Part I. Travels into the Lev ant. i 
After that, we found on our right hand the Field of Stone- peafe, where the 
People of the Country fay, that the holy Virgin going from Bethlehem to Jeru- 
falem, found a Man fowing Peafe, and asking him what it was he fowed, he 
made anfwer , Stones j whereupon (by Divine permiffion) the Peafe were 
changed into Stones, retaining only the figure of Peafe, and there are of 
them to be found at prefent. Then wide of the way to the right hand, we 
faw the Houfe of the Patriarch Jacobj next, the Sepulchre of the Beautiful The Houfe 
Kachel, made in the Vault of the Rock, which is faid to be fo hard, that Iron ?^ 7^-o^- 
cannot hurt it ^ it is under a little Dome open on all iides, and fupporçed by ^'J^ 
four fquare Pillars. This Sepulchre is enclofed within a little Wall three Foot ckd. ^" 
high, having only-a little entry to which one afcends by four fteps. It is a!l 
ftill fo entire, that it would feem to have been newly made. Heretofore it was ; 
a Church, which the Turks have now changed into a Mofqoe. As we went on 
our way, we found about twenty paces wide of the Road to the left hand, 
David's Ciilern, made with three Mouths, whereof mention is made in the p^j/d's Ci- 
23 Chapter of the fécond Book of Samuel ^ a little after, about two in the Af- ftcrn. 
ternoon, we arrived at Bethlehem. 
C H A R- XLV. 
V ' ' ' 
Of Bethlehem. 
BEthlehem was anciently a Town of the Tribe of Juda^ whither. Jofcfh Bethléem. 
came with the Virgin Mary^ to be Enrolled, as being of the Tribe of 
Juda^ according to the Edid of Jugiiftus Cafar^ the Roman Emperour, who 
commanded that all fhould give in their Names and Qualities in their Towns, 
that he might know how many Souls were under his Government. At prefent 
it is a pretty big Village, where the Inhabitants get a Livelihood by making 
Chaplets, CrofTes, &c. There is a fair Convent in it, where Latin Monks ^ convent 
live, confining of a large Court, through which yon g,o into a fécond, where- of Monks, 
in there are three Cifterns, and on the Right Hand of them, a place Vaulted 
over, the Arch whereof is fupported by fix Pillars of Garnet : It was in this 
place that St. Jerome Read and Taught the Holy Scriptures^ but the Turks at the place of 
prefent have made a Stable of it. From this fécond Court, you go through a St. -^ewme. 
little Door, only three Foot high, and two Foot wide, into a third little 
Court, which ferves for a Porch to the Church ^ this was a very large Door j 
but it is walled up, to hinder the Arabs from entring into the Church with 
their Horfes , the Door alfo which is of Wood, is very thick, and fliuts with 
a ftrong Bar behind it, to hold out the Arabs after that, you enter by ano- 
ther Door fnto theChurch,which is very fpacious, and we fhall fpeak of it here- 
after. Turning to the Left Hand, you go into a Cloyfter, by a little very 
thick Door, and covered all over with Iron on t\ft fide of the Cloyfter, with 
a great Bolt and ftrong Bar, for refifting the Arabs : In this Cloyfter being the 
Lodgings of the Latin Monks, whofe Church is Dedicated to the Honour of st. Catharines 
St. Catharine ; having there faid our Prayers, and heard Tc Deum fung, the Church in 
R. F. Guardian, gave each of us a white Wax-Taper, like to that which had ^ethUhm. 
been given us in the Church of St. Saviour., the day we came to Jentfalem^ and 
we went in ProcelTion to vifit the holy places that are in the Convent. We 
defcended eighteen fteps, and came to the place where the Birth of our Savi- 
our is reprefented j for fince the Greeks (as we fhall hereafter relate) had 
taken the holy places from our Monks; they have built. a Chappel over againft ^j^^ ^laceof 
the real place where our Lord was Born, and another over againft the Manger, theVeprefen^ 
being only feparated by a Wall that is betwixt them; and the Popes havetationof the 
granted to thefe two Chappels the fame Indulgences, as to the true ones, ^^"'th of our 
Next, we went to the Altar of St. Jofefh, then to the Sepulchre of the inno- 
cemsy 
