Medieval Itineraries: Pvrchas his Pilgrimes

The Eighth Book of the First Part of the enormous collection of tales called Haklvytvs posthumus, or, Pvrchas his Pilgrimes, compiled by Samuel Purchas in 4 vols and published in 1625, is entitled Peregrinations, and Travels by Land into Palestina, Natolia, Syria, Arabia, Persia, and other parts of Asia. Chapter 5 of this is entitled:

Here beginneth the way that is marked, and made wit Mount Ioiez from the Lond of Engelond unto Sent Iamez in Galis, and from thennez to Rome, and from thennez to Jerusalem : and so againe into Engelond, and the namez of all the Citeez be their waie, and the maner of her gouernanuce, and namez of her silver that they use be alle these waie.

According to the compiler, "The Author is vnknowne and his time : which yet is likely to haue beene about two hundred yeares since : Sir Robert Cottons rich Librarie hath yeelded the Manuscript, whence it was copied." In rhyming couplets that Georgiana Goddard King later described as the 'most vile doggerel', it relates a lengthy pilgrimage from Plymouth to SW France, on to Santiago, through Portugal, Spain, France, Mt Cenis and Italy to Rome, Venice, the Holy Land, back to Venice, and back to England via the Reschenpass, Cologne, Aachen and Calais. The book also includes maps by Hondius.

More details

External resources

• Images of the whole book can be viewed online at The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake. The transcription is on pp1230-45, which is in volume 2, images 493-508