— of the pardons or indulgences of mecha.

let vs now returne to speake of the pardons of pilgryms, for the which so many strange nations resort thither. in the myddest of the citie is a temple, in fashyon lyke vnto the colossus of rome, the amphitheatrum, i meane, lyke vnto a stage, yet not of marbled or hewed stones, but of burnt bryckes; for this temple, like vnto an amphitheatre, hath fourscore and ten, or an hundred gates,33 and is vaulted. the entrance is by a discent of twelve stayers or degrees on euery part34: in the church porche, are sold only jewels and precious stones. in the entry the gylted walles shyne on euery syde with incomparable splendour. in the lower part of the temple (that is vnder the vaulted places) is seene a maruelous multitude of men; for there are fyue or sixe thousande men that sell none other thyng then sweete oyntmentes, and especially a certayne odoriferous and most sweete pouder wherewith dead bodyes are embalmed.35 and hence, all maner of sweete sauours are carried in maner into the countreys of all the mahumetans. it passeth all beleefe to thynke of the exceedyng sweetnesse of these sauours, farre surmounting the shoppes of the apothecaries. the 23 daye of maye the pardones began to be graunted in the temple, and in what maner we wyll nowe declare. the temple in the myddest is open without any inclosyng, and in the myddest also thereof is a turrett of the largnesse of sixe passes in cercuitie,36 and inuolued or hanged with cloth or tapestry of sylke[,]37and passeth not the heyght of a man. they enter into the turret by a gate of syluer, and is on euery syde besette with vesselles full of balme. on the day of pentecost licence is graunted to al men to se these thynges. the inhabitantes affyrm that balme or balsame to be part of the treasure of the soltan that is lorde of mecha. at euery vaulte of the turret is fastened a rounde circle of iron, lyke to the ryng of a doore.38 the 22 day of maye, a great multitude of people beganne, early in the mornyng before day, seuen tymes to walke about the turret, kyssing euery corner thereof, often tymes feelyng and handelyng them. from this turret about tenne or twelue pases is an other turret, like a chappell buylded after our maner. this hath three or foure entryes: in the myddest thereof is a well of threescore and tenne cubites deepe; the water of this well is infected with salt peter or saltniter.39 egypt men are therevnto appoynted to drawe water for all the people: and when a multitude of people haue seuen tymes gone rounde about the first turret, they come to this well, and touchyng the mouth or brym thereof, they saye thus, “be it in the honour of god; god pardon me, and forgeue me my synnes.” when these woordes are sayde, they that drawe the water powre three buckettes of water on the headdes of euery one of them, and stand neere about the well, and washe them all wette from the headde to the foote, although they be apparelled with sylk. then the dotyng fooles dreame that they are cleane from all theyr synnes, and that theyr synnes are forgeuen them. they saye, furthermore, that the fyrst turret, whereof we haue spoken, was the fyrst house that euer abraham buylded, and, therefore, whyle they are yet all wette of the sayd washyng, they go to the mountayne, where (as we have sayde before) they are accustomed to sacrifice to abraham.40 and remayning there two daies, they make the said sacrifice to abraham at the foote of the mountayne.