Chap. II. of the East I n D I M S, 547 
Reafon believed to have come by fome fuch Miftake into 
this, the rather, becaufe on comparing feveral Editions, 
fome of thefe Errors have been detected and amended, 
which affords us room to hope that fome time or other fo 
judicious a Critick may arife, as will be able to corred 
them all, and give us this Author in his genuine Purity. 
2. But, notwithftanding the great Reputation of our 
Author, fome very confiderable Writers, and thofe too ex- 
tremely well verfed in Hebrew Learning, have attacked this 
Work of his with much Vivacity. M. W agenfeil for inftance, 
who wrote a very learned Defence of the Chriftian Reli- 
gion againft the Cavils and Afperfions of the Jews, is 
pleafed to fay of this Writer, that whenever he meets with 
any thing that makes for the Honour of his Nation, he is 
not only careful to report it in its full Extent, but even ven- 
tures fometimes to exceed the Truth a . 
The famous Hettinger deals as freely, or rather more fo, 
with Benjamin ; his Voyage, fays he, is puffed up with 
JewiJh Pride, and the foie Aim of it is to deceive and mif- 
lead the Ignorant into an Opinion, that obfcure and un- 
known Places are full of the Glory of the Jews. He adds 
farther, that there are many Fables and Contradictions in 
the Book, and ftill more Stories that are reported upon very 
ilender Grounds: Yet after all, he concludes, that our 
Author has many things in him that are not to be found 
elfewhere b . 
The very learned Spanheim gives the true Character of 
the Work in a few Words : It is, fays he, pretty highly 
feafoned with Fables •, but there are many good Things in 
it for all that c . This is precifely the Cafe, the Jews and 
fuch as are fond Admirers of Rabinick Learning have 
cried it up much beyond its real Merit ; and others again 
have, for a particular Reafon, run it dov/n beyond all Mea- 
Eire nay, they have queftioned whether our Author ever 
travelled at all, and would perfuade us that he made this 
Book without ftirring out of Spain *, but they would have 
done well to have fhewn us how he came by the Materials, 
which I think a much harder Talk than to anfwer all their 
Objedions. 
His Countrymen, it feems, frequently quote this Book of 
Benjamin's, to fhew, that the Jews are not yet totally de- 
prived of Power, but that there is ftill a kind of Sovereignty 
exercifed by fome of their Nation over their Brethren in 
certain Countries of the Eaft, which being fuppofed to con- 
tradid th e famous Prophecy relating to the coming of Chrift, 
thefe Criticks will have to be a Fable. But if Benjamin had 
never wrote, the Jews would be able to prove the Truth 
of this in ftronger Terms d than it is afferted by him, and 
yet without overthrowing the Application of that Prophecy 
t° Jefus Cbrijt and therefore this is no Reafon to me for de- 
preciating the Work at all. He has certainly exaggerated 
fome Things, and miftaken many more. What then, we 
find in him many things curious and entertaining, which we 
can find no where elfe ? 
3. Our Author in his firft Chapter gives us an Account 
of his Travels by Land from SarragoJJa to Marfeilles. In 
his ftcond Chapter, he tells us that he embarked for Genoa , 
and proceeded from thence to Rome, of which he gives 
11s a Defcription. He went from that City through the 
Kingdom of Naples to Otranto , and failed from thence to 
the Ifland of Corfu, and then paffed by Land through 
Greece to Cbnftantinople, and in his Railage traverfed the 
Country of Walachia e . This takes up his fourth Chap- 
ter, but as there is nothing very extraordinary in this Part 
of his Work, and as we have no Room to (pare, I thought 
it better to omit thefe Chapters than to abridge them* be- 
caufe I muft have given the Senfe of the Author in my 
own Words, which would not have put it in the Reader’s 
Power to form any Judgment of the Writer’s Stile or 
Manner of Writing. In his fifth Chapter he gives a long 
Account of the City of Conjlantinopfe , of the Court of 
the Greek Emperor, and of the State that Things were in. 
at the Time of his being there, with many other curious 
Particulars, and therefore I have given this Chapter at 
large, accompanied with fuch explanatory Notes as were 
requifite, that I might afford the Reader a proper Speci- 
men of this Performance, without treipaifing too much 
on his Time or my own. 
4. 44 From thence we travelled three Days journey to 
44 Abiro, feated upon the Sea-Shore, and travelling five 
44 Days Journey more amongyhe Mountains, one comes to 
44 Conjlantinople, an exceeding great City, and the Head 
44 ot the Kingdom of Javanites f , or thofe called Greeks . 
44 This is the principal Seat of the Emperor Emanuel s, 
44 whofe Command twelve Kings obey ; for every one 
44 whereof there are feveral Palaces at Conjlantinople , and 
44 they have alfo Fortreffes and Governments, and unto 
44 thefe the whole Land is lubjeft. The Principal and 
44 Chiefeft is called Apripus , the fecond Mega Dumajiukitz , 
44 the third Domino t, the fourth Mack duett's, the fifth Ik- 
44 nomus Megli , and the reft have Names like unto thefe h . 
44 The Compafs of the City of Conjlantinople containeth 
44 eighteen Miles, one half of it ftandeth upon the Sea, 
44 but the other half on the Continent, and it is feated up- 
44 on two Arms of the Sea, into one of which the Sea 
44 flows out of RuJJia, but into the other from Spain, and 
44 it is frequented by many Traders from the Provinces 
44 and Countries of Babylon, Sendar, Media,, Perjia, and 
44 all the Kingdom of Egypt and Land of Canaan, and 
44 the Kingdoms of Rujfta, Hungary, and Pfianki, Buria , 
44 Lombardy, and Spain. 
44 The City itfelf is exceffively populous, unto which 
44 Merchants refort out of all Countries, travelling thither 
4 * both by Sea and Land. It hath none to compare with it 
44 in the World, except Bagdat , that mighty City of the 
44 Ifmaelites. Here is the moft famous Temple of St. So- 
44 phia, and the Patriarch of the Grecians dwelleth here, 
44 nor do they agree in Dotftrine with the Pope of Rome. 
44 There are in it alio as many Altars in Number as Days 
44 in the Year but it hath an exceeding great Treafure 
4C almoft beyond all Eftirnation, by the Offerings and 
44 Riches yearly brought from divers Countries, Blands, 
44 Caftles, Forts, and Places, fo that the Wealth of no 
4< Temple in the whole World can be compared with the 
44 Riches thereof ; and in the Midft of the Temple there 
44 are Pillars of Gold and Silver, huge Candlefticks, Lan- 
44 thorns. Lamps and other Ornaments of thefe precious 
44 Metals, more than any Man is able to reckon. Next ad- 
44 joining to the Walls of the Temple, there is a Place 
44 built for the Emperor’s Diverfion, called Hippo dr emus, 
44 where yearly upon the Birth-day of Jesus of Naza- 
44 reth , great Spectacles are publicity prefented, and 
z Not. ad Lipmanai Carmen Nizzachon in Tel. ign. Sat. pag. 374. This Writer is induced to cenfure our Author, for the Reafons I have after- 
wards affigned, that is, becaufe he thinks what Benjamin has advanced derogatory from the famous Prophecy in the 40th Chapter of Genefis 
. Eccl. Sett. XII p. 241. J 
c Iitrod. ad Hift Eccl Part II. Ssecul. XII. Se£t. XIV. p.370. 
d It appears evidently from the Kkoran, that there were Principalities of the Jews in Arabia at the Time that Mohammed fet up for a Prophet, 
which is certainly as ftrong as any thing advanced by our Author, and is, notwithilanding, a Fad that cannot be difputed. 
e The Manner and Stile of this V oyage is a proper Specimen of all the JewiJh Writers, who ufe exactly the fame Terms in their Narrations ; and 
by affecting to keep clofe to the Names of Nations and Cities mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, render their own Writings very perplexed and 
obfcure. j r- • A’ " h 1 / ‘ " ' -"*»*.*. J i h pj in ; fl 
* This Term is made Ufe of by the Jews to fignify the Greeks , becaufe they conceive them to be the Descendants of Javan ; it is their Manner of 
Writing, and we muft be contented with it. It is true we might have given all this a modern Drefs, but then it would have been no longer the Tra- 
vels of Benjamin of Tudela , which was what we promifed . 
§ This Emperor Emanuel is Manuel Comnenes, who afeended the Imperial Throne A. D. 1 143, and died in 1 x So. He was famous For his Trea- 
cly to the Chriftian Princes ingaged in the Holy War, but it is very certain that the Time of his Reign agrees exactly with the Time of our Author’s 
viiiting the City of Conjiantisiople. 
b There cannot well be any thing more confufed than this PafTage of our .Author is at firft fight, and yet it is not impoffibie to make tolerable 
good Senfe of it. Benjamin thought that as Manuel was an Emperor, his Minifters and Governors of Provinces ought to be confidered as equal in 
State and Dignity to Kings. There is no Doubt great Difficulty in tranferibing Greek Words by Hebrew Characters, efpeeially where a Perfon is not 
fully Malter of both Languages, which was certainly the Cafe of our Author, and perhaps the Errors of the Work have been heightened as well as 
multipaed by fuch as have copied it. Apripus in the Text very probably means Prapojitus, or Prime Minifter. Mega Domejiukitz, is plainly the 
Corruption of Msf«« Aopn*o«, or Great Chamberlain. Domiaot Hands for D minus. Makedukus is put for Asxck, or Great Duke, and the laft 
is intended for /AfA, or Lord High Steward, 
44 there 
