Alexandria

Ἤρξατο μὲν ἐξ Αἰγυπτίων οἳ ᾤκηνται ἐν Πηλουσίῳ. γενομένη δὲ δίχα πὴ μὲν ἐπί τε Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Αἰγύπτου ἐχώρησε, πὴ δὲ ἐπὶ Παλαιστίνους τοὺς Αἰγυπτίοις ὁμόρους ἦλθεν, ἐντεῦθέν τε κατέλαβε τὴν γῆν σύμπασαν, ὁδῷ τε ἀεὶ προϊοῦσα καὶ χρόνοις βαδίζουσα τοῖς καθήκουσιν.

It began among the Egyptians who live in Pelusium. From there it split in two. One branch moved toward Alexandria and the other parts of Egypt, while the other came to the Palestinians, Egypt's neighbors. From there it took hold of the whole earth, always moving forward along its road and traveling at its appointed times.

فمنها: اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وسلم ونجنا بجاهه من طغيان الطاعون وسلم الطاعون روع وأمات وابتدأ خبره من الظلمات فواها له من زائر من خمس عشرة سنة دائر ما صين عنه الصين ولا منع منه حصن حصين سل هنديا في الهند واشتد على السند وقبض بكفيه وشبك على بلاد أزبك وكم قصم من ظهر فيما وراء النهر، ثم ارتفع ونجم وهجم على العجم وأوسع الخطا إلى أرض الخطا وقرم القرم ورمى الروم بجمر مضطرم وجر الجرائر إلى قبرص والجزائر ثم قهر خلقا بالقاهرة وتنبهت عينه لمصر فأذاهم بالساهرة وأسكن حركة الإسكندرية فعمل شغل الفقراء مع الحريرية.

From the essay: O God, bless our master Muhammad and grant him peace. Through his favor with You, save us from the tyranny of the plague, and keep us safe. The plague brought terror and death. Its story began in the Land of Darkness. Alas for this visitor, making its rounds for fifteen years! China was not shielded from it, and the strongest fortress could not keep it out. It drew its Indian blade in India, and it pressed hard on Sind. It seized the lands of Uzbek with both hands and locked its fingers around them. How many backs it broke in Transoxiana! Then it rose up, came into view, and fell on the Persians. It stretched its stride as far as Cathay. It gnawed at the Crimea and pelted the Rum with blazing coals. It dragged its crimes to Cyprus and the islands. Then it conquered people in Cairo. Its eye woke up to Egypt, and it struck them down on the plain of the Last Day. It stilled the bustle of Alexandria, and there it did the work of the Sufi poor among the Hariri brethren.

(إسكندرية ذا الوبا ... سبع يمد إليك ضبعه)
(صبرا لقسمته التي ... تركت من السبعين سبعه)

Alexandria, this pestilence is a beast reaching out its paw to you. Bear its share-out with patience: of every seventy, it has left you seven.

ثم إلى الإسكندرية فوجدت الوباء قد خف بها بعد أن بلغ عدد الموتى إلى ألف وثمانين في اليوم، ثم سافرت إلى القاهرة، وبلغني أن عدد الموتى أيام الوباء انتهى فيها إلى أحد وعشرين ألفا في اليوم! ووجدت جميع من كان بها من المشايخ الذين أعرفهم قد ماتوا رحمهم الله تعالى.

Then [I went on] to Alexandria. I found that the pestilence had eased there, after the dead had reached one thousand and eighty a day. Then I traveled to Cairo. I was told that in the days of the pestilence the dead there had reached twenty-one thousand a day. I found that all the scholars I knew there had died, God have mercy on them.

Tot-après le Capitaine fit faire du breuvage pour faire boire ès malades, desquels n'y en avoit nul d'eux qui voulut icelui essayer, sinon un ou deux qui se mirent en aventure d'icelui essayer. Tot-après qu'ils en eurent bu ils eurent l'avantage, qui se trouva être un vray et évident miracle. Car de toutes maladies de quoy ils estoient entachés, après en avoir bu deux ou trois fois, recouvrèrent santé et guérison ; tellement que tel des Compagnons qui avoit la vérole puis cinq ou six ans auparavant la dite maladie, a esté par la dite médecine curé nettement. Après ce avoir vu, y a une telle presse qu'on se vouloit tuer sur la dite médecine à qui premier en auroit : de sorte qu'un arbre aussi gros et aussi grand que je vis jamais arbre, a esté employé en moins de huit jours; lequel a fait telle opération, que si tous les médecins de Louvain et Montpellier y eussent esté avec toutes les drogues d'Alexandrie, ils n'en eussent pas fait tant en un an, que le dit arbre a fait en huit jours. Car, il nous a tellement profité, que tous ceux qui en ont voulu user ont recouvert santé et guérison ; la grâce à Dieu.

Right away the captain had the drink made for the sick. Not one of them wanted to try it, except one or two who took the risk. The moment they drank it, they felt the good of it, and this turned out to be a true and plain miracle. After two or three drinks they were cured of every sickness they had, and their health came back. One of the companions had had the pox for five or six years before this sickness, and he was cured cleanly by this medicine. After seeing this, the men pressed so hard for the medicine that they nearly killed one another to be first to get some. So a tree as thick and as tall as any tree I ever saw was gone in less than eight days. It worked wonders. If every doctor in Louvain and Montpellier had been there with every drug in Alexandria, they could not have done as much in a year as this tree did in eight days. It did us so much good that everyone who was willing to use it got back health and was cured, thanks be to God.