¶ Here begynneth a lytell treatyse or booke named Iohan Maūdeuyll knyght born in Englonde in the towne of saynt Albone & speketh of the wayes of the holy londe towarde Iherusalem / & of marueyles of Ynde & of other dyuerse coūtrees.
FOr as moche as the londe ouer the see / that is to saye the holy londe that men calle the londe of hetynge Amonge all other londes it is the moost worthyest londe & souerayn of other londes / and it is blessyd & halowed & sacred of the precyous blood of our lor de Ihesu cryste. In the whiche londe it l [...]ed hym to take flesshe & blood of the virgyne Ma [...]y / and to enuyron that londe with his owne feet. And the re he wolde do many myracles / and preche & teche the fayth & the lawe of vs crysten men as vnto his childern. And therfore he wolde suffre many repro ues & scornes for vs. And he that was kyng of heuen / & of erthe / of ayer / of see / and of all thynges that are conteyned in them wolde all oonly be called kyng of that londe whan he sayd. Rex sū iudeo (rum). I am kyng of Iewes. For that tyme was that londe of Iewes / & that londe had he chosen before all other londes as for the best & the moost vertuous & for the moost worthyest of the worlde. And as the phylosophre sayth thus. Virtus re (rum) in medio consistit. That is to saye / vertue of thynges is in [Page] the myddes / & in that londe he wolde lede his lyf and suffre passyon & deth of the Iewes for vs and for to delyuer & bye vs fro the paynes of helle / & fro deth withouten ende / the whiche was ordeyned to vs for the synne of our fader Adam / & for our owne synnes also. For as hymself he had none euyll deserued / for he thought neuer euyll / ne dyde neuer euyll. And he that was kyng of glorye and Ioye myght best in that place suffre deth. For he y • wyll do ony thynge that he wyll be knowen open ly. He wyll do crye it openly in the myddell place of a towne / or of a cyte / so that it may be knowen to all partyes of the cyte. So he that was kyng of all the worlde wolde suffre deth for vs at Ierusalem / that is in myddes of the worlde / so y t it myght be knowen to men of all partyes of y e worlde how dere he bought man that he had made to his owne lykenesse for the grete loue that he had to vs / for more worthyer catell ne myght he haue set for vs than his owne blessyd body & his owne precyoꝰ blood / y e whiche he suffred for vs. A dere god what loue he had to his subgettts. Whan he y t had done no trespas wolde for trespassours suffre deth. By ryght ought men to loue & worshyp and drede & serue suche a lorde / and worshyp & prayse suche a holy londe that brought forth suche fruyte thrugh the whiche euery ma [...] [...]s saued but yf it be his ow ne defaute. This is the londe behyght to vs in he ry age / & in that londe wolde he deye as cessed to [Page ij] leue it to his childern. For the whiche euery good crysten man y t may & hath wherof sholde strength hym for to conquere our ryght herytage & chace out the euyll peoples handes / for we are called cry sten men of Cryste our fader. And yf we be ryght childern of Cryste we owe for to chalenge the herytage that our fader lefte vs & do it out of straū ge mens handes. But now pryde / couetyse / & enuye hath so enflāmed the hertes of lordes of y e worl de that they are more besy for to dysheryte theyr neyghbours than for to chalenge or conquere theyr ryght herytage before sayd. And the comon people that wolde put theyr bodyes & catell for to conque re our herytage / they may not do without lordes / for assemblynge of the people without a chyef lorde is as a flocke of sheep that hath no sheepherde the whiche departe asondre / & wote neuer wheder that they sholde go. But wolde god that the worldly lordes were at good accorde / and with other of theyr comon people wolde take this holy vyage ouer the see. I trowe well that within a lytell tyme our ryght herytage before sayd sholde be reconsyled & put in the handes of the ryght eyres of Ihesu cryste. And for as moche it is longe tyme that there was no generall passage ouer the see / & many men desyre to here speke of the holy londe / and haue therof grete solace & co [...]forte. ¶ Iohn maū deuyle knyght. Though it so be that I be not wor thy y t was born in Englonde in the towne of saynt [Page] [...] [Page ij] [...] [Page] Albone & passed the see in the yere of the Incarnacyon of our lorde Ihesu cryste. M. CCC. xxxij. on the daye of saynt Myghell & hyderwarde hath be longe tyme ouer the see & haue seen & gone thrugh many londes & many prouynces and kyngdomes & yles / and haue passed thrugh Turky / thrugh At mony the lytell & the grete / thrugh Tartary / thorugh Percy / thrugh Syry / thrugh Araby / thrugh Egypt the hygh & the lowe / thrugh kyby / thrugh Caldee / & a grete parte of Ethyope / thrugh Ama zonie / thrugh Ynde the lesse & the more a grete par te / and thrugh many other yles whiche are about Ynde where many dyuerse people dwelled of dyuerse lawes & shappes / of [...] [...]des and yles I shall speke more pla [...] I shall deuyse a par te of thynges what they are whan tyme shall be / after it may come to my mynde / and specyall for theym that wyll & are in purpose for to vysyte the holy cyte of Ierusalem & the holy places that are there about / & I shall telle the waye that they shall holde thyder / for I haue many tymes passed & ryden it with good company / & of many lordes.
¶ He that wyll go towarde Ierusalem on hors or a foot or by the see. Ca. pmū.
IN the name of god almyghty. He that wyll passe ouer the see / he may go many wayes bothe on londe & see after the coūtrees y t he cometh [Page iij] fro / and many of theym come all to one ende / but trowe not that I wyll telle all the townes & cytees & castels that men shall go by / for than sholde I make to longe tale / but all oonly some coūtrees & moost pryncypall cytees or townes that men shall go thrugh to go the ryght waye. ¶ Fyrst yf a man come from the west syde of the worlde as Englon de. Irlonde. Wales. Scotlonde. Norweye / he may go yf he wyll thrugh Almayne / & thrugh y e kyngdome of Hungery y t marches to the londe of Poyal me & to the londe of Pannony / & of Allesey. And the kyng of Hungary is a ryght grete lorde and a myghty / & holdeth grete and moche londe / for he holdeth the londe of Hungery & of Allesey Coma me & a grete parte of Bulgary that men calle the londe of Buggers / & a grete parte of the kyngdome of Rosse & that lasteth to the londe of Nyflon de & marches vnto Pruysse / and men go thus thorugh the londe of Hungery thrugh a cyte that men calle Cypren / & besyde the castell of Newburgh / & thrugh the ylle towne that is towarde the ende of Hungery / & so ouer the ryuer of Danowe / & this is a full grete ryuer & goth in to Almayne vnder the hylles of Lumbardy / & it taketh in to hym. xl. other ryuers / & it renneth thrugh Hungery & thorugh Grece & thrugh Tartary and goth in to the see so strongly & with so grete myght that the water is fresshe. xl. myle within the see / & afterwarde go men to Belgraue and entre in to the londe of [Page] Buggers & there passe men a brydge of stone that is ouer the ryuer Marroh / & men passe thrugh the londe of Pynteras & come to Grece to the cyte of Sterny & to the cyte of Affynpayn and so to the cy te of Constantynople that was somtyme called [...] Bessamorn and there dwelled comonly the Emperour of Grece.
To Constantynople is the best & the fayrest chirche of the worlde / & it is of saynt Sophy. And before this chirche is an ymage of Iustynpan them perour gylt / and it is vpon an hors & crowned / & it was wonte to holde a roūde appell in his honde & men saye there that it is a token that the Emperour hath lost a grete parte of his londe / for the appell is fallen out of the ymages hande & also y t he hath lost a grete parte of his lordshyp. For he [Page iiij] was wonte to be Emperour of Rome / of Grece / & of all Asyen the lesse / of Surry & of the londe of Iude in the whiche is Ierusalem / & of the londe of Egypt / of Percy and Araby / but he hath lost but Grece & the londe that longed therto all only and men wolde many tymes put the appell in the ymages honde but it wolde not holde it. This appell beto keneth the lordshyd y t he had ouer all the worlde. And the other honde he holdeth lyft vp ayenst the eest in token for to manasse mysdoers / & this ymage standeth vpon a pyler of marble.
At Constantynople is the crosse of our lorde & his cote without seme the spoūge and the rede of the whiche the Iewes gaue our lorde drynke galle on the crosse & there is one of the nayles that Cryste was nayled with to the crosse. Some men wene y t [Page] half of the crosse of Cryste be in Cypres in an abbey of monkes that men call the hylle of the holy crosse / but it is not so / for that crosse y • is in Cypres is the crosse on the whiche Dysmas the good thee [...] was hanged / but all men wote not that / & y • is yll [...] done / but for y • getynge of the offrynges they say [...] that it is the crosse of our lorde Ihesu cryste. And ye shall vnderstande y • the crosse of our lorde was made of four maner of trees as it is conteyned i [...] this verse. In cruce sit palma cedrus cipressus oliua
For the pyece that wente ryght vp from the erthe vnto the heed was of cypres / & the pyece that went ouerthwart to the whiche the handes were nayled was of palme / & the stocke y • stode within the erthe to the whiche they had made a morteys was of ce dre / & the table aboue his heed that was a foot & a [Page v] half longe on the whiche the tytle was wryten in Ebrewe / in Grewe / & in Latyn that was of olyue And the Iewes made the crosse of thyse four maner of trees for they trowed that our lorde Ihesu cryste sholde haue hanged so longe vpon the crosse as longe as the crosse myght laste / & therfore made they the foot of cedre / for cedre may not in the erthe ne in water rotte / & they wolde it sholde haue last longe / & for they trowed that the body of Cryste sholde haue stonken / that pyece is made of cypre for it is well smellynge / so that the smelle of his body shold not greue to man that come forby. & that ouerthwart was made of palme / for in the olde testament it was ordeyned that whan ony had the vyctory he was crowned with palme / and for they trowed that they had the vyctory of Ihesu cryste / therfore they made y e pyece y t went ouerth wart of palme / and the table of the tytle they made of olyue / for olyue betokeneth peas / as the story of Noe wytnesseth whan the douue brought the braū che of olyue that betokeneth peas made bytwene god and man. Also the Iewes trowed to haue had peas whan Cryste was deed / for they sayd that he made dyscorde & stryf amonge theȳ. And ye shall vnderstande y t our lorde was nayled to the crosse lyenge / & therfore he suffred the more payne. Also in Grece & the crysten men that dwelle ouer y e see saye that the tree of crosse y t we calle cypres was of that tree y t Adam ete the appell & soo fynde they [Page] wryten / & they saye as theyr scrypture sayth that whan Adam was syke he sayd to his sone Seth y • he sholde go to paradyse & praye the angell that kepeth paradyse that he wolde sende hym of the oyle of the tree of mercy for to anoynt w t his mē bres that he myght haue hele. And Seth went but the angell wolde hym not late come in at the dore but sayd vnto hym that he myght not haue of the oyle of mercy / but he toke to hym four graynes of the same tree that his fader ete the appell / & badde hȳ as soone as his fader was deed that he sholde put this graynes vnder h [...] tonge & graue hym / & therof sholde growe a tree / & whan that tree bare fruyt than sholde Adam be hole. And whan Seth came agayne he founde his fader deed / & he dyde with the graynes as the angell [...]adde hym / of the whiche came four trees of the whiche was a crosse made that bare good fr [...]yte. That is to saye our sauyour Ihesu cryste / thrugh whome Adam & all that come of hym where saued & delyucred from euerlastynge deth but yf it be theyr owne defaute. This holy crosse the Iewes hydde vnder the erthe vnder the roche of moūt Caluary / & it laye there two hondred yere & more vnto the tyme that saynt Eleyne foūde it / the whiche saynt Eleyne was the moder of Constaunce the Emperour of Rome / & she was doughter of kyng Alle that was kyng of Englonde that than was called the grete Brytay [...]e whom the Emperour toke to wyf for her grete [Page vi] beaute whan he was in that coūtree. And ye shall vnderstande that the crosse of our lorde was in the lengthe. viij. cubytes / and that ouerthwart hadde in lengthe. iij. cubytes and an half.
A parte of the crowne of our lorde [...]hu wherwith he was crowned / & one of the nayles / and the spere heed / & many other relyques are in Fraunce to Parys in the chapell of the kyng of Fraūce / & the crowne lyeth in a vessell of crystall well dyght and rychely / for a kyng of Fraunce bought thyse relyques somtyme of the Iewes to whom themperour had layde theym to pledge for a grete somme of syluer. And all yf it be so that men saye that this crowne be of thornes / ye shall vnderstande that it was and is of Ionkes of the see that was whyte y • prycketh as sharpe as ony thornes / for I haue see [...] [Page] and beholde many tymes that of Parys & that of Constantynople / for they were bothe of one made of Ionkes of the see / but men haue departed them in two pyeces / the whiche one parte is at Parys / & that other parte at Constantynople. And I haue one poynt therof that semeth a whyte thorne and that was gyuen to me for a grete frendshyd / for there is many of theym broken and fallen in the vessell whan they shewe the crowne to grete men or lordes that come thyder. And ye shall vnderstan de that our lorde in that nyght that he was taken he was ledde in to a gardeyne / and there he was examyned sharpely / and there the Iewes scorned hym and made hym a crowne of braunches of albespyne that grewe in the same gardeyne / & sette it on his heed so fast that the blood ranne downe by many places of his vysage and his necke and his sholders / and therfore hath the albespyne many vertues / for he that bereth a braunche of it vpon hym / no thonder / ne no maner tempest may de re hym / ne none house that it is in may none euyll ghoost come in no place there it is. And in that sa me gardeyne saynt Peter denyed our lorde thryes. Afterwarde was our lorde ledde before the bysshop and the mynystres of the lawe in an other gardeyne of Anne / and there he was examyned also and scorned / and after agayne with a whyte thorne that men calle barbarens that grewe in to the same gardeyne / and that hath as many vertues. [Page vij] And afterwarde he was ledde in to a gardey ne of Cayphas and he was crowned agayn with Englentyre / and after he was ledde in to a chambre of Pylatus and there he was examyned and crowned / and the Iewes sette hym in a chayre and cladde hym in a mantell / and than made they a crowne of Ionkes of the see / and they kneled vnto hym sayenge. Aue rex iudeo (rum). That to saye in Englysshe. Heyle kyng of Iewes. And the crowne of the whiche that one half is at Parys / and that other half at Constantynople the whiche Cryste had vpon his heed whan he was done on the crosse and therfore men shall worshyp that moost and holde it more worthyer than ony of the other. And that spere shaf [...]e hath the Emperour of Almayne / but the heed of yron whiche was put in his syde is at Parys. And many tymes sayth the Empe rour of Constantynople y t he hath the spere heed. And I haue often seen it but it is gretter than y • of Parys. Also at Constantynople lyeth saynt Anne our ladyes moder whom saynt Eleyne made bryn ge from Ierusalem. And there lyeth also the body of saynt Iohn crysostom y t was bysshop of Constantynople. There lyeth also saȳt Luke euāgelyst for his bones were brought fro Bethany where he was grauē & many other relykes are there. & theris of the vessels of stone as it were merble the whiche men calle I [...]ryons that euermore dropped water & they fylle themselfe eche yere ones by themselfe. [Page] And ye shall wete that Constantynople is a ryght fayre cyte & a good and well walled / & it is thre cornered / & there is an arme of the see y t men calle Hellespount / and some calle it the bouche of Con stantynople / and some calle it the brache of saynt George / & thus this water encloseth two partyes of the cyte / & vpwarde to the see vpon the water was wonte to be the grete cyte of Troye in a full fayre playne / but that Cyte was destroyed with theym of Grece.
¶ Of the Ylondes of Grece ca. ij.
ABout Grece ben mny yles that men calle Calastre. Calcos. Certege. Tesbyria. Minona. Faxton. Molo. Carpate / and Lempne. And [Page viij] in this yle is the mount Athos that passeth the clowdes / & there is many speches & many coūtrees that are obeysaūt to themperour of Constantynople / that is to saye. Turcople. Pyncy. Narde. Comange / & many other Tracy. and Macedonie of whiche Alexandr was kyng. In this countree was Arystotles borne in a cyte y t men calle Strages a lytell fro the cyte of Tracy / & at Strages is Ary stotles buryed & vpon his tombe is made aij awter & there they make euery yere a grete fest as he were a grete saynt / & vpon this awter the lordes holde theyr grete coūseyls & assembles / and they trowe that thrugh Inspyracyon of god & hym y t they shall haue the better coūseyll. In this coūtree are ryght hygh hylles / towarde the ende of Macedone is a grete hylle that men calle Olymphus y t depar ted Macedone & Trachy / and it is hygh vp to the clowdes / & the other hylle that men calle Athos is so hyghe that the shadowe of hym stretcheth vnto Olymphus y t is nere. lxxvij. myle bytwene / & abo ue y t hylle is the ayer so clere y t men may fele noo wynde there / & therfore may no best lyue there by cause it is so drye. And men saye in thyse coūtrees that phylosophres somtyme wente vpon those hyl les & helde to theyr noses a spoūge moyst with wa ter for to haue ayer / for the ayer was so drye. And aboue in the pouder of the hylle they wrote lettres with theyr fyngers / & at the yeres ende they came agayne & foūde those lettres whiche they had wry [Page] ten the yere before without ony defaute / & therfore it semeth well y • those hylles passe the clowdes to the pure ayer. And at Constantynople the Emperours palays is ryght fayr & well dyght / & therin is a fayre palays for Iustynge / & it is made about with stages y t eche man may well se & none greue other / & vnder thyse stages are stables vouted for themperours horses / & all the pylers of thyse stables are of marble. And within the chirche of saȳe Sophy an Emperour wolde haue layde the body of his fader whan he was deed / & as they made the graue they foūde a body in the erthe / & vpon y t body laye a grete plate of fyne golde / & therupon was wryten in Ebrewe / in Grewe & in latyn lettres that sayd thus. Iesus xp̄s nascet de virgine maria ct ego credo in eū. That is to saye. Ihesu cryst shal be borne of the virgyne Mary & I byleue in hym And the date was it was layde in erthe two hondred yere before our lorde was borne / & yet is that plate in the tresory of the chirche / & men saye y t it was Hermogenes the wyse man. And all yf it be so y t men of Grece be crysten / yet they varye from our fayth / for they saye that the holy goost cometh not out of the sone / but all oonly of the fader / and they are not obeysaūt to the chirche of Rome ne to the pope / & they saye y t theyr patryarlres haue as moche power ouer the see as the pope hath on this syde the see. And therfore pope Iohn the. xxij. sente lettres to theȳ how crysten fayth sholde be all one [Page ix] and that they sholde be obeysaūt to a pope that is Crystys vyher in erthe to whome god gaf playne power for to bynde & to assoyle / and therfore they sholde be obedyent to hym. And they sent hym dyuerse answers / & amonge other they sayd thus. P [...] tentiā tuā sūmā cir [...]a subiectos tuos firmiter credimus. Supbiā tuā sūmā tollerare nō possumus. Auariciā tuā sūmā satiare nō intendimus. Dn̄s tecū sit. quia dn̄s nobiscū est. vale. That is to saye We byleue well thy power is grete vpon thy subgettes. We may not suffre thy pryde. We are not in purpose to fulfyll thy couetyse. Lorde be w t the / for lorde is with vs / fare well / and other answere myght we not haue of theym. And also they make theyr sacrament of the awter of therf brede / for our lorde made it of therf brede whan he made his maūde / & on therthursdaye make they theyr brede in tokenynge of the maūde & drye it at the sonne / & he [...]e it all the yere / & gyue it to syke men in stede of goddes body. And they make but one vnccyon whan they crysten childern / & they anoynte no syke men / & they saye there is no purgatory / and soules shall haue neyther Ioye ne payne vnto the daye of dome. And they saye that fornycacyon is no dedly synne / but a kyndly thynge / & that men & wȳmen sholde wedde but ones / and who so wed deth more than ones theyr childern are bastardes & goten in synne / and theyr preestes also are wedded / & they saye that vsury or symony is no dedly [Page] synne / & they selle benefyces of holy chirche / & so dyde men of other places / & that is grete sclaūder for now is symony kyng crowned in holy chirche god may amende it whan his wyll is. And they saye that in lente men sholde not synge masse but on the saterdaye & on the sondaye / & they faste not the saterdaye no tyme in the yere / but yf it be the Crystmasse & Eester euen. And they suffre no man that is on the syde of the grete see synge at theyr awters / & yf it fall that they do thrugh ony happe they wasshe theyr awters as soone without tarye [...] ▪ ge with holy water / & they saye that there shold [...] be but one masse sayd at one awter on a daye. And they saye also that our lorde ete neuer mete but h [...] made token of etynge. And also they saye that w [...] synne dedly in shauynge of our berdes / for the be [...] de is token of a man & a yefte of our lorde / & they saye that we synne in etynge of beestes that were defended in the olde testament & of the olde lawe / as swyne / hares & other bestes. And this they saye also that we synne in etynge of flesshe in the dayes before asshe wednesdaye / & in etynge of flesshe on the wednesdaye / & whan we ete chese or egges on y • frydaye / & they curse all those that ete no flesshe on the saterdaye. ¶ Also the Emperour of Constantynople maketh the patryarkes archebyssh [...] pes & bysshopes / and he gyueth all the dygnytees & chirches / & depryueth theym that are worthy. And all yf it be soo that thyse thynges touche not the [Page x] waye / neuerthelesse they touche to that I haue behyght to shewe a parte of the customes & maners & dyuersytees of coūtrees / and for this syde the se [...] the fyrst coūtree that is dyscordaūt in fayth & le [...] teth for our fayth on this syde the see / therfore I haue sette it y t ye may see & wete the dyuersyte y t is bytwene our fayth & theyrs / for many men haue grete lykynge to here speke of straūge thynges.
¶ To come agayne to Constantynople for to go towarde the holy londe. ca. iij.
NOw come we agayne for to knowe the waye fro Constantynople. He that wyll go thrugh Turky he gooth towarde the cyte of Nyke and passeth thrugh the yate of Chyuytot that is [Page] ryght hyghe / and it is a myle and an half fro Nyke / and who soo wyll goo by the brache of Saynt George and by the Greke see there as saynt Nycholas lyeth & other places / and fyrst men come to the yle of Sylo / and in that yle groweth mastyke vpon smale trees as plomtrees or cherytrees. And thenne after men go thorugh the yle of Pathmos where saynt Iohan the euangelyst wrote the apocalyps / and I do you to wete whan our lorde Ihesu cryste deyed saynt Iohan theuangelyst was of the age of .xxxij. yere / and he lyued after the passyon of Cryst .lxvij. yere and than deyed. And fro Pathmos men go to Ephesym a fayr cyte and nere to the see and there deyed saynt Iohan and he was buryed behynde the awter in a tombe / and there is a fayre chirche for crysten men were wonte to holde y t place / but in the tombe of saynt Iohan is no thynge but Manna / for his body was translated in to paradyse / & Turkes holde now y t cyte & y t chirche & all Asye the lesse / & therfore is Asye the lesse called Turky / & ye shall vnderstande y t Saynt Iohan dyde make his graue there in his lyf / and layd hymself therin all quycke / and therfore some sayen that he deyed not / but he resteth there to the daye of dome / & therfore sothely there is a grete merueyle for men may see there apertly the erthe of the tombe many tymes stere & moue as there were a quyck thynge vnder. And from Ephesym men go thrugh many yles in the see vnto the [Page xi] cyte of Pateran where saynt Nycolas was borne. and so to Marca where he by the grace of god bys shop was chosen / and there groweth ryght good wyne and stronge that men calle wyne of Marca And fro thens men go to the yle of Crete whiche thē Emperour gaf somtyme to Ionays. And than passe men thrugh the yles of Cophos & Lango of the whiche yles Ypocras was lorde / & some saye that in that yle of Lango is Ypocras doughter in maner of a dragon that is an hondred foot longe as men saye / for I haue not seen it / and they o [...] the yles calle her the lady of the countree / and she lyeth in an olde castell & sheweth her thryes in the yere / and she doth no man no harme / and she is thus chaūged fro a damoysell to a dragon thrugh a goddesse that men calle Dyana / and men saye that she shall dwelle so vnto the tyme y t a knyght come that is so hardy that dare go to her & kysse her mouth / and than shall she torne agayne to her owne kynde and be a woman / and after that she shall not lyue longe. And it is not longe sythen a knyght of Rodes y t was hardy & doughty sayd y t he wolde kysshe her / & whan the dragon began to lyft vp his heed agayne hym & he sawe it was so hydeous he fledde awaye / & the dragon in his angre bare the knyght on a roche & of that roche she cast hym in to the see and so he was lost.
¶ Yet of the same dragon. ca. iiij.
ALso a yonge man that wyst [...]not of y t dragon went out of a shyp & went thrugh the yle tyll that he came to a castell / & came in to the caue & went so longe tyll he foūde a chambre / and than he sawe a damoysell y t kempt her heed & loked in a myrrour / & she had moche tresour abou [...] her / & he trowed she had be a comon woman that dwelled there to kepe men / & he abode y • damoysel & the damoysell sawe the shadowe of hym in the myrrour & she torned towarde hym & asked hym what he wolde / & he sayd he wolde be paramoure or lēman. And she asked hym yf he were a knyght & he sayd nay / & she sayd than myght he not be her lēman. But she badde hym go agayne to his felawes & make hym knyght & come ayen on the morowe & she sholde come out of the caue & than [Page xij] he sholde kysse her on the mouth / & she badde hym haue no drede / for she sholde do hym no harme yf all hym thought she were hydeous to see / she sayd it was done by enchaūtement / for she sayd y t she was suche as he sawe her than / & she sayd y t yf he kyssed he [...] he sholde haue all y t tresour & be her lor de / & lorde of those yles. And he departed fro her and went to his felawes to the shyp & made hym knyght & came ayen vpon the morowe for to kysse the damoysell. And whan he sawe her come out of the [...] in forme of a dragon he had so grete drede [...] he fledde to the shyp / & she folowed hym / and wh [...]n she sawe y t he torned not ayen / she began to [...] as a thynge y t had moche sorowe / & torned agayne / & soone after the knyght deyed / & sythen hytherto myght no knyght se her but he deyed anone. But whan a knyght cometh y t is so hardy to kysse her he shall not deye / but he shall torne that damoysell in to her ryght shappe / & he shall be lor de of the coūtree before sayd. And fro thens men come to the yle of Rodes / the whiche the hospytalers holde & gouerne / and y t toke they somtyme fro the Emperour / & it was wonte to be called Colles & so yet the Turkes calle it colles. And saynt Pou le in his Epysteles wryteth to theym of the yle of Collooenses. This yle nere .C.lxxx. myle from Constantynople. And from this yle of Rodes men go in to Cypres where are many vynes y t fyrst are reed / & after a yere they wexe all whyte. and those [Page] vynes that are moost whyte are moost clere & best smellynge / & as men passe by this waye by a place where was wonte to be a grete cyte that men calle Sathalay / & all the coūtree was lost thrugh foly of a yonge man / for he had a fayr damoysell y t he loued well / & she deyed sodeynly & was buryed in a graue of marbell / & for the grete loue y t he had to her he wente on a nyght to her tombe & opened it & went and laye by her / & whan he had done he went his waye / & whan it came to the ende of. ix. monethes a voys cam vnto hym & sayd in this ma ner wyse as in the next chapytre folowynge.
¶ Of a yonge man & his lemman. ca. v.
[Page xiij] [...] Oo vnto the tombe of that same woman that thou hast lyen by / and open it & behol de [...]ell that y t y • hast begoten on her / and yf thou [...] [...]or to go thou shalt haue a [...] harme. And he [...] and opened the tombe / and there flewe [...] heed ryght hydeous for [...] see / the whiche [...] all about the [...] and the countree / [...] after the Cy [...] and the countree sanke [...] and there is many peryllous passages. Fro [...] to Cypies is nere fyue h [...]ndred myle and [...] men may go to Cypres and come not at [...]. Cypies is a good yle and grete and there are many good cytess & there is an archebysshopp at Nychosy and foure other bysshop [...] in that londe. And at Famagost is one of the best hauen on the see that is in the worlde / & that are crysten men & sa [...]asyns & men of all nacyons. In Cypres is the hylle of the holy crosse / & there is an abbey of monkes & there is the crosse of the good theef Dysmas as I haue sayd before. And some wene that there is the half of the crosse of our lorde / but it is not so & they do wronge y t make men to byleue so. In Cypres lyeth saynt Gononon of whome men of y • coūtree make grete solempnyte / & in the castell of Amours lyeth the body of saynt Hyllaryon / & [...]en kepe it full worshypfully / & besyde Fama [...]ost was saynt Bernarde borne.
¶ Of the maner of huntynge in Cypres. ca. vi.
IN Cypres men hunte w t the pampeons th [...] are lyke to leopardes & they take wylde b [...] tes ryght well & they are somwhat more than [...] ons / & they take more sharpely wylde bestes th [...] hoūdes. In Cypres is a maner that lordes & oth men ete vpon the erthe / for they make dyches the erthe all about the halle depe to the knee / a [...] they do paueye them & whan they wyll ete they [...] therin & sytte there / this they do to be more fres [...] for that londe is more hoter than it is here. And grete festes & for straūge men they sette forme [...] bordes as men do in this coūtree / but theym w [...] leuer sytte in the erthe. Fro Cypres men go by [...] de to Ierusalem & by the see / and in a daye & [...]
it is to Acon. M. CCC. myles of Lombardy.
¶ Of the hylle Carme. ca. ix.
ANd the yle of Grece is ryght in the mydwaye / & besyde this cyte of Acon towarde the see at. vi. score forlonges on the ryght syde towarde the North there is the hylle Carme where Elyas the prophete dwelled / & there was the ordre of Carmes fyrst foūded. This hylle is not ryght grete ne hyghe / & at the foot of this hylle was some tyme a good cyte of crysten men y t was called Cayphas / for Cayphas foūded it but it is now all wasted. And at the lyft syde of the hylle is a towne [Page] that men calle Saffre / & that is sette vpon an other hylle there was saynt Iames & saynt Iohn borne / & in the worshyp of them is ther a fayr chir [...]he made. And for Tholomayda y t men now calle Acon to a grete hylle that men calle Ehale de Tyrreyes is an hondred forlonges / & besyde the cyte of Acon renneth a lytell ryuer y t men calle Be lyon / & there nere is the fosse of Mymon all roūde that is an hondred cubytes or shaftmontes breed / & it is all full of grauell clere shynynge / wherof men make whyte glasse & clere / and men come fro ferre coūtrees by shyppe / & by londe with cartes to take of that grauell / & yf there be neuer so moche taken therof on a daye / on the morowe it is as full agayne as euer it was / & that is grete merueyll / & theris alwaye wynde in y t fosse that styreth alwaye the grauell and maketh it trouble. And yf a man put or do therin ony metall / as soone as it is therin as soone it waxeth glasse / & the glasse y t is made of this grauell yf it be done agayne in to the grauell / it torned agayne to grauell as it was before / and some saye that it is a swalowe of the see grauell.
¶ How Sampson slewe the kyng and his enemyes. ca. x.
ALso from Acon before sayd goo men thre Iourneys to the cyte of Phylystyen y t now [Page xvi] is called Gaza / that is to saye ryche cyte / & it is [...]ght fayr & full of follre & it is a lytell vpon y • see.
And from that cyte brought the stronge Samson the gates of the cyte vpon an hygh hylle where he was taken in y t cyte / & there he slewe the kyng in his palays & many a thousande more with hym / for he made an house to falle on theym. And fro thens shall men go to the cyte of Cesaryen and so to the castell of Pylleryns and thenne to Ashalon and so forth to Japhath / and so vnto the holy cy t [...] Ierusalem.
¶ The waye to Babylon where as the Soudan dwellyth. ca. xi.
ANd who so wyll goo thorugh the londe of Babylon where the Soudan dwelleth to haue leue to go more sykerly thrugh the chirches & coūtrees / & for to go to moūt Synay before he come to Ierusalem & than corne agayne by Ierlm he shall go fro Gasa to the castell Dayr. And after a man cometh out of Surry & gooth in wylder nesse where the waye is full sondy / & y t wyldernesse lasteth. viij. Iourneys where men fynde all that theym nedeth of vytayles / & men calle that wylder nesse Archellek / & whan a man cometh out of this deserte he ent [...]th in to Egypt / & they calle Egypt Canopat / & in an other langage men calle it Mer [Page xvij] syn [...] / & the fyrst good towne that men fynde is cal led Beleth / & it is at the ende of the kyngdome of Alape. And fro thens men come to Babylon & to Kayre / & in Babylon is a fayr chirche of our lady where she dwelled. vij. yere, whan she was out the londe of Iewes for drede of kyng Herode. And there lyeth the body of saynt Barbara virgyn / & there dwelled Ioseph whan he was solde of his brethern / & there made Nabugodonosor put thre childern in fyre / for they were of ryght trouthe / the whiche childern men called Anania. Azaria. Mi [...]el. as the psalme of Benedicite sayth / but Na [...]ugodonosor called theym thus. Sydrac. Mysac. [...]. that is to saye. God gloryous / god vyc [...] us / god ouer all kyngdoms / & y t was for my [...] that he made goddes sone / as he sayd go W t [...] childern thrugh the fyre. There dwelled the [...] dan / for theris a fayr see in a stronge castell & [...] sette vpon a roche. In that castell is alwaye dwellynge to kepe the castell & to serue the Soudan more than. viij. thousande persones of folke y t take all theyr necessaryes of the Soudans court I sholde well knowe it / for I dwelled with hym soudeour in his warres a grete whyle agayne the Be [...]oyns / and he wolde haue wedded me to a gre [...]e [...]ynces doughter ryght rychely and I wolde ha [...] forsaken my fayth.
[...] of the Soudan. ca. xij.
[Page]ANd ye shall [...]vnderstande that the Soudan is lorde of. vi. kyngdomes the whiche he hath conquered & goten to hym by strength / & this are they / the kyngdom of Canopate / the kyngdom of Egypte / the kyngdom of Ierusalem where Dauyd & Salon were kynges / the kyngdom [...] Surry of the whiche the cyte of Damas was [...] chyef / the kyngdom of Alape in the londe of [...] meth / & the kyngdom of Araby whiche was to ne of the thre kynges y t made offrynge to our de whan he was borne / and many other londes holdeth in his honde / & also he holdeth Calapl [...] that is a grete thynge to the Soudan / y t is to [...] amonge theym Roys yle & this vale is full [...]
And than men go vp on the moūt of saynt [...] ryne / & that is moche hygher than the moūt [...] [Page] [...]. And there as saynt Katheryne was grauen is [...] chirche ne chapell ne other dwellynge place / [...] there is an hylle of stones gedred togyder abou [...] the place there she was grauen of angels / there was wonte to be a chapell but it is all cast dow [...] / and yet lyeth there a grete parte of the stones.
[...]ut vnder the foot of the mount of Synay is a monastery of monkes & there is the chirche of saȳt Katheryne wherin ben many lampes brennynge / [...] they haue oyle olyue ynough for to ete & te brēne [...] y t they haue by myracle of god / ther com certayn of all maner byrdes euery yere ones lyke pylgrȳs [...] eche of theym bryngeth a braūche of olyue in to [...] of offrynge wherof they make moche oyle.
¶ For to retorne fro Synay to Ierlm ca. xiij.
[Page]NOw sythen a man hath vysyted this holy place of saynt Katheryne / & he wyll torne to Ierusalem / he shall fyrst take leue at the monkes & recōmaūde hym specyally to theyr prayers and those same monkes gyue with a good wyll to pylgryms vytayls to passe with thrugh the wylde [...] nes to Surry & that lasteth well. xiij. Iourneys
And in y t wyldernes dwelle many Arabyns tha men calle Bedoynes & Ascoperdes / thyse are fo [...] [...]e y t are full of all maner of ylle condycyons / [...] they haue no houses but tentes whiche they mak [...] of bestes shynnes as of camelles & other bestes th [...] whiche they ete & there vnder lye they / and the [...] dwelle in places where they may fynde water as on the reed see / for in that wyldernes is grete de [...] faute of water / & it falleth ofte where a man fyndeth [Page xix] water one tyme he fyndeth it not an other [...] me / & therfore make they no houses in those coū trecs. Thyse men that I speke of tyll not the londe for they ete no brede / but yf it be ony y t dwelled nere a good towne / & they rost all theyr fysshes & flesshe vpon hote stones agayne the sonne / & they are stronge men & well fyghtynge and they do no thynge but chace wylde bestes for theyr sustenaūce & they sette not by theyr lyues / therfore they drede not the Soudan no [...] no prynce of all the worlde.
And they haue ofte warre with the Soudan / and that same tyme y t I was dwellynge with hym they bare not but a shelde & a spere for to defende theȳ with / and they holde none other armour / but they wynde theyr hedes & theyr neckes in a grete lynen clothe / and they are men of full ylle kynde.
¶ As men are passeth this wyldernesse agayne comende to Ierusalem. ca. xiiij.
ANd whan men are passed this wyldernesse towarde Ier [...]m / they come to Barsabe y t was somtyme a fayr & a lykynge towne of crysten men & yet is there some of theyr chirches / & in that towne dwelled Abraham the patryarke / this towne of Barsabe foūded [...]ryas wyf of whom Dauyd engendred Salomon the wyse y t was kyng of Ier [...]m & of. xij. kyndes of Israell / & he regned. xl. yere / & fro thens go men to the vale of Ebron y t is fro thens nere. xij. myle / & some calle it the vale of Mambre / & also it is called the vale of Teres / for as moche as Adam in y t vale be wepte an hondred yere the deth of his sone Abell y t Caym slewe. And Ebron was somtyme the pryncypall cyte of Phylystyens / & ther dwelled geaūtes & there it was so free y t all men that had do yll in other places whe re there saued. In Ebron Iosue Calofe & theyr felawshyp came fyrst to aspye how they myght wȳ ne the londe of promyssyon. In Ebron Dauyd reg ned fyrst. vij. yere & an half / & in Ier [...]m he regned xxxiij. yere & an half / & there are the graues of the patryarkes Adam. Abraham. Iacob & theyr wyues Eue. Sara. Rebecca. & they are in the hangyn ge of the hylle / & vnder theym is a ryght fayr chit the kyrnelde after the facyon & maner as it were a castell / the whiche chirche y e sarasyns kepe ryght [Page xx] well / & they haue that place in grete worshyp for the holy patryarkes that lyeth there / & they suffre no crysten men ne Iewes to come in there but they haue specyall grace of the Soudan / for they holde crysten men & Iewes but as hoūdes y t sholde co me in no holy place / & they calle the place spelunke or double caue or double graue for one lyeth on an other / & the saralyns calle it in theyr langage Caryatharba / that is to saye the place of patryarkes / & the Iewes calle it Arboth / and in that same place was Abrahams hous / & that was the same Abraham the whiche sate in his dore & sawe thre persones and worshypped but one / as holy wrytte wytnesseth sayenge. Tres vidit et vnū adorauit. That is to saye / he sawe thre and worshypped but one / & hym toke Abraham in to his hous.
¶ Here foloweth a lytell of Adam and Eue and other thynges. ca. xv.
ANd ryght nere to that place is a caue in a roche where Adam and Eue dwelled whan they were dryuen out of Paradyse / and there gate they theyr childern. And in that same place was Adam made as some men saye / for men called some tyme that place the felde of Damasse / for it was in the lordshyp of Damasse / and fro thens he was translated in to Paradyse as they saye / And afterwarde he was dryuen out of Paradyse and put there agayne / for the same daye that he was put in to Paradyse the same daye he was dry uen out / for as soone he synned. And there begynneth the vale of Ebron that lasteth nere to Ierusalem / and the angell badde Adam that he sholde dwelle with his wyf / and there they engendred Seth of the whiche kynred Ihesu cryst was borne. And in that vale is the felde where men drawe ou te of the erthe a thynge / the whiche thynge men in that countree calle Chambyll / and they ete that thynge instede of spyce / and they bere it to selle / & men may not graue there so depe ne so wyde but it is at the yeres ende full agayne vp to the sydes thrugh the grace of god / & two myle from Ebron is the graue of Loth y t was Abrahams brodsr.
¶ Of the drye tree. ca. xvi.
THan a lytell from Ebron is the mount of Mambre of the whiche mount the vale to ke his name / and there is a free of oke that the sarasyns calle dyrpe that is of Abrahams tyme / that men calle the drye tree / and they saye that it hath ben from the begynnynge of the worlde and was somtyme grene and bare leues vnto the tyme that our lorde deyed & so dyde all the trees in the worlde or ellys they fayled in theyr hertes▪or ellys they faded / and yet is there many of those in the worlde. And some prophecyes saye that a lorde or pryn ce of the west syde of the worlde shall wynne the londe of promyssyon / that is the holy londe with the helpe of crysten men / and he shall do synge a masse vnder the drye tree / and than the tree shall waxe grene and bere fruyte and leues / and thrugh [Page] that myracle many sarasyns and Iewes shall be torned to the crysten fayth / and therfore they doo grete worshyp therto and kepe it ryght besely. And all yf it be drye it bereth a grete vertue / for certaynely he that bereth a lytell therof on hym it heleth a sykenes called the fallynge euyll and hath also many other vertues / & therfore it is holden ryght precyous.
¶ Fro Bethleem ca. xvii.
FRo Ebron men go to Bethleem on half a daye / for it is but fyue myle and it is a fay re waye and thorugh woodes full plesaunt. But Bethleem is but a lytell Cyte longe and narowe and well walled and enclosed with a grete dyche / and it was wonte for to be called Effrata as holy wrytte sayth. Ecce audiuimus eam in effrata &c̄. That is to saye. Loo we herde hym in Effrata / And towarde the ende of the cyte towarde the eest is a ryght fayre chirche & a gracyous / and it hath many toures and pynacles & kyrnelles full strongely made / and within that chirche is. xliiii. grete and fayre pylers made of marble / and bytwene this chirche & the cyte is the felde Floridus / and it is called the felde florysshed as ye shall here.
¶ Of a fayre mayden that sholde be put to deth wrongfully ca. xviii.
THe cause is / for as moche as a fayre mayden that was blamed with wronge y t she hadde done fornycacyon / for the whiche cause she was demed to the deth & to be brente in that place to the whiche she was ledde. And as the woode began to brenne about her / she made her prayer to our lorde as she was not gylty of y t thynge / that he wolde helpe her that it myght be knowen to all men. And whan she had thus sayd she entred the fyre / & anone the fyre went out / and those braunches that were brennynge became reed roses / and those braūches that were not kyndled becam whyte rosers full of whyte roses / & those were the fyrst roses & rosers that ony man sawe / and thus was the mayden saued thrugh the grace of god. And therfore is that felde called the felde of god florysshed [Page] / for it was full of roses. Also besyde the quere of that chirche aforsayd at the ryght syde as men come downewarde .xij. grees is the place where our lorde was borne that is now full well dyght of marble and full rychely depaynted of golde syluer and asure & other colours. And a lytell thens by thre paces is the crybbe of the oxe and the asse / and besyde that is the place where the sterre felle that ledde the thre kynges Iasper Melchior and Balthasar / but men of Grece calle y e kynges thus Galgalath. Saraphy. Galgalagh. Thyse thre kynges offred to our lorde encense / golde / & myrre & they came togyder thorugh myracle of god / for they mette togyder in a cyte y t men calle Chasak / that is .liij. Iourneys fro Bethleem / & there they were at Bethleem the fourth daye after they had seen the sterre. And vnder y e cloyster of this chirche .xviij. grees at the ryght syde is a grete pytte where the bones of the Innocentes lye / & before y t place where Cryste was borne is the tombe of Saynt Ierom that was a preest & a cardynall that translated the Byble & the Sawter fro Hebrewe in to latyn / & besyde y t chirche is a chirche of saynt Nycholas where our lady rested her whan she was delyuered of childe / & for as moche as she had so mo che mylke in her pappes y t gryued her she mylked it out vpon the reed stones or marble / so y t yet may the traces be seen whyte vpon y e stones. And ye shall vnderstande that all that dwelle in Bethleem are [Page xxiij] crysten men / & there are fayre vynes all about the cyte & grete plente of wyne / for theyr boke y t Machomet betoke theym the whiche they calle Alkaron / & some calle it massap / & some call it Harme forbyddeth theym to drynke wyne / for in y t booke Machomet curseth all those that drynke of y t wyne & all that selle it / for some men saye y t he ones slewe a good hermyte in his dronkenes whiche he loued moche / & therfore he cursed the wyne & theȳ that drynke wyne / but his malyson is torned to hymself as holy wrytte sayth. Et in verticē ipsius iniquitas eius descendet. That is to saye in Englysshe. His wyckednes shall descende in his owne heed. And also the sarasyns bryngeth forth no gry se ne they ete no swynes flesshe / for they saye it is broder to man & that it was forboden in the olde lawe. Also in the londe of Palestyne ne in the londe of Egypte they ete but lytell v [...]ale & beefe but it be so olde that it may nomore traueyll ne work not y t it is forboden but they kepe theym for tyllyn ge of theyr [...]nde. Of this cyte of Bethleem was kyng Dauyd borne / & he had .lx. wyues and .ccc. lēmans. Fro Bethleem to Ierusalem is two myle / & in the waye to Ierlm half a myle fro Bethleem is a chirche where the angell sayd to the shepeherdes of the berynge of Cryste / & in y t waye is the tombe of Rachell y t was Iosephys moder the patryarke & she deyed as soone as she had borne Benyamyn & there she was buryed / & Iacob her [Page] husbonde sette .xij. grete stones vpon her in tokenynge y t she had borne .xij. childern. In this waye to Ierusalem are many crysten chirches by the whiche men go to Ierusalem.
¶ Of the Cyte of Ierusalem. ca .xix.
FOr to speke of Ierusalem ye shall vnderstande that it standeth fayr amonge hylles and there is nouther ryuer ne welle but water cometh by conduyte fro Ebron / & ye shall wete that men called it fyrste Iebus & sythen was is called Salome vnto the tyme of kyng Dauyd / and he sette thyse two names samen & called it Iebusalem / and than came Salon & called it Ierusalem & so it is called yet. And about Ierusalem is the kyngdome of Surrey / & therby is the londe of Pa lestyne & Ascalon / but Ierusalem is in the londe of Iude / and it is called Iudee / for Iudas Machab [...]us was kyng of that londe / & also it marcheth afterwarde on the kyngdome of Araby / on the south syde on the londe of Egypte▪ on the west syde vpon the grete see / on the north syde vpon the kyngdome of Surrey & the see of Cypres. In Ie rusalem was somtyme a patryarke / & archebysshops & bysshops about in the coūtre. About Irlm are thyse cytees. Ebron at .vij. myle. Yeryco at .vi. myle. Barsabe at .viij. myle. Ascalon at .xviij. Iaffe at .xxv. myle. Ramatha at .iij. myle / and [Page xxiiij] Bethleem / and towarde the south is a chirche of saynt Markertot that was abbot there for whom they made moche sorowe whan he sholde deye / & yet is paynted there how they made dole whan he deyed / & it is a pyteoꝰ thynge to beholde. This lon de of Ierusalem hath ben in many dyuerse nacyons honds / as Iewes. Cananeus. Assyryens. Perce Medoynes. Massydones. Grekes. Romayns and crysten men. Sarasyns. Barbaryns. Turkes and many other nacyons. For Cryst wyll that it be lon ge in the hondes of traytours no synners be they crysten or other. And now hath the mystrowynge men holden that londe in theyr hondes .lx. yere & more / but they shall not holde it longe and yf god wyll.
¶ Ye [...] of the holy cyte of Ierusalem. ca .xx.
ANd ye shall wete that whan men fyrste co me to Ierusalem / they go fyrste pylgrymage to the chirche where that the holy graue is / that is out of the cyte on the north syde / but it is now closed in with the walle of the towne / and there is a full fayre chirche rounde all open aboue and well couered with leed / and on the west syde is a fayr toure and a stronge for belles / and in the myddes of the chirche is a tabernacle made lyke a lytell hous in maner of half a compas ryght well and rychely of golde and asure and other colours [Page] [...] [Page xxiiij] [...] [Page]
well dyght / and on the ryght syde is the sepulcre of our lorde / & the tabernacle is. viij. foot lon ge & . v. foot wy de and. xi. foot of heyght & it is not longe sythen the sepulcre was all open y t men myght kysse it & touche it. but for men y t came thy der payned theȳ to breke the stones in pyeces or pouder / therfore the Soudan hath do make a wal le about the sepulcre that no man may touche it / But on the lyft syde is no wyndowe but therin is many lampes lyght / & there is a lampe y t hangeth before the sepulcre lyght brennynge & on the frydaye it goth out by it self & lyghtneth agayne by it self at the houre that our lorde rose from deth to lyf. Also within y t chirche vpon the ryght syde is the mount Caluary where our lorde was done on the crosse & the crosse was sette in a morteys in the roche that is whyte of colour & a lytell reed meddled [Page xxv] with / & vpon that roche dropped the blood of the woundes of our lorde whan he was payned on the crosse / & that is called Galgatha / & men go vp to that Galgatha vpon greces / & in that morteys was Adams heed foūde after Noes flood in token that the synnes of Adam sholde be bought in the same place / & aboue that roche made Abraham sa crefyce to our lorde / & theris an awter & before that awter lyeth Godfrey of Boleyne. Bawdewyne & other that were crysten & kynges of Ierusalem. And there as our lorde was done vpon the crosse is this wryten in grewe. Otheos / basylon / ysmon / presemas / ergaste / sothyas / oys. That is to saye in latyn. Hic deus rex noster ante secula operatus est salutē in medio terre. That is to saye. This god our kyng before worldes hath wrought hele in the myddes of the erthe. And also vpon the roche whe re the crosse was fixed is wryten within the roche. Gros / guyst / basys / thou / pestes / thoy / thesmoysy / is to saye in latyn. Quod vides est fundamentū to cius mundi et huius fidei. And it is to saye / that y u seest is groūde of all the worlde & of this fayth / And ye shall vnderstande that our lorde whan he deyed was. xxxij. yere olde & thre monethes / & the prophecy of Dauyd sayth that he sholde haue. xl. yere whan he sayth thus. Quadraginta ānis proxi mus fui generacioni huic. That is to saye / fourty yere was I neyghbour to this kynde / & thus sholde it seme that prophecy were not soth / but it is. [Page] For in olde tyme men called yeres of .x. monethes of the whiche Marche was the fyrst & December the last / But Gaius Cezar that was Emperour of Rome dyde sette to thyse two monethes Ianua ry and February & ordeyned the yere of .xij. monethes / that is to saye .CCC. dayes without lepe ye re the proper cours of the sonne / & therfore after the accomptynge of .x. monethes to the yere he deyed in .xl. yere / and after our yeres of .xij. monethes is it .xxxij. yere and thre monethes. ¶ Also within mount Caluary at the ryght syde is an awter whe re the pyler lyeth y t our lorde was bounde to whan he was scourged & ther besyde are thre other pylers y t alwaye droppe water / and some saye y t those pylers wepe for our lordes deth / and nere this awter in a place .xlij. grees depe was founde the very Crosse by assente of Saynt Eleyne vnder a roche
[Page xxvi] where the Iewes had hydde it / and it was assayed for they foūde thre crosses / one of our lorde & two of the two theues. And saynt Eleyne assayed theȳ on a deed body that rose as soone as the very crosse of our lorde was layde on hym. And there by in the vale is the place where the foure nayles of our lorde were hydde / for he had two nayles in his hondes / and two in his feet / & one of those nayles the Emperour of Constantynople dyde make a brydell for his hors to bere hym in batayll / for the vertue that it had he ouercame his enmyes. And whan all the londes of Asye Turky Damasse the more & the lesse. Surrey and Ierusalem. Araby / Percy / and Mesopotamy / the kyngdom of Alape Egypte the hyghe & the lowe / and other kyngdomes many full nygh all vnto Ethyope the lowe / and also vnto Ynde the lesse that than was crysten & there was in that tyme many good men & holy hermytes / of whom the bokes of the faders lyues speketh / & they are now in paynynis & sarasyns hondes / but whan god wyll ryght as thyse londes are lost thrugh synne of crysten men / so shall they be wonne agayne by crysten men thrugh the helpe of god. And in the myddes of this chirche is a com pas in the whiche Ioseph of aromathy layde the body of our lorde whan he had taken hym of the crosse / and vpon the same place dyde he wasshe the feet of our lorde / and that compas men saye it is in the myddes of the worlde.
¶ Of the chirche of the holy sepulcre. ca. xxi.
IN that chirche of the sepulcre on the north syde is the place where our lorde was done in pryson in many places / & there is a parte of the chayne with the whiche he was boūde. And there he appyered fyrst to Mary mawdeleyne whan he was rysen fro deth / & she trowed that he had ben a gardyner. In the chirche of the sepulcre was woned to be chanons of saynt Benet / & they had a pryour but the patryarke was theyr souerayne / & without the dores of the chirche at the ryght syde as men go vp .xviij. degrees sayd our lorde to his moder. Ecce filius tuus. That is to saye. Woman beholde thy sone. Deinde dicit discipulo. Ecce ma ter tua. That is to saye / than sayd he to his dyscy ple. Beholde thy moder. And this worde he sayd vpon the crosse / & vpon thyse grees went our lorde whan he bare the crosse vpon his sholder / & vnder thyse grees is a chapell where preestes synge / but not after our lawe / & alwaye they make theyr sacrament of the awter of breed sayenge Pater nf. & other prayers / as with the whiche thynge they saye the wordes of whome the sacrament is made / for they knowe not of addycyons y t many popes haue made / but they synge in good deuocyon. And there nere is the place where our lorde rested hym whan he was wery for berynge of the crosse. And ye shall vnderstande that before the chirche of the sepulcre [Page xxvij] is the cyte moost weyke / for the grete playne that is bytwene the cyte and the chirche / on the eest syde without the walles of the cyte is the vale of Iosaphat that cometh to the walles.
In that vale of Iosaphat without the cyte is the chirche of saynt Stephen where he was stoned to deth / & there by is the gate gylted that may not be opened. Thrugh y t gate our lorde entred on palme sondaye vpon an asse / & the gate opened agaynst hym whan he wolde go to the Temple / & yet are the steppes of the asse seen in thre places the whiche stande in full harde stones. Before the chirche of the sepulcre two hondred paces is a grete hospy talle of saynt Iohan / in the whiche hospytall be .liiij. pylers made of stone. And to go towarde the eest fro the hospytall is a ryght fayre chirche that [Page] men calle our lady the grete / & than is there an other chirche after that y • men calle our lady of the latyn / and there was Mary cleophe & Mary maw deleyne and drewe theyr here whan our lorde was done to deth.
¶ Templū dei. Of the Temple of god. ca. xxij.
And fro the chirche of the sepulcre towarde the eest at. xviij. pa ces is Templū dm̄. That is a fayr hous & it is all rounde and ryght hygh & co uered with leed. & it is well pauyed with whyte marble / but the Sarrasyns wyll suffre noo Lrysten men ne Iewes to come therin / for they saye y • so foule men sholde not come in to y • holy place / but I came therin & in other places where I wolde / for I had letters of the Soudan [Page xxviij] with his grete Seale / & comonly other men haue but of his sygnet / & men bere his letter with his seale before theyin hangynge on a sper [...] / & men do grete worshypp therto & knele agayne it as [...]e do agayne goddes body / for those men y • it is sent to / before they take it they enclyne theyin fyrst ther to / & thenne they take it and laye it vpon theyr he des & afterwarde they kysse it / and than rede it all enclynynge with grete worshyp / & than they profer theym to do all that the brynger wyll / & in this Templū dm̄ were wonte to be chanons regulers / and they had an abbot to whome they were obedy ent / and in this Temple was Charlemayn whan the angell brought hym the prepuys of our lorde whan he was cyrcūcysed / and after kyng Charles dyde brynge it to Acon in to our ladyes chapell.
¶ Yet of the Temple of god. ca.xxiij.
ANd ye shall vnderstande y • this is not the Temple that Salomon made for y • Tem ple lasted but a thousande an hondred & two yere. For Tytus Despasianus sone y • was Emperour of Rome that layd syege about Ierusalem for to dyscomfyte y • Iewes for they had do Cryst to deth without [...]eue of the Emperour / & whan he had ta ken the Cyte he dyde brenne the Temple & cast it downe / & toke all the Iewes & put of theym to deth .xi.C.M. and the other he put in pryson and solde [Page] xxx. for a peny / for they sayd that they bought [...]hu cryst for. xxx. pens. And sythen gaf Iulyan aposcata leue to the Iewes to make the Temple of Ie rusalem agayne for he hated crysten men / & yet he was crysten but he forsoke his lawe. And whan y • Iewes had made the Temple than came an erthe quaue as god wolde & caste downe all y • they had made. Sythen Adryan themperour y • was of them of Troye made Ierusalem agayne & the Temple in that same maner that Salomon made it & wolde that no Iewe sholde dwelle there but all cry sten men / for yf all it were so that he was not crystened he loued crysten men more than ony other men / saue men of his owne fayth. And this Emperour dyde enclose & walle the chirche of the holy sepulcre within the cyte y • before was ferre with out the cyte / & he wolde haue chaūged the name of Ierusalem & called it Helyam / but y • name lasted not longe. And ye shall we [...]e y t the sarasyns do gre te worshyp to that Temple / & they saye y t place is [...]ght holy / & whan they go there in they go bare foot & knele many tymes downe. And whan my felowes & I came there in we dyde of our harneyse & came hare foot in to the Temple & thought y t we sholde doo as moche or more than they that were mystrowynge / and this Temple is thre score and thre cubytes of wydenesse and as moche of length and .xxxij. cubytes in the heyght / & couered with leed / & it is within full of pylers of marble. [Page xxix] And in myddes of the Temple is a stage of .xxiiij grees of heyght & good pylars all about. This place called the Iewes Sancta sancto (rum). That is to saye. Holy of holyes / & in that place cometh none but oonly theyr prelate that maketh theyr sacre fyce / & the people standeth all about in dyuerse sta ges after they are of dygnyte & of worshyp / and there be four entrynges to that Temple & the do res are of cypres well dyght / & within the eest dore our lorde sayd here is Ierusalem. And on the north syde within the dore is a fontayne but it renneth not / of the whiche holy wrytte speketh & sayth thꝰ [...]idi aquā egredientē de templo. That is to saye. I sawe water comynge out fro the Temple. And vpon the other syde is a roche y t men called somtyme Moryach / but after was it called Belet or the arke of god with the relykes of the Iewes. This arke dyde Tytus carye with hym to Rome whan he had dyscomfyted all the Iewes. In that same ar ke were the .x. cōmaūdementes / & of Arons rodde & of Moyses rodde with whiche he departed with the reed see whan the people of Israell passed thorugh on drye foot / & with that rodde he dyde many wondres / & there was a vessell of golde full of Manna / & clothynge & ornamentes / and the taber nacle of Aron / & a table square of golde with .xij. precyous stones / and a boxe of Iaspes grene with foure fygures & . viij. names of our lorde within / and .vij. candelstyckes of golde / & four censers of [Page] golde / & an awter also of golde / and foure lyons of golde / vpon the whiche they had Cherubyn of golde. xij. span longe / & a tabernade of golde / and also. xij. trompettes of syluer / & a table of syluer / and. vij. barly loues / & all other relyhes that were before the Natyuyte of Ihesu. Also vpon this Roche slept Iacob whan he sawe angels go vp and dnwne & sayd. [...]ere locus iste sanctus est et ego ig norabā. That is to saye. Forsoth this place is holy & I wyst it not. And there the angell chaūged Iacobs name & called hym Israell. And in that place sawe Dauyd the angell that slowe the people with a swerde & put it all blody in the shethe / And in this roche was saynt Symeon whan he re ceyued our lorde in to the Temple / & on this roche he sette hym whan the Iewes wolde haue stonedr hym / and the roche ryued in two & in that ryft he hydde hym / & a sterre came done & gate hym lyght And on this roche sate our lady & lerned her saw ter. And there forgaue our lorde the synnes to the woman that was taken & foūde in aduoutry / and there was our lorde Ihesu cryst cyrcūcysed / & there the angell denoūced to Zacharye the Natyuyte of saynt Iohn baptyst / & there offred fyrst Melchysedech brede & wyne and water to our lorde in tokenynge of the sacrament that was to come. And there felle Dauyd prayenge to our lorde for mercy for hym & for his people whan he sawe the angell slee his people / and our lorde anone herde his [Page xxx] prayer / & therfore wolde he make the Temple in that place. But our lorde Ihesu cryst forbadde hȳ by an angell / for he had done treason whan he dy de slee [...]ryas a good knyght for to haue his wyf. And therfore all that he hadr ordeyned for to make the Temple he betoke it vnto Salomon his sone / and he made it & he prayed our lorde that all those that prayed in that place deuoutly and with good herte that he wolde here that prayer & graū te that they asked ryghtwysly / & our losde graūte it / & therfore Salomons sone called it the Temple of coūseyll & helpe of god. Without the dores of that Temple is an awter where Iewes were wonte to offre dou [...]es & turtylles / and in y • Temple was Zacharye slayne / and on the pynnacle the Iewes sette saynt Iames on the erthe that fyrste was bysshop of Ierusalem / and a lytell fro this Temple on the ryght syde is a chirche couered w t leed that is called the scole of Salomon. And towarde the south is the Temple Salon that is full fayre and a grete place / and in this place dwelle knyghtes that are called Templers / & that was the founder therof and of theyr ordre / and in that Templū dm̄ dwelle chanons. Fro this Temple towarde the eest at. xxvi. paces in a corner of the cyte is the bathe of our lorde & this bathe was won te to go to Paradyse / & besyde is our ladyes bedde & nere there is the tombe of saynt Symeon / and without the cloyster of the Temple towardes [Page] the north is a ryght fayr chirche of saȳt Anne our ladyes moder / & there was our lady conceyued / & before that chirche is a grete tree y t began to growe that same nyght. And as men go downe fro that chirche. xxij. grees lyeth Ioachym our ladyes fader in a tombe of stone / & there nere was layde some tyme saynt Anne / but saynt Elyne dyde trans late her in to Constantynople. In this chirche is a welle in maner of a cysterne that is called Probatica pilcina / that had fyue entrynges / & in y t cyster ne was wonte an angell to descende & stere the wa ter / & what man that bathed hym fyrst therin after the mouynge was made hoole that was syke what sykenes so euer he had / & there was the man of the palsy made hole y t was syke. xxxviij. yere / & our lorde sayd vnto hym in this maner wyse. Tolle grabatū tuū et ambula. That is to saye in Englysshe / take thy bedde & go. And there besyde was the hous ef Pylate / & a lytell thens was the hous of kyng Herode that dyde slee the Innocentes.
¶ Of kyng Herode. ca. xxiiij.
THis kyng Herode was a full wycked man and a felle / for he dyde fyrst & formest slee his wyf whiche he loued full well / & for the grete loue that he had to her whan she was deed he behelde her & went out of his wytte & so was he lon ge tyme / & afterwarde he came agayne to hymself [Page xxxi] And sythen he dyde slee his owne childern that he had goten of y t wyf / & after he made slee the other his seconde wyf and a sone that he had goten of that same wyf / & after he dyde slee his owne moder / & he wolde also haue slayne his owne broder. but his broder deyed sodenly / & thus he dyde all the yll that he myght. And than he felle syke / and whan he [...]awe that he sholde deye he sente for his syster & all the grete lordes of that countree / and whan they were there he dyde put all the lordes in to a toure & sayd to his syster / he wyst well that the men of the coūtree sholde make no sorowe for hym whan he were deed / and therfore he made her for to swere vnto hym that she sholde do smyte of the hedes of his lordes euerychone after his deth / & than sholde men of all the coūtree make sorowe for his deth / or ellys they wolde not sorowe / and thus he made his testament. But his syster fulfylled it not as of that thynge that parteyned vnto the lordes / for as soone as he was deed she delyuered the lordes out of the toure & sente euerychone home to theyr houses & tolde theym what her broder wolde she hadde done with theym. And ye shall vnderstande that in y t tyme was thre Herodes of grete name. This of whome I speke men called hym Herode ascolonyte / & he that dyde smy te of saynt Iohn baptyst heed was called Herode antypa / & the thyrde was called Herode agryppa & dyde slee saȳt James & put saȳt Peter in pryson.
¶ Of saynt Saluatours chirche. ca. xxv.
ALytell within the cyte is saȳt Saluatours chirche & therin is saynt Iohn crysostoms arme / & the moost parte of saynt Stephens heed.
[Page xxxij] And on the other syde towarde the south as men go to moūt Syon is a fayre chirche of saynt Iames where his heed was smyten of / & theris moūt Syon / and there is a fayre chirche of god & of our lady where she was dwellynge & deyed / and there was somtyme an abbey of chanons regulers / and fro that place she was borne of the apostles vnto the vale of Iosaphat. And there is the stone that the angell bare to our lady fro moūt Synay / & it is of that colour that the roche of saynt Katheryne is of / & there besyde is the gate where our lady whan she was with childe wente thrugh to Bethleem. Also at the entrynge of moūt Syon is a cha pell & in that chapell is that stone grete and large with whiche the sepulcre was couered whan Cryste was layde therin / the whiche stone the thre Ma ryes sawe torned vpwarde whan they came to the sepulcre / & there they foūde an angell that sayd to theym that Cryste was rysen fro deth to lyf. And there is a lytell pyece of the pyler to the whiche our lorde was scourged / & there was Annas hous that was bysshop of the Iewes in that tyme. And in that same place forsoke Saynt Peter our lorde thryes before the cocke crewe. And there is a parte of the table on the whiche god made his maunde with his dyscyples / & yet is there the vessell w t water out the whiche his dyscyples feet were wasshen & therby is saynt Stephens graue / & theris y • awter where our lady herde the angels synge masse / [Page] and there appyered Cryste fyrste to his dyscyples after his resurreccyon whan the gates were sperde and sayd. Pax vobis. That is for to saye. Peas to you. And on that moūt appyered Cryste to saynt Thomas & badde hym assaye his wounde / and that was the .viij. daye after his resurreccyon / & than he byleued parfyghtly and sayd. Dominus meus et deus meus. That is for to saye in Englysshe. My lorde and my god. In that same chapell behynde the hygh awter were all the apostles on Wytsondaye whan the holy ghoost descended on theym in lykenesse of fyre / and there made god Paske with his dyscyples / and there slepte saynt Iohan the Euangelyst on our lordes brest / and sawe slepynge many preuy thynges of heuen. And the mount Syon is within the cyte & it is a lytell hygher than the other syde of the cyte / and that cyte is stronger on that one syde than on the other for at the foot of mount Syon is a fayre castell & stronge whiche the Soudan dyde do make there / on mount Syon was kyng Dauyd buryed and Salomon and many other kynges of Ierusalem And there is the place where Saynt Peter wepte full tenderly whan he had forsaken our lorde / and a stone cast from that is an other place where our lorde was Iuged for that tyme was there Cayphas hous. Also bytwene the Temple Salomon and moūt Syon is the place where Cryste reysed the mayden fro deth to lyf. Vnder moūt Syon towarde [Page xxxiij] the vale of Iosaphat is a welle that men calle Natatorye sylo / there was our lorde wasshen after that he was baptysed. And therby is y • tree on the
whiche Iudas hanged hymself for dyspayre whan he had solde Cryste. And there by is the Synagoge where the bysshops of Iewes & the pharysees ca me to holde theyr coūseyll / & there Iudas cast the xxx. pens before theym & sayd / peccaui tradēs san guinē iustū. That is to saye. I haue synned deceyuynge ryghtwysse blood.
¶ The felde of Acheldemak whiche was bought with those .xxx. pens. ca. xxvi.
ON the other syde of mount Syon towarde the south a stone caste is the felde that was [Page] bought with▪ those .xxx. pens for whiche Cryst was solde y t men calle Acheldemak / that is to saye the felde of blood / in y t felde is many tombes of crysten men for there be many pylgryms grauen. And also in Ierusalem towarde the west is a fayr chirche where the tree grewe of the whiche the crosse was made / & there nere is a fayre chirche where our la dy mette▪ with Elyzabeth whan they were both w t childe / & saynt Iohn styred in his moders wombe & made worshyp to our lorde his maker / & vnder the awter of the chirche is a place where saȳt Iohn was born / & therby is the castell of Emaux.
¶ Of the mount Ioye. ca .xxvij.
TWo myle fro Ierusalem is the moūt Ioye that is a fayre place & lykynge and there lyeth Samuell the prophete in a fayre tombe / & it is called moūt Ioye for there many pylgryms see fyrst Ierusalem. And in the myddell of the vale of Iosaphat is a lytell ryuer that is called Torrens cedron / & ouerth wart this ryuer laye a tree of the whiche the crosse was made that men yode ouer. Also in that vale is a chirche of our lady and there is the sepulcre of our lady / & our lady was of age whan she deyed .lxxij. yere / and there nere is the place where our lorde forgaue Saynt Peter all his synnes & mysdedes that he had done. And besyde that is a chapell where Iudas kyssed our [Page xxxiiij] lorde that men calle Getsemay & there he [...] [...] ken of the Iewes / & there lefte Cryst his dyscyples before his passyon whan he wente to praye & sayd Pater si fieri potest transeat a me calix iste. That is for to saye in Englysshe. Fader yf it may be done late this chalyce go from me. And also therby is a chapell where our lorde swette bothe blood & water. And there is the tombe of kyng Iosaphat of whom the vale had the name. And on the syde of that vale is the moūt of Olyuete / & it is called so for there greweth many olyue trees there and it is hygher than Ierusalem / and therfore fro that hylle men may see in to the stretes of Ierusalem. And bytwene that hylle & the cyte is nothynge but the vale of Iosaphat & that is not full large / and vpon that hylle stode our lorde whan he wente in to heuen / & yet semeth there the steppe of his lefte foot in the stone / and there is an abbey of blacke chanons that was somtyme / but now is there but a chirche. And but a lytell thens .xxviij. paces is a chapell & there is the stone on the whiche our lorde god sate on whan he preched & sayd thus. Beati pauperes spiritu quoniā ipso (rum) est regnū celo (rum). That is for to saye in Englysshe. Blessyd be they that are poore in spyryte / for theyrs is the kyngdo me of heuen / & there he taught his dyscyples theyr Pater noster. There nere also is a chirche of that blessyd woman saynt Mary Egypcyan and there is she buryed. And vpon the other syde towarde [Page] the est thre boweshottes fro thens standeth Bethphage where our lorde Ihesu cryst sente saynt Peter and saynt Iames for to fetche an asse on Palme sondaye.
¶ Of the castell Bethania. ca .xxviij.
THere towarde the eest is a castell that men calle Bethania there dwelled Symeon the loprouse y t herborowed our lorde & theym y t were baptysed of our lordes dyscyples / & he was called Iulyan & was made bysshop / & that is he y t men calle on for good herborowe. In y t same place our lorde forgaf Mary mawdeleyn her synnes / & there she wesshe his fect w t her teeres & dryed w t her here & there was Lazar reysed y t was four dayes deed.
¶ Of Yeryco and other thynges. ca .xxix.
IN the retornynge of moūt Olyuete is y t pla ce where our lorde wept vpon Ierlm / & there by our lady appyered to saynt Thomas after her assumpcyon & gaf hym her gyrdell. And therby is the stone on whiche our lorde sate oft & preched / & theron he shall sytte y t daye of dome as hȳself sayd And there is moūt Galyle where thapostles were gadred whan Mary mawdleyn tolde theȳ of Cry [...]is rysynge. bytwene moūt Olyuete & moūt Galy [...] is a chirche where the angell sayd to our lady [Page xxxv] whan she sholde deye. Also fro Bethany to Yerico is. v. myle. Yeryco was somtyme a lytell cyte / but it was wasted / & now is it but a lytell towne / that towne toke Iosue thrugh myracle of god & byddynge of the angell & destroyed it & cursed all tho se y t buylded it agayne. Of that cyte was Raah y t comon woman that receyued messengers of Israell & kepte theym fro many peryls of deth & therfore she had a good rewarde as holy wrytte sayth. Qm̄ accepit ꝓphetā in noīe meo mercedē ꝓhe accipiet. That is to saye. He that taketh a prophete in my name / he shall take mede of a prophete.
¶ Of the holy places bytwene Bethanye & flom Iordan & other thynges. ca .xxx.
Also from Bethanye men go to flom Iordan thrugh wyldernes & it is nere a dayes Iourney bytwene towardes the eest vnto a grete hylle where our lorde fasted .xl. dayes / & vpon this hylle was Cryst brought of the fende of helle and sayd to hym thus. Dic vt lapides isti panes fiant. That is to saye / that thyse stones be made brede / & there is an hermytage where dwelle a maner of crysten men that men calle Georgyns / for Saynt George conuerted theym / & vpon y t hylle dwelled Abraham a grete whyle. Also as men go to Yeryco in the waye sate many syke men cryenge. Iesu fili dauid miserere nobis. That is to saye. Ihesu Dauyds [Page] sone haue mercy on vs. Also two myle fro Yeryco is flom Iordan / & ye shall wete the deed see departed the londe of Ynde & of Araby / & the water of y t see is full bytter / & this water casteth out a thynge that men calle aspaltū as grete pyeces as an hors / & Ierusalem is. CC. furlonges frō this see / & so it is called the deed see / for it renneth not nor no man ne beest that hath lyf y t is therin may lyue & y t hath ben proued many tymes / for they ha ue cast therin men y t are demed to deth / ne no man may drynke of y t water / & men cast yron therin it cometh vp agayne / & yf a man cast a fether therin it gooth to the groūde & that is ayenst kynde.
And there about growen trees that bere fruyte of fayre colour and seme rype / but whan a man breketh theym or cutte in theym he fyndeth nought [Page xxxvi] in them but coles or asshes in tokenynge that thorugh the vengeaūce of god thyse cytess were [...] te with the fyre of helle. And some man calle that lake the lake of the Alphytedde / and some calle it the flom of the deuyll / and some calle it the stynkynge flom for the water therof stynketh. There sanken thyse fyue cytees thrugh the wreche of god. that is to saye. Sodome. Gomor. Aldema. Solome & Segor. For the synne of Sodome that regned in theym / but Segor thorugh the prayer of [...]oth was saued a grete whyle / for it sate on an hylle / and yet appyereth moche therof aboue the water / and men may see the walles in clere weder And in this cyte of Segor Loth dwelleth a grete whyle & there he was made dronken of his dough [...]s and laye by theym / they wende that god sholde haue destroyed all the worlde as he dyde with Noes flood. And therfore they laye by theyr fader for men sholde be borne of theym in to the worlde. And yf he had not be dronken he had not lyen by theym. And at the ryght syde of this see dwelled Loths wyf a stone of salte for that she loked agay [...]e whan the cyte sanke downe.
¶ Of Abraham and his generacyon. ca. xxxi.
ANd ye shall vnderstande that Loth was Arons sone Abrahams broder / and Sara Abrahams wyf was Loths syster / & Sara was. xc. [Page] yere olde whan she gate Ysaac / and Abraham had an other sone named Ismaell that he had [...] goten on his mayden Agar / & he was. xiiij. yere of age whan Ysaac was borne / & whan Ysaac was. viij. dayes olde he was circūcysed & therfore the Iewes dyde circūcyse theym at the age of. viij. dayes / & his other sone Ismaell was circūcysed that same daye & was. xiiij. yere of age / and therfore the Sa rasyns dyde circūcysetheym at. xiiij. yere of age / & therfore the Iewes that be of the generacyon of Ysaac do circūcyse theym at the. viij. daye of theyr age / and the sarasyns that be of Ismaels genera cyon do circūcyse theym at theyr. xiiij. yere of age. And in to that deed se [...] aforsayd renneth the flom Iordan & maketh there an ende / & this is within a myle of saynt Iohans chirche / & a lytell beneden that same chirche westwarde were the crysten men wonte to bathe theym / & a myle thens is the ryuer of Loth thrugh whiche Iacob went whan he came fro Mesopotamyen.
¶ Of the flom Iordane. ca. xxxij.
THis flom Iordan is no grete Ryuer nor d [...] pe but there is moche good fysshe therin / & it cometh from moūt Lybany fro two welles tha [...] men calle Ior and Dane / & of theym it taketh th [...] name / and vpon the one syde of that ryuer is moū [...] Gelboe & there is a fayre playne. And on y t othe [...]
hylle of Effraym where Anna Samuels moder the prophete dwelled / and there was the prophete borne / and after his deth he was buryed at mount Ioye as I haue sayd. And after come men to Sybola where the Arke of god was kepte vnder Hely the prophete. And there made the people of Israell theyr sacrefyce vnto our lorde. Also there spa ke our lorde fyrst vnto Samuell. And there mynystred god the sacrament. Also there nere at the lyfte syde is Gabaon and Rama Benyamyn of the whiche holy wrytte speketh. After that come men to Sychem that some men calle Sycar / and this is in the prouynce of Samarytanes / and some tyme was there a chirche but it was all casted downe / and it is now a fayre vale and that full plenteuous / and there is a good cyte in that vale that men calle Neople / and so froms thens it is a dayes Iourney vnto Ierusalem / and there is the welle where our lorde spake to the woman Samarytane / and Sychem is .x. myle fro Ierusalem & it is called Neople / that is to saye the newe towne. And there nere is the Temple Ioseph Ia cobs sone that gouerned Egypte. Fro thens were his bones brought & layde in that Temple / and thyder came Iewes often in pylgrymage with gre te deuocyon. Also in that cyte was Iacobs dough ter Dyana rauysshed for whom her brothers slewe many me [...]. and therby is the cyte of Garysym whe re the Samarytanes make theyr sacrefyce.
¶ On this hylle wolde Abraham haue sacrefyed his sone Ysaac / and there nere is the vale of Dotayn & there is y • cesterne where Io seph was cast in of his bretheren before y t they solde hym / and it is two myle to Sychar / & fro thens men come to Sa mary y t men call Sebasten / & y • is the chyef cyte of that coūtree / & in that cyte was the sete of the .xij. kyndes of Israell / but it is not so grete as it was / & there was saynt Iohn baptyst buryed bytwene two prophetes Helyzeus & Abdon / but he was byheded in the castell of Makaryn besyde the deed see & he was translated of his dyscyples & buryed at Samary / but there dyde Iulius apostata take his bones & brente theym / for he was y t tyme Emperour / but the fynger with the whiche he shewed our lorde sayenge. Ecce agnus dei. That is to saye Beholde the lombe of god / & that fynger myght [Page] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]ecla the virgyn dyde bryn and Hely the prophetes. And therfore [...] say▪ Peter. Bonū est nos hic esse. faciamus tria tabernacula &c. That is to saye. It is good to vs to be here / make we thre tabernacles. And our lorde Ihe su cryste badde theym that they sholde saye it to no man vnto the tyme y t he was rysen from deth to lyf And vpon the same hylle shall foure angels sowne theyr trompettes & reyse all men y t are deed to lyf / & than shall they come in body & soule to the Iugement / but the Iugement shall be in the vale of Iosaphat on Eesterdaye at the same tyme as our lorde rose from deth to lyf. And also a myle fro moūt Tabor is moūt Hermon / & there was y • cyte of Namy / before the yates of y t cyte our lorde reysed the wydowes sone y t had nomore children.
¶ Of the see of Galyle. ca. xxxvij.
ANd from thens men go to a cyte that men calle Tyberyen y t sytteth on the see of Ga lyle / & all yf it be called the see of Galyle it is no see ne arme of the see / for it is but a staumble of fresshe water / & it is more than an hondred furlon ges longe and .xl. brood / & therin is many good fysshes. And on the same see standeth many good cytees therfore this see chaūged often his name af ter the cytees that stande therupon but it is all [...] water or see / and vpon this see yode our lorde dry [...] foot / & there sayd he to Peter whan he came on the [Page] water & was nere drowned. Modice fidei quare du bitasti. That is to say. Thou of lytell byleue why haddest thou doubte.
¶ Of the table there Cryste ete vpon after his vp rysynge fro deth to lyf. ca. xxxviij.
IN this cyte of Tyberyen is the table y t Cry ste ete of with his dyscyples after his refurreccyon / & they knewe hym in brekynge of brede as holy wrytte sayth. Et cognouerūt eū in fractione panis. That is to saye. The knewe hym in brekynge of brede. And about the hylle of Tyberyen is the Cyte where our lorde fedde fyue thousande people with fyue barley leues & two fysshes.
And in the same cyte dyde men cast in angre a fy-
[Page xxxix]not be brente / & saynt Tecla the virgyn dyde brynge thyse fynger vnder the Alphen y • ben moūtayns where they do it grete worshyp / & she dyde saynt Iohn baptyst heed closed in a walle / but themperour Theodosyan dyde take it out & foūde it lapped in a cloth all blody & bare it to Cōstantynople & theris yet the one half of the heed / & the other is at Rome in saynt Syluesters chirche / & the vessell wherin his heed was layd whan it was smyten of is at G [...]ene & they do it grete worshyp. Some saye that saynt Iohans heed is at Amyens in Pycardy / and some saye it is Saynt Iohans heed the bysshop. I wote not but god wote it.
¶ Of the Samarytanes. ca. xxxiiij.
[Page]FRom Sebasten to Ierusalem is. xij. myle / and bytwene the hylles of this coūtree is a welle y t men calle Fons Iacob / that it to saye Iacobs welle y t chaūged four tymes in the yere his co lour / for somtyme it is reed / somtyme clere / somty me grene / & somtyme thycke / & men y t dwelle there are called Samarytanes & were conuerted thrugh the apostles / & theyr lawe varyeth from crysten la we & sarasyns lawe also & fro Iewes & paynyms / they byleue well in one god y t all shall deme / & byleue the Byble after the letter / & they lappe theyr hedes in reed lynen clothe for dyfference of other / for sarasyns lappe theyr hedes in whyte clothe / & crysten men y t dwelle there in blewe cloth / & Iewes in yelowe / & in this coūtree dwellen many Iewes payenge trybute as crysten men done. And yf they wyll wete the lettres of the Iewes they are suche / & the names of theyr lettres as they call theȳ. Alpha for a. beth for b. gimel c. he d. van e. zay f. ex g. ioth i. karph k. lamp l. men m. sameth o. ey p. phe q. lad r. coth s. fir t. soun v. than x. lours y. Now shall ye haue the fygures. :: D li xh t (er) [...] S E S li n h R N. f c ꝯ h n d ik.
¶ Of Galyle. ca. xxxv.
FRo this coūtre y t I haue spoken of men go to the playn of Galyle & leue the hylles at the one syde / & Galyle is of the prouynce of y e londe [Page xl] of promyssyon / & in that prouynce is the londe of Naym & Capharnaȳ & Corosaym / & at Bethsayda was saynt Peter & saynt Andrewe born / of Corosaym shall Antecryst be born / & as some saye he shall be borne in Babylon / therfore sayth the prophete. De babilonia coluber exiet q̄ totū mūdū deuorabit. That is to saye. Of Babylon shall come a serpent y t shall deuoure all the worlde. And this Antecryst shall be nourysshed in Bethsayda & shall regne in Corosaym / therfore sayth holy wryt thus. Ve tibi corosaym. Ve tibi Bethsayda. That is to saye. Wo be to y e Corosaym. Wo be to y • Beth sayda / & the Chan of Galyle is four myle from Nazareth / of y t cyte was the womas of Chanane [...] of whom the gospell speketh / & there our lorde dy de the fyrst myracle at y e weddynge at the Archetryclyne whan he conuerted water in to wyne. And fro thens mey go vnto Nazareth y t was somtyme a grete cyte / but now is there but a lytell towne & it is not walled / & there was our lady born / the na me toke our lorde of this Cyte / but our lady was goten at Ierusalem. At Nazareth toke Ioseph our lady to wyf whan she was of. xiiij. yere of age & there the amgell salued her sayenge. Aue gracia plena dn̄s tecū. That is to saye. Heyle full of gra ce the lorde be w t the / & there was somtyme a grete chirche / & now is there but a lytell closeth to recey ue the offrynges of pylgryms / & there is the welle of Gabryell where our lorde was wonte to bathe [Page] hym in whan he was lytell / at Nazareth was our lorde nourysshed / & Nazareth is to saye / floure of gardeyne / & it may well be called so / for there was nourysshed the floure of lyf y t was our lorde Ihesu cryste. At half a myle from Nazareth is the blood of our lorde / for the Iewes ledde hym vpon an hyghe roche to cast hȳ downe & slee hym▪but Ihesu cryst passed thrugh theym & lept on a roche where his steppes are yet seen / & therfore saye some whan they drede theym of theues or ellys of ennemyes / they saye thus. Iesus autē transiens ꝑ mediū illo (rum) ibat. And they saye also thyse verses of the sawter thre tymes. Irruat super eos formido et pauor in magnitudine brachij tui. Dn̄e fiant īmobiles qua si lapis donec ꝑtranseat ppl's tuus dn̄e et ppl's iste quē redemisti. And so whan all this is sayd a man may go without ony lettynge. Also ye shall vnderstande & knowe y t our blessyd lady bare childe whan she was. xv. yere of age / and she lyued with hym. xxxij. yere & thre monethes / and after his passyon she lyued. xxij. yere.
¶ The waye of Nazareth to the mount or hylle of Tabor. ca. xxxvi.
ANd from Nazareth to moūt Tabor is thre myle / & there our lorde transfygured hym before saynt Peter saynt Iohn and saynt Iames and there they sawe ghoostly our lorde & Moyses
ryens & they holden half our fayth and half the fayth of the Grekes & they haue longe berdes as the Grekes haue.
And there be other y t me [...] calle Georgyens whom saynt George conuerted / & they do more worshyp to halowes of heuen than other do / and they haue theyr crownes shauen / the clerkes haue roūde crow nes & the lewde haue crownes square / & they holde the Grekes lawe. And there be other y t men calle crysten of gyrdynge / for as moche as they were gyr dels vnderneth / some other calle Nestorynes / some Aryens / some Nubyens / some Gregours / & some Indens that are of the londe of preter Iohan / & euerychone of those haue some artycles of our byleue. But eche of theym varye from other▪and of theyr varyaūce were to moche for to telle.
¶ For to torne ayen on this syde Galyle. ca. xl.
NOw sythen I haue tolde [...] of many ma ners of men that [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] sayd. Now wyll I torne [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] ne vpon this syde / no [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] de of Galyle y • I spa [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] shall go thrugh Dam [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] good marchaundy se [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] the see / & fyue [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] cary marchaūdyses vpon [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] and dromedaryes & [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] Thi [...] cyte of Damas foūded [...] [...] that [...]as [...] hams seruaunt before Ysaac [...] [...] and he thought to haue ben [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] he called that cyte after his [...] [...].
[Page xlv]And in that place slowe Caym his broder Abell / & besyde Damas is the moūt of Syry / & in that cyte is many a physycyen / & that holy man saynt Poule was a physycyen to saue mennes bodyes in hele before that he was conuerted / & after he was a physycyen of soules. And fro Damas men come by a place called our lady of Sardemarche that is fyue myle from Damas & it is on a roche / & there is a fayre chirche & there dwelle monkes & nonnes crysten / in the chirche behynde the hygh awter is a table of tree on the whiche the ymage of our lady was depaynted that many tymes was torned in to flesshe / but the ymage is now seen but a lytell / but euermore thrugh grace of god the table droppeth oyle as it were an olyue / & there is a vessell of marble vnder the table to receyue the oyle / therof they gyue to pylgryms for it heleth many sykenesses / & he that kepeth it clenly a yere / after the yere it torned in to flesshe & blood. Bytwene the cyte of Darke & the cyte of Raphane is a ryuer that men calle Sabatory for on the saterdaye it renneth fast & all the weke ellys it standeth styll & renned not or lytell. And there is an other ryuer that on the nyght freseth fast & vpon the daye no frost is seen And so men go by a cyte that men calle Berugh / & there men go in to the see that wyll go in to Cy pres & they arryue at port of Sur or of Thyrry / and than go men to Cypres / or ellys men go or may go from the port of Thyrry ryght and come [Page] not at Cypres & arryue at some hauen of Grece / and than come men in to those coūtrees by wayes that I haue spoken of before.
¶ How a man may go ferthest & lengest in those coūtrees as herafter ben rehersed. ca. xli.
NOw haue I tolde you of wayes by the whi che men go ferthest & lengest as by Babylon & moūt Synay & other places many / thrugh the whiche londes men torne agayne to the londe of promyssyon. Now wyll I telle you the waye of Ierusalem / for some men wyll not passe it / some for they haue not to spende / some for they haue no company / & many other causes resonable / & therfore I shall telle you shortly how a man may goo with lytell cost & short tyme. A man that cometh fro the londes of the west he gooth thrugh Fraūce Burgoyne / & Lumbardy / & to Venys or to Geene or some other hauen of those marches / & take there a shyppe & go to the yle of Gryff / & so arryued he in Grece / or ellys at port Myroche / or Valon / or Duras / or some other hauen of those marches / & go to londe for to reste hym / & gooth agayne to to the see & arryueth in Cypres / and cometh not in the yle of Rodes / & arryueth at Famagost that is the chyef hauen of Cypres / or ellys at Lamaton / and than entre shyp agayne & passe besyde the ha uen of Tyre & come not to londe / and so passeth [Page xlvi] he by all the hauens of that cost vnto he come to Iaffe that is the next hauen to Ierusalem▪ for it is. xxviii. myle bytwene. And fro Iaffe men goo to the cyte of Ramos & that is but lytell thens and it is a fayre cyte / & besyde Ramos is a fayre chirche of our lady where our lorde shewed hym vnto her in the shadowes that betokeneth the Trynyte And there nere is a chirche of saynt George where his heed was smyten of. And than to the castell of Emaux / & than vnto moūt Ioye / and fro thens pylgryms see Ierusalem / & than to moūt Modyn & than go to Ierusalem. At mount Modyn lyeth the prophete Machabe / and ouer Ramatha is the towne of Donke wherof Amos the prophete was
¶ Yet of other wayes for to go by londe vnto Ie rusalem. ca. xlii.
FOr as moche as many men may not suffre the sauour of the see / but is leuer to go by londe yf all it be more payne. A man shall go to one of the hauens of Lombardy as Venys or an other / & he shall passe into Grece to port Myroche or an other & shall go to Constantynople / & shall passe the water that is called the brache of Saynt George y t is an arme of the see. And from thens he shall come to Puluerall / & than to the castell of Synople. And fro thens shall he go vnto Capadoce that is a grete coūtree wherin is many grete [Page] hylles / & he shall go thrugh Turky & to the cyte of Nyke the whiche they wanne fro themperour of Constantynople / and it is a fayre cyte & well walled / & there is a ryuer that men calle the Lay. & there go men by the alpes of Mormant / & thorugh the vales of Malebrynys & the vale of Ernax / & so to Anthyoche the better y t sytteth on the ryuer Ryclay / & there about is many good hylles & fayre / and many fayre woodes & wylde bestes / And he y t wyll go an other waye he gooth by the playne of Romayn cost & the Romayn see / on that cost is a fayr castell that men calle Florage. And whan a man is out of the hylles he passeth thrugh the cyte of Moryach and Artoyse where is a grete brydge vpon the Ryuer of Ferne that men calle Fassar / & it is a grete ryuer berynge shyppes. And besyde the cyte of Damas is a Ryuer that cometh fro the moūt of Lybany & that men calle Alban / at the passynge of this ryuer saynt Eustache lost his two sones whan he had lost his wyf / & it goth thrugh the playne of Archades & so to the reed see and than goo men to the cyte of Fermyne & so to the cyte of Ferne. And than to Antyoche & y t is a fayr cyte & well walled / for it is two myle longe / & theris a brydge ouer the ryuer y t hath at eche pyler a good toure & is the best cyte of the kyngdom of Surry. Fro Antyoche men go to the cyte of Locuth / & so to Geble / & to Tortouse / & therby is the londe of Cambre & a stronge castell y t men calle [Page xlvij] Manbek. And fro Tortouse men go to Trypelle on the see / & vpon the see men go to Dacres / and there is two wayes to Ierusalem / on y • lyft waye men go fyrst vnto Damas by flom Iordan / on the ryght syde men go thrugh the londe of Flagme & so to the cyte of Cayphas of whiche Cayphas was lorde / & some calle it the castell Pelleryns ▪ & from thens it is foure dayes Iourney to Ierusalem / & they go thrugh Cesary Phylypp and Iaffe & Ra mas and Emaux / and so to Ierusalem.
¶ Yet an other waye by londe towarde the londe of promyssyon. ca. xliij.
NOw haue I tolde you some wayes by londe & by water how men may go to Ierusalem. And yf it be so y t there be many other wayes that men go by after the countrees that they come fro / neuertheles they torne all to one ende. Yet is there a waye all by londe to Ierusalem & passe no see from Fraūce or Flaūdres / but that waye is full longe & a perylous and of grete trauayle / & therfore fewe go that waye / he that shall go that waye he gooth thrugh Almayne & Pruysse and so vnto Tartary. This Tartary is holden of the grete Cane of whom I shall speke afterwarde / for thyder lasteth his lordshyp. And all y • lordes of Tartary yelde hym trybute. Tartary is a full euyll londe & sondy and lytell fruyte berynge / for there [Page] groweth but lytell corne or wyne or fruyte / but bestes are there grete plente / & therfore ete they but flesshe without brede / & they soupe the brotth and they drynke mylke of all maner of beestes. They ete cattes & all maner wylde bestes / rattons and myce / & they haue lytell wood / and therfore they dyght theyr mete with hors doūge & other beestes whan it is drye. Prynces & other lordes ete but ones on the daye & ryght lytell / and they be ryght foule folke and of euyll kynde / & in somer there is many tempestes & thondres that sleeth many men and beestes & ryght sodaynly / and it is there ryght colde / & as sodaynly it is ryght hote. The prynce y t gouerneth that londe they calle hym Raco & dwel leth at a cyte that men calle Orda / & forsoth there wyll noo good man dwelle in that londe / for it is good to sowe in thornes & wedes / and other good is there none as I herde saye / for I was not that waye / but I haue ben in other londes marchynge theron as the londe of Rossye & Nyflonde and the kyngdom of Grecon & Lectowe / and the kyngdo me of Grasten & many other places / but I wente neuer that waye to Ierusalem / & therfore I may not well telle it / for I haue vnderstande that men may not well go that waye but in wynter / for waters & marrays that are there y t men may not pas se are than harde froren & full of snowe aboue / for were not the snowe there myght no man [...]o. And ye shall vnderstande y t a man shall go thre Iour [...] [Page lx] may assaye them well in this maner / fyrste cu [...]e with theym in dyuerse precyous stones as saphyrs or other vpon crystall / & than men take a stone y • is called adamande / laye a nedell before that adamande & yf the dyamande be good & vertuous the adamande draweth not the nedell to hym whyles the dyamande is there. And this is the proue that they make beyonde the see. But it falleth somtyme that the good dyamande loseth his vertue thorugh hym that bereth it / & therfore it is nedefull for to make it to recouer his vertue agayne or els it is lytell of value.
¶ Of dyuerse kyngdomes and yles of the londe of Ynde. ca. liij.
[Page]MAny dyuer [...] coūtrees & kyngdomes are in ynde / & it is called Ynde of a ryuer y t renneth thrugh & is called ynde also▪ and there is ma ny other precyous stones in that ryuer ynde. And in that ryuer men fynde eles of .xxx. foot longe / & men that dwelle nere that ryuer are of euyll colour and yelowe & grene. In ynde is more than fyue thousande yles y t men dwelle in good & grete besyde those that men dwelle not in / & in eche one of those is grete plente of cytees & moche people / for men of Ynde are of y t condycyon y t they passe not out of theyr londe comonly / for they dwelle vnder a planet that is called Saturne / & that planet ma keth his cours by the .xij. sygnes in .xx. yere & the mone passeth thrugh the .xij. sygnes in a moneth & for that Saturne is of so late sterynge / therefore men that dwelle vnder hym & in y t clymate haue no good wyll to be moche sterynge about. And in [...]ur coūtree is it contrary / for we are in a clymate that is of the mone & of lyght sterynge and that is the planet of waye / & therfore it gyueth vs wyll to moche mouynge & sterynge and to go in to dyuerse coūtrees of the worlde / for it gooth about the worlde more lyghtly than an other planet dooth / ¶ Also men passe thrugh Ynde by many coūtrees vnto the grete see Occean. And than they fynd [...] the yle of Hermes where marchauntes of [...] and of Geene and of other dyuerse partyes o [...] cr [...]endome come for to bye theyr marchaundys [...] ▪
there was one in that coūtree that meddled with sorcery that men called Takyna y t with enchaūte mentes coude make hym lyke an angell / & he wen [...]e often & laye with maydens / and therfore was Mary the more aferde for the angell & thought in her mynde that it had be Takyna y t wente with [...]he maydens / & she coniured hym y t he sholde saye [...]nto her yf he was that same Takyna / & the angell badde her haue no drede for he was certayne a messenger of Ihesu cryste. Also theyr boke of Al [...]aron sayth y t she had childe vnder a palme tree & than was she gretely ashamed & sayd y t she wolde [...]e dedd / and as soone her childe spake & conforted her & sayd to Mary. Ne timeas maria. That is [...]o saye. Be not adred Mary. And in many other places sayth theyr boke Alharon that Ihesu cryst spake as soone as he was borne / & the boke sayth [...]hat Ihesu cryste was sente fro god almyghty to [...]e ensample to all men / & that god shall deme all [...]en / the good to heuen & wycked to helle / & y t Ihu [...]yst is the best prophete of all other & next to god [...] that he was very prophete that gaue the blynde [...]ght & [...]eled meselles / & reysed deed men & wente [...] quycke to heuen / & yf they may fynde a boke [...]ith gospelles & namely Missus est angelus / they [...]o it grete worshyp / they fast a moneth in the yere they ete not but on the nyght / & than they kepe [...]eym fro theyr wyues / but they that are syke are [...]ot constrayned to that. And that boke Alharon [Page] speketh of Iewes & sayth they are wycked people [...] for they wyll not byleue that Ihesu cryst is of god And they saye y t the Iewes lye on our lady & her sone Ihesu cryste sayenge y t they dyde hym not o [...] the crosse / & for sarasyns byleue so nere our fayth & they are lyghtly conuerted whan men preche the lawe of Ihesu cryste / & they saye they wote well b [...] theyr prophecyes y t theyr lawe of Machomet shal [...] fayle as dooth the lawe of Iewes / & that cryst [...] mens lawe shall last vnto the worldes ende. An [...] yf a man aske theym wherin they byleue / and the [...] saye y t they byleue in god almyghty the whiche [...] maker of heuen & of erthe and other thynges [...] without hym is no thynge done / & the daye of do [...] me whan euery man shall be rewarded after h [...] deseruynge / & y t all thynge is soth that Cryst say [...] thrugh the mouthes of his prophetes.
¶ Yet of Machomet. ca. xl [...]
ALso Machomet badde in his boke Al [...] ron that euery man sholde haue two w [...] ues or thre or foure / but now take they. ix. and [...] many lēmans theym lyked / & yf ony of theyr [...] ues do amys agayne theyr husbondes▪he may d [...] ue her out of his hous & take an other / but he m [...] gyue her a parte of his goodes. Also where m [...] speke of the fader & sone & holy ghoost / they sa [...] that they are thre persones & not one god / for the [...] [Page l] [...]he Alkaron speketh not therof ne of the Try [...]te▪ but they saye that god spake or ellys was he [...]be / & god hath a ghoost or ellys were he not a [...]e / & they saye y t goddes worde hath grete streng [...] & so sayth theyr Alkaron / & they saye y t Abra [...]n & Moyses were well with god for they spake [...]th hym / & Machomet was ryght messenger of [...] / & they haue many good artycles of our fayth [...]d some vnderstande the scryptures & ꝓphecyes [...] they haue theym / & the gospels & the Byble is [...]yten in theyr langage / & so wote they well of ho [...]ryte / but they vnderstande it not but after the [...]ter & so do the Iewes / for they vnderstande not [...]e letter ghoostly / & therfore sayth saynt Poule. [...]ttera occidit spiritus autē viuificabit. That is saye. Letter sleeth / & goost maketh quycke. And [...]e Sarasyns saye that the Iewes are wycked for [...]ey kepe not the lawe of Moyses the whiche he to [...] to theym. And also crysten men are ylle for they [...]pe not the cōmaūdementes of the gospelles that [...]esu cryst sente vnto theym. And therfore I shall [...]le you what the Soundan tolde me vpon a daye his chambre / he dyde voyde out all maner of [...]en / lordes / knyghtes / & other for he wolde speke [...]th me in coūseyll / and he asked me how crysten [...]en gouerned theym in our coūtree / and I sayd [...]ght well thanked be god / and he sayd sykerly [...]ay / for he sayd that our preestes made no force of [...]ddes seruyce / for they sholde gyue good eusample [Page] to men to do well & they gyue ylle ensample & therfore whan the people sholde go on the ho [...] dayes vnto the chirche to serue god / they go to [...] uerne to be in glotony all the daye & the nyght / [...] ete & drynke as beestes y t wote not whan they ha [...] ynough / & also crysten men he sayd aforsed they [...] to fyght samen / & euerychone to begyle other / an [...] also they are so proude y y they wote not how th [...] may cloth theym / now longe now short / now [...] te now wyde / on all maner of wyse. They shol [...] be symple meke & soth fast and do almes as Ihes [...] cryste dyde in whom they byleue / & he sayd th [...] are to couetous y t for a lytell syluer they selle they [...] childern theyr systers & theyr wyues / & one take [...] an other mannes wyf & none holdeth his fayth [...] other / & therfore sayd he for theyr synnes hath go [...] gyuen thyse londes to our hondes / & not thoru [...] our strength but all for your synnes. For we wo [...] well forsoth whan ye serue well your god that h [...] wyll helpe you so y t no man shall wynne agay [...] the londe whan they serue theyr god well / but wh [...] le they lyue so fouly as they do / we haue no dred [...] of theym / for theyr god shall not helpe theym / [...] than I asked hym how he knewe the state of [...]ry sten men so / & he sayd that he knewe well bothe o [...] lordes & of comons by his messengers whiche h [...] sente thrugh all coūtrees as it were marchaunt [...] with precyous stones and other marchaūdyses [...] knowe the maner of euery countree. And than h [...] [Page li] dyde calle agayne all the lordes in to the chambre & than he shewed me foure persones y t were grete lordes in that coūtre y t deuysed me my coūtree and other as in crystendome all as they had be men of the same coūtree / & they spake Frensshe ryght well & the Soudan also / and than had I grete meruayle of this sclaūder of our fayth / & so they y t sholde be torned by our good ensamples to the fayth of Ihesu cryste / they are drawen awaye thorugh our euyll lyuynge / & therfore it is no wonder yf they calle vs euyll for they saye soth / but the sarasyns are trewe for they kepe truly the cōmaūdementes of theyr Alkaron y t god sente theym by his messengere Machomet / to whom they saye y t Gabryell y e angell spake often & sayd hym the wyll of god.
¶ Of the byrthe of Machomet. ca. xlvi.
ANd ye shall vnderstande that Machomet was born in Araby / & he was fyrst a poore knaue & kepte hors and wente after marchaūdyse And so he came ones in to Egypt with marchaū dyse / & Egypt was y t same tyme crysten / and there was a chapell besyde Araby & there was an hermyte / & whan he came in to the chapell that was but a lytell hous & a lowe / as soone y e entre began to be as grete as it were of a paleys gate / & that was the fyrst myracle that the sarasyns saye that he dyde in his youthe. After began Machomet to [Page] be wyse & ryche / and he was a grete astronomer / & sythen was he keper of the londe of the prynce Lo rodan & gouerned it full well / in the whiche maner that whan the prynce was deed he wedded the lady that men called Quadryge. And Machomet felle often in the fallynge euyll / wherfore the lady was wrothe that she had taken hym to her husbon de. And he made her to vnderstande that euery tyme that he felle so / he sayd y t Gabryell the angell spake to hym / & for the grete bryghtnes of the angell he fell [...] downe. This Machomet regned in Araby the yere of our lorde. vi. hondred and. xx. & he was of the kynde of Ismaell that was Abra hams sone y t he gate of Agar / & other are called Sarrasyns of Sarra / but some are called Moaby tes / and some Amonytes after two sones of Loth And also Machomet loued well a good man an hermyte that dwelled in wyldernesse a myle from moūt Synay in the waye as men go fro Araby to Laldee & a dayes Iourney fro the see where marchaūtes of Venys came. And Machomet wente so often to this hermyte y t all his men were wrothe / for he herde gladly the hermyte preche / & dyde his men walke all the nyght / & his men thought they wolde this hermyte were deed. Soo it befell on a nyght that Machomet was full dronken of good wyne & he felle in slepe / and his men toke Macho mets swerde out of his shethe whyles he lay & slep te & therwith they slewe the hermyte / & afterwarde [Page lij] they put the swerde vp agayne all blody. And vpon the morowe whan he founde this hermyte thus deed / he was in his mynde very angry and ryght wroth / & wolde haue done his men vnto the deth / but they all with one accorde & with one wyll sayd y • he hymself had slayne hym whan he was dronken / and they shewed hym his owne swerde all blody / & than byleued he that they sayd sothe / and than he cursed the wyne & all those that dron ke it. And therfore sarrasyns y • are deuoute drynke no wyne openly ellys they sholde be repreued / but they drynke good beuerage & swete and norysshyn ge that is made of Lalamels / & therof is sugour made.
Also it befalleth somtyme that crysten men become sarrasyns / eyther thrugh pouerte or symplenes [Page] or wyckednesse. And therfore theyr archebysshop whan he receyueth theym sayth thus. Laeles ella Machomet rozes ella. That is to saye. There is noo god but one and Machomet his messenger / And sythen I haue tolde you a parte of theyr lawe and of theyr customes / and now I shall saye you of theyr letters that they haue with theyr names. Fyrst they haue for A almoy / bethath for b. cathi c. ephoti for d. delphoy e. fothy f. garophin g. hechun h. iocchi i. kathi k. lothun l. malach m. nahalot n. orthy o. choziri p. zoth q. rutholat r. routhi s. solathi t. chatimꝰ v. yrithom x. mazot z. zatepin [...]. iohetꝰ [...]. thyse are the names. Thyse foure letters they haue yet more for dyuersyte of theyr langage / for as moche as they spake so in theyr throtes as we haue A in our langage and speke in Englonde. Two letters may than they haue in theyr a. b. c. That is to saye y and z the whiche are called thorn and zowx.
¶ Of the yles and of the meruayllous people and dyuerse beestes. ca. xlvij.
ANd sythen I haue deuysed before of the ho ly londe and countrees there about & many wayes thyder / and to moūt Synay to Babylon and other places of the the whiche I haue spoken
[...]nd anone he dyde delyuer hym out of pryson & he [...]maunded that spalme to be sayd euety daye at [...]yme / & so he helde Anastasius for a good crysten [...]an / but he wolde neuer after go to his bysshopry [...]e for they accused hym of heresy. Topasonde [...]as somtyme holden of themperor of Constanty [...]ple / but a grete man y t he sente to kepe y t coūtre [...]enst the Turkes / & helde it to hymself and cal [...] hymself Emperour of Topasonde.
[...]nd from thens men go thrugh lytell Armony & y • countree is an olde castell that is on a Roche [...] men calle the castell of Sperwe / & there men [...]de an hawke syttynge vpon a perke ryght well [...] & a fayre lady Fary y • kepeth it. And he y t [...] wake this same hawke seuen dayes & seuen [...]tes / and some saye that it is but thre dayes [Page] and thre nyghtes allone without ony company & without slepe. This fayre lady shall come vnto hym at the. vij. dayes or thre dayes ende & shall graūte vnto hym the fyrst thynge that he wyll [...] of worldly thynges / & y t hath often be proued▪ And so [...] a tyme it betelle that a man which [...] that tyme was kyng of Armony that [...] [...] doughty man waked vpon a tyme / & at the seue [...] dayes ende the lady came vnto hym & badde hy [...] a [...] what he wolde for he had [...] well don [...] his de [...] [...]oure. And the kyng answered & sayd y t he was [...] gr [...]te lorde & in good peas / & he was ryche so th [...] he wolde aske no thynge but all oonly the body [...] the fayre lady to haue his wyll of her. Than th [...] fayre lady answered & sayd [...] that he was fole for he wyst not what he asked / for he myg [...] not haue her / for he sholde not aske but world [...] thynge & she was not worldly. And the kyng sa [...] he wolde nought [...]llys. And she sayd to hym sy [...] he wolde aske not ellys she sholde graunte h [...] thre thynges & to all theym y t came after hym sayd vnto hym. Syr kyng ye shall haue war [...] out peas [...]nto the. ix. degree / & ye shall be in s [...] [...]eccyon of your enmyes / & ye shall haue grete n [...] of good & catell / and [...]ythen y t tyme all the ky [...] of Armony haue [...]en in warr [...] & nedefull and [...] der trybute of the Sarasyns. Also a poore m [...] son [...] woke on a tyme & asked the lady y t he my [...] be ryche & happy in marchaundyse / and the l [...] [Page lv] graunted hym / but she sayd to hym that he hadde asked his vndoynge for grete pryde that he sholde haue therof. And this man became so grete a marchaunt both by see and by londe that▪ he was so ryche that he knewe not the thousenst parte of his goodes. Also a knyght of the Templers woke ones / and whan he had done he desyred to haue a purse full of golde / & what soeuer he toke therof she sholde euer be full agayne / & the lady graūte it hym / but she tolde hym that he had desyred his destruc [...]yon for grete mystrowynge that he sholde haue of the same purse▪ and so it befelle. But he that shall wake hath nede to kepe hym from slepe / for yf he slepe he is lost that he shall neuer be seen / but that is not the ryght waye / but for the meruaylle. And from Topasonde men go to grete Armony to a cyte that men calle Artyron that was wonte to be a good cyte / but Turkes haue destroyed it / for there neyther groweth no wyne ne fruyte. From this Artyron men go to an hylle that is called Sabyssacoll / and there nere is an other hylle that men calle Ararath / but the Iewes calle it Thano where Archa Noe rested after the dyluuye / & yet is on that hylle / a man may see it fro ferre in clere weder / and the hylle is. xij. myle of heyght / & some saye they haue be therat and put theyr fyngers in the hooles where the fende wen [...]e out whan Noe sayd in this maner wyse. Benedicite. But they note well for noo man may go on [Page] that hylle for snowe y t is alwaye vvpon that hylle bothe wynter & somer that no man may go vp & neuer yode syth Noe was / but a monke thrugh the grace of god brought a planke that is yet at the abbey at the hylle foot / & he had grete desyre to go vpon y t hylle & aforsed hym therto / and whan he was at the thyrde parte vpwarde he was so wery that he myght no ferther / & he rested hym & slepte & whan he awoke he was downe at the hylle foot and than prayed he to god deuoutly that he wolde suffre hym to go vpon the hylle / & the angell sayd vnto hym that he sholde go vpon the hylle / & so he dyde / and sythen that tyme no man came there / and therfore men shall not byleue suche wordes.
¶ And fro thens men goo to a cyte that is called Tanzy [...] / and that is a fayre cyte & good. Besyde [Page lvi] that Cyte is an hylle of salte and therof euery man take what he wyll / and there dwelled many crysten men vnder trybute of the sarrasyns.
Fro thens men go thrugh many cytees & townes and many castels towarde Ynde / and than come to a cyte that men calle Cassage that is a fayre cy se / and in that cyte is ha [...]ondaunte of corne and wynes and of all maner goodes / and there met the thre kynges togyder that wente to make theyr offrynge to our lorde in Bethleem. Fro that cyte men go to a cyte that men calle Cardabago / and paynyms saye that crysten men may not dwelle there but they deye soone & they wote not the cause And fro thens men go thorugh many coūtrees cytees & townes y t it were to longe to telle / to the cyte of Carnaa that was wonte to be so grete that the [Page] walle about was of. xxv. myle / the walle sheweth yet / but it is not now in habyte with men /
¶ Of the countree of Iob and of the kyngdome of Caldee. ca. xlix.
ON the other syde of that cyte of Carnaa men entre in to the londe of Iob / that is a good londe & grete plente of all fruytes / and men calle that londe the londe of Swere. In this londe is the cyte of Thomar. Iob was a paynym & also he was Cofraas sone / and he helde that londe as prynce therof / and he was so ryche that he knewe not the hondreth perte of his good / and after his pouerte god made hym rycher than euer he was before / for after he was kyng of Ydumea after the deth of kyng Esau / & whan he was kyng he was called Ioab / and in that kyngdome he lyued. C. yere and. lxx. soo y t he was of age whan he deyed. CC. yere and. xlvin. And in this londe of Iob is no defaute of no thynge y t is nedefull to manes body. There ben hylles where men fynde manna & manna is called angels brede y t is a whyte thyn ge ryght swete & moche swetter than sugour or ho ny & y t cometh of the dewe of heuen y t falleth on the herbes / & there it congeled & waxed whyte & men do it in medycynes for ryche men. This londe mar ches to the londe of Caldee y t is a grete londe and [Page lvij]
there is full fayre folke & well apparaylled / and they goo rychely arayed with clothe of golde and with perles and other precyous stones. But the woman are ryght foule & euyll cladde and go bare foot and bere an ylle cote large wyde and short vnto theyr knees and haue longe sleues downe to the foot / and they haue grete blacke here longe hangynge about theyr shulders & they are ryght foule for to loke vpon that I dare not telle it all by cause that I am worthy for to haue a grete rewarde for my praysynge of theym. In this londe of Caldee aforsayd is a cyte that men calle Hur / and in y t cyte was Abraham the patryarke borne.
¶ Of the kyngdom of Amasony where as dwelled but wymmen. ca. l.
AFter the londe of Caldee is the londe of Amasony that is a londe where is no man but all wȳmen as men say / for they wyll suffre no man lyue amonge theym ne to haue lordshyp ouer theym. For somtyme was a kyng in y t londe & men were dwellynge there as dyde in other coūtrees & had wyues / & it befelle y t the kyng had a grete war re with theym of Sychy & he was called Colopiꝰ and he was slayne in batayll & all the good blood of his londe. And this quene whan [...]he herde that & other ladyes of that londe y t the kyng & the lordes were slayne / they gadred theym togyder & kylled all the men y t were left in theyr londe amonge theym / & sythen that tyme dwelled no man amon ge theym. And whan they wyll haue ony man to lye by them they sende for theym in a coūtree that [Page lviij] is nere to theyr londe / & the men come & are ther [...] viij. dayes or as the woman lykes & than go they agayne / and yf they haue men childern they sende theym to theyr faders whan they can ete & go / [...] yf they haue mayde childern they kepe theym▪ and yf they be of gentyll blood they brenne the lefte pappe a waye for berynge of a shelde / & yf they be of lytell blood they brenne the ryght pappe awaye for shotynge. For those wȳmen of that coū tree are good warryours & are often in so [...]de with other lordes / & the quene of that londe gouerneth well that londe / this londe is all enuyronned with water. Besyde Amasony is the londe of Termagute that is a good londe & prouffytable / and for goodnesse of that londe kyng Alexander dyde ma ke a cyte there that he called Alexander.
¶Of the londe of Ethyope. ca. li.
ON the other syde of Caldee towarde y • south syde is Ethyope a gre [...]e londe. In this londe on the south are the folke ryght blacke. In that sy de is a welle that on the daye the water is so colde that no man may drynke therof / & on the nyght it is so hote that no man may suffre to put his honde in it. In this londe the ryuers & all the waters are troublous & somdele salt for the grete hete / & men of that londe are lyghtly dronken & haue lytell appetyte to mete / and they haue comonly the flixe of body and they lyue not longe.
In Ethyope are suche men that hath but one foot and they goo soo fast that it is a grete meruaylle / and that is a large foot that the shadowe therof [Page lix] couered the body fro the sonne or rayne whan they laye vpon theyr backes / & whan theyr childern be fyrst borne they loke lyke russeth / and whan they waxe olde than they be all blacke. In Ethyope is the londe of Saba / of the whiche one of the thre kynges y t sought our lorde at Bethleem was kyng.
¶Of Ynde the more & Ynde the lasse / and of dya mandes & small people & other thynges. ca. lij.
FRo Ethyope men goo in to Ynde thorugh many dyuerse coūtrees & it is called Ynde the more / & it is departed in thre partyes / that is to saye Ynde the more that is a full hote londe / & Ynde the lasse is a temperate londe / & the thyrde parte that is towardes the north there is it ryght colde / so y t for grete colde & frost and yce the water becometh crystall / & vpon that groweth the good dyamandes y t is lyke a trouble colour / & that dyamande is so harde y t no man may breke it. Other dyamandes men fynde in Araby that are not soo good y t are more nesshe / & some are in Cypres & in Macedony men fynde also dyamandes / but the best are in Ynde / & some are foūde many tymes in a masse y t cometh out where men fynde golde fro y e myne whan men breke y e masse in pyeces / & some tyme men fynde some of gretnesse of a pese & some lesse & those are as herde as those of Ynde / & all yf it be y t men fynde good dyamandes in Ynde [Page] vpon the Roche of crystall. Also men fynde good dyamandes vpon the Roche of Adamande in the s [...]e & on hylles as it were hasyll nottes / & they are all square & poynted of theyr owne kynde / & they growe both togyder male & female and are norisshed with the dewe of heuen / & they engender comonly & brynge forth small childern y t multeplye & grewe all the yeres. I haue many tymes assayed that yf a man kepe them with a lytell of the roche & wete them with many dewes oftymes they shall growe euery yere / & the small shall waxe grete / & a man shall bere the dyamande in his lyfte syde / and than is it of more vertue / for the strengthe of theyr growynge is towarde the north / that is on the lefte syde as men of those coūtrees saye. To hym that bereth the dyamande vpon hym it gyueth hym hardynes / it kepeth his lymmes of his body / it gyueth vyctory of ennemyes yf a mannes cause be ryght / & hym y t bereth it in good wyll it kepeth hym fro stryf fro ryot fro yll dremes & sorceryes & enchaūtementes / also no wylde best shall greue hym ne assayle hym. And also the dyamande sholde be gyuen fre [...]y without couetyse & byenge & than it is of more vertue / it heleth hym that is lunatyke & that is trauayled with a deuyll / and yf venym or poyson be brought in the presence of the dyamande as soone it moysteth & begȳneth to swete / & men may well polyce them to make men byleue that they may not be polysshed. But me [...] [Page lxi]
but it is so warme there in that yle that mens bal lokes hange downe to theyr shankes for the grete dyssoluynge of the body. And men of the countree that knowe y • maner do bynde theym vp full strey te & anoynte theym with oynt [...]mentes made therfore for to holde theym vp or ellys they myght not lyue▪ In this londe & many other men & wȳmen laye theym all naked in Ryuers and waters from vndren of the daye to it be passeth none / & they lye all▪ in water but the face for the grete hete that is there / and the wymmen be not ashamed for the men. In this yle are the shyppes without nayles of yron or bonde for roches of adamande that are in the see wolde drawe shyppes to theym. ¶ Fro this yle men go by see to the yle of Cana where is grete plente of corne & wyne / and the kyng of this [Page] [...]le was somtyme so myghty that he h [...]lde [...] [...]yenst kyng Alexander with grete strengthe.
Men of this yle haue many maner of byleue and fayth and haue also dyuerse lawes / for some do worshyp the sonne / some the fyre / some the trees / and some the serpentes or ony other thynge that theyin fyrst mette in the mornynge / and some doo worshyp symulacres and ydolles / but bytwene symulacres and ydolles is no dyfference / and that i [...] to vnderstande ymages made to lyknesse of wha [...] thynge a man wyll that is not kyndely for some ymage hath an heed as an oxe / and some haue thr [...] or foure heedes / one of a man or an hors or an ox [...] or of ony other beest that no man hath seen. And ye shall vnderstande that they that worshyp symulacres they worshyp theym as for worthy me [...] [Page lxij] that were somtyme / as Hercules & other that dyde many meruayles in theyr tymes. For they say they wote well that they are not god of kynde that ma de all thynge / but that they are well with god for the meruayles that they do / & therfore they worshyp theym. And soo saye they of the sonne for it chaūgeth oftymes for it gyueth somtyme grete he [...] for to nourysshe all thynges on e [...]the / and for it is of so grete profyte they wote well it is not god but it is well with god & that god loueth it more than ony other thynge / & for this cause they worshyp it. And also they saye theyr reasons of other planetes and of fyre also for it is profytable & nedefull▪ And of ydolles they saye that the oxe is the holyest best y t they may fynde here in erthe & moost profytable than ony other for he doth moche good & none ylle / and they wote well that it may not be without specyall grace of god / & therfore they ma ke theyr god of an oxe the one half / and the other half a man / for man is the fayrest & the best creature of the worlde. And they do worshyp to serpen tes & other beestes that they mete fyrst at morowe & namely those beestes that haue good metynge after whom they spede well all daye after / the whi [...]he they haue proued of longe tyme / and therfore they saye that this good metynge cometh of goddes grace / & therfore haue they do make ymage [...] lyke vnto those thynges that they may worshyppe theym before they mete ony thynge ellys.
¶ And yet are some crysten men that saye that some bestes are better for to mete than some / for hares & swyne and other bestes are ylle to mete fyrst as they saye. In this yle of Cana is many wylde beestes / & rattons of y • coūtree are as grete as hoū des here▪ and they take theym with mastytes▪ for cattes may not take theym. From thens men come to a cyte that men calle Sarchis / & it is a fayre & a good cyte and there dwelle many crysten men of goddes fayth / and there be men of relygyon. Fro thens men come to the londe of Lombe & in that londe wast peper in a forest that men calle Tonber / & it wast in none other place more in all the worlde than in that forest / & that forest is well. l. dayes Iourney / & there by the londe of Lombe is the cyte of Polomes / & ▪ vnder that cyte is an hylle [Page lxiij] that men calle Polombe / & therof taketh the cy [...]e his name. And so at the foot of the same hylle is a ryght fayre & a clere welle that hath a full good & swete sauour / and it smelleth of all maner sortes of spyces. And also at eche houre of the daye i [...] chaūgeth his sauour dyuersly / & who so drynketh thryes on the daye of that welle he is made hole of all maner sykenes that he hath. I haue some tyme dronken of that welle / & me thynketh yet that I fa re the better / some calle it the welle of youth / for they y t drynke therof seme to be yonge alwaye & ly ue without grete sykenes / & they saye this welle co meth fro Paradyse terrestre for it is so vertuous / & in this londe groweth gynger / and thyder come many good marchaūtes for spyces. In this coūtre men worshyp the oxe for his grete symplenes and mekenes & the profyte that is in hym / for they ma ke the oxe to trauayle. vi. or. vij. yere & than men do ete hym. And the kyng of that londe hath euer more one oxe with hym / & he that kepeth hym euery daye taketh his fees for the kepynge. And also euery daye he gadreth his vryne & his doūge in a vessell of golde & bereth it to the prelate that they calle Archiporta papaton / & the prelate bereth it to the kyng & maketh therupon a grete blessynge. and than the kyng putteth his honde therin & they calle it gaule / and he anoynteth his fronte & his brest therwith / and they do it grete worshyp & saye he shall be fulfylled with the vertue of the oxe before [Page] sayd / & that he is halowed thrugh vertue of that holy thynge as they saye. And whan the kyng hath thus done than do it other lordes / and after theym other men after they are of degree yf they may haue ony of the remenaūte. In this coūtree theyr ydolles are half man and half oxe as the fygure sheweth in the seconde leef here before / and out of thyse ydolles the wycked ghoost speketh to theym & gyueth theym answere of what thynge y • they aske hym / and before thyse ydolles they slee theyr childern many tymes & sprenge the blood on the ydolles & so make they sacrefyce. And yf ony man deye in that countree they brenne hym in tokenynge of penaunce that he sholde suffre no penaūce yf he were layde in the erthe for etynge of wormes. And yf his wyf haue noo childern than they brenne her with hym / & they saye it is a good reason that she kepeth hym company in the other worlde as she dyde▪ in this / & yf she haue childern she may lyue with theym and she wyll / and yf the wyf deye before she shall be brente & her husbonde also yf he wyll. In this coūtree groweth good wy ne / and women drynke wyne & men none / and wo man shaue theyr berdes & men not.
¶ Of the kyngdom of Mabaron. ca. liiij.
[...]Ro this londe men go many Iourneys to a coūtree that men calle Mabaron / & this is [Page lxiiij] a grete kyngdom / there in is many fayre cytees & townes. In this londe lyeth Saynt Thomas i [...]
a fayr tombe in flesshe & bones in the cyte of Calamy / & the arme & the honde y t he put in our lordes syde whan he was rysen / whan Cryste sayd to hym. Noli esse incredulꝰ sed fidelis. That is to say Be not of wanhope but byleue / that same honde lyeth yet without the tombe bare / & with this hon de they gyue theyr domes in that coūtree to wete who hath ryght & who not / for yf ony stryf is bytwene two partyes they do wryte theyr ryght in to two bylles & those bylles are put in saȳt Thomas honde / & as soone the hande casteth awaye y • bylle that hath wronge & holdeth the other stylle y t hath [...]yght / & therfore they come fro ferre countrees to haue Iugementes of causes that are in doubte. [Page] In y • chirche of saynt Thomas is a grete ymage that is a symulacre & it is well dyght w t ryche pre cyous stones & perles / and to y t ymage men come in to pylgrymage fro ferre coūtrees with grete de nocyon as crysten men go to saynt Iames / & there come some in pylgrymage y t bere sharpe knyues in theyr hondes / & as they go by the waye they shere theyr shankes & thyghes y t the blood may come out for the loue of y t ydoll / & they saye y t he is holy that wyll deye for y t ydolles sake. And there is some y t fro the tyme y t they go out of theyr houses at eche thyrde pace they knele to y t they come to this ydoll.
And whan they come there they haue ensence / or suche other thynge for to ensence the ydoll as we wolde do to goddes body. And there is before that mynster or chirche of this ydoll a vyuer full of [Page lxv] water / and in that vyuer pylgryms cast golde / syluer / perles / & other precyous stones without nombre in stede of offrynges and therfore whan as the mayster of the mynster hath ony nede of helpynge / as soone they go to that vyuer and take there out as moche as they haue nede to helpynge of the mynster. And ye shall vnderstande whan that ony grete festes come of that ydoll as the dedycacyon daye of the chirche or of the thronynge of the ydoll all the coūtree there about assembled theym there togyder / and than men sette this ydoll with grete reuerence & worshyp in a chayre well dyght with ryche csothes of golde and other of tapestry / and so they carye hym with grete reuerence and worshyp rounde about the cyte / and before the chayre gooth fyrste in processyon all the maydens of the countree two and two togyder / and so after theym go the pylgryms that are come fro ferre countrees of whiche pylgryms some falle downe before the chayre and lateth all go ouer theym & so are they some slayne & some are broken theyr armes & shan kes & this do they for loue of the ydoll / & they byleue the more payne that they suffre here for theyr ydoll the more Ioye shall they haue in the other worlde / & a man shall fynde fewe crysten men that wyll suffre so moche penaūce for our lordes sake as they do for theyr ydoll. And nyghe before the chayre go all mynstrelles of the coūtree as if were without nombre with many dyuerse melodyes.
¶ And whan they are come agayne to the chirche they sette vp the ydoll agayne in his throne / and for worshyp of the ydoll two men or thre are slayne with sharpe knyues with theyr good wyll. And also a man thynketh in our countree that he hath a grete worshyp & he haue an holy man in his kyn Lyke wyse saye they there that those that are thus slayne are holy men & sayntes / and they are wryten in theyr letany / and whan they are thus deed theyr frendes brenne theyr bodyes & they take the asshes and those are kepte as relykes & they saye it is holy thynge / and that they haue doubte of no peryll whan they haue of those asshes.
¶ Of a grete coūtre called Lamory where the peo ple go all naked / & other thynge [...]. ca. lv.
ARo this countree. lij. Iourneys is a coūtree that men calle Lamory / & in that londe is grete hete / and it is the custome there that men & wȳmen goo all naked / and they scorne all theym that are cladde / for they saye that god made Adam and Eue all naked and that men sholde haue no shame of that that god made / and they byleue in the same god that made Adam and Eue and all the worlde / & there is no woman wedded but woman are all comon there / and the forsake no man. And they saye that god cōmaunded to Adam and Eue & all that came of theym sayenge. Crescite [...]t multiplicamini et repleti terrā. That is to saye in Englysshe. Wexe & be multeplyed and fylle the [...]rthe / and no man may saye there. This is my wyf. Ne woman saye. This is my husbonde. And [Page] whan they haue chil [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] me they wyll of [...]en [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] Also the londe is all [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] what he wyll / for that [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] yere an other man hath [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] the goodes as corn beeste [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] of that countree are all [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] thynge vnder locke & [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] other / but they haue [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] flesshe for they ete glad [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] Neuertheles in that lon [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] of flesshe of fysshe of go [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] ner of goodes. And thyd [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]
theyr childern for to selle / and those that are fatte they ete theym / and those that be lene they kepe theym tyll they be fatte and than are they eten.
¶ And besyde this yle of Lamory is another yle that men calle Somober & is a good yle / men of that yle do marke theym in the vysage with an ho te yron men & wȳmen for grete nobley and to be knowen from other / for they holde theym self the worthyest of the worlde / & they haue warre euermo [...]e with those men that are naked that I spake of before. And there are many other yles & dyuerse maners of men of whiche it were ouermoche for [...]o speke of all.
¶ Of the coūtree and yle named Iana and is a myghty londe. ca. lvi.
ANd there is a grete yle that men calle Iana / & the kyng of that coūtree hath vnde [...] [Page] hym. vij. kynges for he is a full myghty prynce.
¶ In this yle groweth all maners of spyces more plenteuously than in other places / as gynger / clowes / canell / nutmygges / & other / and ye shall vnderstande that the nutmygge bereth the maces / & all thynge therin is plente sauf wyne. The kyng of this londe hath a ryche palays & the best that is in the worlde / for all the greces in to his halle and chambres ben all made one of golde & an other of syluer / and all the walles are couered & plated w t golde & syluer / and in those plates are wryten storyes of knyghtes & bataylles / and y • pauyment of the halle & chambres is of golde & of syluer / and there is no ma [...] y • wolde byleue the rychesse y • is there but yf he had seen it / & the kyng of this yle [...] so myghty y • he hath many tymes ouercome the [Page lxviij] grete Chane of Cathay that is the myghtyst Em perour that is in all the worlde / for there is often warre amonge theym / for the grete Chane wolde make hym holde his londe of hym.
¶ Of the kyngdom of Paten or Salamasse whiche is a good londe. ca. lvij.
ANd for to go forth by the see men fynde an yle y t is called Paten / & some calle it Sala masse / & is a grete kyngdom w t many fayr cytees
In this londe growe trees y t bere mele of whiche men make fayre brede and whyte and of good sauour / and it semeth lyke as it were of whete. And there be other trees that bere venym / agayne the whiche is no medycyne but one / that is to take of [Page] the leues of the same tree and stampte theym and tempre theym with water & drynke it or ellys he shall deye sodaynly for tryacle may not helpe. And yf ye wyll wete how the trees bere mele I shall tell you / men hewe with an hachet about the rote of the tree by the erthe so that no berke be perced in many places / & than cometh out a lycoure thycke whiche they take in a vessell & put it to the sonne & drye it / and whan it is drye they do it vnto the mylle to grynde & so it is fayre mele & whyte / and hony & wyne and venym are drawen out of other trees in the same maner & do it in vessels to kepe. In that yle is a deed see / y t is a water y t hath no groūde / & yf ony thynge falle therin it shall neuer be foūde / besyde y t see groweth grete canne & vnder theyr rotes men fynde precyous stones of grete ver tue / for he y t bereth one of those stones vpon hym ther may no yron dere hȳ ne drawe blood on hym & therfore they y t haue those stones fyght full hardely for there may no quarell ne suche thynge dere theym / therfore they y t knowe y e maner make theyr quarels without yron & so they slee theym.
¶ Of the kyngdom of Talonach where the kyng hath many wyues. ca. lviij.
THan is there an other yle y t men calle Talonach that is a grete londe & plenteuous of goodes and fysshes as ye shall here herafter.
¶ And the kyng of this londe hath as many [Page] wyues as he wyll a thousande & mo / & lyeth neuer by one of theym but ones. And y t londe hath a meruayle y t is in no other londe. For all maner fysshes of thee cometh there ones a yere one after other & lyeth theym nere the londe / somtyme on y e londe & so lye thre dayes & men of y t londe come thyd & take of theym what he wyll / & than go those fysshes awaye & an other maner cometh & lyeth also thre dayes & men take of theȳ / & thus do all maner fysshes tyll al haue be there & men haue taken what they wyll. And men wote not the cause why it is. But they of that coūtree saye / that those fysshes come so thyder to doo worshyp to theyr kyng for they saye he is the moost worthyest kyng of the worlde / for he hath so many wyues and geteth so many childern of theym.
[Page lxx]And that same kynge hath. xiiij. M. olyfaūtes or moo whiche be all tame & they be all fedde of the men of his coūtree for his pleasure by cause y t he may haue theym redy to his honde whan he hath ony warre ayenst ony other kynges or prynces / & than he doth put vpon theyr backes castels & men of warre as the vse is of y t londe / & lyke wyse do other kynges & prynces there about.
¶ Of the ylonde called Raso where men be hanged as they are syke. ca. lix.
ANd fro this yle men go vnto an other yle that men calle Raso / and men of this yle whan that theyr frendes are syke and that they byleue surely that they shall deye / they take theym
[Page] and hange hym vp all quycke on a tree / & saye it is better that byrdes y t are angels of god ete them than wormes of the erthe. Fro thens men go to an yle there the men are of ylle kynde / for the nourys she hoūdes for to strangle men. And whan theyr frendes are syke y t they hope they shall deye / they do those hoūdes strangle theym for they wyll not that they deye a kyndly deth for than sholde they suffre to grete payne as they saye / & whan they are thus deed they ete theyr flesshe for veneson.
¶ Of the ylonde of Melke where in dwelled ylle people. ca. lx.
FRo the [...]s men go thrugh many yles by see vnto an yle that men calle Melke / & there
[Page lxxi] is full ylle people / for they haue none other dely [...]e but for to fyght & slee men / for they drynke gladly mannes blood whiche blood they calle god / & he that may moost slee is of moost name amonge theym. And yf two men be at stryfe & they be made at one theym behoueth to drynke eyther others blood / or ellys the accorde is nought. Fro this yle men go to an yle that men calle Tracota where
all men are as bestes & not resonable / & they dwell in caues for they haue no wytte to make theȳ hou ses / and they ete adders & they speke not / but they make suche a noyse as adders do one to an other▪ & they make no force of rychesse / but of a stone [...] hath fourty colours & it is called Traconyt after that yle / but they knowe not the vertue therof / but they coueyte it for the grete fayrenes.
[Page]And fro this yle men go to an yle that men calle Sylo & this yle is more than hondred myle about and there in be many serpentes whiche are grete with yelowe strypes / and they haue four feet with short legges & grete clawes / some be of fyue fadem of lengthe / and some of. viij. and some of. x. and some more & some lesse and be called Cocodrylles and there are also many wylde bestes & olyfaūtes
And in this yle and in many yles there about are many wylde ghees with two heedes / and there be also in that countree whyte lyons and many other [...] meruayllous beestes / and yf I sholde telle [...] fall to longe.
[...] called Dodyn wherin are ma [...] euyll condycyons. ca. lxij.
& theyr eyen are in theyr shulders & theyr mouth is on theyr brest. An other yle are men y t haue no heed ne eyen & theyr mouth is behynde in theyr shulds.
[Page] And in an other yle are men that haue platte faces without nose and without eyen / but they haue two smale rounde holes in stede of eyen / and they haue a platte mouth without lyppes. And in an other yle are men also that haue theyr faces all platte without eyen or mouth and without nose / but they haue theyr eyen and theyr mouth behynde on theyr shulders. And in an other yle are foule
men that haue the lyppe aboue the mouth to grete that whan they slepe in the sonne they couer all theyr face with the lyppe. And in an other yle are lytell men as dwarfs & haue no mouth but a lytell roūde hole & thrugh that hole they ete theyr mete with a pype / and they haue no tonge & they speke not but they blowe & wysple and so make sygnes one to an other. And in an other yle are men with [Page lxxv] hangynge eeres vnto theyr knees. And in an other yle are wylde men with hangynge eeres and haue feet lyke an hors & may renne fast / and they take wylde beestes & ete theym. And in an other yle are men that go on theyr hondes & feet lyke beestes / & are all rough & wyll lepe vpon a tree lyke cattes or apes. And in an other yle are men that go euer vpon theyr knees merueylously and haue on euery foot. viij. [...]. And in an other yle is folke that
is bothe men & women & haue membres of bothe for to engendre with / and whan they wyll they vse both on a tyme & the other an other tyme / & they gete childern whan they vse the membre of man / & they bere childern whan they vse the membre of woman. Many other maner of folke is in this yles therabout of whom it were to longe to telle all.
¶ Of the kyngdome named Mancy & is the best kyngdome of the worlde. ca. lxiij.
TO goo fro this yle towarde the eest many Iourneys a man shall fynde a kyngdom y t is called Mancy & this in Ynde the more / & it is moost delectable & plente of goodes of all the worl de. In this londe dwell crysten men & sarasyns / for it is a grete londe / & therin is. ij. M. grete cytees & other many townes. In this londe no man goth on beggynge for theris no power man / & the men ha ue berdes thynne of here as it were cattes. In this londe are fayre women & therfore some men calle y • londe Albany for the whyte folke / & theris a cyte that men calle Latorym & is more than Parys / & in y t londe are byrdes twyes gretter than it be here. and there is good chepe of all maner of vytayles /
[Page lxxvi] In this coūtree are whyte hennes & they bere no fethers but wolle as sheep do in our londe / & women of that coūtree y • are wedded bere crownes vp on theyr heedes that they may be knowen by. In this coūtree they take a beest y • is called [...] & they kenne it to go in to waters or vyners / and as soone he bryngeth out of the water grete fysshes / & thus take they fysshe as longe as they myll to [...] theym nedeth. Fro this cyte men go by many Iour neys to an other grete cyte y t is called Cassay that is the moost cyte of the worlde / & that cyte is fyfty myle about / & there is in y t cyte [...]o than .xij. pryn cypall gates without. Fro thens within thre myle is an other grete cyte / & within this cyte are more than .xij. thousande brydges / & vpon eche brydge is a stronge toure where the kepers dwelle to kepe it agayne the grete Chane for it marcheth on his londe / & on one syde of the cyte renneth a grete ryuer / & there dwelle crysten men & other / for it is a good coūtree & . [...]teuous & there groweth ryght good wyne / this is a noble cyte where the kyng of Mancy was wonte to dwelle / & there dwelle relygyous men crysten freres. And men go vpon y • ryuer tyll they come to an abbey of monkes a lytell fro the cyte / & in y t abbey is a grete gardeyn & fayr & therin is many maner of trees of dyuerse fruytes In y t gardeyne dwelle many maner of beestes as baboynes / apes / marmosettes & other / & whan the couent hath eten a monke taketh the releef & bere [Page] it in to the gardeyn & smyteth ones with a belle of syluer whiche he holde in his honde / & anone come out thyse bestes y t I spake of & many mo nere .iij. or .iiij. thousande & he gyueth theȳ to ete of fayre vessels of syluer / & whan they haue eten he smyteth the belle agayne & they go agayn theyr waye. And the monke sayth y t those bestes are soules of men y t are deed / & those beestes y t are fayre are soules of lordes & other ryche men / & those y t are foule bestes are soules of other comons. And I asked theym yf it had not be better to gyue y t relef to poore men / & they sayd theris no poore man in y t coūtree / and yf there were yet it were more almes to gyue it to tho se soules y t suffre there theyr penaūce & may go no ferther to gete theyr mete than to men y t haue wyt / te & may trauayle for theyr mete. Than come men to a cyte that is called Chybens and there was the fyrst sege of the kyng of Mancy. In this cyte are .lx. brydges of stone as fayre as they may be.
¶ Of the londe of Pygmeen wherin dwelled but small people of thre span longe. ca. lxiiij.
WHan men passe fro the cyte of Chybens they passe ouer a grete Ryuer of fresshe water / and it is nere four myle brood / and than men entre in to the londe of the grete Chane. This Ryuer gooth thrugh the londe of Pygmeens / & there men are of lytell stature for they are but thre span [Page lxxvij] longe & they are ryght fayre bothe men & women though they be lytell / and they are wedded whan they are half a yere olde / & they lyue but viij yere / & he that lyued. viij. yere is holden ryght olde / & thyse small men are the best werke men of sylke & of cotton in all maner thynge that are in the worl de. And thyse smale men trauayle not nor tyll no londe / but they haue amonge theym grete men as we are to trauayle for theym / and they haue grete scorne of those grete men as we wolde haue of grauntes or of theym & they were amonge vs.
Of y e cyte of Menke where a grete nauy is. ca. lxv.
FRo this londe men go thrugh many countres & cytees and townes tyll they come to a cyte that men calle Menke. In that cyte is a grete nauy of shyppes & they are as whyte as snowe of kynde of the wood that they are made of / and they are made as it were grete houses with halles and chambres & other esymentes.
¶ Of the londe named Cathay and the grete rychesses therof. ca. lxvi.
ANd from thens men go vpon a ryuer that men calle Ceremosan / & this ryuer gooth thrugh Cathay & doth many tymes harme whan it waxeth grete. Cathay is a fayre coūtree & ryche [Page] full of goodes & marchaūdyses / thyder come mar chauntes euery yere for to fetche spyces and other marchaūdyses more comonly than they do in to other coūtrees. And ye shall vnderstande that marchauntes that come from Denys of fro Geene or from other places of Lombardy or of Romayne / they go by see and londe .xi. monethes and more or they may come to Cathay.
¶ Of a grete cyte named Cadon where in is the grete Chans palays & sege. ca. lxvij.
IN the prouynce of Cathay towarde the eest is an olde cyte / & besyde that cyte the Tartarynes haue made an other Cyte that men calle Cadon that hath .xij. gates / & euer bytwene two gates is a grete myle / so that those two cytees the olde & [...]he newe is roūde about .xx. myle. In this cyte is the palays and sege of the grete Chane in a full fayr place & grete of whiche the walles about is two myle / & within that are many fayre places & in the gardeyne of that palays is a ryght grete hylle on the whiche is an other palays / & it is the fayrest that may be foūde in ony place / and all about y t hylle are many trees berynge dyuerse fruytes / & about that hylle is a grete dyche / and there nere are many vyuers on eche syde / & in those are many wylde foules that he may take & go not out of the palays. Within the halle of that palays are [Page lxxviij] .xxiiij. pylers of golde / & all the walles are couered with ryche skynnes of beestes that men calle panters. Those are fayr beestes & well smellynge & of the smelle of the skynnes none euyll smelle may come to the palays / those skynnes are as reed as blood / & they shyne so agayne the sonne y t vnethes may men beholde theym / & men prayse those skynnes as moche as it were golde. In myddes of that palays is a place made y t they calle the moū tour for the grete Chane that is well made with precyous stones & grete perles hangynge about / & at the four corners of that moūtour are four nedders of golde / & vnder that moūtour & aboue are conduytes of beuerage that they drynke in thempē [...]ours courte. And the halle of that palays is rychely dyght & well / and fyrste at the ouer ende of the halle is the throne of the Emperour ryght hye where he sytteth at mete at a table y t is well bordu red with golde & that bordure is full of precyous stones & grrete perles / and the greces on whiche he gooth vp are of dyuerse precyous stones bordred w t golde. At the lyfte syde of his throne is the sege of his wyf a degree lower than he sytteth & that is of Iasper bordured with golde / & the sege of his se [...]onde wyf is a degree lower than the fyrst & that [...]s also of good Iasper bordured with golde / and [...]he sege of the thyrde wyf is a degree lower than [...]he seconde / for [...]ape he hath thre wyues with [...]ym where soeuer he is / vesyde thyse wyues on the [Page] same syde sytteth other ladyes of his kynne echone lower than other as they are of degree / & all those that are wedded haue a counterfeet of a mannes foot vpon theyr heedes a cubyte longe & all made with precyous stones / & aboue are they made with shynynge feders of pecoks or suche other in tokenynge that they are in subgeccyon of man & vnder mannes foot / & they that are not wedded haue none suche. And on the ryght syde of the Emperour sytteth fyrst his sone that shall be Emperour after hym / & he sytteth also a degree lower than the Emperour in suche maner of seges as the Emperour sytteth / & by hym sytteth other lordes of his kynne echone lower than other as they are of degree. And themperour hath his table by hymself allone that is made of golde & precyous stones or of whyte crystall or yelowe bordred with golde / & echone of his wyues hath a table by herself. And vnder the Emperours table sytteth four clerkes at his feet that wryte all y t the Emperour sayth be it good or ylle. And at grete festes aboue the Emperours table & all other tables in the halle is a vyne made of fyne golde y t gooth all about the halle & it hath many braūches of grapes lyke to grapes of the vyne / some are whyte / some are yelowe / some reed / some grene / & some blacke / all the reed are of rubyes of cremas or alabaūce / the whyte ar [...] of crystall or by call / the yelowe are of topaces / th [...] grene are of emeraudes & crysolytes / & the black [...] [Page lxxix] are of quyches & gerandes / and this vyne is made thus of precyous stones so properly that it semeth as i [...] were a vyne growynge. And before the borde of the Enperour standeth grete lordes / & no man is so harde to speke to hym but it be mynstrels for to solace themperour. And all the vessell that is se [...] ued in his halle or chambres are of precyous stones & namely at tables where grete lordes ete / that is to saye / of Iasper / crystall / amatyst / or fyne golde & the cuppes are of emeraudes / saphyres / topaces. and other many maner of stones / & of syluer haue they noo vessell for they prayse syluer but lytell to make vessell of / but they make of syluer greces py lers & pauymentes of halles & of chambres. And ye shall vnderstande y t my felowe & I was in soudy with hym .xvi. monethes agayne the kyng of Mancy vpon whom he made warre / & the cause was for we had so grete desyre to see the nobley of his courte yf it were suche as we herde speke of / & forsoth we foūde it more rycher & solempne than euer we herde speke of / & we sholde neuer haue byleued it had we not seen it / but ye shall vnderstande y t mete & drynke is more honest amonge vs than it is in those coūtrees / for all the comons ete vpon skynnes of bestes on theyr knees & ete but flesshe of all maner bestes / & whan they haue all eten they wype theyr hondes on theyr skyrtes & they ete but ones on the daye & ete but lytell brede / but the esta te of the lordes is full nobley & full rychely.
¶ Wherfore that the Emperour of Cathay is cal led the grete Chane. ca. lxviij.
ANd ye shall wete why he is called the grete Chane / ye wote well that all the worlde was destroyed with Noes flood but Noe & his wyf & his childern. Noe had thre sones Sem Cham & Iapheth. Cham was he y t sawe his faders balockes naked whan he slepte & scorned it / & therfore was he cursyd / and Iapheth couered it agayne. Thyse thre brethern had all the londe. Cham toke the best parte ecstwarde y t is called Asia. Sem toke Affryke. & Iapheth toke Europe. Cham was the myghtyest & rychest of his brethern / & of hym are come the paen folke & dyuers maner of men of the yles / some hedles / & other men dysfygured / & for this Cham the Emperour there called hym Cham & lorde of all. But ye shall vnderstande y t the Emperour of Cathay is called Chane & not Cham▪ & for this cause it is not longe gone y t all Tartary was in subgeccyon & thrall to other nacyons about / & they were made herdemen to kepe beestes / & amonge theym was. vij. lynages or kyn des / the fyrst was called Tartary y t is the best / the seconde lynage is called Tanghot / the thyrde Eu race / the fourthe Valayre / the fyfthe Semoth / the sixth Menchy / the seuenth Sobeth. Thyse are all holdynge of the grete Chane of Cathay. Now it befelle so y t in the fyrst lynage was an olde man & [Page lxxx] he was not ryche & men calle hȳ Changyus. This man laye & slept on a nyght in his bedde / & there came to hym a knyght all whyte syttynge vpon a whyte hors & sayd to hym. Chane slepest thou / god that is almyghty sent me to the / & it is his wyll y t thou saye to the. vij. lynages y t thou shalt he theyr Emperour / for ye shall conquere all the londes y t are about you & they shall be in your subgeccyon as ye haue be in theyrs. And whan morowe came he rose vp & sayd it to the. vij. lynages / and they scorned hym & sayd he was a fole. And the nyght after the same knyght came to the. vij. lynages & badde theym of goddes behalf to make Changyus theyr Emperour & they sholde be out of all subgec cyon. And on the morowe they chose Changyus to Emperour & dyde hym all worshyp y t they myght do & called hym Chane as the whyte knyght called hym / and they sayd they wolde do as he badde theym. Than he made many statutes & lawes the whiche he called Ysakan. The fyrst statute was that they sholde be obedyent to god almyghty / & byleue y t he sholde delyuer theym out of thraldom / & y t they sholde call on hym in al theyr werkes. An other statute was that all men y t myght bere armes sholde be nombred & to eche. x. sholde be a mayster & to an hondred a mayster / & to a thousande a mayster. Than he cōmaūded to all the grettest & pryn cypalest of the. vij. lygnages that they sholde forsake all that they hadde in herytage or lordshyp / [Page] and that they sholde holde theym payed of that he wolde gyue theym of his grace / and they dyde so And also he badde theym y t eche man sholde brynge his eldest sone before hym & slee his owne sone with his owne hondes & smyte of theyr heedes. & as soone they dyde his byddynge. And whan he sawe they made no lettynge of y t he badde theym do / than badde he theym folowe his baner / & than he put in subgeccyon all the londes about hym.
¶ How the grete Chane was hydde vnder a tree & so scaped his enmyes by cause of a byrde. ca. lxix.
ANd it befelle on a daye that the Chane ro de with a fewe men to see the londe that he hadde wonne / & he met with a grete multytude of his enemyes & there he was cast downe of his hors & his hors slayne. And whan his men sawe hym at the erthe they wende he had be deed & fled / & the enemyes folowed after / and whan he sawe his enemyes were ferre he hydde hym in a busshe. for the wood was thycke there / & whan they were come agayn fro the chasse they went to seke amon ge the wood yf ony were hydde there / & they foūde many. And as they came to y e place where he was / they sawe a byrde sytte vpon a tree the whiche byr de men calle an oule / & than sayd they y t there was no man for that byrde sate there & so went they awaye / & thus was the Chane saued fro deth / & so [Page lxxxi] he wente awaye on a nyght to his owne men whiche were gladde of his comynge. And fro that tyme hyderwardes men of that cōutree haue do gre te worshyp to that byrde & for that cause they wor shyp that byrde aboue all the byrdes of the worlde And than he assembled all his men & rode vpon his enemyes & destroyed theym. And whan he had wonne all the londes that were about hym he helde them in subgeccyon. And whan the Chane had wonne all the londes to moūt Belyan / the whyte knyght come to hym in a vysyon agayne & sayd vnto hym. Chane the wyll of god is that thou pas se the moūt Belyan and thou shalt wynne many londes / & for thou shalt fynde no passage go thou to moūt Belyan that is vpon the see syde & knele .ix. tymes theron agaynst the eest in the worshyp of god & he shall shewe the a waye how thou shalt passe / & the Chane dyde so / and anone the see that touched the hylle withdrowe hym & shewed hym a fayre waye of .ix. foot brood bytwene the hylle and the see / and so he passed ryght well with all his men and than he wanne the londe of Cathay that is the moost londe and the grettest of all the worlde / and for those .ix. knelynges & the .ix. foot of waye the Chane & the men of Tartary haue the nombre of .ix. in grete worshyp.
¶ Of the grete Chanes letters and the wrytynge about his seale. ca. lxx.
[Page] [...] than saye those men with a loude boys to all the halle now he stylle a whyle / & than sayth one of y • phylosophres eche man make reuerence & enclyne to themperour y t is goddes sone & lorde of the worl de for now is tyme & houre / & than all men enclyne to hym & knele on the erthe / and than byddeth the phylosophre theym ryse vp agayne / & at an other houre an other phylosophre byddeth theȳ all put theyr fynger in theyr eerys & they do so / & at an other houre an other phylosophre byddeth y t all men shall laye theyr honde on theyr heed & they do so / & than he byddeth theym take awaye & they do so / and thus fro houre to houre they bydde dyuerse thynges / & I asked pryuely what this sholde mene and one of the maysters sayd y t the enclynynge & the knelynge on the erthe at y t tyme hath this token / that all those men that kneled so shall euermore be true to themperour / that for no gyfte ne hetynge they shall neuer be traytours ne fals to hȳ And the puttynge of y • fynger in the eere hath this token / y t none of those shall here none ylle be spokey of the Emperour or his coūseyll. And ye shall vnderstande y t men dyght no thynge / clothes / brede / drynke / nor none suche thynges to themperour but at certayne houres that the phylosophres telle & yf ony man reyse warre ayenst that Emperour in what coūtree so it be thyse phylosophres wote it soone & tell the Emperour or his coūseyll / and he sendeth men thyder for he hath many men. And [Page lxxxiij] he hath many men to kepe byrdes as garfaukons sperhaukes / faucons / gentyls / laners / sacres / popyniayes that are spekynge & many other. x. thousande olyfaūtes / baboynes / marmosettes & other / & he hath euer about hym many physycyens more than two hondred that are crysten men and. xx. sa rasyns / but he trusteth more in crysten men than in sarasyns. And there is in that coūtree many ba rons & other seruaūtes that are crysten & conuerted to the good fayth thorugh prechynge of good crysten men that dwelle there / but there are many that wyll not that men wete that they are crysten.
¶ Of the grete rychesse of this Emperour and of his dyspendynge. ca. lxxij.
THis Emperour is a grete lorde for he may dyspende what he wyll without nombre / by cause he spended nother syluer nother golde / & he made no moneye but of leder or skynnes / and this same moneye gooth thorugh all his londe / and of the syluer & golde buylded he his palays. And he hath in his chambre a pyler of golde in the whiche is a Ruby and a carbuncle of a foot longe the whiche lyghteth all his chambre by nyght / & he hath many other precyous stones & rubyes but this is the moost. This Emperour dwelleth in the somer towardes the North in a cyte that men calle Saydus and there it is colde ynough / and in the [Page] wynter he dwelleth in a cyte that men calle Camalach and there it is ryght hote / but for the moost parte is he to Cadon that is not ferre thens.
¶ Of the ordynaūce of the lordes of themperour whan he rydeth from one coūtree to another or to warre. ca. lxxiij.
ANd whan this grete Chane shall tyde frō one coūtree to an other they ordeyne four oostes of people / of whiche the fyrst gooth before a dayes Iourneye / for that oost lyeth at euen where the Emperour shall lye on the morowe / & there is plente of vytayls. And an other oost cometh at the ryght syde of hym and an other at the lyfte syde / & in eche oost is moche folke. And than cometh the fourth oost behynde hym a bowe draught / & there is more men in than in ony of the other. And ye shall vnderstande that y • Emperour rydeth on no hors but whan he wyll go to ony secrete place with a pryue meyne where he wyll not be knowen / but he rydeth in a charyotte with four wheles / & there vpon is a chambre made of a tree that men calle lignū aloes that cometh out of Paradyse terrestre & that chambre is couered with plates of fyne golde and precyous stones & perles / and four olyfaū tes & four oxen all whyte gone there in. And fyue or sixe grete lordes ryden about hym so that none other men shall come nere hym but yf the Emperour [Page lxxxiiij] calle ony. And in that same maner with charyotte & suche oostes rydeth the Empresse by an other syde / & the Emperours eldest sone on the same array / and they haue so moche people that it is a grete meruayle for to see.
¶ How the Empyre of the grete Chane is departed in to. xij. prouynces / and how that they do cast ensence in the fyre where the grete Chane passeth thorugh the cytees and townes in worshyp of the Emperour. ca. lxxiiij.
THe londe of the grete Chane is departed in. xij. prouynces / & eche prouynce hath more than two thousande cytees & townes. Also whan themperour tydeth thrugh the coūtree / & he passeth thrugh cytees & townes / eche man maketh a fyre before his hous & casteth therin ensence and other thynges y t gyue good smell to themperour. And yf ony men of relygyon y t are crysten dwelle nere as themperour cometh they mete hym with processyon with a crosse & holy water / & they synge Veni crea tor spiritus with a loude voyce. And whan he see theym come he cōmaundeth the lordes y • ryde nere hym to make waye y t the relygyous men may come to hym / & whan he see the crosse he doth of his hatte that is made of precyous stones & grete perles / & y t hatte is so ryche that it is meruayle to telle and than he enclyned to the crosse. And the prelate [Page] of the relygyous men sayth orysons before hym & gyueth hym the benyson with the crosse / & he enclyneth to the benyson full deuoutly / & than the same prelate gyueth hym some fruyte of the nombre of .ix. in a plate of golde as peres or apples or other fruyte / & than the Emperour taketh one therof & the other he gyueth to his lordes / for the maner is su he there that no straūge man shall come before themperour but he gyue hym som what after the olde lawe that sayth. Non accedat in [...]spectu me [...] inanis. That is to saye. No man come in to my syght ydle. And than the Emperour byddeth thyse relygyous men y t they shall go forth so that men of his oost defoule them not. And those relygyous men that dwelle where the Empresse or the Emperours sone cometh do in the same maner.
¶ How that the grete Chane is the myghtyest lorde of all the worlde. ca. lxxv.
THis grete Chane is the myghtyest lorde of the worlde / for prester Iohan is not so grete a lorde as he / ne the Soudan of Babylon ne the Enperour of Persy. In his londe a man hath hondred wyues / & some .xl. some more some lesse / and they take of theyr kynne to wyues all saue theyr systers of theyr moders / but theyr systers of theyr faders other wyues they take also / & they take also well theyr stepmoder yf theyr fader be deed / & [Page lxxxv] men & women haue all one maner of clothynge so that they may not be knowen but y t women that are wedded bere a token on theyr heedes / and they dwelle not with theyr husbondes / but he may lye by whiche that he wyll. They haue plente of all maner of bestes saue swyne & for soth they wyll none / & they byleue well in god y t made all thynge & yet haue they ydols of golde & syluer / and to those ydols they offre theyr fyrst mylke of theyr bestes.
¶ Yet of other maners of this coūtree. ca. lxxvi.
THis Emperour the grete Chane hath thre wyues / & the pryncypall wyf was preester Iohans doughter. And the people of this coūtree begynne to do all theyr thynges in the newe mone / and they worshyp moche the sonne & the mone those men ryde comonly without spores / and they holde it grete synne to breke a bone with an other & to cast mylke on the erthe or other lycour y t men may drynke. And the moost synne that they may do is to pysse in theyr houses there they dwelle / & he that pysseth in his hous shall be slayne / and of those synnes they shryue theym to theyr preestes / & for theyr penaūce they shall gyue syluer / & the pla ce where men haue pysseth shall be halowed / or els may no man come there. And whan they haue do theyr penaūce they shall passe thrugh a fayre fyre or two to wake theym clene of theyr synnes. And [...]
thou be our lorde & our Emperour. And he enquyreth of theym & sayth yf ye wyll that I regne vpon you so must ye do all that I bydde you to do. And yf he bydde that ony be slayne he shall be slayne / And they answere all with one voyce / all that ye bydde shall be done. Than sayth themperour fro now forth my wordes shall cutte as my swerde / & than they sette hym in a chayre & crowne hym / and than all the good townes therabout sende to hym presentes soo moche that he shall haue more than hondred Camels laden with golde & syluer besyde other Iewels that he shall haue of lordes of precyous stones & golde without nombre / & hors & ryhe clothes of camacas & tartaryns and suche other.
¶ What coūtrees & kyngdoms laye next to the lon de of Cathay & the frontes therof. ca. lxxix.
THis londe of Cathay is in Asye the depe / & this same londe marcheth towarde y e west vpon the kyngdom of Sercy the whiche was some tyme to one of the thre kynges that wente to seke our lorde in Bethleem / & all those y t come of his kynne are crysten. Thyse men of Tartary drynke no wyne. In the londe of Corosaym that is at the northsyde of Cathay is ryght grete plente of good but no wyne / the whiche hath at the e [...]st syde a gre te wyldernesse that lastech more than an hondred Iourneys / and the best cyte of that londe is called [Page lxxxvij] Corosaym & therafter is the londe so called / and men of this londe are good warryours & hardy / & therby is the kyngdom of Comayn / this the moost & the grettest kyngdom of the worlde / but it is not all Inhabyte / for in one place of that londe is so grete colde y t no man may dwelle there for colde / & in an other place is grete hete that no man may dwelle there / & there are so many feyghes that a man wote not on what syde he may torne hym / & in this londe are but fewe trees berynge fruyte. In this londe men lye in tentes & they brenne doūge of bestes for defaute of wood. This londe descendeth towardes Pruyse & Rossy / and thorugh this londe renneth the ryuer Echell y t is one of the gret test ryuers of the worlde / & it is frosen so harde euery yere that men fyght theron in grete batayles on hors / & foot men more than hondred thousande at ones. And a lytell fro that ryuer is the grete see of Occean that they calle Maure / & bytwene this Maure & Caspye is a full strayte passage to go towarde Ynde & therfore kyng Alexander dyde make there a cyte that men calle Alexander for to kepe that passage / so that no man may passe but yf he haue leue / and now is that cyte called Port de fear / and the pryncypall cyte of Comayn is called Sarachys / this one of thre wayes to go in to Ynde / but thrugh this waye may not many men go but yf it be in wynter / and this passage is called Berbent. And an other waye is for to go [Page] from the londe of Turkescon thrugh Persy / & in this waye are many Iourneys in wyldernes. And the thyrde waye is y t cometh fro Cosmane & goth thrugh the grete cyte and thrugh the kyngdom of Abachare. And ye shall vnderstande that all thyse kyngdoms & londes vnto Persy are holden of the grete Chane of Cathay & many other / and therfore he is a full grete lorde of men & of londe.
¶ Of other wayes comynge from Cathay towar de the Grekes see. And also of the Emperour of Persy. ca. lxxx.
NOw haue I deuysed you the londes towar des the north to come fro y e londes of Cathay to the londes of Pruyse & Rossy where crysten men dwelle. Now shall I deuyse to you other lon des & kyngdoms in comynge downe fro Cathay to the Grekes see where crysten men dwelle. And for as moche as next the grete Chane of Cathay the Emperour of Persy is the grettest lorde / therfore I shall fyrst speke of hym / and ye shall vnder stande that he hath two kyngdoms / the one begȳ neth eestwarde & is the kyngdom of Turkescon / and it lasteth westwarde to the see of Caspye / & southwarde to the londe of Ynde / & this londe is good & playne and well manned / good cytees / but two moost pryncypall of the cytees are called Ba [...]yryda & Sormagaūt. The other is the kyngdom [Page lxxxviij] of Persy / & lasteth fro the ryuer of Physon vnto the grete Armony / & northwarde vnto the see of Caspye / & southwarde to the londe of Ynde / & this is a full plenteuous coūtree & good / and in this lon de are thre pryncypall cytees. Nessabor. Saphan. and Sarmasse.
¶ Of the londe of Armony whiche is a good londe / & of the londe of Myddy. ca. lxxxi.
THan is y e londe of Armony in whiche was somtyme thre kyngdoms / this is a good lō de & plenteuous / & it begynneth at Persy & lasteth westwarde to Turky of length / & in breed lasteth fro the cyte of Alexander y t now is called Port de fear vnto y e londe of Myddy. In this Armony are many fayr cytees / but Canryssy is moost of name Than is the londe of Mydde & is full longe & not brood / & begynneth eestwarde at y e londe of Persy and Ynde the lesse & lasteth westwarde to y e kyngdom of Caldee / & northwarde to lytell Armony. In this Myddy are many grete hylles and lytell playne & there dwelle Sarasyns & an other maner of men that men calle Cordyns & Karmen.
¶ Of the kyngdom of George & of Abcan and many meruayles. ca. lxxxij.
THan next is the kyngdom of George y • begyuneth [Page] eestwarde at a grete hylle that men calle Abyor / this londe lasteth fro Turky to the grete see & the londe of Myddy and the grete Armony. and in this londe are two kynges one of Abcan / and an other of George / but he of George is in subgeccyon to the grete Chane / but he of Abcan hath a stronge coūtree and defendeth hym well agayne his enemyes. And in this londe of Abcan is a grete meruayle / for there is a coūtree in that lon de that is nere thre dayes longe and about / and it is called Hamfon / and that coūtree is all couered with myrkenes / so that it hath no lyght y t no man may see there / & noman dar go in to that coū tree for the myrkenes. And neuertheles men of the coūtree therby saye that they may somtyme here therin the voys of men & hors whynynge & cockes crowe & they wote well that men dwelle there▪ but they wote not what maner of men / & they saye this myrkenes cometh thrugh myracle of god that he dyde for crysten men there. For there was a wyc ked Emperour that was of Poy / & he was called Saures & he pursued somtyme all crysten men to destroye / & dyde theym make sacrefyce to his fals goddes▪ and in that coūtree dwelled many crysten men the whiche lefte all theyr goodes & catelles & rychesse & wolde go in to Grece / & whan they were all in a grete playn y t is called Megon themperour & his men came to slee thyse crysten men / & than y e crysten men all sette theȳ on theyr knees & prayed [Page lxxxix] to god / & anone came a thycke cloude & ouerlapped themperour & all his oost / soo that he myght not go awaye & so dwelle they in myrkenes / and they came out neuer after / & the crysten men went where they wolde / & therfore they myght saye thꝰ Adn̄o factū est istud et est mirabile in oculis n [...]is That is to saye. Of our lorde is this done & it is wonderfull in our eyen. Also out of this myrke lon de cometh a Ryuer that men may see by good token that men dwelle therin.
¶ Of the londe of Turky and dyuerse other coū trres & of the londe of Mesopotamye. ca. lxxxiij.
THan next is the londe of Turky that mar cheth to grete Armony / & therin are many coūtrees as Capadoce. Saure. Bryke. Quesycyon Pytan & Geneth / in echone of those coūtrees are many good cytees / and it is a playne londe & fewe hylles and fewe ryuers / and than is the kyngdom of Mesopotamye that begynnet estwarde at flom of Tygre at a cyte that men calle Mosell / and it lasteth westwarde to the flom of Eufraten to a cy te that men calle Rochaym / & westwarde fro hygh Armony vnto the wyldernesse of Ynde the lesse / & it is a good londe & playne / but there is fewe ryuers & there is but two hylles in that londe / the one is called Symar / & the other Lyson / and it marcheth to the londe of Caldee. And ye shall wete [Page] that the londe of Ethyope marcheth eestwarde to the grete wyldernesse / westwarde to the londe of Nuby / southwarde to the londe of Marytane / and northwarde to the reed see / & than is Marytane y t lasteth fro y t hylles of Ethyope vnto Lyby y t hygh & the lowe y t lasteth to the grete see of Spayne.
¶ Of dyuerse coūtrees & kyngdoms & yles & mer uayles beyonde the londe of Cathay. ca. lxxxiiij.
NOw haue I sayd & spoken of many on this syde of the grete kyngdome of Cathay of whome many are obeysaunt to the grete Chane / Now shall I saye of some londes & coūtrees & yles y t are beyonde the londe of Cathay. Who so goth fro Cathay to Ynde the hygh & the lowe he shall go thrugh a kyngdom y t men calle Cadissen & is a grete londe / there groweth a maner of fruyte as it were goordes / & whan it is rype men cutte it asonder & men fynde therin a beest as it were of flesshe of bone & blood as it were a lytell lambe without wolle & men ete the best and the fruyte also & that is a grete meruayle. Neuertheles I sayd theym y t I helde that for no meruayle / for I sayd in my coū tree are trees that bere fruyte that become byrdes fleynge & they are good to ete / & that y t falleth in water lyued / & that that falleth on the erthe deyed & they had grete meruayle of this. In this londe and many other about ther are trees y t bere clowes [Page lxxxx] and nutmygges & canell and many other spyc [...] ▪
and there are vynes that here so grete grapes that a stronge man shall haue ynough to do to bere a cluster of the grapes. In that same londe are the hylles of Caspye that men calle Vber / & amonge those hylles are the Iewes of the .x. hyndes enclo sed within that men calle Gog and Magog and they may not come out on no syde. There was en closed .xxij. kynges with theyr folke y t dwelled betwene the hylles of Syche / and kyng Alexander chased theym thyder amonge those hylles / for he trusted to haue enclosed theym there thorugh werkynge of men but he myght not / & whan he sawe that he myght not he prayed to god that he wolde fulfylle y t he had begonne / & god herde his prayer & enclosed the hylles togyder so y t the Iewes dwelle [Page] there as they were locked in / & there is hylles all about theym but at y t one syde & there is the see of Caspye. And some men myght aske / there is a see on one syde why go they not out there / for there to answere I that all yf it be called a see it is no see / but a stange standynge amonge hylles / & it is the grettest stange of all the worlde / & yf they wente ouer the see they wote not where for to aryue / for they can no speche but theyr owne. And ye shall vnderstande that the Iewes haue no lawe of theyr owne lawe in all the worlde but they that dwelle in those hylles / & yet they paye trybute for theyr londe to the quene of Armony. And somtyme it is so that some of the Iewes go ouer the hylles / but many men may not passe there togyder for the hylles are so grete & so hygh. Neuertheles men say in that coūtree there by that in the tyme of Antecryste they shall do moche harme to crysten men / & therfore all the Iewes that dwelle in dyuerse partyes of the worlde lere for to speke Ebrewe / for they hope that the Iewes that dwelle amonge the hylles aforsayd shall come out of the hylles & they speke all Ebrewe & not elles / and than shall thyse Iewes speke Ebrewe to theym & lede theym in to crystendome for to destroye crysten men. For thyse Iewes saye they wote by theyr prophecyes y t those Iewes y t are amonge those hylles of Caspye shall come out & crysten men shall be in theyr subgeccōn as they be vnder crysten men. And yf ye wyll wete [Page lxxxxi] how they shall fynde the passage out as I haue vn derstande I shall tell you. In tyme of Antecryll a foxe shall make his denne in the same place whe re kyng Alexander dyde make the gates & he shall dygge in the erthe so longe tyll he perce it thrugh vnto that he come amonge the Iewes. And whan they see this foxe they shall haue grete meruayle of hym / for they sawe neuer suche beest / for other beestes haue they amonge theym many / and they shall chase this foxe & pursue hym vnto that he be fledde agayne in to his hole that he came fro. And than shall they dygge after as he wente vnto they come to the gates y t Alexander dyde make of grete stones well dyght with syment / & they shall [...] thyse gates & so shall they fynde the yssue.
¶ Of the londe of Bactry and of many gryffons and other beestes. ca. lxxxv.
FRom this londe men shall go vnto the londe of Bactry where are many wycked men and fell. In that londe are trees y t bere wolle as it were shepe of whiche they make clothe. In this londe are many Ypotaynes that dwelle somtyme on londe / somtyme on water & are half man and half hors / & they ete not but men whan they may gete theym. In this londe are many gryffons mo re than in other places / & some saye they haue the body before as an egle & behynde as a lyon / and [Page] they saye soth for they are made so / but the gryffon hath a body gretter than. viij. lyons and gretter & stal worthyer than an hondred egles. For certaynly he wyll bere to his nest fleynge an hors & a man vpon his backe or two oxen yocked samen as they go at plough / for he hath longe nayles on his feet and grete as it were hornes of oxen / and of those they make cuppes there to drynke of / and of his rybbes they make bowes to shote.
¶ Of the waye for to go to prester Iohans londe whiche is Emperour of Ynde. ca. lxxxvi.
ARo this londe of Bactry men goo many a dayes Iourney to the londe of prester Iohn that is a grete Emperour of Ynde / and men calle his londe the yle of Pantoxore. This Emperour prester Iohan holdeth grete londes & many good cytees & good townes in his kyngdom / many grete yles & large. For this londe of Ynde is all depar ted in yles by cause of grete flodes that come out of Paradyse / & also in the see are many grete yles. The best cyte that is in the yle of Pantoxore is cal led Nyse / for that is a noble cyte & ryche. Prester Iohan hath vnder hym many kynges & many dy uerse people / and his londe is good and ryche but not so ryche as the londe of the grete Chane / for marchaūtes come not so moche thyder as they do in to the londe of the grete Chane for it is to lon [Page lxxxxij] ge a waye. And also they fynde in the yle of Cathay all that they haue nede of / as spycery clothes of golde and other rychesse. And all yf they myght haue better chepe in the londe of preester Iohan than in the londe of Cathay and more fyner / neuertheles they wolde lette it for the longe waye & grete peryls in the see / for there are many places in the see where are grete Roches of a stone that is called adamande / the whiche of his owne kynde draweth to hym yron / and for as moche that there sholde passe no shyp that had nayles of yron for it sholde drawe it to hym / therfore they dare not wende in to that coūtree with shyppes for drede of adamandes. I wente ones in that see and sa we as longe as it had ben a grete yle of trees and stockes and braunches growynge / and the shypman sayd to me that those was of grete shyppes that were dwellynge there thorugh the vertue of the adamandes and of thynges that were in the shyppes were those trees sprongen and waxen / and suche Roches are there many in dyuerse places of that see and therfore dare no shypman passe that waye. And an other also that they drede the longe waye / and therfore they goo moost all to Cathay and that is nerer vnto theym. And yet is it not so nere but theym behoueth fro Venys or fro Geene be in see towarde Cathay. xi. or. xij. monethes. The londe of prester Iohn is longe & marchaūts passe thyder thorugh the londe of Persy▪ and come vnto [Page] a Cyte that men calle Hermes / for a phylosophre that men called Hermes foūded it / & they passe an arme of the see & come to an other cyte that men calle Saboth & there fynde they all marchaūdyses & popyniayes as grete plente as larkes in our coū tree. In this coūtree is lytell whete or barley and therfore they ete ryse and mylke & chese and other fruytes. This Emperour preest Iohan weddeth comonly the doughter of the grete Chane / & the grete Chane his doughter. In the londe of prester Iohn is many dyuerse thynges & many precyous stones so grete & so large that they make of theym vessels platers & cuppes and many other thynges of whiche it were to longe to telle / but somwhat of his lawe & of his fayth shall I telle you.
¶ Of the fayth & byleue of prester Iohan / but he hath not all y e full byleue as we haue. ca. lxxxvij.
THis Emperour prester Iohan is crysten & a grete parte of his londe also / but they ha ue not all the artycles of our fayth / but they byleue well in the fader & the sone and the holy goost and they are full deuoute & true one to an other / & they make no force of catell / and he hath vnder hym. lxxij. prouynces & coūtrees and in echone is a kynge / & those kynges haue other kynges vnder theym. And in this londe are many meruayles / for in that londe is the grauelly see y t is of sonde & of [Page lxxxxiij] grauell & no drope of water / and it ebbeth & floweth with ryght grete wawes as an other see doth and it is neuer styll ne neuer in rest & no man may passe that londe beyonde it. And all yf it so be that there is no water in y t see / yet men may fȳde there in ryght good fysshe & of other facyon and shape than is in ony other sees / and also they are of full good sauour & swete and good to ete. And at thre Iourneys fro that see are grete hylles thrugh whi che renneth a grete flood that cometh fro Parady se & it is full of precyous stones and no drope of water / & it renneth with grete wawes in to the gra uelly see. And this flood renneth thre dayes in the weke so fast & stereth grete stones of the roches w t hym that make moche noyse / & as soone as they come in to the grauelly see they are nomore seen / & in those thre dayes whan it renneth thus no man dare come in it / but the other dayes men may go therin where they wyll. And also beyonde y t flood towarde the wyldernesse is a grete playne all sondy & grauelly amonge hylles / and in y t playne gro we trees that at the rysynge of the sonne eche daye begynne to growe / & so growe they to myddaye & bere fruytes but no man dare ete of y t fruyte / for it is a maner of yron / & after myddaye it torned agayne in to the erthe / so y t whan t e sonne gooth downe it is no thynge seen / & so doth it euery daye And there is in y t wyldernesse many wylde men w t hornes on theyr hedes & ryght hydeous / and they [Page] speke not but grunt as swyne. And in that coūtree are many popyniayes that they calle in theyr lan gage pystak & they speke thrugh theyr owne kynde as apertly as a man / & those that speke well ha ue longe tonges & large & on euery foot fyue toos. there are some that haue but thre toos and tho same speke nought or very lytell.
¶ How the Emperour preester Iohan whan he goth to batayll hath thre crosses borne before hym of fyne golde. ca. lxxxviij.
THis Emperour preester Iohan whan he gooth to batayll he hath noo baner borne before hym / but he hath born before hȳ thre crosses of fyne golde & those are grete and large & well dyght w t precyous stones / & for to kepe eche crosse is ordeyned a thousande men of armes & mo than an hondred thousande on foot in maner as men ke pe a standarde in batayll in other places & he hath men without nombre whan he goth to ony batayll ayenst ony other lorde. And whan he hath no batayll but rydeth with preuy company than dooth he bere before hym but a crosse of tree not paynted & without golde & precyous stones & all playne in token y t our lorde Inu cryst suffred deth on a crosse of tree. And also he hath born before hym a plate of golde full of erthe in token that his lordshyp & nobley shall torne to nought & his flesshe shall torne [Page lxxxxiiij] to erthe. And also he hath borne before hym an other vessell full of Iewellys & golde and precyous stones in token of his nobley & his myght.
¶ Of the moost dwellynge place of prester Iohn in a cyte called Suse. ca. lxxxix.
ANd he dwelled comonly at the cyte of Su se & there is his pryncypall palays that is so ryche that meruayle is to tell / & aboue the pryn cypall toure of the palays are two pomels of gol de all roūde / & eche one of those hath two carbū cles grete & large y t shyne ryght clere on the nyght And the pryncypall gates of this palays are of pre cyous stones that men calle Sardyn / & the borders of the barres are of yuory / & the wyndowes of the halle & chambres are of crystall. And tables that they ete of some are of Emeraudes some are of mastyk some of golde & precyous stones / and the pylers that bere the tables are of suche stones also & the greces on whiche the Emperour goth to his see where he sytteth at mete one is of mastyk an other of crystall an other of Iaspy grene an other of dyasper an other of sardyn an other of cormlyn a nother of sempton / and that he setteth his foot vp on is of crysolytes & all thyse greces are bordured with fyne golde and well dyght with grete perles & other precyous stones / and the sydes of his sege are emeraudes bordured with golde & with precy [...]us [Page] stones / the pylers in his chambre are of fyne golde with many carbuncles & other suche stones that gyue grete lyght on the nyght / and all yf the carbuncles gyue grete lyght neuertheles there bren neth eche nyght. xij. grete vessels of crystall full of bame to gyue good smell and to dryue awaye wycked ayre. The forme of his bedde is all of sa phyre well boūde with golde to make hym to slepe well & for to destroy lechery / for he wyll not lye by his wyues but thryes in the yere after the sesons and all only for getynge of children. And he hath also a fayre palays at the cyte of Nyse where he dwelleth whan he wyll but the ayer there is not so well tempred as it is at the cyte of Suse. And he hath euery daye in his course more than. xxx. thousande men without comers & goers / but. xxx. thousande there & in the coūtree of the grete Chane spende not so moche as. xij. thousande in our coūtree / he hath euermore. vij. kynges in his court to serue hym / & echone of theym serueth a moneth & with thyse kynges serue alwaye. lxxij. dukes & . CCC. erles / and euery daye ete in his court. xij. archebysshops and. xx. bysshops. The patryarke of saynt Thomas is as he were a pope / & archebysshops & bysshops & abbottes all are kynges in y t coūtree / & some of the lordes is mayster of y c halle some of y c chambre / some stewarde / some marshall & some other offycers & therfore he is full rychely serued / & his londe lasteth in brede four monethes [Page lxxxxv] Iourney / and it is of length without mesure.
¶ Of a ryche man in prester Iohn londe named Catolonabes & of his gardeyne. ca. lxxxx.
IN an yle of prester Iohans londe that men calle Myscorach & therin is grete plente of goodes & moche ryches and many precyous stones In that londe was a ryche man not longe agone that men called there Catolonabes / he was full ryche & he had a fayre castell on an hylle & stronge / and he had made a walle all about the hylle ryght stronge & fayre within that he had a fayre gardeyne wherin were many trees berynge all ma ner of fruytes y t he myght fynde / & he dyde plante therin all maner of herbes of good smell & that ba re floures / & there was many fayre welles and by theym was made many fayre halles & chambres well dyght with golde & asure / and he had made there dyuerse storyes & beestes and byrdes y t songe & torned by engyne and orbage as they had be all quycke / & he had in his gardeyne that he myght fynde to make a man solace & comfort / and he had also there in that gardeyne maydens with in the age of. xv. yere the fayrest that he myght fynde & men childern of the same age / & they were cladde with clothes of golde & he sayd that the same were angels / & he had do make thre hylles fayre and good all enclosed about with precyous stones of [Page] [...]aspye and crystall & well boūde with golde and perles & other maner of stones / and he had made a conduyte vnder the erthe so y t whan he [...]olde the walles ranne somtyme with mylke somtyme with wyne somtyme with hony / & this place is called Paradyse. And whan ony yonge bachelere of that coūtree knyght or squyer cometh to hym for solace & dysporte / he ledeth hym in to his Paradyse & shewed vnto hym all thyse dyuerse thynges / & dyuerse songes of byrdes and also of his damoysels & his welles / and he dyde stryke dyuerse Instrumentes of musyke in an hyghe toure that myght be seen & sayd those were angels of god / and that place was Paradyse that god hath graūted to tho se that byleued whan he sayd. Dabo vo [...]is terrā fluentē lac et mel. That is to saye. I shall gyue you londe flowynge mylke & hony. And than this ryche man dyde thyse men drynke a maner of dryn ke of whiche they were dronken & he sayd to them yf they wolde deye for his sake that whan they we re deed they sholde come in to his Paradyse / and they sholde be of the age of those maydens & shol de dwelle alwaye with theym / and he sholde put theym in a fayre Paradyse where they sholde see god in his Ioye & in his mageste / and than they graūted to do what he wolde / and he badde theym go & slee suche a lorde or a man of the coūtree that he was wroth with / & that they sholde haue no dre de of no man / and yf they were slayne themself [Page lxxxxvi] for his sake he sholde put theym in his Paradyse whan they were deed. And so wente those bachelers to slee grete lordes of the countree / and were slayne themself in hope to haue that Paradyse / & thus he was auenged of his enemyes thorugh his deserte. And whan ryche men of the countree perceyued this malyce and cautele & the wyll of this Catolonabes they gadred theym togyder & assayled the castell and slewe hym & destroyed all his goodes and his fayre places & rychesse that were in his Paradyse / the place of the walles is there yet and some other thynges / but rychesse is not there and it is not longe ago syth he was destroyed.
¶ Of a meruaylous vale that is besyde the ryuer of Physon. ca. lxxxxi.
ANd a lytell fro that place on the lyfte syde besyde the Ryuer of Physon is a grete meruayle. There is a vale bytwene two hylles & that is foure myle longe / and some men calle it the valey enchaūted / some the valey of deuylles / same the valey peryllous / & in that valey are many tempestes and a grete noyse and hydeous euery daye and nyght / and somtyme as it were a noyse of Taburynes of nakers and of trompettes as it were at a grete fest. This valey is all full of deuylles & hath ben alwaye / & men saye there y t it is an entre to helle. In this valey is moche golde and
and resonable & many crysten men amonge theym that are full ryche / & the water bytwene the londe of prester Iohan and this yle is not full depe for men may see the grounde in many places.
¶ Of two other yles one is called Orell / & y t other Argete where are many golde mynes. ca. C. I.
THere are more estwarde two other yles the one is called Orell / & the other Argete of whom all the londe is myne of golde & syluer. In those yles may men see no sterres clere shynynge / but one sterre y t is called Canapos / & there may not men see the mone but in the last quarter. In y t yle is a grete hylle of golde y t pyssmyres kepe & they do the fyne golde from the other y t is not fyne golde / & the pyssmyres are as grete as hoūdes so that no man dare come there for drede of pyssmyres y t shol de assayle theym so y t men may not werke in that golde ne gete therof but by subtylte / and therfore whan it is ryght hote the pyssmyres hyde theym in the erthe from vndern to none of the daye / & than men of the coūtree take camels & dromedaryes & other bestes & go thyder & charge them with golde & go awaye fast or the pyssmyres come out of the erthe. And other tymes whan it is not so hote y t the pyssmyres hyde theym not they take meres y t haue foles / & they laye vpon thyse meres two longe vessels as it were two smale barelles and the mouth [Page] vpwardes & dryue theym thyder & holde theyr foles at home / & whan the pyssmyres seen thyse vessels / they sprynge therin for they haue of kynde to leue no hole nor pytte open / & anone fylle thyse vessels of golde / & whan men trowe y t the vessels are full they take the foles & brynge theym as nere as they dare & they whyne / & the meres here theȳ & anone they come to theyr foles / & so men take the golde / for thyse pyssmyres wyll suffre beestes for to go amonge theym but no men.
¶ Of the derke coūtree & hylles and roches of st [...] ne nyghe to the paradyse terrestre. ca. C. ij.
BEyonde the yles of the londe of prester Iohan & his lordshyp of wyldernes to go ryght eest men shall not fynde but hylles grete roches & other myrke londe where no man may see a daye nor nyght as men of the coūtree saye / & this wyldernes & myrke londe lasteth to paradyse terrestre where Adam & Eue were sette / but they were there but a lytell whyle / & y t is towarde the eest at begynnynge of the erthe / but y t is not our eest that we calle where the sonne ryseth in those coūtrees towarde paradyse / & than it is mydnyght in our coūtree for the roūdenesse of the erthe / for our lorde made the erthe all roūde in myddes of the fyrmament. Of paradyse can I not speke properly / for I haue not be there & y t angreth me / but y t I haue [Page Ciiij] herde I shall saye you. Men saye that paradyse terrestre is the hyghest londe of the worlde / & it is so hygh y t it toucheth nere to the cercle of the mone for it is so hygh y t Noes flood myght not come ther to the whiche couered all the erthe about.
¶ A lytell of paradyse terrrestre. ca. C. iij.
THis paradyse terrestre is enclosed all about w t a walle / & y t walle is all couered w t mosse as it semeth y t men may see no stone ne no thynge [...]ls wherof it is / & the hyghest place of paradyse in the myddes of it is a welle y t casteth out the foure floodes y t renne thrugh dyuerse londes. The fyrst flood is called Physon or Ganges & that renneth thrugh Ynde / in y t ryuer are many precyous stones & moche lignū aloes / & grauell of golde. An other is called Nylus or Gyron & y t rennth thrugh Ethio pe & Egypte. The thyrde is called Tygre & that renneth thrugh Assyry & Armony the grete. And the fourth is called Eufrates that renneth thrugh Armony & Persy / and men saye that all the swete and fresshe waters of the worlde take theyr spryn gynge of theym. The fyrst ryuer is called Physon that is to saye a gaderynge of many ryuers togy der & falle in to that ryuer / and some calle it Gan ges for a kyng y t was in Ynde y t men called Gangeras for it renneth thrugh his londe. And this ryuer is in some places clere in some places trouble [Page] in some place hote in some place tolde. The secon de ryuer is called Nylus or Gyron / for it is euer trouble / for Gyron is to saye trouble. The thyrde ryuer is called Tygrys / y t is to saye fast rennynge for it renneth faster than ony of the other / & so is a best that men calle Tygrys for he renneth fast. The fourth ryuer is called Eufrates / y t is to saye well brēnynge / for there groweth many good thyn ges vpon y t ryuer. And ye shall vnderstande that no man lyuynge may go vnto y t paradyse / for by lon de he may not go for wylde beestes whiche are in the wyldernes / & for hylles & roches where noman may passe. Ne by those ryuers may no man passe for they come w t so grete course & so grete wawes y t no shyp may go ne sayle ayenst theym. Many gre te lordes haue assayed many tymes to go by those Ryuers to paradyse / but they myght not spede in theyr waye / for some deyed for werynes of rowynge / some wexe blynde & some deef for noyse of the waters so noman may passe there but thrugh specyal grace of god / & for I can tell you nomore of y t place I shall saye you of that I haue seen.
¶How prester Iohans londe lyeth foot agaynst foot to Englonde. ca. C. iiij.
IN this yles of the londe of prester Iohan & they are vnder the erthe to vs / & other yles are there who so wolde pursue them for to enuyron [Page Cv] the erthe who so had grace of god to holde y e waye he myght come ryght to the same coūtrees y • he we re come of & come fro and so go about the erthe & for it were to longe tyme & also many perylles to passe fewe men assaye to go so / & yet it myght be done / & therfore men came fro thyse yles to other yles coostynge of the lordshyp of preester Iohan. & men come in the comynge to one yle y t men calle Cassoy / & that coūtree is nere .lx. Iourneys longe & more than .l. of brede y t is the best londe that is in those coūtrees saue Cathay / & yf marchaūtes came thyder as comonly as they do vnto Cathay it sholde be better than Cathay / for it is so thycke of cytees & townes y t whan a man goth out of a cy te he seeth anone another on eche syde / there is gre te plente of spyces & other goodes. The kyng of this yle is full ryche & myghty and he holdeth his londe of the grete Chane for that is one of the .xij. prouynces that the grete Chane hath vnder hym without his owne londe.
¶Of the kyngdom of Ryboth. ca. C. v.
FRo this yle men go to an other kyngdom y • men calle Ryboth / & that is also vnder the grete Chane / this is a good coūtree & plenteuous of corne wyne & other thynges / men of this londe haue none houses / but they dwelle in tentes made of tree. And the pryncypall cyte of that coūtree is [Page] all blacke made of blacke stones & whyte / and all the stretes are paued with suche stones / & in y t cyte is no man so hardy to spyll blood of man ne beest for worshyp of a mawmet that is worshyped there In that cyte dwelled the pope of theyr lawe y t they calle Lobassy & he gyueth all dygnytees & benefyces y t falle to the mawmet. And men of relygyon & men that haue chirches in y t coūtree are obedyent to hym as men are here to the pope. In this yle they haue a custome thrugh all the coūtree y t whan a mans fader is deed they wyll do hym grete worshyp / they sende after all his frendes relygyous prestes & other many / and they bere the body to an hylle with grete Ioye & myrthe / and whan it is thet the grettest prelate smyteth of his heed & layeth it vpon a grete plate of golde or syluer & he gyueth it to his sone / & the sone taketh it to his other frendes syngynge & sayenge many orysons / and than the prestes & the relygyous cutte the flesshe of the body in peces & saye orysons / and the byrdes of the coūtree come thyder / for they knowe well the custo me / & they flye aboue theym as they were egles & other byrdes y t ete flesshe. And the preestes cast the peces vnto theym / & they bere it awaye a lytell frō thens & than they ete it / and as preestes in our coū tree synge for soules Subuenite sancti dei and so forth. So those prestes there synge w t hyghe voyce in theyr langage in this maner wyse. Se & behol de how good & gracyous a man this was y t the angels [Page Cvi] of god come for to fette hym & bere hym into paradyse. And than thynketh the sone of the same man y t he is gretly worshypped whan byrdes haue eten his fader / & where are moost plente of byrdes there is moost worshyp. And than cometh the sone home with all his frendes & maketh theym a grete feest / & the sone maketh clene his faders heed and gyueth theym drynke therof / & the flesshe of y e heed he cutted of & gyueth it to his moost specyall fren des some a lytell & some a lytell for deynte. And in remembraūce of this holy man that the byrdes haue eten / and of the scalpe of the heed the sone dooth make a cuppe & therof drynketh he all his lyf in remembraunce of his fader.
¶Of a ryche man whiche is nother kyng prynce duke nor erle. ca. C. vi.
ANd from thens to go .x. Iourneys thrugh the londe of the grete Chane is a full good yle & a grete kyngdom / & the kyng is full myghty And in this yle is a ryche man whiche is nor kyng prynce duke nor erle / but he hath eche yere. CCC. thousande horses charged with ryce & corne / & he hath a noble & a ryche lyf after the maner of the coūtree / for he hath .l. damoysels that serue hym euery daye at his mete & bedde & do what he wyll And whan he sytteth at the table they brynge hȳ mete / & at eche tyme fyue meases togyder / & they
speke properly of theym. Also in coūtrees where I haue ben are many meruaylles y t I spake not of for it were to longe tale / & therfore holde you pay de at this tyme y t I haue sayd / for I wyll saye nomore of meruaylles that are there / [...]o that other men that go thyder may fynde ynough for to saye that I haue not tolde.
¶ What tyme Johan Maundeuyll departed out of Englonde. ca. C. ix.
ANd I Johan Maūdeuyll that went out of my coūtree & passed the see the yere of our lorde a. M. CCC. xxxij. and I haue passed thrugh many londes & yles and coūtrees / & now a [...] come to rest I haue compyled this boke & do wryte it the yere of our lorde. M. CCC. lxvi. at. xxxiij. yere after my departynge fro my coūtree / & for as moche as many men byleue not but that they se with theyr eyen or y t they may conceyue in theyr kyndly wytte / therfore I made my waye to Rome in my comynge homewarde to shewe my boke to the holy fader the pope & telle hym of the meruayles y t I had seen in dyuerse coūtrees so y t he with his wyse coūseyll wolde examyne it with dyuerse folke that are at Rome for there dwelle men of all nacyons [...]f the worlde / & a lytell tyme after whan he & his o [...]eyll had examyned it all thorugh / he sayd to [...] for certayne y t all was true / for he sayd he had [Page Cviij] a booke of latyn that conteyned all that & moche more of the whiche the Mapa mūdi is made / the whiche boke I [...]we / & therfore our holy fader the pope hath [...] & confermed my booke in all [...]oyntes. And I praye to all those y t rede this boke that they wyll praye for me and I shall praye for theym / & all those that saye for me a Pater noster and an Aue maria y t god forgyue me my synnes. I make theym parteners & graūte theym parte of all my good pylgrymages & other good dedes whi che I euer dyde or shall do to my lyues ende / and I praye to god of whome all grace cometh that he wyll all the reders & [...] that are [...] fulfyll of his grace / & saue theym [...] [...] [...] & brynge theym to his Ioye that euer shall laste he that is in the [...] [...] / [...] / & holy ghoost that lyueth & regneth god without ende [...].