Yet of the holy citie of Hierusalem.
AND ye shall understand that whan men fyrst come to Hierusalem, they go fyrste a pylgrimage to the Church, where that the holy grave is, the whiche is out of the citie on the North syde, but it is now closed in with the wall of the towne, and there is a full fayre church rounde, all open aboue, and well covered with leede and on the west syde is a fayre toure and a strong for belles.
And in the middes of the church is a Tabernacle made like a little house, in maner of halfe a compasse, ryght well and richly of gold and asure and other coloures well dyght & on the ryght syde is the sepulchre of oure Lorde, and the tabernacle is viii foote long and v fote wide and xi fote of height. And it is not longe sythen the sepulchre was all open, yt men might kysse it and touche it: but for men that came thether payned1 them to breake the stones in peces or pouder, therefore the Soudan hath made a wall about the sepulchre that no man may touch it. On the lefte syde is no wyndowe, but therein is many lampes light, and there is a lampe that hangeth before the sepulcre lyght brenning and on the fryday it goeth oute by itselfe, and lyghteth againe by itselfe at the houre that our Lorde rose from death to life. And within that church upon that right side is the mount Calvary, where our Lord was done on the crosse, and the crosse was sette in a morteys2 in the roche that is white of coloure, and a lyttle redde medled3 with, and upon that roche dropped the bloude of the woundes of our Lord whan he was pained on the crosse & that is called Golgatha and men go up to that Golgatha upon greces.4 And in that mortays was Adams head founde after Noyes flood, in token that the sinnes of Adam, shoulde bee boughte in the same place, and aboue that roche made Abraham sacryfice to our Lord, and there is an auter,5 and before that auter lyeth Godfry of Boleyn,6 Bawdewyn7 and other that were Christen and kinges of Hierusalem. And ther as our Lord was done8 upon the crosse, is thys wrytten in greke, Otheos9 basylon, ysmon persemas, ergaste sothyas oyos. That is to say in latine, Hic Deus Rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medio terrÆ, That is to saye, This God our King before worldes, hath wrought healthe in the myddes of the earth. And also upon the roche where the crosse was fyxed is wrytten within the roche, Eros10 guyst basys, thou, pestes, thoy, thesmoysy. That is to say in latin, Quod vides est fundamentum totius mundi et hujus fidei. And it is to saye, that thou seest, is grounde of all the world and of this faith. And ye shall understande that our Lorde whan he dyed was thyrty & two11 yeare olde and three monethes and the prophecie of David sayth that he should haue xl yeares, when he saith thus. Quadraginta annis proximus fui generatione huic, that is to say, fourtie yeare was I neighbour to this kinde, and thus it should seme that prophecie were not sothe,12 but it is. For in olde time men called yeares of ten monethes of the which Marche was the fyrst & December the last. But Cayus Cezar13 that was Emperour of Rome dyd sette to these two moneths Januarie & Februarie and ordeyned the yere of xii months. That is to say ccc14 dayes without lepe yere the proper course of the sonne and therefore after the accompting of x moneths to the yeare, he dyed in xl yeare and three moneths.
Also within mounte Calvary at the ryghte syde is there an aulter where the piller lyeth that our Lorde was bound to when he was scourged and thereby are three15 other pyllers that alwaye drop water, and some saye that those pyllers weepe for our Lords death, and neare this aulter in a place xlii grees16 depe was founde the verye crosse by the assent17 of sainct Eleyn18] under a roch where the Jewes had hydde it and it was assayed, for they founde three crosses, one of our Lorde and two of theves. And Saint Elene assayed them on a dead body that rose as sone as the very19 crosse of our Lorde was laid on him. And thereby, in the vale, is the place where the foure nayles of our Lord were hyd, for he had two nayles in his handes and two in his fete, and one of those nailes the Emperour of Constantinople20 dyde make a bridell for his horse to beare him in bataile, for by21 the vertue that it had, he overcame his enimies, and wan22 all the land of Asye, Turky, Damasse the more23 and the lesse, Surrey and Hierusalem, Araby, Percy, and Mesopotamy, the Kingdome of Alabe,24 Egipt the high and the lowe, and other kingdomes many full nyghe all unto Ethyope the low, and also unto Inde the lesse, that then was chrysten. And there was in that tyme many good men and holy hermits, of whome the booke of25 the fathers lyves speaketh, and they are now in Paynims & Sarasins handes, but whan God will righte26 as these landes are lost through sinne of Christen men, so shall they be won againe by christen men throygh the helpe of God. And in the myddes of this Church is a compasse,27 in the which Joseph of Armath28 layd the body of our Lord whan he had taken him of29 the crosse & upon the same place dyd he wash the fete of our Lorde, & that compasse men say is in the myddes of the world.
