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CHAPTER XII.

The Pilgrims visit the Mount of Olives, the Valley
of Jehoshaphat, and other Holy places.—Casola's
description of Jerusalem.—The Great Mosque and
the Temple of Solomon.—The Palace Miraculously
Ruined.—Mount Sion and the Friar's Church and
Monastery.—Castle of the Pisans.—The Inhabi¬
tants of Jerusalem.—First Visit to the Holy
Sepulchre.—Death of a French Pilgrim.—Expedi¬
tion to Bethlehem.—Second Visit to the Holy
Sepulchre.—^Ten Knights Created there for whom
Casola wrote Letters of Testimony.

On Wednesday, the 6th of August, Mass having been said
in the midst of the hospital, all the pilgrims set out early,
guided by certain friars of Mount Sion, who were familiar
with all the places to be visited by the pilgrims.

Leaving Jerusalem and passing that torrent called in
the Holy Scriptures the torrent Cedron, we came to a
monument built in the ancient fashion which was said
to be that of Absalom, the son of David, who was killed by
Joab, David's captain, when he was hung up by his hair
while he was pursuing his father. On seeing it, I thought
it was more probably the monument of Helena, Queen of
the Adiabene, because so I had read in Josephus' wars of
the Jews.

Then, going further, we visited all those sacred places on
the Mount of Olives where the mysteries which preceded
the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ were shown to us:
where he remained to pray, where the three disciples were
when he prayed " Pater si possible est transeat a me calix