- 9 6 



A Relation of the Chap. XX. 



'jy-dukJffbm 



Dcjart-s in the 

 way to Hah'i 



Sepulchre. 



phet's City. But the Inhabitants of the upper-parts of Pafia^ towards the Cafplan 

 Sea, and all the Tartars, come to Taum, and from T'auris to Aleppo, from which 

 place, the great Caravans, which take their progrefs through the Dd arts, fet forth 

 and bring the Pilgrims to Mecha, Some take the way of Babylon, but very feldom, 

 liccaufe the Baffa exacts a Tribute of them, and particularly of the Perfia&r, whom 

 they account Hirrcticks > and that conlideration has oblig'd the King of Perfia, to for- 

 bid his Subjects to take that Rode, thinking himfelf not inferiour to the Turk. 



Some of the Devouter fort of Perfuns, and fuch as are moft zealous for their own 

 Se&, take the way of Babylon, upon this (core, that it brings them at the fame time 

 to the Sepulchre of their Prophet Hali, which is but eight days Journey difrant from 

 it. This is the moft wretched place, of all the places upon earth, and affords no wa- 

 ter but the moft corrupted water, which is drawn out of certain Pits, and that of a 

 Canal, which Schacb-Abas caus'd to be brought thither from the Euphrates, but which 

 is now quite out of repair. Whoever expedts to drink good water there, mult brino- 

 it along with him, from other places, from other places, rive or fix days Journey di- 

 ftant from the other : And yet that falfc Prophet impofes on thofe, who have fuch a 

 Devotion for him, not only the inconveniences of coming fo far off •, but alfo thofe of 

 being in a fair way to pcrifti by thirit, and hardlhip of lodging. 



The laft time it was my fortune topafs through the Defarts, I came to that defe- 

 rrable place upon this occafion, that meeting with a Courrier, who was come from 

 Babylon, with two Arabians, whom he had in his Company, he gave us intelligence, 

 that the Grand Seignor's Forces, wjiich had then newly taken Babylon, were upon 

 their march back, in little Detachments, and that there was no qucftion to be made, 

 but they would feize on our Camels and Baggage. Which advertisements oblig'd us ; 

 to take our courfe more to the South, and to get further into the Defert, where we 

 (pent fixty and five days in the croiTing of it, to avoid meeting with thofe For- 

 ces. 



As for the Princes of Arabia, they have no great Journey to make, becauie they arc 

 the next neighbours to Mahomet's Sepulchre. 



The Mahometans of Europe come to Aleppo, and there joyn the Caravan ; and thofe 

 canal of water of Africa pafc to Grand Cairo, and meet in the Defarts, with the fame Caravan of 

 of the length of 

 18 days jour- 

 ney. _ 



A Miraculous 



Aleppo at eighteen days journey from Medina, where there is a water, which goes by a 

 Canal, quite to that City, all the way of thofe eighteen days journey. They have it 

 by Tradition, That that water was found by their Prophet Mahomet, as he crofsM the 

 Defert with his Army, ready to dy for third, and that going to drink of it rirft of 

 any, there iifued a Voice to him out of the Water, which faid to him, Prophet, tbote 

 wilt find it bitter : That he made the Voice this Anfwcr, Let us all drin\of it, for I 

 know it isfweet, and I would to Cod, that we could always find as good. That there- 

 upon the Voice replying the fecond time, faid to him, Prophet, Command, and I will 

 follow thee : And that as foon as he had fpoken, the Water made a Canal under 

 ground, and follow'd him quite to Medina. 



From Vamas, Hierufalem, and Cairo, they account forty days Journey to Medina, 

 and it is at the two and twentieth day's journey that they rind that water. Tis part- 

 ly to fee that miraculous Water, which had been fweetned by the Prophet, that there 

 goes into thofe places fo great a concourfe of People, of fo many different Nations, 

 from all parts ot the World: inasmuch as there is no Mahometan, let him be at 

 ever 10 great a diftance, and but tolerably in a condition of health, and fupply'd with 

 the external accommodations of fortune, who does not think himfelf oblig'd to go 

 once in his life to Mecha, in perfon, or to fend fome other in his ftead. 



After the Pilgrims have continu'd certain daies at Medina, they go to Gebel-Araffa, 

 that is to fay, the place, where Adam found Eve, his Wife, five hundred years, after 

 Cod had created her. It is a City in the Mountains, at the diftance of Two Dayes 

 Journey from Medina, and at one from Emena, another City, which is half way be- 

 tween 



