the Christians, he had me yet in greater estimation, and proceeded to
tell me many thynges more. When I was well instructed in all thynges, I
spake vnto him friendly these woordes in the Mahumet’s language Menaba
Menalhabi, that is to say, “I pray you assist mee.[FN#47]” He asked mee
wherein. “To help me (sayed I) howe I may secretly departe hence.”
Confyrmyng by great othes, that I would goe to those kinges that were
most enemies to the Christians:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 119 of 170
Words from 121456 to 122460
of 175520
