3/6 
CLARKES TRAVELS. 
manner we passed entirely through the town, which we found 
almost deserted -by the inhabitants, who, having fled the con¬ 
tagion, were seen stationed in tents over all the neighbouring 
hills. It appeared to be a larger place than we expected to 
find : the houses are all white, and have flat roofs, as at Jeru¬ 
salem, and in other parts of the country. A nephew of the 
governor of Jerusalem, mounted upon a beautiful Arabian cour¬ 
ser, magnificently accoutred, rode near the centre of our cars- 
vau. He had voluteered his company, as he said, to ensure 
us respect, and as a mark of the governor’s condescension. 
To our very great embarrassment, we had no sooner arrived in 
the middle of Bethlehem, than some of the inhabitants, at the 
sight of this man, came toward him to salute him; and in spite 
of all our precautions and remonstrances, a Bethlehemite of 
some consideration came and conversed with him, placing his 
arm dpon the velvet saddle cloth which covered his horse’s 
haunches. This, we knew, would be sufficient to communi¬ 
cate the plague to every one of us: therefore there was no 
alternative, hut to insist instantly upon the young grandee’s 
immediate dismissal. However, when our resolutions were 
made known to him, he positively refused to leave the 
party : upon this, we were compelled to have recourse to 
measures which proved effectual; and he rode off, at full 
speed, muttering the curses usually bestowed on Christians, 
for our insolence and cowardice. We readied the great gate 
of the convent of the nativity without further accident; but 
did not choose to venture in, both on account of the danger, 
and the certainty of beholding over again much of the same 
sort of mummery which had so frequently put our patience to 
the proof in Jerusalem. Passing close to its walls, we took 
our course down into the deep valley w hich lies upon its north¬ 
eastern side; visiting the place where tradition says the angel, 
with a multitude of the heavenly host, appeared to the shep¬ 
herds of Judaea, with the glad tidings of our Saviour’s nativi¬ 
ty ;* and, finally, halting in an olive plantation at the bottom 
* Bernard the Monk, who visited Beth’ehem in the year 870, speaks of a monastery 
in this place, which he describes ns a mile distant, from the town. We saw nothing of 
the monastery alluded to by him ; neither does the place here mentioned agree with 
his distance. “ Miliario denique uno a Bethlcem est monasterium sanctorum Pasto- 
rutn. quibus Angelus Domini apparuit in nativitate Domini.” Vid. Itinerar'aim Ber-, 
aardi Menacin', apud Mabillon. Act. Sanct. Orel. Benedict. SsscuL 3. Pars ii. p. 525 . 
List. Paris, 16/2. Douhdan saw the ruins of a church, built, he says, by Helena, 
mother of Constantine (Voy, de ia T. S. p. 167. Paris, 1657.) but his description of 
their situation answers to the place where we halted. u C’est line petite.campagn© 
pleine et unie an fond du vallon . • . un§ terre lahourabi© . . . fermee d’ua.e 
tjte rtiur ...... etc, etc ” 
