Of the Iles and diuers manners of people and of meruailous beasts chap. 47 Of the hauen of Gene for to goe by the sea into diuers countries chap. 48 Of the Country of Iob and of the kingdome of Calde chap. 49 Of the kingdome of Amazony wher as dwelleth none but women chap. 50 Of the land of Ethiope chap. 51 Of Inde the more and the lesse and of Diamonds and of small people and other things chap. 52 Of diuers Kingdomes and Iles which are in the Land of Inde chap. 53 Of the kingdome of Mabaron chap. 54 Of a great Country called Lamory where the people goe all naked chap. 55 Of the country and I le named Iana which is a mighty land ch 56 Of the kingdome of Pathen or Salmas which is a goodly land ch 57 Of the kingdome of Talonach the king whereof hath many wiues chap. 58 Of the Iland called Raso where men are hanged as soone as they are sicke chap. 59 Of the Iland of Melke wherein dwelleth euill people chap. 60 Of an Iland named Mecumeran whereas the people haue heades like hounds chap. 61 Of a great Iland called Dodin where are many men of euill conditions chap. 62 Of the kingdome named Mancy the which is one of the best kingdomes of the world chap. 63 Of the land of Pigmen the people wherof are but three spans long chap. 64 Of the citie of Menke wher a great Nauie is kept chap. 65 Of the land named Cathay and of the great riches thereof chap. 66 Of a great Cittie named Cadon wherein is the great Caanes pallace and siege chap. 67 Wherefore that the Emperour of Cathay is called the great Caane chap. 68 How the great Caane was hid vnder a tree and so escaped his enimies because of a bird chap. 69 Of the great Caanes letters and the writing about his seale chap. 70 Of the gouernaunce of the country of the great Caane chap. 71 Of the great riches of the emperor and of his descending chap. 72 Of the ordinance of the Lords of the Emperour when he rideth frō one country to another to warre chap. 73 How the empire of the great Caanc is parted into xij prouinces and how that they doe cast insence in the fire where the great Caane passeth through the Citties and townes in worship of the Emperour chap. 74 How the great Caane is the mightiest Lord of all the world cha 75 Yet of other manners of his country chap. 76 How the emperour is brought vnto his graue when he is dead ch 77 When the Emperour is dead how they chuse make another ch 78 What countryes and kingdomes lie next to the Land of Cathay and the frontes thereof chap. 79 Of other wayes to come from Cathay toward the Greeke sea and also of the Emperour of Persia chap. 80 Of the land of Armony which is a good Land and of the Land of Middy chap. 81 Of the kingdome of George Abcan and many meruailes chap. 82 Of the land of Turkey and diuers other countryes and of the land of Mesopotamia chap. 83 Of diuers Countries kingdomes and Iles and meruailes beyond the land of Cathay chap. 84 Of the land of Bactry and of many Griffins and other Beastes chap. 85 Of the way for to goe to Prester Iohns land which is the Emperour of Inde chap. 86 Of the faith and beliefe of Prester Iohn but hee hath not all the full beliefe as we haue chap. 87 Of another Iland which is called Sinople wherein dwelleth good people chap 88 Of two other Iles the one is called Pitan wherein bee little men that eate no meat and in another I le are the men all rough with feathers chap. 89 Of a rich man in Prester Iohns land named Catolonapes and of his garden chap. 90 Of a meruailous valey that is beeside the riuer Phison chap. 91 Of an Iland wherein dwell people as great as Giants of xxix or of xxx foote of length and other things chap. 92 Of women which make great sorrow when as their children bee borne and great Ioy when they dye chap. 93 Of an Iland where men wed their owne Daughters and kinsewomen chap. 94 Of another Iland wherein dwell full good people true chap. 65 How king Alexander sent his men thether for to win the land ch 96 How the Emperour Prester Iohn when hee goeth to battaile hath three crosses of gold borne before him chap. 97 Of the most dwelling place of Prester Iohn in a cittie called Suse chap. 98 Of the wildernesse wherein groweth the trees of the Sun and the Moone chap. 99 Of a great Iland and kingdome called Taprobane chap. 100 Of two other Iles the one called Oriell the other Argete where are many gold mines chap. 101 Of the darke country and hils and rocks of stone nigh to Paradise chap. 102 A little of Paradise terrestre ch 103 How Prester Iohns land lyeth foote against foot to England cha 104 Of the kingdome of Riboth ch 105 Of a rich man that is neither king Prince Duke nor Earle cha 106 How all the lands Iles and kingdomes before rehearsed haue some of the articles of our faith ch 107 How sir Iohn Maundeuile leaueth many meruailes vnwritten and the cause wherefore chap. 108 What time Iohn Maundeuile departed out of England chap. 109 FINIS
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
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 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 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 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 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 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 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
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
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
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 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 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 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
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 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 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 I le 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 I le 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 I le 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 I le 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 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 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 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 I le 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 I le 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 I le 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 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 I le 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