1079, when they were expelled by the Turks, who lorded it in their stead with equal tyranny. At length Pope Urban II. caused a council to be held at Clermont in France, wherein he solicited the princess of Christendom to undertake the recovery of the Holy Land from the hands of the infidels; upon which began the first Croisade,* or holy war, as it was called, no less than three hundred thousand men engaging in that service under several leaders, who drove the Turks before them, took most of the strong towns of Syria, and in the year 1099 made themselves masters of Jerusalem. The city was then offered, with the title of king, to Robert duke of Normandy, son of William the conqueror, who declined the honor, in expectation of the kingdom of England: but Godfrey of Boullon, duke of Lorrain, the chief commander in this expedition, accepted the offer with a religious joy; though he refused to have the crown placed on his head at the time of his inauguration, saying, 'It was not fit for a Christian prince to wear a crown of gold in that city, where the Redeemer of the world wore one of thorns." This new kingdom of Jerusalem subsisted eighty eight years, *This word is used to signify an expedition against infidels and heretics, particularly against the Turks for the recovery of Palestine; in which vast numbers formerly engaged themselves out of devotion, the Pope's bulls, and the preaching of the clergy of those times, representing it as a point of conscience and a meritorious action. Those who intended to go on this errand distinguished themselves by wearing crosses of different colors on their clothes, those of the English being white, the French red, the Flemish green, the Germans black, and Italians yellow; and from hence, as well as from the cross they bore in their banners, comes the name of Croisade or Cruzado, cruisades for the conquest of the Holy Land, or some part of it; the first undertaken in 1095, at the council of Clerinont; the second in 1144, under Louis VII; the third in 1188, by Henry II. of England, and Philip Augustus of France; the fourth in 1195, by Pope Celestin III. and the emperor Henry VI. the fifth published in 1198, by order of Innocent III. wherein the French, Germans, and Venetians engaged; the sixth under the same Pope, in 1218, which ended in the route of the Christians; the seventh resolved at the council of Lyons in 1245, and undertaken by St. Louis; the eighth which was the second of St. Louis, and the last cf all in 1268. under a succession of nine several princes, of whom the abovementioned Godfrey was the first, and Guy of Lusignan the last; for in the year 1187, the third of that king's reign, not only Jerusalem, but the greatest part of the Holy Land, was subdued by the victorious Saladin, sultan of Egypt; whose successors maintained there ground till 1517, when Selimus I. the Turkish emperor, added both Palestine and Egypt to the Ottoman dominions, to which they still continue annexed. By this time, perhaps, the reader will think he has been sufficiently detained at Jerusalem, from which city we departed on Wednesday the 1st of May 1734, after we had made a handsome present to the convent for our entertainment, and rereived from the father guardian certificates of our having visited all the holy places.* We set out at six in the morning, and in less than * Dr. Pecocke, a late traveller, has obliged us with a form of one of these certificates, which I have here transcribed for the satisfaction of the curious. "Frater Angelicus de Gazolo, ordinis religiosæ ob servantia sanctipatris nostri Francisci,dector theologiæ almæ observantium provinciæ bononiæ, pater, et congregationis de propaganda side responsalis, missionum Ægypti et Cypri præfectus, in partibus orientis missionarius et commissarius, totius terræ sanctæ cnstos, et Montis Xion, nec non sanctissimi sepulchri Domini nostri Jecu Christi guardianus et servus, universis, et singlis Christi fidelibus has præsentes literas inspecturis, lecturis, et audituris, salutem in Domino sempiternam. Noveritis per illustrem dominum A. B. natione Anglum, devotionis causa, suscepta peregrinatione ad sancta Palaestinae et Judaeae loca praesentia et sanctissima conversatione salvatoris ac Domini nostri Jesu Christi condecorta, anno a nativitate ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christi millesimo septingentesimo trigesimo octavo, die vero trigesima mensis Martii, Jerosolymam appulisse; inde subsequentibus diebus praecipua loca, seu sanctuaria in quibus operata sunt nostrae redemptionis mysteria utpote Calvarium, et sepulchrum beatae Mariae virginis in valle Jehosaphat, qeae in mount Zion in mount Oliveti, ceteraque, sive intra sive extra urbis Jerusalem monia sita, et quae in Bethlehem, ubi Salvator nasci dignatus est, et ciraca Bethlehem, et in via Bethlehemitica, quae in montana Judaeae, ubi beata virgo salutavit Elizabeth, ortumque habdit, magnus propheta et praecursor Domini; item et quae in Nazareth ac universa continentur Galilaea, et reliqua alia loca ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christi gestis memorabilia, ac in via Samariae, pie et devote visitasse: in quorum omnium et singulorum fidem, lias nostras testimoniales dedi three hours arrived at Emmaus, which is about seven miles North West from Jerusalem, inhabited by Arabs, who obliged us to pay a caphar. One may perceive here the ruins of an ancient castle, and also of a church, erected by Paula, a Roman lady, on the spot where the house of Cleophas stood, in memory of our Saviour's being known there to his disciples in breaking of bread.* This place was formerly the see of a bishop, under the metropolitan of Cæsaria, but is now dwindled to an inconsiderable village. After having taken some refreshment by the side of a fountain, we continued our journey, and about four in the afternoon arrived at Rama, or Ramula, anciently Arimathea, twenty-four miles distant from Jerusalem, and twelve from Joppa. This town stands on a little eminence in the midst of a plain, the streets are narrow, and the houses contemptible; but there are several ruins, especially of Christian churches, which are so many monuments of its once better condition. Here are likewise the remains of a monastery built by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, for the accommodation of pilgrims, which still retains the name of Zion House, and belongs to the Franciscan convent at Jerusalem. Several Europeans reside in Rama, who trade chiefly in oil, soap, and cotton, The next morning, about ten o'clock, we came to Joppa, now called Jaffa, once a considerable place, but reduced at present to an insignificant village, consisting only of a few cottages, and grottos cut in the rock, some warehouses, and two little towers, which command and defend the harbor. It is in reality the port. to the neighboring town of Rama; but the haven is neither safe nor commodious, nor deep enough to admit ships of any great burthen. Joppa is reckoned a very ancient city, and some think it was built by Japhat, and from him called Japho. The Syrians mus propria manu subscriptas, ac figillo, officii nostri munitas. Jerosolymis, in nostro conventu St. Salvatoris, die 28 Aprilis 1738. L. S. "Frater Angelicus de Gazola, guadianus sacri montis Zion, et custos tutius terrae sanctae." Luke xxiv. 30, 31, had a garrison here in the time of the Maccabees; and, having a fleet in the harbor, invited two hundred of the principal inhabitants on board, and drowned them; which base treachery was revenged by Judas, who burnt their fleet, and put the men to the sword. It was twice taken by the Romans, and the last time burnt to the ground. On the rocks hereabouts (according to the poetical fiction) Andromeda was chained,* and exposed to a sea monster, which was killed by Perseus, who set the virgin at liberty, and married her: but Ovid, contrary to other writers, make Ethiopia the scene of this story. It was at Joppa that the prophet Jonah embarked,† when he fled from the presence of the Lord, who had commanded him to go and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. In this town also. Peter raised Tabitha to life; and in the same place he had his vision of the sheet full of all sorts of animals let down from heaven. And here, according to tradition, Mary Magdalen, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, were by the Jews put on board an old shattered bark, and committed to the mercy of the wind and waves. *The beauty of Andromeda, and the surprise of Perseus when he discovered her in this unhappy situation, are prettily described by Ovid, who has given us the whole story. Quam ismul ad duras religatum brachia cautes Chained to a rock she stood; young Perseus stay'd And down her cheeks the melting sorrows flow'd.. Metam. L. IV. Eusden. Having staid two days at Joppa, we got a passage in a small vessel laden with soap, bound to Damiata in Egypt. We set sail on the 4th of May with the wind at North East, and on the 6th, in the morning, we found ourselves within six leagues of the Egyptian coast; which the seamen knew, not by a sight of it, (for it lies too low for that) but by the depth of the water, it being about the same number of fathoms: and another sign of our approaching land was the sounding plummet's bringing up the black slimy mud of the Nile, which settles at the bottom of the sea, to the distance of seven or eight leagues from the mouths of that river. Towards noon we came to an anchor about two leagues from the land, where the ships usually ride, the mouth of that branch of the Nile, on which Damiata is situated, being choaked by two banks of sand, that make the entrance very difficult. Besides, the people of Damiata, in order to encourage their own navigation, will not suffer the ship boats of strangers to come up the river; but all goods are carried to and from the shipping by open boats belonging to the town, in the nature of our English lighters. In one of these boats therefore, which came to unlade our vessel, we were carried to Damiata, where we landed in the evening, and lodged at the house of an Italian merchant, not far from the river. |