ASIA. PART I. (continued 5)

Also fro Nazarethe, men gon to the Mount Thabor; and that is a 4 myle: and it is a fulle faire hille, and well highe, where was wont to ben a toun and many chirches; but thei ben alle destroyed; but zit there is a place, that men clepen the scole of God, where he was wont to teche his disciples, and tolde hem the prevytees of hevene. And at the foot of that hille, Melchisedeche, that was Kyng of Salem, in the turnynge of that hille, mette Abraham in comynge azen from the bataylle, whan he had slayn Abymeleche: and this Melchisedeche was bothe kyng and prest of Salem, that now is cleped Jerusalem. In that hille Thabor, oure Lord transfigured him before seynt Petre, seynt John and seynt Jame; and there they sawghe gostly Moyses and Elye the prophetes besyde hem: and therefore seyde seynt Petre, Domine, bonum est nos hic esse; faciamus tria Tabernacula; that is to seye, Lorde, it is gode for us to ben here; make we here 3 dwellying places. And there herd thei a voys of the fadir, that seye, Hic est filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui. And oure Lord defended hem, that thei scholde not telle that avisioun, til that he were rysen from dethe to lyf. In that hille and in that same place, at the day of doom, 4 aungeles, with 4 trompes, schulle blowen and reysen alle men, that hadden suffred dethe, sithe that the world was formed, from dethe to lyve; and schnlle comen in body and soule in juggement; before the face of oure Lord, in the Vale of Josaphate. And the doom schalle ben on Estre Day, suche tyme as oure Lord aroos: and the dom schalle begynne, suche houre as oure Lord descended, to helle and dispoyled it; for at such houre schal he dispoyle the world, and lede his chosene to blisse; and the othere schalle be condempne to perpetuelle peynes: and thanne schalle every man have aftir his dissert, outher gode or evylle; but zif the mercy of God passe his rightewisnesse.

Also a myle from Mount Thabor, is the Mount Heremaon; and there was the cytee of Naym. Before the zate of that cytee, reysed oure Lord the wydewes sone, that had no mo children. Also 3 myle fro Nazarethe, is the Castelle Saffra; of the whiche, the sones of Zebedee and the sones of Alphee weren. Also a 7 myle fro Nazarethe is the Mount Kayn; andl andre that is a welle, and besyde that welle, Lameche Noees fadre sloughe Kaym with an arwe. For this Kaym wente thorghe breres and bosshes, as a wylde best; and he had lyved fro the tyme of Adam his fadir, unto the tynme of Noe; and so he lyvode nyghe to 2000 zeer. And this Lameche was alle blynd for elde.

Fro Saffra, men gothe to the see of Galylee and to the cytee of Tyberye, that sytt upon the same see. And alle be it, that men clepen it a see, zit is it nouther see ne arm of the see: for it is but a stank of fresche watir, that is in lengthe 100 furlonges; and of brede 40 furlonges; and hathe with in him gret plentee of fissche, and rennethe in to Flom Jordan. The cytee it not fulle gret, but it hathe gode bathes with in him. And there; as the Flom Jordan partethe fro the see of Galilee, is a gret brigge, where men passen from the lond of promyssioun, to the lond of Baazan and the lond of Gerrasentz, that ben about the Flom Jordan, and the begynnynge of the see of Tyberie. And fro thens may men go to Damask, in 3 dayes, be the kyngdom of Traconye; the whiche kyngdom lastethe fro mount Heremon to the see of Galilee, or to the see of Tyberie, or to the see of Jenazarethe; and alle is o see, and this the stank that I have told zou; but it chaungethe thus the name, for the names of the cytees that sytten besyde hem. Upon that see, went oure Lord drye feet; and there he toke up seynt Peter, when he began to drenche with in the see, and seyde to him, Modice Fidei, quare dubitasti? And aftre his resurrexioun, oure Lord appered on that see, to his disciples, and bad hem fyssche, and filled alle the nett fulle of gret fisshes. In that see rowed oure Lord often tyme; and there he called to him, seynt Peter, seynt Andrew, seynt James and seynt John, the sones of Zebedee. In that cytee of Tyberie, is the table, upon the whiche oure Lord eete upon, with his disciples, aftre his resurrexioun; and thei knewen him in brekynge of bred, as the gospelle seythe; Et cognoverunt cum in fractione Panis. And nyghe that cytee of Tyberie, is the hille, where oure Lord fedde 5 thousand persones, with 5 barly loves and 2 fisshes. In that cytee, a man cast an brennynge dart in wratthe aftir oure Lord, and the hed smot in to the eerthe, and wax grene, and it growed to a gret tree; and zit it growethe, and the bark there of is alle lyk coles. Also in the hed of that See of Galilee, toward the Septemtryon, is a strong castelle and an highe, that highte Saphor: and fast besyde it, is Capharnaum: with in the lond of Promyssioun, is not so strong a castelle: and there is a gode toun benethe, that is clept also Saphor. In that castel, seynt Anne our ladyes modre was born. And there benethe was Centurioes hous. That contree is clept the Galilee of Folk, that weren taken to tribute of Sabulon, and of Neptalym. And in azen comynge fro that castelle, a 30 myle, is the cytee of Dan, that somtyme was clept Belynas, or Cesaire Philippon, that sytt at the foot of the Mount of Lyban, where the Flom Jordan begynnethe. There begynnethe the lond of Promyssioun, and durethe unto Bersabee, in lengthe, in goynge toward the northe in to the southe; and it conteynethe well a 180 myles: and of brede, that is to seye, fro Jericho unto Jaffe, and that conteynethe a 40 myle of Lombardye, or of our contree, that ben also lytylle myles. Theise ben not myles of Gascoyne, ne of the provynce of Almayne, where ben gret myles. And wite zee welle, that the lond of Promyssioun is in Sirye. For the reme of Sirye durethe fro the desertes of Arabye, unto Cecyle, and that is Ermonye the grete, that is to seyne, fro the southe to the northe: and fro the est to the west, it durethe fro the grete desertes of Arabye onto the West See. But in the reme of Syrie, is the kyngdom of Judee, and many other provynces, as Palestyne, Galilee, litylle Cilicye, and many othere. In that contree and other contrees bezonde, thei han a custom, whan thei schulle usen werre, and whan men holden sege abbouten cytee or castelle, and thei with innen dur not senden out messagers with lettres, from lord to lord, for to aske sokour, thei maken here letters and bynden hem to the nekke of a colver, and leten the colver flee; and the colveren ben so taughte, that threi fleen with tho lettres to the verry place, that men wolde sende hem to. For the colveres ben norysscht in tho places, where thei ben sent to; and thei senden hem thus, for to beren here lettres. And the colveres retournen azen, where as thei ben norisscht; and so thei doe comounly.