'Part I. Travels into L e v a n t. 201, 
to avoid the Tyranny of Herod, when he put to death the innocent Babes. We 
carried Candles with us thither, for you can fee nothing, unlefs you have a 
light with you. This is a round Grott cut in the Rock, and in it there is an 
Altar, where the Latin Monks foraetimes fay Mafs. They fay, that the Virgin 
having in this place fhed fome of her Milk, the Stone became white, (as it a stone be- 
is at prefent) and that by Gods permiifion it obtained this Vertue, That it makes come white 
Womens Milk^ return to them ; nay the Turks and Arabs give the powder of it in '^y thevirgins 
water to their Females which have loft their Milk, and that makes it return 
again. About fixty paces from thence, is the Houle where St. Jofefh was, when 
the Angel appeared to him, bidding him flee into e^^jpf, with the Virgin and 
the Child JefHs. 
CHAP. XLVni. • ' 
Of the Mount ains of Judea, and of the Convent of ^ 
Holy-Crofs, . 
THurfday the twenty fifth of Jpril, we parted from Bethlehem about feven 
a Clock in the Morning, and went to the Mountains of Jndea, pafTing Mountains of 
by the Town oï Sennacherib, fo called, becaufe the Army of Sennacherib was cue 
to pieces there in the Night-time by an Angel. Then after we had afcended T'^^T^*.?*^^ 
a little, we palTed clofe by Eotirella, which we left on our left hand, and came 
to the Fountain where Sc. Thili^ Baptized the Eunuch of Candaie Queen of 
ty£thiopia ; the Brook which runs from that Fountain is called in hol^cripture 
the Brook oiEfiicoll^ Numb. 13. That is to fay, the Brook of Grapes, becaufe Brook of 
it runs near to the Vineyard of Scree, Leaving that Fountain to the left hand, coll. 
we went near to the faid Vineyard of Sorec, that is to fay, Chofen Vineyard, Vineyard of 
where the Spies whom Mo{es lent to view the Land of Promifè, took a great 
clufter of Grapes j then we pafsM by the Village of Battir, and from thence 
by very bad way came to the Defarc of St. John Baptifi, where after a pretty ^^^^ Defart 
long Afcent, we found a very old ruinous Building, which heretofore was a Baptîftf 
Monaftery: under thefe ruines there is a Cave, where that Saint lived, and there 
you fee the Bed whereon he lay, which is the hard Rock cut in lhape of a Bed. The Bed of 
This Grott is on the fide of a Hill, at the foot of which, there is a very ftony Sf- John Bap- 
Valley or Precipice, then another Mountain, which intercepts the View, fo 
that it is encompafîèd round with Hills. There is a Spring of excellent water 
by the fide of this Cave, and near to it we Dined. Being gone from thence, we 
came to the Houfe of St. Elizabeth where are the mines of a fair Church chat 
was built by S. Helen ; that is the place where the Virgin vifited St. Eliz^aheth, "^^^^ Houfe 
and made t\iQ Magnificat, which we Sung there ; Then going down about five ^f^^^'^"^'''^''" 
hundred paces, we found on the right hand the Well of St. John, v»/here ' 
St. Eltz^abeth waflied his Clouts when he was an Infant Keeping on our way, 
we came to a Village, wherein is the Houfe of St. Zachanas, the Father of S t. -j-j^g ^^^c^ 
John Bsçtïit-, which was converted into a Church, wherein on the left hand of ZiZfi)m°" '^^ 
the Altar that is at the end of it, as you enter, is the Room where St. John 
was Born, and where his Father at the Birth of that Son (who was blefled from 
the Womb) recovered his Speech, and made the -BenediElHs, which w^e fung 
there ^ on the other fide of the Altar, Tto wit, on the fide of the Epiftle) 
there is a little hole, where fit is faid) St. Eliz.abeth kept St. John long hid, to 
avoid the fury of Herod. The ^rabs lodge their Cattel many times in this 
Church. When we came out from thence, we palTed through the Village of The village 
St. John, Inhabited by Jrabs: A\] the ways in the Hilly Country of Jadea., are st. .vote, 
very , bad. We came next to a Convent of Greeks, called Holy-Crofs., buik 
with very fcrong Walls : we went into the Church, which is fair, very light, ^ ^ ^ 
and full of the pidures of Saints, after the Mofaical way, and paved alfo in that 
Dd 2 manner 
