Jacobus de Verona, arriving in Famagusta in June 1335, visited many places and partook in various ceremonies.
Moreover, in that same city of Famagosta, while I was there a certain rich citizen died, and all our clerks were invited to pay him honour, and I went, and while we were at the door of the deceased I heard women singing sweetly; then I entered the house, and looked where the corpse lay, and lo, at his head were two women singing aloud, and two at his feet piously wailing, and these are the flute-players (S. Matt. ix. 23) of whom the Evangelist speaks. They were singing in the Greek tongue, so we could not understand them, because all men in Cyprus speak Greek: they understand well the Saracen and Frankish tongues but chiefly use Greek. I asked what they were saying and was told that they praised the dead man for his beauty and thrift and other virtues.
The 'What I Saw...' series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
