Hee that will goe toward Hierusalem on horse, on foote, or by sea. Chap. j.

IN the name of God Almightie Hée that will tra­uaile to Hierusalem may goe many waies, both by sea and by land, after the country that he commeth from: but thincke not I will tell all the Townes, Cities and castels that men shall go by, for then should I make too long a tale, but onely the most principall countries, cities and townes that men shall go by and through, to go the right way.

First, if a man come from the West side of the world, as England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Norway, he may if hée will goe through Almaine and throughout the kingdome of Hungary, which King is a great lord and a mightie, and hold­eth many lands and great, for he holdeth the land of Hungary, Sauoy, Camony, a great part of Bulgary, that men call the land of Bugres, and a great part of the kingdome of Russie, and that lasteth to the land of Milland, and marcheth on Ci­prus, and men passe thus through the land of Hungary, and through the Citie that men call Cipanum, and through the ca­stle of Nurburgh, & by the Ile Torne, toward the end of Hun­gary, and so by the riuer of Danubie, that is a full great riuer and goeth into Almaine, vnder the hils of Lumbardy, & it ta­keth into it fortie other riuers, and it runneth throughout Hungary, and through Cresses and Crochie, and goeth into the sea, so strongly and with so great might that the water is fresh thirty miles within the sea, & afterward men goe to Belgraue and entreth into the land of Bugres, and there men passe a bridge of stone that is ouer the riuer of Morack, & so men passe through the land of Pinseras and come to Gréece to the citie of Stermisse, and to the citie of Affinpane, that was sometime called Bradre the noble, and so the citie of Constantinople that was sometime called Bessalneron, and there dwelled common­ly the Emperour of Gréece.

At Constantinople is the best and the fayrest Church of the world, and it is of Saint Steuen. And before this Church is a guilt Image of Iustinian the Emperour and it is sitting vpon a horse and crowned, and it was wont to holde a round apple in his hand, and men say there, that it is a token that the Em­perour hath lost a part of his lands, for the apple is fallen out of the Images hand: and also hée hath lost a great part of his Lordship For hée was wont to bée Emperour of Roome, of Gréece, and of all Asia the lesse, of Surry, and of the land of Iudea, in the which is Hierusalem, and of the land of Aegipt, of Percia and Arabia, but he hath lost all but Gréece, and that land he holdeth onely, men would put the apple in the Images hand, but it will not hold it. This apple betokeneth the Lord­ship that he had ouer all the world, and the other hand he lift­eth vp against the East, in token to menasse misdoers. This Image standeth vpon a piller of marble.

Likewise at Constantinople is the crosse of our Lord, and his coate without seame, the spunge and the réede with the which the Iewes gaue our Lord gall to drincke on the crosse, and there is one of the nailes that our Lord Iesu Christ was nailed with to the Crosse. Some men thinke that halfe the crosse of Christ is in Cipres in an Abbey of Monkes, that men [Page]

call the hil of the holy crosse, but it is not so, for the crosse that is in Cipres is the Crosse on the which Dysmas the good théefe was hanged, but all men wot not that, and that is euill done, but for the getting of the offring they say that it is the crosse of our Lord, and yée shall vnderstand that the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ was made of foure manner of trées, as it is con­tained in this verse following.

In Cruce sit Palma, Cedrus, & Cypressus, Oliua.

For the péece that went right vp from the earth vnto the head was of Cipres, and the péece that went ouerthwart to the which his hands were nailed, was of Palme, & the stock that stood within the earth in the which they had made a morteys, was of Ceder, and the table aboue his head was a foote and a halfe long, on which the title was written, that was of Oliue, the Iewes made this crosse of these foure manner of trées, for they thought that our Lord should haue hanged as long as the crosse might last, therfore made they the foot of Ceder, for Ceder may not in the earth ne in water rot, they thought that the bo­dy of Christ shold haue stoncken, they made the péece that went from the earth vpward of Cipres, so that the smell of his body should grieue no man that came by, and that ouerthwart was made of Palme, in signification of victorie. And the table of the title was made of Oliue, for it betokeneth peace, as the story of Noe witnesseth, when the Doue brought the branch of Oliue, that betokened peace made betwéene God and man.

And also you shall vnderstand that the Christian men that dwell ouer the Sea, say that the péece of the crosse that we call Cipres, was of the trée that Adam eate the apple off, and so they finde written, and they say also that their Scripture saith, that when Adam was sick he said to his son Seth, that hée should go to Paradise, and pray the Angel that kéepeth Paradise that he would send him oyle of the trée of mercy, for to annoynt him that hée might haue health, & Seth went, but the Angell would not let him come in at the gate, but said vnto him, that he might not haue of the oyle of mercy, but he tooke him thrée carnels of the same trée that his father eate the apple off, and bad him as soone as his father was dead, that hée should put these carnels vnder his tongue & burie him, and he did so, and of these thrée carnels sprang a trée as the Angel said, and when the trée bare fruit, then should Adam be made whole. And when Seth came againe and found his father dead, hée did with the carnels as the Angell commaunded him, of the which came thrée trées, whereof a Crosse was made that bare good fruit, that is to say, our Sauiour Iesu Christ, through whom Adam and all that came of him should be saued & deliuered from euerlasting death, [Page] but if it be their owne default. This holy crosse had the Iewes hid vnder the earth in the rock of the mount of Caluery, and it lay there two hundred yéeres and more, as they say, vnto the time that Saint Elene found it, the which saint Elene, was the daughter of Coel king of England, that then was called Bri­taine, and after marryed to Constantius, first, Consull, and af­ter Emperour of Rome, who had by her issue Constantine the great, borne in England, and afterward Emperour of Rome, which Constantine turned the name of Bezansium into Con­stantinople, he réedified that Citie, & made it the monarcal seat of all Europa, and Asia Minor: also ye shall vnderstand, that the Crosse of our Lord was in length viij. cubites and the péece that went ouerthwart was thrée cubuites and a halfe.

A part of the crowne of our Lord Iesu Christ wherwith he was crowned & one of the nailes, & the speare head, and many other reliques are in Fraunce at Paris in the chappell of the kings, and the crowne lyeth in a vessel of cristall wel dight and richly, for the French king bought these reliques sometime of the Iewes, to whom the Emperor had laid them to pledge for a great sum of gold. And although men say that this Crowne was of thornes, ye shall vnderstand that it was of Ioukes of the sea, which be white and pricketh as sharp as thornes, for [Page] I haue séene and beheld many times that at Paris, and that at Constantinople, for they were both of one, & made of Ioukes of the Sea. But men haue departed it in two parts, of the which one part is at Paris, and the other part at Constanti­nople, and I haue a point thereof that séemeth a white thorne, and that was giuen me for a great friendship: For there are many of them broken & fallen into the vessell, when they shew the crowne to great men or Lords that come thether. And yée shall vnderstand that our Lord in that night that hée was ta­ken, hée was lead into a Garden, and there hée was examined sharply, and there the Iewes crowned him with a Crowne of Abbespine branches that grew in the same Garden, and set it on his head so fast, that the bloud ranne downe by many pla­ces of his visage, necke and shoulders, and therefore hath the Abbespine many vertues, for hée that beareth a braunch of it a­bout him, no thunder, nor no manner of tempest may hurt him, nor the house that it is in may no euill ghost come, nor in no place where it is. And in that same garden saint Peter denyed our Lord thrice, and afterward was our Lord lead before the Bishop & Ministers of the Law into another garden of Anne, and there hée was examined, scourged, and crowned oft with a swée Thorne, that men call Harbareus that grew in the same Garden, and that hath many vertues. And afterward he was lead to a garden of Caiaphas and there he was crowned againe with Eglentine, & after that hée was lead to a chamber of Pi­late and there hée was crowned, and the Iewes set him in a chayre, and clad him in a mantell of purple. And then made they a crowne of Ioukes of the sea, and there they knéeled to him & scorned him saying. Aue rex Iudeorum. That is to say, haile king of Iewes. And of this crowne, halfe is at Paris, and the other halfe at Constantinople, the which our sauiour Iesus Christ had on his head, when hée was nailed on the crosse. And the speares shaft hath the Emperour of Almaine, but the head which was put in his side is at Paris, they say, in the holy chap­pell: and oft times saith the Emperour of Constantinople, that he hath the speares head, & I haue séene it, but it is greater then that at Paris. Also at Constantinople lyeth saint Anne our la­dies [Page] mother, whom saint Elene caused to bée brought from Ie­rusalem, and ther lieth also the body of saint Iohn Chrisostome that was Bishop of Constantinople. There lyeth also Saint Luke the Euangelist, for his bones were brought from Betha­ny where he was buryed: and many other reliquies are there, and ther is of the vessel of stone, as it were marble, which men call Hidrius, that euermore droppeth water, & filleth himselfe euery yeare once. And yée shall wit that Constantinople is a fayre citty and well walled, and it is thrée cornered, and there is an arme of the sea that men call Hellespon, & some men call it the bunch of Constantinople, and some men call it the brach of saint George: and this water encloseth two parts of the ci­tie, & vpward to the sea vpon that water, was wont to bée the great citie of Troy in a faire plaine, but that citie was destroi­ed by the Gréekes.

Of the Ilands of Greece. Chap. ij.

ABout Gréece be many Iles that men cal Calastre, Calcas, Settico, Thoysoria, Minona, Faxton, Mo­lo, Carpate, and Lempne. And in this Ile is mount Athoes that passeth the clouds, and there are di­uers speaches & many countries that are obedient to the Em­perour of Constantinople, that is to say, Turcoply, Pincy, [Page] Narde, Comage, and many other, Thracy and Macedonie, of which Alexander was King. In this countrie was Aristotle borne, in a Citty that men cal Strageris, a little from the citty of Tragie, and at Strageris is Aristotle buried, and there is an Alter on his tombe, and there make they a great feast euery yeare as he were a Saint, and vpon his alter the Lords hold their great counsailes & assembles, & they thinck that through the inspiration of God and him, they should haue the better counsell. In this Countrie are right high hils, there is an hill that men call Olimphus, that parteth Macedonie and Thra­cia, and is as high as the cloudes, and the other hill that men call Athoes is so high, that the shadow of him stretcheth vnto Olimphus, and it is néere lxxvij. mile betwéene, and aboue that hill is the ayre so cléere that men may féele no winde there, and therefore may no beast liue there the ayre is so dry, and men say in the country that Philosophers somtime went vp to these same hils and held to their noses a spounge wet with water for to haue ayre, for the ayre was so dry there, and aboue in the pouder of the hill they wrote letters with their fingers, and at the yeares end they came againe and found those letters which they had written the yéere before without any default, & there­fore it séemeth well that these hils passe the cloudes to the pure ayre. At Constantinople is the Emperours Pallaice which is faire and well dight, and therein is a place for iusting, and it is made about with stages that each man may well sée & none grieue other, and vnder these stages are stables vauted for the Emperours horses, & all the pillers of these stables are of mar­ble. And within the Church of saint Sophie, an Emperor would haue laid the body of his Father when hée was dead, and as they made the graue they found a body in the earth, and vpon the body lay a great plate of fine gold, and thervpon was writ­ten in Ebrew, Gréeke and Latin letters, that said thus. Iesus Christus nascetur de virgine Maria, & ego credo in eum: That is to say, Iesu Christ shall be borne of the virgin Marie and I beléeue in him. And the date was that it lay in the earth two hundreth yéere béefore our Lord Iesu Christ was borne, and yet is that plate in the treasurie of the Church, & men say that [Page] it was Hermogenes the wise man And neuerthelesse, if it be so men of that Gréece bée Christians, yet they vary from our faith, for they say that the holy Ghost commeth not out of the son, but all onelie of the father, and they are not obedient to the Church of Roome, nor to the Pope, & they say, that their Pa­triarks haue as much power ouer the sea, as the Pope hath on this side the sea. And therefore Pope Iohn the xxij. sent letters to them, how Christian men should bée all one, and that they should be obedient to a Pope that is Christs Vicar on earth, to whom God gaue plaine power to binde and to assoyle, and therefore they should be obedient to him. And they sent him di­uers aunsweres, and among other they said thus. Potentiam tuam summam circa subiectos tuos firmiter credimus. Superbi­am tuam summā tollerare non possimus. Auaritiam tuam sum­mam satiare non intendimus. Dominus tecū sit, Quia Dominus nobiscum est, Vale. That is to say. We beléeue well that thy power is great vpon thy subiects. We may not suffer thy pride. We are not in purpose to fulfill thy couetise, our Lord be with thée, for our Lord is with vs, Farewell. And other aunsweare might be not haue of them. And also they make their sacramēt of the Alter of therf bread, for our Lord made it of therf bread, when he made his maund, & on sherthurs day make they their bread in tokening of the maund, and they dry it at the Sun & kéepe it all the yeare, and giue it to sicke men in stead of Gods body. And they make but one vnction when they christen chil­dren, and they annoint no sick men, and they say there is no purgatory, and soules shall haue neither ioy nor paine vntill the day of dome.

And they say that fornication is no deadly sin, but a kindly thing, and that men and women should wedde but once, and who so weddeth more then once, their children are bastards & gotten in sinne, and their priests also are wedded, and they say that vsurie or simonie is no deadly sin, and they sell benefices of holy Church, and so did men of other places, & it is great slaughter, for now is simonie king crowned in holy Church, God amend it when his wil is. And they say that in lent men should not sing Masse but on the Saterday & on the Sunday, [Page] and they fast not the Saterday no time in the yéere, but if it be Christmas or Easter euen. And they suffer no man that is on this side the Gréeke sea to sing at their Alters, and if it fall that they do through any hap, they wash their Alters as soone with­out tarrying with holy water, and they say that there should be but one masse said at one Alter in a day. And they say that our Lord did neuer eate meat, but he made a token of eating. And also they say that we sin deadly in shauing of our beards, for the beard is a token of a man, and a gift of our Lord, and they say that we sinne in eating of beasts that were forbidden in the old Law, as Swine, Hares and other Beasts.

And this they say, that we sin in eating of flesh on the daies before Ashwednesday, and in eating of flesh on the Wednes­day, and when we eate chéese or egges on the friday, and they curse all those that eate no flesh on the Saterday.

Also the Emperour of Constantinople maketh the Patri­arkes, Archbishops and Bishops, and he giueth all the digni­ties of Churches, and depriueth them that are vnworthy. Al­though it be so that these touch not each way, neuerthelesse they touch not that which I haue behight to shew a part of the cu­stome, maners, and diuersitie of countries, and for this is the first country discordant from the faith, and letteth our faith on this side the sea, therefore haue I set it here that ye may sée the diuersitie betwéene our faith and theirs, for many men haue great liking to heare speake of straunge things.

¶To come againe to Constantinople for to goe to­wards the holy land. Chap. iij.

NOW come wée againe for to know the way from Constantinople. He that will goe through Turky, he goeth through the city of Nike, & passeth through the gate of Chiuitot that is right high, and it is a mile and a halfe from Nyke, and who so will goe by the brach of Saint George, and by the Gréeke sea there as Saint Nicholas lyeth, and other places.

First men come to the Ile of Silo, and in that Ile groweth masticke vpon small trées, as Plumtrées, or Cheritrées. And then after men go through the Ile of Pathmos, where Saint Iohn the Euangelist wrote the Apocalips, and you shall vnder­stand that when our Lord Iesus Christ dyed, Saint Iohn the Euangelist was of the age of xxxij. yéeres, and he liued after the passion of Christ lxiii. yéeres, and then dyed. From Pathmos men go to Ephesim which is a faire Cittie and néere to the sea, and there dyed saint Iohn, and hée was buryed behind the high Alter in a tombe, and there is a faire Church, for christian men were wont to hold that place, but in the tombe of Saint Iohn is nothing but Manna, for his body was translated into para­dise and the Turks hold now that cittie, and the Church, and all Asia the lesse, and therefore is Asia the lesse called Turkey, and ye shall vnderstand that S. Iohn did make his graue there in his life, and laid himselfe there all quick, and therefore some say he died not, but that he resteth there vntill the day of Iudge­ment, & therfore, truely there is a great meruaile, for men may sée there appertly the earth of the tombe many times stir and mooue as there were a quick thing vnder. And from Ephesim men goe through many Iles in the sea, vnto the cittie of Pate­ran where saint Nicholas was borne, and so to Marca where [Page] he by the grace of God was chosen Bishop, and there groweth right good wine and strong, that men cal wine of Marca. From thence men goe to the Ile of Créete, which the Emperour gaue sometime to Ionais. And then men passe through the Iles of Cophos and Lango, of the which Iles Ipocras was Lord, and some say that in the Ile of Lango is Ipocras his Daughter in manner of a Dragon, which is an hundred foote long as men say, for I haue not séene it, and they of the Iles call her the lady of the country, and she lyeth in an old castle, and sheweth her selfe thrice in the yéere, and shée doth no man harme, and she is thus changed from a damsell to a Dragon through a Goddesse that men call Diana, and men say that shée shall dwell so vnto the time that a knight come that is so hardy as to go to her and kisse her mouth, and then shall shée turne againe to her owne kinde and be a woman, and after that shée shall not liue long. And it is not long since a knight of the Rodes that was hardy & valiant, said that hée would kisse her, & when the dragon began to lift vp her head against him, & he saw she was so hedious, he fled away, and the Dragon in her anger bare the knight to a rock and from that cast him into the sea, and so he was lost.

Yet of the Dragon. Chap. iiij.

ALso a young man that wist not of the Dragon, went out of a ship & passed through the Ile, till hée came to the castell, & entred into a caue and went so long till he found a chamber, and then hée saw a Damsell that kembd her head, and looked in a Mirrour, and shée had much treasure about her, and hée thought her to be a common woman that dwelled there, to kéepe men; and hée abode the Damsell, and the damsell saw the shadow of him in the mirrour, and she turned toward him and asked him what he would, and he said he would bée her paramour or lemman, and she asked him if hée were a knight, & hée said nay, & she said then might he not be her lemman, but shée had him go againe to his fellowes and make him knight and come againe on the morrow and she would come out of the caue, & then he should kisse her on the mouth, and shée bad him haue no dread, for shée would doe him no harme, although shée séemed hidious to him, she said it was done by enchantment, for she said she was such as he saw her then, and shée said, that if hée kissed her, hée should haue all the treasure, and be her Lord, and Lord of all those Iles. Then he departed from her and went to his fel­lows to the ship, and made him Knight, and came againe on the morrow to kisse the Damsell, and when hée saw her come out of the caue in forme of a Dragon, hée had so great dread that hée fled to the ship, and she followed him, & when she saw that hée tourned not againe, shée began to crye as a thing that had much sorrow, and turned againe, & soone after the knight dyed, and sithen hetherto might no knight sée her but hée dyed anone. But when a knight commeth that is so hardy to kisse her, hée shall not dye but shall tourne that Damsell into her right shape, and shall bée Lord of the country aforesaid. And from thence men goe to the Ile of Rodes, the which the Hos­pitallers held and gouerned, and that they tooke sometime from the Emperour, and it was wont to bée called Colles, and so yet the Turks call it Colles: and Saint Paul in his Epistles writeth to them of the Ile Collosenses. This Ile is néere C.lxxx. myle from Constantinople. And from the Ile of Rodes men goe into Cipres where are many vines, the first is red, [Page] and after a yéere they waxe all white, and those vines that are most white, are most cléere and best smelling, and as men passe that way by a place where was wont to be a great cittie that men call Sathalay, for all that country was lost through the folly of a young man, who had a faire Damsell that hée loued well, and shée dyed sodainely, and was buryed in a graue of Marble, and for the great loue hée had to her, hée went in a night to her tombe and opened it, and went and lay by her, and a while afterward returned home againe, and when it came to the end of ix. monethes, a voice came to him and said in this manner, as in the next Chapter followeth.

Of a young man and his lemman. Chap. v.

GOE vnto the tombe of the same woman that thou hast lyen by, and open it, béehold well that which thou hast béegotten on her, and if thou let it goe, thou shalt haue a great harme, and hée went and opened the Tombe, and there flew out a monster right hidi­ous [Page] for to sée, the whiche monster flew about the cittie and coun­try, and soone after the cittie and the country sanck downe, and there are many perillous passages. From Rodes to Cipres is fiue hundred myle and more, but men may goe to Cipres and come not to Rodes. Cipres is a good Ile and a great, & there are many good citties: there is an Archbishop at Nichosy, and foure other Bishops in the land. And at Famagost is one of the best hauens on the sea that is in the world, and there are Christian men and Sarazins and men of all nations.

In Cipres is the hill of the holy crosse, and there is the crosse of the good théefe Dismas, as I said before, and some thinke that there is halfe of the crosse of our Lord, but it is not so, and they doe wrong that make men to beléeue so. In Cipres lyeth Saint Simeon for whom the men of the country make great solempnitie, and in the castell of Amours lyeth the body of Saint Hillarion, and men kéepe it worshipfully, and beside Famagost was Saint Bernarde borne.

Of the manner of hunting in Cipres. Chap. vi.

IN Cipres men hunt with Pampeons that bée like to Leo­pardes, and they hunt wilde beasts right well and they are somwhat bigger then Lions, and they take more quickly wilde beastes then hounds. In Cipres is a custome that Lords and other men eat vpon the earth, for they make ditches within the earth all about the hall déepe to the knée, and they paue them, and when they will eat they goe therein and sit there, this they doe to be more fresh, for that land is hotter then it is here: and at great feasts and for strange men they set formes and boords as they do in this country, but they had leauer sit on the earth. From Cipres men goe by Land and by Sea to Hierusalem, and in a day and in a night he that hath good winde may come to the hauen of Tire that now is called Sur, and it is also at the entry of Surry, there was sometime a faire cittie of Chri­stian men, but the Sarasins haue destroyed the most part there­of, and they kéepe the hauen right well for dread that they haue of Christian men. Men might goe right to that hauen, & come not to Cipres, but they go gladly to Cipres to rest them on the land, or els to buy things that they haue néed of to their voiage. Vpon the sea side men may find many rubies, and there is the well that holy writ speaketh of. Fons hortorum & puteus aqua­rum viuentiū. That is to say, The well of gardens and ditch of waters liuing. In the cittie of Tyre sayd the woman to our Lord Beatus venter qui te portauit & vbera quae succisti. That is as much to say, Blessed be the body that bare thée, and the pap of which thou suckest, and there our Lord Iesus Christ forgaue the woman of Canaan her sins, and there also in that place was the stone on the which our Lord sat & preached, & on the same stone was founded the church of saint Sauiour. And vpon that sea is the cittie of Saphen, Sarep, or Sodome, and there was the dwelling of Elias the Prophet, and there was raised by Ionas the Prophet the widdowes son. And fiue mile from Saphen is the cittie of Sydon of the which Cittie Dido (that was Aeneas wife after the destruction of Troy) was Quéene, she founded the citie of Carthage in Affricke & now is called Didonsart. And in the cittie of Tyre rayned Achilles, the father of Dido, and a mile from Sidon is Beruth, and [Page] from Beruth to Sardena, is thrée dayes iourney, and from Sardena is fiue mile to Damas.

Of the hauen called Iaffe. Chap. vij.

WHo so will go longer on the sea and come néerer to Hierusalem, you shall goe from Cipres by sea to the port called Iaffe, for that is the next hauen to Hierusalem, for from that Hauen is but a dayes iourney and a halfe to Hierusalem, and that Hauen is called Iaffe, and the towne Affe after one of Noes sonnes that men call Iapheth that founded it, and now it is called Iops, and ye shall vnderstand that it is the eldest towne of the world, for it was made before Noes floud, and there be the bones of a Gi­aunts side that bée xl. foote long.

Of the Hauen of Tyre. Chap. viij.

ANd who ariueth at the first hauen of Tyre or of Sur­rey before said, may go by land if hée will to Hieru­salem, and hée goeth to the Cittie of Acon in a day, that was called Tholomoda, and it was a cittie of Christian men sometime, but it is now destroyed, and it is in the sea. And it is from Venice to Acon by the sea two thousand and lxx. mile of Lumbardy, and from Calabre, or from Cicil it is to Acon a thousand thrée hundred miles of Lumbardy.

Of the hill Carme. Chap. ix.

ANd the Ile of Gréece is right in the mid way, and beside this cittie of Acon toward the sea some viij hundred fur­longs on the right hand toward the South is the hill Carme where Elias the prophet dwelled, & there was the order of Car­mes first founded. This hill is not right great ne high, and at the foot of this hill was somtime a good cittie of christian men, that was called Caiphas, for Cayphas founded it, but it is now all wasted, & at the left side of the hill is a towne that men call Saffre, & that is set vpon another hill, there was Saint Iames and Saint Iohn borne, & in worship of them is there a fayre church made. And from Tholomoda that men now call Acon [Page]

to a great hill that men call Ekale de Tyrees is an hundred fourlongs, and beside that cittie of Acon runneth a little riuer that men call Belion, and there néere is the fosse of Minon all round that is an hundred cubites or shaftments broad, and it is all full of grauell cléere shining, whereof men make white glasse cléere, and men come from far countries by ship, and by land, with carts to take of the grauell, and if there be neuer so much taken therof on a day, on the morrow it is full againe as euer it was, and that is great meruaile, and there is alway winde in the fosse, that striketh away the grauell & maketh it trouble. And if a man put therein any mettall, as soone as it is therein it waxeth glasse, the glasse that is made of this grauell if it bée done into the grauell turneth againe into the grauell as it was before, and some say that it is a gulfe of the sea grauell.

How Sampson slew the King and his enimies. Chap. x.

ALso from Acon before said, men goe thrée dayes iourney to the Cittie of Philisten, that now is called Gaza, that is a rich cittie, right faire and full of folke, and it is a little vpon [Page]

the Sea, and from that Cittie brought the strong Samson the gates of the Cittie to an high hill, and was taken in the said Cittie, and there he slew the king in his seat, and many thou­sands more with him, for hée made an house to fall on them. And from thence shall men goe to the cittie of Cesarien, and so to the castell of Pillerins, and then to Askalon, and so forth to Iaphat, and so vnto the holy cittie Hierusalem.

The way to Babilon whereas the Souldan dwelleth. Chap. xj.

AND who so will go through the land of Babilon where the Souldan dwelleth, to haue leaue to goe more securely through the churches and countries, and to goe to mount Sinay before he come to Hie­rusalem, and then turne againe by Hierusalem, he shal go from Gaza to the castell Dayr. And after a man commeth out of Surry, and goeth by the wildernesse: where the way is full sandy, and the wildernesse lasteth eight dayes iourney, where men findeth all that them néedeth of vittailes, and men call that wildernesse Archelleke, and when a man commeth out of this [Page]

desert, he entreth into Aegypt, and they call Aegypt Canopat, and in an other language men call it Mersine, and the first good towne that men finde is called Beleth, and it is at the end of the kingdome of Alape, and from thence men come to Babi­lon, and to Kayre: and in Babilon is a fayre Church of our Lady, where shée dwelled seauen yéere, when shée was out of the land of the Iewes, for dread of king Herod. And there lyeth the body of Saint Barbara virgin, and there dwelled Io­seph when hée was sold of his brethren, and there caused Na­buchodonosor to put the children in fire, for they were of right truth, the which children men call Anania, Azaria, and Misa­ell (as the Psalme of Benedicite saith) but Nabuchodonosor cal­led them thus, Sidrac, Misac and Abednago, that is to say, God glorious and victorious, God ouer all kingdomes, and that was for miracle, that hée made Gods son as he said, goe with those children through the fire. There dwelleth the Souldan, for there is a fayre cittie, and a strong Castle, and it standeth vpon a rock. In that Castle is alway dwelling to kéepe the ca­stle, and to serue the Souldan, aboue eight thousand persons, that take all their necessaries of the Souldans Court. I well know it for I dwelled with him Souldier in his wars a great while against the Bedions, and he would haue wedded me to [Page] a great princes daughter right richly, if I would haue forsa­ken my faith.

Yet here followeth of the Souldan and of his kingdomes that he hath conquered which he holdeth strongly with force. Chap. xij.

ANd yée shal vnderstand that the Souldan is Lord of seauen kingdomes, the which hée hath conquered and gotten to him by strength, and these be they, the king­dome of Canopate, the kingdome of Aegipt, the king­dome of Hierusalem, wherof Dauid and Salomon were kings: the kingdome of Surry, of the which the citty of Damas was the chiefe: the kingdome of Alape in the land of Dameth, and the kingdome of Arabia, which was one of the thrée kings shat made offering to our Lord when hée was borne, and many other lands hée holdeth in his hand, and also hée holdeth Cala­phas, that is a great thing to the souldan, that is to say, among them of Royes Ile, and this vale is cold.

And then men goe vpon the mount of Saint Katherin and that is much higher then the mount Moyses.

And this saint Katherin was grauen in no Church ne castle, ne other dwelling place, but there is an hill of stones gathered [Page] together, about the place where shée was buried there was wont to be a chappell: but it is all cast downe, and yet lyeth there a great part of the stones.

But vnder the foot of mout Sina is a monastery of Monks, and there is the Church of saint Katherin, wherein be many lamps burning and they haue oyle oliue enough to eate and to burne, and that they haue by miracle of God, there come cer­taine of all manner of birds euery yéere once like pilgrims, and each of them bringeth a braunch of oliue in token of offering, whereof they make much oyle.

For to returne from Sina to Hierusalem. Chap. xiij.

NOw sithen a man hath visited this holy place of saint Katherin, and he will turne to Hierusalem if he shall first take leaue at the Monkes, and recom­mend him specially to their prayers, then those said monks giue with a good will to Pilgrims, vittails to passe with through the wildernesse to Surry, and that last­eth well xiij. dayes iourney. And in that wildernesse dwell ma­ny Arabins that men call Bedions and Ascoperds, these are folke that are full of all manner of ill conditions, and they haue no houses but tents the which they make of beasts skins, as [Page]

of Cammels and other beasts the which they eate, and there vnder they lye, and they séeke to dwell in places where they may find water, néere the red sea, for in that wildernes is great default of water, and it falleth oft where a man findeth water one time, hée findeth it not another time, and therefore make they no houses in those countries. These men that I speake of till not the Land, for they eate no bread, except it bée such as dwell néere a good towne, and they rost their fishes and flesh vpon hot stones against the Sun, and they are strong men and well fighting, and they doe nothing but chase wilde beasts for their sustenance, and they set not by their liues, therefore they dread not the Souldan, nor no Prince of the world. And they haue great war with the Souldan, and the same time that I was with the Souldan they bare but a shield and a speare for to defend them with, and they vse none other ar­mour, but they winde their heads and necks in a great linnen cloth, and they are men of full ill kinde.

As men are passed this wildernesse againe comming to Hierusalem. Chap. xiiij.

AND when men haue passed this wildernesse toward Hierusalem, they come to Barsabe that was somtime a faire and a rich towne of Chri­stian men, and yet is their some of the churches left, and in that towne dwelled Abraham the Patriarke, this towne of Barsabe founded Vri­as wife of whom Dauid begat Salomon the wise, that was king of Hierusalem, and of the xii. Tribes of Israel, and he raigned xl. yéere, and from thence men goe the vale of Ebron, that is from thence néere xii. mile, and some call it the vale of Mam­bre, & also it is called the vale of Teares, forasmuch as Adam in that vale bewailed an hundred yéere the death of his sonne Abel that Caine slew. And this Ebron was somtime the prin­cipal cittie of the Philistines, and there dwelled giants & there it was so frée, that all that had done euill in other places were there saued. In Ebron Iosua and Caleb, and their company came first to espie how they might win the land of promise. In Ebron Dauid raigned first viii. yéere and a halfe, and in Hie­rusalem [Page] hée raigned xxxij. yéeres and a halfe, and there bée the graues of the Patriarks, Adam, Abraham, Iacob, and their wiues, Eue, Sara, Rebecca, and they lye in the side of the hill: and beside this hill is a right faire Church builded after the fa­shion and manner of a castle, which the Sarasins kéepe right well, and they haue the place in great worship for the holy Pa­triarkes that lye there, and they suffer no christian men ne Iewes to come therein, except they haue speciall grace of the Souldan, for they hold christian men & Iewes but as hounds, that should come to the holy place, and they call the place Spe­lunke, or double caue, or double graue: or one lyeth on an other: and the Sarasins call it in their language Caryatherba, that is to say, the place of the Patriarkes, and the Iewes call it Ar­both, and in that same place was Abrahams house, and that was the same Abraham that sate in his doore, and saw thrée persons & worshipped but one as holy writ witnesseth, saying: Tres vidit & vnum adorauit. That is to say, He saw thrée and worshipped but one, and him tooke Abraham into his house.

Here followeth a little of Adam and Eue, and other things. Chap. xv.

AND right néere to that place is a caue in a rock where Adam and Eue dwelled when they were driuen out of Paradise, and there got they their children. And in that same place was A­dam made as some men say, for men called that place sometime the field of Damasse, for it was in the worship of Damasse, and from thence he was translated into Paradise, as they say, and afterward he was driuen out of Paradise and put there againe, for the same day that he was put into paradise, the same day he was driuen out, for as soone hée sinned. And there beginneth the Ile of Ebron that lasteth néere to Hierusalem, and the Angell bad Adam that hée should dwell with his wife and there they begat Seth, of the which kinred Iesus Christ was borne. And in that vale is the field where men draw out of the earth a thing the which men in that country call Camball, and they eate that in stead of spice, and they beare it to sell, and men cannot graue there so déepe, nor so wide, but it is at the yéeres end full againe vp to the sides through the grace of God, and two miles from Ebron is the graue of Lot that was Abrahams brother.

Of the dry Tree. Chap. xvj.

THen a little from Ebron is the mount of Mambre, of the which Mount the dale tooke his name, and there is an oke trée that the Sarasins cal dypre, re­maining since Abrahams time, that men cal the dry trée, and they say that it hath béene from the begin­ning of the world, and was sometime gréene and bare leaues, vnto the time that our Lord dyed, and so did all the Trées of that kinde in the world, and yet is there many of those in the world. And some prophesies say that a Lord or Prince of the West side of the world shall win the land of Promise, that is the holy land, with the helpe of christian men, and he shal wor­ship God vnder that Trée, and the Trée shall waxe gréene and beare fruite and leaues, and through that miracle many Sara­sins and Iewes shall bée turned to the Christian Faith, and therefore they doe great Worship thereto, and kéepe it right charily. And yet though it be drye it hath a great vertue, for certainely hée that hath a little thereof about him, it healeth a sicknesse called the falling euill, and hath also many other ver­tues, and therefore it is holden right precious.

From Ebron to Bethlehem. Chap. xvij.

FRom Ebron men goe to Bethlehem in halfe a day, for it is but fiue mile, and it is a fayre way, and through Woods full pleasant. Bethlehem is but a little cittie long and narrow, and was walled and enclosed with a great ditch, and it was wont to be called Ephrata, as holy writ saith. Ecce audiuimus eum in E­phrata, &c. That is to say, Loe wée heard of the same at E­phrata. And toward the end of the cittie toward the East is a right fayre and goodly Church: and it hath many towres, and pinnacles full strongly made, and within that Church is foure and fortie great pillers of marble, and not farre from this Church is the field which flourished very strangely as yée shall heare.

Of a fayre mayden that should bee put to death wrong­fully. Chap. xviij.

THe cause is, forasmuch as a fayre mayden that was blamed with wrong, that shée had done for­nication, for the which cause she was déemed to die and to be brent in that place to the which shée was lead. And as the wood began to burne about her, shée made her prayer to our Lord, as shée was not guiltie of that thing, that hee would help her, that it might bée knowne to all men. And when shée had thus sayd shée entred the fire, and anone the fire went out, and those branches that were burning became red Roses, and those branches that were not kindled became white Rosiers, full of white Roses, and those were the first Roses and Rosiers that any man euer saw, and so was the mayden saued through the grace of God, and therefore is that field called the field of God flourished, for it was full of Roses. Also beside the Quire of that Church aforesaid, at the right side as men come downeward xij. steps, is the place where our Lord was borne, that is now full well dight of marble, and full richly painted with gold, siluer, and asure, and other colours. And a litle thence by thrée paces is the crib of the Oxe, and the Asse, and béeside that is the place where the Star fell that lead the thrée kings, Iasper, Melchisor and Balthasor, but men of Gréece call the kings thus, Galgalath, Saraphy, Galgalath, these thrée kings of­fered to our Lord, Incence, Gold and Mirre, and they came together through the miracle of God, for they mette together in a cittie that men call Chasake, that is iiii daies iourney from Bethlehem, and there they were at Bethlehem the fourth day after they had séene the Starre. And vnder the Cloyster of this Church xviii degrées at the right side is a great pit where the bones of the Innocents lye, and by that place is the tombe of Saint Hierom, that was a Priest and a Cardinal that transla­ted the Bible and the Psalter out of Ebrew into Latine, and beside that Church is a Church of Saint Nicholas where our Lady rested her when shée was deliuered of childe, and foras­much [Page] as shée had so much milke in her paps that it grieued her, shée milked it out vpon the red stones or Marble, so that yet may the traces bée séene white vpon the stones. And yée shall vnderstand that all that dwell in Bethlehem are Christi­ans, and there are fayre vines all about the Cittie, and great plentie of wine, but their booke that Mahomet betooke them, the which they call Alcaron, and some call it Massap, and some call it Harme, forbiddeth them to drinke any wine, for in that booke Mahomet curseth all those that drincke of that wine and all that sell it, and some men say, that hée once slew a good her­mit in his dronkennesse whom hée loued much, and therefore hée cursed the wine and them that dronke wine, but his malice is turned to himselfe as holy writ saith. Et in verticem ipsius iniquitas eius discendit. That is to say in English. His wicked­nesse shall descend on his owne head. And also the Sarasins bréed no Géese ne they eate no swines flesh, for they say it is brother to man, and that it was forbidden in the old law. Also in the land of Palistine and in the land of Aegypt they eat litle Veale and Béefe, except it be so olde that it may no more tra­uaile ne worke, not that it is forbidden, but they kéepe them for tilling of their land. In this Cittie of Bethlehem was king Dauid borne, and hée had fortie wiues, and thrée hundred Con­cubines.

At Bethlehem toward the South side is a Church of saint Markerot that was Abbot there, for whom they made much sorrow when hée dyed, and it is painted there how they made dole when he dyed, and it is a pittious thing to behold. From Bethlehem to Hierusalem is two myle, and in the way to Hie­rusalem halfe a mile from Bethlehem is a Church where the Angell told the Shepheards of the birth of Christ: in that way is the tombe of Rachel that was mother to Ioseph the Patri­arke, and shée dyed as soone as shée had borne Beniamin, and there shée was buried, and Iacob her Husband set xij. great stones vpon her, betokening that she had borne xii. children. In this way to Hierusalem are many Christian Churches by the way which men goe to Hierusalem.

Of the Cittie Hierusalem. Chap. xix.

FOr to speake of Hierusalem, ye shall vnderstand that it standeth faire among hils, and there is neither ri­uer nor well: but water commeth by conduite from Ebron, and yée shall vnderstand that men called it first Iebus, and sithen it was called Salem vnto the time of king Dauid, and hée set those two names together, and called it Hierusalem, and so it is called yet, and about Hierusalem is the kingdome of Surry, and thereby is the land of Palestine and Askalon, but Hierusalem is in the land of Iuda, and it is called Iuda for Iudas Machabeus was king of that land, and also it marcheth afterward on the kingdome of Araby, on the South side on the land of Aegypt, on the west side on the great sea, on the North side on the kingdome of Surry, and the sea of Cipres. About Hierusalem are these citties. Ebron at eight myle, Ierico at sixe mile, Barsebe at eight myle, Askalon at eightéene mile, Iaffe at twentie and fiue myle, Ramatha at foure myle.

This Land of Hierusalem hary beene in the hands of di­uers Nations, as Iewes, Cananites, Assyrians, Persians, Masedonians, Gréekes, Romaynes, and Christian men, also Sarasins, Barbarians, Turkes, and many other Nations. For Christ will not that it bée long in the hands of traitours nor sinners, bée they Christians or other. And now hath the misbeléeuing men holden that Land in their hands thréescore yéeres and more, but they shall not hold it long and if God will.

Yet of this holy Cittie Hierusalem. Chap. xx.

AND yée shall vnderstand that when men first come to Hierusalē they go first a pilgrimage to the church, where that the holy graue is, the which is out of the cittie on the north side: but it is now closed in with the wall of the towne, and there is a full faire Church rounde, all open aboue, and well couered with lead, and on the west side is a faire Towre and a strong for belles: and in the middest of

the church is a taber­nacle made like a lit­tle house, in manner of halfe a Compasse, right well and richly of gold and asure and other colors wel dight and on the right side is the sepulchre of our Lord: and the taber­nacle is viij. foote long and fiue foote wide, & xj. foote of height: and it is not long since the Sepulcher was all o­pen, and men might then touch it: but bée­cause men that came thether, spoyled and also brake the stones in péeces to pouder, therefore the Souldan hath made a wall about the Sepulcher that no man may touch it. On the left side is a window, and therein is many lamps light, and there is a lamp that hangeth before the sepulcher light burning, and on the Friday it goeth out by it felfe, and lighteneth againe by it selfe, at the houre as our Lord rose from death to life. And within that church vpon [Page] that right side on the mount Caluary, where our Lord was crucified, and the crosse was set in a morteys in the rock, that is white of coulour, and mingled with a little red, and vpon that rock dropped the bloud of the wounds of our Lord when hée was pained on the crosse, and that is called Galgatha, and men go vp to that Galgatha vpon steps, and in that mortyes, was Adams head found atter Noes Floud, in token that the sins of Adam should be redéemed in the same place, and aboue that rock made Abraham sacrifice to our Lord, and there is an aulter, and before that aulter lyeth Godfray of Boleyn, Baw­dewin, and other that were Christians & kings of Hierusalem. And there as our Lord was crucified is this written in Gréek. O Theos, basilon ysmon, persemas, ergast, sothyas ayos. That is to say in Latin. Hic Deus, Rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medio terrae. That is to say. This God our king before worlds, hath wrought health in the midst of the earth. And also vpon this rock where the Crosse was fixed is writ­ten within the rock, Gros guyst basys tou pestes thoy thesmo­sy. That is to say in Latine, Quod vides est fundamenta totius mundi & huius fidei. And it is to say, that thou séest is ground of all the word, and of this faith. And yée shall vnderstand that our Lord when hée dyed was thirtie and two yéere olde and thrée monethes, and the prophesie of Dauid saith that hée should liue fortie yéeres, when hée sayth thus. Quadraginta an­nis proximus fui generationi huic. That is to say, Fortie yéere was I neighbour to this kinde, and thus should it séeme that Prophesie were not true, but it is. For in old time men called yéeres of ten moneths, of the which March was the first, and December the last. But Caius Caesar that was Emperour of Roome did set to these two Monethes Ianuary and Februa­rie, and ordained the yéere of twelue moneths. That is to say, thrée hundred dayes without leape yéere the proper course of the Sun, and therefore after the accounting of ten moneths to the yéere hée dyed in fortie yéere, & after our yéeres of twelue moneths it is thirtie two yéere and thrée moneths.

Also within mount Caluery at the right side is there an al­ter where the piller lyeth that our Lord was bound to, when [Page]

he was scourged, and thereby are thrée other pillers, y^t alway drop water, & some say that those pillers wéepe for our Lords death, and néere this aulter in a place xlii. steps déepe was founde the verie Crosse by the assent of Saint Eleyne vnder a rock where the Iewes had hyd it, and it was assayed, for they found thrée crosses, one of our Lord, and two of the théeues. And saint E­leine assaied them on a dead body, that rose as soone as the very crosse of our Lord was layd vpon him. And thereby in the vale is the place where the foure nayles of our Lord were hid, for hée had two nayles in his hands, and two in his féete, and with one of those nayles the Emperour of Constantinople did make a bri­dle for his horse to beare him in battaile, for by the vertue that it had, hée ouercame his enimies, and won all the land of Asia, Turky, Damasse the more and the lesse, Surry and Hierusa­lem, Araby, Persia, and Mesopotamie, the kingdome of Alebe, Aegypt the high and the low, and other kingdomes many, full nigh all vnto Ethyope the low, and also vnto Inde the lesse, that then was christned: and there was in that time many good men and holy hermits, of whom the booke of the Fathers liues speaketh, and there are now in them Panims and Sarasins, but when God will as these lands are lost through the sin of Christian men, so shall they bée won againe by christian men through the helpe of God. And in the middest of this Church is a compasse, in the which Ioseph of Aramathia laid the body [Page] of our Lord when he had taken him oft the crosse, and vpon the same place did he wash the féete of our Lord, and that com­passe men say is the middest of the world.

Of the Church of the holy Sepulcher. Chap. xxi.

IN that Church by the Sepulcher, on the North side, is the place where our Lord was imprisoned, and there is a part of the chaine with the which he was bound, and there hée appeared first to Marie Magdalene when hée was risen from death, and shée thought hée had béene a gardiner. In the Church of the Sepulcher was wont to bée Cannons of saint Benet, and they had a Priourie, and the Patriarke was their Soueraigne: and without the doores of the Church on the right side as men goe vp xviii. steps, our Lord said to his mother, Mulier, Ecce filius tuus. That is to say: Woman behold thy Sonne. Deinde dixit dis­cipulo. Ecce mater tua. That is to say: Then said hée to his Disciple. Beholde thy mother. And these words hée said when hée hanged vpon the Crosse, and vpon the steps went our Lord when hée bare the Crosse vpon his shoulder, and vnder these staires is a Chappell where the Priests sing. And néere there is the stone where our Lord rested him when hée was weary with bearing of the Crosse. And yée shall vnderstand that before the Church of the Sepulcher is the Cittie most strong and the great plaine that is betwéene the Cittie and the Church, on the East side without the walles of the Cittie, is the vale of Iosophat that commeth to the walles.

In this vale of Iosophat without the Cittie is the Church of Saint Stephen where he was stoned to death, and thereby is the gate builded that may not bée opened. Through this gate our Lord entered on Palme Sunday vpon an Asse, and the gate opened vnto him when hée would goe to the Tem­ple, and yet are the steps of the Asse séene in thrée places, the which stand in full hard stones. Before the Church of the se­pulcher two hundred paces is a great hospitall of Saint Iohn, in the which hospitall are liiii pillers made of stone. And to goe [Page]

toward the East from the hospitall is a right faire church that men call our Lady the great, and then is there another church by that, that men call our Lady of the Latine: and there it. was that Mary Cleophe, & Mary Magdalene rent their haire when our Lord was put to death,

Of the temple of God. Chap. xxij.

AND from the Church of the sepulcher, toward the East at xvii. paces is Templum Domini. That is a faire house and it is all round, and right high, and couered with lead, and it is well paued with white marble, but the Sarasins will suffer no Christians ne Iewes to come therein, for they say, that so sinful men should not come into that holy place, but I was suffered to go in, and into other places where I would, for I had letters of the Souldan, with his great seale, & commonly other men haue but of his signet, and men beare his letter with his seale before them, hanging on a Speare, and men doe great worship thereto, and knéele against it as it were against Gods body, for those men that it is sent to, before they take it, they bow thereto, and then they take it and lay it vpon their heads, and afterward they kisse it [Page]

and then they read it all bowing with great worship, & then they proffer them to do all that the bringer will. And in this Templum Domini were wont to bée Chanons regu­lers, and they had an Abbot to whom they were obediēt. In this Temple was Charle­maine when the An­gell brought him the Prepuis of our Lord when he was circum­cised, and after king Charles brought it to Acon into our Ladies chaypell.

Yet of the Temple of God. Chap. xxiij.

AND yée shall vnderstand that this is not the tem­ple that Salomon made, for that temple lasted but a thousand an hundred and two yéere. For Titus Vespasianus sonne, that was Emperour of Rome that layd siege about Hierusalem, for to discomfite the Iewes, for that they had put Christ to death without leaue of the Em­perour, when hée had taken the Cittie, hée did burne the Tem­ple, and cast it downe, and tooke all the Iewes, and put to death eleuen hundred thousand and the other hée put in prison, & sold xxx. for a pennie, for hée said that they bought Iesus Christ for xxx. pence. And since gaue Iulian Apostatate leaue to the Iewes to make the Temple of Hierusalem againe, for hée hated Chri­stians, & yet hée was a Christian, but hée forsooke his law. And when the Iewes had builded againe the Temple then came [Page] an earthquake (as God would) & cast downe all that they had made. Since that Adrian the Emperour who was of them of Troy made Hierusalem againe, and the Temple in that same manner that Salomon made it, and commanded that no Iewe should dwell there but Christians, and although hée himselfe was not a Christian, yet hée loued the Christians more then other men, saue men of his owne faith. And this Emperour did inclose and wall the Church of the holy Sepulcher within the cittie, that before was far without the cittie, and hée would haue changed the name of Hierusalem and called it Heliam, but that name lasted not long. And yée shall vnderstand that the Sarasins doe great worship in that Temple, and they say that place is right holy, and when they goe therein they goe bare foote and knéele many times downe. And when I and my fellowes came therein, wée put off our harneise, and came bare foote into the Temple, and thought that wée ought to do as much or more then they that were Infidels. And this Tem­ple is thréescore and thrée cubites in widenesse, and as much in length, and thirtie two cubites in height, and couered with lead, and it is within full of pillers of marble. And in the midst of the Temple is an alter of twentie and foure steps of height, and good pillers all about. This place the Iewes called San­cta sanctorum. That is to say, holy of holiest, and in that place commeth none but their prelate that maketh their sacrifice, and the people stand all about in diuers Seates, as they are of dignitie and worship: and there bée foure enterings into the Temple, and the doores are of Cipres well dight, and within the East doore our Lord said, here is Hierusalem. And on the North side within the doore is a fountaine but it runneth not: of the which holy writ speaketh and saith, Vidi aquam egredi­entem de templo. That is to say, I saw water comming out of the Temple. And vpon the other side is a rock that men cal­led some time Moryach (but after it was called Belet) and the arke of God, with the reliques of the Iewes. This arke did Titus carry with him to Roome, when hée had discomfited all the Iewes. In that same arke were the ten commandements, and Aarons rod, and Moyses rod, with which hée parted the [Page] red sea, when the people of Israell passed through on dry foote, and with that rod hée did many wonders, and there was the vessell of gold full of manna, and clothing and ornaments, and the tabernacle of Aaron, & a table square of Gold with twelue precious stones, and a boxe of Iaspes grauen with foure fin­gers, and eight names of our Lord within, and seuen candle­stickes of Gold, and foure censers of Gold, and an aulter also of fine gold, and foure Lyons of gold, vpon the which they had a Cherubin of Gold twelue spans long, and a Tabernacle of Gold, and also xij. trumpets of siluer, and a table of siluer, and seauen Barly loaues, and all other reliques that were before the natiuitie of Iesu. Also vpon this rock slept Iacob when hée saw Angels goe vp and downe, and said. Vere locus iste san­ctus est, & ego ignorabam. That is to say, Surely this place is holy, and I wist not. And there the Angell changed Iacobs name and called him Israell.

And in that same place Dauid saw the Angell that slew the people with a sword, and put it all bloody in the sheth. And in this rock was Saint Simeon when hée receiued our Lord into the Temple, and on this rock he set him when the Iewes would haue stoned him, and the rock rent in two, and in that reste hée hid him, and after came downe and gaue him light.

And on this rock sate our Lady and learned her Psalter. And there forgaue our Lord the sinnes to the woman that was taken and found in Adultery, and there was our Lord Iesus Christ circumcised, and there the Angell denounced to Zachary the Natiuitie of Saint Iohn Baptist, and there offe­red first Melchisedech bread and wine & water to our Lord, in token of the Sacrament that was to come, and there fell Dauid praying to our Lord for mercy, for him and for his peo­ple, when hée saw the Angell slay his people, and our Lord a­none heard his prayer, and therefore would hée make the tem­ple in that place, but our Lord Iesus Christ forbad him by an Angel, for he had committed murther in consenting to the slay­ing of the good knight Vrias, for to haue his wife. And therfore all that he had ordained for to make the Temple, hée betooke it to Salomon his sonne, and he made it, and he prayed our Lord [Page] that all those that prayed in that place deuoutly and with good heart, that he would heare their prayer, and graunt that they asked right wisely, and our Lord graunted it, and therfore Salomons sonne called it the Temple of counsell and help of God.

Without the doores of that Temple is an aulter where Iewes were wont to offer Doues and Turtilles, and in that Temple was Zachery slaine, and on the pinacle the Iewes set Saint Iames that was the first Bishop of Hierusalem. And a little from this Temple on the right side is a church couered with Lead, that is called the schoole of Salomon. And toward the South is the Temple of Salon that is a full fayre and a great place, and in this place dwell Knights, who are called Templers, and they were the founders thereof and of their or­der, and in that Templum Domini dwelled Chanons.

From this Temple toward the East xxvi. paces in a corner of the Cittie, is the Bathe of our Lord, and this Bathe was wont to goe to Paradise, and beside is our Ladyes bed, and néere there by is the Tombe of saint Simeon. And without the Cloyster of the Temple toward the North is a right fayre Church of Saint Anne our Ladies mother, and there was our Lady conceiued, and before that Church is a great trée, which began to grow that same night. And as men go downe from the Church xxij. steps, lyeth Ioachim our Ladyes Fa­ther in a Tombe of stone, and there néere was layd sometime Saint Anne, but Saint Eline did translate her to Constanti­nople. In this Church is a well in manner of a cesterne, that is called (Probatica piscina) that hath fiue entrings, and in that cesterne was wont an Angell to descend and stir the wa­ter, and what man that bathed him first therein after the stir­ring, was made whole that was sicke, what sicknesse so euer hée had: and there was the man of the Palsie made whole, that was sicke xxxviii. yéere, and our Lord sayd to him in this manner of wise (Tolle grabatum tuum et ambula) That is to say, take vp thy bed and walke. And there beside was the house of Pilate, and a little thence was the house of king Herode that did slay the Innocents.

Of Herod the King. Chap. xxiiij.

THis king Herode was a full wicked man and a fell, for he did first and formost slay his wife, whom hée loued full well, and for the great loue of her, hée went out of his witte, and so was hée a long time, and afterward hée came againe to himselfe. And after hée slew his owne children that hée had begotten of the said wife, and commaunded likewise his second wife to bée slaine, and a sonne that hée had begotten of her, and after that hée slew his owne mother, and hée would also haue slaine his owne brother, but his brother dyed sodainely, and thus hée did all the ill that he might. And then he fel sick, and when hée saw that hée should dye, hée sent for his sister & all the great Lords of the country, and when they were there, hée did put all the Lords into a towre, and said to his sister, hée wist well that the men of the country would make no sorrow for him when hée was dead, and therefore hée made her for to sweare vnto him that shée should smite off the heads of the Lords euery one af­ter his death, and then would men of the Country make sor­row for his death, in regard of the Noble mens death, and then he made his last testament. But his sister fulfilled it not as per­taining vnto the death of the Lords, for as soone as hée was dead, she deliuered the Lords out of the towre and sent euery one home to their houses and told them what her Brother commanded her to doe vnto them. And yée shall vnderstand that in that time was thrée Herodes of great name. This of whom I speake, was called Herode Ascolonite, and hée that did smite of Saint Iohn Baptists head, was called Herod Anti­pa, and the third was called Herod Agrippa, and hée did slay Saint Iames, and put Saint Peter in prison.

Of Saint Saluators Church. Chap. xxv.

A Little within the Cittie is S. Saluators church, and there­in is Saint Iohn Chrisostomes arme, and the most part [Page]

of Saint Stephens head.

And on the other side toward the South as men goe to mount Sion is a faire Church of saint Iames, where his head was smitten off, and there is the Mount Sion, and a fayre

Church of God and our Lady where shée was dwelling, and died, and there was sometime an Abbey of Chanons regulars, and from that place shée was borne of the Apostles vnto the [Page] vale of Iosaphat. And there is the stone that the Angell bare to our Lady from mount Sinay, and it is of that colour that the rock of saint Katherin is of, & there beside is the gate where our Lady when shée was with childe went through to Beth­lehem. And at the entring of mount Sion is a Chappell and in that Chappell is that Stone great and large, with which the Sepulcher was couered when Christ was layde therein, the which stone, as it is written, the thrée Maries saw turned vp­ward when they came to the Sepulcher, and they found an Angell that said to them, that Christ was risen from death to life, and there is a little piller to the which our Lord was bound and scourged: and there was Annas house that was bishop of the Iewes at that time: and in that same place, de­nied saint Peter our Lord thrice before the Cocke crew: and there is a part of the table on which Christ made his Maunde with his disciples: and yet is there the vessell with water out of which the Discipels féete were washed: and thereby also is Saint Stephens graue: and there is the aulter where our Lord heard the Angels sing: and there appeared Christ first to his Disciples after his resurrection, when the gates were shut, and said Pax vobis, that is, Peace be to you, and vpon that mount appeared Christ to saint Thomas, & bad him assay his wound, and that was the viij. day after his resurrection, and then hée béeléeued perfectly and said. Dominus meus, & Deus meus. That is to say, My Lord my God. In that same chappell be­hinde the high aulter were all the Apostles on Whitsunday, when the holy Ghost descended on them in likenesse of fire, and there made God Paske with his disciples: and there slept saint Iohn the Euangelist on the Lords breast, and saw in his sléepe many secret things of heauen.

Also mount Sion is within the cittie, and it is a little high­er then the other side of the cittie, and that Cittie is stronger on that one side then on the other, for at the foote of mount Si­on is a faire castle and strong which the Souldan did cause to bée made there.

On mount Sion was king Dauid buryed and Salomon, and many other kings of Hierusalem, and there is the place [Page] where Saint Peter wept full tenderly, when hée had denyed our Lord: and a stones cast from that is another place where our Lord was iudged, for at that time was Caiphas house there, and betwéene the Temple of Salomon and mount Sion is the place where Christ raised the mayden from death to life. Vnder mount Sion toward the vale of Iosaphat is a well that men call Natatorie Silo, there was our Lord washed after he was baptised. And thereby is the trée on the which Iudas han­ged himselfe for dispaire when hée had sold & betraied Christ.

And thereby is the Sinagogue where the Bishops of the Iewes and Pharasies came to hold their counsell, and there Iudas cast the xxx. pence before them and said. Peccaui tradens sanguinem iustum, That is to say, I haue sinned in betraying the innocent bloud.

Of the field of Acheldemack which was bought with the xxx. pence. Chap. xxvi.

ON the other side of mount Sion toward the South a stones cast, is the field that they bought with those xxx. pence for the which Christ was sold, that men call Acheldemack, that is to say, the field of blood, in [Page] that fild is many tombes of Christian men, for there bée ma­ny pilgrims grauen. And also in Hierusalem toward the West is a fayre Church, where the trée grew of the which the crosse was made, and thereby is a fayre Church where our Lady met with Elizabeth when they were both with childe, & Saint Iohn stirred in his mothers wombe, and made worship to our Lord his maker: and vnder the aulter of this Church is a place where Saint Iohn was borne, and thereby is the Castell of Emax.

Of Mount Ioy. Chap. xxvij.

TWo mile from Hierusalem is the mount Ioy, that is a faire place and a liking, and there lyeth Samuel the prophet in a faire tombe, and it is called mount Ioy, for there those that trauaile sée first Hierusa­lem. And in the middle of the vale of Iosaphat is a little riuer that is called Torrens Cedron, and ouerthwart this, lay a trée of the which the Crosse was made that men passed ouer. Also in this vale is a Church of our Lady, and there is the sepulcher of our Lady, and shée was lxxij. yéeres of age when shée dy­ed, and there néere is the place where our Lord forgaue Saint Peter all his sinnes and misdéedes that hée had done. And bée­side that, is a Chappell where Iudas kissed our Lord, that men call Gethsemaine, and hée was taken of the Iewes, and there left Christ his Disciples before his passion, when hée went to pray, and said. Pater si fieri potest transeat a me calix ista, that is to say in English. Father if it may bée done, let this Cup passe from me. And therby is a Chappel where our Lord swet both blood and water, and there is the tombe of king Iosaphat, of whom the vale had the name, and on the side of that vale is the mount Oliuet, and it is called so, for there groweth many Oliue trées, and it is higher then Hierusalem, and therefore from that hill men may sée into the stréetes of Hierusalem, and betwéene the hill & the Cittie is nothing but the vale of Iosa­phat, and that is not very large, and vpon that hill stoode our Lord when hée went into heauen, and yet séemeth there the [Page] step of his lefte foote in the stone, and there is an abbey of black Chanons that was great sometime, but now is there but a Church. And a little thence xviij. paces is a Chappell, and there is the stone on the which our Lord God sate, when hée preach­ed and said thus. Beati pauperes spiritu, quoniam ipsorum est regnum coelorum, that is to say in English. Blessed bée they that are poore in spirit, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen, and there hée taught his Disciples their Pater noster. There also is a Church of that blessed woman Mary Egyptian, and there is shée buryed. And vpon the other side toward the East thrée bow shootes from thence standeth Bethphage, where our Lord Ie­sus Christ sent Saint Peter and Saint Iames for to fetch an Asse on Palme Sunday.

Of the Castle of Bethania. Chap. xxviij.

THere toward the East is a castle that men call Bethania, and there dwelled Simon the Le­per that harboured our Lord and them that were baptised of his disciples, and hée was cal­led Iulian, and was made Bishop, and that is hée that men call on for good Harboure. In that same place our Lord forgaue Mary Magdalene her sins, and there shée washed his féete with teares and wiped them with her heire, and there was Lazarus raised, when hée was foure dayes dead.

Of Iericho and other things. Chap. xxix.

IN the retourning to mount Olyuet, is the place where our Lord wept vpon Hierusalem, and ther­by our Lady appeared to Saint Thomas, after her assumption, and gaue him her girdle, and thereby is the stone on the which our Lord sate often and preached, and thereon hée shall sit at the day of iudgement, as himselfe sayd. And there is mount Galile, where the Apostles were gathered when Mary Magdalene told them of Christs ri­sing. Betwéene mount Oliuet and mount Galile is a Church, [Page] where the Angell told our Lady when shée should dye.

And from Bethany to Iericho is fiue myle. Iericho was sometime a little cittie but it was wasted and now it is but a little towne, that towne tooke Iosua through the miracle of God and bidding of the Angell, and destroyed it, and cursed all those that builded it againe Of that cittie was Rahab that common woman, that receiued messengers of Israell, and kept them from many perils of death, and therfore shée had a good reward as holy writ saith, Quando accipis Prophetam in nomine meo, mercedem Prophetae. &c. That is to say, hée that taketh a Pro­phet in my name, hée shall receiue the reward of a Prophet.

Of the holy place betweene Bethany and the riuer Iordane, and other things. Chap. xxx.

ALso from Bethany men goe to the riuer of Ior­dane through the wildernesse, and it is néere a daies iourney betwéene. Toward the East is a great hill where our Lord fasted xl. daies, and vpon this hill was Christ tempted of the Diuel, when he said to him Dic vt lapides isti panes fiunt. That is to say, Commaund that these stones be made bread: and there is an hermitage where dwel­led a manner of Christians called Georgiens, for saint George conuerted them, and vpon that hill dwelled Abraham a great while, and as men goe to Iericho, sate many sicke men crying Iesu fili Dauid, miserere nobis: that is to say, Iesu the Sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon vs. And two mile from Iericho is the riuer Iordane, & yée shal vnderstand that the dead sea par­teth the land of Inde & Araby, & the water of that sea is right bitter, and it casteth out a thing that men call Aspatum as great péeces as an horse, and Hierusalem is two hundred fourlongs from the sea, and it is called the dead sea, because it runneth not, neither may any man or beast liue therein, and that hath beene proued many times, for they haue cast therein men that were iudged to death: nor no man may drinck of that water, and if men cast yron therein, it commeth vp againe: but if a man cast a feather therein it sinketh, which is against kinde.

And thereabout grow Trées that beare fruite of faire cou­lour and séeme ripe, but when a man breaketh or cutteth them, hée findeth naught in them, but coales or ashes, in token that through the vengeance of God these Citties were burnt with the fire of hell.

And some men call that lake the lake of the Alphited, and some call it the poole of the diuell, and some call it the stinking poole, for the water thereof stinketh. There sancke these fiue citties through the wrath of God, that is to say, Sodome, Go­mor, Aldema, Solome, and Segor, for the sin of Sodome that reigned in them, but Segor through the prayer of Lot was saued a great while, for it stood vpon an hill, and yet appeareth much thereof aboue the water, and men may sée the wals in cléere weather, and in this cittie of Segor, Lot dwelled a great while, and there he was made dronk by his daughters and lay by them, and they thought that God would haue destroyed all the world, as hée did with Noes floud, and therefore they lay by their father, that men might be borne of them into the world: but if he had not béene dronken he had not lyen by them. And at the right side of this sea, standeth Lots wife in a piller of salt, because shée looked back when the cittie sanck downe.

Of Abraham and his generation. Chap. xxxj.

AND yée shall vnderstand that Lot was Aarons sonne, Abrahams brother, and Sara Abrahams wife was Lots sister, and Sara was xc. yéere olde when she bare Isaac, and Abraham had an other sonne na­med Ismaell that hée had gotten of his mayden Agar, and hée was xiiij. yéeres of age when Isaac was borne, and when Isaac was viij. dayes old hée was circumcised, and his other sonne Is­mael was Circumcised the same day, and was xiiij. yéeres of age, therefore the Sarasins that be of the generation of Ismael, doe circumcise them at xiiij. yéeres of age, and the Iewes that bée of the generation of Isaac, doe circumcise them the eight daye of their age.

And into that dead Sea aforesaid, runneth the riuer Ior­dane, and maketh there an end, and this is within a mile of Saint Iohns Church, and a little beneath that same Church Westward, were the Christians wont to bath them, and a mile thence is the riuer Loth, through which Iacob went when hée came from Mesopotamia.

Of the riuer Iordane. Chap. xxxij.

THis riuer Iordane is no great nor no déepe riuer, but there is much good fish therein, and there com­meth from Mount Lybany two Wels, that men call Ior and Dane, and of them it taketh the name, and vpon the one side of that riuer is mount Gel­boe, and there is a fayre plaine. And on that other side men goe by Mount Libany, to the desert of Pharaon. These hils part the Kingdome of Surry and the Countrie of Phenys. On that Hill grow Ceders that beare long apples which are as much as a mans head. This riuer Iordane deuideth Galile, and the land of Idumea, and the land of Botron, and it run­neth into a plaine that men cal Meldam in Sarasins language, and in English fayre, béecause oft times bée there kept great [Page]

faires, and in the plaine is the tombe of Iob.

In this riuer Iordane our Lord was baptised, and there was the voice of the father heard, saying: Hic est filius meus dilectus, in quo acquiesco, ipsum audite. That is to say in Eng­lish: This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased, heare him. And the holy Ghost descended on him in likenesse of a Doue, and so was there in this Baptising all the Trinitie. And through the riuer Iordane passed the children of Israell on dry foote, and they set stones in the middest of the water, in token of great miracle. And also in that Riuer Naman the Assyrian bathed him, who was leprouse, and hée was made whole. And a little from thence is the Cittie of Aye, the which Iosua assayled and tooke. And about the riuer Iordane are ma­ny Churches where Christians dwell. Also by the Riuer Ior­dane is the Vale of Mambre, the which is a faire Vale and a plenteous.

Of many other meruailes. Chap. xxxiij.

AND yée shall vnderstand that as we goe from the dead Sea afterward out of the march to the land of promise, is a strong Castle that men call Carran or Sermoys, that [Page] is to say in English, the Kings hill. This Castell did a King of Fraunce make, whose name was Baudewin, who had con­quered all the land, and put it into the hands of Christians to kéepe, and vnder that castle is a fayre towne that is called Sa­baoth, and thereabout dwell many Christians vnder tribute.

Then men goe to Nazereth, of the which our Lord had his name, and from Nazareth vnto Hierusalem is thrée dayes iourney. Also men goe through the prouince of Galile, through Romatha, through Sophyn, and ouer the high hill of Effraine, where dwelled Anna that was the Prophet Samuels mother, and there was hée borne, and after his death was buryed at mount Ioy, as I haue said before.

And after men come to Sybula, where the arke of God was kept vnder Helie the Prophet. And there made the peo­ple of Israell their sacrifice vnto our Lord, and there spake our Lord first vnto Samuell. There also ministred God the Sacra­ment. Néere there by at the right side is Gabaon, Rama, and Beniamin, of the which holy Writ speaketh. After that men come to Sychem, that some men call Sycar, and this is in the prouince of the Samaritaines, & somtime there was a Church but it is all wasted, and it is a fayre vale and plenteous, and there is a good Cittie that men call Neople, and so from thence it is a dayes iourney vnto Hierusalem, and there is the well where our Lord spake to the woman of Samaria, and Sy­chem is ten myle from Hierusalem, and it is called Neople, that is to say, the new towne. And there is the Temple of Io­seph, Iacobs sonne that gouerned Egypt, from thence were his bones brought and laid in the Temple, and thether came Iewes often in pilgrimage with great deuotion, and in that Cittie was Diana Iacobs Daughter rauished, for whom her Brethren slew many men, and thereby is the Cittie of Cora­sim where the Samaritaines make their sacrifice.

On this hill would Abraham haue sacrificed his Sonne I­saack & there néere is the vale of Dotyane, and there is the pit wherein Ioseph was cast by his Brethren béefore that they sold him, and it is two myle to Sichar, and from thence men come to Samary, that men call Sabasten, & that is the chiefe [Page] cittie of that country, and in that Cittie was the seate of the twelue kings of Israell, but it is not so great as it was, and there was Saint Iohn Baptist buried betwéene two prophets, Heliseus and Abdon, but hée was béeheaded in the Castell of Markerin béeside the dead sea, and hee was translated of his

Disciples and buryed at Samarie, but there dyd Iulius Apostate take his bones & burne them, for hée was that time Emperour, but that Finger with the which hée shewed our Lord saying. Ecce ag­nus Dei, That is to say. Behold the lambe of God, would not bée burnt but saint Tecla the virgin did bring it vnto Alphen, that is in the mountaines, in the which place they doe great worship, & there was saint Iohns Bap­tists head closed in a wall, but the Emperour Theodosius did take it out, and found it lapped in a cloth all boudy, and bare it to Constantinople, and there is yet the one halfe of the head, and the vessell wher­in his head was layd, when it was smitten off is at Geane, and they doe it great worship, Some say that saint Iohns head is at Amiens in Picardy, and some say it is saint Iohns head the Bishop, I wot not, but to God it is knowne.

Of the Samaritaines. Chap. xxxiiij.

FRom Sebasten to Hierusalem is xij. mile, & among the hils of this country is a well that men call fons Iocob. That is to say, Iocobs well, that changeth his coulour foure times in the yéere, for sometime it is red, sometime cléere, sometime gréene, and sometime thick: and men that dwell there are called Samaritaines, and they were conuerted by the Apostles, and their law varyeth from the law of Christians, and Sarasins, as also from Iewes and Panims. They beléeue wel in one God that all shall iudge, and beléeue the Bible after the letter, and they lap their heads in red lin­nen cloth that they may be knowne from others, for Sarasins wrap their heads in white cloth, and Christians that dwell there in blew choth, and Iewes in yealow, and in this coun­trie dwell many Iewes paying tribute as christians doe.

And if yée will know the letters of the Iewes, they are these following, and are thus called. Alpha for a. deth b. gymel c. he d. van e. zay f. ex g. ioth i. karph k. lam l. men m. sameth o. ey p. phe q. lad r. cloth s. fir t. soun v. than x. lours y. Now you shall haue the figures. D. li. xh. rz. S D S li. n h R f cc' h n d i k.

Of Galile. Chap. xxxv.

FRom this country that I haue spoken of, men goe to the plaine of Galile, and leaue the hill on the one side, and Galile is in the Prouince of the Land of Promise, and in that prouince is the land of Naim, and Caparnaum and Corasim, and at Bethsaida was S. Peter and Saint Andrew borne: at Corasim shal An­tichrist be borne, and as some men say he shall be borne in Ba­bilon: therefore said the Prophet (De Babilonia coluber exiet qui totum mundum deuorabit) That is to say. Of Babilon shall come a Serpent that shall deuoure all the world. And this Antichrist shall bée nourished in Bethsaida, & shall raigne in Corasim, therefore saith holy writ. Vae tibi Corasim, vae tibi Bethsaida, That is to say, Woe bée to thée Corasim, woe bée to thée Bethsaida: and the Caue of Galile is foure myle from Nazareth: of that Cittie was the woman of Canaan, of whom the Gospell speaketh, and there our Lord did the first miracle at the wedding of the Archdecline, when hée tourned water into wine. And from thence men goe vnto Nazareth, that was sometime a great Cittie, but now there is but a little Towne and is not walled, and there was our Lady borne, but shée was begotten at Hierusalem, and our Lord tooke his name of this Cittie.

At Nazareth Ioseph tooke our Lady to wife, when she was fouretéene yéeres of age, and there the Angell saluted her say­ing, Aue gratia plena, Dominus tecum. That is to say. Haile full of grace, the Lord bée with thée. And there was sometime a great church, and now is there but a litle chappel to receiue the offering of Pilgrimes, and there is the Well of Gabriell, where our Lord was wont to bathe him in when hée was little. At Nazareth was our Lord nourished, and Nazareth is to say floure of garden, and it may well bée called so, for ther was nourished the floure of life, euen our Lord Iesus Christ. About halfe a mile from Nazareth is the blood of our Lord, for the Iewes lead him vpon an high rock to cast him downe and slay him, but Iesus Christ passed them and lept on a rock where his steps bée yet séene, and therefore some when they dread them of Théeues or else of Enimies, say thus: Iesus [Page] autem transiens per mediam illorū ibat: and they say also these verses of the Psalter thrée times. Irruat super eos formido, te pauor in magnitudine brachij. Domine fiant immobiles quasi lapis, donec pertranseat populus tuos Domine, & populus iste quem redemisti. And so when this is said, a man may goe without any letting. Also yée shall vnderstand and know that our blessed Lady bare her Childe when shée was xv. yéeres of age, and shée liued with him xxxij. yéere, and thrée moneths, and after his passion shée liued xxij. yéeres.

The way of Nazareth to the mount or hill of Tabor. Chap. xxxvj.

ANd from Nazareth to the mount Tabor is thrée mile, & there our Lord was transfigured before S. Peter, Saint Iohn and saint Iames. And there they saw spiritually our Lord and Moyses and Elias the Prophet. And therefore Saint Peter said, Bonum est nos hic esse, faciamus tria tabernac. &c. That is to say, It is good for vs to bée here, let vs make thrée tabernacles. And our Lord Iesus Christ bad them that they should tell it to no man, vnto the time that hée was risen from death to life. And vpon the same hill shall foure Angels sound their Trumpets, and raise all men that are dead to life, and then shal they come in body and Soule to the Iudgement, but the Iudgement shall bée in the Vale of Iosaphat And also a mile from mount Tabor is the mount Hermon, and there was the Citie of Naim, before the gates of this Cittie our Lord raised the sonne of the widdow that had no more children.

Of the Sea of Galile. Chap xxxvij.

ANd from thence men goe to a Cittie that is called Tybe­rias that butteth on the Sea of Galile, & though it be cal­led the Sea of Galile, it is no Sea nor arme of the sea, for it is but a streame of fresh water, & it is more then an hundred [Page] forlongs long, and xl. broad, and therein is many good fishes, and by that same sea standeth many good citties: therefore this sea changeth often his name after the Citties that stand there­vpon, but it is all one water or sea, and vpon this sea our Lord walked and there said hée to Peter when he came on the water, and was néere drowned: O exigua fide praedite, quid dubitasti? That is to say, O Thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?

Of the table whereon Christ eate after his resurrection. Chap. xxxviij.

IN this cittie of Tyberyas is the table that Christ eate on with his Disciples after his resurrection, & they knew him by breaking of bread, as holy writ saith: Et cognouerunt eum in fractione panis. That is to say. They knew him in breaking of bread, and about the hill of Tyberyas is a cittie where our Lord fed fiue thousand people with fiue Barly loaues and two fishes, and in that cittie did men cast in anger a firebrand or burning stick

after our Lord, but that same burning stick did fal on the earth, and incontinent grew out of the same stick a trée, and is waxen a big trée, and there groweth yet, and the scales of the trée be all black. Yée shall vnderstand that the Riuer Iordane beginneth vnder [Page] the hill of Labany, and there beginneth the Land of promise, and it lasteth vnto Barsabe of length, and from the North part to the South, is nine score mile, and of breadth from Iericho to Iaffe, it is fortie mile, and yée shall vnderstand that the land of promise beginneth at the kingdome of Surry, and lasteth vnto the wildernesse of Araby.

Of straunge manners and diuers. Chap. xxxix.

AND in this country and in many other lands be­yond the sea, it is a custome when they haue war, that if a cittie or castle bée besieged so strongly that they may send no messengers to any Lords for suc­cour, then they write their Letters, and binde them about the necks of Doues, & let them flie their wayes, because the Doue is of that nature that he wil returne againe to the place where hée is bred, and thus they doe commonly in that countrie. And yée shall vnderstand that among the Sarasins in many places dwell Christians vnder tribute, and they are of diuers man­ners, and sundry sortes of monks, who haue diuers lawes, though they be all Christians and beléeue all well in our Lord God, the Father, the Sonne and the holy Ghost, but yet they faile in the Articles of our saith and they are called Iacobins.

For Saint Iames conuerted them to the faith, and Saint Iohn Baptised them, and they say that men néed only confesse their sins vnto God, and not vnto man, for they say that God bad not man confesse him vnto another man. And therefore saith Dauid in this manner. Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo, That is to say, Lord I will confesse my selfe vnto thée in all my heart. And in another place hée saith thus. Pecca­tum meum cognitum tibi feci: that is to say, my trespasse I haue made knowne vnto thée. And in another place. Deus meus es tu, & confitebor tibi. That is to say, Thou art my God and I will confesse my selfe vnto thée. And in another place. Quoniā cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi. that is to say, The thought of man shall bée knowne vnto thée: and they read often the Bi­ble & Psalter, but they say it not in Latine, but in their owne language, and they say that Dauid and other Prophets haue said it. But Saint Austen and Saint Gregory say. Qui scelera sua cogitat, & conuersus fuerit veniā sibi credat. That is to say, Who so knoweth his sin, & turneth, hée may beléeue to haue forgiuenesse. And Saint Gregory saith thus. Dominus potius mentem quam verbum confiderat. That is to say, Our Lord taketh more héed to thought, then to word. And Saint Hilla­rius saith Longorū temporū crimina ictu oculi perient si corde [Page] nata fuerit temptatio. That is to say, Sins that are done of old time perish in twinkling of an eye, if despising of them bée borne in a mans heart. And therefore say they, by these autho­rities, that men shall confesse them onely to God, and this way the Apostles taught: but Popes that came since haue orday­ned that men shall shriue them to priests and men as they are, and the cause is this. For they say that a man that hath sick­nes, men may giue him no good medicines, except they know that kinde of sicknesse, also they say a man may giue no coue­nable penance, except hée know the sinne.

For there is a manner of sin that is grieuouser to one man then it is to another, and therefore it is néedefull that a man know and vnderstand the kinde of sin. And there bée also other men that are called Surriens, and they hold halfe our faith, and halfe the faith of the Gréekes, and they haue long beards as the Gréekes haue.

And there bée other that men call Georgiens, whom saint George conuerted, and they doe more worship to Hallowes of heauen then others doe, and they haue their crownes shauen, the clarks haue round crownes & the lay men haue crownes square, and they hold the Gréekes law. And there be other that men call christians of girding, because that they weare girdels [Page]

vnderneth, some other called Nestoriens, some Ariens, some Nubyens, some Gregrours, and some Indiens that are of Pre­ster Iohns Land, and euery one of those haue some articles of our beliefe. But each of them vary from other, and their vari­ance were too much to declare.

For to returne againe on this side of Galile. Chap. xl.

NOw séeing I haue told you of many manners of men that dwell in the countries aforesaid. Now will I turne againe to my way for to turne vpon this side, for hée that will turne from the land of Galile that I spake of, to come on this side, hée may go through Damas that is a faire cittie, and full of good marchandises, & it is thrée daies iourney from the sea, & fiue from Hierusalem, but they carry marchandise vpon Cammels, Mules, Horses, Dromedaries and other manner of Beasts. This cittie of Da­mas founded Helizeus that was Abrahams seruant before I­saac was borne, and he should haue béene Abrahams heire, and there he named that cittie Damas, & in that place slew Caine his Brother Abel, and beside Damas is the mount of Syry, in this cittie be many Phisitions, and that holy man Saint Paul was a Phisition to saue mens bodies before that hée was con­uerted [Page]

and after he was a Phisition of soules. And from Da­mas men goe to a place called our Lady of Sardmarch, that is fiue mile from Damas, & it is on a rock, and there is a faire Church, and there dwell Christian Monks and Nuns in that Church. Betwéene the cittie of Darke, & the cittie of Raphane is a Riuer called Sabatory, for on the Satterday it runneth fast, and all the wéeke else it standeth still and runneth not, or but a little. And there is another riuer that on the night fréeseth fast, and vpon the day no frost is séene. And so men goe by a cit­tie that men call Berugh, and ther those that will go to Cipres take ships, and they ariue at a hauen of Sur or of Tyry, and then goe men to Cipres, also men may goe right from the ha­uen of Tyry, and come not at Cipres, but ariue at some ha­uen of Gréece, and by these wayes men come into the coun­tries before spoken of.

How a man may goe furthest and longest in the countries that are here rehearsed. Chap. xli

NOw haue I told you of wayes by the which men go fur­dest and longest, as by Babylon, and mount Sinay, and other places many, through the which men turne againe to the [Page] land of promise. Now will I tell you the shortest way to Hie­rusalem, for many will not goe the long way, some for want of company, and many other reasonable causes, and therefore I shall tell you shortly how a man may goe with little cost and in short time.

A man that commeth from the land of the West hée goeth through Fraunce, Burgoyn, Lumbardy, and to Venice, or to Gene, or some other hauen of those marches, and taketh there a ship and goeth to the Ile of Griffe, & so ariueth hée in Gréece, or else in port Myroch, or Valon, or Duras, or some other ha­uen of those marches and goe to land for to rest him, and goeth againe to the sea, and ariueth in Cipres, and commeth not in the Ile of Rodes, but ariueth at Famagost, that is the chiefe hauen of Cypres, or else at Lamaton, & then enter ship againe, and passe beside the hauen of Tyre and come not to land, and so passeth by all the hauens of the coast till hée come to Iaffe, that is the next hauen to Hierusalem, for it is xxviij. mile be­twéen. And from Iaffe men goe to the cittie of Ramos, and that is but little thence, and it is a fayre cittie, and beside Ramos is a fayre Church of our Lady, where our Lord shewed him selfe vnto her in thrée shadowes, betokening the Trinitie, and there néere is a Church of Saint George where his head was smitten off, and then to the Castle of Emear, and then to the mount Ioy, and from thence pilgrimes sée Hierusalem, & then to mount Modyn, and then goe to Hierusalem. At mount Mo­din lyeth the Prophet Malache & ouer Ramatha is the towne of Donke, whereof Amos the Prophet was.

Of other wayes for to goe by land to Hierusalem. Chap. xlij.

FOrasmuch as many men may not suffer the sa­uour of the sea, and better it is to goe by land although it bée more paine, and a man shall goe to one of the hauens of Lumberdy, as Venice or an other, and yée shall passe into Gréece to Port Myroch or an other, and yée shall goe to [Page] Constantinople, and shal passe the water that is called the brath of S. George, that is an arme of the sea. And from thence yée shall come to Puluerall, and then to the castle of Synople, and so to Capadocia, which is a great Country, wherein is many great hils, and ye shall goe through Turkey, and to the Cittie of Nike, the which they wonne from the Emperour of Con­stantinople, and it is a faire Cittie and well walled, and there is a riuer that is called the Lay, and then men go by the Alpes of Mormaunt, and through the vales of Malebrynes, and the vale of Ernax, and so more easily to Antioche, which standeth richly on the Riuer, and therabout are many good hils and faire, and many faire woods and wilde beasts. And hée that will go an other way, hée goeth by the Romaine coast, & the Romaine sea: on that coast is a faire castle that is called Florage, and when a man is out of the hils, hée passeth through the cittie of Moryach, and Artose, where is a great bridge vpon the riuer of Ferne, that men call Fassor, and it is a great riuer bearing ships: and beside the cittie of Damas is a riuer that commeth from the mount of Libany, which is called Alban: at the pas­sing of this riuer Saint Eustage lost his two Sons, when hée had lost his wife, & it runneth through the plaine of Archades, and to the red sea, and then men goe to the Cittie of Fermine, and so to the Cittie of Ferne, and then to Antioche, and that is a faire cittie and well walled, and it is two mile long, and there is a bridge ouer the riuer, and hath at each piller a good tower, and is the best Cittie of the kingdome of Surrie. From Anti­oche men goe to the cittie of Locuth, and so to Geble, and to Tortouse, & thereby is the land of Lambre, and a stronge castle that men call Mambeke. And from Tortouse men goe to Tri­pelle on the sea, and by this sea men goe to Dacres and there is two wayes, to Hierusalem, by the way on the left hand men come first vnto Damas by the riuer Iordane, and on the right side men go through the land of Flagme, & so to the Cittie Cai­phas, in which Cittie Caiphas was Lord, & some call it the ca­stle Pellerins, and from thence is foure dayes iourney to Hie­rusalem, and they goe through Cesary, Philyp and Iaffe and Ramas, Eumaux, and so forth to Hierusalem.

Yet an other way by land toward the land of Pro­mise. Chap. xliij.

NOW haue I told you some wayes by land & by water how men may goe to Hierusalem. And if it be so that there be many other waies that men goe by, after the countries that they come from, neuerthelesse they turne all to one end, yet is there a way all by land to Hieru­salem, and passe no sea but to France or Flanders but that way is full long and perillous and of great trauaile, and therefore few goe that way, but hée that will goe that way, must goe by Almaine and Pruse, and so to Tartary, this Tartary is holden of the great Caane, of whom I shal speake afterward for the­ther lasteth his Lordship, and all the Lords of Tartary yéeld to him tribute. Tartary is a full euill land, sandy and a little fruit bearing, for there groweth but little corne or fruite, but Beastes are there great plentie, and therefore eate they flesh without bread, and they sup the broth, and they drinck milcke of all manner of Beasts, they eate cats and all manner of wild beasts, as rats & mice, and they haue little wood, and therefore they dresse their meat with horse doung, and other beast doung when it is dry. Princes and other Lords eate but once in the day, and that is very little, and they bée foule folke, and of euill liking, and in Summer there is many tempests and thunders that slayeth many men and beasts, sodainly it is right cold, and againe on the sodaine it is right hot. The Prince that gouer­neth that land they call Roco, and hée dwelleth at a cittie that men call Orda, but very few men doe desire to dwell in that Land, for it is good to sow thornes and wéedes in, but other good there is none, as I heard say, for I was not that way, but I haue béene in other Countries marching thereon as in the land of Rossie and Nisland, and the kingdome of Grecon, and Lectow, and the kingdome of Grasten, and in many other places, but I went neuer that way to Hierusalem, and there­fore I cannot well tell it, for I haue vnderstood that men may [Page] not well goe that way but in Winter, when the waters and mires that bée in that land bée frosen and couered with snow, so that men may passe thereon, for were not the snow, there might no man goe in that land but hée were lost. And yée shall vnderstand that a man must goe thrée dayes iourney from Pruse to passe this way, before hée can come to the land of Sa­rasins that men dwell in.

And if by chance any Christians passe that way as once a yéere they doe, they carry their vittaile with them, for they should finde nothing there but a manner of thing that they call Syles, and they carry their vittailes vpon the Ise on sleds, and chariots without whéeles, and as long as their vittailes last they may dwell there but no longer. And when the spies of the countries sée Christians come, they runne to the townes and castles, and cry aloud, kara, kara, kara, and as soone as they haue cryed, then doth the people arme them. And yée shall vn­derstand that the Ise there is harder then it is here, and euery man hath a stew in his house, and therein they eate and do all things that them néedeth, and that is at the North part of the world, where it is commonly cold, for the Sun appeareth nor shineth but a little in that country, and that land is in some places so cold that there may no man dwell therin, and on the South side of the world it is in some places so hot that there can no man dwell, the Sunne giueth so great heate in those countries.

Of the faith of the Sarasins, and of the booke of their law named Alkaron. Chap. xliiij.

IN as much as I haue told you of the Sarasins & of other Lands, I purpose to set downe a part of their law and of their beliefe, after as their booke saith, that they call Alkaron, and some call that booke Mysap some call it Harme in diuerse language of coun­tries, which booke Mahomet gaue them, in the which booke hée wrote among other things as I haue often read and séene, that they that are good shall goe to Paradise, and the euill folks to [Page] hell, and that beléeue all Sarasins. And if a man aske of what Paradise they meane, they say it is a place of delights, where a man shall finde all manner of fruits at all times, and wa­ters and riuers running with milke and hony, wine and fresh water, and they shall haue faire houses and good, as they haue deserued, and those houses are made of precious stones, gold, and siluer, and euery man shall haue ten wiues and maydens, and he shall euery day once haue to doe with them, and yet shal they still bée maydens. Also they speake often of the blessed virgin Mary, and tell of the incarnation, that Mary was lear­ned of Angels, and that Gabryel said to her that she was cho­sen before all other from the beginning of the world, and that witnesseth well their booke: and Gabriell told her the incarna­tion of Iesus Christ, and that she should conceiue and beare a childe, and they say that Christ was a holy Prophet in word and déede, and also méeke and right wise to all men, and one not any blame worthy: and they say that when the Angel told to her of the incarnation, she had great dread for shée was very young, and there was one in that Country that practised sor­cery who was called Takina, that with inchauntments could make him like an Angell and he went often and lay with mai­dens, and therefore was Mary the more afraid of the Angell, and thought in her minde that it had béene Takina who went to maydens, and shée charged him in the name of God to tell her if he were the same Takina, and the Angell bad her haue no dread, for hée was for certaine a true messenger of Iesus Christ.

Also their booke of Alkaron saith that shée had a childe vn­der a Palme trée, then was shée greatly ashamed and wished her selfe dead, but as soone as her childe was borne, hée spake and comforted her saying, Ne timeas Maria. That is to say. Be not afraid Mary. And in many other places saith their booke Al­karon, that Iesus Christ spake as soone as hée was borne, and the booke saith that Iesu Christ was sent of almightie God to bée ensample to all men, and that God shall Iudge all men, the good to heauen, and the wicked to hell, & that Iesus Christ is the best Prophet of all other, and next to God, and that he [Page] was a holy Prophet, for he gaue to the blinde their sight, and healed all diseases, hée raised men and was taken quicke into heauen, and if they may finde a booke with Gospels, namely, Missus est Angelus, they doe it great worship, for they fast one month in the yéere, and eate onely on the night, and they kéepe them from their wiues, but they that are sick are not constrai­ned to it. And their booke Alkaron speaketh of Iewes and saith, they are wicked people, for they will not beléeue that Iesus Christ is of God. Also they say that the Iewes speake falsely of our Lady and her sonne Iesus Christ, saying that they did not hang him on the Crosse, for Sarasins beléeue so néere our faith, that they are easily conuerted, when men preach the law of Iesus Christ, and they say that they know right wel by their Prophesite, that their law of Mahomet shall faile, as doth the Law of the Iewes, and that the law of Christians shall last to the worlds end. And if a man aske them wherein they beléeue, they say that they beléeue in God Almightie, that is the maker of heauen and earth, and all other things, and without him is nothing done, and at the day of Iudgement euery man shall bée rewarded after his deseruing, and that all things is trueth that Christ said by the mouthes of the Prophets.

Yet further concerning Mahomet. Chap. xlv.

ALso Mahomet had in his booke Alkaron, that euery man should haue two wiues or thrée or foure, but now they haue nine and as many lemmans as them liketh, and if any of the wiues doe wrong to their husbands, hée may driue her out of his house and take in an other, but hée must giue to her part of his goods. Moreouer where men speake of the Father, and the Sonne and the holy Ghost, they say that they are thrée persons but not one God, for their booke Alkaron speaketh not thereof, nor of the Trini­tie, but they say that God spake or else he was dumbe, & that God had a Ghost or else hée was not aliue, and they say Gods word hath great strength, and so saith their Alkaron, and they say that Abraham and Moyses were greatly in fauour with [Page] God, for they spake with him, and Mahomet was a right mes­senger of God, and they haue many good articles of our faith, and some vnderstand the Scriptures, Prophets, Gospels, and the Bible, for they haue them written in their language, in their manner they know holy writ, but they vnderstand if not but after the letter, and so doe the Iewes, for they vnderstand it not but after their letter spiritually, and therefore saith Saint Paul, Litera occidit spiritus autem viuificat. That is to say, the letter killeth but the spirit quickneth, and the Sarasins say that the Iewes are wicked, for they kéepe not the Law of Moyses the which hée tooke to them, and also Christians are euill, for they kéepe not the commandements of the Gospels, that Iesu Christ sent vnto them, and therefore I shall tell you what the Souldan told mée vpon a day in his chamber shutting out all other men, as Lords, Knights and other: for hée would speake with mée in counsell, and then asked hée mée how Christians gouerned them in our country, and I answeared him and said, right well thanks bée to God, and hée said secretly nay, for hée said that our Priests made no force of Gods seruice: for they should giue good example to men to doe well, and they giue ill example, and therefore when the people should goe on the ho­lidayes to Church to serue God, they goe to the Tauerne to sin in gluttony both day & night, and eat and drink as beasts that wot not when they haue enough, and also Christians (he said) forced them to fight together, and one to beguile other, and they are so proud that they know not how they may cloth them, now short, now long, now strait, now wide, of all manner of fashions. They should bée simple, méeke and soft, and doe their almes as Iesus Christ did, in whom they beléeue, and hée sayd they are so couetouse, that for a little money they sell their chil­dren, their sisters, and their wiues, and one taketh another mans wife and none kéepeth his promise to another, therefore said he, for their sins God hath giuen these lands to our hands, and not through our strength, but all for your sins. For wée wot well, that when that yée serue well your God, that he will helpe you, so that no men shall win of you if that yée serue your God as yée ought to doe, but while they liue so sinfully [Page] as they doe, wée haue no dread on them, for their God shall not helpe them. And then I asked him how that hee knew the state of Christians in that manner, and hée sayd that he knew well both of Lords and commons, by his messengers which hée sent through all the countries as it were marchants with precious stones and other marchandise to know the manner of euery country. And then hée did call againe all the Lords into his chamber to vs, and then shewed hée vnto mée thrée persons that were great Lords of that country, who shewed vnto mée the manner of my country, and of all Christendome, as though they had béene men borne in the same parties, and they spake french right well and the Souldan also, and then I had great meruaile of this slaunder of our faith, and so they that should bée turned by our good examples to the faith of Iesus Christ, they are drawne away through our euill liuing, and therefore it is no wonder if that they call vs euill, for they say truth, but the Sarasins are true, for they kéepe truely the commaunde­ments of their Alkaron.

Of the birth of Mahomet. Chap. xlvj.

AND yée shall vnderstand that Mahomet was borne in Araby: and he was first a poore deruill and kept horse and went after marchandise. And so he came once into Egipt with marchandise, and Egipt was the same time christned, and there was a chappell beside Araby, and ther was an hermit, and when he came to the chappel that was but a little and low house, as soone as hée entred, it began to be as great as it were a Pallace gate, and that was the first miracle that the Sarasins say that he did in his youth. After began Mahomet to be wise and rich, and became a great Astro­nomer, and since was the kéeper of the land of the prince Co­rodan, and gouerned it full well, in such manner that when the Prince was dead hée married the Lady named Qua­drige. And Mahomet fell often in the falling euill: wherefore the Lady was wroth that she had taken him vnto her hus­band, [Page] and hée made her to beléeue that euery time that hée fell so, hée said that Gabriell the Angell spake to him, and for the brighnesse of the Angell he fell downe. This Mahomet raigned in Araby, in the yéere of our Lord sixe hundred & twen­tie, and he was of the kindred of Ismaell, that was Abrahams son, whom he begat of Agar, and other are called Sarasins of Sara, but some are called Moabites, and some Ammonites, af­ter Lots two sons. This Mahomet loued well a good man an Hermit that dwelled in the Wildernesse, a mile from mount Sinay in the way as men go from Araby to Calde, & a dayes iourney from the sea where marchants of Venice come, and Mahomet went so often to this Hermit that all men were wroth, for he heard gladly the Hermit preach, and his men did walke all the night, so that they wished that this hermit were dead. So it befell on a night that Mahomet was sore dronken with strong wine, so that he fell in a sléepe, and his men tooke his sword out of his sheath whiles he lay and slept, and there­with they slew the Hermit, and when they had done they put vp the sword againe all bloudy, and vpon the morrow when that he found the Hermit thus dead he was very angry in his minde, and right wroth, and would haue put his men vnto

[Page] the death, but they all with one accord, and with one will said that hée himselfe had slaine him when hée was dronken, and they shewed his owne sword all bloody, and then hée beléeued that they said the truth, and cursed the wine, and all those that dranke it. And therefore Sarasins that are deuout drincke no wine openly least they should bée reproued, but they drincke good beuerage swéete and nourishing, that is made of Cala­mels, and thereof is suger made.

And it befell sometime that Christians became Sarasins, either through pouertie, simplenesse or wickednesse, and there­fore their Archbishop when hée receiued them said thus, Lael­les ella Mahomet roses ella, that is to say: There is no God but one, and Mahomet his messenger. And sithen I haue told you a part of their law and of their customes: Now I shall tell you of their letters, with their names.

First, they haue for a almoy, bethat for b. cathi c. ethoti e. for d delphoye. for f thy. garophing g. hecum h. iochi i. kathi k. lothun l. malach m. nahalht n. orthy o. thoziri p. zothij q. ru­cholat r. routhi s. salathy t. chotimus v. yrichom x. mazot z. zale­pin &. ioheten con. these are the names. These foure letters haue they yet more for diuersitie of their language, forasmuch as they speake so in their throts, as wée haue in our language, and speake in England. Two letters may they then haue in their A. B. C. That is to say y. &. the which are called throne and zowx.

Of diuers Iles and manner of people, and of meruai­lous Beasts. Chap. xlvij.

AND sithen I haue spoken before of the holy land and countries thereabout, & many wayes thether, and to mount Synay, and to Babilon, and diuers other places which I haue spoken of. Now will I tell & speake of Iles & of diuers beasts, and diuers folke and countries that bée parted by the flouds that come out of Paradise terrestre. For [Page] Mesopotamia and the kingdome of Calde and Araby, are be­twéene two flouds, Tigree and Euphrates, and the kingdome of Media and Persia are betwéene two flouds, Tigree & Ny­lus, and the kingdome of Surry, Palestine and Femines are betwéene Euphrates and the sea of Mediterani: it is of length from Marroch on the sea of Spaine, vnto the great Sea, and so lasteth it beyond Constantinople thrée hundred and twentie mile of Lumbardy and to the Ocean sea. In Inde is the king­dome of Sichem, that is all closed among hils, and beside Si­chem is the land of Amazony, wherin dwell none but women.

And thereby is the kingdome of Albany which is a great land, and it is called so, because that men are more white there them in other places, and in this country are great hounds and strong, so that they ouercome Lyons and slay them. And yée shall vnderstand that in those countries are many Iles and lands of the which it were too long to tell, but of some I will speake more plainely afterward.

Of the hauen of Gene, for to goe by sea into diuers Countries. Chap. xlviij.

NOw he that will go to Tartarie, Persie, Chalde, or Inde, he taketh ship at Gene or at Venice, or at any other hauen, and so hée passeth by the sea and ariueth at Topasond, that is a good citie, that some­time men called the hauen of bridge, and there is the hauen of Persia, of Medes and of other marches. In this cittie lyeth Saint Athanasius, that was bishop of Alexandria, that made the Psalme Quicunque vult.

This man was a great Doctor of Diuinitie, and of the Godhead, hée was accused vnto the Pope of Roome, that hée was an Heritike, and the Pope sent for him and put him in prison, and while hée was in that prison, he made this Psalme and sent it vnto the Pope, and said it that he were an Heritike, then was that Herisie, for that was his faith and his beliefe: and when the Pope saw that hée had said therein was all our faith, then anone hée did deliuer him out of prison, and hée com­manded that Psalme to be said euery day at the beginning of of seruice, & so hée held Athanasius for a good Christian, but hée would neuer after go to his Bishoprike, because they accused him of Heresie. To pasond was sometime holden of the Empe­rour of Constantinople, but a great man that hée sent to helpe the country against the Turks, did hold it to himselfe and cal­led him selfe Emperour of Topasond.

And from thence men go through little Armony, and in that country in an old Castle that is on a rocke that men call the Castell of Sypris, and there men finde an Hauke sitting vpon a perch right well made, and a faire Lady of Fairy that kée­peth it, and hée that will watch this same Hauke seauen daies and seauen nights, and some say that it is but thrée dayes and thrée nights alone without any company and without sléepe: this faire Lady shall come vnto him at the seauen or at thrée dayes end, and shall graunt vnto him the first thing that hée shal aske of worldly things, and that hath often béene proued.

And so vpon a time it besel that a man who at that time was king of Armony, that was a right doughtie man, watched vpon a time, and at the seauen daies end, the Lady came to him and bad him aske what hée would, for hée had well done his duetie, and the king answered and said, that hée was a great Lord, and in good peace, & hée was rich, so that hée would aske nothing but onely all the body of the faire Lady, or to haue his will of her. Then this faire Lady answered, and said vn­to him, that hée was a foole, for hée wist not what hée asked, for hèe might not haue her, for hée should haue asked of her onely worldly things, and shée was not worldly. And the king said hée would naught else, and shée sayd, sith hée would aske naught else, shée would graunt him and all that came after him, thrée things, and said vnto him: Sir king, yée shall haue warre without peace, vnto the ninth degrée, and yée shal be in subiection vnto your enimies, and yée shall haue great néede of good cattell, and since that time all the Kings of Armonie haue béene in warre and néedful, and vnder tribute of the Sa­rasins. Also a poore mans sonne as hée watched on a time, and asked the Lady if that hée might bée rich and happy in mar­chandise, and the Lady graunted him, but shée said to him that hée had asked his vndoing, for great pride that hée should haue [Page] therof. And this man became so great a marchant both by sea and land, that hée was so rich that hée knew not the thousand part of his goods. Also a knight of the templers watched like­wise, and when the had done, he desired to haue a purse full of gold, and whatsoeuer hée tooke thereof, it should euer bée full againe: and the Lady graunted it him, but shée told him that hée had desired his destruction, by the great mispending that he should haue of the same purse, and so it befell. But hée that shall wake hath great néede to kéepe him from sléepe, for if hée sléepe, hée is lost, so that hée shall neuer bée séene after: but that is not the right way, but for the meruaile. And from Tapasond men goe to great Armony to a Citie that is called Artyron that was wont to bée a good Cittie, but that Turkes haue destroyed it, for there neither groweth wine nor yet fruite. From this Artyron men go to an hill that is called Sabissocoll, and there néere is an other hill called Arath, but the Iewes call it Tha­no, where the Arke of Noe rested after the Deluge, and yet it is on that hill, a man may sée it from farre in cléere weather, and the hils bée xij. mile of height, and some say they haue béene there, and put their fingers in the holes where the fiend went out when Noe said in this manner, Benedicite. But I vnder­stand that for snow that is alway vpon the hill, both Winter and Summer, no man may goe vp since Noe was there: but onely a Monk through the grace of God, who brought a plank that yet is in the Abbey at the hils foote, for hée had great de­sire to goe vpon that hill, and when hée was at the third part vpward, hée was so weary that hée might goe no further, and hée rested him and slept, and when hée was awake, hée was downe at the hils foote, and then prayed hée to God deuoutly that hée would suffer him to goe to the vpper part of the hill, and the Angell said, that hée should haue his desire, and so bée did, and since that time no man did euer come there. And there­fore a man ought not to beléeue all things that are spoken of it.

And from thence men go to a cittie that is called Tanzyro, and that is a faire cittie and good. Beside that cittie is an hill of salt, and thereof euery man taketh what hée will: and there [Page]

dwelled many christians vnder tribute of the Sarasins. From thence men goe through many Citties, Townes, and Ca­stles, toward Inde, and then come to a Cittie that is called Cassage, that is a faire cittie, and in that cittie is abundance of corne, wines and all manner of goodes, and there met the thrée kings together that went to make their offerings to our Lord

[Page] in Bethlehem. From that Cittie men goe to an other called Cardabago, and Panims say that Christians may not dwell there but they dye soone, but they know not the cause. From thence men goe through many Countries, citties and townes, so that it were too long to tell all, and to the Cittie of Carnaa, that was somtime so great, that the wal was twentie and fiue myle about, which yet may bée séene, but it is not now inha­bited, and at that place endeth the land of the Emperour of Persia.

Of the Country of Iob, and of the Kingdome of Calde. Chap. xlix.

ON the other side of the Cittie of Carnaa men enter into the land of Iob, that is a good Land and great plentie of all fruits, and that Land is called Swere. In this Land is the Cittie of Thomar. Iob was a Panim, and also hée was Cofraas son, and hée held that Land as the prince thereof, and hée was so rich, that hée knew not the hundred part of his goods, and after his pouerty God made him richer then euer hée was before, so that he was king of Idumea after the death of king Esau, and when hée was king hée was called Ioab, and in that kingdome hée liued a C. and lxx. yéere, so that hée was of age when hée dyed CC. and xlviij. yéere, And in this land of Iob is no want of any thing that is néed­full to mans body. There are hils where men finde manna, and manna is called Angels bread, that is a white thing right swéet, and much swéeter then suger or honny, and that com­meth of the dew of heauen that falleth on the hearbs, and there is congealed and waxen white, and men put it in medicines for rich men.

This land marcheth to the land of Calde which is a great land and there is full faire men, and well apparelled, and they goe richly arayed with cloth of Gold, and with Pearles and other precious stones. But the women are right soule & euill clad, and go bare foote, and beare an ill cote, large, wide, & short, vnto their knées, and haue long sléeues downe to the foote, and [Page]

they haue great black haire long hanging about their shoul­ders, and they are right foule for to looke vpon, but I will not tell it all, because that I am not worthy for to haue any re­ward for my praising of them. In this land of Calde aforesaid is a cittie that men call Hur, and in that cittie was Abraham the Patriarke borne.

Of the kingdome of Amasony whereas dwell none but women. Chap. L.

NEere the Land of Calde is the Land of Amasony, wherein do dwell no men but all women, as men say, for they will suffer no man to liue among them nor to haue rule ouer them. For somtime ther was a king and men dwelling in that Land, as they doe in other Countries and had wiues, and it befell that the king had great warre with them of Sychy, this king was called Colo­pius and hée was slaine in battaile and all the noble men of his land. And this Quéene when shée and other Ladies of the land heard that the king and the Lords were slaine, they ga­thered them together and killed all the men that were left in [Page]

their land among them. And when they will haue any man to lye by them, they send for them into a Country that is néere their land, and the men come and stay there eight dayes, or as the woman liketh, and then goe they againe, and if they haue men children, they send them to their fathers when they can eat and go, if they haue maide children they kéepe them, and if they bée of noble bloud they burne the left pap away for bea­ring of a shield, and if they bée of baser degrée they burne the right pap away for shooting. For those women of that country are good warriours, and are often in pay with other Lordes, and the Quéen of that land gouerneth well the land, this land is inuironed with water. Beside Amazony is the land of Ter­magute, that is a good land and profitable, and for the goodnes of that land king Alexander did make a cittie there, and called it Alexandria.

Of the land of Ethiope. Chap. li.

ON the other side of Chalde toward the South side is Ethiope a great land. In this land on the South are the folke right black. In that side is a well that on the day the water is so cold that no man may [Page] drincke thereof, and on the night it is so hot that no man may abide to put his hand in it. In this land the riuers and all the waters are troubled and some deale salt for the great heate,

and men of that land are lightly dronken, and haue little appe­tite to meate, and they haue commonly the flix of body, and they liue not long.

In Ethiope are such men that haue but one foote, and they go so fast that it is a great meruaile, and that is a large foot that [Page] the shadow therof couereth the body from Sun or raine when they lye vpon their backs, & when their children are first borne they looke like russet, and when they wax old then they bée all black. In Ethiope is the land of Saba, of the which one of the thrée kings that sought our Lord at Bethlehem was King.

Of Inde the more and the lesse, and of Diamonds, and small people, and other things. Chap. lij.

FRom Ethiope men goe into Inde through ma­ny and diuers countries, first through Inde the more, and it is parted into thrée parts, that is to say, Inde the more, which is a hot Land, and Inde the lesse, which is a temperate land, and the third part is toward the North, & there it is right cold, so that with great cold, frost, and Ise, the water becommeth Christal, & vpon that groweth the good Diamonds that are of a troubled coulour, that diamond is so hard that no man may breake it. Other Diamonds men finde in Araby that are not so good, for they are more soft, and there be some in Cipres: and in Macedony men finde Diamonds also, but the best are in Inde, and some many times are found in Amasse in the mine where gold is gotten, when men breake the masse in péeces: sometime men finde some of greatnesse of a Pease, and some lesse, and those are as hard as those of Inde: some­time there are good Diamonds found in Inde vpon the Rock of Christall: and also vpon the Rock of Adamand in the sea, and on other hils are found Diamonds that are as great as Hasell nuts, which are all square and pointed of their owne kinde, and they grow two together male and female, and are nourished with the dew of heauen, and they engender com­monly and bring forth other small ones, which increase & grow all the yéere. I haue many times tryed, that if a man kéepe them with a little of the rock, and wet them with many dewes sometime, they will grow euery yéere, and the small will wax great, and if a man doe beare that Diamond in his left side, [Page] then it is of more vertue, for the strength of their growiag is toward the North, that is on the left side as men of those coun­tries say. To him that beareth the Diomond vpon him it gi­ueth hardinesse, it kéepeth the lims of his body, also it giueth a man victory of his enimies if his cause bée right, and it kée­peth him that beareth it in good will from strife, from ryot, ill dreames, sorceries and enchantments. Moreouer no wild beast shall grieue him nor assaile him. This Diamond should bée giuen fréely without couetousnesse or buying, for then it is of most vertue, it healeth him that is lunatike and hée that is pos­sessed with a Diuell, and as soone as any venim or poison bée brought néere to the Diamond, it moistneth and beginneth to sweat, and men may easily polish them, though some thincke that they may not be polished. But men may assay them well in this manner: first, cut them on precious stones, as Sa­phyres or vpon Christall, and then take a stone that is called Adamand, and lay a néedle béefore that Adamand, and if the Diamond bée good and vertuous, the Adamand draweth not the néedle to it, whiles the Diamond is there. And this is the proofe that they make beyond the sea. But it chancheth some­time that the good Diamond looseth it vertue through him that beareth it, and therefore it is néedefull for to make it to reco­uer his vertue againe, or else it is little of value.

Of diuers kingdomes and Iles in the land of Inde. Chap. liij.

THere are in Inde many countries and diuers king­domes, and it taketh the name of a riuer that run­neth through it, which is called Inde also, and ther are many precious stones in the said Riuer, and di­uers other strange things, as Eeles of thirty foote long, and men that dwell néere that riuer are of euill coulour, yelow and gréene. In the land of Iude are more then fiue thou­sand Iles that are inhabited (beside diuers that are vninhabi­ted) and in each one of those is great plentie of Citties, and much people: for men of Inde are of that condition that com­monly they passe not out of their land, for they dwell vnder the Planet Saturne, and that Planet maketh his course by the xij. Signes in thirtie yéere, and the Moone passeth through the xij. Signes in a Moneth, and for that Saturne is of so little stirring, therefore men that dwell vnder it, and in that Climate haue no good will to stir much abroad. But in our countrie it is con­trary, for wée are in a Climate that is of the Moone, and of light stirring, and that is the Planets of way, and therefore it giueth vs will to much moouing and stirring, and to goe into diuers Countries of the world, for it goeth about the world more lightly then any other Planet doth. Also men passe through Inde to many countries by sea. And then they come to the Ile of Hermes, where Marchaunts of Venice and of Gene and of other diuers parts of Christendome come to buy their marchandise, but it is so warme there in that Ile that mens members hang downe to their shanks for the great dis­soluing of the body. And men of that country that know that manner doe binde them full strait and annoint them with oint­ments made therefore for to hold them vp, or else they might not liue.

In this land men and women lye all naked in the Riuers and Waters, from vnder the heate of the day till it hée past noone, and they lye all in the water but the face, for the great [Page]

heate that is there, and the women bée not ashamed for the men. In this Ile are the ships without nailes or bands of iron, for rocks of Adamond that are in the sea would draw ships to them. From this Ile men goe by the sea to the Ile of Lana where is great plentie of corne, and the king of this Ile was somteime so mightie that hée held war against king Alexander with great strength: men of this Ile haue many manners of beliefes and faith, and haue also diuers lawes, and some doe worship to the Sun, some the fire, some the trées, and some the Serpents, or any other thing that they first méete in the mor­ning, and some do worship simulacres and Idols, but betwéen simulacres and Idols is no difference, for they are but the Ima­ges made to what likenesse of thing that man may inuent, for some Image hath an head like an Oxe, and some haue thrée or foure heads, one of a man, or an horse, or Oxe or any other beast that no man hath seene.

And yée shall vnderstand that they that worship symulacres they worship them for worthy men that were sometime as Hercules, and other that did many meruailes in their times. For they say they know well that they are not the God the which made all things, but that they are well with God for the meruailes that they did, and therefore they worship them. And [Page]

so say they of the Sunne, for it changeth oft times, and giueth sometime great heate for to nourish all things on earth, and because it is of so great profit, they know well that it is not God, but it is well with God, & that God loueth it more then any other thing, and for this cause they worship it.

And also they haue their reasons for other planets, and for fire also, for it is profitable and néedfull. And of Idols they say, that the Oxe is the holyest that they may finde here on earth, and more profitable then any other, for hée doth much good, and none ill, and they know well that it may not bée without the speciall grace of God, and therefore they make their God of an Oxe the one halfe, and the other halfe a man, for man is the fairest and the best creature in the World. And they doe wor­ship to Serpents and other beasts that they first méete with in the morning, and namely those beasts that haue good méeting after whom they spéede well all the day after, the which they haue proued of long time, and therefore they say that this mée­ting commeth of Gods grace, and therefore they doe make I­mages like vnto these things that they may worship them be­fore they méete any thing else.

And there are some Christians that say some Beastes are better for to méete then other, for Hares, Swine, and other beasts are ill to méete first as they say. In this Ile of Cana is many wilde beasts, and rats in that country are as great as hounds here, and they take them with mastises, for cats may not take them. From thence men come to a Cittie that is called Sarchis, and it is a faire and good cittie, and there dwell many Christians of Gods faith, and there bée men of Reli­gion. Fom thence men come to the Land of Lombe, and in that land groweth pepper in a forrest that is called Tomber and it groweth in none other place more in all the world then in that forrest, and that forrest is fiftie dayes iourney, & there by the land of Lombe is the citie of Polomes, and vnder that cittie is a hill that men call Polombe, and thereof taketh the cittie his name.

And so at the foote of the same hill is a right faire and a cléere well, that hath a full good and swéet sauour, and it smelleth of all manner sorts of spices. And also at each houre of the day it changeth his sauour diuersly, and who so drinketh thrice in the day of that well, hée is made whole of all manner sicknes that hée hath, I haue sometime dronke of that well, and mée thinketh yet that I fare the better, some call it the Well of [Page] youth, for they that drinke thereof séeme to be young alway, & liue without much sicknesse, and they say this well commmeth from Paradise terrestre, for it is so vertuous, and in this land groweth ginger, and thether come many rich marchants for spices. In this country men worship an Oxe for his great simplenesse and méekenesse, & the profit that is in him, for they make the Oxe to trauaile vi. or vij. yéere, and then men do eate him. And the king of that land hath euermore one Oxe with him, and hée that kéepeth him euery day taketh his fées for the kéeping. And also euery day hée gathereth his vrine, and his doung in a vessell of gold, and beareth it to the prelate that they call Archt porta papaton, and the prelate beareth it to the king, and maketh therupon a great blessing, and then the king putteth his hand therin, and they call it gaule, and he annoin­teth his front, and his breast therewith, and they doe it great worship, and say hée shall bée fulfilled with the vertue of the Oxe before said, and that hée is hallowed through vertue of those holy things as they say. And when the king hath thus done, than other Lords doe it, and after them other men after their degrée if they may haue any of the remnant.

In this country their Idols are halfe man and halfe Oxe, as the figure in the second leafe before is shewed, and out of these Idols the wicked Ghost speaketh vnto them, and giueth them answere of what thing that they aske him, and before these Idols they many times slay their children, and sprinkle the bloud on the Idols, and so make sacrifice. And if any man dye in that country, they burne them in token of penance, that hée should suffer no penance if hée were laid in the earth by eating of wormes. And if his wife haue not children, then they burne her with him, and they say that it is good reason that shée kéepe him company in the other world as shée did in this, and if shée haue children shée may liue with them, if shée will, and if the wife die before, shée shall bée burnt and her husband also if he will. In this country groweth good wine, and women drinck wine and men none, and women shaue their heads and not men.

Of the kingdome of Mabaron. Chap. liiij.

FRom this land men goe many dayes iourney to a country called Mabaron, and this is a great king­dome, therein is many faire Citties and Townes. In this land lyeth Saint Thomas in a faire tombe in the cittie of Calamy, and the arme and the hand that hée put in our Lords side after his Resurrection, when

Christ said vnto him, Noli esse incredulus, sed fidelis: that is to say, bée not of vaine hope but beléeue, that same hand lyeth yet without the tombe bare, and with this hand they giue their domes in that country, to wit who saith right, and who doth not, for if any strife bée betwéene two parties, they write their names, and put them into the hand, and then incontinently the hand casteth away the bill of him that doth wrong, and holdeth the other still that doth right, and therefore men come from farre countries to haue iudgement of causes that are in doubt.

In this Church of Saint Thomas is a great Image that is a simulacre and it is richly beset with precious stones and [Page] pearles, to that Image men come in pilgrimage from farre countries with great deuotion, and there come some pilgrimes that beare sharpe kniues in their hands, and as they goe by the way, they sheare their shanks and thighes that the blood may come out for the loue of that Idoll, and they say that hée is holy that will dye for that Idols sake. And there is some that from the time that they goe out of their houses at each third pace they knéele till that they come to this Idoll, and when they come there, they haue insence or such other thing to offer to the Idoll. And there before that Minster or Church of this Idoll is a riuer full of water, and in that riuer pilgrims cast Gold, Siluer, pearles and other precious stones without number, instead of offerings, and therefore when as the min­ster hath any néed of mending, then the master of the Minster goes vnto that riuer, and takes out therof as much as is néed­full for the mending of the Minster. And yée shall vnderstand

that when any great feasts of that Idol come, as the dedicati­on of the Church, or of the throning of the Idol, all the country thereabout assemble there together, and then men set this I­dol with great reuerence and worship in a chaire well dressed with cloth of gold and other tapistrie, and so they carry him [Page] with great reuerence and worship round about the Cittie, and before the chaire goeth first in Procession all the maydens of the country, two and two together, and so after them goe the pilgrims that are come from farre countries of the which pil­grimes some fall downe before the Chaire, and letteth all go ouer them, and so are they slaine, and some haue their armes & legs broken and they doe it for loue of the Idoll, and they be­léeue the more paine that they suffer here for their Idoll, the more ioy shall they haue in the other world: but a man shall finde few Christians that will suffer so much penance for our Lords sake, as they do for their Idol. And nigh before the chaire goe all the minstrels of the Country, which are without num­ber with many diuers melodies.

And when they are come againe to the Church they set vp the Idoll againe in his Throne, and for worship of the Idoll two or thrée are willingly slaine with sharp kniues, and the men in that country think they haue great worship, if that holy man which is slaine bée of their kindred: likewise they say that all those that are there slaine are holy men and Saints and they are written in their lettany, and when they are thus dead their friends burne their bodies and they take the ashes, and those are kept as reliques, and they say it is an holy thing, and that [Page] they haue doubt of no perill when they haue of those ashes.

Of a great country called Lamory, where the people go all naked, and other things. Chap. lv.

FRom this country two and fifty dayes iourney is a country that is called Lamory, and in that land is great heat, and it is the custome there that men and women goe all naked, and they scorne all them that are clad, for they say that God made Adam and Eue all na­ked, and that men should haue no shame of that God made, and they beléeue in the same God that made Adam and Eue, and all the world, and there is no woman marryed, but wo­men are all common there, and they refuse no man. And they say that God commaunded to Adam and Eue and all that come of him saying: Crescite et multiplicamini et reple­ti terram. Encrease and multiply and fill the earth, no man there may say this is my wife, nor no woman may say this is my husband, and when they haue children they giue them to whom they will of them that haue medled with them.

Also the Land is all common, for euery man taketh what hée will, for that one man hath now this yéere, an other man hath the next yéere. And all the goods, as Corne, Beasts, and all manner of things in that country is all common. For there [Page] is nothing vnder lock, and as rich is one man as another: but they haue an euill custome in eating of flesh, for they eate more gladly mans flesh then other. Neuerthelesse, in that land is abundance of corne, of flesh, of fish, of gold of siluer, and of all manner of goods. And thether doe Marchaunts bring children

for to sell, and those that are fat they eat, but those that be leane thay kéepe till they bée fat, and then are they eaten. And beside this Ile of Lamory is another called Somober, the which is a good Ile, and there both men and women that are of the nobili­tie are marked in the visage with an hot yron, that they may be knowne from other, for they thinke themselues the worthyest of the world, and they haue euermore warre with those men that are naked of whom I spake before. And there are many other Iles and people, of the which it were ouermuch for to speak here.

Of the country and Ile named Iana, which is a mightie Land. Chap. lvi.

ANd there is also a great Ile that is called Iana, and the king of the country hath vnder him seauen kings, for hée [Page] is a full mightie Prince. In this Ile groweth all manner of spices more plenteously then in any other places, as Ginger, Cloues, Nutmegs and other, and yée shall vnderstand that the Nutmeg beareth the Mace: also in that Ile is great plentie of

all things saue wine. The king of this Land hath a rich Pal­lace, and the best that is in the world, for all the stares of his hall and chambers are made one of gold, and another of siluer, and all the walles are plated with fine gold and siluer, and in those plates are written stories of knights, and battailes, and the floures of the hall and chambers are of gold and siluer, so that no man would beléeue the great riches that are there ex­cept hée had séene it, and the king of this Ile is so mighty that hée hath many times ouercome the great Caane of Cathay, which is the mightiest Emperor that is in all the world, there is often war betwéene them, for the great Caane would make him hold his land of him.

Of the kingdome of Pathen or Salmasse, which is a goodly land. Chap. lvij.

ANd for to goe forth by the Sea, there is an Ile that is called Pathen, and some call it Salmasse, for it is a great [Page] with many faire citties. In this land growes trées that beare meale, of which men make faire bread & while, & of good sauour, & it séemeth like as it were wheate. And there be other trées which beare venim, against the which is no medicine

but onely to take of the leaues of the same trées and stampe them, and temper them with water, and drinck it, or else hée shall dye sodainely, for nothing else may helpe him. And if yée will know how these trées beare meale, I shall tell you, men hewe with an hatchet about the roote of the trée by the earth, & they pearce it in many places, and then commeth out a licour the which they take in a vessell and set it in the Sunne, and drie it, and when it is drie they carry it vnto the mill to grind, and so it is faire meale and white. Also hony, wine and venim are drawne out of other trées in the same manner, and they put it in vessels, to kéepe. In that Ile is a dead sea, which is a water that hath no bottome, and if any thing fall therein, it shall neuer bée found: beside that sea groweth great Canes, and vnder their rootes men finde a precious stone of great vertue, for hée that beareth one of those stones about him, ther may no Iron gréeue him nor draw bloud on him, and therefore they that haue those stones fight full hardly, for there may no wea­pon that is of Iron grieue him, therefore they that know the [Page] manner, make their weapons without yron, and so they slay them.

Of the kingdome of Talonach, the king whereof hath many wiues, Chap lviij.

THen is there another Ile that men call Talonach the same is a great land, and therein is great plen­tie of fish & other goods, as you shal hereafter heare.

And they king of that land hath as many wiues as he wil, a thousand and moe, and he neuer lyeth but once by any one of them, also in that land is a great mer­uaile, for all manner of fishes of the sea commeth thether once

a yéere one after another, and lyeth néere the land, somtime on the land, and so lie thrée dayes and men of that land come the­ther and take of them what they will, and then go those fishes away and an other sort commeth, and lyeth also thrée dayes, & men take of them, and thus do all manner of fishes till all haue béene there, and men haue taken what they will. But no man can tell the cause why it is so But they of that country say, that those fishes come so thether to doe worship to their king, for they say hée is the worthiest king of the world, for he hath [Page]

so many wiues and getteth so many children of them. And that same king hath xiiij. M. Elephants or moe which bée tame, and they be kept for his pleasure by the men of the country, so that hée may haue them ready at his hand when hée hath any warre against any King or Prince, and then hée doth put vpon their backs castles and men of war as the vse of the land is, and likewise doe other kings and princes thereabout.

Of the Iland called Raso, where men be hanged as soone as they are sicke. Chap. lix.

AND from this Ile men goe to another Ile called Raso, and the men of this Ile when their friends are sicke, and that they beléeue surely that they shall dye, they take them and hang them vp quicke on a trée, and say it is better that birds that are Angels of God eate them, then wormes of the earth. From thence men goe to an Ile where the men are of an il kind, for they nourish hounds for to strangle men And when their friends are sicke that they hope they shall dye, then doe those hounds strangle them, for they will not that they die a kindely death, for then should they suffer too great paine, as they say, and when they are thus dead they eate their flesh for venison.

Of the Iland of Melke wherein dwelleth euill people. Chap. lx.

FRom thence men goe by sea through many Iles vn­to an Ile called Melke, and there bée full ill people, for they haue none other delight but for to fight and slay men, for they drinke gladly mans blood which [Page]

blood they call good, and they that may slay most, is of most fame among them. And if there bée two men at strife, and af­ter bée made at one, then must they drinke eyther others blood, or else the accord is of no value. From this Ile men goe to an other Ile that is called Traconit where all men are as beasts,

for they are vnreasonable, and they dwell in caues for they haue not wit to make houses, these men eate Adders and speake not, [Page] but make such a noise as Adders doe one to another, and they make no force of riches, but of a stone that is of forty coulours, and it is called Traconit after that Ile, they know not the ver­tue thereof, but they couet it for the great fairenesse.

Of the Iland named Macumeran, whereas the people haue heads like hounds. Chap. lxi.

FRom that Ile men goe to an other that is cal­led Macumeran, which is a great Ile & a faire, and the men and women of that country haue heades like hounds, they are reasonable, and worship an Oxe for their God, they goe all na­ked but a litle cloath before their priuie mem­bers, they are good men to fight, and they beare a great Tar­get with which they couer all the body, and a speare in their hand, and if they take any man in battaile, they send him to their king, which is a great Lord and deuout in his faith, for hée hath about his neck on a Corde thrée hundred Pearles great and orient, and as wée say our Pater noster and other prayers, right so their king saith euery day thrée hundred prai­ers to his God before hée eyther eate or drinck, and he beareth also about his neck a Ruby, orient, fine and good, that is néere [Page] a foote and fiue fingers long. For when they choose their king they giue to him that Ruby to beare in his hand, & then they lead him riding about the cittie, and then euer after are they subiect to him, and therefore hée beareth that Ruby alway a­bout his neck, for if hée beare not the Ruby, they would no longer hold him for King. The great Caane of Cathay hath much coueted this Ruby: but hée might neuer haue it, neither for warre nor for other goods, and this king is a full true and

righteous man, for men may goe safely & surely through his land, and beare all that hée will, for there is no man so hardy to let them. And from thence men goe to an Ile that is called Silo, this Ile is more then an hundred mile about, and therein be many Serpents which are great, with yealow-stripes, and they haue foure féete, with short legs, and great clawes, some be fiue fadom of length, and some of eight, and some of tenne, and some more, some lesse, and bée called Cocodrils, and there are also many wilde beasts and Elephants.

Also in this Ile and in many Iles thereabout are many wilde géese with two heads, and there bée also in that country white Lions, and many other diuers meruailous beasts, and if I should tell all, it would be to long.

Of a great Iland called Dodyn, where are many men of euill conditions. Chap. lxij.

THen is there another Ile called Dodyn, and it is a great Ile. In the same Ile are many and diuers sorts of men who haue euill manners, for the fa­ther eateth the son, & the son the father, the husband his wife, and the wife her husband. And if it so be [Page] that the father bée sicke, or the mother, or any friend, the Son goes soone to the priest of the law, and praieth him that he wil aske of the Idoll if his father shall die of that sicknesse or not. And then the priest and the son knéele downe béefore the Idoll deuoutly and aske him, and hée answereth to them, and if hée say that hée shall liue, then they kéepe him well, and if hée say that hée shall dye, then commeth the Priest with the sonne or with the wife, or any that is a friend vnto him that is sicke, and they lay their hands ouer his mouth to stop his breath, & so they slay him, and then they smite all the body into péeces, and prayeth all his friends for to come and eate of him that is dead, and they make a great feast therof, and haue many min­strels there, and eat him with great melody.

And so when they haue eaten all the flesh, then they take the bones and bury them all singing with great worship, and all those of his friends that were not there at the eating of him haue great shame and reproofe, so that they shal neuer more bée taken as friends.

And the king of this Ile is a great Lord and mightie, and hée hath in euery Ile other kings vnder him, and in one of these Iles are men that haue but one eie, and that is in the middest [Page]

of their front, and they eate not but flesh and fish all raw. And in another Ile dwell men that haue no heads, and their eyes are in their shoulders, and their mouth is on their breast. In another Ile are men that haue no head ne eyes, & their mouth is in their shoulders. And in another Ile are men that haue flat faces without nose, and without eyes, but they haue two

[Page] small round holes in stead of eyes, and they haue a flat mouth without lips. And in that Ile are men also that haue their faces all flat without eyes, without mouth, and without nose, but they haue their eies & their mouth behind on their shoulders.

And in another Ile are foule men that haue their lips a­bout their mouth so great, that when they sléepe in the Sun, they couer all their face with their lips. And in another Ile are little men as dwarfes, & haue no mouth but a little round hole, and through that hole they eate their meate with a pipe, and they haue no tongue, neither do they speak, but they blow and whistle, and so make signes one to another. And in another Ile are men with eares hanging vnto their shoulders. And in another Ile are wilde men with hanging eares, and haue féete like an horse, and they run fast, and they take wilde beasts and eate them. And in another Ile are men that goe on their hands and féete like beasts, and are all rough, and will leape vpon a trée like cats or Apes. And in another Ile are men that goe e­uer vpon their knées meruailously, and haue on euery foot viij toes. And in another Ile are folke that are both men and wo­men, and haue members of both for to engender with, & when they will they vse one at one time, and an other another time, [Page]

and they get children when they vse the members of a man, and they beare children when they vse the members of a wo­man, many other manner of folke bée in the same Iles there­about of whom it were too long to tell all.

Of the kingdome of Mancy, which is a large kingdome of the world. Chap. lxiij.

TO goe from this Ile toward the East, after many daies a man shall come to a kingdome called Man­cy, and this is in great Inde, and it is the most de­lectable and plentifull land in all the world. In this land dwell Christians & Sarasins, for it is a great land, and therein are two thousand great Citties, and many other townes. In this land no man goeth a begging, for there is no poore man, and there men haue beards as it were Cats. In this Ile are faire women, and therefore some men call that land Albany, for the white folke, and there is a cittie that is called Latorim, and it is bigger then Paris, and in that land are Birds twise greater then they bée here, and there is all manner of vittailes good cheape. In this country are white hens, and they beare no feathers but wooll, as shéepe do in our [Page]

Land, and women of that Country that are wedded beare crownes vpon their heads, that they may bée knowne by. In this country they take a beast that is called a Loyre, and they kéepe it to goe into waters or riuers, & straight way he bring­eth out of the water great fishes, and thus they take fish as much as them néedeth.

From this cittie men goe many dayes iourney to another Cittie called Cassay, which is the fairest Cittie of the world, and that cittie is fiftie mile about, and there is in that Cittie aboue xij. principal gates without. From thence within thrée myle is another great Cittie, and within this Cittie are more then twelue thousand bridges, & vpon each bridge is a strong tower, where the kéepers dwell to kéepe it against the great Caane, for it boundeth on his land, and on each side of the cittie runneth a great riuer, and there dwell Christians and other, for it is a good and plenteous country, and there groweth right good wine, in this noble cittie the king of Mancy was wont to dwell and there dwell religious men, as friers. And men go vpon the riuer till they come to an Abbey of Monkes a little from the cittie, and in that Abbey is a great garden, and there­in is many manner of trées of diuers fruites, in that garden [Page] are diuers kindes of beasts, as Baboynes, Apes, Marmozets, and other, and when the couent haue eaten, a Monke taketh the reliefe and beareth it into the Garden, and smiteth once with a bell of siluer, which hée holdeth in his hand, and anone come out these beasts that I spake of, and many moe, néere two or thrée thousand, and hée giueth them meat in faire vessels of siluer, and when they haue eaten, hée smiteth the bell againe, and they goe away, and the Monke saith that those beasts are soules of men that are dead, and those beasts that are faire, are soules of Lords and other rich men, and those that are foule beasts are soules of other commons, and I asked them if it had not béene better to giue that reliefe to poore men, and they said there is no poore men in that country, but if there were, yet were it more almes to giue it to those soules that suffer there their penance, and may goe no farther to get their meat, then to men that haue wit, and may trauaile for their meat. Then men come to a Cittie that is called Chibens, and there was the first siege of the king of Mancy. In this cittie are thrée score bridges of stone as faire as may bée made.

Of the Land of Pigme, the people whereof are but three spans long. Chap. lxiiij.

WHen men passe from that Cittie of Chibens, they passe ouer a great riuer of fresh water, and it is néere foure mile broad, and then men enter into the land of the great Caane. This riuer goeth through the land of Pigme, and there men are of little stature, for they are but thrée spans long, and they are right faire both men and women, though they be little, and they are marryed when they are halfe a yéere old, and they liue but eight yéere, for hée that li­ueth eight yéere is holden right old, and these small men are the best workmen of silke and of cotten, and all manner of things that are in the world: and these men trauaile not nor till land but they haue among them great men as wée are, to trauaile for them, and haue great scorne of those great men, as wee would haue of Gyants, or of them if they were among vs.

Of the Cittie of Menke where a great Nauie is. Chap. lxv.

FRom this Land men goe through many countries, cities, & townes, till they come to a cittie that men call Menke. In that citty is a great Nauie of ships and they are as white as snow of the kinde of the wood that they are made of, and they are made as it were great houses with walles and chambers, and other easements.

Of the land named Cathay and of the great riches thereof. Chap. lxvj.

ANd from thence men goe vpon a riuer that men call Ce­remolan, and this riuer goeth through Cathay and doth many times harme when it waxeth great: Cathay is a faire country and rich, full of goods and marchandise: thether come marchants euery yéere for to fetch spices and other marchan­dises more commonly then they do to other countries. And yée shall vnderstand that Marchaunts that come from Venice, or from Gene, or from other places of Lomberdy, or of Italie, they goe by sea and land xi. monethes and more or they come to Cathay.

Of a great citie named Cadon, therein is the great Caanes pallace and siege. Chap. lxvij.

IN the prouince of Cathay toward the East, is an old Citie, and beside that Cittie the Tartarians haue made another citie that men call Cadon that hath xij. gates and betwéen each two gates is a great mile, so those two citties the old and the new is round about xx. mile. In this citie is the pallace and siege of the great Caane, it is a full fayre place and great, of which the wals about bée two mile, and within that are ma­ny fayre places & in the garden of that pallace is a right great hill on the which is another pallace, and it is the fayrest that may bée found in any place, and all about the hill are many [Page] trées bearing diuers fruits, and about this hill is a great ditch, and there néere are many riuers on each side, and in those are many wylde Foules that he may take and goe not out of the pallace. Within the hall of that pallace are xxiiij. pillers of gold, and all the wals are couered with rich skinnes of beasts that men call Panthera.

Those are faire beasts and well smelling, and of the smell of those skinnes, none euill smell may come to the Pallace: those skinnes are as redde as bloud, and they shine so against the Sunne, that a man can scarcely béehold them, and those skinnes are estéemed there as much as Gold. In the middest of the pallace is a place made that they call the Mountour for the great Caane, that is well made with precious stones and great, hanging about, & at the foure corners of the Mountour are foure nedders of gold, and vnder that Mountour and about are Conduits of Beuerage that they drincke in the Emperors Court. And the hall of that Pallace is richly dight and well: and first at the vpper end of the hall is the Throne of the Em­perour right high, where hée sitteth at meat, at a Table that is well bordred with golde, and that border is full of precious stones and great Parles, and the gréeces on which he goeth vp are of diuers precious stones bordred with gold.

At the left side of his Throne is the seate of his wife, a de­grée lower then hée sitteth, and that is of Iasper, bordred with gold, and the seate of his second wife is a degrée lower then the first, and that is also of good Iasper, bordred with gold, and the seate of the third wife is a degrée lower then the second, for alway hée hath thrée wiues with him wheresoeuer hée is: be­sides these wiues, on the same side sitteth other Ladies of his kinne, each one lower then other, as they are of degrée, and all those that are marryed, haue a counterfayte of a mans foot vpon their heads a cubite long, and all made with Precious stones, and about they are made with shining feathers of Pe­cocks or such other, in tokening that they are in subiection of man, and vnder mens féet, and they that are not wedded haue none such. And on the right side of the Emperour sitteth first his Sonne the which shall bée Emperour after him, and hée [Page] sitteth also a degrée lower then the Emperour, in such manner of seates as the Emperour sitteth, and by him sitteth other Lords of his kinne, each one lower then other as they are of degrée. And the Emperour hath his table by himselfe alone, that is made of gold and precious stones, or of white Chri­stall or yellow, bordred with gold, and each one of his wiues hath a table by her selfe.

And vnder the Emperours Table sitteth foure Clarks at his féete, that writeth all that the Emperour saith, be it good or ill. And at great feasts about the Emperours Table, and all other Tables in the hall is a Vine made of gold, that goeth all about the hall, and it hath many branches of Grapes, like to grapes of the Vine, some are white, some are yelow, some red, some gréene, and some blacke: all the red are of Rubies, of creames, or Allabonce, the white are of Christall or Byrall, the yelow are of Topaces, the gréene are of Emeraudes, and Cri­solites, and the black are of Quickes and Gerandes, and this Vine is made thus of precious stones so properly, that it sée­meth that it were a Vine growing. And béefore the Boord of the Emperour standeth great Lords, and no man is so hardie to speake vnto him, except it be Musitions for to solace the Em­perour. And all the vessell that is serued in his hall or cham­bers are of precious stones, and specially at the tables where great Lords eat, that is to say, of Iasper, Christall, Amatist, or fine gold, and the cups are of Emeraudes, Saphires, Topaces, and other, of many manner of stones and siluer haue they no vessell, for they estéeme but little of siluer to make vessell off, but they make of siluer, gréeces, pillers and pauements of hals and chambers. And ye shall vnderstand that my fellow and I were in wages with him xvi. monethes against the king of Mancy, vpon whom hée made war, and the cause was, we had so great desire to sée the nobilitie of his Court, if it were such as wée heard speake off, and forsooth wée found it more richer, and of greater royalltie then euer wée heard speake off, and wée should neuer haue beléeued it, had wée not séene it, but yée shall vnderstand the vse of our eating and drincking is more ciuile among vs then in those countries, for all the commons eate [Page] vpon skinnes of beasts on their knées, and eate but flesh of all manner of beasts, & when they haue all eate, they wipe their hands in their skirts, and they eate but once on the day, and eate but little bread, but the manner of the Lords is full noble.

Wherefore the Emperour of Cathay is called the great Caane. Chap. lxviij.

ANd yée shall vnderstand why hée is called the great Caane, yée know that all the world was destroyed with Noes floud, but Noe his wife and children: Noe had thrée sons, Sem, Cham and Iapheth, Cham when hée saw his fathers priuities naked when hée slept, hée scorned it, and therefore hée was cursed, and Iapheth couered it againe. These thrée brethren had all the land. Cham tooke the best part Eastward, that is called Asia Sem tooke Afryke, and Iapheth tooke Europe. Cham was the mightiest and richest of his brethren, and of him are come the Panim folke, and diuers manner of men of the Iles, some headlesse, and other men dis­figured, for this Cham the Emperour there called him Cham and Lord of all. But ye shall vnderstand that the Emperour of Cathay is called Caane, and not Cham, and for this cause it is not long agoe that all Tartary was in subiection and thrall to other nations about, and they were made heardmen, to kéepe beasts, and among them was vii. linages or kinds, the first was called Tartary that is the best, the second linage is called Tamahot, the third Furace, the fourth Valaire, the fift Semoth, the sixt Menchy, and the seauenth Sobeth. These are all holding of the great Caane of Cathay. Now it befell that the first linage was an old man, and he was not rich, and men called him Chanius. This man lay and slept on a night in his bed, and there came to him a knight all white sitting vpon a white horse, and said to him, Caane sléepest thou, God that is almightie sent mée to thée, and it is his will that thou say to the vii. linages that thou shalt be their Emperour, for yée shall conquere all the land about you, and they shall bée in your sub­iection as you haue béene in theirs, and when morrow came [Page] he rose vp and said to the seuen linages, and they scorned him and said hée was a foole, and the next night the same knight came to the vii. linages, and bad them in Gods behalf to make Chanius their Emperour, and they should be out of all subiecti­on. And on the morrow they chose Chanius to be Emperour, and did him all worship that they might doe, and called him Caane as the white knight called him, & they said they would doe as hée bad them. Then he made many statutes and lawes, the which they called Isakan. The first statute was that they should be obedient to God almighty & beléeue that hée should deliuer them out of thraldome, and that they should call on him in all their works. Another statute was, that al men that might beare armes should be numbred, and to each ten should bée a master, and to a hundred a master, and to a thousand a master. Then hée commaunded to all the greatest and principallest of the vii. linages, that they should forsake all that they had in he­ritage or lordship, and that they should hold them payed of that he would giue them of his grace, & they did so. And also he bad them that each man should bring his eldest son before him, and slay his owne Son with his owne hands, and smite off their heads, and as soone they did his bidding. And when hée saw they made no letting of that he bad them, then bad hée them follow his banner, and then he put in subiection all the lands about him.

How the great Caane was hid vnder a tree, and so escaped his enimies, because of a Bird. Chap. lxix.

AND it befell on a day that the Caane rode with a few men to sée the land that he had won, and hée met with a great multitude of his enimies, and there hée was cast downe off his horse and his horse slaine, and when his men saw him at the earth, they thought hée had béene dead, and fled, and the enimies followed after, and when hée saw his enimies were far, he hid him in a bush, for the wood was thick there, and when they were come a­gaine from the chase, they went to séeke him among the wood [Page] if any were hid there, and they found many, and as they came to the place where hée was, they saw a bird sit on a trée, the which bird men cal an Owle, & then said they, that there was no man for the bird sate there, and so went they away, and thus was the Caane saued from death, and so he went away on a night to his owne men which were glad of his comming: and from that time vnto this day men of that Country haue that Bird in great reuerence, and for that cause they worship that bird aboue all other birds of the world.

And incontinent hée assembled all his men, and rode vpon his enimies and destroyed them, and when hée had won all the lands that were about him, hée held them in subiection: And when the Caane had won all the Lords to mount Be­lyan, the white knight came to him in a vision againe and said vnto him, Caane the will of God is that thou passe the mount Belyan, and thou shalt win many lands, and because thou shalt finde no passage, goe thou to the mount Belyan, that is vpon the sea side, and knéele nine times thereon against the East in worship of God, and hée shall shew thée a way how thou shalt passe, & the Caane did so, & anone the sea that touch­ed the hill withdrew it selfe and shewed him a faire way of nine foote broad betwéene the hill and the sea, and so he passed right well with all his men, and then hée wan the land of Cathay that is the best land and the greatest of all the world, and for those ix. knéelings and the nine foote of way, the Caane and the men of Tartary haue the number of nine in great worship.

Of the great Caanes letters and the writing about his Seale. Chap. lxx.

AND when hée had won the land of Cathay hée dyed, and then raygned after Cythoco the eldest Son of Caane and his other brothers went to win them lands in other countries, and they wan the land of Pruisse, & of Rusie, & they did call themselues Caanes, but hée of Cathay is the greatest Lord of all the world, and so he called him in his letters and saith thus. Caane filius Dei [Page] excelsi vniuersam terram colentium sumus imperator & Domi­nus Dominantium. That is to say: Caane Gods son, Empe­rour of all those that till all the land, and Lord of Lords. And the writing about his great seale is. Deus in coelo, & Caane super terram eius fortitudo omniū hominum Imperatoris sigil­lum: That is to say, God in heauen, Caane vpon earth, his strength the seale of the Emperour of all men. And the writing about his priuie seale is. Dei fortitudo omnium hominum im­peratoris sigillum: That is, The strength of God, the seale of the Emperour of all men. And though it bée so that they bée not christians, yet the Emperour and the Tartarians beléeue God almighty.

Of the gouernance of the countrie of the great Caane. Chap. lxxj.

NOw haue I told you why hée is called the great Caane: Now shall I tell you of the gouerning of his Court when they make great feastes, and hée kéepeth foure principall feasts in the yéere, the first is of his birth, the second when he was borne to the Temple to bée circumcised, the third is of his Idols when they begin to speake, and the fourth when the Idole béegin­neth first to do miracles, and at those times he hath men well arayed by thousands and by hundreds, and each one wot well what hée shall doe. For there is first ordained foure thousand rich barons and mighty, for to ordaine the feast and to serue the Emperour, and all these barons haue crownes of Golde, well dight with precious stones and pearles, and they are clad in cloths of gold and camathas as richly as they may be made, and they may well haue such clothes, for they are there of lesse price then wollen cloth is here. And those foure thousand Ba­rons are parted into foure parts, and each company is clad in diuers colours right richly, & when the first thousand is passed and hath shewed themselues, then come the second thousand, and then the third thousand, and then the fourth, and none of them speaketh a word. And on the one side of the Emperors ta­ble [Page] sitteth many Philosophers of many sciences, some of Astro­nomie, Nigromancie, Geometrie, Pyromacy, and many other sciences, and some haue before them Astolabes of Gold or pre­cious stones full of sand, or of coales burning, some haue horo­loges well dight and richly, and other many instruments af­ter their Sciences, and at a certaine houre when they sée time they say to men that stand before them make peace, and then say those men with a loud voice to all the hall now bée still a while, and then saith one of the Philosophers each man make reuerence and incline to the Emperour that is Gods Son & Lord of the world, for now is time and houre, and then all men encline to him and knéele on the earth, and then the Philoso­pher biddeth them rise vp againe, and at another houre ano­ther Philosopher biddeth them put their finger in their eares and they doe so, and at another houre another Philosopher biddeth that all men shall lay their hand on their heads, and they doe so, and then hée biddeth them take them away, and they doe so, & thus from houre to houre they bid diuers things, and I asked priuily what it should meane, and one of the ma­sters said that the enclining & the knéeling on the earth at that time hath this token, that all those men that knéeled so, shall e­uermore bée true to the Emperour, that for no gift nor threat­ning they shall neuer bée traitours nor false to him, and the put­ting of the finger in the eare hath this token, that none of those shall heare any ill spoken of the Emperour, or his counsell. And ye shall vnderstand that men dight nothing, as clothes, bread, drinke, nor no such things to the Emperour but at certaine houres that the Philosophers tell, and if any man raise warre against the Emperour in what country soeuer it be, these Phi­losophers know it soone, and tel the Emperor or his counsaile, & he sendeth men thether, for he hath many men. Also he hath ma­ny men that kéepeth birds, as gerfaukons, Sparhauks, Fau­kons, Gentils, Laners, Sacres, Popyniayes that can speake, and many other: he hath ten thousand Eliphants, Baboynes, Marmozets and other, and he hath euer about him many Phi­sitions more then two hundred that are christian men, and Sa­rasins, but yet hée trusteth more in christian men then in Sa­rasins. [Page] And there is in that country many Sarasins and other seruants that are christians and conuerted to the faith, through preaching of good christian men that dwell there, but there are many that will not that men know that they are christians.

Of the great riches of the Emperour, and of his dispending. Chap. lxxij.

THis Emperour is a great Lord, for hée may dis­pend what hée will without number, béecause hée spendeth neither siluer nor gold, and maketh no money but of Lether or skinnes, and this same money goeth through all his land, and of the siluer and gold builded hée his Pallace. And hée hath in his chamber a piller of gold in the which is a Ruby and a Carbuncle of a foote long, the which lighteth all his chamber by night, and hée hath ma­ny other precious stones and Rubies, but this is the richest.

This Emperour dwelleth in the fommer towards the North, in a Cittie that men call Saydus, and there it is cold enough, and in the winter hée dwelleth in a Cittie that men call Ca­malach, and there it is right hot, but for the most part is hée at Cadon, that is not farre thence.

Of the ordinanance of the Lords of the Emperour when hee rideth from one country to an­other to warre. Chap. lxxiij.

AND when the great Caane shall ryde from one Country to an other, they ordayne foure hosts of people, of which the first goeth béefore a dayes iourney, for that Host lyeth at euen where the Emperour shall lye on the morrow, and there is plentie of vittailes. And an other Host commeth at the right side of him, and an other at the left side, and in each Host is much Folke. And then commeth the fourth Host béehinde him a how draught, and there is more men in that, then in any of the other. And yée shall vnderstand [Page] that the Emperour rideth on no horse, but when he will go to any secret place with a priuie meinie, where hée will not bée known, then he rideth in a Chariot with foure whéeles, & ther­vpon is a chamber made of a trée that men call Lignum A­loes, that commeth out of Paradise terrestre, and that Chamber is couered with plates of fine golde, and precious stones and Pearles, and foure Eliphants and foure Oxen all white goe therein, and fiue or sixe great Lords ride about him, so that none other men shall come nigh him, except the Emperour call any, and in the same manner with a Charriot & such hoasts rideth the Empresse by an other side, and the Emperours eldest sonne in that same aray, and they haue so much people that it is a great meruaile for to sée.

How the Empire of the great Caane is deuided into twelue Prouinces, and how that they doe cast insence in the fire where the great Caane passeth though the citties and townes, in worship of the Emperour. Chap. lxxiiij.

THE Land of the great Caane is deuided into twelue Prouinces, and euery prouince hath more then two thousand Citties and townes. And when the Emperour rideth through the country, as hée passeth through citties and townes, each man ma­keth a fire before his house, and casteth therein Insence and other things that giue good smell to the Emperour. And if any men of Religion that are christian men dwell néere where the Emperour commeth they méete him with Procession, with Crosse & holy water, and they sing Veni creator spiritus, with a loud voice, and when hée séeth them comming hée commaun­deth the Lords that they ride néere to them to make way that the Religious men may come to him, and when hée séeth the Crosse hée doth off his hat that is made of precious stones and great Pearles, & that hat is so rich that it is meruaile to tell, and then hée enclineth to the Crosse, and the prelate of the re­ligious men saith Orisons béefore him and giueth him the bles­sing [Page] with the crosse, and hée enclineth to the blessing full de­uoutly, and then the prelate giueth him some fruit to the num­ber of ix. peares or apples or other fruit, in a platter of golde, and then the Emperour taketh one thereof, and the other hée giueth to his Lords, for the maner is such there, that no strange men shall come before the Emperour, but hée giue him some­what after the olde Law that saith. Non accedit in conspectu meo inanis, that is to say. No man come into my sight idle. And then the Emperour biddeth these religious men that they goe forth, so that men of his hoast defile them not, and those religious men that dwell where the Empresse or the Empe­rours son commeth, they doe in the same manner.

How the Caane is the mightiest Lord of all the world. Chap. lxxv.

THis great Caane is the mightiest Lord of the world, for Prester Iohn is not so great a Lord as hée, nor the Soudan of Babylon, ne the Emperour of Persia. In this land a man hath an hundred wiues, some xi. and some more, some lesse, and they take of their kin to wiues, all saue their sisters, their mothers and daughters, & they take also well their stepmother if their father be dead, and men and women haue all one manner of clothing, so that they may not bée knowne, but the women that are marryed beare a token in their heads, and they dwell not with their husbands, but hée may lye by any as hée will. They haue plenty of all man­ner of beasts saue swine, for they will kéepe none, and they be­léeue well in God that made all things, and yet haue they I­dols of gold and siluer, and to those Idols they offer their first milke of beasts.

Yet of other manners of this country. Chap. lxxvj.

THe Emperour the great Caane hath thrée wiues, and the principall wife was Prester Iohns daughter And the peo­ple of this Country begin to doe all their things in the newe [Page] Moone, and they worship much the Sun, and the Moone, those men ride commonly without spurres, for they hold it a great sin to breake one bone with another, and to spill mylke on the ground, or any other licour that men may drinck, and the most sin that they may doe, is to pisse in their houses where they dwell, and hée that pisseth in his house shall bée slaine, and of those sins they shriue them to their Priests, and for their pe­nance they shall giue siluer, and the place where they haue pis­sed shall be hallowed, or else may no man come there. And when they haue done their penance they shall passe through a fire or two to make them cleane of their sins. When they haue eaten they wipe their hands vpon their skirtes, for they haue no Table clothes except it bée right great Lords, and when they haue all eaten, they put their dishes or platters not wa­shed in the pot or caudron with the flesh that is left when they haue eaten, vntill they will eate another time, and rich men drinks milke of Mares, Asses, or other beasts, and other beue­rage, that is made of milke and water together, for they haue neither béere nor wine. And when they goe to war they war full wisely, and each man of them beareth two or thrée bowes, and many arrowes and a great hatchet, gentlemen haue short swordes, and he that flyeth in battaile they slay him, and they are euer in purpose to bring all the land in subiection to them, for they say, it is prophesied, that they shall bée ouercome by shot of archers, and that they shal turne them to their law, but they wot not what men they shall bée, and it is great perill to pursue the Tartarians when they flye, for they will shoote bée­hind and slay men as well as before, and they haue small eyes as little byrds, and they are commonly false, for they hold not their promise. And when a man shall dye among them, they stick a speare in the earth beside him, and when hée draweth to the death, they goe out of the house till hée bée dead, then they put him in the earth in the field.

How the Emperour is brought vnto his graue when he is dead. Chap. lxxvij.

ANd when the Emperour is dead, they set him into a cart in the middest of the tent, and then set before him a Table couered with a Cloth, and therevpon they set flesh and other meate, and a cup full of milke of a Mare, and they set a Mare with a colt by him, and a horse sadled and brideled, and they lay vpon the horse gold and siluer, and all about him they make a great graue, & with all the things they put him therein, as the tent, horse, gold and siluer, and all that is about him, & they say, when hée commeth into another world hée shall not bée without an house, nor horse, ne siluer, nor gold, and the Mare shall giue him milke, and bring forth more horses till hée bée well stored in an other world, and one of his chamberlaines or seruants is put with him in the earth for to doe him seruice in the other world, for they beléeue that when hée is dead hée shall goe to another world, and bée a greater Lord there then here, and when hee is laid in the earth, no man shall bée so hardy for to speake of him béefore his friends.

When the Emperour is dead, how they chuse and make another. Chap. lxxviij.

ANd then when the Emperour is dead the seauen Lina­ges gather them together, and they touch his son, or the next of his blood, and they say thus, wée will, and wée ordaine, and wée pray thée that thou wilt bée our Lord and Emperour, and hée enquireth of them and saith, if yée will that I raigne ouer you, then must yée doe all that I bid you doe. And if hée bid that any shall bée slaine, hée shall bée slaine, and they an­swere all with one voyce, all that yée bid shall bée done. Then said the Emperour, from hence foorth my word shall cut as [Page] my sworde, and then they set him in a chaire and crowne him, and then all the good townes thereabout send to him presents so much that hée shall haue more then C. Cammels loden with gold and siluer béeside other iewels that he shal haue or Lords, as precious stones and gold without number and horse, and rich clothes of Camacas and Tarius, and such other.

What Countries and Kingdomes lye next to the land of Cathay, and the fronts thereof. Chap. lxxix.

THis land of Cathay is in Asia the déepe, and this same Land reacheth toward the West vpon the Kingdome of Sercy, the which per­tained sometime to one of the thrée kings that went to séeke our Lord in Bethlem, & all those that come of his kin are christian men. These men of Tartary drincke no wine. In the land of Corosaym, that is at the North side of Cathay is right great plentie of goods, but no wine, the which hath at the East side a great wildernesse that lasteth more then an hundred dayes iourney, and the best cittie of that land is called Corosaym, and alter the name of that cittie is the land called, and men of this land are good warriours and hardy, and thereby is the kingdome of Comayne, this is the most and the greatest kingdome of the World, but it is not all inhabited: for in one place of the Land is so great cold, that no man may dwell there for cold, and in another place is so great heat, that no man may dwell there, and there are so many faithes that a man cannot tell on what side hée may turne him, and in this land are few trées bearing fruit. In this land men lye in tentes, and they burne doung of Beastes for lacke of wood. This Land descendeth to­ward Pruse & Russy, and through this land runneth the Riuer Echel, that is one of the greatest riuers of the world, and it is frozen so hard euery yéere that men fight thereupon in great battailes on horse and footmen more then C.M. at once. And a little from the Riuer is the great of Occian, that they call [Page] Maure, and betwéene this Maure and Aspy is a full strayght passage to go toward Inde, and therefore king Alexander did make there a cittie that men call Alexander, for to kéepe that passage, so that no man may passe vnlesse hée haue leaue, and now is that cittie called Port de Fear, and the principall citty of Comaine is called Sarachis, that is one of the thrée wayes to goe to Inde, but through this way may not many men go but if it be in winter, and this passage is called Berbent. And an­other way is to goe from the land of Turkescon through Per­sia, in this way are many dayes iourneys in wildernesse. And the third way is that commeth from Cosmane and goeth through the great cittie & through the kingdome of Abachare. And yée shall vnderstand that all these kingdomes and Lords vnto Persia are holden of the great Caane, and many other, and therefore hée is a great Lord of men and of land.

Of other wayes comming from Cathay toward the Greeke Sea, and also of the Emperour of Persia. Chap. lxxx.

NOW that I haue shewed you the lands to­wards the North, to come from the lands of Cathay to the lands of Pruse & Russy, where Christian men dwell. Now shall I shew vn­to you of other lands and kingdomes, in com­ming downe from Cathay to the Gréekes Sea, where Christian men dwell, and forasmuch as next the great Caane of Cathay, the Emperour of Persia is the grea­test Lord, therefore I shall speake of him, and ye shall vnder­stand that hée hath two kingdomes, the one beginneth East­ward, and it is the kingdome of Turkescon, and it lasteth Westward to the sea of Caspy, and Southward to the land of Inde. This land is great and plaine and well manned with good citties, but two most principall, the which are called Ba­cirida, and Sormagaunt. The other is the kingdome of Per­sia, and lasteth from the Riuer of Phison vnto great Armony, and Northward vnto the sea of Caspy, and Southward to the [Page] land of Inde, and this is a full plenteous country and a good: In this land are thrée principall citties, Nassabor, Saphen, and Sermesse.

Of the land of Armony which is a good land, and of the land of Myddy. Chap. lxxxj.

THen is the land of Armony, in the which was sometime thrée kingdomes, that is a good land and plenteous, and it beginneth at Persia, and lasteth westward to Turky of lenght, and in breadth last­eth from the Cittie of Alexander (that now is cal­led Port de Fear) vnto the land of Middy. In this Armony are many faire citties, but Canrissy is most of name. Then is the land of Middy, and it is full long and not broad, and bée­ginneth Eastward at the land of Persia and Inde the lesse, and lasteth Westward to the kingdome of Chalde, and Northward to little Armony, in this Myddy are many great Hills and little Plaines, and there dwell Sarasins and other manner of men, that men call Cordines and Kermen.

Of the kingdome of George and Abcan, and many meruailes. Chap. lxxxij.

THen next is the kingdome of George that beginneth Eastward at a great hill that men call Abior, this land lasteth from Turky to the great Sea, and to the land of Middy, and great Armony, and in this Land are two Kingdomes, one to Abcan, and an other of George, but hée of George is in subiection of the great Caane, but hée of Abcan hath a strong Countrie, and defendeth him well against his enimies, and of this land in Abcan is a great maruaile, for there is a country in this land that is néere thrée dayes iourney in length, and is called Hamfon, and that coun­try is all couered with darknesse, so that it hath no light, that no man may sée there, and no man dare goe into that countrie [Page] for darknesse. And neuerthelesse men of that country thereby say that they may sometime heare therein the voyce of men & horse crying, and cocks crow, and they know well that men dwell there, but they know not what manner of men, & they say this darknesse came through the miracle of God, that hée did for Christian men there. For there was a wicked Empe­rour that was of Poy, and was called Saures, and hée pursu­ed sometime all christian men to destroy them, and did make them do sacrifice to their false gods, & in that country dwelled many christian men the which left all their goods and cattell, & riches, and would goe to Gréece, and when they were all in a great plaine that is called Mecon, the Emperour and his men came to slay the christian men, and then the christian men knée­led downe and prayed to God, and anon came a thicke cloud and couered the Emperour and all his hoasts, so that he might not goe away, and so dwelled they in darknesse, and they ne­uer came out after: and the christian men went forward as they would, and therefore they say thus. A domino factum est istud, & est mirabile in oculis nostris, That is to say, of our Lord is this done, and it is meruailous in our eyes. Out of this land commeth a riuer whereby men may sée by good tokens that men dwell therein.

Of the land of Turkey, and diuers other countries, and of the Land of Mesopotamia. Chap. lxxxiij.

THen next is the land of Turkey, that reacheth to great Armony, and therein are many coun­tries, as Caperdoce, Saure, Bryke, Ouecion, Patan and Geneth, in each one of these coun­tries are many good citties, and it is a plaine land with few hils and Riuers, and then is the kingdome of Mesopotamia, that béeginneth Westward at the flome of Tygre at a Cittie that men call Mosell, and it lasteth Westward to the flome of Euphrate, to a Cittie that men call Rochaim, and Westward from high Armony, vnto the wil­dernesse [Page] of Inde the lesse, and it is a good land and plaine, but there is few riuers, and there is but two hils in that land, the one is called Simar, and the other Hison, and it reacheth vn­to the land of Calde, and yée shall vnderstand that the land of Ethiope reacheth Eastward to the great wildernesse, West­ward to the land of Nuby, Southward to the land of Mara­tan, and Northward to the red Sea, and then is the Maritan that lasteth from the hils of Ethiope vnto Liby the high, and the low, that lasteth to the great sea of Spaine.

Of diuers countries, kingdomes, and Iles, and meruailes beyond the land of Cathay. Chap. lxxxiij.

NOw haue I said and spoken of many things on this side of the great kingdome of Cathay, of whom many are obeisant to the great Caane. Now shall I tell of some lands, countries and Iles that are beyond the land of Cathay. Who so goeth from Cathay to Inde the high and the low, hée shall goe through a kingdome that men call Cadissen, and it is a great land, there groweth a manner of fruit as it were gourdes, and when it is ripe, men cut it a sunder, and they finde therein a beast as it were of flesh, and bone, & blood, as it were a little lambe without wooll, and men eate the beast and fruit also, and sure it séemeth very strange. Neuerthelesse I sayd to them that I held that for no meruaile, for I said that in my country are trées that beare fruit that become birds fly­ing & they are good to eat, and that that falleth on the water li­ueth, and that that falleth on the earth dyeth, and they meruai­led much thereat. In this land and many other therabout, are trées that beare cloues, and nutmegs, and chanell, and many other spices, and there be vines that beare so great grapes that a strong man shall haue enough to beare a cluster of grapes. In that same land are the hils of Caspy that men call Vber, and enclosed within those hils are the Iewes of the x. kindes that men call Gog and Magog, and they may come out on no side. Ther were enclosed xxij. kings, with their folke that dwel­led [Page]

betwéene the hils of Syche: and king Alexander chased them thether among those hils, for hée trusting to haue enclo­sed them there through the working of men, but hée might not, and when hée saw hée might not, hée prayed to God that hée would fulfill that which hée had béegun, God heard his pray­er and enclosed the hils all about them but at the one side, and ther is the sea of Caspy. Here some men might aske, if there be a sea on one side, why goe they not out there, for thereto aun­swere I that although it be called a sea, it is not a sea, but a poole standing among hils, and it is the greatest Poole of all the world, and though they go ouer that poole, yet they wot not where to ariue, for they can no speach but their owne. And yée shall vnderstand that these Iewes which dwel among the hils haue no law among them, and yet they pay tribute for their land to the Quéene of Armony: and sometime it is so that some of these Iewes goe ouer the hils, but many may not passe there together for the hils are so great and high. Neuerthelesse, men say in that country thereby that in the time of Antichrist they shall doe much harme to christian men, and therefore all the Iewes that dwell in diuers parts of the world learne for to speake Ebrew, for they hope that these Iewes that dwell [Page] among the hils aforesaid shal come out of the hils and speake all Ebrew and nought else, and then shall these Iewes speake Ebrew to them and lead them into Christendome for to de­stroy Christian men. For these Iewes say they know by their Prophesies that those Iewes that are among those hilles of Caspy shall come out, and christian men shall bée in their sub­iection as they be vnder Christian men now. And if yée will know how they shall finde the passage out, as I haue vnder­stood I shall tell you. In the time of Antichrist a Foxe shall make his denne in the same place where King Alexander did make the Gates, and hée shall dig in the earth so long till hée pierce it through and come among the Iewes, and when they sée the Foxe, they shall haue great meruaile of him, for they neuer saw such a beast, but other Beastes haue they among them many, and they shall chase this foxe and pursue him vn­till that hée bée fled againe into his hole that he came from, and then shall they dig after him vntill they come to the gates that Alexander did make of great stones well dight with morter, then shall they breake these gates and they shall finde the way forth.

Of the land of Bactrie and of many Griffons and other beasts. Chap. lxxxv.

FRom this land men shall go vnto the land of Bac­trie, where are many wicked men and fell, in that land are trées that beare woll, as it were shéepe, of which they make cloth. In this land are Ypotains that dwell sometime on land, sometime on water, and are halfe a man and halfe a horse, and they féede on men when they may get them. In this land are many Griffons more then in other places, and some say they haue the body before as an Eagle, and behinde as a Lyon, and it is truth, for they be made so, but the Griffon hath a body greater then eight Lyons and stronger then an hundred Eagles, for certain­ly hée will beare to his nest flying a horse and a man vpon his back, or two Oxen yoked together as they goe at plough, for he [Page] hath long nailes on his féet as great as it were horns of Oxen, and of those they make cups there to drinck with, and of his ribs they make bowes to shoot with.

Of the way for to goe to Prester Iohns land which is Emperour of Inde. Chap. lxxxvj.

FRom this land of Bactrie men goe many dayes iour­ney, to the Land of Prester Iohn, that is a great Em­perour of Inde, and men call his land the yle of Pan­trore. This Emperour Prester Iohn holdeth a great land, and many good cities and good townes. In his kingdome are many great Iles and large, for this land of Inde is parted into Iles because of great flouds that come out of Paradise: and also in the sea are many great Iles. The best cittie that is in the Ile of Pantrore is called Nile that is a noble cittie and a rich. Prester Iohn hath vnder him many kings and diuers people, and his land is good and rich, but not so rich as the land of the great Caane, for merchants come not so much thether as they doe into the land of the great Caane, for it is too long a iourney. And also they finde in the Ile of Cathay all things that they haue néede of, as spicery, clothes of gold and other riches, and although they might haue better cheape in the land of Prester Iohn, then in the land of Cathay, and more fine, ne­uerthelesse they wil not go thether by reason of the length of the iourney, and great perils on the sea, for there are many places in the sea where are many rocks of a stone that is called Ada­mand, the which of his owne kinde draweth to him all man­ner of iron, and therefore there may no ships that haue iron nayles passe, but it draweth them to it, and therefore they dare not go into that country with ships for dread of the Adamand, I went once into that sea & saw as it had béene a great Ile of trées, stocks & branches growing, and the shipmen told me that those were great ships that abode there through the vertue of the Adamands, and of things that were in the ships, whereof those trées sprong and waxed, and such rocks are there ma­ny in diuers places of that sea, and therefore dare there no [Page] shipmen passe that way. And another thing also is, that they dread the long way, and therefore they go most to Cathay, and that is néere vnto them. And yet it is not so néere, but that from Venice or Gene by Sea to Cathay is xi. or xij. moneths iourney. The land of Prester Iohn is long, and Merchants passe thether through the land of Persia, and come vnto a Cit­tie that men call Hermes, for a Philosopher that was called Hermes founded it, and then passe an arme of the Sea, & come to another Cittie that men call Saboth, and there finde they all marchandises, and popiniayes as great plenty as larks in our country. In this Country is little wheate or barly, and therefore they eat rice, milke, and chéese, and other fruits. This Emperour Prester Iohn weddeth commonly the daughter of the great Caane, and the great Caane his Daughter. In the land of Prester Iohn is many diuers things and many preci­ous stones so great and so large that they make of them ves­sels, platters and cups, and many other things of which it were too long to tell, but somwhat of his law and of his faith I shall tell you.

Of the faith and beleefe of Prester Iohn, but he hath not all the full beliefe as wee haue. Chap. lxxxvij.

THis Emperour Prester Iohn is christened and a great part of his land also, but they haue not all the articles of our Faith, but they beléeue well in the Father, the sonne, and the holy Ghost, and they are full deuoute and true one to another, and they make no force of cattell. And hée hath vnder him lxxii. Prouin­ces and countries, and in each one is a king, and those kings haue other kings vnder them. And in this land are many mer­uailes, for in this land in the gauely sea that is of sand and grauaile and no drop of water, and it ebbeth and floweth with right great waues as an other sea doth, and it is neuer stand­ing still, and neuer in rest, and no man may passe that land be­yond [Page] it. And although there bée no water in the sea, yet men may finde therein right good fish, and of other fashion and shape then are in any other seas, and also they are of a full good sauor and swéete and good to eat. And thrée dayes iourney from that sea are many great hils, through which runneth a great floud that commeth from Paradise, and it is full of precious stones and no drop of water, and it runneth with great waues into the grauely Sea. And this floud runneth thrée dayes in the wéeke so fast, and stirreth great stones of the rockes with him that make much noyse, & as soone as they come into the graue­ly sea, they are no more séene, and in those thrée dayes when it runneth thus no man dare come in it, but the other dayes men goe therein when they will. And so béeyond that floud toward that wildernesse is a great plaine among hils all sandy and grauely, and in that plaine grow trées that at the rising of the Sun each day begin to grow, and so grow they till mid­day, and beare fruit, but no man dare eate of that fruit, for it is a manner of yron, and after midday it turneth againe to the earth, so that when the Sun goeth downe it is nothing séene, and so doth it euery day: and there is in that wildernesse ma­ny wilde men with hornes on their heads right hedious, and they speake not but rout as swine, and in that country are ma­ny popiniayes, that they call in their language Pistak, and they speake through their owne kinde partly as a man, and those that speake well haue long tongues and large, and on euery foote fiue toes, but there are some that haue but thrée toes, but those speake naught or very ill.

Of another Iland where also dwelleth good people there­in, and is called Sinople. Chap. lxxxviij.

THen is there an other Ile that is called Sy­nople, wherein also are good people and true, and full of good faith, and they are much like in their liuing to the man béefore said, and they go all naked. Into that Iland came king Alexander and when hée saw their good faith [Page] and trouth and their good beléefe hée said that hée would doe them no harme, and bad them aske of him riches or ought else, and they stould haue it. And they answered that they had riches enough, when they had meat and drinck to sustaine their bodies, and they said also that riches of this world is nought worth, but if it were so that hée might graunt them that they should neuer dye that would they pray him. And Alexander sayd that might hée not do, for hée was mortall and should die as they should. Then said they, why art thou so proud and wouldest win all the world, and haue it in thy subiection as it were a God and hast no terme of thy life, and thou wilt haue all riches of the world, the which shall forsake thée or thou for­sake it, and thou shalt beare nothing with thée, but it shall re­maine to other, but as thou were borne naked, so shalt thou be done in earth. And Alexander was greatly astonied at this speach, and though it be so that they haue not the Articles of our faith, neuerthelesse I beléeue that God liketh their seruice as hée did of Iob that was a Panim, the which he held for his true seruant and many other. I beléeue well that God loueth all those that loue him and serue him méekely and truely, and that despise the vaine glory of the wolrd as these men doe, and as Iob did, and therefore sayd our Lord through the mouth of the holy Prophet Esay, Ponam eis multiplices leges meas, that is to say, I shall put lawes to them in many manners, and the gospell saith thus. Alias oues habeo quae non sunt ex hoc ouili, that is, I haue other shéepe that are not of this fold: and thereto accordeth the vision that S. Peter saw at Ioppa, how the An­gell came from heauen & brought with him of all manner of beasts, as serpents and diuers foules, saying to Saint Peter. Take and eate, and Saint Peter answered, I neuer eat of any vncleane beast. And the Angell said to him, Non dicas immunda quae Deus mundauit. That is to say, Call thou not those things vncleane that God hath clensed. This was done in token that men should not haue any man in disdaine for their diuers lawes, for wée wot not whom God loueth, and whom God hateth.

Of two other Iles, the one is called Pitan, wherein be little men that can eate no meat, and in the other Iles are the men all rough of feathers. Chap. lxxxix.

THere is another Ile that men call Pitan, the men of this land till no ground, for they eat no­thing, and they are small, but not so small as Pigmens. These men liue with smell of wilde apples, and when they goe far out of the coun­try they beare Apples with them, for anone as they loose that sauour of apples they dye, they are not reaso­nable, but as wild beasts. And there is another Ile where the people are all feathers, but their face and the palmes of their hands, these men goe as well about the sea as on the land, and they eate flesh and fish all raw, in this Ile is a Riuer that is two mile and an halfe broad that men call Renemar.

Of a rich man in Prester Iohns land, named Catolo­napes, and of his garden. Chap. xc.

IN an Ile of Prester Iohns land, that men call Mis­corach, there was a man that was called Catolo­napes, hée was rich and had a faire castell on a hill and strong, & hée made a wall about the hill right strong and faire, within hée had a faire garden wherin were many trées bearing all manner of fruits that hée might finde, and hée had planted therein all manner of hearbs of good smell and that beare flowers, and there were many faire wels & by them was made many hals and chambers well dight with gold and azure, and hée had made there diuers stories of beasts and birds that sung, and turned by engin or orbage as they had béene quick, and he had in his garden all things that might bée to mans solace and comfort, hée had also in that garden maydens within the age of xv. yéere the fairest that hée might [Page] finde, and men children of the same age, and they were clothed with clothes of gold, & hée sayd that they were Angels, and he caused to bée made certaine hils, and enclosed them about with precious stones of Iaspy and christal and set in gold and pear­les and other manner of stones, and hée made a conduite vn­der the earth, so that when he would, the Wels ran sometime with milke, sometime with wine, sometime honie, and this place hée called Paradise, and when any yong bacheler of the country knight or squire commeth to him for solace or disport hée leadeth him into his paradise, & sheweth them these things, as the songs of birds, and his damsels, and wels, and hée did strike diuers instruments of musick in a high tower that might bée heard, and said they were Angels of God and that place was paradise, that God had graunted to those that beléeued, when hée saith thus. Dabo vobis terram fluentem lac & mel, That is to say, I shall giue you land flowing milke and honie. And then this rich man did make these men drinke a manner of drinke of which they were dronken, and hée said to them if they would dye for his sake, when they were dead they should come to his Paradise, and they should bée of the age of those maydens, and should dwell alway with them, and hée would put them in a fairer Paradise, where they should sée God in his ioy and in his maiestie, and when they graunted to doe that hée would, and hée bad them goe and slay such a Lord, or a man of the Countrie that hée was wroth with, and that they should haue no dread of any man, and if they were slaine themselues for his sake, hée should put them in his Paradise when they were dead. And so went those Batchelers to slay great Lords of the country, and were slaine themselues in hope to haue that Paradise, & thus hée was auenged of his enimies through his deceit, and when rich men of the country percei­ued his cautell and malice and the will of this Catolonapes, they gathered themselues together and assailed the castle and slew him and destroyed all his goods and his fayre places and riches that were in his Paradise, and the place of the wals are there yet, and some other things, but the riches are not, and it is not long agoe since it was destroyed.

Of a perillous valley that is beside the Riuer of Pison. Chap. xcj.

AND a little from that place on the left side, beside the riuer of Pison is a great meruaile. There is a valley betwéene two hils and that is foure myle long, and some men call it the valley enchaunted, some the valley of Diuels, some the valley perillous, and in that valley are many tempests, and a great noyse very hyde­ous both day and night, and sound as it were a noyce of Ta­bers and Trumpets as it were at a great feast. This valley is full of Diuels and hath béene alway, and men say there is an entrie to hell. In this valley is much gold and siluer, wher­fore many christian men and other goe thether for couetise of that gold and siluer, but few of them come out againe, for they are anone strangled with Diuels, and in the middest of that Valley on a Rocke is a Visage, and the head of a flend bodely, right hidious and dreadfull to sée, and there is nothing séene but the head to the shoulders, but there is no Christian men nor other in the world so hardy, but that hée would bée greatly afraid to béehold it, for hée beholdeth each man so sharp­ly and felly, and his eyes are so staring, and sparkling as fire, and hée chaungeth so oft his countenance that no man dare come néere for all the world, and out of his nose commeth great plentie of fire of diuers colours, and sometime is the fire so stinking, that no man may suffer it, but alway a good Christi­an man, and one that is stedfast in the faith may goe therein without harme if they call to God onely for forgiuenesse of their sinnes, then shall the Diuels haue no power ouer them. And yée shall vnderstand that when my fellowes and I were in that valley we had full great doubt if wée should put our bo­dies in a venture to goe through it, and some of my fellowes agréed thereto and some would not, and there were in our company two Fryers minours of Lombardie who said if any of vs would goe in they would also, as they had sayd so vpon trust of them wée sayd that wée would goe, and wée dyd [Page] make our prayers to God for our safegard, and so wée went in xiiij. men, and when wée came out wée were but x. and we wist not whether our fellows were lost there, or that they tourned againe, but wée saw no more of them, other of my fellowes that would not goe in with vs, went about another way for to bée before vs and so they were, and wée went through the va­ley and saw there many meruailous things, gold, siluer, preci­ous stones and Iewels great plenty as wée thought, whether it were so or no I know not, for diuels are so subtill and false, that they make many times a thing to séeme that it is not, for to deceiue men, and therfore I would touch nothing for dread of enimies that I saw there in many liknesses, what of dead bodies that I saw lye in the valey, but I dare not say that they were all bodies, but they were bodily shapes through making of diuels, and wée were often cast downe to the earth by wind, thunder and tempest, but God helped alway, and so passed wée through that valey without perill or harme thankes bée to God.

Of an Iland wherein dwell people as great as Giants, of xxviij. or xxx. foote of lenght, and other things. Chap. xcij.

ANd beyond that valey is a great Ile, where be people as great as Gyants of xxviii. foot long and they haue no clothing but beastes skinnes that hang on them, and they eate no bread but flesh raw, and they drink milke, and they haue no houses, and they eate gladlier flesh of men then other, and men say to vs that beyond that Ile is an Ile where are greater Giants, as xlv. or l. foote long, and some sayde l. cubites long, but I saw not them, and among those Gyants are great shéepe, as it were young Oxen, & they beare great woll, these shéepe haue I séene many times. An other Ile is there Northward where are many euill & fell women, and they haue precious stones in their eyes, and they haue such force that if they behold any man with wrath, they slay them with béeholding as the Basalyke doth. An other Ile is [Page] there of fayrer folke and good, where the custome is such, the first night that they are wedded, they take a certaine man that is ordained therefore, and let him lye by their wiues to haue their maidenhead, and they giue him great reward for his tra­uaile, and those men are called Gadlybrien, for men of that country hold it a great thing to make a woman no maiden, and if it be so that the husband finde her a mayden the next night after (for peraduenture hée that lay by her was dronken, or for any other cause) the husband shall complaine of him to the Lawyers that hée hath not done his deuour, and he shall grieuously bée punished and chastised, but after the first night they keepe their wiues well, that they speake not with those men, and I asked what was the cause why they had that cu­stome, and they sayd, heretofore men lay with their wiues first and no other, and their wiues had serpents in their bodies, & stong their husbands in the yard or on their bodyes, and so was many men slaine, and therefore had they that custome to let other men haue their maidenhead, for dread of death, and thus they suffer them to assay the passage, or they aduenture.

Of women which make great sorrow as their children are borne, and great ioy when they are dead. Chap. xciij.

AN other Ile there is where women make great sorrow when their children bée borne, and when they are dead they make great ioy and cast them in a great fire and burne them, and they that loue well their husbands when then are dead they cast them in a fire to burne them, for they say that fire shal make them cleane of all filth and vices, & they shall bée cleane in an other world, and the cause why they wéepe when their children are borne, and that they ioy at their death, they say a childe when hée is borne commeth into this world to haue trauaile, sorrow and heauinesse, & when they are dead they goe to Paradise where Riuers are of Milke and Hony, and there is life and ioy and plenty of goods without trauaile or sorrow. In this Ile they elect their kings by voyces, & they chuse him not for his riches, [Page] and noblenesse, but him that is of good conditions, and most righteous and true, that iudgeth euery man truely, little and much after their trespasse, and the king may iudge no man to death, without counsell of his Barons and that they all assent. And if it so bée that their King doe a great trespasse, as stay a man, or such like, hée shall dye also, but hée shall not be slaine, but they shall charge and forbid that no man bée so hardie to beare him company, nor to speake to him, ne giue him meate nor drink, & thus hée shall die, for they spare no man that hath done a trespasse, for loue, lordship, riches nor noblenesse, but they doe him right after that hée hath deserued.

Of an Iland where men wed their owne daughters and kinswomen. Chap. xciiij.

THere is an other Ile where is great plentie of peo­ple, and they neuer eate flesh of Hares nor of Hens, nor Géese, yet is there many of them, but they eate of all other beasts, and they drink milk in this coun­try they wed their owne daughters and other of their kin, as them liketh, and if there bée ten or eleuen men in one house, each one of their wiues shall bée common to other, and at night one haue one of the wiues, and an other night an other, and if shée haue any child shée may giue it to whom she will so that no man know it to bée his. In this land and ma­ny other places of Inde are many Crocodrilles, that is a man­ner of long Serpent, and on nights they dwell on water, and on dayes they dwell on land and rocks, and they eate not in winter. These serpents slay men and eat them wéeping, and they haue no tongue.

In this country and many other, men cast séede of cotten, and sow in each yéere, and it groweth as it were small trées, and they beare cotten. In Araby is a kinde of beast that some men call Garsants, that is a fayre beast, and he is higher then a great courser or stéed but his neck is néere xx. cubites long, and his taile like a Hart, and hée may looke ouer a high house, [Page]

and there are many Camelions that is a little beast, and hée neuer eateth or drinketh, and hée chaungeth his colour often, for sometime hée is of one colour and sometime of another, and hée may change him into all colours that hée will, saue black and red. There are many wilde swine of many colours, and as great as Oxen, & they are spotted as it were small fawnes, and there are Lyons all white, and there be other Beastes, as great as stéedes that men call Lanhorans, and some men call them Tonts, and their head is black, and thrée long hornes in his front, as cutting as sharpe swords, and hée chaseth and will slay Eliphants. And there is many other manner of Beastes, of whom it were too long to write all.

Of an Iland wherein dwell full good people and true. Chap. xcv.

THere is another Iland good and great, and plenti­ous, where are good men and true and of godly life after their faith, and though they hée not chri­stians, neuertheles of kind they are full of good ver­tues, and they flye all vices, and all sinne and ma­lice [Page] for they are not enuious, proud, couetous, lecherous, nor gluttenous, and they doe not vnto another man but that they would hée did to them, and they fulfill the x. commaundements and they make no force of riches nor of hauing, and they swere not, but they say yea and nay, for they say hée that sweareth will deceiue his nighbour, and some men call this Ile the Ile of Bragamen, and some call it the land of faith, and through it runneth a great riuer that men call Thebe, and generally all men in those Iles, and other thereby are truer and right wiser then in other countries, in this Iles are no théeues, murtherers nor beggers. And forasmuch as they are so true and so good, there is no tempest nor thunder, warre, hunger, nor tribulati­on, and thus it séemeth well that God loueth them well, and hée is well pleased with their déedes, and they beléeue in God that made all things, and him they worship and they liue so or­dinately in meate and drink that they liue right long, and ma­ny of them dye without sicknesse, that kinde faileth them for age.

How king Alexander sent his men thether for to winne that land. Chap. xcvj.

AND king Alexander sometime sent his men to win that land. And they sent him letters that said thus. What béehooueth a man to haue all the world that is not content therewithall, thou shalt finde nothing at all in vs why shouldest thou make warre vpon vs, for wée haue no riches or treasure, and all the cattell of our country are common, our meates that wée eate are our riches, and in steade of golde and siluer, wée make our treasure peace and concord of loue, and wée haue nought but a cloth vpon our bo­dies, our wiues are not arayed richly to pleasing, for wée hold it a great folly for a man to trimme vp his body with costly apparell to make it séeme fayrer then God made it Wée haue béene euermore in peace till now that thou wilt dishcrite vs. Wée haue a king among vs, not for néede of the law, nor to iudge any man, for there are no trespassours among vs, but [Page] all onely to learne vs to be obedient to him, and so maiest thou take from vs but our good peace. And when king Alexander saw this letter hée thought hée should doe too much harme if he troubled them, and sent to them, that they should kéepe well their good manners, and haue no dread of him.

How the Emperour Prester Iohn when hee goeth to battaile, hath three crosses of fine gold borne be­fore him. Chap. xcvij.

THis Emperour Prester Iohn when hée goeth to battaile, hath no banner borne before him, but hée hath borne before him thrée crosses of fine gold and those are large and great, and well set with precious stones, and for to kéepe each crosse hée ordained a thousand men of armes, in manner as men kéepe a standard in other countries, and hée hath men without number, when hée goeth in any battayle against any other Prince. And when hée hath no bat­taile, but rideth with priuie company, then hath hée borne bée­fore him but a crosse of trée not painted, and without gold or precious stones, and all plaine, in token that our Lord Iesus Christ suffered death on a crosse of trée. And also hée hath borne before him a vessel full of Iewels and gold and precious stones, in token of his present noblenesse and of his might, hée hath borne before him likewise a platter of gold full of earth, in to­ken that all lordship and noblenesse shall turne to naught, and his flesh shall turne to earth.

Of the most dwelling place of Prester Iohn in a Cittie called Suse. Chap. xcviij.

ANd he dwelleth commonly at the cittie of Suse, and there is his principall pallace that is so rich that it is strange to tell, and about the principall tower of the pallace are two pomels of gold all round, and each one of those hath two car­buncles [Page] great and large, that shine right cléere in the night, & the principall gates of this pallace are of precious stones that men call Saraine, and the borders of the barres are of Iuory, and windowes of the hall and chambers are of christall, and Tables that they eate off, some Emerandes, some of Mayk, some of gold and precious stones, and the pillers that beare the tables are of such stones also, and the steares on the which the Emperour goeth vp to his table where hée sitteth at meat, one is of Mastike, another of christall, and another of gréene Iaphy, another of Diasper, another of Serdin, another of Cornelin, another of Senton, and that hée setteth his foote vp­pon is of Chrisolits, and all these steares are bordred with fine gold, and wel set with great pearles and other precious stones, and the side of his table are Emerauds brodred with gold and with precious stones, the pillers in his chamber are of fine gold with many Carbuncles and other such stones that giue great light in the night, and though the Carbuncles giue great light, neuerthelesse there burneth xij. great vessels of christall full of balme, to giue good smell and to driue away euill ayre. The frame of his bed is all of Saphire well bound with gold to make him sléepe well, and for to destroy Lechery, for hée wil not lye by his wiues but thrice a yéere after the seasons, and that onely for getting of children. And hée hath also a fayre pallace in the cittie of Nise, where hée dwelleth when hée will, but the aire there is not so well tempered as it is in the Cittie of Suse. And hée hath euery day in his court more then xxx. thousand men, beside commers and goers, but xxx. thousand there, or in the court of the great Caane, spendeth not so much as xij. thousand in our countrie. Hée hath euermore vii. kings in his court to serue him, and each one of them serueth a mo­neth, and with these kings serue alway lxxii. Dukes, & CCC. Earles, and euery day eate in his court xii. Archbishops, and xx. Bishops. The Patriarke of Saint Thomas is as it were a Pope, and Archbishops, Bishops and Abbots, all are kings in that country, and some of the Lords is Maister of the hall, some of the chamber, some steward, some Marshall and other Officers, and therefore hée is full richly serued. And his Land [Page] lasteth in breadth foure monethes iourney, and it is of length without measure.

Of the wildernesse wherein groweth the trees of the Sunne and the Moone. Chap. xcix

AND béeyond this place is a great wildernesse as men that haue béene there say. In this wil­dernesse as men say are the trées of the Sunne, and of the Moone that spake to king Alexander and told him of his death, and men say that folke that kéepe these trées and eate of the fruits of them, liue foure or fiue hundred yéere through vertue of the fruit, and wée would gladly haue gone thether, but I beléeue that an hundred thousand men of armes should not passe that wildernesse for great plenty of wilde beasts, as Dragons, and serpents that slay men when they passe that way. In this land are many Elephants, all white and blew without number, and Vnicornes and Lyons of many coulours. Many other Iles are in the land of Prester Iohn, that were too long to tell, and much riches and of precious stones is great plentie. I haue heard say why this Emperour is called Prester Iohn, and for those that know it not I will declare. Therefore some­time an Emperour that was a noble Prince, and doughtie, and hée had many Christian Knights with him, and the Em­perour thought hée would sée the seruice in christian Churches, and then was Churches of Christendome in Turky, Surry, and Tartary, Hierusalem, Palistine, Araby and Alapy, and all the Lords of Aegypt. And this Emperour came with a Christian Knight into a Church of Aegypt, and it was on a Satterday after Whitsunday when the Bishop gaue Orders, and hée beheld the Seruice and asked of the knight what folke those should bée that stood before the Bishop, and the Knight sayd they should bée Priests, and hée sayd hée would no more bée called king ne Emperour, but Priest, and hée would haue the name of him that came first out of the Priests, and hée was [Page] called Iohn, and so haue all the Emperours since béene called Prester Iohn. In this land are many Christian men of good faith and good law, and they haue priests to sing seruice, and they receiue the sacrament as men of Gréece doe, and they say not otherwise, but as the Apostles said, as Saint Peter, and Saint Thomas, and other Apostles, when they sung and sayd Pater noster, and the words with the which the Communion is sacred: wée haue many additions of Popes that haue béene ordained, of which men of those countries know not.

Of a great Iland and Kingdome called Taprobane. Chap. c.

TOward the East side of Prester Iohns Land is an Ile that men call Taprobane, and it is right good and fruitfull, and there is a great King and a rich, and he is obedient vnto Prester Iohn, & the King is alway made by election. In this Ile are two win­ters, and two Summers, and they reape corne twice in the yéere, and gardens flowrish at all times in the yéere. There dwelleth good people and reasonable, and many christian men among them are full rich, and the water betwéene the side of Prester Iohn, and this Ile is not very déepe, for men may sée the ground in many places.

Of two other Iles, one is called Oriell, and the other Ar­gete where are many gold mines. Chap cj.

THere are more Eastward two other Iles, the one is cal­led Oriell, and the other Argete, of which all the land is full of mines of gold and siluer. In those Iles many men sée no Stars cléere shining, but one Star that is called Canapos, and there many men sée not the Moone but in the last quarter. In that Ile is a great hill of gold that Pismires kéepe, and they do the fine gold from other that is not fine gold, and the Pismires are as great as hounds, so that no man dare come there for [Page] dread of pismires that should assay them, so that men may not worke in that gold nor get therof, but by subtiltie, and therefore when it is right hot the pismires hide themselues in the earth from morne to noone of the day, and then men of the country take Cammels and Dromedaries and other beasts and goe thether and charge them with gold, and goe away fast or the pismires come out of the earth. And other times when it is not so hot, that the pismires hide them not, they take Mares that haue soles, and they lay vpon these mares two long vessels as it were two small barrels and the mouth vpwards, and driue them thether and hold their foles at home, and when the pis­mires sée these vessels they spring therin, for by kinde they leaue no hole nor pit open, and anone they fill these vessels with gold, and when men thinke that the vessels bée full, they take the foles & bring them as néere as they dare, and then they whine, and the mares heare them, and anone they come to their foles, and so they take the gold, for these pismires will suffer beasts to come among them, but no men.

Of the darke country and hils and rocks of stone nigh to Paradise. Chap. cij.

BEyond the Iles of the land of Prester Iohn and his Lordship of wildernesse to goe right East, men shall finde nothing but hils, great rocks and other darke land, where no man may sée a day or night as men of the Country say, and this wildernesse and darke land lasteth to Paradise terrestre, where Adam and Eue were set, but they were but a little while there, and that is toward the East at the beginning of the Earth, but that is not our East that we call, where the Sun riseth for when the Sunne riseth there, then it is midnight in our country by reason of the roundnesse of the Earth, for our Lord made the earth all round in the middest of the firmament. Of Paradise can I not speake properly, for I haue not béene there, but that I haue heard I shall tell you. Men say that Paradise terrestre is the highest land of all the world, and it is so high that it toucheth [Page] néere to the circle of the Moone, for it is so high that Noes floud might not come thereto, which couered all the Earth about.

A little of Paradise terrestre. Chap. ciij.

THis Paradise terrestre is enclosed all about with a wall, and that wall is all couered with mosse as it séemeth, that men may sée no stone nor nothing else whereof it is, and in the highest place of Para­dise in the middest of it is a Well that casteth out the foure flouds that runne through diuers Lands. The first floud is called Pison or Ganges, and that runneth through Inde: in that Riuer are many precious stones and much Lig­num Aloes, and grauell of gold. An other is called Nilus or Giron, and that runneth through Ethiope and Aegypt. The third is called Tigrée, and that runneth through Asiria and Armony the great. And the fourth is called Euphrates that runneth through Armony the lesse, and Persia, and men say that the swéet and fresh waters of the world take their spring­ing of them. The first Riuer is called Pison, that is to say, ga­thering of many Riuers together and falling into one, and some call it Ganges, of a king that was in Inde that men call Gangeras, for it runneth through his land, and this riuer is in some places cleane, in some places troubled, in some place hot, in some place cold. The second riuer is called Nilus or Giron, for it is euer troubled, for Giron is to say, trouble. The third riuer is called Tigrée, that is to say fast running, for it run­neth faster then any of the other, named so of a beast that men call Tigris, for hée runneth fast. The fourth riuer is called Euphrates, that is to say, well bearing, for there groweth ma­ny good things vpon that riuer. And yée shall vnderstand that no man liuing may goe vnto that Paradise, for by land he may not goe for wilde beasts which are in the wildernesse, and for hils and rocks where no man may passe. Neither by those Ri­uers may any man passe, for they come with so great course [Page] and so great waues that no ship may sayle against them. Ma­ny great Lords haue assayed many times to goe by those Ri­uers to Paradise, but they might not spéede on their way, for some dyed for wearinesse of rowing, some waxt blind and some deafe for noise of the waters, so no man may passe there but through speciall grace of God, I can tell you no more of that place, which I may speake of vpon mine owne sight.

How Prester Iohns land lyeth foote against foote to England. Chap. ciiij.

THese Iles of the land of Prester Iohn, they are vnder the earth to vs, & other Iles are there who so would pursue them for to compasse the earth, ha­uing the grace of God to hold the way, hée might come right to the same Countries that hée were come of and come from, and goe about the earth, but for that it asketh so long time, and also there are so many perils to passe, that few men assay to goe so, and yet it might bée done, for men come from those Iles to other Iles costing of the Lordship of Pre­ster Iohn, which men call Cassoy, and that country is néere lx. daies iourney long, and more then fifty of breadth, and this Cassoy is the best land that is in those countries, saue Cathay, and if merchants come thether as commonly as they doe to Cathay, it would be better then Cathay, for it is so thick of cities & townes that when a man goeth out of a cittie hée séeth an other at each side: there is great plenty of spices and other goods, the king of this Ile is rich and mightie, and hée holdeth his land of the great Caane, for that is one of the xii. Princes that the great Caane hath vnder him beside his owne Land.

Of the Kingdome of Ryboth. Chap. cv.

FRom this Ile men goe to an other Kingdome that is called Ryboth, and that is also vnder the great Caane, that is a good country and plenteous of corne, wine, and other things: men of this land haue no houses, but they dwell in tents made of trées. And the princi­pall cittie of the country is all black made of black stones and white, and all the stréetes are paued with such stones, and in the Cittie is no man so hardy to spill blood of man ne beast, for worship of a mawmet that is worshipped there. In that ci­tie dwelleth the Pope of their Law, that they call Lopasse and hée giueth all dignities and benefices that fall to the mawmet. And men of religion & men that haue Churches in that coun­try are obedient to him as men here to the King. In this Ile they haue a custome through all the Countrie that when a mans father is dead they will do him great worship, they send after all his friends, religious Priests, and many other, and they beare the body to an hill with great ioy and mirth, and when it is there the greatest Prelate smiteth off his head, and layeth it vpon a great plate of gold or siluer, and giueth it to his Son, and the Son taketh it, and giueth it to other of his friendes singing and saying many orisons, and then the priests and the religious men cut the flesh off the body in péeces and say orisons, and the birds of the country come thether, for they know well the custome, and they flye about them, as the Ea­gles and other birds that eate flesh, & the priests cast the péeces vnto them, and they beare it away a little from thence and then they eate it, and as the Priests in our Country sing for soules, Subuenite sancti Dei, and forsooth so those priests there sing with high voyce in their language in this manner wise. Sée and behold how good and gracious a man this was that the Angels of God come for to fetch him and beare him into Paradise. And then thinketh the sonne of the same man that hée is greatly worshipped when birdes haue eaten his father, and when there are most plentie of birds, there is most wor­ship. [Page] And then commeth the Son home with all his friends, and maketh them a great feast, then maketh hée cleane his fa­thers scalpe and giueth them drincke therein, and the flesh of his fathers head hée cutteth off, and giueth it to his most speci­all friends, some a little, and some a little for daintie. And in re­membrance of this holy man that the Birds haue eaten, the son kéepeth his scalpe for a cup, and therein drinketh hée all his life, in remembrance of his father.

Of a rich man that is neither King, Prince, Duke, nor Earle. Chap. cvj.

AND from this place men goe ten dayes iour­ney through the land of the great Caane, which is a full good Ile and a great kingdome, and the king is ful mighty. And in this Ile is a rich man which is neither king, Prince, Duke nor Earle, but hée hath each yéere foure thousand horses charged with rice and corne, and hée liueth nobly and richly after the manner of the country, for hée hath fiftie damsels that serue him euery day at his meate and bed, and doe what hée will. And when hée sitteth at the table they bring him meate, and at each time fiue messes together, & they sing in the bring­ing a song, and they cut his meate and put it in his mouth, and hée hath right long nailes on his hands, that is great no­bilitie in that country, and therefore they let their nailes grow as long as they may, and some let them grow so long that they come about their hands, and that is great honour, and gentry, and the gentry of a woman is to haue small féete, and therefore as soone as they are borne, they binde their féete so straight that they cannot waxe halfe as they should. And hée hath a full faire Pallace and rich, where hée dwelleth, of which the wall is two mile about, and there is many faire gardens, and all the pauements of the hal and chambers is of gold and siluer, and in the midst of one of his gardens is a little hill, wheron is a place made with towres and pinacles all of gold, and there he will sit often to take the ayre and disport, for it is [Page] made for nothing else. From this land men may goe through the land of the great Caane.

How all the Lands, Iles and kingdomes, before rehearsed, haue some Articles of our Faith. Chap. cvij.

AND yée shall vnderstand that all these men and folke that haue reason, that I haue spoken of, haue some articles of our faith, and though they bée of diuers lawes and beliefes, yet they haue some good points of our faith, and they beléeue in God as the Prophesie saith. Et metuent cum omnes fines terrae. That is to say. And all the ends of the earth shal dread him. And in another place. Omnes gentes seruient ei. That is to say. All Nations shall serue him, but they cannot speake perfectly but as their natu­rall wit teacheth them, neither of the Sonne nor of the holy Ghost, but they can well speake of the Bible, and specially of Genesis, and of the bookes of Moyses. And they say that those creatures which they worship are no Gods, but they worship them for the great vertue that is in them, which may not bée without the speciall grace of God: and of simulacres and I­dols they say that al men haue simulacres, wherby they meane the Papists, who haue Images of our Lady and other, but they think that they worship the Images of stone and of wood, and not the Saints whom they doe represent, for as the let­ter teacheth Clarks how they shall beléeue, so Images and Picture teacheth lay men, they say also that the Angell of God speaketh to them in their Idols and doe miracles, and they say truth, but it is the euill Angell that doth miracles to maintaine them in their Idolatry.

How Sir Iohn Maundeuile leaueth many meruailes vnwritten, and the cause wherefore. Chap. cviij.

THere are many other Countryes where I haue not yet béene nor séene, and therefore I cannot speake properly of them. Also in countries where I haue béene are many mer­uailes [Page] that I speake not of, for it were too long a tale, and there­fore hold you apaid at this time with that I haue said, for I will say no more of meruailes that are there, so that other men that goe thether may find enough for to say, that I haue not told.

What time Sir Iohn Maundeuile departed out of Eng­land. Chap. cix.

ANd I Iohn Maundeuile went out of my coun­try and passed the Sea, the yéere of our Lord 1332. and haue passed through many Lands Iles and countries, and now am come to rest, I haue compiled this booke and writ it the yéere of our Lord. 1366. thirtie two yéere after my departing from my Country. The rather for the pleasure of all such as delight to read of the strange and wonderfull mer­uailes of other forraine countries, as also for a direction to all such as shall desire to sée eyther all, or some of these countries heretofore specified, and because some things herein spoken of may séeme straunge and scarcely credible, therefore I haue thought good to make knowne vnto all that will sée more proofe hereof, in the booke called Mapa Mundy, there they shall finde the most part of the same ratified and confirmed. And I pray all that shall read this booke, and looke for no further proofe to iudge fauourably therof, since they shall in conceit sée as much at home without much paines, as I did after many weary and dangerous steps passed, and I pray to God of whom all grace commeth, that hée will fulfill with his grace the readers and hearers here­of, and saue them body and soule, and bring them to his Ioy that euer shall last. Amen.