“When Any Enter Into The Beat, All That They Have To Do Is To Perform Two Erkaets On Each Side,[FN#22] With The Holding Up Their Two Hands, And Petitioning At The Conclusion Of Each Two Erkaets.

And they are so very reverent and devout in doing this, that they will not suffer their eyes to

Wander and gaze about; for they account it very sinful so to do. Nay, they say that one was smitten blind for gazing about when in the Beat, as the reward of his vain and unlawful curiosity.[FN#23] I could not, for my part, give any credit to this story, but looked on it as a legendary relation, and, therefore, was resolved, if I could, to take my view of it; I mean not to continue gazing about it, but now and then to cast an observing eye. And I profess I found nothing worth seeing in it, only two wooden pillars in the midst, to keep up the roof,[FN#24] and a bar of iron fastened to them, on which hanged three or four silver lamps, which are, I suppose, but seldom,

[p.370] if ever, lighted. In one corner of the Beat is an iron or brass chain, I cannot tell which (for I made no use of it): the pilgrims just clap it about their necks in token of repentance. The floor of the Beat is marble, and so is the inside of the walls, on which there is written something in Arabick, which I had no time to read.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 470 of 630
Words from 128388 to 128649 of 175520