554 VOYAGES and TRAVELS Book I. 
old Min ifter, a Bifciple of the wife Men is there maintain- from whom the prefent Pofleffor's of Egypt have not been 
ed who from his Office is filled Sehech Albounetzar , or able to recover them. This Watch-Tower is frill ufed as 
The Father of the IVatch. The Ruins of Old Mifraim 
take up a Space of about three Miles. 
13. The Land of Gojhen is no more than eight Leagues 
from hence, and therein Hands Bolfir S alb Is, a great City, 
in which there are three thoufand Jews. From hence you 
travel half a Day’s Journey to IJkaal Lein Al Sames, 
%vhich was anciently called Ramefes, where now are only 
the Ruins of a City, in which many Works are feen built 
by our Fathers, and among thefe certain huge Edifices 
like Towers made of Brick. From thence you make one 
whole Day’s Journey to Al-Buyg , where are two hundred 
Jews •, and from hence in half a Day’s Journey you come 
to Manziptha , where are two hundred Jews, from 
which Q\Vj Ramir a is four Leagues diftant, and in it there 
are feven hundred Jews , from whence it is five Days 
Journey to Lamhhala , where are five hundred Israelites. 
Two Days Journey more bring you to Alexandria, 
a City called after the Name of Alexander the Macedonian , 
at whofe Command we read it was built and ftrongly for- 
tified, and adorned with Walls admirably finifhed, Houfes 
uniformly built, and ftately Palaces: Without the City a 
great and beautiful Building is yet to be feen, which is re- 
ported to have been the College of Arifiotle, the Maker 
of Alexander, wherein there are almoft twenty Schools, 
which were frequented in former Times by the learned Men 
of the whole World, who aflembled there to learn the 
Philofophy of Arifiotle ; and his Academy had ftately 
Portico’s of Marble Pillars e . The City itfelf is excellent- 
ly built, as well from the Pavement of the Ground, as 
with Vaults and Arches under Ground, through the hid- 
den Paflages whereof Men may come into the Market- 
places and not be feen j of which fome are a whole Mile 
in length, as from the Gate Refid unto the Gate leading 
to the Sea, from which Gate a Way was made and paved 
unto the very Haven of the City of Alexandria, which is 
extended one Mile within the Sea. 
In this Place a very high Tower was built, which the 
Inhabitants call Hemegarah, but the Arabians Magar Alex- 
andria, that is, the Pharos of Alexandria ; on the Top of 
which Tower it is reported that Alexander fet a curious 
Mirror, in which all warlike Ships failing either out of 
Gracia or from the Weft unto Egypt , might be feen 
above the Space of five hundred Leagues off f . This con- 
tinued for a long Time after the Death of Alexander. It 
fell out however that a Ship coming hither under the Com- 
mand of a certain Greek Captain, who had a great 
Knowledge in the Sciences, came and call Anchor in that 
Port, and having made Prefents to the King of Gold, 
Silver, and very rick Silks, he thereby obtained his Fa- 
vour. While he lay in the Port, he took Abundance of 
Pains to ingratiate himfelf with the Officer, who had the 
Charge of this Watch-Tower and Mirror, and having fre- 
quently entertained him on Board his Ship, contra£led 
with him at laft filch an Intimacy, that he was permitted 
to go into and ftay in the Tower as long as he thought 
fit. One Day having feafted the Captain and his Men 
very magnificently, he dofed them at laft fo plentifully with 
ftrong Wine, that they all fell fail afleep. Having thus 
carried his Point, the Captain and his Crew firft broke the 
Mirror to Pieces, and then weighed Anchor and failed 
away in the Night. 
Since that Time the Edomites, i.e. the Chriftians, have 
infefted the Coafts of Egypt with their Ships of War and 
Privateers, and have deprived the Sovereigns of this 
Country of the two great Iflands of Crete and Cyprus , 
which remain at this Day under the Power of the Greeks, 
a Beacon for the Service of'fuch Ships as are bound to 
Alexandria % for they are able to difeern it at the Diftance 
of one hundred Miles by Day or Night, in Confequence 
of a vaft Fire which is kept continually burning therein 
for that Purpofe. 
This Country enjoys a large Share of Trade, and is 
frequented by almoft all Nations for the fake of Commerce. 
The Port of Alexandria fwarms with Veffels from all 
Parts of Idumea, i. e. Chrifiendom, viz. from Valencia , 
Tufcany, Lombardy, Apulia, Malfi and Sicily, others 
come from the moil Northern, and fome Inland Parts of 
Europe , as from Cracow, Cordova, Spain , Rufiia , Ger- 
many, Sweden, Denmark, England , Flanders, Artois, Nor- 
mandy, France , Poitou, Anglers, Gafcony, Arragon and 
Navarre . There come alfo from the Weftern Empire of 
the IJhmaelites, viz. from Andaluzia, Algarve, Africa , 
and even Arabia, befides what come by the Indian O- 
cean from Havila and Abyffinia , and the reft of Ethiopia v 
not omitting the Greeks and Turks. Thither are brought 
the richeft Merchandizes of the Indies, and all forts of 
Perfumes and Spices which are bought by Chriftian Mer- 
chants. 
The City is extremely populous on account of its ex- 
ten five Trade ; and for the greater Conveniency in the car- 
rying on their Dealings, every Nation has its Faflory by 
itfelf. There is near the Sea-fide a Marble Tomb, on 
which are engraved the Figures of all forts of Birds and 
of Beafts, with an Infcription in Characters fo old, that 
none now are able to read them ; whence it is believed, 
with fome Colour of Truth, that it belongs to an old 
King who governed that Country before the Deluge. The 
Length of this Sepulchre is fifteen, and the Breadth of it 
fix Spans. To conclude, there is in Alexandria about 
three thoufand Jews. 
14. It is not neceffary to give at large the Remainder 
of our Jew's Travels, and therefore I ffiall acquaint the 
Reader in few Words, That having made a Tour from 
Damietta in Egypt to Mount Sinai , he returned back to 
the firft mentioned Place, and thence failed to Meffina in 
the Hand of Sicily , from whence he went by Land to 
Palermo, and crofting the Sea to Italy , continued his 
Journey to Rome and Lucca. 
He afterwards crofifed the Alps, and paffed through a 
great Part of Germany, from whence he takes occafion to 
mention what Multitudes of Jews were fettled in the feveral 
great Cities of that extenfive Empire. He infills at large 
on their Wealth, their Generality, and above all, their 
Hofpitality to their diftreffed Brethren, and gives us a very 
particular Detail of the Manner in which they receive therm 
He affures us, that at their Feafts they encourage each 
other to perfift in hoping for the blefled Advent of their 
Meffiah, when the Tribes of Tfrael ffiall be gathered toge- 
ther, and under his Conduft be led back into their own 
Land. Until this long expeCled Time ffiall come, the 
Ifraelites , he fays, hold it their Duty to perfevere in their 
Obedience to the Law of Mofes , to lament with Tears the 
DeftruClion of Jerufalem and Sion, to befeech the Almighty 
to pity them in their Affliction, and to reftore them in his 
appointed Time 
He afferts, that his Countrymen are not only fettled in 
all the Provinces of the Empire, but alfo through all the 
Northern Countries to the very Extremity of Rujfia, which . 
he deferibes as a Country fo exceffively cold in Winter, that :| 
the Inhabitants are not able to ftir out of Doors. He tells ; 
us next, that the Kingdom of France, which, he fays, is ; 
called by their Rabbins the Land of Tzorphat , is likewife : 
• Our Author had this Notion of the School of Mfuh from the MAamtim, fo that whether it be wrong or right, he is not anfwmble for it. 
But with «g“d to the Fad it is certain, that it was not AUxanier but Ptdem, that eroded this famous School, m witch however tt is as certam that the 
Philofoohv of Ariftotle was taught, and in which the moft famous of his Commentators flounlhed. . ,, , .. , „ . 
f TS t SfecH hat this Faft is abfolutely falfe, fince as the Reader has been before informed the Pharos of Alexandria was bud by P olemj 
Phi lade li>hus and not by Alexander the Great. As to this Mirror, it is mentioned by fome other Writers as well as our ■Benjamin but it is appa- 
K® and a Fable ridiculous in all its Circumftances. Itis however of Ufe fometimes to know fuch Fables and therefore I have preferved it 
sRh very ckar from hence as well as from a Multitude of other Circumftances, that our Author chiefly intended m this Work to celebrate his own 
Nation to preferve an Account of the different Places in which they were fettled, and to do all m his Power to keep up their Spirits under th “ r ^ap- 
SSSfi Mind of the coming of the Meffiah. I muft confefs, I confider this in a different Light from moft of the Cn Ucks for I do 
not conceive that a Man’s loving his Countrymen ought to prejudice him in the Opinion of his Readers, and though it may pofii y g 
Subts^P thaFidel^of his Relates $tfc regard to the yet I do not fee how this can with Juft.ce be extended to the other Parts of his 
$®oE full 
4 
