Of the maner of hunting in Cipres.

IN Cipres men hunte with Pampeons¹ that be lyke to Leopards, and they take wylde beastes right well and they are somewhat more than lions, and they take more sharply wilde beastes then houndes. In Cipres is a maner that lordes and other men eate upon the earthe, for they make diches within the earth all about the hall depe to the knee, and they pave them, and when they will eate, they goe therein & sit there, this they do to be more freshe, for that lande is hotter then it is here. And at great feastes and for strange men, they set formes and bordes as they do in this countrey, but they had lever² sit in the earth. From Cipres men go by lande to Hierusalem, and by sea, and in a day and a night he that hath good wind may come to that haven of Tyre that now is called Sur, and it is also at the entre of Surry.³ There was sometime a fayre citie of christen men, but the Sarasins haue destroyed the most parte thereof, and they kepe y^e hauen righte well, for dread that they haue of Christen men. Men might go right to that haven and come not in Cipres, but they go gladly to Cipres to rest them on the lande, or else to by⁴ thinges that they haue nede of to their living. Upon the sea side men may find many rubies, and there is a well that holy write speaketh of

That is to say, The well of gardeines and diches of waters living. In the citie of Tyre sayde the woman to our Lorde, Beatus venter qui te portavit et ubera que succisti. That is as much to say, Blessed be the body that bare thee, and the pappe of the which thou suckest. And there our Lorde forgave the woman of Canee hir sinnes, and there was also in that place wont to be the stone on which our Lord sat and preached & on the same stone was founded the Church of Sainct Saviour. And upon that See is the citie of Saphon, Sarep, or Sodome and there was wont to dwell Elias the prophet & there was raised Jonas the prophete the widowes sonne, and fiue myle from Saphen is the citie of Sydon, of which citie Dido that was Eneas wife after the destruction of Troy was queene, and that founded the Citie of Carthage in Affryke and now is called Didonsart. And in the citie of Tyre raigned Achilles, the father of Dido and a myle⁵ from Sidon is Beruth, & from Beruth to Sardena is three days journey and from Sardena is five myle to Damas.

1: Large wild dogs; they are described by Jacobus de Vitriaco (the Cardinal), in his HistoriÆ Orientalis, thus: "Papiones quos appellant, canes silvestres, acriores quam lupi."

2: Liefer, rather.

3: Syria.

4: Buy.

5: Other editions say 16 miles.