The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
And the Mount of Synay is clept the Desert of Syne, that is for to seyne
the bussche brennynge: because there Moyses sawghe oure Lord God many
tymes, in forme of fuyr brennynge upon that hille; and also in a bussche
brennynge; and spak to him. And that was at the foot of the hille. There is
an abbeye of monks, wel bylded and wel closed with zates of iren, for drede
of the wylde bestes. And the monkes ben Arrabyenes, or men of Greece: and
there is a grot covent; and alle thei ben as heremytes; and thei drynken no
wyn, but zif it be on principalle festes: and thei ben fulle devoute men,
and lyven porely and sympely, with joutes [Footnote: The original note
reads 'Gourds', but joutes are actually herbs--KTH.] and with dates: and
thei don gret absteynence and penaunce. There is the Chirche of Seynt
Kateryne, in the whiche ben manye lampes brennynge. For thei han of oyle of
olyves y now, bothe for to brenne in here lampes, and to ete also: and that
plentee have thei be the myracle of God. For the ravenes and the crowes and
the choughes, and other foules of the contree assemblen hem there every
zeer ones, and fleen thider as in pilgrymage: and eyeryche of hem bringethe
a braunche of the bayes or of olyve, in here bekes, in stede of offryng,
and leven hem there; of the whiche the monkes maken gret plentee of oyle;
and this is a gret marvaylle. And sithe that foules, that han no kyndely
wytt ne resoun, gon thidre to seche that gloriouse virgyne; wel more
oughten men than to seche hire and to worschipen hire. Also behynde the
awtier of that chirche is the place where Moyses saughe oure Lord God in a
brennynge bussche. And whanne the monkes entren in to that place, thei don
of bothe hosen and schoon or botes alweys; be cause that oure Lord seyde to
Moyses, _Do of thin hosen and thi schon: for the place that thou stondest
on is lond holy and blessed._ And the monkes clepen that place Bezeleel,
that is to seyne, the schadew of God. And besyde the highe awtiere, 3
degrees of heighte, is the fertre [Footnote: Bier.] of alabastre, where the
bones of Seynte Kateryne lyzn. And the prelate of the monkes schewethe the
relykes to the pilgrymes. And with an instrument of sylver, he frothethe
the bones; [Footnote: Rubbeth.] and thanne ther gothe out a lytylle oyle,
as thoughe it were a maner swetynge, that is nouther lyche to oyle ne to
bawme; but it is fulle swete of smelle: And of that thei zeven a litylle to
the pilgrymes; for there gothe out but litylle quantitee of the likour. And
aftre that thei schewen the heed of Seynte Kateryne, and the clothe that
sche was wrapped inne, that is zit alle blody. And in that same clothe so y
wrapped, the aungeles beren hire body to the Mount Synay, and there thei
buryed hire with it. And thanne thei schewen the bussche, that brenned and
wasted nought, in the whiche oure Lord spak to Moyses, and othere relikes y
nowe. Also whan the prelate of the abbeye is ded, I have undirstonden, be
informacioun, that his lampe quenchethe.
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