Page:Travels from Aleppo, to the city of Jerusalem, and through the most remarkable parts of the Holy Land, in 1776.pdf/19

 water which comes into it runs out again, except it be under the earth; neither doth it seem to encrease with the river Jordan, and several other waters that do run into it. It was once a fruitful valley, and compared for delight to paradise, and called Pentapolia, of her five cities, but afterwards destroyed from heaven, and turned into this filthy lake, and barren desolation which doth encompass it. And to try the virtue that is reported to be in the water, wherein they say a man cannot sink, some of our company went into the lake, and found it impossible to get their.bodies under water, yea, could hardly keep their legs under. The water is sulphury and the extremity of saltness not to be expressed, When they came out-there was a perfect oil upon their bodies. Our eyes bring satisfied with curiosities and rarities, we made haste back to Jerusalem. The ruins of one of the cities that were destroyed for Sodomy, now lies a good part out of the water, and is supposed to be Zeboim. Now the sun gets strength, and by reflection on the ground, makes the heat so violent, that our faces look'd as if the skin were flead off, by riding from morning till four afternoon; but the fathers being accustomed to meet with tender-faced travellers, soon provided something to mitigate our pain, which was much increased by the saltness of the water of the Dead Sea. This night we took little pleasure in eating, but more in sleeping, having had but little in this voyage.

Having now visited all the places worthy of notice in the Holy Land, which travellers usually do, we now began to think of leaving Jerusalem; but father Tomaso, being still wanting to entertain us as far as in his power, showed us a very exact map of the boundaries of ancient Canaan, or the Land of Promise. It was, according to the highest calculation, about 180 miles in length, from Dan on the north, to Beersheeba on the south, and from east to west, about 80; and so comprehends in all, much about 9,333,000 acres of ground; of which, each of the 601,750 Hebrew warriors who conquered it, might have about is 12 or 13 acres allotted for his share. It lies in the 32, 33, and 34 degrees of north latitude, and in the 36, and 37 of east longitude from London. It has the Mediterranean sea on the left; Lebanon and Syria on the north; Arabia the Desart, and the land of the Ammonites, Moabites and Midianites on the east; the land of Edom, and wilderness of Paran on the south, and Egypt on the south west. No more than this was wont to be called Canaan, and this only was promised to the Hebrews in possession; but David extended them much farther, to Syria, Ammon, Moab and Edom, &c.

Though this country in general is now almost uncultivated, and in course appears very barren, it being now under a curse, and being pestered with the wild and savage Arabs; yet anciently it was undoubtedly a most beautiful and fertile