ç6 A Relation of the Chap. XX. 



phet's City. But the Inhabitants of the upper-parts of Perfiai towards the Cafpian 

 Sea, and all the Tartars, come to Tauris, and from Tauris to Aleppo y from which 

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

 and bring the Pilgrims to Mecha. Some take the way of Babylon, but very fèldom* 

 becaufe the BaJJ'a exadts a Tribute of them, and particularly of the Pafjans whom 

 they account Hereticks > and that conlideration has oblig'd the King of Pcrfu to for* 

 bid his Subjedts to take that Rode, thinking himfelf not inferiour to the Turk^ 



ywAhfomt Some of the Devouter fort of Perfwns, and fuch as are molt zealous for their own 

 Marts in the g e( c^ ta k e fa way f Babylon, upon this fcore, that it brings them at the fame time 

 ZZlch rT 1 S t0 the Sepulchre of their Prophet Halt, which is but eight days Journey diihnt from 

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

 ter but the molt 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 brin<* 

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

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

 Devotion for him, not only the inconveniences of coming fo far oif ; but alfo thofe of 

 being in a fair way to perilh by thirft, and hardlhip of lodging. 



The M time it was my fortune to pafs ; through the DcTarts, I came to that dete- 

 ctable 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, which had then newly taken Babylon, were' upon 

 their march back, ill little Detachments, and that there was no queltion to be made, 

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

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

 fpent iixty and five days in the croflTmg of it, to avoid meeting with thofe For» 

 ces. 



As for the Princes of Arabia, they have no great Journey to make, becautè they are 

 the next neighbours to Mahomet'' s Sepulchre. 



A Miraculous ^ ie ^humetans of Europe come to Aleppo, and there joyn the Caravan 1 i andthofé 

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

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

 18 days jour- 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 crofs'd the 

 Defert with his Army, ready to d y for thirft, and that going to drink of ittirftof 

 any, there ilfued a Voice to him out of the Water, which faid to him, Prophet, thotc 

 wilt find it bitter : That he made the Voice this Anfwer, Let us all drink^of it, for I 

 know it is ftveet, and I would to God, that we could always find as good. That there- 

 upon the Voice replying the fécond 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 Damas, 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 Co many different Nations, 

 from all parts of the World : in as much as there is no Mabumetan, let him be at 

 ever fo 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 

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

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

 tween 



