Itinerarium totius Sacræ Scripturæ. Or, the trauels of the holy patriarchs, prophets, iudges, kings, our sauiour Christ, and his Apostles, as they are related in the Old and New Testaments. With a description of the townes and places to which they trauelled, and how many English miles they stood from Ierusalem. Also a short treatise of the weights, monies, and measures mentioned in the Scriptures, reduced to our English valuations, quantitie, and weight. Collected out of the workes of Henry Bunting, and done into English by R.B.

Of the way betweene Iudaea and Aegypt.

BEtweene Aegypt and Iudaea lieth Arabia Petraea: a land for the most part barren and vnfruitfull, full of sands, rockes, and mountaines, destitute of water, and subject to many dangers: being in the Summer solstice scorched with extremity of heate, the Sun being then perpendiculer ouer them (according to Mun∣ster) in the day time; and in the night, troubled with extreame windes, which blowing the sand with great violence, it casteth it vpon great heapes and mountaines, by which dust, both beasts and sometime men are suffocated and slaine.

Moreouer there dwell in this Desart, a rude and dangerous people, called Saracens; who take their beginning from Ishmael, and are therefore also called Ishmaelites, being giuen to crueltie and maliciousnesse. They get their liuing for the most part, by theft and violence: and as Ishmael was an excellent Archer, so they also are very cunning in shooting and hunting, vsing to this day their ancient euill custome of robbing and spoiling all that passe that way; insomuch as Merchants are constrained to goe in great companies, lest they should be indangered by them, and by reason of the windes and sands are constrained to guide their journey by the compasse, as men doe that saile vpon the sea. Through this wildernesse did Ioseph and Marie passe, when they went with the childe Iesus out of Iudaea into Aegypt; where they were in danger of theeues, subjects to be smothered by the sands, constrained to trauell ouer high rockes and mountaines, and to rest in feare because of Lyons, Beares, and other beasts which greatly abound in that place. Besides, diuers other dis∣commodities were incident vnto them, as want of meate, drinke,

and other necessaries, there being little water to be found there, insomuch as had not the Lord by an expresse command charged him in a dreame to goe downe into Aegypt; Ioseph durst hardly haue ventured vpon so difficult and dangerous a journey. But the Lord so mercifully prouided for him, that he both went and returned safe. Thus may we see to what dangers these good peo∣ple were exposed, and what miseries they sustained from the be∣ginning because of their sonne Christ Iesus.