men and well-fighting; and there so is much multitude of that folk,
that they be without number. And they ne reck of nothing, ne do
not but chase after beasts to eat them. And they reck nothing of
their life, and therefore they fear not the sultan, ne no other
prince; but they dare well war with them, if they do anything that
is grievance to them. And they have often-times war with the
sultan, and, namely, that time that I was with him. And they bear
but one shield and one spear, without other arms; and they wrap
their heads and their necks with a great quantity of white linen
cloth; and they be right felonous and foul, and of cursed kind.

And when men pass this desert, in coming toward Jerusalem, they
come to Bersabe (Beersheba), that was wont to be a full fair town
and a delectable of Christian men; and yet there be some of their
churches. In that town dwelled Abraham the patriarch, a long time.
That town of Bersabe founded Bersabe (Bathsheba), the wife of Sir
Uriah the Knight, on the which King David gat Solomen the Wise,
that was king after David upon the twelve kindreds of Jerusalem and
reigned forty year.

And from thence go men to the city of Hebron, that is the mountance
of twelve good mile. And it was clept sometime the Vale of Mamre,
and some-time it was clept the Vale of Tears, because that Adam
wept there an hundred year for the death of Abel his son, that Cain
slew. Hebron was wont to be the principal city of the Philistines,
and there dwelled some time the giants. And that city was also
sacerdotal, that is to say, sanctuary of the tribe of Judah; and it
was so free, that men received there all manner of fugitives of
other places for their evil deeds. In Hebron Joshua, Caleb and
their company came first to aspy, how they might win the land of