The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, vol 8 | Page 4

them all, what should moue
him at so solemne a time and assembly, while others kept silence, to
laugh so excessively. I saw (quoth he) admirable things, and therefore
laughed I not without occasion. Then they (as it is the common guise of
all men) demaunded and enquired the cause more earnestly, humbly
beseeching faith that hee would vouchsafe to impart that secret vnto
them. Whereupon musing a long while vnto himself, at length he told
them wonderfull things: namely that seuen Sleepers had rested in
mount Cælius two hundred yeeres, lying upon their right sides but in
the very houre of his laughter, that they turned themselues on their left
sides; and that they should continue so lying for the space of 74. yeeres
after; being a dismal signe of future calamitie vnto mankinde. For all
things should come to passe within these 74. yeeres, which, as our
Sauiour Christ foretold vnto his disciples, were to be fulfilled about the
ende of the world: namely that nation should rise against nation, and
kingdome against kingdome, and that there should bee in many places
earthquakes, pestilence, and famine, terrible apparitions in the heauens,
and great signes, together with alterations of kingdomes, warres of
infidels against the Christians, and victories of the Christians against
the infidels. And as they wondered at these relations, he declared vnto
them the passion of the seuen Sleepers, with the proportion and shape
of cache of their bodies (which things, no man liuing had as then
committed vnto writing) and that so plainely and distinctly, as if he had
conuersed a long time in their company. Hereupon the earle sent a
knight, the bishop a clearke, the Abbot a monke vnto Maniches the
Emperour of Constantinople, with the letters and gifts of their King.
Who giuing them friendly entertainment, sent them ouer vnto the
bishop of Ephesus; and wrote his letters vnto him giuing him charge,
that the English Ambassadours might be admitted to see the true, and
material habiliments of the seuen Sleepers. And it came to passe that
King Edwards vision was approued by all the Greeks, who protested
they were aduertised by their fathers, that the foresaid seuen Sleepers
had alwayes before that time rested vpon their right sides; but after the
Englishmen were entered into the caue, those Sleepers confirmed the
trueth of the outlandish prophesie, vnto their countreymen. Neither
were the calamities foretold, any long time delayed: for the Aragens,

Arabians, Turkes and other vnbeleeuing nations inuading the Christians,
harried and spoiled Syria, Lycia, the lesser Asia, and many cities of
Asia the greater, and amongst the rest Ephesus, yea, and Ierusalem also.
* * * * *
The voyage of Alured bishop of Worcester vnto Ierusalem, an. 1058.
Recorded by Roger Houeden in parte priore Annalium, fol. 255. linea
15.
[Sidenote: A.D. 1058] Aluredus Wigorniensis Episcopus ecclesiam,
quam in ciuitate, Glauorna à fundamentis constraxerat, in honore
principis Apostolorum Petri honorificè dedicauit: et posteà regis
licentia Wolstanum Wigorniensem Monachum à se ordinatum
Abbatum constituit ibidem. Dein præsulatu dimisso Wiltoniensis
ecclesiæ, qui sibi ad regendum commissus fuerat, et Hermanno, cujus
suprà mentionem fecimus, reddito, mare transijt, et per Hungarian
profectus est Hierosolymam, &c.
The same in English.
In the yere of our Lord 1058. Alured bishop of Worcester, very
solemnly dedicated a Church (which himselfe had founded and built in
the citie of Gloucester) vnto the honour of S. Peter the chiefe
Apostle:[Footnote: This is Gloucester Cathedral, the crypt, the chapels
surrounding the choir, and the lower part of the nave being the portions
built by Alured that are still extant.] and afterward by the kings
permission ordained Wolstan a Monke of Worcester of his owne choice,
to be Abbate in the same place. And then having left his Bishopricke
which was committed vnto him ouer the Church of Wilton, and having
resigned the same vnto Hermannus aboue mentioned, passed ouer the
seas, and trauailed through Hungarie vnto Ierusalem, &c.
* * * * *
The voyage of Ingulphus Abbat of Croiland vnto Ierusalem, performed
(according to Florentius Wigorniensis) in the yeere of our Lord, 1064,
and described by the said Ingulphus himselfe about the conclusion of
his briefe Historie.
[Sidenote: A.D. 1064] Ego Ingulphus humilis minister Sancti Guthlaci
Monasterijque sui Croilandensis, natus in Anglia, et a parentibus
Anglicis, quippè vrbis pulcherrimæ Londoniarum, pro literis
addiscendis in teneriore setate constitutus, primum Westmonasterio,
postmodum Oxoniensi studio traditus eram. Cúmque in Aristotele

arripiendo supra multo coætaneos meos profecissem, etiam Rhetoricam
Tullij primam et secundam talo tenus induebam. Factus ergo
adolescentior, fastidiens parentum meorum exiguitatem, paternos lares
relinquere, et palatia regum aut principum affectans, mollibus vestiri,
pomposisque lacinijs amiciri indies ardentius appetebam. [Sidenote:
A.D. 1051] Et eccè, inclytus nunc rex noster Angliæ, tunc adhunc
comes Normanniæ Wilhelmus ad colloquium tunc regis Angliæ
Edwardi cognati sui, cum grandi