852, 
aundRelL’j Travels 
Book III. 
Vvhich is faid to have beert the genuine Work of Solo- 
mon, but is now deftroy’d by Turks. Returning from 
this Place, we went to fee the Greek and Armenian Con- 
vents, contiguous to that of the Latins, each of which 
has a feveral Door opening into the Chapel of the holy 
Manger j and then we went to the Grot of the blelTed 
Virgin, within forty Yards of the Convent, where Ihe is 
faid to have hid herfdf, and her divine Babe, from the 
Fury of Herod, fometime before their Departure into E- 
gypt. This Grot is hollowed into a chalky Rock, whofe 
Whitenefs they fay proceeds from fome Drops of the Vir- 
gin^s Milk, that fell from her Breaft while fhe was fuck- 
ing the holy Infant j upon which Account, they believe 
that this Chalk has a miraculous Virtue of encreafing 
Women’s Milk, and for that End it is often taken by 
Women Turks, Arabs and Chrijlians, and they fay with 
very good Eifed:. 
19. On the 2d, having prefented the Guardian with 
two Chequeens for his Civilities to us, we went from 
Bethlehem to go vific the Wildernefs, and Convent of St. 
John Eaptift, and in this Stage we firft crofs’d that fa- 
mous Valley in whicn the Angel is faid in one Night to 
have deftroy’d many thoufands in the Army of Senache- 
rib and then we came to Boatjhellah, in which they 
fay no Turk can live above two Years, by which Report 
the Chrifians have it to themfelves. A little further we 
came to a Fountain, where they told us, but falfly, that 
Philip baptiz’d the Ethiopian Eunuch ; and then to the 
Village of Sti at which afcending a fteep Hill, 
we came to the Wildernefs ol St. John, which is very 
rocky, but is well cultivated, and produces great Plenty 
of Corn, Vines and Olive-trees. And here we faw the 
Cave and Fountain v/here the Baptill faid to have 
led an auftere Eife, Mat. iii. 4. Near this Cell are fome 
Locuft- trees, which the Friars fay yielded him Suftenance, 
though they appear to be planted much later than his 
Time< After this, as we went to the Coni'ent of St. 
John, we pafs’d along one Side of the Valley of Elah, 
where David flew the Giant, i Sam. xvii. and had a 
View of Modon, on the Top of a Hill, the Burying- place 
of the Maccabees. 
When we came near the Convent, we vifited a Place 
which they call the Houfe of Elizabeth, Mother of the 
Baptiji-, and in the Ruins of the Convent that was for- 
merly here, is a Grotto in which they fay the blelfed 
Virgin faluted Elizabeth, and pronounced her divine 
'Magyiificat, Luke i. 46. The Convent of Ssi.Jbhn has 
been rebuilt from the Ground within thele four Years, 
and is now a large fquare Building, and neat all over ; 
and has in it a very beautiful Church, at the North-end 
of which you go down feven Marble Steps to a ftately 
Altar, ereded over the Place where they fay the Baptiji 
was born. As we returti’d from St. John’s, to Jerufalem, 
we faw a Convent of the Greeks, taking its Name from 
the Holy Crofs, becaufe they fay here is the Earth that 
nourifli’d the Root that bore the Tree that yielded the 
Timber that made the Crofs ; and under the high Al- 
tar you are fliown the Hole in the Ground where the 
Stump of the Tree ftood. After this we return’d to 
Jerufalem,, and had our Feet wafhed by the Guardian, 
and kils’d by every Friar, who did all fing Lattn 
Hymns at the Time. 
On the 2d, we went to fee the Office of the 
20. 
Holy Fire, a Ceremony kept up by the Greeks and Ar- 
menians, who believe that every Eafier-Eve a miraculous 
Flame defcends from Heaven into the Holy Sepulchre, 
and kindles all the Lamps and Candles there. When 
we came to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre^ we 
found it crouded with a numerous Mob, who began 
their Diforders by running round the Holy Sepulchre 
with all their Might, crying out Huia., i. e. This is he, 
or this is it ; by which they exprefs the Truth of the 
Chriftian Religion. After this they began to ad many 
antick Tricks, like Mad-men 5 fometimes they dragg’d 
one another round the Sepulchre, fometimes they fet 
one Man upon another’s Shoulders, and fo march’d 
round ; and fometimes they tumbled round the Sepul- 
chre like Tumblers on a Stage, and ading the rudefl 
Things on this Occafion. 
This frantick Humour continued from twelve to four : 
and then the Greeks lirft fet out in a Proceffion round 
the Sepulchre, who were immediately follow’d by the 
Armenians^ in which Order they thrice compafs’d the 
Sepulchre,, producing their Standards, Crucifixes, and 
embroider’d Habits, upon this Occafion. Towards the 
End of this Proceffion, a Pidgeon came fluttering into 
the Cupola over the Sepulchre, at which there was a 
great Shout 5 and the Latins told us, this was let fly by 
ihtGreeks, to deceive the People into an Opinion that it 
was a vifible Defcent of the Holy Ghoft. The Procef- 
fion being over, the Suffragan of the Greek Patriarch, 
and the principal Armenian Bifhop, approach’d the 
Door of the Sepulchre, and cutting the String with 
which it was faften^d, and feal’d entred in, ffiuttincr the 
Door after him, ail the Candles and Lamps within ha- 
ving been before extinguiffi’d in the Prefence of the 
Turks. And then the Exclarriations were double as the 
Miracle drew nearer, and the People prefsM with fuch 
Vehemence to the Door, that the Turks could not keep 
them off with the fevcrefl: Drubs, which they did out of 
a great Defire to light their Candles at the holy Flame, 
as foon as it is brought out of the Sepulchre, for that 
is counted moft facred and pure, as coming immediately 
from Heaven. 
The two Miracle- mongers had not been above a Mi- 
nute in the Sepulchre, when the Glimmering of the holy 
Fire was feen through fome Chinks of the Door, which 
made the Mob as mad as any in Bedlam. Then pre- 
fently came out the twm Priefts with blazing Torches in 
their Hands, which they held up at the Door of the Se- 
pulchre, while the People thronged with mighty Zeal 
to obtain a Part of the firfl; and pureft Flame, and could 
not be kept off by the hard Blows of the Turks Clubs, 
who laid on without Mercy. Thofe who got the Fire 
applied it to their Beards and Faces, pretending it would 
not burn like an earthly Flame ; but I faw none that 
endured the Tryal long enough to make good the Pre- 
tenfion. However, fo many Tapers were prefently 
lighted, that the whole Church feem’d to be in a Flame ; 
and with this Illumination the Ceremony ended. Thofe 
within the Church adted their Part with great Quick- 
nefs and Dexterity, but the Behaviour of the Rabble 
without, which would better become a Bacchanale than 
a Chrijiian Feftival, very much difcredited the Miracle. 
The Latins take a great deal of Pains to expofe this 
Ceremony as a lhameful Impofture, and a Scandal to the 
Chriftian Religion f but the Greeks and Armenians pin 
their Faith upon it, and make their Pilgrimages chiefly 
upon this Motive 5 and it is the Unhappinefs of their 
Priefts, that having adled the Cheat fo long, they are 
forced now to ftand to it for Fear of endangering the 
Apoaftcy of their People. After the Rout .was over, 
when we went out of Church, we faw feveral People 
about the Stone of Undlion, who, having Store of Can- 
dles lighted with the holy Fire, were daubing Pieces of 
Linen with the Weiks of them, and the melting Wax, 
which were defigned for Winding- ftieets •, for they be- 
lieve, that if they are buried in a Shroud fmutted with 
this Fire, it will fecure them from Hell-fire. 
The 4th being our Eafier, we did not go abroad, the 
Time requiring Employment of another Nature. 
21. On the 5th we went to fee fome new Curioflties ; 
and firfl; we came to that which is called St. Peter’s Pri- 
fon, from which he was deliver’d by an Angel, Abls xii. 
Next we came to an old Church, in the Place where 
the Houfe of Zebedee ftood ; then to the Place where 
ftood the Irongate which open’d to St. Peter of its own 
Accord and a little farther is a fmall Church built over 
the Houfe of St. Mark, whither Peter went after his 
miraculous Goal-delivery. The Syrians, who keep it, 
pretend to (how you the Window at which Rhoda look’d 
out when Peter knock’d at the Door. In the Church 
they fhew a Syriack MS. of the New-Teji ament, pre- 
tended to be eight hundred and fifty-two Years old, and 
a little Scone- Font ufed by the Apoftles in baptizing. 
Beyond this, in the fame Street, is that which is call’d 
the Houfe of Sc. Thomas, formerly a Church now a 
Mofque. 
^ A little 
