Page:Travels from Aleppo, to the city of Jerusalem, and through the most remarkable parts of the Holy Land, in 1776.pdf/11

 but likewise to Turkish, Moorish, and Arabic women, who will come from far countries to fetch of this earth, 2. David's cisterns. 3. The grot wherein the Virgin Mary and Joseph lived before they could get a house. 4. The tomb of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, which the Turks do also much esteem. 5. The field of Sennacherib, where the angel of the Lord flew in one night 185,00 of the Syrians. In this place is a village called Botechelle, where the fathers affirm no Turk can live. 6. The place where the pillars of the convent of Ramah were made. 7. The vineyard whence the spies of the land of Canaan took the cluster of grapes, to shew the fruitfulness of it; also the fountain where Philip baptized the queen of Sheba’s eunuch. 8. The desart of John Baptist; and after an hour’s riding, we came to John Baptist’s fountain, where was his chamber, and a rock, wherein there was a place cut like a bench for his head. To break off a bit of this rock is worthy excommunication. 9 Zechariah’s house, where the Virgin Mary came to salute her cousin Elizabeth; for the angel that told her she should conceive, told her also, that her cousin was with child; and upon her salutation, the child leaped in her womb. Near this house is a fountain with two cisterns which is called Elizabeth’s fountain. I. A stone where John Baptist preached, which the Fathers say, the Turks have endeavoured to break in pieces, but could not. 11. Where John Baptist was born, now a stable, but formerly a church: The fathers upon John Baptist's day, carry an organ thither, and adorn the place for their prayers 12. The tombs of the Macabees, which we saw at a distance, and being ruinous, appear as so many arches. 13. We passed by a village, where the men are all Turk’s, and the women Christians; for the people being poor, the Turks were very severe with them for their Harach, who not being able to pay all at once, turned Turks, &c. 14. We came to the mountain of Crupil, where part of the wood whereof our Saviour’s cross was made, was cut down, and over the place where they say the tree stood, is a stately church, in the possession of the Greeks: the place just where the tree grew is in laid with silver, by which they set a dish for charity. The floor of this church is well wrought with Mosaic work, and printed with scripture stories: and instead of a bell, they knock upon a board that hangs up, which founds somewhat like a bell.

And now we go forward to the convent at Jerusalem, passing by mount Gibon, where Solomon was anointed king, and about night came to our lodgings, having made two days journey to see the holy places, and traverse the mountains of Judea; we slept well that night, but still have more pilgrimages. June I. We lay still to recover ourselves of our Bethlehem journey; but father Tomaso, out of his zeal, is very importunate with us, to be walking to see other places, which is very meritorious in the Roman church, and had we been o