Of the church of the holy sepulchre.
IN that Churche of the sepulcre on the north syde is the place where our Lord was done1 (in) prison, and there is a part of the cheyne with which he was bound, and there he appeared fyrst to Mary Magdeleyne when he was risen from death and she trowed2 that he had bene a gardeiner. In the Church of the sepulcre was wont to be3 Chanons of sainct Benet and they had a pryour; but the Patryarke was theyr soveraigne.
And without the dores of the Churche on the righte syde as men go up xviii grees,4 our Lorde sayde to his mother5 Ecce filius tuus. That is to say, Woman beholde thy sonne, De inde dixit discipulo, Ecce mater tua. That is to say, Then said he to his disciple, Behold thy mother.6 And these wordes he sayde when he hanged upon the crosse. And upon these greces went our Lorde when he bare the crosse uppon his shoulder, and under these greces is a Chappell where the priestes synge, but not after our lawe, and alway they make theyr Sacrament of the aulter of bread, say Pater noster &c., and other prayers, as with the which thing they say the wordes of whome the sacrament is made, for they know not of the addicions that many Popes haue made but they singe in good devocion. And nere there is the stone wher our Lord rested him when he was wery for bearing of the crosse. And ye shall understand that before the Churche of the Sepulcre is the citie most strong7 for the great playne that is betwene the citie & the church; on the East side without the walles of the citie is the vale of Josaphat that commeth to the walles. In that vale of Josaphat without the citie, is the churche of sainct Stephen where he was stoned to death, and thereby is the gate gylted that may not be opened. Through this gate our Lord entred on palme Sonday upon an asse, and the gate opened against him whan he would go to the Temple, and yet are the steppes of the asse sene in three places the which stand8 in full harde stones. Before the churche of the sepulcre two hundred paces, is a great hospitall of Sainct John, in the which hospytall are liiii pyllers made of stone.
And to go towarde the East from the hospitall is a righte fayre churche that men call our lady the greate, and then is there another church after that, that men call our lady of the latyn,9 and there it was Mary Cleophe and Magdeleyne drew10 theyr here whan oure Lord was put to death.
