Of the river Jordan.

THIS flom Jordan is no great ryver nor depe, but there is much good fishe therein, and it commeth from mount Lybany from two welles, that men call Jor and Dane and of them it taketh the name. And upon the one syde of that river is mount Gelboe,¹ and there is a fayre playne. And on that other syde men goe by mount Lybany, to the desert of Pharon.² These hylles departe the kingdome of Surry and the countreys of Phenys.³ On that hyll grow Cedres that beare longe apples which are as muche as a mannes heade. Thys flom Jordan departeth Galily and the lande of Idumea and the lande of Botron⁴ & it runneth into a playne that men call Meldam⁵ in Sarasyns language, and in Englyshe, fayre, because ofte tymes bee there kepte great fayres, and in the playne is the tombe of Job. In this flom Jordane our Lord was baptised, and there was the voice of the Father hearde saying, Hic est filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui, ipsum audite. That is to saye in English, Here is my sonne that I love, in whome I am well pleased, heare him. And the holy ghost descended on him in lykenesse of a doue & so was there in thys baptysing all the Trinitie. And through the flome Jordan passed the children of Israell all dry, and they sette stones in the myddest of the water, in token of great myracle. And also in that flome Naaman of Surry bathed him, that was mesel, and he was made hole, and a lyttle from thence is the citie of Hay, the which Josue assayled and toke. And about flom Jordan are many churches where Christen men dwel, also by flom Jordan, is the vale of Mambre that is a fayre vale & a plenteous.

1: Gilboa.

2: Pharan.

3: Phoenicia.

4: Betron.

5: In all probability the same as the Arabic word Multamin, which means a congregation of visitors.