Chapter VII: Appendix (5)

[Footnote 3: Larger.]

[Footnote 4: _Pynson_ here has, "and there is plenty of great
neddres (_adders_) of whyche they make a greate fest and ete
theym at great solemnytees. For, if a man make a greate fest,
and had gyven them all the mete that he myght gete, and he
give theym no neddres, he hath no thanke for all that he
doth."]

[Footnote 5: Wool.]

[Footnote 6: Hangchow-fu.]

[Footnote 7: _Pynson_ says, "There is in y^t citie mo than VII
thousand gates and each of III gate is a good toure where the
kepers dwell," &c.]

[Footnote 8: Borders.]

[Footnote 9: Baboons.]

[Footnote 10: Convent.]

[Footnote 11: What is left over.]

[Footnote 12: _Pynson_ says III Thousand or IIII Thousand.]

[Footnote 13: Off.]

[Footnote 14: Seat or settlement.]

CAP. LXIIII.

_Of the lande of Pygmen,[1] wherein dwell but smal people of
three spanne long._

WHEN men passe from that citie of Chibens, they passe over a great river of freshe water, and it is nere IIII mile brode & then men enter into the lande of the great Caan. This river goeth through the land of Pigmeens, and there men are of little stature for they are but three span long, and they are right fayre bothe men and women, though they bee little, and they are wedded when they are halfe a yere olde, and they live but viii[2] yeare, and he that liveth viii yeare is holden right olde, and these small men are the best workemen in sylke and of cotton in all maner of thing that are in the worlde, and these smal men travail not nor tyl land but they haue amonge them great men, as we are, to travaill for them & they haue great scorne of those great men, as we would haue of giaunts or of them if they were among us.

[Footnote 1: Pigmies, dwarfs. Homer, in the third book of the
Iliad, has immortalized the Pigmies and their battles with the
Cranes. (See Appendix for a curious engraving.) Pliny, in his
7th Book, cap. 2, speaks thus of them: "Beyond these people,
and at the very extremity of the mountains, the Trispithami
(_from_ [Greek: treis], _three, and_ [Greek: spithamai],
_spans_), and the Pigmies are said to exist; two races that
are but three spans in height--that is to say, twenty-seven
inches only. They enjoy a salubrious atmosphere and a
perpetual spring, being sheltered by the mountains from the
northern blasts: it is these people that Homer has mentioned
as being waged war upon by cranes. It is said that they are in
the habit of going down, every spring, to the sea shore in a
large body, seated on the backs of rams and goats, and armed
with arrows, and there destroy the eggs and the young of those
birds; that this expedition occupies them for the space of
three months, and that otherwise it would be impossible for
them to withstand the increasing multitudes of the cranes.
Their cabins, it is said, are built of mud, mixed with
feathers and egg-shells. Aristotle, indeed, says that they
dwell in caves; but, in other respects, he gives the same
details as other writers."]

[Footnote 2: Other editions say six or seven years.]

[Decoration]

CAP. LXV.

_Of the citie of Menke where is a great navy._

FROM this land men go through many countreys cities & towns, till they come to a citie that men call Menke. In that citie is a great navy of ships and they are as white as snow of the kind of the wod that they are made of & they are made as it were great houses with halles and chambres and other easements.[1]

[Footnote 1: Conveniences.]

CAP. LXVI.

_Of the land named Cathay and of the great riches thereof._

AND from thence men go uppon a river that men call Ceremosan, and this river goeth throughe Cathay[1] & doth many times harme when it waxeth great. Cathay is a faire countrey & rich, ful of goods and merchandises, thether come marchauntes everye yeare for to fetch spices and other marchandises more commonly than they do in other countreys. And ye shall understand that marchaunts that come from Venice or from Gene or from other places of Lombardy, or of Italy, they go by sea and land, xi monthes and more or they may come to Cathay.

[Footnote 1: Northern China.]

CAP. LXVII.

_Of a great citie named Cadon therein is the great Caanes
palaice and sege._

IN the province of Cathay towards the East, is an olde citie & beside that citie the Tartariens have made an other citie that men call Cadon,[1] y^t hathe xii[2] gates, and betwene eche two gates is a great myle, so those two cities the olde and the new is round about xx myle. In this citie is the palaice and sege of y^e great Caane in a full faire place and great, of which the wals about is two myle, and within that are many fayre places, and in the gardeyne of that palaice is a right greate hill on the which is an other palaice, and it is the fayrest that may bee founde in any place, and all about that hyll are many trees berynge divers fruites, and about that hyll is a great dyche, and there nere are many rivers on eche syde, and in those are many wylde foules that he may take and not go out of the palayce. Within y^e hall of that palaice are xxiiii pillers of gold and all the walks are covered with rych skynnes of beastes that men call Panthera.

Those are fayre beastes and well smelling and of the smell of those skynnes, none evyll smell may come to the palayce, those skynnes are as redde as bloude, and they shine so against the Sonne that a man can scarcely beholde them and those skynnes are estemed there as much as golde.

In the myddest of the palace is a place made that they call the Monture[3] for the great Caane, that is well made with precious stones and great hanging about, and at the foure corners of that Montour are foure nedders[4] of golde, & under that mountour and about are conduites of bevrage that they drink in the Emperour's courte. And the hall of that palayce is richly dight and wel, and firste at the upper ende of the hall is the throne of the Emperour right hie where he sitteth at meate (_at a_) table that is well bordered with gold and that bordure is full of precious stones and great pearles, and the greces on which he goeth up are of diverse precious stones bordred with golde.

At the left syde of his throne is the sege of his wife a degree lower than he sitteth and that is of Jasper bordred with gold and the sege of his seconde wife is a degree lower than the fyrste, and that is also of good Jasper bordred with golde and the sege of the thyrd wife is a degree lower than the seconde for alwaye he hathe three wives with him wheresoeuer he is, besyde these wives on the same side setteth other ladies of his kin eche one lower than other, as they are of degree, and all those that are wedded, haue a counterfaite[5] of a man's foote uppon their heads a cubite long and all made with precious stones, & about they are made with shining fethers of pecockes or such other in tokening that they are in subjection to man & under men's feete, & they that are not wedded haue none such. On the right side of the Emperour sitteth fyrste his sonne the which shall be Emperour after him, and he sitteth also a degree lower than the Emperour in such maner of seges as the Emperour sitteth, and by him sitteth other lordes of his kyn, eche one lower than other as they are of degree. And the Emperour hath his table by himselfe alone that is made of golde and precious stones, or of white Crystal or yelowe, bordred with golde, and eche one of his wyves hath a table by hirselfe. And under the Emperours table sitteth foure clerkes at his feete that wryteth all that the Emperour sayth be it good or ylle. And at great feastes about the Emperours table, and all other tables in the hall is a vine made of gold that goeth all about the hall, and it hath many braunches of grapes lyke to grapes of the vine, some are white, some are yelowe, some red, some grene, and some blacke, all the red are of rubies of cremes[6] or allabonce, the white are of cristall or byrall,[7] the yelowe are of topaces, the grene are of Emeraudes & Crysolytes, and the blacke are of Quickes and Gerandes, & this vyne is made thus of precious stones so properly that it seemeth that it were a vyne growinge. And before the borde of the Emperour standeth great lordes and no man is so hardy to speke unto hym, except it be musicians for to solace the Emperour. And all the vessell that is served in his hall or chambres, are of precious stones and namely at tables where great lordes eate, that is to say, of Jasper, crystall, amatyst, or fyne golde, and the cuppes are of Emeraudes, saphyres, topaces, and many other maner of stones; and (_of_) silver haue they no vessell, for they praise silver but little to make vessell of, but they make of silver greces, pylers & paviments of halles & chambres. And ye shall understande that my felaw & I were in wages with him xvi moneths against the Kinge of Mancy,[8] uppon whome he made warre, and the cause was we had so great desire to see the nobilitye of his court, if it were suche as we heard speake of, and forsoth we founde it more richer & solempne than ever we harde speake of, and we should neuer haue beleved it, had we not seene it. But ye shall understande the meat and drinke is more honest among us than it is in those countreys, for all the comons eate upon skines of beastes on theyr knees and eate but fleshe of all maner of beastes, & when they haue all eate they wipe theyr handes on their skirtes & they eate but once in the day & eate but little bread but the maner of the lordes is full noble and richly.

[Footnote 1: Others call it Sugarmago or Eugarmago.]

[Footnote 2: _Pynson_ says seven.]

[Footnote 3: This is a curious term, which can scarcely
be translated. A French edition has _Mountaynette_, which
_Cotgrave_ says is a little mountain. A Latin edition says
_Ascensorium_.]

[Footnote 4: Serpents.]

[Footnote 5: Representation.]

[Footnote 6: I have up to the present failed in finding
equivalents for these two words, also for Quickes (spelt
in _Pynson_ Onichez, which may probably mean onyxes,) and
Gerandes. This latter word is spelt in one MS. _Garantez_,
and may mean garnet. Cotgrave gives _Alabandique_, "a kinde of
blacke stone mingled with purple."]

[Footnote 7: Beryl.]

[Footnote 8: _Marco Polo_ gives a graphic description of the
invasion and subjection of Manzi, or Southern China, in the
year 1268, by Kublai's great general _Bayan_ (great or
noble) _Hundred eyes_. If, therefore, there is any truth in
Mandeville, he and his "felaw" may have helped to put down an
insurrection in the kingdom of Manzi.]

[Decoration]

CAP. LXVIII.

_Wherefore that the Emperour of Cathay is called the great Caane._

AND ye shall understande why he is called y^e great Caane, ye knowe y^t all the worlde was destroied with Noes floud but Noe his wife & children. Noe had three sons, Sem, Cham & Japhet. Cham when he saw his father naked when he slept, scorned him & therefore he was cursed and Japhet covered him againe. These three brethrene hadde all the land. Cham toke the best parte eastward that is called Asia. Sem toke Afryke and Japhet toke Europe. Cham was the mightiest and richest of his bretherne and of him are come the Paynim folke & divers maner of men of the yles, some headlesse, and other men disfigured, and for this Cham the Emperour there called him Cham and Lord of all. But ye shall understande that the Emperour of Cathay is called Caane, and not Cham, & for this cause, it is not long ago that all Tartary was in subjection and thrall to other nations about, and they were made herdemen to kepe beastes, and among them was vii linages[1] or kindes, the firste was called Tartary that is the best, the second linage is called Tamghot,[2] the third Furace,[3] the fourth Valaire, the fifth Semoth,[4] the sixth Menchy,[5] the seventh Sobeth.[6] These are all holding of the great Caane of Cathay. Now it befell so that the first linage was an olde man & hee was not ryche and men called him Chanius. This man lay and slept on a nighte in his bedde, and there came to him a knighte, all white, sitting uppon a white hors, and sayde to him, Caane slepeste thou? God that is almighty sent me to thee, & it is his will that thou saye to the vii linages y^t thou shalt be theyr Emperour, for ye shall conquere all the lande about you, and they shall be in your subjection as you have bene in theirs. And when morow came he rose up and sayde it to the vii linages, and they scorned him and sayde he was a fole, and the next night the same knighte came to the vii linages and bad them of gods behalfe to make Chanius their Emperour, and they shold be out of all subjection. And on the morow they chose Chanius to be Emperour, and dyd him all worship that they might do, & called him Caane as the white knighte called him, and they sayde they would doe as he badde them. Then he made many statutes and lawes, the which he called Ysakan.[7] The firste statute was, that they shoulde be obedient to God almyghtie, and beleve that he should deliver them out of thraldome, and that they shoulde call on him in all their workes. Another statute was, y^t all men that might beare armes shoulde be nombred, and to eche x shoulde be a master, and to a hundred a master, and to a thousand a master. Then he commaunded to all the greatest and principallest of the vii linages, that they should forsake all that they had in heritage or lordship, and that they should hold them payed of that he wold give them of his grace, and they did so. And also he bad them y^t eche man should bringe his eldest sonne before him, and sleay his owne sonne with his owne handes, and smyte of their heads, and as sone they did his bidding. And when he saw they made no letting[8] of what he bad them, then bad he them folow his baner, and then he put in subjection all the landes about him.

[Footnote 1: People or tribes.]

[Footnote 2: Tangut, or Tanghút, is the name given to certain
tribes of Thibetan extraction, who lived on the north-west
frontier of China.]

[Footnote 3: Called variously Eurache, Semoche, Megly and
Coboghe, whose relative positions can scarcely now be defined
accurately.]

[Footnote 4: As Footnote #3.]

[Footnote 5: As Footnote #3.]

[Footnote 6: As Footnote #3.]

[Footnote 7: Others write it Ysya-Chan.]

[Footnote 8: Hindrance.]

CAP. LXIX.

_How the great Caane was hid under a tree, and so escaped his
enimies bicause of a byrd._

AND it befell on a day that the Caane rode with a fewe men to see the lande that he had wonne, and he met with a greate multitude of his enimies and there he was caste downe of his horse, and his horse slayne, and when his men saw him at y^e earth[1] they went[2] he had been deade, and fledde, & the ennimies folowed after, and when he sawe his ennimies were fer,[3] he hid him in a bushe, for the wod was thicke there, and when they were come againe from the chace, they went to seke among the wood if any were hid there, and they founde many, and as they came to the place where he was, they saw a birde sitte uppon a tree, the which byrd men call an Oule, and then sayd they, that there was no man, for the birde sat there, and so went they away, and thus was the Caane saved from death, & so he went awaye on a night to his owne men, which were glad of his comming, and from that time hitherwardes men of that countrey haue that byrde in great reverence, and for that cause they worship that byrd aboue all other birds of the worlde. And incontinent he assembled all his men, rode uppon his enimies and destroyed them, and when he had won all the landes that were aboute him, he helde them in subjection. And when the Caane had won all the lordes to mounte Belyan, the white knighte came to him in a vision againe, and said unto him, Caan the will of God is, that thou passe the mounte Belyan, and thou shalt win many landes, and for thou shalt find no passage, go thou to mount Belian that is upon the sea side and knele ix times thereon against the east in the worship of God, & he shall shew thee a way how thou shalt passe, and Caan did so, & anon the sea that touched the hil, withdrew him, & shewed him a faire way of ix foote brode betwene the hill and the sea, & so he passed right wel with al his men, & then he wan the land of Cathay that is the best land and the greatest of all the worlde, and for those ix knelings and the ix foote of way, Caane and the men of Tartary have the number of ix in great worship.

[Footnote 1: On the ground.]

[Footnote 2: Weened--supposed, imagined.]

[Footnote 3: Far away.]

CAP. LXX.

_Of the great Caanes letters and the wryting about his seale._

NOW when he had wonne the lande of Cathay he dyed, and then raigned after Cythoco[1] the eldest sonne of Caane, & his other brothers went to winne them landes in other countreys, and they wan the land of Pruisse, and of Russy & they dyd cal themselfe Caane, but he of Cathay is the greatest lorde of all the worlde and so he called him in his letters and sayth thus, _Caane filius dei excelsi, universam terram coulentium summus imperator, & dominus dominantium_ That is to say, Caane Gods son, Emperour of all those that tyll all the lande, and Lorde of all lordes. And the writing about his great seale is, _Deus in celo & Caane super terram ejus fortitudo omnium hominum imperatoris sigillum_ That is to say, God in heaven, Caan uppon earth, his strength the seale of the Emperor of all men. And the wryting about his privy seale is, _Dei fortitudo omnium hominum imperatoris sigillum_ That is to say, The strength of God, seale of the Emperour of all men. And if it be so that they be not christen, yet the Emperour and the Tartarins beleve in God Almightie.

[Footnote 1: In other editions Ecchecha. In reality,
Ok-lar-Khan, who succeeded his father in 1229, and reigned
over the Tartars till 1241.]

CAP. LXXI.

_Of the governaunce of the countrey of the great Caane._

NOW haue I tolde you why he is called the great Caane, now shall I tell you of the governinge of his courte when they make great feastes, and he kepeth foure principall feastes in the yeare, the fyrste of his byrth, the seconde when he is borne to the Temple to be circumcised, the third is of his ydoles when they begin to speake, and the fourth when the ydole beginneth fyrst to do myracles, & at those tymes he hath men well arayed by thousands and by hundreds and eche one wote well what he shal do. For there is fyrst ordeined 4000 rich barons and mighty for to ordeine the feast & to serve the Emperour & all these barons haue crowns of gold well dight with precious stones and pearles, and they are clad in clothes of golde & camathas[1] as richly as they may bee made & they may well have suche clothes for they are there of lesse pryce than wollen cloth is here. And these foure thousande barons are departed in foure parties, & eche company is clad in diverse colour ryght richely, and when the first thousand is passed and hath shewed them, then come the seconde thousande, and then the thirde thousande & then the fourth, and none of them speketh a word. And on the one side of the Emperours table sitteth many phylosophers of many sciences, some of Astronomie, Nygromancie[2], Geometry, Pyromacy,[3] & many other sciences, and some haue before them Astrolabes[4] of golde or of precious stones full of sande or of coles brenning, some haue horologes[5] well dight and richly, and many other instruments after their sciences. And at a certaine houre when they see time, they say to men that stand before them, make peace, and then saye those men with a loude voyce to all the hall, now be styll awhile, and then saith one of the philosophers, eche man make reverence and encline to the Emperour, that is Gods sonne, and lorde of the worlde, for now is time and houre, and then all men enclyne to him, and knele on the earth, and then the Phylosopher biddeth them rise up againe. And at another houre another philosopher biddeth them put their fingers in theyr eares and they do so, and at another houre another philosopher biddeth that all men shall laye their hande on their heads, and they do so, and then he biddeth them take them away and they doe so, and thus from houre to houre they bid divers thinges. And I asked privily what it shoulde meane and one of the masters said that the enclining and the kneling on the earth at that time hath this token, that all those men that kneled so shall evermore be true to the Emperour, that for no gift nor thretning they shal never be traitours nor false to him and the putting of the finger in the eare hath this token, that none of those shall here any yll spoken of the Emperour or his counsayll. And ye shall understande that men dight nothing, as clothes, bread, drinke nor no such things to the Emperour but at certaine hours that the Philosophers tell, and if any man reyse war against the Emperour in what countrey so ever it bee these Philosophers know it sone, & tell y^e Emperour or his counsail and he sendeth men thether, for he hath many men. Also he hath many men that kepeth birdes, as gerfaukons[6], sperhaukes,[7] faucons,[8] gentils,[9] lavers, sacres,[10] popyniaye[11] that can speake, and many other, ten thousande olyphants, baboynes, marmosets and other and he hath ever aboute him many Physicions more than two hundred that are Christen men & xx sarasyns, but yet he trusteth more to Christen men than in Sarasyns. And there is in that countrey many Sarasins and other Servaunts that are Christen and converted to the faith, through preching of good Christen men that dwel there, but there are many that will not that men[12] wete that they are Christen.

[Footnote 1: A rich silken or thread stuff.]

[Footnote 2: Necromancy, or foretelling events by pretended
communion with the dead.]

[Footnote 3: Divination by fire.]

[Footnote 4: An astronomical instrument.]

[Footnote 5: Timepieces.]

[Footnote 6: Girfalcons.]

[Footnote 7: Sparrowhawks.]

[Footnote 8: Falcons.]

[Footnote 9: Gentles.]

[Footnote 10: Sakers or Peregrine hawks.]

[Footnote 11: Parrots.]

[Footnote 12: Will not let men know.]

CAP. LXXII.

_Of the great ryches of the Emperour and of his dispending._

THIS Emperour is a great lorde, for he may dispend what he will without nombre, bicause he spendeth nother sylver nor golde & maketh no money but of lether or skynnes, and this same money goeth through all his lande, and of the sylver & gold buylded he his palaces. And he hath in his chambre a piller of golde in the which is a Ruby, and carbuncle of a foote[1] long, the which lighteth all his chambre by night & he hath many other precious stones & rubies, but this is the most.[2] This Emperour dwelleth in the sommer towardes the North in a citie that men call Saydus and there it is colde enoughe, and in the winter he dwelleth in a citie that men call Camalach, and there it is right hot, but for the most part is he at Cadon, that is not farre thence.

[Footnote 1: Others say half a foot. There were always rumours
in the East of wonderful rubies, especially one belonging
to the King of Ceylon, which Kublai Khan is reported to have
coveted, and wished to purchase.]

[Footnote 2: The greatest.]

CAP. LXXIII.

_Of the ordynaunce of the lordes of the Emperour when he rideth
from one countrey to another to warre._

AND when this great Caane shall ryde from one countrey to another they ordeyne foure hostes of people, of which the fyrst goeth before a daies journey; for that hoste lyeth at even where the Emperour shall lye on the morow, and there is plenty of vitailes. And another host commeth at the right side of hym and an other at the left side, and in eche hoste is muche folke. And then commeth the fourth hoste behind hym a bowe draught, and there is more men in that than in any of the other. And ye shall understande that the Emperour rideth on no horse, but when hee will go to any seacrete place with a privy meyny[1] where he will not be knowne, but he rideth in a chariot with four wheles & there uppon is a chamber made of a tree that men call _Lignum aloes_ that commeth out of Paradise terrestre, & that chamber is covered with plates of fyne gold, and precious stones and perles, and foure Olyfants & foure Oxen all white go therein, and five or sixe great lordes ride about him, so that none other men shal come nigh him, except the Emperour call any, and in the same manner with a chariot & such hostes rideth the Empres by another side, and the Emperours eldest sonne in that same aray, and they haue so much people that it is a great marvaile for to see.

[Footnote 1: Private retinue.]

CAP. LXXIIII.

_How the empyre of the great Caane is departed[1] into xii
provinces & how that they do cast ensence in the fyre where
the great Caane passeth through the cities & townes in worship
of the Emperour._

THE land of the great Caane is departed in xii provinces, and euery province hath more than two thousande cities and townes. And when the Emperour rideth through the countrey, & he passeth through cities & townes, eche man maketh a fyre before his house, & caste therein ensence & other things that giue good smell to the Emperour. And if any man of relygion that are Christen men dwel nere as the Emperour cometh they mete him with procession, with crosse and holye water, and they singe, _Veni creator spiritus_ with a loude voyce, and when he seeth them comming he commaundeth the lordes that they ride nere to him to make way that the religious men may come to him, and when he seeth the crosse, he doeth[2] of his hat that is made of precious stones and greate perles, & that hat is so riche that it is marvaile to tel, and then he enclineth to the crosse, & the prelate of the religious men sayth orisons before him and giveth him the benison[3] with the crosse, and he enclineth to the benison ful devoutly, and then the prelate giveth him some fruite to the number of ix in a platter of gold,[4] peares or apples or other fruite, & then the Emperour taketh one thereof and the other he giveth to his lordes, for the maner is such there, that no strange man shall come before the Emperour but he giue him somewhat, after the olde law that sayth, _Non accedat in conspectu meo manis_[5] That is to say, No man come into my sight idle. And then y^e Emperour biddeth these religious men that they shall goe forth, so that the men of his hoste defyle them not, and those relygious men that dwell where the Empresse or the Emperours sonne cometh, they do in the same maner.

[Footnote 1: Partitioned.]

[Footnote 2: Taketh off.]

[Footnote 3: Blessing.]

[Footnote 4: Others say silver.]

[Footnote 5: Misprint for _vacuus_, empty-handed.]

CAP. LXXV.

_How the great Caan is the mightiest lord of all the worlde._

THIS great Caane is the myghtiest lorde of the worlde, for prester[1] John is not so great a lorde as he, nor the Sowdan of Babilon, ne y^e Emperour of Percy. In this lande a man hath a hundred wives & some xi,[2] some more some lesse, & they take of their kin to wives, all saue their sisters, their mothers & daughters and they take also wel theyr stepmother if their father be dead, and men & women haue all one maner of clothing, so that they may not bee knowne, but y^t women that are wedded beare a token on theyr heads, & they dwell not with their housbandes, but he may lye by which he will. They have plenty of all maner of beastes save swine, and forsoth they wyll (_have_) none, and they beleve well in God that made all thing, & yet have they ydoles of golde and sylver, and to those Idols they offer theyr fyrst mylke of beastes.

[Footnote 1: In the 12th and 13th centuries there was a firm
belief that ruling over a vast population in the far East was
a most wealthy and powerful monarch of that name, who claimed
to be descended from one of the three kings who adored the
infant Christ.]

[Footnote 2: Others say 60.]

CAP. LXXVI.

_Of other maners of this countrey._

THIS Emperour the great Caane hath three wives, and the principall wife was Prester Johns daughter. And the people of this countrey begin to doe all theyr thinges in the newe Moone, and they worshippe muche the Sonne and the Moone, those men ryde commonly without spoores, & they holde it a great sinne to breake one bone[1] with another, and to spyll mylke on the grounde, or any other lycour y^t men may drinke.[2] And when they haue eaten they wipe their handes uppon theyr skyrts, for they haue no table clothes except it be right great lordes, and when they haue all eaten they put their dishes or platters not washed in the pot or cauldron with flesh that is left when they haue eaten, until they will eate another time, & rich men drink milke of mares, of asses, or other beastes, and other beverage that is made of milke and water togither, for they haue neither beere nor wine. And when they go to warre, they warre full wysely, and eche man of them bereth two or three bowes and many arowes and a great hatchet, gentilmen haue short swords,[3] and he that flyeth in batayle they sleay him, & they are ever in purpose to bring all the land in subjection to them, for they say prophecies say that they shall be overcome by shot of archers, and that they shall turne them to their law, but they wot not what men they shall be, and it is great peril to pursue the Tartaries when they flee, for they will shoot behinde and slea men as well as before, and they have small eyen[4] as little birdes, and they are commonly false for they holde not their promise. And when a man shal die among them, they stick a speare in the earth beside him, and when he draweth to the death, they go out of the house till he dead, and then they put him in the earth in the fielde.

[Footnote 1: A bone.]

[Footnote 2: A passage is here omitted.]

[Footnote 3: Other editions say spears.]

[Footnote 4: Eyes.]

CAP. LXXVII.

_How the Emperour is brought unto his grave when he is dead._

AND when the Emperour is dead, they set him into a carte[1] in the middes of his tente, and they set before him a table covered with a cloth, & there upon they set flesh and other meat & a cup full of milke of a mare, and they set a mare with a colte by him, & a horse sadled & bridled, and they lay upon the horse golde & silver, and all about him they make a greate grave, and with all the things they put him therein, as the tente, hors, golde & silver, and all that is aboute him & they say, when he cometh in to another worlde he shall not be without an house, nor hors, ne silver nor gold, and the mare shall give him milke & bringe forth more horses till he be well stored in the other worlde, & one of his chamberlaines or servants is put with him in the earth for to doe him service in the other worlde, for they belieue that when hee is dead he shall go to another world, and be a greater lord there than here; & when that he is laid in the earth no man shal be so hardy[2] for to speake of him before his frendes.

[Footnote 1: Other editions say a chair.]

[Footnote 2: _I.e._, his name is never mentioned.]

CAP. LXXVIII.

_When the Emperour is dead how they chose and make an other._

AND then when the Emperour is dead the seaven linages gather them togither, and they touch his son or the next of his blood, & they say thus, We wyll, and we ordeyne, and we pray thee that thou wilt be our lord & Emperour, and he enquireth of them and sayth, if ye will that I raigne upon you, then must ye doe all that I bidde you to doe. And if he bid that any shal be slaine, he shal be slaine, & they aunswere all with one voyce, y^t ye bid shall be done. Then saith ye Emperour, fro henceforth, my word shal cut as my sword, and then they set him in a chaire, & crowne him, & then all the good townes thereabout send to him presents, so much that he shall haue more than a C Camelles[1] laden with gold and silver, beside other Jewels y^t he shall haue of lords, of precious stones & gold without number & horse, & riche clothes of Camacas[2] and Tarins,[3] & such other.

[Footnote 1: Other editions say 60 chariots.]

[Footnote 2: See footnote, _ante_, p. 168.]

[Footnote 3: Tartarins, a kind of silken fabric.]

CAP. LXXIX.

_What countreys and kingdomes lye next to the land of Cathay
and the frontes thereof._

THIS lande of Cathay is in Asia the depe,[1] and this same lande marcheth toward the west upon the kingdome of Sercy,[2] the which was sometyme to one of the three kings that went to seke our Lord in Bethlem and all those that come of his kin are christen men. These men of Tartary drinke no wine. In y^e land of Corosaym,[3] y^t is at the north side of Cathay is right great plenty of goods, but no wine, the which hath at the east side a great wildernesse, that lasteth more than an hundred journeys, and the best citie of that land is called Corasaym, & after the name of that citie is the lande called after, and men of this lande are good warriors and hardy, and thereby is the Kingedome of Comayne, this is the most & the greatest kingedome of the world, but it is not all inhabited, for in one place of the lande is so great cold, that no man may dwel ther for colde, and in an other place is so great heat, that no man may dwell there, & there are so many faithes[4] that a man wot not on what side hee may turne him, & in this lande are fewe trees bering fruite. In thys lande men ly in tentes, and they burne donge[5] of beastes for defaut of wood. This lande descendeth toward Pruse & Rossy & through this land runneth the river Echell,[6] that is one of the greatest rivers in y^e world & it is frosen so hard euery yeare that men fight thereupon in great battayles on horse and footemen more than a C.M[7] at once. And a lyttle from y^e river is the great sea of Occyan, that they cal Maure[8] and betwene this Maure & Caspy[9] is a full straight passage to go towarde Inde and therefore King Alexander did make there a citie y^t men call Alexander, for to kepe that passage, so that no man may passe but if he haue leave, & now is that citie called Port de fear,[10] and the principall citie of Comayne is called Sarachis,[11] this is one of the thre ways to go to Inde, but through this way may not many men go but if it be in winter, & this passage is called Berbent.[12] And another way is to go from y^e land of Turkescon[13] through Percy, & in this way are many journeys in wildernesse. And y^e third way is that cometh from Cosmane & goeth through y^e great citie & through y^e Kingedome of Abachare.[14] And ye shall understand y^t all these kingedomes & lords unto Percy are holden of y^e great Caan & many other & therefore he is a great lorde of men & of lande.

[Footnote 1: Lower Asia.]

[Footnote 2: Others write it Tharse.]

[Footnote 3: ? Khorassan.]

[Footnote 4: A misprint for flies.]

[Footnote 5: The usual fuel in an unwooded Asiatic country.]

[Footnote 6: Volga.]

[Footnote 7: Others say 200,000.]

[Footnote 8: The Black Sea.]

[Footnote 9: The Caspian Sea.]

[Footnote 10: Port de Fer, or Iron Gate. Other editions have
it "Gate of Hell."]

[Footnote 11: Sarai, or Sara, on the Volga. Chaucer, in
"Cambuscan," speaks of it thus:--

"At _Sarra_ in the Londe of Tartarie
There dwelt a King that werriëd Russie."
]

[Footnote 12: The Pass of Derbend, still called in Turkish
_Demir Kapi_, or the Iron Gate.]

[Footnote 13: Turkestan.]

[Footnote 14: Variously written Abcaz or Abkhas.]

CAP. LXXX.

_Of other wayes comming from Cathay toward the Grekes sea
& also of the emperour of Percy._

NOW I haue devysed you the landes towardes the North, to come from the lands of Cathay to the lands of Pruse & Rossy where Christen men dwel. Now shall I devise unto you other lands & kingdoms, in comming down from Cathay to the Grekes sea wher Christen men dwell, and for as muche as next the great Caane of Cathay the Emperour of Percy is the greatest lorde, therefore I shall speake of him, & ye shall understande that he hath two kingdomes, the one beginneth eastward and it is the kingdome of Turkescon & it lasteth westward to the sea of Caspy & southward to the lande of Inde. This lande is good & playne and well manned,[1] with good cities but two most principal, ye which are called Bacirida & Sormagaunt.[2] The other is the kingedome of Percy, and lasteth from the river of Phison[3] unto great Armony,[4] & northward unto the sea of Caspy & southward to the land of Inde & this is a full plenteous countrey and good. In this lande are three principall cities Nessabor, Saphan, & Sermesse.[5]

[Footnote 1: Peopled.]

[Footnote 2: Bokhara and Samarcand.]

[Footnote 3: Pison.]

[Footnote 4: Armenia]

[Footnote 5: Otherwise spelt Messabor, Caphon, and
Sarmassane.]

CAP. LXXXI.

_Of the lande of Armony, which is a good land & of the lande
of Middy._[1]

THEN is the lande of Armony, in the which was sometime three kingdomes, this is a good land and a plentious, & it beginneth at Percy, & lasteth westward to Turkey of length, and in breadth lasteth from the citie of Alexander (that is now called Port de fear) unto the lande of Myddy. In this Armony are many fayre cities, but Cauryssy[2] is most of name. Then is the land of Myddy, and it is full long and not brode & beginneth eastward at the land of Percy, & Inde the lesse, and lasteth westward to the kingdome of Calde,[3] & northward to little Armony. In this Myddy are many great hyls, & little (_of_) plaines & ther dwel Sarasins & other maner of men, that men call Cordines.[4]

[Footnote 1: Media.]

[Footnote 2: Other editions have it Taurizo--in all
probability the modern _Tabriz_ is meant.]

[Footnote 3: Chaldæa.]

[Footnote 4: Kurds.]

CAP. LXXXII.

_Of the Kingdome of George & Abcan, and many marvayles._

THEN next is the kingdome of George,[1] that beginneth eastward at a great hil that men call Abiorz,[2] this land lasteth to Turkey to the great sea, & to the land of Myddy, and great Armony & in this land are two kynges, one of Abcan, and another of George but he of George is in subjection of the great Caane, but he of Abcan hath a strong countrey, and defendeth him well against his enimies, & in this land of Abcan is a great marvaile, for there is a countrey in this land that is nere III dayes long and about, & is called Hanison, and that countrey is all covered with darknesse, so that it hath no light that no man may see there, and no man dare go into that countrey for darkenes. And neverthelesse men of that countrey thereby say that they may sometime heare therein the voyce of man and horse crying, and cocks crow, and they know wel that men dwel there, but they know not what maner of men, and they saye this darknesse came through miracle of God that he dyd for Christen men there. For there was a wicked Emperour y^t was of Poy[3] & was called Saures, & he pursued sometime all Christen men to destroy them, and did make them do sacrifice to their false gods, & in that countrey dwelled many Christen men y^e which left al their goods & catel, and riches, and wold go to Grece, and when they were all in a great plain y^t is called Megon the Emperour and his men came to sley the Christen men, & then the christen men kneled down & prayed to God, and anon came a thick cloude and covered the Emperour and al his host, so that he might not go away, and so dweled they in darkness, and they neuer came out after, and y^e Christen men went there as they would, and therefore they might say thus, _A domino factum est istud, & est mirabile in oculis nostris_, that is to say, of our Lord is this done, & it is wonderful in our eyes. Out of this lande cometh a river y^t men may se by good tokens y^t men dwel therein.

[Footnote 1: Georgia.]

[Footnote 2: Probably Mount Elburz, one of the Caucasian
range.]

[Footnote 3: Misprint for Persia.]

CAP. LXXXIII.

_Of the land of the land of Turky & divers other countreys and
of the land of Mesopotamy._

THEN next is the land of Turky, that marcheth to Great Armony and therein are many countreys as Capadoce, Saure,[1] Bryke, Quecion, Patan & Genethe, in eche one of the countreys are many good cities, and it is a plaine land, & few hills and few rivers, and then is the kingdome of Mesopotamy that beginneth eastwarde at flom of Tygre[2] at a citie that men call Mosell,[3] and it lasteth westwarde to the flom of Euphraten, to a citie that men call Rochaym[4] & westwarde from high Armony unto the wildernesse of Inde the lesse, and it is a good land and playne, but there is few rivers, and there is but two hils in that lande, the one is called Simar, and the other Lison, & it marcheth unto the lande of Caldee, and ye shall understande that the land of Ethyope marcheth eastward to the great wildernesse westwarde to the land of Nuby,[5] southwarde to the lande of Maratan[6] and northward to the redde sea & then is the Maritan that lasteth from the hilles of Ethiope unto Liby,[7] the high, and the low that lasteth to the great sea of Spayne.[8]

[Footnote 1: Otherwise written Brique, Quesiton, Pytan, and
Cemethe.]

[Footnote 2: The river Tigris.]

[Footnote 3: Mosul.]

[Footnote 4: Otherwise Roiantz.]

[Footnote 5: Nubia.]

[Footnote 6: Mauritania.]

[Footnote 7: Lybia.]

[Footnote 8: The Mediterranean.]

CAP. LXXXIIII.

_Of divers countreys kingedomes & yles, and marvayles beyond
the land of Cathay._

NOW haue I sayd and spoken of many things on this side of the great Kingedome of Cathay, of whome many are obeysant[1] to the great Caane. Now shall I tell of some landes, countreys & yles that are beyond the lande of Cathay. Whoso goeth from Cathay to Inde the high and the low, he shal go through a kingdome that men call Cadissen[2] & it is a great lande, there groweth a maner of fruite as it were gourdes, & when it is ripe men cut it a sonder, and men fynde therein a beast as it were of fleshe and bone and bloud, as it were a lyttle lambe without wolle, and men eate the beast & fruite also, and sure it semeth very strange. Neverthelesse I sayd to them that I held y^t for no marvayle, for I sayd that in my countrey are trees y^t beare fruit y^t become byrds flying, and they are good to eate, & that that falleth on the water liveth & that that falleth on earth dyeth, & they marvailed much thereat. In this countrey & many other thereabout are trees that beareth cloves, & nutmigs and canel[3] and many other spyces, & there be vines that beare so great grapes that a strong man shall enough to beare a cluster of grapes. In that same lande are the hils of Caspy that men cal Uber & amonge those hilles are the Jewes of the x kindes[4] enclosed therein, that men call Gog & Magog & they may not come out on no syde. There were inclosed xxii kynges with theyr folke that dwelled betwene y^e hills of Syche,[5] and King Alexander chased them thither among those hilles, for hee trusting for to haue enclosed them there through the working of men, but he might not, and when he saw he might not, he prayed to God that he woulde fulfyll that which hee had begun. God heard his prayer and enclosed the hilles all about them but[6] at the one side, and there is the sea of Caspy. Here some men mighte aske, there is a sea on one side, why go they not out there, for thereto aunswered I that all if it be called a sea, it is not a sea, but a stange[7] standing among hyls, and it is the greatest stange of all the world, and all if they went over the sea, they wot not wher to arive, for they can no speach[8] but their own. And ye shall understand that the Jewes haue no law[9] of their owne in all the world, but they dwell in those hils, and yet they pay tribute for their land to the quene of Armony[10] & sometime it is so that some of the Jewes go over the hils but many men may not passe there togither, for the hils are so great and high. Neverthelesse men say in that countrey therby, that in the time of Antechrist they shall doe much harme to Christen men and therefore all the Jewes that dwell in diverse partes of the worlde lerne for to speake Ebrew, for they hope that the Jewes that dwel among the hils aforesayde, shall come out of the hils and speake all Ebrew and nought else, & then shall these Jewes speake Ebrew to them and lede them into Christendome for to destroye Christen men. For these Jewes say they know by their prophecies that those Jewes y^t are among those hils of Caspy shall come out, and Christen men shall be in their subjection, as they bee under christen men. And if ye wyll know how they shall finde the passage out, as I have understand I shall tell you. In the time of Antechriste a foxe shall make his denne in the same place wher King Alexander dyd make the gates & he shall dyg in the earth so long til he pearce it through and come among the Jewes, and when they see the Foxe, they shall haue great marvaile[11] of him, for they saw neuer such a beast, for other beastes have they among them many, and they shall chase this foxe and pursue him until y^t he be fled againe to his hole that he came from, & then shall they dig after him untill they come to y^e gates y^t Alexander did make of great stones well dight[12] with siment, then shall they brake these gates, and they shall find the issue.

[Footnote 1: Obedient, or under the rule of.]

[Footnote 2: Other editions say Caldithe.]

[Footnote 3: Cinnamon.]

[Footnote 4: Tribes.]

[Footnote 5: Scythia.]

[Footnote 6: Except.]

[Footnote 7: Lake or pool.]

[Footnote 8: Can only speak their own language.]

[Footnote 9: Misprint for _land_.]

[Footnote 10: Other editions say Amazony.]

[Footnote 11: Be astonished at him.]

[Footnote 12: Well cemented.]

CAP. LXXXV.

_Of the land of Bactry, and of many Griffons and other beastes._

FROM this land men shal go unto the land of Bactry,[1] where are many wicked men & fell,[2] in that land are trees that beare wol,[3] as it were shepe, of which they make cloth. In this land are ypotains[4] that dwel sometime on land, sometime on water, and are halfe a man and halfe a horse, and they eate not but men, when they may get them. In this land are many gryffons, more than in other places, and some say they haue the body before as an Egle, and behinde as a Lyon, and it is trouth, for they be made so; but the Griffen hath a body greater than viii Lyons and stall worthier[5] than a hundred Egles. For certainly he wyl beare to his nest flying, a horse and a man upon his back, or two Oxen yoked togither as they go at plowgh, for he hath longe nayles on hys fete, as great as it were hornes of Oxen,[6] and of those they make cups there to drynke of, and of his rybes[7] they make bowes to shoote with.

[Footnote 1: Bactria.]

[Footnote 2: Crafty.]

[Footnote 3: Wool.]

[Footnote 4: Hippopotamuses.]

[Footnote 5: Stouter, braver.]

[Footnote 6: The editor of the edition of 1827 says, in a
footnote, p. 325: "One 4 foot long, in the Cotton Library,
has a Silver Hoop about the end, whereon is engraven _Griphi
Unguis, Divo Cuthberto Dunelmensi sacer_. Another, about an
Ell long, is mentioned by _Dr. Greis_, in his History of the
Rarities of the Royal Society, p. 26; tho' the Doctor there
supposes it rather the horn of a Rock Buck, or of the _Ibex
mas_." Such was science a little over fifty years since!]

[Footnote 7: Ribs.]

CAP. LXXXVI.

_Of the way for to go to prester Johns land which is Emperour
of Inde._