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 Plaine or Oke of Mamre.

THe Plain of Mamre stood a mile from Hebron towards the East, and distant from Ierusalem 22 miles South-eastward. In this yally there was a faire and pleasant wood, where a certain yong man called Mamre dwelt. This man was brother to Escal and Aner, mentioned by Moses, Genes. 14. who according to the custome of gentlemen with vs in these times, built vp his house neere to a pleasant Wood or bottome, which as some thinke was called after his name Mamre. Others, (of which opinion is Ierom) of Aelon, which signifies a valley or tree (an Oke tree, saith hee.) But Ioseph & Aegesippus call it a Terebinth tree, which both sum∣mer and winter beareth greene leaues like a Palme tree, the sap or juice whereof is very good for medicine. Abraham dwelling neere to this tree, beeing entertained by the three Brothers as a stranger, grew into such fauour and familiaritie with them, that hee conuerted them from Paganisme, and taught them to know the true and euer-liuing God. To gratifie which great fauor, they aided him in his Warre against the foure Kings that had taken

Lot prisoner, and gaue him free libertie to inhabit in, and vse the Plain thereabouts for his cattel: before whose dore (as some Authors affirm) this Terebinth or oke tree stood, and so continu∣ed from the beginning of the world, till the time of Constantine the Great, it being lawfull for none to cut a bough of it, or touch it with a hatchet, because it was in those daies accounted a holy tree, and visited by diuers strangers: and then Helena caused a fair church to be built in that place; and so much the rather, for that Abraham sitting vnder that tree, the three Angels appeared vnto him in the similitude or likenesse of men, Gen. 8.1, 2. And some are of opinion, That because of this, the Iewes offered Incense to their gods, and committed idolatry vpon high mountaines and vnder green trees, Ezek. 16. There was also a double Caue made of white marble, which as Iosephus saith, was very faire and beau∣tifull to the eye, and curiously wrought and polished; wherein A∣braham, Isaac, and Iacob, with their Wiues Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah were buried: and as some thinke was that caue which he purcha∣sed of the Hittites, Gen. 23.34. But that Adam and Evah lie bu∣ried in the same place, seeing there is no warrant for it in the ho∣ly Scriptures, I let it passe; because whatsoeuer hath not authori∣tie of Scripture to proue it, may as easily be contemned as allow∣ed. But Abrahams sepulchre in Ieroms time was to be seen, being old and decayed.