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 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 ash-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 I le of Silo and in that I le groweth masticke vpon small trées as Plumtrées or Cheritrées And then after men go through the I le 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 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 I le 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 I le 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 I le 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
THE Voyages and Trauailes of Sir John Maundeuile KNIGHT Wherein is treated of the way towards Hierusalem and of the meruailes of Inde with other Lands and Countries LONDON Printed by Thomas Este The Preface Heere beginneth a little treatise or booke named Iohn Maundeuile Knight borne in England in the Towne of S. Albone and speaketh of the wayes to Hierusalem to Inde and to the great Caane and also to Prestor Iohns land and to many other countries and also of many meruailes that are in the holy land FOrasmuch as the land ouer the Sea that is to say the holie land that some call the land of Bihest among all other lands is most worthie and soueraigne for it is blessed hallowed and sacred of the precious bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ in the which land it liked him to take flesh and bloud of the Virgin Marie and to enuiron that land with his owne feete and there he would do many miracles preach and teach the faith and the law of christian men as vnto his children and there he would suffer manie reproues and scornes for vs and hee that was king of heauen and hell of earth of aire of sea and land and of all things that are contained in them would alonely be called king of that land when hee said Rex sum Iudaeorum I am King of the Iewes For at that time it was the land of Iewes and that land he chose before all other lands as the best and most worthie of vertues of all the world And as the Philosopher saith Virtus rerum in medio consistit that is to say the vertue of things is in the midst and in that land hee would lead his life and suffer passion and death of the Iewes for vs to saue and deliuer vs from the paines of hell and from death without end the which was ordained to vs for the sinne of our father Adam and our owne sins also for as for himselfe he had none euill done nor deserued for he neuer thought ne did any euill for he that was king of glory and of ioy might best in that place suffer death For hee that will doe any thing that he will haue knowne openly he will proclaime it openly in the middle place of a towne or of a Citie so that it may be knowne to all parties of the citie So he that was king of glorie and of all the world would suffer death for vs at Hierusalem which is the midst of the world so that it might be knowne to all nations of the world how deare he bought man that hee made him with his hands to his owne likenesse for the great loue that he had to vs Ah deare God what loue hee had to his subiects when hee that had done no trespasse would for his trespassours suffer death for a more worthie cattel he might not haue set for vs then his owne blessed body and his owne precious bloud the which he suffered for vs right well ought men to loue worship dread and serue such a Lord praise such an holy land that brought forth a Lord of such fruite through the which each man is saued but if it be his owne default This is that land prepared for an heritage to vs and in that land would he die as seased to leaue it to his children For the which each good christian man that may and hath wherewith should strength him for to conquere our right heritage purchase out of the euill peoples hands for we are cleped christian men of Christ our father and if we be the right children of Christ we ought to challenge the heritage that our father left vs take it out of strange mens hands But now Pride Couetise and Enuie hath so inflamed the hearts of the Lords of the world that they are more busie to disherite their neighbours then to challenge or conquere their right heritage aforesaid And the common people that would put their bodies and their cattell for to conquere our heritage they may not do it without lords for assembling of the people without a chiefe Lord is as a flock of sheepe without a shepheard the which depart asunder and wot not whither they shall go But would God the worldly Lords were at a good accord with other of their common people would take this holy voyage ouer the sea I trust well that within a little time our right heritage before said should be reconciled and put into the hands of the right heirs of Iesu Christ And forasmuch as it is long time that there was any generall passage ouer the sea that many men desire to heare speaking of the holy land and haue thereof great solace and comfort Wherefore yee shall heare by me Iohn Maundeuile Knight which was borne in England in the towne of Saint Albones and passed the sea in the yeare of our Lord Iesu Christ a thousand iii. C. on the day of Saint Michael and there remained long time and went through many lands many prouinces kingdomes Iles and haue passed through Turky and through Armony the little the great through Tartary Persia Surry Araby Egypt the high and the low through Libia Chalde and a great part of Ethiope through Amazony through Inde the lesse the more a great part and through many other Iles which are about Inde where many people dwelleth of diuers lawes and shapes Of the men of which lands Iles I shall speake more plainly and I shall declare part of the things what they are when time shall be after it may best come to my minde and specially for them that will and are in purpose for to visite the holy citie of Hierusalem and the holy places that are thereabout and I shall tell the way that they shall hold thether for I haue many times passed and ridden it with good company and with many Lords The Voyages and Trauailes of Sir Iohn Maundeuile Knight 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
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 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 I le 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 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 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
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 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 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
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 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 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 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 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 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
halfe our faith and halfe the faith of the Gréekes and they haue long beards as the Gréekes haue 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 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 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 I le 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 I le 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 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 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 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 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
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 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 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 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 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 I se 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 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
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 I le 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 I le that is called Pathen and some call it Salmasse for it is a great 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 I le 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 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 I le 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 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 I le men goe to another I le called Raso and the men of this I le 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 I le 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 I le 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 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 I le men goe to an other I le 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 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 I le 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 I le 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 a foote and fiue fingers
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 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 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 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