fitable
garden thereto belonging, paieth euery yeere to saint Marke, fifteene
hundred crownes. The streetes of the citie are not paued, which maketh it
with the quantitie of the gardens, to seeme but a rurall habitation. But
there be many faire buildings in the Citie, there be also Monasteries both
of Franks and Greekes. [Sidenote: S. Sophia is a Cathedral church of
Nicosia.] The Cathedrall church is called Santa Sophia, in the which there
is an old tombe of Iaspis stone, all of one piece, made in forme of a
cariage coffer, twelue spannes long, sixe spannes broad, and seuen spannes
high, which they say was found vnder ground. It is as faire a stone as euer
I haue seene.

The seuenth day we rid to a Greeke Frierie halfe a mile without the towne.
It is a very pleasaunt place, and the Friers feasted vs according to their
abilitie. These Friers are such as haue bene Priests, and their wiues dying
they must become Friers of this place, and neuer after eate flesh, for if
they do, they are depriued from saying masse: neither, after they haue
taken vpon them this order, may they marry againe, but they may keepe a
single woman. These Greekish Friers are very continent and chast, and
surely I haue seldome seen (which I haue well noted) any of them fat.

The 8. day we returned to Arnacho, and rested there. [Sidenote: Monte de la
Croce.] The 9. after midnight my company rid to the hill called Monte de la
Croce (but I not disposed would not go) which hill is from Arnacho 15.
Italian miles. Vpon the sayd hill is a certaine crosse, which is, they say,
a holy Crosse. This Crosse in times past did by their report of the Island,
hang in the ayre, but by a certaine earthquake, the crosse and the chappeil
it hung in, were ouerthrowen, so that neuer since it would hang againe in
the aire. But it is now couered with siluer, and hath 3. drops of our
lordes blood on it (as they say) and there is in the midst of the great
crosse, a little crosse made of the crosse of Christ; but it is closed in
the siluer, you must (if you will) beleeue it is so, for see it you cannot.
This crosse hangeth nowe by both endes in the wall, that you may swing it
vp and downe, in token that it did once hang in the aire. This was told me
by my fellow pilgrimes, for I sawe it not.

The 10. at night we went aboard by warning of the patron: and the 11. in
the morning we set saile, and crept along the shore, but at night we
ankered by reason of contrary windes.

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