The History of the Holy War, Book 5 · Chapter 27 – Chapter 28
Chap. 27. The fortunes of Ierusalem since the Holy warre; and her present estate.
SEven yeares after the Latine Christians were finally expelled out of Syria, some hope presented it self of reestablishing them again. For Casanus the great Tartar Prince, having of late subdued the Persians, and married the daughter of the Armenian King (a Lady of great perfection) and of a Mahometane become a Christian, at the request of his wife he besieged the citie *Cent…riatores, pag. totius operis penult.Jerusalem,1298 and took it without resistance. The Temple of our Saviour he gave to the Armenians, Georgians, and other Christians, which flocked thick out of Cyprus there to inhabit. But soon after his departure it fell back again to the Mammalukes of Egypt; who enjoyed it till Selimus the great Turk, anno 1517, overthrew the Empire of Mammalukes, and seised Jerusalem into his hand: whose successours keep it at this day.
Jerusalem better acquitteth it self to the eare then to the eye; being no whit beautifull at all. The situation thereo… is very uneven, rising into hills and sinking into dales; the lively embleme of the fortunes of the place; sometimes advanced with prosperitie, sometimes depressed in misery. Once it was well compacted, and *Psal. 1….3.built as a citie that is at unitie in it self; but now distracted from it self: the suspicious houses (as if afraid to be infected with more miserie then they have alreadie, by contiguousnesse to others) keep off at distance, having many waste places betwixt them; not one *Bydulph, pag. 117.fair street in the whole citie.
It hath a castle, built (as it is thought) by the Pisans, *Sandys Travels, pag. 158.tolerably fortified. Good guard is kept about the citie, and no Christians with weapons suffered to enter. But the deepest ditch to defend Jerusalem from the Western Christians, is the remotenesse of it; and the strongest wall to fense it, is the Turkish Empire compassing it round about.
Poore it must needs be, having no considerable commoditie to vent; except a few beads of Holy earth, which they pay too deare for that have them for the fetching. There is in the citie a covent of Franciscans, to whom Christians repair for protection during their remaining in the citie. The Padre Guardian appointeth these Pilgrimes a Friar, who sheweth them all the monuments about the citie: Scarce a great stone, which beareth the brow of reverend antiquitie, that passeth without a peculiar legend upon it: But every vault under ground hath in it a deep mysterie indeed. Pilgrimes must follow the Friar with their bodies and belief; and take heed how they give tradition the lie, though she tell one never so boldly. The survey finished, they must pay the Guardian both for their victuals and their welcome, and gratifie his good words and looks; otherwise if they forget it, he will be so bold as to remember them. The Guardian farmeth the Sepulchre of the Turk at a yearly rent: and the Turks which reap no benefit by Christs death, receive much profit by his buriall; and not content with their yearly rent, squeeze the Friars here on all occasions, making them pay large summes for little offenses.
The other subsistence which the Friars here have, is from the benevolence of the Pope and other bountifull benefactours in Europe. Nor getteth the Padre Guardian a little by his fees of making Knights of the Sepulchre: of which Order I find, some hundred yeares since, Sr John Chamond of*Carew, in his survey of Cornwall, pag. 118. Lancels in Cornwall to have been dubbed Knight. But I beleeve no good English subject at this day will take that honour, if offered him; both because at their creation they are to swear loyaltie to the Pope and *Bydulph, pag. 119.King of Spain, and because honours conferred by forrein Potentates are not here in England acknowledged, neither in their style nor precedencie, except given by courtesie: Witnesse that famous case of the Count Arundel of Wardour, and Queen Elisabeths peremptorie resolve, That her sheep should be branded with no *Camdens Elisabeth, in anno 1596.strangers mark, but her own.
The land about it (as Authours generally agree) is barren. Yet *De terra Sancta, part. 2. cap. 1.Brochard a Monk, who lived here some two hundred yeares since, commendeth it to be very fruitfull. Sure he had better eyes, to see more then other men could; or else by a Sy…e…doche he imputeth the fertilitie of parcels to the whole countrey. But it is as false a consequence, as, on the other side, to conclude from the basenesse of Bagshot-heath the barrennesse of all the Kingdome of England. We may rather beleeve, that since the fall of the Jews from Gods favour, the once-supernaturall fertilitie of the land is taken away, and the naturall strength thereof much abated and impaired.
Chap. 28. Whether it be probable that this Holy warre will ever hereafter be set on foot again.
THus we state the question; Whether this Holy warre, I mean, for the winning of the citie of Jerusalem and recovering of Palestine, will probably ever hereafter be projected and acted again. We may beleeve this tragedie came off so ill the last acting, that it will not be brought on the stage the second time.
1. The Pope will never offer to give motion to it, as knowing it unlikely to succeed. Policies of this nature are like sleights of hand, to be shewed but once; lest what is admired at first be derided afterwards.
2. Princes are grown more cunning, and will not bite at a bait so stale, so often breathed on. The Popes ends in this warre are now plainly smelt out▪ which though prettie and pleasing at first, yet Princes are not now, like the native Indians, to be cozened with glasse and gaudie toyes: The load-stone to draw their affection (now out of non-age) must present it self necessary, profitable, and probable to be effected.
3. There is a more needfull work nearer hand; to resist the Turks invasion in Europe. Heark how the Grecians call unto us, as once *Acts 16.9.the man in the vision did to S. Paul, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Yea, look on the Popes projects of the last Edition, and we shall find the businesse of the Sepulchre buried in silence, and the Holy warre running in another chanel, against the Turks in Christendome.
4. Lastly, who is not sensible with sorrow of the dissensions (better suiting with my prayers then my penne) wherewith Christian Princes at this day are rent in sunder? wounds so wide that onelyonly Heavens chirurgerie can heal them: Till which time no hope of a Holy warre against the generall and common foe of our Religion.
We may safely conclude, that the regaining of Jerusalem and the Holy land from the Turks, may better be placed amongst our desires then our hopes; as improbable ever to come to passe: except the Platonick yeare, turning the wheel of all actions round about, bring the spoke of this Holy warre back again.