I ç4 Travels into ?/:?]^ L e v a n t. Part I. 
v^ho wafti in it, though they move neither Hand nor Foot, as many have 
found by Experience : £ut I do not at all believe what forae fay, that it bears 
up only Live things, and lets things Inanimate fink to the Bottom ; nay, that 
if alighted Candie be plunged into it, it will float above, But if put out, it 
will fink to the bottom. There is no fort of Fi(h in this Sea, by reafon of 
• the -extraordinary faltnefs of it: which burns like Fire, when one taftes of it ; 
and when the Filh of the Water Jordan come down fo low, they return back 
again againft the Stream, and fuch as are carried into it by the Current of 
The extent the Water, immediately Die, This Sea is an hundred miles in length, and 
of the Dead- tvyenty five over: The Land within three Leagues round it is not Cultivated 
but is white and mingled with Salt and Afhes: They fay that there are Apple- 
Trees upon the fides of this Sea, which bear very lovely Fruit, but within are 
all full of Alhes. In fhort, wemufl; think that there is a heavy Curfe of God 
upon that piece, feeing it was heretofore fo pleafant a Countrey. There are 
many Camels load of Bitumen daily got out of this Lake. 
Return from Having no liberty then to go fee that Sea, we parted from the River of Jordan 
Jordan. about feven a clock in the Morning and returned back the fame way as we camej 
about nine a clock the Mufellem, who (as I faid) commanded the Convoy, 
halted in the middle of the Plain of Jeacho, and went into a Tent, (which was 
purpofely pitched for him, then he caufed all the Latin Monks to pafs by before 
him, who were numbered ; Then we (who werel^fecular Pilgrims J palTed by 
The Mulel- gj^-^^ gj^^j jj^g Mufe Hem oïdeïQÔ. US to be fet down eight, though we were but 
the Pilgrims! ^^^■> though the Trucheman faid that there was but fix of us, and olTered 
" to make us pafs by him again, yet nothing would be abated, which was an 
An avanie for Avanie of twenty Piafttes for the Monks, for every Secular Frank payes 
Franl ^'^"^'^^^ ten Piaftres, but they pay it in the City becaufe the Convent anfwers for them. 
after w^e had been thus muftered, we went and Encamped in the fame place 
where we did the day before ; and havingtaken fome refrelhment, we went to 
T'le Mount i-j^e Mount of the Quarantine, ar forty days Fait, not far from thence, while 
Fafthi^ muftered the reft of the Chrifiians, who payed down in ready 
^' Money four Bokcls and twenty A-^aidimaHQsà-, though the years before they 
payed no more but three Bokds. 
We parted from the Camp about ten a Clock in the Morning, then went 
to the Mount of Failing, a League diflant from the Town of Jertcho; it is fo 
called becaufe our Lord (when he came cut of Jordan) fpent forty days and 
forty Nights there without Eating or Drinking : It is not fo hard to go up, 
as fome have been pleafed to fay, unlefs it be in fome places, which are very 
dangerous, for one muft climb with Hands and Feet to the Rock, that is fmooth 
like Marble, and when we went up it Rained, which rendered it more flippery. 
The Grott but'we alTifled one another. We came to the place where our Lord failed 
T^^^^^?'r 1 foiTydaysi w^hich is a Grott, wherein there is an Altar, on which one of our 
Lord ^'"teci. j^^^^j^^ ^^jj j^^g^^. the Greeks heretofore held this Place, and there are ftilî 
fome Greek Pidures there. Somç.of our company went up to the top of all 
The place of fj^e Hill, to the place whether the Devil carryed our Lord, and , Tempting 
whtre°ou?'^ him, Ihewed him all the Kingdoms of the Earth, faying, Allthefe will 1 gtve 
Lord was ^^^^^t if thon unit fall down and IVorJhip me. But I was fo fpent and weary, that 
tempted by I would not go up. There are dangerous places in it, where the way is not 
the Devil, two foot broad, and there is a great Precipice on the fide of it. There are 
fome ruins ftill of an ancient Monaftery that was heretofore on the very top of 
tfie Mount. After we had feen that Mountain, we came down again, and upon 
our return, faw the Well of, the Prophet Elifl7a, the Water whereof was 
ImJs wdK forn^erly bitter, but that Prophet fweetened it by carting Salt into the Fountain; 
'fothat at prefent the Water is excellently good. It is a quarter of an hours 
going from the foot of the Hill towards the Camp, where we arrived at two 
of the Clock in the afternoon. When we were come, fome Greeks (to the 
number of ninety feven ) after they had been muftered before the Mufellem and 
payed their four Bokls and twenty Maidtns a piece, would needs go fee the 
. . ^ Mountain alfo ; but feeing they have not the permifTion as the Franks have, to 
nicnce offce- 'è^ thither, upon their return the Mufellem ordered them to be bôund with 
ing theHolv Cords, and demanded of them three Bokfls and a half a piece, but the Procu- 
piaces. ' rater of the Religious Franks compounded the bufinefs for fomewhat lefs. 
We 
