this land are many Griffons more than in other places and some say they have the body before as an Eagle and behind as a Lyon and it is true for they be made so but the Griffon hath a body greater than 8 Lyons and stronger then 100 Eagles for certainly he will bear to his Nest flying a Horse and a man upon his back or two Oxen yoked together as they go to Plough for he hath long nails on his feet as great as it were horns of Oxen and of those they make Cups there to drink with and of his ribs they make Bows to shoot with CHAP. LXXXVI Of the way to go to Prester Johns land which is Emperour of Inde FRom this land of Badile men go in many days journey to the land of Prester John that is a great Emperor of Inde and men call his land the Isle of Pantrore This Emperor Prester John holdeth a great land and many good Cities and good Towns In this Kingdom are many good Isles and large for the land of Inde is parted into Isles because of great Rivers that come out of Paradise and also in the sea are many great Isles The best City that is the Isle of Pantrore is called Nile that is a noble City end a rich Prester John hath under him many Kings and divers Lords and his land is good and rich but not so rich as the land of the great Caane for Merchants come not so much thither as they do into the land of the great Caane for it is too long a journey And also they find in that Isle of Cathay all things that they have need of as Spicerie Cloth of Gold and other Riches and although they might have better cheap in the land of Prester John then in the land of Cathay and more fine nevertheless they will not go thither by reason of the length of the journey and great perils on sea for there are many places in the sea where are many Rocks of a Stone that is called Adamant the which of his own kind draweth to him all manner of Iron and therefore there may be no Ships that have iron nails pass but it draweth them to it and therefore they dare not go into that country with Ships for fear of the Adamant I went once into that sea and saw as it had been a great Isle of trees stocks and branches growing and â—he Shipmen told me that those were great ships that above there through the vertue of the Adamants and of things that were in the ships whereof those Trees sprung and wared and such Rocks are there many in divers places of the Sea and therefore dare there no shipmen pass that way And another thing also is that they fear the long way and therefore they go most to Cathay and that is nearer unto them And yet it is not so near but that from Venice or Gene by sea to Cathay is xi or xii months journy The land of Prester John is long and Merchants pass thither through the land of Persia and come into a City that men call Hermes for a Philospher that was called Hermes founded it and then pass an arm of the sea and come to another City that men call Saboth and there find they all Merchandises and Popinjayes as great plenty as Larks in our country In this country is little Wheat or Barley and therefore they eat Rice Milk and Cheese and other fruits This Emperor Prester John wedded commonly the Daughter of the great Caane and the great Caane his Daughter In the land of Prester John is many strange things and many precious stones so great and so large that they make of them Vessels Platters and Cups and many other things of which it were too long to tell but some what of his Law and of his Faith I shall tell you CHAP. LXXXVII Of the Faith and Belief of Prester John but he hath not all the full Belief as we have THis Emperor Prester John is Christred and a great part of his land also but they have not all the Articles of our Faith but they believe well in the Father the Son and the Holy Gost and they are very devout and true one to another and they make no force of Cattel And he hath under him 72 Provinces and countries and in each one is a King and those Kings have other Kings under them And in this land are many marvels for in this land is a gravelly sea that is of sand and gravel and no drop of water and it ebbeth and fleweth with very great waves as another sea doth and it is never standing still and never in rest and no man can pass to the land beyond it And although there be no water in the Sea yet men may find therein very good Fish and of other fashion and shape then are in any other sea and also they are of a very good taste and sweet and good to eat And three daies journey from that Sea are many great Hills through which runneth a great Floud that cometh from Paradise and it is full of precious stones and no drop of water and it runneth with great Waves into the gravelly sea and this floud runneth three daies in the week so fast that it carrieth great stones of the Rock with it that make such noise and as soon as they come into the gravel sea they are no more seen and in those three daies when it runneth thus no man dare come in it but the other daies men go therein when they will And so beyond that floud toward the Wilderness is a great Plain among Hills all sandy and gravelly and in that plain grow trees that at the rising of the Sun each day begin to grow and so grow they till-midday and bear fruit but no man dare eat of that fruit for it is a manner of Irâ—n and after mid-day it turneth again to the earth so that when the Sun goeth down it is nothing seen and so doth it every day And there is in that Wilderness many wild men with Horns on their Heads very hideous and they speak not but rout as Swine And in that country are many Popinjays that they call in their Language Pistak and they speak through their own kind partly as a man and those that speak well have long Tongues and large and on every foot five Toes but there are some that have three Toes but those speak not or very ill CHAP. LXXXVIII Of another Island where also dwelleth good people therein and it is called Synople THen is there another Isle that is called Synople wherein also are good people and true and full of good Faith and they are much like in their living to the men beforesaid and they go all naked Into that Island came King Alexander and when he saw their good Faith and Truth and their good Belief he said he would do them no harm and bid them ask of him Riches or any thing else and they should have
so by the Bastle of Pallerins then to Askalon and to Iaphet and so to the holy City of Ierusalem CHAP. XI The way by Babylon where the Soldan dwelleth AND whoso will go through the Land of Babylon where the Soldan dwelleth he may go more securely through these Countries but must go up to Mount Sinai before he come to Ierusalem and then return by Ierusalem and then by Jerusalem and he shall go from Gaza to the Castle Dayre And after a man cometh out of Sury and goeth on the way is very sandy and the Wilderness lasteth eight days journey wherefore men must provide them of necessary victuals and that Wilderness is called Archellek When a man cometh out of this Desart he entreth into Egypt and they call Eygpt Canopat and in another Language men call it Mersine and the first good Town that men come to is called Beleth which is at the end of the Kingdom of Alap and from thence men come to Babylon and to Kayre and in Kayre is a fair Church of our Lady where she dwelt seven years when she was out of the Land of the Jews for dread of King Herod And there lyeth the body of Saint Babara Virgin and there dwelt Joseph when he was sold of his Brethren And in Babylon Nebuchodonosor put the Children into the Fire because they worshipped the true God these Children were called Ananias Azarias and Misael as the Psalm of Benedicite saith but Nebuchodonosor called them thus Sadrak Misak and Abednego that is God glorious and victorious God over all Kingdoms and that was for Miracle that he made God's Son as he said go with those Children through the Fire There dwelleth the Soldan for there is a fair City and a strong Castle which standeth upon a Rock In that Castle are always dwelling to keep the Castle and to serve the Soldan above eight thousand persons that take all their provision at the Soldans Court. This I well know for I dwelt with him a great while a Soldier in the Wars against the Bedians or Arabins and he would have marryed me unto a great Princess If I would have forsaken my Faith CHAP. XII Here followeth of the Soldan and of his Kingdoms that he hath Conquered which he holdeth still by force AND ye shall understand that the Soldan is Lord of seven Kingdoms which he hath Conquered and gotten to him by strength and these be they the Kingdom of Canopat the Kingdom of Egypt the Kingdom of Jerusalem whereof David and Solomon were Kings the Kingdom of Sury whose chief City is Damasse or Damascus the Kingdom of Alape in the Land of Dameth and the Kingdom of Arabia which was one of the three Kings that made Offering to our Lord when he was born Many other Isles he holds in his hand He holdeth Calupgas that is a great benefit unto him being among them of Royes Isle and that Vale is cold And then men go up to the Mount of St. Katharine and that is much higher than the Mount of Moses And this St. Katharine hath no Image in any Church or Castle nor other dwelling place but there is a Hill of Stones gathered together about the place where she was buryed There was wont to be a Chappel which now is wholly cast down but a great part of the Stones is there left And under the foot of Mount Sinai is a Monastery of Monks and there is the Church of Saint Katharine wherein be many Lamps burning and they have oyle-Olive enough to eat and to burn and that they have by Miracle for they say there come certain of all manner of Birds every year once like Pilgrims and each of them bringeth a Branch of Olive in token of offering whereof they make much Oyl CHAP. XIII For to return from Sinai to Jerusalem NOw when a man hath visited the holy place of St. Katharine and he will turn to Jerusalem if he shall first take leave of the Monks and recommend him especially to their prayers then those Monks will freely give to Pilgrims Victuals to pass through the Wilderness to Sury so much as shall last thirtéen days journey And in that Wilderness dwell many Arabians that men call Bedions and Ascopards These are Folks that are still of all manner of ill conditions and they have no Houses but Tents which they make of Beasts skins as of Camels and other Beasts which they eat and thereunder they lie and they seek to dwell in places where they may find water near the Red Sea for in that Wilderness is great want of water and it falleth out that where a man findeth water one time he findeth it not another time And therefore make they no Houses in those Countreys These men that I speak of Till not the Land for they eat no bread except it be those that dwell near a good Town and they rost their Fish and Flesh upon hot stones against the Sun and they are strong men and warlike but they do little but hunt wild Beasts for their sustenance and they set not by their lives therefore they dread not the Soldan nor any Prince of the World And they had great War with the Soldan at the same time that I was with the Soldan They bear but a Shield and a Spear to defend them with and they use no other Armour but they wind their Heads with a Linnen Cloth CHAP. XIV When men are passed this Wilderness then to come again to Jerusalem AND when men have passed this Wilderness to come to Jerusalem they pass by Bersheba that was sometime a fair and a rich Town of Christians and yet is there some of the Churches left and in that Town dwelt Abraham the Patriarch This Town of Bersheba was founded by Vrias on whose Wife David begat Solomon the wise that was King of Jerusalem and of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and he reigned forty years and from thence men go to the Vale of Ebron that is from thence near twelve miles and some call it the Vale of Mambre and it is called the Vale of Tears forasmuch as Adam in that Vale bewailed an hundred years the Death of his Son Abel whom Cain slew And this Ebron was sometime the principal City of the Philistims and there dwelt Byants and it was frée so that all that had done evil in other places were there saved In Ebron Joshua and Caleb and their Company came first to espy how they might win the Land of Promise In Ebron David reigned first seven years and a half and in Jerusalem he reigned two and thirty years and a half and there be the Graves of the Patriarchs Adam Abraham Isaac and Jacob and of their Wives Eve Sara Rebekah and Leah and they Ise in the side of the Hill And beside this Hill is a right fair Church builded after the fashion and manner of a Castle which the Sarasins kéep right well and they have the place in great Worship for the Holy Patriarchs sake that
Israel and kept them from the peril of death therefore she had a good reward as Holy Writ saith Quicunque accipit prophetam in nomine meo mercedem Prophetae c. that is he that receiveth a Prophet in my name he shall receive the reward of a Prophet CHAP. XXX Of the holy places between Bethany and the River Jordan and other things ALso from Bethany men go to the River of Jordan through the Wilderness and it is near a daies journey betwéen Toward the East is a great Hill where our Lord fasted forty daies upon this Hill was Christ tempted of the Devil when he said to him Command that these stones be made Bread and there is an Hermitage where dwelleth certain Christians called Georgians for S. George converted them and upon that Hill dwelled Abraham a great while and as men go to Jericho sate the sick men crying Jesu fili David miserere nobis that is Iesus the Son of David have mercy upon us And two miles from Jericho is the River Jordan And ye shall understand that the Dead Sea parteth the Land of Juda and Araby and the water of that Sea is bitter and it casteth out a thing that men call Aspatam as great pieces as an Horse and Hierusalem is two hundred furlongs from the Sea and it is called the Dead Sea because it runneth not neither may any Man or Beast live therein and that hath béen proved many times for they have cast there in men that were judged to death nor no man may drink of the water and if men cast Iron therein it cometh up again but if a man cast a Feather therein it sinketh which is against kind And thereabout grow Trées that bear fruit of fair colour and séem ripe but when a man breaketh or cutteth them he findeth nought in them but coals and ashes in token that through the vengeance of God those Cities were burnt with the Fire of Hell And some men call that Lake the Lake of Asphaltid and some call it the Pool of the Devil and some call it the stinking Pool for the water thereof stinketh There sank those five Cities through the wrath of God that is Sodom Gomor Aldema Sabome Segor for the sin of Sodomy that reigned in them but Segor through the prayer of Lot was saved a great while for it stood upon a Hill and yet appeareth much thereof above the water and men may sée the walls in clear weather and in this city of Segor Lot was made drink by his Daughters and lay with them for they thought that God would have destroyed all the World as he did with Noes Floud and therefore they lay by their Father that men might born of them into the World and at the right side of the sea standeth Lots Wife in a Pillar of Salt because she looked back when the City sank down CHAP. XXXI Of Abraham and his Generation ANd ye shall understand that Lot was Harans Son Abrahams Brother and Sara Abrahams Wife was Lots Sister and Sara was ninety years old when she bare Isaac and Abraham had another Son named Ishmael that he had gotten of his Maiden Hagar and he was fourtéen years of age when Isaac was born and when Isaac was eight daies old he was circumcised and his other son Ishmael was circumcised the same day and was fourtéen years of age therefore the Sarasins that be of the Generation of Ishmael do circumcise them at fourtéen years of age and the Jews that be of the Generation of Isaac do circumcise them the eighth day of their age And into that dead sea aforesaid runneth the River Jordan and maketh there an end and this is within a mile of Saint Johns Church and a little beneath that same Church westward were the Christians wont to bathe them and a mile thence is the River Loth through which Jacob went when he came to Mesopotamia CHAP. XXXII Of the River Jordan THis River Jordan is no great nor no deep River but there is much good Fish therein and there cometh from Mount Lybany two Wells that men call Jor and Dan and of them it saketh the Name and upon the one side of that River is Mount Gelboe and there is a fair Plain And on the other side men go by Mount Lybany to the Desart of Pharaon Those Hills part the Kingdom of Sury and the Country of Phenice On that Hill grow Cedars that bear long Apples which are as much as a mans head This River Jordan divideth Galile and the land of Idumia and the land of Betron and it runneth into a Plain that men call Meldam in the Sarasins Language and in English Fair because oft-imes there be kept great Fayrs and in that Plain is the Tomb of holy Job In this River Jordan our Lord was baptized and there was the Voice of the Father heard saying Hic est filius meus dilectus in quo acquiesco ipsum audita that is This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him And the Holy Ghost descended on him in likeness of a Dove and so was there at his Baptism all the Trinity And through the River Jordan passed the Children of Israel on dry foot and set up stones in the midst of the water in token of that Miracle And also in that River Naaman the Assyrian bathed him who was Leprous and he was made whole And a little from thence is the city of Ay the which Joshua assailed and took And about the River Jordan are many Churches where Christians dwell Also by the River Jordan is the Vale of Mambre which is a fair Vale and plenteous CHAP. XXXIII Of many other Miracles ANd ye shall further understand that as we go from the Red-sea to pass forward to the land of Promise is a very strong Castle that men call Carran or Sermoyes that is the Kings Hill This Castle did the King of France make whose name was Bawdewin who conquered all the land and put it into the hands of Christians to kéep and under that Castle is a fair Town that is called Sabaoth and thereabout dwell many Christians under Tribute Then men go to Nazareth of the which our Lord had his Name and from Nazareth unto Jerusalem is thrée daies journey Also men go through the Province of Galile through Romatha through Sophyn and over the high Hill of Effrain where dwelt Hanna that was the Prophet Samuels Mother and there was he born and after his death was buried at Mount Joy as I have said before And after men come to Sybula where the Ark of God was kept under Helie the Prophet And there made the people of Israel their Sacrifice unto the Lord and there spake our Lord first to Samuel There also ministred God the Sacrament Néer thereby at the right side is Gabaon Rama and Benjamin of the which holy Writ speaketh After that men come to Sychem that some men call Sychar and that is in the Province of the Samaritans
and sometime there was a Church but it is all wasted and it is a fair Vale and plenteous and there is a good City that men call Neople and so from thence it is a daies journey unto Hierusalem and there is the Well where our Lord spoke to the woman of Samaria and Sychem is ten miles from Hierusalem and it is called Neople that is the new Town and there is the Temple of Joseph Jacobs Son that governed Egypt from thence were his bones brought and laid in the Tomb and thither came Iews often in Pilgrimage with great Devotion and in that City was Dinah Jacobs Daughter ravished for whom her Brethren slew many men and thereby is the City of Corasin where the Samaritans make their Sacrifice CHAP. XXXIV Of the Samaritans FRom Sabasten or Samary to Hierusalem is twelve miles and among the Hills of this country is a Well that men call Fons Jacob that is Jacobs Well that changeth his colour four times in a year for sometime it is red sometime cléer sometime gréen and sometime thick and the men that dwell there are called Samaritans and they were converted by the Apostles yet their Law varieth from the Law of Christians as also from Iews and Painims They believe well in one God that shall judge all and believe the Bible after the Letter and they lay their heads in red linnen cloth that they may be known from others for Sarasins wrap their heads in White cloth the Christians that dwell there in Blew and the Iews in Yellow and in this country dwell many Iews paying Tribute as Christians do And if ye will know the Letters of the Iews they are these following and are thus called Aleph beth gimel daleth he vau zain heth teth jod caph lamed mem nun samech ain pe zade koph resh schin tau CHAP. XXXV Of Galile FRom this Country that I have spoken of men go to the Plain of Galile and leave the Hill on the one side for Galile is a Province of the land of Promise and in that Province is the City of Naim of Capernaum and Bethsaida where Saint Peter and Saint Andrew were born Some men say that Antichrist should be born at Corasim and nourished at Bethsaida but he shall reign at Corasim therefore saith holy Writ Vae tibi Corasim Vae tibi Bethsaida that is Wo be to thée Corasim wo be to thée Bethsaida But others say he shall be born in Babylon therefore said the Prophet De Babylonia Coluber exit qui totum mundum devorabit that is Out of Babylon shall come a Serpent that shall devour all the World Cana a chief City of Galile is four miles from Nazareth of which City was the woman of Canaan of whom the Gospel speaketh and there our Lord did his first Miracle when at the Marriage of the Architriâ—line he turned water into wine From thence men go to Nazareth which hath béen a great City but now there is but a little Town and that unwalled There was our Lady born and of this City our Lord took his Name At Nazareth also Joseph took our Lady to wife when she was fourtéen years of age There the Angel saluted her saying Ave gratia plena Dominus tecum that is Hail full of grace the Lord is with thée And there was sometime a great Church but now there is but a little Room to receive the offerings of Pilgrims There is the Well of Gabriel where our Lord was wont to bath him when he was little At Nazareth was our Lord nourished and Nazareth is called the flower of Gardens and it may well be so called for there was nourished the Flower of Life even our Lord Iesus Christ. About half a mile from Nazareth is the bloud of our Lord for the Iews led him upon a high Rock to cast him down and slay him but Iesus escaped them and leapt to another Rock where steps be yet séen which they say are the steps of our Lord therefore some when they are in danger of Thieves or Enemies say thus Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat and they say these Verses of the Psalter thrée times Irruat super eos formido pavor in magnitudine brachii Domine fiant immobiles quasi lapis donec pertranseat populus tuus Domine populus iste quem redimisti And so when this is said a man may go without any letting Ye shall understand and know that our blessed Lady bare her Child when she was fiftéen years of age and she lived with him thirty thrée years and thrée Months and after his Passion she lived two and twenty years CHAP. XXXVI The way from Nazareth to the Mount or Hill of Tabor ANd from Nazareth the Mount Tabor is thrée miles and there our Lord was transfigured before Saint Peter Saint John and Saint James And there they saw spiritually our Lord Moses and Elias the Prophet For which cause Saint Peter said bonum est nobis hic esse c. that is It is good for us to be here let us make thrée Tabernacles And our Lord Iesus Christ bade them that they should tell no man until the time that he was risen from death to life From Mount Tabor a mile distance is Mount Hermon and there was the City of Naim before the gates of this City our Lord raised the Son of the Widow that had no more Children CHAP. XXVII Of the Sea of Galile ANd from thence men go to a City that is called Tiberias that butteth on the Sea of Galile and though it be called the Sea of Galile it is no Sea nor arm of the Sea for it is but a stream of fresh water and it is more then a hundred furlongs long and fifty broad and therein are many good Fishes and by that same sea stand many good Cities therefore this Sea changeth often his name after the Cities that stand thereupon but it is all one water or sea and upon this sea our Lord walked and said to Peter when he came on the water and was near drowned O exigua fide predite quid qubitasti that is O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt CHAP. XXXVIII Of the Table whereon Christ eat after his Resurrection IN this City of Tiberias is the Table that Christ eat on with his Disciples after his Resurrection and they knew him by breaking of bread as holy Writ saith Et cognoverunt eum in fractione panis that is they knew him in breaking of bread And about the Hill of Tiberias is a city where our Lord fed five thousand people with five Barley Loaves and two Fishes In that city also did men cast in anger a firebrand or burning stick after our Lord but that same burning stick did fall on the Earth and people say out of the same stick grew presently a Tree which is waxen a big Tree and there groweth yet and the seales of the Tree be all black Ye shall understand that the Riber Jordan beginneth
under the Hill of Lybany and there beginneth the land of Promise and it lasteth unto Bersebe of length and from the North part to the South is ninescore mile and of breadth from Jericho to Jaffe it is forty mile And ye shall understand that the Land of Promise beginneth at the Kingdom of Sury and lasteth unto the Wilderness of Araby CHAP. XXXIX Of strange Manners and divers For there is a manner of sin that is grievouser to one man then it is to another and therefore it is needfull that a man know and understand the kind of sin And there be also other men that are called Surreyens and they hold half our Faith and half the Faith of the Greeks and they have long Beards as the Greeks have CHAP. XL. For to return again on this side Galile NOw seeing I have told you of many manners of men that dwell in the Countres aforesaid now will I return again to my way for he that will turn from the Land of Galile that I spake of to come on this side he must go through Damas or Damascus that is a fair City and full of good Merchandizes and it is three days journey from the Sea and five from Hierusalem they carry their Merchandizes upon Camels Mules Horses Dromedaries and other manner of Beasts This City of Damas was founded by Helizeus Abrahams servant who before Isaac was born should have been his Heir and there he named that City Damas. And in that place Cain slew his Brother Abel and beside Damas is the Mount of Syer in this City be many Physicians and that holy man Saint Paul was a Physician there to heal mens bodies before he was converted and after he was a Physician of Souls And from Damas men go to a place called our Lady of Sardmarch that is five miles from Damas and it is on a Rock and there is a fair Church and there dwell Christian Monks and Nuns in that Church between the City of Darky and the City of Raphano is a River called Sabatory which some say on the Saturday it runneth fast and all the week else it standeth still and runneth not or but a little And there is another River that on the night freezeth fast and upon the day no frost is seen And so men go by a City that men call Berugh and there those that will go to Cypress take Ship and they arrive at the Haven of Sur or of Tyre and then go on to Cypress also men may go right from the Haven of Tyre and not come at Cypress but arrive at some Haven of Greece and by these ways men come into the Countries before spoken of CHAP. XLI How a man may go the shortest way to Hierusalem NOw have I told you the furthest and longest ways by the which men go to Hierusalem as by Babylon in Egypt which is also called Kayre and Mount Sinai and many other places through the which men go to the Land of Promise Now will I tell you the shortest way to Hierusalem for many will go the long way some for want of Company and many other reasonable causes and therefore I shall tell you shortly how a man may go with little cost and short time A man that cometh from the Land of the West he goeth through France Burgony Lumbardy and to Venice or to Gene or some other Haven of those Marches and taketh there Ship and goeth to the Isle Grisse and so arriveth he in Greece or else in Port Myroch or Valon or Duras or some other Haven of those Marches and arriveth to Cypress and cometh not in the Isle of Rhodes but arriveth at Famagust that is the chief Haven of Cypress or else at Lamaton and then taking Ship again he passeth beside the Haven of Tyre and cometh not to Land and so passeth by all the Havens to the Coast till he come to Jaffe that is the next Haven to Hierusalem for it is but twenty eight miles between And from Jaffe men go to the City of Ramos and that it is but little thence and it is a fair City and beside Ramos is a fair Church of our Lady where our Lord shewed himself unto her in three shadows betokening the Trinity and there near is a Church of S. George where his Head was smitten off and then to the Castle of Emaus and then to the Mount Joy and from thence Pilgrims see Hierusalem and then to Mount Modin and then to Hierusalem At Mount Modin lyeth the Prophet Malachy and over against Ramatha is the Town of Douke whereof the Prophet Amos was CHAP. XLII Of other ways for to go by Land to Hierusalem FOrasmuch as many men cannot endure the trouble of the Sea and better it is to go by Land although it be more pain then a man shall go to one of the Havens of Lumbardy as Venice or another and ye shall pass into Greece or Port Myroch or another and ye shall go to Constantinople and shall pass the Water that is called the Breach of Saint George that is an arm of the Sea And from thence ye shall come to Pulveral and then to the Castle of Synople and so to Cappadocia which is a great Countrey wherein are many great Hills and ye shall go through Turky and to the City of Nike the which they won from the Emperour of Constantinople and it is a fair City and well walled and there is a River that is called the Lay and then men go by the Alpes of Mormount and through the Vales of Malebrines and the Vale Ernax and so more easily to Antioch which standeth richly on the River And he that will go another way he goeth by the Roman Ceast and the Roman Sea on that Ceast is a fair Castle that is called Florage and when a man hath passed the Hills he cometh to the city of Moriach and to Artose where is a great Bridge upon the River of Ferne that men call Fassor and it is a great River bearing Ships and beside the City of Dimas is a River that cometh from the Mount of Libany which is called Alban at the passage of this River Saint Eustace lost his two Sons when he had lost his Wife and it runneth through the Plain of Chalcides and to the great Sea Then men go to the City of Fermine and so to the City of Ferne and then to Antioch and that is a fair City and well walled and it is two miles long and there is a Bridge over the River that hath at each Pillar a good Tower and it is the best City of the Kingdom of Sury From Antioch men go to the City of Locuth and so to Geble and to Tortouse and thereby is the Land of Lambre and a strong Castle that men call Mambeke And from Tortouse men go to Tripoly on the Sea and by this Sea men go to Dicres and there is two wayes to Hierusalem by the way on the left hand men come first unto Damas by
them that have medled with them Also the land is all common for every man taketh what he will for that one man hath now this year another man hath the next year And all the goods as Corn Beasts and all manner of things in that country are common For there is nothing under lock and as rich is one man as another but they have an evil custome to eating of flesh for they eat mans flesh more gladly than other Nevertheless in that land is abundance of Corn of Flesh of Fich of Gold of Silver and of all manner of good And thither do Marchants bring children for to sell and those that are fat they eat but those that be lean they keep till they be fat and then are they eaten And besides this Isle of Lamory is another called Somober the which is a good Isle and there both men and women that are of the Nobility are marked in the Visage with a hot Iron that they may be known from other for they think themselves the worthiest of the world and they have evermore War with those men that are naked of whom I spake before And there are many other Isles and People of the which it where overmuch for to speak here CHAP. LVI Of the Country and Isle called Java which is a mighty Land ANd there is also a great Isle that is called Iava and the King of that country hath under him seven Kings for he is a very mighty Prince In this Isle groweth all manner of Spices more plenteous then in any other place as Ginger Cloves Nutmegs and other And ye shall understand that the Nutme g beareth the Mace Also in that Isle is great plenty of all things save wine The King of this land hath a rich Palace and the best that is in the world for all the Stairs of his Hall and Chambers are made one of Gold and another of Silver and all the Walls are plated with fine Gold and Silver and in those places are written Stories of Knights and Battels and the Floors of the Hall and Chambers are of Gold and Silver so that no man would belive the great riches that are there except he had seen it and the King of this Isle is so mighty that he hath many times overcome the great Caane of Cathay which is the mightiest Emperor that is in the world there is often war between them for the great Caane would make him hold his land Tributary of him CHAP. LVII Of the Kingdom of Pathen or Salmasse which is a goodly land ANd for to go forth by the Sea there is an Isle that is called Pathen and some call it Salmasse for it is a great Kingdom with many fair Cities In this land grow Trees that bear Meal of which men make fair Bread and white and of good savour and it seemeth like as it were Wheat And there be other Trees which bear venim against the which is no medicine but only to take of the leaves of the same Trees and stamp them and temper them with water and drink it or else he shall die suddenly for nothing else may help him And if ye will know how these Trees bear Meal I shall tell you men hew with an Hatchet about the root of the Tree by the Earth and they pierce it in many places and then cometh out a Liquor the which they take into vessels and set it in the Sun and dry it and when it is dry they carry it unto the Mill to grind and thereof is fair Meal and White Also Honey Wine and Venim are drawn out of other Trees in the same manner and they put it into vessels to keep In that Isle is a dead Sea which is a water that hath no bottom and if any man fall therein he can never be found beside that Sea groweth great Canes and under their Roots men find precious Stones of a great vertue for he that beareth one of those Stones about him there may no Iron wound him nor draw blood of him and therefore they that have those Stones fight full hardy for there may no weapon that is of Iron wound them therefore they that know the manner make their weapons without Iron and so they slay them CHAP. LVIII Of the Kingdom of Talonach the King Whereof hath many Wives ANother Isle there is that men call Talonach the same is a great land and therein is great plenty of fish and other goods as you shall hereafter hear And the King of that Land hath as many Wives as he will a thousand and more and he never lieth but once by any one of them And also in that Land is a great marvel for all manner of Fishes of the Sea come thither once a year one after another and they lye near the land sometime on the land and so lye three days and men of that land come thither and take of them what they will and then go those Fishes away and another sort cometh end lyeth also three days and men take of them and thus do all manner of Fishes till all have been there and men have 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 thither to do worship to their King for they say he is the worthiest King of all the world for he hath so many Wives and getteth so many children of them And that same King hath fourteen thousand of Elephants or more which be tame and they be kept for his pleasure by the men of that country so that he may have them ready at his hand when he hath any War against any King or Prince and then he doth put upon their back Castles and men of War as the use of that land is as other Kings and Princes do thereabout CHAP. LIX Of the Island called Raso Where people be hanged if they be sick past hope of recovery ANd from this Isle men go to another Isle call'd Raso and the men of this Isle when their friends are sick and that they believe surely that they shall die they take them and hang them up quick on a tree and say it is better that Birds that are Angels of God eat them then Worms of the earth From thence men go to an Isle where the men are of an ill kind for they nourish Hounds for to strangle men And when their friends are sick that they think they shall die then do those Hounds strangle them for they will not that they die a kindly death for then should they suffer too great pain as they say and when they are thus dead they eat theiâ— flesh for Venison CHAP. LX Of the Island of Melk wherein dwelleth evil people FRom thence men go by sea through many Isles into an Isle called Melk and there be full ill people for they have none other delight but for to fight and slay men for they drink gladly mans-blood which blood they call good and
the River of Jordan and on the right side men go through the Land of Flagme and so to the City Caiaphas in which City Caiphas was Lord and some call it the Castle Pellerius and from thence is four days iourney to Hierusalem and they go through Cesary Philippi Jaffe Ramas and Emaus and so to Hierusalem CHAP. XLIII Yet another way by Land toward the Land of Promise NOw have I told you some ways by land and by water how men may go to Hierusalem And there be many other ways that men go by after the Countries that they come from nevertheless they come all to one end Yet is there a way all by Land to Hierusalem and pass no Sea but to France or Flanders but that way is very long and perilous and of great travel wherefore few go that way but he that will go that way must go by Almaine and Pruse and so to Tartary This Tartary is holden by the great Caane of whom I shall speak afterward for thither reacheth his Lordship and all the Lords of Tartary yield to him Tribute Tartary is a barren Country and very sandy for there groweth little either Corn or other Fruit but there is a great plenty of Beasts and therefore they eat flesh without bread and they sup the broth and they drink the milk of all manner of Beasts And because they have great scarcity of Wood they dry the dung of Horses and of other Beasts and burn it for to dress their meat by Princes and other Lords eat but once in the day and that is very little and they be foul folk and of ill liking In Summer there are many great Tempests and Thunders that slay many men and beasts sometime on the sudden it is very cold and again on the sudden it is very hot The Prince of the Land they call Roco and he dwelleth at a City that is called Orda but very few Strangers do desire to dwell in that Land for it is good to sow Thorns and Weeds in but other good there is none as I heard say for I was not that way but I have been in other Countries marching thereon as in the Land of Russia and Nisland and the Kingdom of Grecon and Lectow and the Kingdom Grasten and in many other places but I never went that way to Hierusalem and therefore I cannot well tell it for I have understood that men may not well go that way but in Winter when the waters and mires that be in that Land be frozen and covered with Snow so that men may pass thereon for were not that Snow there might no man go in that Land but he were loss And ye shall understand that a man must go three days iourney from Pruse to pass this way before he can come to the Land of Sarasins And if by chance any Christians pass that way as once a year they do they carry their victuals with them for they should find nothing there but a manner of food that they call Syles and they carry their Victuals upon the Ice on Steds and Chariots without Wheeles and as long as their Victuals last they may dwell there but no longer And when the Spies of the Countries see Christians come they run to the Towns and Castles and cry aloud Kara Kara Kara and as soon as they have cryed then do the people arm them And ye shall understand that the Ice there is harder then it is here and every man hath a Stove in his House and therein they eat and do all things that them needeth and that is at the North part of the World where it is commonly cold for the Sun appeareth not nor shineth but little in that Countrey and that Land is in some places so cold that there may no man dwell therein and on the South side of the World it is in some places so hot that there can no man dwell the Sun giveth so great heat in those Countries CHAP. XLIV Of the Faith of the Sarasins and of the Book of their Law named Alkaron FOrasmuch as I have told you of the Sarasins and of otherLands I purpose to set down a part of their Law and of their Belief as their Book saith that they call Alkaron and some call that Book Mysap and some call it Harme in divers Languages of Countries which Book Mahomet gave them in the which Book he wrote among other things as I have often read and seen that they that are good shall go to Paradise and the evil folks to Hell and so believe all Sarasins And if a man ask of what Paradise they mean they say it is a place of Delights where a man shall find all manner of Fruits at all times and Waters and Rivers running with Milk and Honey Wine and fresh water and they shall all have fair Houses and good as they have deserved and those Houses are made of precious stones gold and silver and every man shall have ten Wives and Maidens and he shall every day once have to do with them and yet shall they still be maidens And they speak often of the blessed Virgin Mary and tell of the Incarnation that Mary was learned of Angels and that Gabriel said to her that she was chosen before all other from the Beginning of the World and that witnesseth well their Book and Gabriel told her the Incarnation of Iesus Christ and that she should conceive and bear a Child and they say that Christ was a holy Prophet in word and deed and also meek and right wise to all men and one not any way blame-worthy and they say that when the Angel told her of the Incarnation she had great dread for she was very young and there was one in that Country that practised Sorcery who was called Takina that with Enchantments could make him like an Angel and went often and lay with Maidens and therefore was Mary the more afraid of the Angel and thought in her mind that it had been Takina who went to Maidens and she charged him in the Name of God to tell her if he were the same Takina and the Angel bade her have no dread for he was for certain a true Messenger of Iesus Christ. Also their Book Alkaron saith that she had a Child under a Palm-Trée then was she greatly ashamed and wished her self dead but as soon as her Child was born he spake and comforted her saying Netimeas Maria that is Be not afraid Mary And in many other places saith their Book Alkaron that Iesus Christ spake as soon as he was born and the Book saith that Iesus Christ was sent of Almighty God to be an ensample to all men and that God shall Iudge all men the good to Heaven and the wicked to Hell and that Iesus Christ is the best Prophet of all other and next to God and that he was a holy Prophet for he gave the blind their sight and healed all Diseases he raised men that were dead and was taken quick into