The voyage of Ingulphus Abbat of Croiland unto
Jerusalem, 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.
I INGULPHUS an humble servant of reverend Guthlac and
of his monastery of Croiland, borne in England, and of
English parents, at the beautifull citie of London, was
in my youth, for the attaining of good letters, placed
first at Westminster
, and afterward sent to the Universitie
of Oxford. And having excelled divers of mine equals
in learning of Aristotle, I inured my selfe somewhat unto
the first & second Rhethorique of Tullie. And as I grew
in age, disdayning my parents meane estate, and forsaking mine owne native soyle, I affected the Courts of
kings and princes, and was desirous to be clad in silke,
and to weare brave and costly attire. And loe, at the
same time William our sovereigne king now, but then
Erle of Normandie, with a great troup of followers and
attendants came unto London, to conferre with king
Edward the Confessour his kinsman. Into whose com
pany intruding my selfe, and proffering my service for
the performance of any speedy or weightie affayres, in
short time, after I had done many things with good
successe, I was knowen and most entirely beloved by the
victorious Erle
himselfe, and with him I sayled into
Normandie
. And there being made his secretarie, I
governed the Erles Court (albeit with the envie of some)
as my selfe pleased, yea whom I would I abased, and
preferred whom I thought good. When as therefore,
being carried with a youthfull heat and lustie humour,
I began to be wearie even of this place, wherein I was
advanced so high above my parentage, and with an
inconstant minde, and affection too too ambitious, most
vehemently aspired at all occasions to climbe higher:
there went a report throughout all Normandie
, that divers
Archbishops of the Empire, and secular princes were
desirous for their soules health, and for devotion sake,
to goe on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Wherefore out of
the family of our lorde the Earle, sundry of us, both
gentlemen and clerkes (principall of whom was my selfe)
with the licence and good will of our sayd lord the earle,
sped us on that voiage, and travailing thirtie horses of
us into high Germanie, we joyned our selves unto the
Archbishop of Mentz. And being with the companies of
the Bishops seven thousand persons sufficiently provided
for such an expedition, we passed prosperously through
many provinces, and at length attained unto Constantinople. Where doing reverence unto the Emperour
Alexius, we sawe the Church of Sancta Sophia, and
kissed divers sacred reliques. Departing thence through
Lycia
, we fell into the hands of the Arabian theeves:
and after we had bene robbed of infinite summes of money,
and had lost many of our people, hardly escaping with
extreame danger of our lives, at length wee joyfully
entered into the most wished citie of Jerusalem. Where
we were received by the most reverend, aged, and holy
patriarke Sophronius, with great melodie of cymbals and
with torch-light, and were accompanied unto the most
divine Church of our Saviour his sepulchre with a solemne
procession aswell of Syrians as of Latines. Here, how
many prayers we uttered, what abundance of teares we
shed, what deepe sighs we breathed foorth, our Lord
Jesus Christ onely knoweth. Wherefore being conducted
from the most glorious sepulchre of Christ to visite other
sacred monuments of the citie, we saw with weeping eyes
a great number of holy Churches and oratories, which
Achim
the Souldan of Egypt had lately destroyed. And
so having bewailed with sadde teares, and most sorowful
and bleeding affections, all the ruines of that most holy
city both within and without, and having bestowed money
for the reedifying of some, we desired with most ardent
devotion to go forth into the countrey, to wash our selves
in the most sacred river of Jordan
, and to kisse all the
steppes of Christ. Howbeit the theevish Arabians lurking
upon every way, would not suffer us to travell farre from
the city, by reason of their huge and furious multitudes.
Wherefore about the spring there arrived at the port of
Joppa
a fleet of ships from Genoa
. In which fleet (when
the Christian merchants had exchanged all their wares
at the coast townes, and had likewise visited the holy
places) wee all of us embarked, committing our selves
to the seas: and being tossed with many stormes and
tempests, at length wee arrived at Brundusium
: and so
with a prosperous journey travelling thorow Apulia
towards Rome, we there visited the habitations of the
holy apostles Peter and Paul, and did reverence unto
divers monuments of holy martyrs in all places thorowout
the city. From thence the archbishops and other princes
of the empire travelling towards the right hand for
Alemain, and we declining towards the left hand for
France, departed asunder, taking our leaves with unspeakable thankes and courtesies. And so at length, of thirty
horsemen which went out of Normandie
fat, lusty, and
frolique, we returned thither skarse twenty poore pilgrims
of us, being all footmen, and consumed with leannesse
to the bare bones.
