Early Travels in Palestine: Comprising the Narratives of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Sæwulf, Sigurd, Benjamin of Tudela, Sir John Maundeville, de la Brocquière, and Maundrell
History
Early Travels in Palestine: Comprising the Narratives of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Sæwulf, Sigurd, Benjamin of Tudela, Sir John Maundeville, de la Brocquière, and Maundrell
Middle East -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Palestine -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
After leaving Cornaa, we enter the land of Job, a very fair country, and
abounding in all goods; and men call it the land of Sweze (Susiana). In
that land is the city of Theman. Job was a pagan, and he was son of Are
of Gosre, and held the land as prince of the country; and he was so rich
that he knew not the hundredth part of his goods. And, although he was a
pagan, still he served God well, after his law; and our Lord took
his service in satisfaction. And when he fell in poverty he was
seventy-eight years of age. And afterwards, when God had tried his
patience, which was so great, he brought him again to riches, and to
higher estate than before. And after that he was king of Idumea, after
king Esau. And when he was king he was called Jobab. And in that kingdom
he lived afterwards one hundred and seventy years[362]; and so he was of
age, when he died, two hundred and forty-eight years. In that land of
Job there is no want of any thing needful to man's body. There are
hills, where they get manna in greater abundance than in any other
country. This manna is called bread of angels; and it is a white thing,
very sweet and delicious, and sweeter than honey or sugar; it comes of
the dew of heaven, that falls upon the herbs in that country; and it
congeals, and becomes white and sweet; and they put it in medicines for
rich men, for it cleanseth the blood, and putteth out melancholy. This
land of Job borders on the kingdom of Chaldea. This land of Chaldea is
very extensive; and the language of that country is greater in sounding
than it is in other parts beyond the sea. We pass it to go to the Tower
of Babylon the Great, of which I have spoken, where all the languages
were first changed; and that is four days from Chaldea. In that realm
are fair men, and they go full nobly arrayed in cloths of gold,
orfrayed, and apparelled with great pearls and precious stones full
nobly; but the women are very ugly, and vilely arrayed; and they go
barefoot, and clothed in evil garments, large and wide, but short to the
knees, and long sleeves down to the feet, like a monk's frock, and their
sleeves are hanging about their shoulders; and they are black women,
foul and hideous; and truly they are as bad as they are foul. In that
kingdom of Chaldea, in a city called Ur, dwelt Terah, Abraham's father;
and there was Abraham born, which was in the time that Ninus was king of
Babylon, of Arabia, and of Egypt. This Ninus made the city of Nineveh,
which Noah had begun; and because Ninus completed it, he called it
Nineveh, after his own name. There lies Tobit the prophet, of whom Holy
Writ speaketh. And from that city of Ur Abraham departed, by the
commandment of God, after the death of his father, and led with him
Sarah, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, because he had no child.
And they went to dwell in the land of Canaan, in a place called Shechem.
And this Lot was he who was saved, when Sodom and Gomorrah and the other
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