H W- 
 ).). 

 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF SIR 
 JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT.
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE 
 
 OF 
 
 WHICH TREATETH OF THE WAY TOWARD HIERUSALEM 
 
 AND OF MARVAYLES OF INDE WITH OTHER 
 
 ILANDS AND COUNTREYS 
 
 EDITED, ANNOTATED, AND ILLUSTRATED IN FACSIMILE 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN ASHTON 
 
 Author of "Chap Books of the \%th Century" "Social 
 
 Life in the Reign of Queen. Anne" " English Caricature and 
 
 Satire on Napoleon I." &"c. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 PICKERING & CHATTO 
 
 66, HAYMARKET 
 
 1887
 
 CHISWICK TRESS I C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, 
 CHANCERY LANE.
 
 "570 
 M3l 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 HAVE edited, and illustrated " The Voiage 
 and Travayle of Syr John Maundeville, 
 Knight," for two reasons. First, that a 
 popular edition has not been published for 
 many years so much so, that many otherwise well 
 educated people hardly know his name ; or, if they do, 
 have never read his book of Marvels. Secondly, a good 
 edition has not yet been published. Putting aside the 
 chap-books of the eighteenth century, which could only 
 cram a small portion of his book into their little duode- 
 cimos, the only English versions of this century are the 
 reprint by Halliwell, in 1839, of the reprint in 1725-1727, 
 of the early fifteenth century MS. (Cotton, Tit. c. 16), 
 which he again reprinted in I866, 1 the edition in " Bohn's 
 Classical Library" (" Early Travels in Palestine "), 1848 ; 
 and " The English Explorers," which forms part of 
 Nimmo's "National Library," 1875. There was also a 
 small edition published in Cassell's " National Library " 
 in 1886 in modern English. 
 
 1 This has again been reprinted in 1884.
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 HalliwelPs reprint of the Cotton MS. is open to objec- 
 tion, because the language of the MS. is specially rude, 
 and can only be understood by professed antiquaries, no 
 footnotes explanatory of the text being given, only a 
 glossary at the end of the book. Also, Mr. Halliwell 
 has taken his illustrations from various sources, not con- 
 fining himself to English woodcuts the Cotton MS. 
 having no illustrations. If, however, the language in 
 Halliwell's edition is too archaic, Bonn and Nimmo err 
 in the opposite direction. Without illustrations, and 
 clothed in modern English, they are bald in the extreme ; 
 whilst the editors of both have not been over careful to 
 closely copy the text. 
 
 Seeing these difficulties, and dearly loving Sir John, 
 in spite of his romancing, I cast about for a book which 
 should fulfil the conditions of an edition I should like 
 for my own reading ; which should have the spice of the 
 old language, without being unreadable, like the Cotton 
 MS., and which contained the original quaint illustrations. 
 This I have found in a reprint of Pynson's unique edition 
 (now in the Grenville Library, British Museum), from 
 which it varies very slightly, except in the modernizing 
 of the language, which is rather an advantage ; and 
 which, by means of the copious footnotes I have made, 
 will, I hope, be easily read by anybody. 
 
 This edition, too, was particularly rich in woodcuts, 
 which I have faithfully facsimiled ; and, in the Appendix, 
 I have reproduced a few from other editions, showing 
 the different treatment of some subjects. In the Appen- 
 dix, also, I have given a list of all the editions of Sir 
 John Mandeville's Travels now in the British Museum. 
 A glance at this will show how popular his book 
 was, in all civilized countries, and in all ages, since
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 its first publication. 1 I have thought that an edition 
 should be produced which could be read by all, and 
 therefore have given explanations of words and facts, 
 perfectly familiar to advanced students, by means of 
 which they will not be inconvenienced, and the general 
 reader much benefited. 
 
 Perhaps the Illustrations in one or two of the early 
 foreign editions are quainter, but I wanted, and have 
 got, a thoroughly representative English Edition, which 
 gives Sir John's adventures, with their concomitant 
 "Travellers' Tales," without the apocryphal stories 
 which were introduced into some of the MSS. and 
 foreign editions. 
 
 Of East, the printer of the exemplar I have chosen, 
 very little is known ; and, curiously, he is ignored in Her- 
 bert and Dibdin's edition of Ames 1 Typographical Anti- 
 quities. According to Ames, he was made free of the 
 Stationers' Company 3rd December, 1565, and he gives 
 his first known printed book as 1569, or a year later 
 than the book I have copied. East, according to the 
 same authority, was granted a patent for ruled paper 
 for music, and worked both for Bird and Tallis. The 
 
 1 Colonel Yule, in " The Book of Ser Marco Polo," &c. (1871), says : 
 " And from the great frequency with which one encounters in cata- 
 logues both MSS. and early printed editions of Sir John Maunde- 
 ville, I should suppose that the lying wonders of our English 
 knight had a far greater popularity and more extensive diffusion 
 than the veracious and more sober marvels of Polo. In Quaritch's 
 last catalogue (November, 1870) there is only one old edition of 
 Polo ; there are nine of Maundeville. In 1839 there were nineteen 
 MSS. of the latter catalogued in the British Museum Library. 
 There are now only five of Marco Polo. At least twenty-five 
 editions of Maundeville, and only five of Polo were printed in the 
 fifteenth century."
 
 Vlll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 date of his death does not seem to be known, but his 
 widow, or daughter, printed a book of Bird's music 
 in 1610. 
 
 JNO. ASHTON.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 KNOW of nothing more likely to be pro- 
 vocative of a literary war than the question 
 of Sir John Mandeville's personal entity. 
 Were I to express an opinion either way 
 that he was a real being, or that he never existed 
 fierce would be the criticism on my views, and much 
 good ink be spilt, which might well be devoted to a 
 better purpose, so that I prefer letting the reader form 
 his own opinion thereon, a course which will save every- 
 body any trouble or vexation of spirit. 
 
 We labour under this difficulty all that is known 
 about him is what he tells us himself, and no one who 
 reads the book can altogether trust his absolute verity. 
 If his book is a mere compilation from other sources, so 
 then is that of Odorico (who died January, 1331), which 
 I place in an Appendix, and which agrees with Mande- 
 ville in so many particulars, that one might reasonably 
 suppose him to be the " fellawe," or companion, whom 
 he frequently mentions, and connect him with that 
 Minorite friar from Lombardy (for Odorico was born 
 at Udine or Friuli) who shrove them before their
 
 X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 entrance into " y e Valey of Divels." ' According to 
 his own account, he was a knight, that he was born at 
 St. Albans, and that he left England on his wonderful 
 voyage on 2Qth September, 1322. He informs us that 
 he travelled through Asia Minor, Armenia, Tartary, 
 Persia, Syria, Arabia, Upper and Lower Egypt, Libya, 
 Chaldaea, a large portion of Ethiopia, Amazonia, Lower 
 India, and the greater part of Upper India, together 
 with the neighbouring islands. If his narrative can be 
 trusted, he lived in most friendly relations with the ruler 
 of Egypt, whom he served in his war against the 
 Bedouins, and was on such familiar terms that they 
 would privately argue on religious topics, and he was 
 even offered a richly dowered princess as a wife, if he 
 would but change his creed, and become a Mahometan. 
 If he can be believed, he wandered all over the then 
 known world, and gratified his military instincts by 
 helping the Emperor of China in his war against the 
 sovereign of Manzi. He tells us that after thirty-four 
 years of wandering and exile he returned to England, 
 taking Rome in his way home, in order to get the Pope's 
 Imprimatur to his book, for which he naively gives as 
 reason : " and, for as much as many men beleve not that 
 they see with theyr eyen, or y* they may conceiue & 
 know in their mynde, therefore I made my way to Rome 
 in my coming homewarde, to shew my boke to the holy 
 father the pope, and tell him of the mervayles y l I had 
 sene in diverse countreys ; so that he with his wise 
 
 1 " And there were in our company two friers minours of Lom- 
 bardy, & sayd, if any of us wold go in, they wold also, as they had 
 sayd so, and upon trust of them we sayd that we wold go, & we 
 dyd sing a masse, and were shriven & houseled, and we went in 
 xiiii men, and whe we came out we were but x."
 
 INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 counsel wold examine it, with diverse folke y* are at 
 Rome, for there dwell men of all nations of the world, 
 and a lytle time after whan he & his coiisel had examined 
 it all through, he sayde to me for a certayne that it was 
 true, for he sayd he had a boke of latin contayning all 
 that, and much more, of y e which Mappa Mundi is 
 made, the which boke I saw, & therefore the pope, hath 
 ratyfied & confirmed my boke in all poyntes." If any 
 portion of this is true, it is probable that the " boke of 
 latin " may have been Pliny, Solinus, or some other 
 equally veracious writer. 
 
 As to the " Mappa Mundi " constructed from such 
 sources, that at Hereford may be taken as a type of 
 ideal geography of the time. This was almost contem- 
 porary with Mandeville, and is ascribed to the very early 
 part of the fourteenth century. Indeed, it can be proved 
 to be of this date, for, among other inscriptions on the 
 map, is the following : 
 
 " Tuz Ki cest estoire ont. 
 
 Ou oyront ou lirront ou veront. 
 
 Prieut a ihesu su deyte. 
 
 De Richard de Haldingdam e de Lafford eyt pite. 
 
 Ki lat fet e compasse. 
 
 Ki ioie eu eel li seit done." 
 
 Which may be thus translated : 
 
 " All who have, or shall have, or shall read, or shall see this his- 
 tory pray to Jesu in deity (or as God) that he may have pity on 
 Richard of Haldingham and of Lafford, who has made and con- 
 trived it, that joy in heaven may be given unto him." 
 
 Richard of Haldingham, or Holdingham, whose real 
 name was Richard de la Battayle, or de Bello, 1 held the 
 
 1 Havergal's Fasti Herefordenses, p. 161.
 
 xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 prebend of Lafford Cnovv Sleaford), in Lincoln Cathe- 
 dral up to the year 1283, an d afterwards held the pre- 
 bend of Norton, in Hereford Cathedral. Hardy, in his 
 edition of Le Neve's Fasti Ecclesia Anglicana, says he 
 was appointed to this stall in 1305. He was afterwards 
 preferred to the Archidiaconate of Berkshire. Perhaps 
 the best description of this map is in a paper read before 
 the Geographical Society of Paris, 3<Dth November, 1861, 
 by M. D'Avezac, President of the Society, a translation 
 of which may be found in the Gentleman's Magazine of 
 May, 1863. He considers it to have been executed early 
 in the year 1314, because Lyons was not annexed to 
 France till the 3Oth of April, 1313, and gives other 
 reasons, equally strong, in support of his argument. 
 
 Thus, then, we have a contemporary map as a guide, 
 and on this Hereford map are portrayed all the monsters 
 described by Mandeville the one-eyed men, those with 
 their heads in their breasts, even the big-footed one- 
 legged man all those things which are regarded as 
 fable in Mandeville are here drawn, and evidently must 
 have been currently believed in. So that when Mande- 
 ville, or some subsequent editor, challenged the Mappa 
 Mundi as confirmatory evidence, he clearly knew what 
 he was about. 
 
 A strong presumption of his personal being is drawn 
 from the fact that Liege is said to be the place of his 
 burial, see Appendix Harl., 3589. 2, " qui obiit Leodii 
 A.D. 1382." That he was believed to have lived at Liege 
 is also shown in Appendix Grenville, 6728/3, where he is 
 said to have written his book in the year 1355 ; and if 
 Weever 1 is to believed, he died there, but at an earlier 
 
 1 " Ancient Funerall Monuments, &c. Composed by the Travels
 
 INTRODUCTION. Xlll 
 
 date, namely, 1371. Speaking of St. Albans, he says: 
 " This Towne vaunts her selfe very much of the birth 
 and buriall of Sir lohn Mandeuill Knight, the famous 
 Trauailer, who writ in Latine, French, and in the English 
 tongue, his Itinerary of three and thirty yeares. And 
 that you may beleeue the report of the Inhabitants to 
 bee true, they haue lately pensild a rare piece of Poetry, 
 or an Epitaph for him, vpon a piller ; neere to which, 
 they suppose his body to haue beene buried, which I 
 think not much amisse to set downe ; for although it 
 will not bee worth the reading, yet do but set it to some 
 lofty tune, as to the Hunting of Antichrist, or the leke, 
 I know it will be well worth the singing : marke how it 
 runs. 
 
 and Studie of John Weever." Lond. 1631. It is exceedingly sin- 
 gular that a book published at Antwerp in 1584, "The Itinera- 
 rium per nonnullas Gallias Belgicae partes Abrahami Ortelii et 
 Joannis Viviani," confirms Weever, in such almost identical words, 
 that it is not worth while to append a translation. Ortelius, or 
 Ortell, writes (p. 16) : " Est in hac quoq. regione Gultelmztaru 
 Ccenobium in quo epitaphiu hoc Joannis a Mandeuille excepimus: 
 HlC IACET VIR NOBILIS DN"S JOfiS DE MANDEVILLE AL' DCVS AD 
 BARBAM, MILES DNS DE CAPDI, NATUS DE ANGLIA, MEDICIE 
 PFESSOR DEVOTISSIMVS ORATOR ET BONORUM LARGISSIMVS PAU- 
 PERIBUS EROGATA QUI TOTO QUASI ORBE LUSTRATO LEODII DIEM 
 VITE SUE CLAVSIT EXTREMUM ANO DNI M CCC LXXI MENSIS 
 
 NOVBRE' DIE XVII. 
 
 " Htzcin lapide, in quo ccelata viri armati imago, leonem calcantis, 
 barba bifurcata, adcaput manus benedicens, &* vernacula hac verba : 
 
 VOS KI PASEIS SOR MI POVR LAMOVR DEIX PROIES FOR ME. 
 
 Clypetis erat vacuus, in quo olim laminam fuisse dicebant azream, &* 
 eius in ea itidem catlata insignia, leonem videlicet argenteum, cut ad 
 pectns lunula tubea, in campo coeruleo, quern limbus ambiret denti- 
 culatus ex oro. Eius nobis ostendebdt Or* cultros, ephippioque, &* 
 calcaria, quibiis usum fuisse ajferebat in perigrando toto fere ter- 
 rarum orbe, vt clarius eius testattir Itinerarium, quod typis etiam 
 excusum passim habetur."
 
 xiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " ' All yee that passe, on this pillar cast eye, 
 
 This Epitaph read if you can ; 
 'Twill tell you a Tombe onc't stood in this roome, 
 
 Of a braue spirited man. 
 lohn Mandeuill by name, a knight of great fame, 
 
 Borne in this honoured Towne. 
 Before him was none that euer was knowne, 
 
 For trauaile of so high renowne. 
 As the Knights in the Temple, crosse-legged in marble, 
 
 In armour, with sword and with sheeld, 
 So was this Knight grac't, which time hath defac't, 
 
 That nothing but mines doth yeeld. 
 His Trauailes being donne, he shines like the Sun, 
 
 In heauenly Canaan. 
 To which blessed place, O Lord of his grace 
 
 Bring vs all man after man.' 
 
 " That he was borne heere in this Towne I cannot 
 much deny ; but I am sure that within these few yeares, 
 I saw his Tombe in the Citie of Leege, within the Church 
 of the religious house of the Guilliammiis, with this 
 Inscription vpon it, and the verses following hanging by 
 on a table. 
 
 "Hie iacet vir nobilis D. loannes de Mandevile, Al ; 1 
 D. ad Barbam miles ; Dominus de Campdi : natus de 
 Anglia, Medicine professor, deuotissimus orator: et 
 bonorum largissimus pauperibus erogator qni toto quasi 
 orbe lustrato. Leodij diem vite sue clausit extremum. 
 Ann. Dom. M.C.C.C.lxxi. Mens. Noucmb. die xvi. 
 
 ALIUD. 
 " ' Hoc iacet in tumulo, cut totus patria -vino 
 
 Orbis erat ; totum quern peragrasse fernnt. 
 Anglus Equesqiie fuit, nunc tile Britannus Vlysses 
 
 Dicatur, Grata clarus Vlysse magis. 
 
 " Otherwise called the Bearded Knight."
 
 INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 Moribus, ingenio, candore, 6 sanguine clarus 
 
 Et vere cultor Relligionis erat. 
 Nomen si queras, est Mandevil, Indus, Arabsque 
 
 Sat notiim dicet finibits esse suz's.' 
 
 "The Churchmen will shew you here his kniues, the 
 furniture of his horse, and his spurres, which he vsed in 
 his trauells." 
 
 Thus speaks Weever, and nobody doubts but that 
 there was a tomb of a Jehan de Maundeville in the Abbey 
 of the Guilelmites, 1 which is mentioned by Bollandus inhis 
 Acta Sanctorum (Februarius, Tom. 2, p. 481, edit. 1658) 
 as " Domus de Motta extra Leodium, inchoata, anno 
 CIDCCLXXXI." The abbey, or hospital, is now de- 
 stroyed ; but, as side proofs, let me give two extracts 
 from different works of the eighteenth century. One, 
 " Abrege curieux et nouveau de 1'histoire de Liege," &c. 
 (no date), 241110., p. 117. " L'Hopital & la Chapelle de 
 S. Guilleaume aux Faux-bourgs de S. Walburge furent 
 fondez 1'an 1330," and in "Abrege Chronologique de 
 1'histoire de Liege, jusqu'a 1'annee 1784, &c." Liege, 
 1784, I2mo., p. 66. It says, " L'hopital & la chapelle de 
 Saint Guillaume au fauxbourg de Sainte Walburge furent 
 fondes 1'an 1330." 
 
 As I said before, regarding Mandeville it must be a 
 question of faith. If Weever is to be relied on, he was a 
 physician, and from the fact of his wearing a beard, pro- 
 bably acquired in his eastern travels, he received the 
 sobriquet of " ad Barbam." This title, however, is 
 claimed for a certain "Jehan de Bourgoigne dit a la 
 
 1 An order founded by Sir William of Maleval a hermit who 
 died icth Feb., 1157. The order was somewhat austere, as the 
 members went barefoot, and their fasts were almost continual. 
 They have nearly all been absorbed into the Augustines.
 
 XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Barbe," but the bare fact of anyone wearing a beard in 
 France, in the clean-shaven fourteenth century, was 
 sufficient to make him remarkable. 
 
 If, again, Weever and others are to be relied on, he 
 died in 1371, and it is a curious fact that the earliest 
 French, or Romance, manuscript known in this country is 
 one of that date, and, moreover, it is circumstantially 
 dated, as will be shown hereafter. This MS. is in the 
 Earl of Ashburnham's collection (catalogued Barrois 24), 
 which every lover of literature will regret was not secured 
 for the nation in its entirety. Its text is most beautiful, 
 and the few illuminations are fine examples of fourteenth 
 century French art. But what I want particularly to 
 point out, is the curious coincidence of dates absolutely 
 contemporaneous. Whether there were any MSS. pub- 
 lished before then I cannot tell, but here is a book pub- 
 lished the year of his death, when inquiry would have 
 proved easily whether such a man had ever lived, but the 
 whole style of the MS. shows that he was well known as 
 a traveller, and it is evidently copied from an earlier 
 edition, as at the end it says, " Ce livre cy fist escrire 
 honorables homes sages et discret maistre Gervaise cres- 
 tien, maistre en medicine, et premier phisicien de tres 
 puissant noble et excellent prince Charles, par la Grace 
 de Dieu, roy de France, Escript par Raoulet dorliens Ian 
 de grace mil ccclxxj le xviij jour de Septembre." 
 
 Here we have an authentic date, which there could be 
 no earthly reason to falsify, and this MS. was written 
 unless Weever and others are liars during the man's 
 lifetime. For, according to their authority, he did not 
 die until November of that year, and we must not fail to 
 remember that Liege was not a very far cry from Paris, 
 and that his fame must have been great, or his book
 
 INTRODUCTION. XV11 
 
 would never have been written as a present for the king, 
 as it probably was. 
 
 This manuscript, being the earliest known, is also use- 
 ful in another way. By some singular chance, all the 
 English versions make out that Mandeville wrote his 
 book first in Latin, then in French, and afterwards in 
 English. But this manuscript settles the point, as it says, 
 " Et sachies q je eusse cest livret mis en latin pour plus 
 briefment deviser. Mais pour ce que pluseurs entendent 
 mieulx romant que latin je lay mis en romant par quoy 
 q chacun lentende." Which I ^translate : " And know 
 that I should (or might) have written this book in Latin, 
 for the sake of brevity. But, because more people know 
 the Romance (or French) tongue, than Latin, I have 
 written it in Romance, so that anyone may understand 
 it." And this translation is endorsed by E. M. Thomp- 
 son, Esq., the head of the MS. department in the British 
 Museum. It all depends on the words "je eusse." They 
 do not mean / had ; and, even in modern French, might 
 be used for / should have, although of course faurais 
 would be better. 
 
 For many years he has been called the " father of 
 English Prose," but this title, after the above, is doubt- 
 ful, even if his existence is granted, and belongs of right 
 to Wyclif. 
 
 Another book, and a very rare and curious one it 
 is, is attributed to Mandeville. There is a copy of 
 this book in the British Museum (C. 27, f. 2), which, 
 although in Gothic letter, gives no clue as to its date, 
 or place of birth, nor do any of the bibliographical 
 authorities which I have consulted (and they are all 
 that can be found in the British Museum) throw any 
 light upon it. The museum authorities catalogue it 
 
 b
 
 xvill INTRODUCTION. 
 
 as Lyons ? 1530 ? Its title is " LE LAPIDAIRE en fran- 
 coys compose par messire Jehan de mandenille chevalier? 
 Its contents are of little worth, except that they contain a 
 store of legendary lore relating to precious stones, such 
 as are met with in most medieval treatises on jewels and 
 it winds up with a prayer. The authorship of this book, 
 too, must be a matter of faith, since it has nothing to 
 guarantee it but its title-page. 
 
 It is somewhat singular too, that the Latin letter sup- 
 posed to be written by Mandeville to King Edward the 
 Third, and which is apropos of nothing, only exists in the 
 French edition. 
 
 In the appended Travels of Oderico, the Minorite 
 Friar, I have italicized many of the passages which are 
 identical with Mandeville's description in order that the 
 reader may have easier reference. 
 
 L, ! /& * ' ^ : 
 
 #;** 
 
 ft*^ vx/W .Jt// r<,? nUt- C 
 
 ^w , ^; /! .v / 
 

 
 THE TABLE. 
 
 CAP. PAGE 
 
 Preface v 
 
 Introduction ix 
 
 I. He that wyl go toward Hierusalem on horse, on 
 
 foote, or by sea 4 
 
 II. Of the Hands of Greece 14 
 
 III. To come againe to Constantinople for to go to the 
 
 Holy Land 19 
 
 IV. Of a terrible dragon 22 
 
 V. Of a yong man and his lemma 25 
 
 VI. Of the maner of hunting in Cipres 27 
 
 VII. Of the haven named Jaffe 29 
 
 VIII. Of the haven of Tyre 29 
 
 IX. Of the Hyll Carme 30 
 
 X. How Sampson slew the King and his enemies . . 32 
 
 XI. The way to Bebilon whereas the Sowdan dwelleth . 33 
 XII. Yet here foloweth of the Sowdan & his Kingdomes 
 that he hath conquered, which he holdeth strongly 
 
 with force 35 
 
 XIII. For to returne fro Sinay to Hierusalem .... 37 
 
 XIV. As men are passed this wildernesse againe coming 
 
 to Hierusalem 39 
 
 XV. Here foloweth a little of Adam & Eve and other 
 
 things 41 
 
 XVI. Of the dry tree 43 
 
 XVII. Fro Bethlehem 44 
 
 XVIII. Of a fayre may den that shold be put to death 
 
 wrongfully 45
 
 XX 
 
 CAP. 
 
 THE TABLE. 
 
 XIX. Of the citie of Hierusalem 48 
 
 XX. Yet of y e holy citie of Hierusalem 50 
 
 XXI. Of y e church of y e holy sepulchre 55 
 
 XXII. Of the temple of God 57 
 
 XXIII. Yet of the temple of God 59 
 
 XXIV. OfKingHerode 64 
 
 XXV. Of S. Salvatours church 66 
 
 XXVI. The fielde of Acheldemack which was bought 
 
 with y e xxx pece 69 
 
 XXVII. Of the mount Joye 70 
 
 XXVIII. Of the castell Berthania 72 
 
 XXIX. Of Jerico and other things 72 
 
 XXX. Of the holy place betwene Bethany and from 
 
 Jordan, and other things 73 
 
 XXXI. Of Abram and his Generation 75 
 
 XXXII. Of the river Jordan 76 
 
 XXXIII. Of many other marvailes 78 
 
 XXXIV. Of the Samaritanes 81 
 
 XXXV. OfGalyle 82 
 
 XXXVI. Of the way of Nazareth to y e mount or hyll of 
 
 Tabor 84 
 
 XXXVII. Of the sea of Galyle 85 
 
 XXXVIII. Of the table whereon Christ eate after his resur- 
 rection 85 
 
 XXXIX. Of straunge maners & divers 87 
 
 XL. For to turne againe on this side Galile .... 91 
 XLI. How a man may go furdest and longest in those 
 
 countreis as hereafter ben rehersed .... 93 
 XLI I. Of other wayes for to go by lande unto Hieru- 
 salem 95 
 
 XLI 1 1. Yet an other waye by lande toward the lande of 
 
 promission 97 
 
 XLIV. Of the faith of the Sarasins and of the booke of 
 
 their law, named Alkaron 99 
 
 XLV. Yet it treateth more of Mahomet 101 
 
 XLVI. Of the byrth of Mahomet 104 
 
 XLVII. Of the yles and divers maner of people and of 
 
 marvailous beastes 107 
 
 XLVI 1 1. Of the haven of Gene, for to go by the Sea into 
 
 divers countreys 109
 
 THE TABLE. 
 
 XXI 
 
 CAP. PAGE 
 
 XLIX. Of the country of Job, and of the kingdome of 
 
 Caldee 115 
 
 L. Of the kingdome of Amazony whereas dwelleth 
 
 none but women 117 
 
 LI. Of the lande of Ethiope 119 
 
 LII. Of Inde the more, and Inde y e lesse, and of 
 
 diamonds, and small people and other things . 121 
 LII I. Of divers kingdomes and yles which are in the land 
 
 of Inde 123 
 
 LIV. Of the kingdome of Mabaro 130 
 
 LV. Of a great countrey called Lamozy where the people 
 
 go all naked 134 
 
 LVI. Of the countrey and yle named Jana which is a 
 
 mighty land 137 
 
 LVI I. Of the kingdome of Pathen or Salmasse which is 
 
 a goodly lande 138 
 
 LVI 1 1. Of the kingedome of Talonach, the king thereof 
 
 hath many wyves 140 
 
 LIX. Of the ylande called Raso where men be hanged 
 
 as sone as they are sicke 143 
 
 LX. Of the ylande of Melke wherein dwelleth evill people 144 
 LXI. Of an ylande named Macumeran whereas the 
 
 people have heads lyke houndes 146 
 
 LXI I. Of a great yland called Dodin wher are many 
 
 divers men of evil condicions 149 
 
 LXI II. Of the kingdome named Mancy, which is the best 
 
 kingedome of the world 153 
 
 LXIV. Of the lande of Pygmeen, wherein dwell but smal 
 
 people of three spanne long 156 
 
 LXV. Of the citie of Menke wher a great navy is ... 158 
 LXVI. Of the lande named Cathay & of y e great riches 
 
 thereof 158 
 
 LXVII. Of a great citie named Cadon wherein is the great 
 
 Caanes palaice and sege 159 
 
 LXVI 1 1. Wherfore that the Emperoure of Cathay is called 
 
 y e great Caane 163 
 
 LXIX. How the great Caane was hid under a tree, and so 
 
 escaped his enemies because of a bird .... 165 
 LXX. Of the great Caanes letters and the writing about 
 
 his scale 166
 
 XX11 
 
 CAP. 
 
 THE TABLE. 
 
 LXXI. Of the governaunce of the country of the great 
 
 Caane 167 
 
 LXXI I. Of the great riches of y c Emperour and of his 
 
 dispending 170 
 
 LXXI 1 1. Of the ordinaunce of the Lordes of y e Empe- 
 rour when he rideth from one countrey to an 
 
 other to warre 171 
 
 LXXI V. How the Empyre of the great Caane is departed 
 into 12 provinces and how that they doe cast 
 ensense in the fyre wher y e great Caane pas- 
 seth thorough the Cities and townes, in wor- 
 ship of the Emperour 172 
 
 LXXV. How the great Caane is the myghtiest lord of 
 
 all the world 173 
 
 LXXVI. Yet of other maners of his countrey .... 174 
 LXXVII. How the Emperour is brought unto his grave 
 
 when he is dead 175 
 
 LXXVI 1 1. When the Emperour is dead how they chose 
 
 and make an other 176 
 
 LXXIX. What countries and kingedomes lye next to the 
 
 lande of Cathay and the frontes thereof . . 177 
 LXXX. Of other wayes comming fro Cathay toward 
 the Grekes sea, and also of the Emperour of 
 
 Percey 179 
 
 LXXXI. Of the lande of Armony, which is a good land, 
 
 and of the land of Middy 180 
 
 LXXXII. Of the Kingdomeof George and Abcanandmany 
 
 marvayles 181 
 
 LXXXIII. Of the land of Turkey, and divers other coun- 
 
 treys, and of the lande of Mesopotainy . . 182 
 LXXXIV. Of divers countreys, kingdomes and yles, and 
 
 marvayles beyond the land of Cathay . . . 183 
 LXXXV. Of the land of Bactry and of many Griffons and 
 
 other beastes 186 
 
 LXXXVI. Of the way for to goe to Prester John's lande, 
 
 which is Emperour of Inde 187 
 
 LXXXVI I. Of the fayth and belyefe of Prester John, but 
 
 he hath not all the full beliefe as we haue . 190 
 LXXXVI 1 1. Of an other yland where also dwelleth good 
 
 people therein and is called Sinople . . . 191
 
 THE TABLE. 
 
 XX111 
 
 CAP. PAGE 
 
 LXXXIX. Of two other yles, one is called Pitan wherein be 
 little men that eat no meate, and in an other 
 yle are the men all rough of fethers .... 193 
 XC. Of a rich man in Prester John's lad named Cato- 
 
 lonapes and of his gardeine 194 
 
 XCI. Of a marvailous valey that is beside the river of 
 
 Phison 196 
 
 XCI I. Of an yland wherin dwell people as great as 
 gyants of 28 or 30 foote of length and other 
 
 things 198 
 
 XCI 1 1. Of women which make great sorow as their 
 children are borne and great joy when they are 
 
 dead 199 
 
 XCI V. Of an yland where men wed their owne daughters 
 
 and kinswome 200 
 
 XCV. Of an other yland wherein dwell full good people 
 
 and true 202 
 
 XCVI. How King Alexander sent his men thither for to 
 
 winne the land 203 
 
 XCVII. How the Emperour Prester John when he goeth 
 to batayle he hath iii Crosses borne before him 
 
 of gold 204 
 
 XCVIII. Of the most dwelling place of Prester John in a 
 
 citie called Suse 205 
 
 XCIX. Of the wilderness wherein groweth the trees of 
 
 the sonne and the moone 207 
 
 C. Of a great yland and Kingdome called Taprobane 208 
 CI. Of two other yles, one is called Orel, and the other 
 
 Argete, where are many gold mynes .... 209 
 CII. Of y e darke country and hyls and roches of stone 
 
 nigh to Paradise 210 
 
 CII I. A little of Paradise Terrestre 211 
 
 CIV. How Prester Johns land lieth fote against fote to 
 
 England 213 
 
 CV. Of the Kingdome of Ryboth 214 
 
 CVI. Of a rich man that is neither King, Prince, Duke 
 
 ne Erie 216 
 
 CVI I. How of all these lands, yles, and kingdomes, and 
 the men thereof afore rehersed haue some of 
 the articles of our faith 217
 
 XXIV THE TABLE. 
 
 CAP. PAGE 
 
 CVIII. How John Maundevyl leveth many mervayles un- 
 written and the cause therefore 218 
 
 CIX. What time John Maundevil departed out of England 219 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE journall of Frier Odoricus. Of the maners of the Chal- 
 deans, and of India. How peper is had : and where it 
 groweth. Of a strange and uncouth idole : & of certaine 
 customes and ceremonies. Of certaine trees yeelding 
 meale, honey, and poyson. Of the abundance of fishes 
 which cast themselues upon the shore. Of the Island of 
 Sylan : and of the mountaine where Adam mourned for his 
 sonne Abel. Of the upper India : and of the province of 
 Mancy. Of the citie of Fuco. Of a Monastery where 
 many strange beastes of divers kindes doe live upon an hill. 
 Of the citie of Cambaleth. Of the glory and magnifi- 
 cence of the great Can. Of certain Innes or hospitals 
 appointed for traveilers throughout the whole empire. Of 
 the foure feasts which the great Can solemnizeth euery yeere 
 in his court. Of divers provinces and cities. Of a certaine 
 riche man, who is fed and nourished by 50 virgins. Of the 
 death of Senex de monte. Of the honour and reverence 
 done unto the great Can. Of the death of frier Odoricus. 
 
 Extra Plates in Illustration of the Book 267 
 
 List of the Editions in the British Museum 277
 
 Ct)e Boiage and Craimpie of 
 3)ot)n fl^auntietoilie, 
 
 beginnetk a lyttle treatise or boke, named John 
 Maundevile Knight, borne in England in the towne of 
 Sainct Albone, & speaketh of the wayes to Hierusalem, 
 to Inde, and to the great e Cane? and also to Prester Johns 
 land, & to many other countreys, & also of many mar- 
 vailes that are in the holy Lande. 
 
 OR AS MUCH as the lande over the sea, 
 that is to say, the holy land, that men cal 
 the land of Behest, 2 among all other lands 
 is most worthy & Soveraine, for it is 
 blessed, halowed, and sacred of the precious bloud of 
 our Lord JESU CHRIST, in the which land, it liked 
 him to take flesh and bloud of the Virgin Mary, & 
 to environ that lande with his owne feete, and there 
 he wold do many myracles, preach and teach the fayth 
 and the law of Christen men, as unto his children, & 
 there he would suffer many reprouves and scornes for us, 
 and he that was King of heaven and hell, of ayre, of sea, 
 of lande, and of all things that are contained in them, 
 wold alonely 3 be called King of that land, when he sayde, 
 Rex sum Judeorum, I am King of Jewes : For that tyme 
 was that lande of Jewes, and that lande he chose before 
 
 1 Khan. 2 Promise. 3 Pynson, all oonly. 
 
 B 
 
 }
 
 2 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 all other landes, as the best & most worthy of vertues 
 of all the world. And as the Philosopher sayth, Virtus 
 rerum in media consistit. That is to say, the vertue of 
 things is in the midst : and in that lande he would leade 
 his lyfe, and suffer passion and death of the Jewes for 
 us, to save and deliver us from the paines of hell, and 
 from deathe without ende, the which was ordeyned to us 
 for the sinne of our father Adam, and our owne synnes 
 also, for as for himself he had none evil done ne 1 deserved, 
 for he never thought ne dyd any evyll, for he that was 
 King of Glory and of joy might best in that place suffer 
 death. For he that will do any thinge that he will haue 
 knowen openly, he wyll proclayme it openly in the 
 myddle place of a towne or of a citie, so that it may bee 
 knowne to all parties of the citie, so he that was King of 
 glory and of all the worlde would suffer death for us at 
 Hierusalem, which is in the mydst of the worlde, so that 
 it might be knowen to all nations of the worlde how 
 deare he bought man, that he made with his handes in 
 his owne likenesse, for the great loue that he had to us. 
 Ah dere God, what love he had to his subjects, when he 
 that had done no trespasse, would for us trespassours 
 suffer death : for a more worthy catell" he might not 
 have sette for us, then his owne blessed bodie and his 
 owne precious bloud the which he suffered for us : right 
 wel ought men to love, worship dreade, and serve such 
 a Lord, and prayse such an holy lande that brought 
 forth a lord of such fruite, through the which eche man 
 is saved but if it be his own defaute. This is that 
 lande prepared for an heritage to us, and in that lande 
 would he dye as seased, 3 to leaue it to his children. For 
 
 1 Nor. 2 Treasure, money, goods, property, possessions. 
 
 * Possessing (seized).
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 3 
 
 the which eche good Chrysten man that may & hath 
 wherewith, should strengthen him for to conquere our 
 righte heritage, and purchace 1 out of the evill peoples 
 handes : for we are cleped 2 christen men of Christ our 
 father, and if we be the ryght children of Christ, we 
 oughte to challenge the heritage that our father lefte us 
 & take it out of straunge mens handes. But now 
 Pryde, Covetyse and Envy hath so inflamed the hearts 
 of the lordes of the worlde, that they are more busy for 
 to disheryte theyr neighbours than to challenge or con- 
 quere their right heritage aforesayde. And the common 
 people that would put their bodies and theyr catell for 
 to conquere our heritage, they may not do so without 
 lordes : for assembling of the people without a chiefe 
 lorde, is as a flocke of sheepe without a sheepherd, the 
 which depart asunder, and wot not whether they shall go. 
 But would 3 God, the worldly Lordes were at a good 
 accorde, and with other of their common people would 
 take this holy voyage over the sea. I trust well that 
 within a little tyme our right heritage before sayd should 
 be reconsiled and put into the hands of the right heires 
 of Jesu Christ. And for as much as it is long time that 
 there was any general passage over the sea, and that 
 many men desire to here speaking of the holy lande, 
 and have therefore great solace and comfort, therefore 
 ye shall here by me John Maundevile Knight which 
 was borne in England in the towne of Saint Albones, 
 and passed the sea in the yeare of our Lord JESU 
 CHRIST A. MIII.C. 4 on the day of Sainct Michael, and 
 there remained long tyme, and wentthrough manylandes, 
 
 1 Pynson, "and chase out the ylle trowand." 
 
 2 Called. 3 (to) omitted. 
 
 4 Pynson and other authorities say MCCCXXXII.
 
 4 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 and many provinces, kingdomes and yles, & have 
 passed through Turkey, and through Armony 1 the lyttle 
 and the great, through Tartary, Percy, 2 Surre, 3 Araby, 
 Egypt the high and the low, through Libie, Caldee and 
 a great part of Ethiope, through Amazonie through 
 Inde the lesse & the more a great part, and through 
 many other yles which are about Inde, where many 
 people dwelleth of divers lawes and shapes. Of the men 
 of which landes and yles I shall speake more plainly and 
 I shall devise 4 a parte of the things what they are when 
 time shall be, after it may best come to my mynde & 
 specially for them that will, and are in purpose, for to 
 visite the holy citie of Hierusalem and the holy places 
 that are there aboute & I shall tell the way that they 
 shall holde 5 thither, for I have many times passed and 
 ridden it with good company and with many lordes. 
 
 CAP : I. 
 
 He that will go toward Hierusalem on horse, on foote, or 
 
 by sea. 
 
 IN the name of God Almightie. He that will passe 
 over the sea, he may go many wayes both by sea 
 and by lande, after the countreys that he cometh from, 
 and many of them cometh to one ende, but think not 
 that I will tell all the townes, cities & castelles that men 
 shall goe by, for then I should make to long a tale, but 
 only some countries and most principall cities and townes 
 that men shall go by and through to go the right way. 
 
 d Armenia. 2 Persia. 3 Syria. * Relate. 
 
 6 Travel or journey.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 5 
 
 First, if a man come from the west side of the worlde 
 as England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Norway, he 
 may if he wyl, go through Almayne 1 and throughout the 
 Kingdome of Hungary, which Kinge is a great lord and 
 a mightie, and holdeth many landes & great, for he 
 holdeth the land of Hungarie, Savoy, 2 Camonie, 3 a great 
 part of Bulgary, that men call the land of Bugres, and a 
 great part of the Kingdome of Rossie, 4 and that lasteth 
 to the land of Mifland, 5 and marcheth on Siprus, 5 and 
 men passe thus through the land of Hungary and through 
 the Citie that men call Cipanum, 6 and through the castell 
 of Nuburgh, 7 and by the yll Torwe, 8 towarde the ende of 
 Hungarie and so by the river of Danubie, that is a full 
 great ryver and goeth into Almayne, under the hilles of 
 Lumbardy, and it taketh into him 40 other ryvers and it 
 runneth throughout Hungary and through Cresses 9 and 
 Crochie, 9 and goeth into the sea so strongely and 
 
 1 Germany. 2 Sclavonia. 
 
 3 Comania may now be placed as being on the north-west side of 
 the Caspian Sea. 
 
 4 Or Rosia, was Russia proper, by the Baltic ; the huge Empire 
 now so termed being then called Muscovy. 
 
 5 Pynson says Nyflond, and in some MSS. it is written indiffe- 
 rently Nyfland, Nyflond, Nislan, and Neflond; but I have no doubt 
 but that by it is meant Livonia, as is explained Apian's Cosmo- 
 graphie: " qui est la derniere Province d'Alemaigne, et de la Chres- 
 tie'te', vulgairement appelee Liefland ; " and this is the more likely 
 as Siprus is spelt in Pynson and other editions Pruysse, i.e., 
 Prussia. 
 
 6 Pynson says Chypron, other authorities Schyppronne, Cypron, 
 and Chippronne. 
 
 7 Neuburgh ; sometimes written Neaseburghe, Newbow, or New- 
 borewe. 
 
 8 In other editions " evyll." 
 
 9 Cresses is rendered in other editions as Grece or Greece, 
 but this is impossible, as also is Crochie, which Pynson calls 
 Tracy, and others call Thracie or Thrace. It probably means
 
 6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 with so great might that the water is freshe xxx 1 myle 
 within the sea and afterwards go men to Belgrave 2 and 
 entereth the lande of Bugres and there pass men a bridge 
 of stone that is over the river Marrock, 3 and so men passe 
 through the lande of Pinseras 4 and come to Grece to the 
 citie of Stermis, 5 and to the citie of Affinpane/' that was 
 sometime called Bradre 7 the noble and so to the citie of 
 Constantinople that was sometime called Bessameron 8 
 and there dwelleth commonly the Emperor of Grece. 
 
 Croatia, and he has muddled up the Save or Sau, a tributary to the 
 Danube, which rises not far from Lombardy, joining the Danube 
 at Belgrade. 
 
 1 Pynson and others say 20 miles. 
 
 2 Belgrade. 3 Now called the Morava. 
 
 4 Pynson says Pynteras, others Pyncemartz, and Pyncoras. 
 
 5 Pynson says Sternys, others Sternes, or Scernys. 
 
 6 Written elsewhere Affynpayn, Assynpayn,and ad fines Epapie. 
 
 7 This will best explain the difficulty of placing the localities, for 
 this means Adrianople. 
 
 8 Byzantium, the ancient name for Constantinople, the seat of the 
 Western Empire.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. / 
 
 At Constantinople is the best and the fairest church 
 of the \vorlde, and it is of sainct Steven. 1 And before 
 this church is a gylte image of Justinian the Emperour, 
 and it is sitting upon an horse and crowned, and it was 
 wont to holde a round appell 2 in his hand, & men say 
 there that it is a token that the Emperour hath lost a 
 part of his landes, for the appell is fallen out of the 
 images hand : and also he hath lost a great parte of his 
 lordshippe. For he was wont to be Emperour of Rome, 
 of Grece, and of all Asia the lesse, of Surry, and of the 
 land of Jude, 3 in the which is Jerusalem, & of the land 
 of Egipt, of Percie & Arabia, but he hath lost all but 
 Grece, and that lande he holdeth all onely. Men would 
 put the appell in the images hande, but it will not holde 
 it. This appell betokeneth the lordship that he had over 
 all the world, and the other hand he lifteth up against 
 the East, 4 in token to manasse 5 misdoers. This image 
 standeth upon a pyller of marble. 
 
 Pynson has Sophy, now the Mosque of St Sophia. 
 
 Probably an orb. 3 Judaea. 
 
 Pynson says West, but others give East. 5 Menace.
 
 8 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 At Constantinople is the crosse of our Lord and his cote 
 without seame, the sponge and the rede with which the 
 Jewes gave our Lord gall to drinke on the Crosse, and 
 there is one of the nayles that our Lorde Jesu Christ 
 was nayled with to the Crosse. Some men think that 
 halfe the Crosse of Christ be in Cipres in an Abbey of 
 Monkes, that men call the hill of the holy crosse, but it 
 is not so, for the crosse that is in Cipres is the crosse on 
 which Dysmas 1 the good theefe was hanged, but all men 
 
 1 The names of the penitent and impenitent thieves vary slightly 
 in different accounts. In the Apocryphal book of Nicodemus, cap. 
 7, vv. 10, u, they are thus given : "But one of the two thieves 
 who were crucified with Jesus, whose name was Gestas, said to 
 Jesus, If thou art the Christ, deliver thyself and us. But the thief 
 who was crucified on his right hand, whose name was Dimas, 
 answering, rebuked him, and said, Dost thou not fear God, who art 
 condemned to this punishment? We indeed receive rightly and 
 justly the demerit of our actions : but this Jesus, what evil hath he 
 done ? " 
 
 But in the Apocryphal book, I. Infancy, cap. 8, vv. 1-7 (a 
 Nestorian and Gnostic book), the names are given differently: " In 
 their journey from hence they came into a desert country, and were 
 told it was infested with robbers ; so Joseph and St. Mary prepared 
 to pass through it in the night. 
 
 And, as they were going along, behold they saw two robbers 
 asleep in the road, and with them a great number of robbers, who 
 were their confederates, also asleep. 
 
 The names of those two were Titus and Dumachus ; and Titus 
 said to Dumachus, I beseech thee let those persons go along 
 quietly, that our company may not perceive any thing of them ; 
 
 But Dumachus refusing, Titus again said, I will give thee forty 
 groats, and as a pledge, take my girdle, which he gave him before 
 he had done speaking, that he might not open his mouth, or make 
 a noise. 
 
 When the Lady St. Mary saw the kindness which this robber did 
 show them, she said to him, The Lord God will receive thee to his 
 right hand, and grant thee pardon of thy sins. 
 
 Then the Lord Jesus answered and said to his mother, When
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 9 
 
 wot 1 not that, & that is evil done but for the getting of 
 the offering they say that it is the crosse of our Lorde, 
 and ye shall understande that the crosse of our Lorde 
 Jesus Christ was made of foure maner of trees, as it is 
 conteyned in this verse following. 
 
 In cruce fit Palma, Cedrtts, et Cypressus, OUva. 
 
 For the piece that went ryght up from the earth unto 
 the head was of Cipres, and the piece that went over- 
 thwart, to the which his handes were nayled, was of 
 Palme, and the stock that stood within the earth in the 
 which they had made a morteys, was of Cedre, and the 
 table aboue his head was a foote and a half long, on 
 which y e tytle was written, y 1 was of Olyve. Y* Jewes 
 
 thirty years are expired, O Mother, the Jews will crucify me at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 And these two thieves shall be with me at the same time upon 
 the cross, Titus on my right hand, and Dumachus on my left, and 
 from that time Titus shall go before me into Paradise." 
 
 1 Know.
 
 IO THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 made this crosse of these foure maner of trees for they 
 thought y* our Lord shold have hanged as long as y e 
 crosse might last, therefore they made the foote of 
 Cedre, for Ceder may not in the erth ne 1 in water rot ; 
 they thought that the body of Christ shold have stonken, 
 they made the piece y 4 went from the yearth upwarde of 
 Cipres so that the smell of his body shold greve no man 
 that came by, and that overthwart was made of Palme 
 in signification of Victory. And the table of the tytle 
 was made of Olive, for it betokeneth peace, as the story 
 of Noe witnesseth, when y e dove brought y e braunch of 
 Olive that betokened peace made between God and man. 
 And you also shal understande, that the Christen men 
 that dwell over the sea, say that the pece of the Crosse 
 that we call Cipres was of the tree that Adam eate the 
 appell of, and so finde they written, and they say also 
 that their scripture saith, that when Adam was sicke he 
 sayd to his son Seth that he shold go to Paradise and 
 pray that the Aungel that kepeth Paradise, y l he wold 
 send him oyle of the tree of mercy for to anoynte him 
 that he might have health, & Seth went, but the 
 Aungel would not let him com in at the gate, but said 
 unto him that he might not have y e oyle of mercy, but 
 he took him three camels 2 of the same tree that his 
 father eate the appell of, and bad him as sone as his 
 father was dead, that he should put these camels under 
 his tongue and bury him, and he did so, and of these 
 three camels sprang a tree, as the Angel sayd and when 
 the tree bare fruite, then shold Adam be made whole. 
 And when Seth came againe and founde his father dead, 
 he did with the camels as the Aungell commaunded him, 
 of the which came three trees, whereof a crosse was 
 1 Nor. 2 Kernels another edition says Greynes.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 II 
 
 made that bare good fruite, that is to say, our saviour 
 Jesu Christ, through whom Adam and all that came of 
 him should be saved and delivered from everlasting 
 death, but 1 if it be their owne defaute. 2 This holy 
 crosse had the Jewes hid under the earth in y e rock of 
 the mount of Calvery, & it laye there two hundreth 
 yeares and more, as they say, unto the tyme that Saint 
 Elene found it, the which Saint Elene was daughter of 
 Coel King of Englande, that then was called Britaine, 
 and after maried to Constantius, fyrst Consul and after 
 Emperour of Rome, who had by hir issue Constantine 
 the great, born in England and afterward Emperour of 
 Rome, which Constantine turned the name of Bezansium 
 into Constantinople, he reedified that citie, and made it 
 monarcall seate of all Europa and Asia Minor. Also 
 ye shall understande that the crosse of our Lord was in 
 length viii cubites and that the piece that went over- 
 thwart was three cubites 3 and a halfe. 
 
 1 Except. 2 Fault. 
 
 * This measure varied. It was generally accepted as being the
 
 12 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 A part of the crowne of our Lord Jesu wherewith he 
 was crowned & one of the nayles, and the speare head 
 and many other reliques are in France at Paris in the 
 chapell of the King, and the crowne lyeth in a vessell of 
 cristall wel dight and richly, for y e French King bought 
 these reliques sometime of the Jewes, to whome the 
 Emperour had laid them to pledge for a great sume of 
 golde. And although men say that this Crowne was of 
 thornes ye shall understand that it was of Jonkes 1 of 
 the sea, which be white and pricketh as sharp as thornes, 
 for I have scene and beheld many times that at Paris, 
 and that at Constantinople, for they were both of one, 
 and made of Jonkis of the sea. But men have departed 
 him in two partes, of the which one parte is at Paris, and 
 the other part at Constantinople, and I haue a point 
 thereof that seemeth a white thorne, and that was given 
 me for a great friendeship for there are many of them 
 broken and fallen into the vessell, when they shew the 
 Crowne to great men or lordes that come theither. And 
 ye shall understande that our Lord in that night that he 
 was taken, he was led into a garden, and there he was 
 examined sharply, & there the Jewes crowned him with 
 a crown of abbespine 2 braunches that grew in the same 
 garden & set it on his head so fast, that the blood came 
 downe by many places of his visage, necke, and shoulders, 
 and therefore hath the abbespine many vertues, for he that 
 beareth a braunche of it about him, no thunder, nor any 
 maner of tempest may hurt him, nor the house that it is 
 
 length of a man's arm from the elbow to the extremity of the little 
 finger. The Roman cubit is usually reckoned as 17-^ in., the 
 Scriptural cubit at 22 in., and the English cubit at 18 in. 
 
 1 Rushes. Juncus Maritimus. 
 
 2 Albespine probably meant for White thorn.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 13 
 
 in may no evill ghost come, nor in no place where it is. 
 And in that same garden Sainct Peter denied our Lord 
 thrise. And afterward was our Lord led before the Bishop 
 and ministers of the lawe into another gardein of Anne 1 
 and there was he examined, scorned & crowned efte 2 with 
 a swete thorn that men called barbareus 3 that grew in 
 the same gardein and that hath many vertues. And 
 afterward he was led to a gardein of Caiphas, and there 
 he was crowned again with eglentine, 4 and after that he 
 was led to a chamber of Pilate & there he was crowned, 
 and the Jewes set him in a chaire and clad him in a mantell 
 of purpure 5 and then made they a crowne of Jonkes of 
 the sea and there they kneled to him & scorned him 
 saying Ave rex Judeorum That is to say, haile King of 
 Jewes. And of this crowne, halfe is in Paris and the 
 other halfe at Constantinople, the which our Saviour 
 Jesu Christ hadde on his head, when he was nayled on 
 the crosse, and therefore shall men honour and worship 
 it, and holde it more worthy then any of the other. And 
 the speare shaft hath the Emperour of Almaine, but the 
 head which was put in his side is at Paris they say, in 
 the holy chappell, and oft tymes sayth the Emperour of 
 Constantinople, that he hath the speare head & I have 
 often seen it, but it is greater than that at Paris. Also 
 at Constantinople lyeth Sainct Anne our ladie's mother, 
 whom Saint Elene caused to be brought from Hieru- 
 salem, and there lieth also the body of Saint John 
 Chrisostome that was bishop of Constantinople. There 
 lyeth also sainct Luke the Evangelist, for his bones were 
 brought from Bethany where he was buried : and many 
 other relyques are there, and there is of the vessdl of 
 
 1 Annas. a Again. 3 ? berberis. 
 
 * Honeysuckle. 5 Purple.
 
 14 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 stone as it were marble, which men call Idryus, that ever- 
 more droppeth water & fylleth himselfe every yeare once. 
 And ye shall wete that Constantinople is a fayre citie 
 and well walled & it is three cornered, and there is an 
 arme of the sea that men call Hellespon, and some men 
 call it the bunch 1 of Constantinople and some call it the 
 brace 2 of sainct George, and this water encloseth two 
 partes of the citie, and upward to the sea upon that 
 water was wont to be the great citie of Troy in a fayre 
 plaine, but that citie was destroyed by the Grekes. 
 
 CAP: II. 
 
 Of the Ilandes of Grece. 
 
 ABOUT Grece be many yles that men cal Calastre, 3 
 Calcas Settygo, Thoysoria, Mynona, Faxton, Molo, 
 
 1 Bouche, the mouth. 
 
 2 Arm. Lat. brachium, as we should say, an arm of the sea. 
 
 3 Calliste, which Ferrarius, in his Lexicon Geographicum (edit.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 15 
 
 Carparte and Lempne, and in this yle is mount Athos 
 that passeth the clowdes & there are divers speaches 
 and many countries that are obedient to the Emperour 
 of Constantinople, that is to say Turcoply, Pyncy, Narde, 
 Comage and many other, Tracy & Macedony, of which 
 Alexander was king. In this countrey was Aristotle 
 borne, in a citie that men call Strages, a little from the 
 citie of Tragic, .& at Strages is Aristotle buried, and 
 there is an aulter on his tombe, and there they make a 
 greate feast every yeare as he were a saint, & upon his 
 aulter the lordes holde their great counsayles and as- 
 semblies and they think, that through the inspiration of 
 God & him, they should have the better councill. In 
 this countrey are right highe hilles, there is an hill that 
 men call Olimphus that departeth Macedonie and Tracy, 
 and is as high as the cloudes, and the other hill that 
 men call Athos is so highe, that the shadow of him 
 stretcheth unto Olimphus and it is neare Ixxvii myle 
 between, and above that hill is the aire so cleere, that 
 men may fele no wynde there, and therefore may no 
 beast live there the ayre is so drye, and men say in the 
 
 1670), says is an island in the /Egean Sea. The other islands have 
 different names in different MSS., but are not worth the trouble of 
 identifying, except Lampne as Lemnos where Mandeville places 
 Mount Athos. Plutarch and Pliny said that, in the summer 
 solstice this mountain projected its shadow on the market-place of 
 Myrina, the capital city of Lemnos, and that a brazen cow was 
 there erected to mark the termination of the shadow ; but this is 
 as probable as the distance given, namely, seventy-seven miles, 
 which is manifestly erroneous. The spelling of the geographical 
 names is very bad, and renders it a difficult task to identify them : 
 for instance, if it were not a well-known fact that Aristoteles was 
 born and buried at Stagira, it would be very difficult to identify 
 Strages as being the same place. Again, Olimphus is used instead 
 of Lemnos, in connection with the shadow of Mount Athos.
 
 1 6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 countrey that Philosophers somtyme went up to these 
 same hilles and helde to their noses a sponge wet with 
 water for to have ayre, for the ayre was so drye there 
 & above in the pouder 1 of the hill they wrote letters 
 with their fingers, and at the yeares ende they came 
 againe and found those letters which they had written 
 the yeare before without any defaute, 2 and therefore it 
 seemeth well that these hilles passe the cloudes to y e 
 pure aire. 
 
 At Constantinople is the Emperours palaice which is 
 fayre and well dight, 3 and therein is a palaice for justing, 4 
 and it is made about with stages that eche man may 
 well see and none greve, 5 other & under these stages are 
 stables vauted for the Emperours horses and all the 
 pillers of these stables are of marble. And within the 
 church of Saint Sophy, an Emperour wold haue layd 
 the body of his father when he was dead, and as they 
 made the grave they found a body in the earth & upon 
 that body lay a great plate of fine gold & there upon 
 was written in Ebrew, Greke & Latin letters that sayde 
 thus : Jesus Christus nascetur de virgine Marie, et ego 
 credo in eum. That is to say, Jesu Christ shal be borne 
 of the Virgin Mary & I believe in him. And the date 
 was that it lay in the earthe 200 6 yeare before our Lord 
 Jesu Christ was borne, and yet is that plate in the 
 treasory of the Church, and men say that it was Her- 
 moerenes 7 the wise man. And neverthelesse if it be so 
 
 o 
 
 that men of Grece be Christen, yet they vary from our 
 
 1 Powder, dust. 2 Uninjured. 3 Furnished. 
 
 4 Jousting or tilting. 5 Inconvenience. 
 
 Pynson and other editions say Two thousand. 
 7 Here the chronology is somewhat involved, as Hermogenes 
 lived in the time of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who was born 
 
 A.D. 121.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. [/ 
 
 fayth, for they say that the holy ghoste commeth not 
 out of the sonne, but all onely of the father, and as they 
 are not obedient to the Church of Rome, nor to the 
 Pope, and they saye that theyr Patryarkes haue as much 
 power over the sea, as the Pope hath on this syde the 
 sea. And therefore Pope John the XXII. sente letters 
 to them, how Christen fayth should be all one, and that 
 they shoulde be obedient to a pope that is Christes 
 Vykar in earthe, to whome God gave plaine l power to 
 binde and to assoyle, 2 and therefore they should be 
 obedient to him. And they sent him divers aunsweres, 
 and among other they said thus. Potentiain tuam sum- 
 mani circa subjectos tuos firmiter crcdimus. Superbitatenl 
 tnain sits finer e non pos mmus. Avaritiam tuam satiare 
 non intendimus. Dominus tecum fit, quia Dominus 
 nobiscum est. Vale. That is to say, we beleve wel that 
 thy power is great upon thy subjectes. We may not 
 suffer thy pryde. We are not in purpose to fulfille thy 
 covetyse. 3 Our Lorde be with thee, for our Lorde is 
 with us. Farewell. And other aunswere might not be 
 haue of them. And also they make theyr sacrament of 
 the aulter of therf bread, 4 for our Lord made it of therf 
 bread when he made his maunde. 5 And on sherthursday e 
 make they theyre bread in tokening of the maunde, and 
 they dry it at the sonne, 7 and kepe it all the yeare & 
 give it to sick men instede of gods body. And they 
 make but one unction when they Christen Children, and 
 they anoynt no sick men, and they say there is no pur- 
 gatory, and soules shall haue neither joy ne payne untill 
 the day of dome." And they say that fornication is no 
 
 1 Plenary. 2 Absolve. 3 Covetousness. 
 
 4 Unleavened bread. s Last Supper. e Shrove Thursday. 
 7 In the sun. * Doom, or the day of judgment. 
 
 C
 
 1 8 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 deadly sinne, but a kindly thing, and that men & women 
 shoulde wed but once, and who so weddeth more than 
 once theyr children are bastards and gotten in sinne, 
 and theyr priestes also are wedded, and they say that 
 usury or simony is no deadly sinne and they sell bene- 
 fices of holy churche, and so did men of other places 
 and is great sclaunder, 1 for now is Simony King crowned 
 in holy churche, God amende it when his will is. And 
 they say that in Lent men should not singe masse but 
 on the Saterday and on the Sonday, and they fast not 
 the Saterday no tyme in the yeare, but if it be Christmas 
 or Easter even. And they suffer no man that is on this 
 side the Grece sea to sing at theyr aulters, and if it fall 
 that they do through any hap, 2 they wash theyr aulters 
 as sone without tarieng with holy water, and they say 
 that there should be but one masse sayde at one aulter 
 in a day. And they say that our Lorde did neuer eate 
 meate but that he made a token 3 of eating. And also 
 they say that we sinne deadly in shaving of our berdes, 
 for the berde is a token of a man, and a gift of our Lord 
 and they saye that we sinne in eating of beastes that 
 were defended 4 in the olde lawe, as swyne, hares and 
 other beastes. 
 
 And thus they saye that we sinne in eating of fleshe 
 on the dayes before Ashwednesday, and in eating of 
 fleshe on the Wednesdaye, and when we eate chese or 
 egges on the Fryday and they curse all those that eate 
 no fleshe on the Saterday. Also the Emperour of Con- 
 stantinople maketh the Patriarkes, Archebishoppes and 
 Bishoppes.and he giveth all the dignities of the churches, 
 and depryveth them that are unworthy, although it be so 
 
 1 Scandal. 2 If by chance they should do so. 
 
 3 Only seemed to eat. 4 Forbidden.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 19 
 
 that these touch not the way, nevertheless they touch 
 that which I haue behight 1 to shew a parte of the cus- 
 tome, maners, and diversitie of countries, and for this is 
 the first countrey that is discordaunt from our faithe and 
 letteth a our faithe on this side the sea, therefore haue I 
 sette it here that ye may see the diversitie between our 
 faith & theirs, for many men haue great liking to here 
 speake of straunge things. 
 
 CAP: III. 
 
 To come againe to Constantinople for to go toward the 
 holy land. 
 
 NOW come we againe for to know the way from 
 Constantinople. He that will go through Turkey, 
 he goeth through the citie of Nyke, 3 and passeth through 
 
 Promised. 
 
 Hinders. 
 
 3 ? Salonika.
 
 2O THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 the gate of Chivitot that is right highe, and it is a myle 
 and a halfe from Nyke, and who so wyll go by the 
 brache l of Sainct George, and by the Greeke sea there 
 as Sainct Nicolas lyeth, and other places. First men 
 come to the yle of Silo, and in that ile groweth mastike 
 upon small trees as plomtrees, or chery trees. And 
 then after men go through the ile of Pathmos, where 
 Saint John the Evangelist wrote the Apocalips and I do 
 you to wete, 2 when our Lorde Jesu Christ died, Saint 
 John the Evangelist was of the age of xxxii yeare and 
 he lived after the passion of Christ Ixiii 3 year and then 
 died. Fro Pathmos men go to Ephesim which is a faire 
 citie and neare to the sea, and there died sainct John 
 & he was buried behind the high aulter in a tombe, and 
 there is a fayre church, for Christen men were wont to 
 holde. that place, but in the tombe of sainct John is 
 nothing but Manna, for his body was translated 4 into 
 paradise, & the Turkes hold now that citie and the 
 church, and all Asia the lesse, & therefore is Asia the 
 lesse called Turkey. And ye shall understand that 
 sainct John did make his grave ther in his lyfe and laied 
 himselfe therein all quick 5 & therefore some say he 
 dyed not, but that he resteth there unto the day of 
 judgement, and therefore truely there is a great marvaile, 
 for men may see there apertly c y c earth of the tombe 
 many times stirre and move, as there were a quick thing 
 under. And from Ephesim, men go through many iles 
 in the sea unto the citie of Pateran 7 where sainct Nicolas 
 was borne and so to Marca " where he by the grace of 
 God was chosen Bishop, and there groweth right good 
 
 1 See foot note, ante, p. 19. 2 Know. 3 Pynson says 67. 
 
 4 Taken up to heaven. 5 Living, alive. 6 Openly. 
 
 7 Patera, a city of Lycia. 8 Myra, also in Lycia.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 21 
 
 wyne and strong, that men call the wyne of Marca. 
 From thence men go to the yle of Crete, which the 
 Emperor gave sometime to Jonais. 1 And then men 
 passe through the yles of Cophos and Lango 2 of the 
 which yles Ipocras 3 was lord, and some say that in the 
 yle of Lango is Ipocras daughter in maner of a Dragon, 
 which is a hundred foote long as men saye, for I have 
 not scene it, and they of the yles call hir the lady of 
 the countrey, and she lyeth in an olde castell and 
 sheweth hir thrise in the yeare, and she doth no man 
 harme and she is thus changed from a damosell to a 
 dragon through a goddesse that men call Diana, and 
 men say that she shall dwell so unto the tyme that a 
 knighte come that is so hardy as to go to hir and kisse 
 hir mouthe, and then shall she tourne againe to hir owne 
 kinde, and be a woman, and after that she shall not live 
 long. And it is not long sith 4 a knight of the Rodes 5 
 that was hardy and valiant said that he would kisse hir, 
 and whan the Dragon began to lifte up hir head againste 
 him, and he saw it was so hideous, he fled awaye, and 
 the Dragon in hir anger bare the knight on a roche, and 
 of that cast him into the sea and so he was lost. 
 
 1 The Genoese. 2 The island of Cos. 
 
 3 Hippocrates, the famous physician, who was born at Cos. 
 
 4 Since. 5 The island of Rhodes. 6 Off.
 
 22 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP: IIII. 
 
 ^ Yet of the same Dragon. 
 
 ALSO a young man that wist not of the Dragon, 
 went out of a shippe and went through the yle till 
 he came to a Castell, and came into the cave and went 
 so long till he founde a chamber, and there he saw a 
 damosell that kemde 1 hirheade & loked in a mirrour, and 
 she had much treasure aboute hir, and he trowed 2 she 
 had been a common woman that dwelled ther to kepe 
 men, and he abode 3 the damosel, and the damosel saw 
 the shadowe of him in the mirrour, & she tourned toward 
 
 1 Kemped or combed. 2 Thought. 
 
 3 Pynson says " obeyed unto the damsell" that is, made obei- 
 sance, or bowed to her.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 23 
 
 him and asked what he would, and he said he would be 
 hir paramoure or lemman, 1 and she asked him if he were 
 a knight, and he sayd nay, and she sayd then might he 
 not be hir lemman, but she bad him go againe to his 
 fellowes and make him knighte and come againe on the 
 morow and she woulde come oute of the cave and then 
 hee shoulde kisse hir on the mouth, and she badde him 
 haue no dread, for she would do him no harme, although 
 she semed hidious to him, she sayd it was done by in- 
 chauntment, for she sayd that she was such as he saw 
 hir then, and she sayd that if he kissed hir, he should 
 haue all the treasure, and be hir lord, and lord of all 
 those yles. Then he departed from hir and went to his 
 fellowes in the ship, and made him knight, and came 
 againe on the morow to kisse the damosel, and when he 
 saw hir come out of the cave in forme of a dragon, he 
 had so great dread, that he fled to the ship, and she 
 folowed him, and when she saw that he tourned not 
 againe, she began to crye as a thing that had much 
 sorow, and tourned again, and sone after the knight 
 dyed, and sithen 2 hetherto might no knight see hir but 
 he died anon. But when a knight commeth that is so 
 hardy. to kisse hir, he shall not dye, but he shall tourne 
 that damosel into hir right shape and shal be lord of the 
 countrey aforsayde. And from thence men go to the 
 yle of Rodes, the which the hospitallers held and go- 
 verned, and that they took sometime from the Emperour, 
 and it was wont to be called Colles 3 and so yet the 
 Turkes call it Colles. And sainct Paule in his Epistels 
 writeth to them of the yle Collocenses. 4 This yle is 
 
 \ Sweetheart. 2 Since then. 
 
 3 From the Colossus there, a statue of Jupiter 70 cubits high, 
 and which was accounted as one of the wonders of the world. 
 
 4 This is not so. The Epistle to the Colossians was addressed
 
 24 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 nereCLxxx 1 myle from Constantinople. And from this 
 yle of Rodes, men go into Cipres where are many vines, 
 the first is red and after a yeare they war all white, and 
 those vines that are most white, are most cleare and best 
 smelling, And as men passe by the way by a place 
 where was wont to be a great citie that men call Satha- 
 lay, and all that countrey was lost through the folly of 
 a young man, for he had a faire damosell that he loved 
 well, and she dyed sodenly & was buried in a grave of 
 Marble & for the great love he hadde to hir, he went in 
 a nighte to hir tombe and opened it, & went and lay by 
 hir and when he had done he went away, & when it 
 came to the ende of ix monthes a voice came to him & 
 sayd in this maner as in the next chapter foloweth. 
 
 to the inhabitants of Colossae, a city in Phrygia which is clearly 
 shown by his referring in cap. 4, v. 13, to two neighbouring cities. 
 " For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and 
 them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis." 
 1 Pynson and others say 800.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 CAP : V. 
 
 Of a young man and his lemman. 
 
 GO unto the tombe of the same woman that you 
 hast lien by & ope it, behold well that which thou 
 hast begotten on hir and if thou let for to go, thou shalt 
 haue a great harme, and he went and opened the tombe 
 and there flew out an head * right hideous for to see, the 
 which head flew all about the citie and countrey, and 
 sone after the citie and the countrey sanke downe, & 
 ther are many perilous passages. Fro Rodes to Cipres 
 
 1 An edder, or adder really meaning a winged serpent.
 
 26 
 
 is five hundred mile and more, but men may go to 
 Cipres and come not at Rodes. Cipres is a good yle & 
 a great, and there are many good cities, and there is an 
 Archbishoppe at Nichosy, 1 and foure other Bishops in 
 the lande. And at Famagost is one of the best havens 
 on the sea that is in the worlde, and there are christen 
 men and Sarasins and men of all nations. In Cipres is 
 the hill of the holy crosse, and there is the crosse of the 
 good thefe Dismas, as I sayd before, and some wene 2 
 that there is halfe of the crosse of our lord, but it is not 
 so, and they do wrong that make men to believe so. In 
 Cipres lieth S. Simeon, of whome the men of the countrey 
 make a great solempnitie, and in the Castell of Amours 
 lyeth the body of Saint Hillarion, and men kepe it 
 worshipfully, and beside Famagost was sainct Barnarde 3 
 borne. 
 
 1 Nicosia. 2 Imagine. 3 Barnabas.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 CAP: VI. 
 
 Of the maner of hunting in Cipres. 
 
 IN Cipres men hunte with Pampeons J that be lyke 
 to Leopards, and they take wylde beastes right well 
 and they are somewhat more than lions, and they take 
 more sharply wilde beastes then houndes. In Cipres is 
 a maner that lordes and other men eate upon the earthe, 
 for they make diches within the earth all about the hall 
 depe to the knee, and they pave them, and when they 
 
 1 Large wild dogs ; they are described by Jacobus de Vitriaco 
 (the Cardinal), in his Histories Orientalis, thus : " Papiones quos 
 appellant, canes silvestres, acriores quam lupi."
 
 28 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 will eate, they goe therein & sit there, this they do to be 
 more freshe, for that lande is hotter then it is here. And 
 at great feastes and for strange men, they set formes and 
 hordes as they do in this countrey, but they had lever L 
 sit in the earth. From Cipres men go by lande to 
 H Jerusalem, and by sea, and in a day and a night he 
 that hath good wind may come to that haven of Tyre 
 that now is called Sur, and it is also at the entre of 
 Surry. 2 There was sometime a fayre citie of christen 
 men, but the Sarasins haue destroyed the most parte 
 thereof, and they kepe y e hauen righte well, for dread that 
 they haue of Christen men. Men might go right to that 
 haven and come not in Cipres, but they go gladly to 
 Cipres to rest them on the lande, or else to by 3 thinges 
 that they haue nede of to their living. Upon the sea 
 side men may find many rubies, and there is a well that 
 holy write speaketh of 
 
 Fons ortorum et puteus aquarum viventum. That is to 
 say, The well of gardeines and diches of waters living. 
 In the citie of Tyre sayde the woman to our Lorde, 
 Beatus venter gui te portavit et ubera que succisti. That 
 is as much to say, Blessed be the body that bare thee, 
 and the pappe of the which thou suckest. And there 
 our Lorde forgave the woman of Canee hir sinnes, and 
 there was also in that place wont to be the stone on 
 which our Lord sat and preached & on the same stone 
 was founded the Church of Sainct Saviour. And upon 
 that See is the citie of Saphon, Sarep, or Sodome and 
 there was wont to dwell Elias the prophet & there was 
 raised Jonas the prophete the widowes sonne, and fiue 
 myle from Saphen is the citie of Sydon, of which citie 
 Dido that was Eneas wife after the destruction of Troy 
 
 1 Liefer, rather. 2 Syria. 3 Buy.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEV1LLE, KNIGHT. 29 
 
 was queene, and that founded the Citie of Carthage in 
 Affryke and now is called Didonsart. And in the citie of 
 Tyre raigned Achilles, the father of Dido and a myle 1 
 from Sidon is Beruth, & from Beruth to Sardena is 
 three days journey and from Sardena is five myle to 
 Damas. 
 
 CAP. VII. 
 
 Of the haven of Jaffe also named. 
 
 WHO so will go lenger upon the sea and come 
 nerer to Hierusalem you shall go from Cipres 
 by sea to porte Jaffe, for that is the next haven to 
 Hierusalem, for from that haven it is but a days journey 
 & a halfe to Hierusalem And that haven is called 
 Jaffe, and the towne Affe after one of Noyes 2 sonnes 
 that men call Japheth that founded it, and now it is 
 called Jops. And ye shall understand that it is the 
 eldest town of the world, for it was made before Noes 
 floud and there be the bones of a giaunts side that be 
 XL fote long. 
 
 CAP : VIII. 
 
 Of the haven of Tyre, 
 
 AND who arriveth at the first haven of Tyre, or of 
 Surrey beforesayde, may go by land if he will to 
 Hierusalem, and he goeth to the citie of Aeon in a day, 
 
 1 Other editions say 16 miles. 2 Noah's.
 
 30 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 it was called Tholomayda, and it was a citie of christen 
 men sometime, but it is now destroyed and it is on the sea. 
 And it is from Venice to Aeon by the sea two thousand 
 and Lxxx myle of Lombardy & from Calabre or fro 
 Cicill it is to Aeon a thousand three hundred miles of 
 Lombardy. 
 
 CAP. IX. 
 Of the hill Carme. 
 
 A 
 
 ND the yle of Grece 1 is right in the mid way, 
 and beside this citie of Aeon towarde the sea at 
 1 Crete.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNUEVILLE, KNIGHT. 31 
 
 viii l hundred furlonges on the righte hande towarde the 
 southe is the hil Carme 2 where Elias the prophet dwelled, 
 and there was the ordre of Carme 3 fyrst founded. This 
 hyl is not ryghte greate, ne hygh, and at the foote of 
 this hill was sometime a good citie of chrysten men, 
 that was called Cayphas, for Cayphas founded it, but it 
 is nowe all wasted. And at the lyfte syde of the hyll is 
 a Town that men call Saffre, and that is sette upon 
 another hil, there was Sainct James and saynt John 
 borne, and in the worshippe of them is there a faire 
 church made. And from Tholomayda that men now 
 call Aeon, to a great hill that men call Ekale 4 de Tyrreys 
 is an hundred furlongs, and beside that citie of Aeon 
 runneth a lyttle ryver that men call Belyon, and there 
 nere is the fosse of Minon 5 all round that is a hundred 
 cubytes or shaftments 6 broade, and it is all full of 
 gravell, cleare shyninge, whereof men make white glasse 
 cleare, and men come from far countreys by shippe, and 
 by lande with cartes to take of the gravell & if there be 
 never so much taken thereof in a daye, on the morow it 
 is full againe as ever it was, and that is great marvaile, 
 and there is alwaye winde in that fosse that styreth 
 alway the gravell and maketh it troubled. And if a man 
 put or do therein any mettal, as sone as it is therein it 
 waxeth glasse, and the glasse that is made of this 
 gravell if it be done 7 into the gravell tourneth againe 
 
 1 Pynson and others say 120 furlongs. 
 
 2 Carmel. 3 Carmelite friars. 
 4 The scale, or ladder, of Tyre. 
 
 * Meaning the sepulchre of Memnon. 
 
 6 A shaftment was a measure taken from the top of the extended 
 thumb to the outmost part of the palm usually taken as six 
 inches. 
 
 7 Buried.
 
 32 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 into the gravell as it was before & some say that it is a 
 swallow 1 of the sea gravell. 2 
 
 CAP. X. 
 
 How Sampson slew the King and his enimies. 
 
 ALSO from Aeon beforesaid, men go three 3 journeys 
 to the citie of Philisten, that now is called Gaza, 
 that is to say the rich citie & it is right fayre and full 
 
 1 Whirlpool. 
 
 2 This story is said to come from Solinus, and is mentioned in 
 Minister's Cosmographia, and in other books. 
 
 3 Pynson and others say four.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 33 
 
 of folke and it is a little uppon the sea, and from that 
 citie broughte the strong Sampson the gates of the Citie 
 uppon a highe hill, where he was taken in the Citie, 
 and there he slewe the King in his palace, and many 
 thousande more with him, for he made an house to fall 
 on them. And from thence shal men go to the citie of 
 Cesaryen, 1 and so to the castell of Pylleryns 2 and then 
 to Askalon, and so forth to Japhat 3 and so unto the holy 
 citie of Hierusalem. 
 
 CAP. XI. 
 
 The maye to Babylon wliereas the Soudan divelletJi. 
 
 ND whoso wyll go through the lande of Babylon 
 
 where the Soudan 4 dwelleth, to have leave to go 
 
 1 Caesarea. 
 
 Pilgrims. 
 
 Jaffa. 
 
 Sultan. 
 
 D
 
 34 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 more sykerly 1 throughe the Churches & countreys, 
 and to go to mount Sinay before he come to Hierusa- 
 lem, and then turne agayne by Hierusalem ; he shall goe 
 from Gaza to the castell Dayre. And after a man com- 
 meth out of Surry, and goeth in the wildernesse, where 
 the waye is full sandy, and the wyldernesse lasteth eyght 
 Journeys, 2 where men findeth all that them nedeth of 
 vytayles and men call that wyldernesse Archelleke, 3 and 
 whan a man commeth out of this deserte, hee entreth 
 into Egypte, and they call Egypte, Canopat, 4 and in 
 another language men call it Mersyne, 5 and the fyrste 
 goode towne that men fynde is called Beleth, and it is 
 at the ende of the Kingdome of Alape, 6 and from thence 
 men come to Babylon and to Kayre, 7 and in Babylon is 
 a fayre churche of our lady, where she dwelled vii yeare 
 when she was oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade of 
 Kynge H erode. And there lyeth the bodye of Saynte 
 Barbara vyrgyn, and there dwelled Joseph whan he was 
 solde of his brethrene, and there made Nabugodonosor 
 put the children in (the) fire, for they were of right * 
 trouth, the which chyldren men call Anania, Azaria, and 
 Misael (as y e psalme ofBenedicite saith) but Nabugodo- 
 nosor called them thus, Sydrac, Mysac, Abdenago, that 
 is to say, God glorious, God victorious, God over all 
 Kingedomes, and that was for myracle that he made 
 Goddes sonne, as he sayd, go wyth those chyldren 
 throughe the fyre. There dwelleth the Soudan, for there 
 
 1 Certainly, surely. 2 Day's march. 
 
 3 Athylec, Abylech, Alhylet, Alhelet, Abylet. 
 
 4 Query Canopus, a city 12 miles from Alexandria, named after 
 the pilot of Menelaus' vessel, who was buried here. 
 
 5 Mersur, Morsyn. 6 Aleppo. 7 Cairo. 
 8 True faith.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 35 
 
 is a faire citie and a stronge castell and it standeth upon 
 a rocke. In that Castell is always dwellyng to kepethe 
 castell and to serve the soudan, above viii l thousand 
 persons or folk that take all theyr necessaries at the 
 Soudans courte. I should well knowe it, for I dwelled 
 with him soudiour 2 in his warres a great while agayne 
 the Bedions, 3 and he wold haue wedded me to a great 
 princes daughter ryght richly, if I would haue forsaken 
 my faith. 
 
 CAP. XII. 
 
 Yet here followeth of the Soudan and of his Kingdomes 
 that he hath conquered, which he holdeth strongly with 
 force. 
 
 AND ye shall understand that the Soudan is lorde of 
 v Kingdomes : the which he hath conquered and 
 gotten to him by strength, and these be they the King- 
 dome of Canopate (that is] the Kingdome of Egipte, the 
 Kingdome of Hierusalem : whereof David and Salomon 
 were Kings, the Kingdome of Surry, of the which the 
 citie of Damas 4 was the chiefe, the Kingdome of Alape 
 in the lande of Dameth, and the Kingdome of Arabya : 
 which was one of the three Kinges that made offeryng 
 to our Lorde when he was borne, and many other landes 
 he holdeth in his hande, and also he holdeth Calaphes 5 
 that is a great thing to the Soudan, that is to say, among 
 them Roys yle and this vale is colde. 
 
 1 Other editions say 6,000. 2 Soldier. 3 Bedouins. 
 
 4 Damascus. 5 Khalifs. 
 
 '" Who are accounted there as kings.
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 And then men go uppon the mount of Sainct Katherina 
 and that is much higher than the mount Moyses. And 
 
 ilii 
 
 there as saint Katheryn was graven 1 is no church ne 
 castell, ne other dwelling place, but there is an hyll of 
 
 1 Buried.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 37 
 
 stones gathered togither, about the place there she was 
 graven of Aungels, there was wont to be a chapell, but 
 it is all cast downe & yet lyeth there a great parte of 
 the stones. 
 
 But under the foote of mount Sinay is a monasterie of 
 Monkes, and there is the church of Sainct Katherine 
 wherein be many lamps brenning, and they have oyle 
 onlye enough to eate and to brenne, and that they haue 
 by myracle of God, there come certaine of all maner of 
 byrdes euery yeare once, lyke pylgrymes and eche of 
 them bringeth a braunch of olyve in token of offering, 
 whereof they make much oyle. 
 
 CAP. XIII. 
 
 For to returne fro Sinay to Hierusalem. 
 
 NOW sythen a man hath visited this holy place of 
 Sainct Katheryn and he will torne to Hierusalem, 
 he shall fyrst take leave of the Monkes, and recommend 
 him specially to their prayers, then those Monks will 
 freely giue to Pilgrims victuals to pass through the Wil- 
 dernesse to Surry & that lasteth well xiii Journeys. 
 And in that wyldernesse dwell many Arabyns that 
 men call Bedoins and Ascoperdes, 1 these are folk that are 
 full of all maner of yll condycyons, and they have no 
 houses, but tentes, the wyche they make of beastes 
 skinnes, as of camelles and other beastes the whyche 
 
 1 Or Giants from the Arabic askhaf, a tall, big-boned man. It 
 will be remembered that Sir Bevis of Southampton brought home a 
 Giant Ascapart who probably was one of them.
 
 38 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 they eate, and thereunder they lye, and they d\vell in 
 places where they maye fynde water, as on the rede sea, 
 
 for in that wildernesse is greate defaute of water, and it 
 faileth ofte where a man findeth water one time, he 
 fyndeth it not another tyme, and therefore make they no 
 houses in those countreys. These men that I speake of 
 tyll not the land, for they eate no breade, but 1 yf it be 
 anye that dwelleth neare a goode towne. And they rost 
 al theyre fishes and flesh upon the hote stones agaynst 
 the sonne, and they are stronge men and well fyghtynge, 
 and they do nothinge but chace wyld beastes for theyr 
 sustenaunce, and they sette 2 not by theyr lyves, therfore 
 they dreade not the Soudan nor no prince of all the 
 worlde. And they haue greate warre wythe the Soudan, 
 and the same tyme that I was dwelling with him they 
 bare but a shelde and a speare for to defende them with, 
 and they holde 3 none other armour, but they wynde 
 
 Unless. 
 
 They value not. 
 
 3 Have.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 39 
 
 theyr heades and neckes in a great lynnen clothe, 1 and 
 they are men of full yll kynde. 
 
 . CAP. XIIII. 
 
 As men are passed this wyldernesse againe camming to 
 Hiemsalem, 
 
 AND when men are passed this wyldernesse towarde 
 Hierusalem they come to Barsabe 2 that was some- 
 time a fayre and a lykyng towne of Christen men, and 
 yet is some of their churches, and in that towne dwelled 
 Abraham the Patryarke. This towne of Barsabe founded 
 Uryas wife, of whom David engendred Salomon the 
 wyse that was Kyng of Hierusalem, and of the xii kindes* 
 of Israeli, and he raigned xl yeare. And from thence 
 
 1 A turban. 
 
 Beersheba. 
 
 Tribes.
 
 4O THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 go men to the vale of Ebron, that is from thence nere 
 xii myle and some call it the vale of Mambre, 1 and also 
 it is called the vale of Teeres, for as much as Adam in 
 that vale he wept a hundred yeare the death of his sonne 
 Abel that Cayne slew. And Ebron was sometime 2 the 
 principall Citie of the Philistines & there dwelled giaunts 
 & there it was so free, that all that had done evill in 
 other places were there saved. In Ebron Josue and 3 
 Calope and theyr felowship came fyrst to espy how they 
 might wynne the lande of promyssion. In Ebron David 
 raigned fyrst vii yeare and a halfe & in Hierusalem he 
 raigned xxxii 4 yeare and a halfe, and there be the graves 
 of the Patryarkes Adam, Abraham, Jacob and theyr 
 wyves, Eve, Sare, Rebecca 5 and they are in the hanging c 
 in the hyll. And under them is a right fayre Churche 
 Kirnelde 7 after the facion and maner as it were a Castell, 
 the which the Sarasins keepe right well, and they haue 
 that place in greate worship for the holy Patryarkes that 
 lieth there, and they suffer no Christen men ne Jewes to 
 come therein but they have speciall grace of the Soudan, 
 for they holde Christen men and Jewes but as houndes 
 that should come in no holy place, and they call the 
 place Spelunke 8 or double cave or double grave ; for one 
 lyeth on another, and the Sarasins call it in theyr lan- 
 guage Caryatharba, that is to say the place of Patryarkes, 
 and the Jewes call it Arboth. And in that same place 
 
 1 Mamre. 2 Formerly. 
 
 3 Jehoshuaand Caleb (see Numbers, cap. 13). 
 
 4 Pynson and others say 33 years and a half. 
 
 5 All other editions have " and of Lya," or Leah, who is evidently 
 here forgotten. 
 
 8 Caves cut in the side of the rock. 
 7 Crenelated or battlemented. 
 * Lat. Spelunca, a cave.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 4! 
 
 was Abrahams house, and that was the same Abraham 
 which sat in his dore, and saw three persons and wor- 
 shipped but one, as holy wryt witnesseth saying, Tres 
 indet et unum adoravit. That is to saye, he saw three 
 and worshipped but one, and him took Abraham into 
 his house. 
 
 CAP. XV. 
 
 Here foloweth a lyttle of Adam & Eve and other things. 
 
 AND right nere to that place is a cave in a Roche 
 where Adam and Eve dwelled whan they were 
 dryven out of Paradyse, and there got they theyr 
 chyldren. And in that place was Adam made as some 
 men saye, for men called sometime that place the felde
 
 42 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 of Damasse, 1 for it was in the worshippe ~ of Damasse ; 
 and fro thence he was translated into Paradyse as they 
 saye, and afterwarde he was driven out of Paradyse, and 
 put there agayne, for the same daye that he was put into 
 Paradyse, the same day he was driven out, for so soone 
 he synned. And there begynneth the yle 3 of Ebron that 
 lasteth nere to Hierusalem, and the Aungell bad Adam 
 that he should dwell wyth his wyfe, and there they en- 
 gendred Seth, of the which kyndred 4 Jesu Christ was 
 borne. And in that vale is the felde where men draw 
 out of the earth a thinge the which men in that countrey 
 call Chambell and they eate that thinge in the stede 
 of spyce & they beare it to sell, and men may not 
 grave 5 there so deepe ne so wyde, but it is at the yeares 
 ende full againe up to the sydes through the grace of 
 God. And two myle from Ebron is the grave of Loth ' 
 that was Araham's brother. 
 
 1 Damascus. 2 Pynson and others say lordship. 
 
 3 Vale. 4 Kindred or tribe. ' Dig. "' Lot.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 4$ 
 
 CAP. XVI. 
 
 Of tJie dry tree. 
 
 WHEN a lyttle from Ebron is the mounte of 
 Mambre, of the which mount the vale toke his 
 name, and there is the tree of oke that the Sarasins call 
 dypre, 1 that is of Abraham's time, that men call the dry 
 tree. And they say that it hath ben from the beginning 
 of the worlde, and was sometime grene and bare leaves, 
 unto the tyme that our Lorde dyed, and so did all the 
 trees in the worlde, or else they fayled in their heartes, 
 or else they faded, and yet is there many of those in the 
 worlde. And some prophesies say, that a lorde or prince 
 of the weste syde of the worlde shall winne the lande of 
 1 Pynson and others read Dyrpe or Dirpe.
 
 44 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 promission, that is the holy lande, with the helpe of 
 Christen men, and he shall do singe 1 a masse under that 
 tree, and the tree shall waxe grene and beare fruite and 
 leaves, and through that miracle many Sarasins and 
 Jewes shal be turned to the Christen fayth, and therefore 
 they do great worship therto, and kepe it right 2 basely. 
 And yet though it be dry, it beareth a great vertue, for 
 certainly he that hath a lyttle thereof about him, it 
 healeth a sicknesse called the falling evill, and hath 
 many other vertues also, and therefore it is holden right 
 precious. 
 
 CAP. XVII. 
 Fro Bethlehem. 
 
 FROM Ebron men go to Bethlehem in halfe a daye, 
 for it is but five myle, and it is a fayre waye & 
 thorow 3 woddes full pleasaunt. Bethlem is but a little 
 citie long and narowe, and well walled, and enclosed 
 with a great diche and it was wont to be called Effrata 
 as holy wryte sayth Ecce andivimus eum in Effrata &c., 
 That is to saye, Lo we herde him in Effrata. And 
 toward the ende of the citie toward the East, is a ryght 
 fayre churche and a gracious and it hath many toures, 
 pinacles and kirnelles 4 full strongly made & within that 
 Church is xliiii great pyllers of marble & betwene this 
 church the field 5 florished, as ye shall here. 
 
 1 Cause a mass to be sung. 
 
 2 To keep it carefully. 3 Through woods. 
 * Battlements. 5 The flowered field.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 45 
 
 CAP. XVIII. 
 Of afayre may den tJiat should be put to death wrongfully. 
 
 THE cause is, for as much as a fay re maiden y* was 
 blamed wyth wrong that she hadde done fornica- 
 tion, for the which cause she was demed x to dye and to 
 bee brente 2 in that place to the which she was ledde. 
 And as the woode began to brenne about hir, she made 
 hir prayer to our Lorde as she was not gyltie of that 
 thing, that he would helpe hir that it might be knowne 
 to all men. And whan she had thus sayde, she entred 
 the fyre and anone the fyre went out, and those braunches 
 that were brenning-e became red Roses and those 
 
 Condemned. 
 
 2 Burnt.
 
 46 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 braunches that were not kindled became white Hosiers' 
 full of white roses, and those were the fyrst roses and 
 rosyers that any man sawe, and so was the mayden 
 saved through the grace of God, and therefore is that 
 felde called the feeld of God florished, for it was full of 
 Roses. Also besyde the quire of that Church aforesayd 
 at the right side as men come downwarde xii 2 grees 3 is 
 the place where our Lorde was borne that is now full 
 well dyght 4 of Marble & full rychely depaynted of golde, 
 sylver and asure and other colours. And a lyttle thens 
 by three paces is the crybe 5 of the Oxe and the Asse, 
 and besyde y 4 is the place where the sterre 6 fell that lede 
 the three Kinges Jasper, Melchior and Balthasar, but 
 men of Grece call the Kinges thus, Galgalath, Saraphy, 
 Malgalath. These three Kinges offered to our Lorde, 
 Encence, Gold & Mirre and they came together through 
 myracle of God, for they mette togither in a citie that men 
 call Chasak, that is liii journeys from Bethleem, and there 
 they were at Bethleem the fourth 7 daye after they hadde 
 scene the sterre. And under the cloyster of this church 
 xviii grees 8 at the righte syde is a great pytte where the 
 bones of the Innocentes lie, and before that place where 
 Chryst was borne is the tombe of Sainct Jerom that was 
 a priest and a Cardinal that translated the Byble and 
 the Sauter 9 from Hebrew into Latyn, and beside that 
 church is a Church of Saynte Nycolas, where our Lady 
 rested hir whan she was delivered of chyld, and for as 
 much as she had so much mylke in hir pappes that it 
 greved hir, she mylked it out uppon the redde stones 
 of Marble, so that yet may the traces bee scene whyte 
 
 1 Rose bushes. 2 Other editions say 16. 3 Steps. 
 
 4 Adorned. 3 Crib or Manger. 8 Star. 
 
 7 Other editions say " thirteenth." * Paces " Psalter.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 47 
 
 uppon the stones. And ye shall understande that all 
 that dwell in Bethleem are Chrysten men, and there are 
 fayre vynes all aboute the citie and great plentie of 
 wine, for their booke that Mahomet betoke 1 them, the 
 which they call Alkaron and some call it Massap 
 and some call it Harme, forbiddeth them to drinke 
 any wyne, for in that booke Machomet curseth 
 all those that drynke of that wyne and all that 
 sell it, for some men saye that he onse slewe a good 
 hermite in his dronkennesse which ' he loved much, 
 and therefore he cursed the wyne, and them that 
 dryivke wyne, but his malyce is torned to hymselfe, as 
 holye writ sayth " Et in verticem ipsius iniquitus ejus 
 descendit" That is to say in Englyshe, His wickednesse 
 shall descende on his owne head. And also the Sarasins 
 bringeth forthe no geise, 3 ne they eate no swines fleshe, 
 for they say it is brother to manne and that is was for- 
 bidden in the olde lawe. Also in the lande of Palestine 
 ne in the lande of Egypte they eate but lyttle veale and 
 beefe but it be so olde that it may no more travayll 4 ne 
 werke, not that it is forbidden but they kepe them to 
 tylling of their lande. In this castell of Bethleem was 
 Kyng David borne and he had Lx wives and ccc lem- 
 mans. From Bethleem to H Jerusalem is two myle, and 
 in the way of Hierusalem halfe a myle from Bethleem is 
 a Church where the aungell sayd to the shepherdes of 
 the bearing of Christ. In that waye is the tombe of 
 Rachel that was Josephs mother the Patryarke and she 
 dyed as soone as she hadde borne Benjamyn and there 
 she was buried, and Jacob hir husbande set xii great 
 stones upon hir in tokening that she had borne xii 
 
 1 Gave. 2 Whom. 3 Breed no pigs. 
 
 4 Plough or draw loads.
 
 48 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 children. In this way to Hierusalem are many Christen 
 churches by the which men go to Hierusalem. 
 
 CAP. XIX. 
 
 Of the citie of Hierusalem. 
 
 FOR to speake of Hierusalem, ye shall understande 
 that it standeth fayre among hylles, and there is 
 neither ryver nor well, but water commeth by conduit 
 from Ebron, and ye shall wete that men called it first 
 Jebus and sythen it was called Salem unto the time of 
 King David, and he set those two names togither and 
 called it Hierusalem and so it is called yet. And aboute 
 Hierusalem is the Kingdome of Surry, & thereby is 
 the lande of Palestyne and Askalon, but Hierusalem is 
 in the lande of Jude, and it is called Judee, for Judas 
 Maccabeus was King of that lande, and also it marcheth 
 afterward on the Kingedome of Araby, on the South 
 side on the lande of Egipt, on the west side on the great 
 sea, on the north syde on the Kingdome of Surry and 
 the sea of Cipres. About Hierusalem are these cities. 
 Ebrone at viii * myle, Jerico at vi myle Barsebe at viii 
 myle Askalon xviii 2 myle, Jaffa at xxv 3 Ramatha at iiii ' 
 mile. At Bethlem towarde the South is a church of 
 saint Markerot, 5 that was abbot there, for whom they 
 made much sorow when he should dy & it is painted 
 there how they made dole 6 when he dyed, and it is a 
 
 1 2 3 Other editions say respectively 7, 17, 16. 
 4 Other editions say 3 miles. 
 
 3 Variously written, Markertot, Karitot, Karscati, and Mer- 
 caritot. 
 8 Grieved, from Lai. Dolor.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 49 
 
 piteous thing to beholde. This lande of Hierusalem 
 hath ben in dyvers nations hands, as Jewes, Cananens, 
 Assyrians, Percians, Macedons, Grekes, Romayns & 
 Chrysten men, Sarasins, Barbaryans, Turkes & many 
 other nacions. For Chryste wyll not that it be long in 
 the handes of traytours ne sinners be they Christen or 
 other. And now hath the mistrowing 1 men holden that 
 lande in theyre handes Lx yeare & more, but they shall 
 not holde it long and if 2 God wyll. 
 
 1 Unbelieving, or heathen. 
 
 2 Unless it is God's pleasure.
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. XX. 
 
 Yet of the holy citie of Plierusalem. 
 
 AND ye shall understand that whan men fyrst come 
 to Hierusalem, they go fyrste a pylgrimage to the 
 Church, where that the holy grave is, the whiche is 
 
 out of the citie on the North syde, but it is now closed 
 in with the wall of the towne, and there is a full fayre 
 church rounde, all open aboue, and well covered with
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 5 I 
 
 leede and on the west syde is a fayre toure and a strong 
 for belles. 
 
 And in the middes of the church is a Tabernacle 
 made like a little house, in maner of halfe a compasse, 
 ryght well and richly of gold and asure and other 
 coloures well dyght & on the ryght syde is the sepulchre 
 of. cure Lorde, and the tabernacle is viii foote long and 
 v fote wide and xi fote of height. And it is not longe 
 sythen the sepulchre was all open, y 1 men might kysse 
 it and touche it : but for men that came thether payned 1 
 them to breake the stones in peces or pouder, therefore 
 the Soudan hath made a wall about the sepulchre that no 
 man may touch it. On the lefte syde is no wyndowe, but 
 therein is many lampes light, and there is a lampe that 
 hangeth before the sepulcre lyght brenning and on the 
 fryday it goeth oute by itselfe, and lyghteth againe by 
 itselfe at the houre that our Lorde rose from death to 
 life. And within that church upon that right side is the 
 mount Calvary, where our Lord was done on the crosse, 
 and the crosse was sette in a morteys 2 in the roche that 
 is white of coloure, and a lyttle redde medled 3 with, and 
 upon that roche dropped the bloude of the woundes of 
 our Lord whan he was pained on the crosse & that is 
 called Golgatha and men go up to that Golgatha upon 
 greces. 4 And in that mortays was Adams head founde 
 after Noyes flood, in token that the sinnes of Adam, 
 shoulde bee boughte in the same place, and aboue that 
 roche made Abraham sacryfice to our Lord, and there is 
 an auter, 5 and before thatauter lyeth Godfry of Boleyn, 6 
 Bawdewyn 7 and other that were Christen and kinges of 
 Hierusalem. And ther as our Lord was done 8 upon the 
 
 1 Tried hard. 2 Mortise. * Mixed. * Steps. 
 
 5 Altar. Bouillon. 7 Baldwin. * Placed.
 
 52 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 crosse, is thys wrytten in greke, Otheos l basylon, ysmon 
 persemas, ergaste sothyas oyos. That is to say in latine, 
 Hie Deus Rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in 
 medio terrce, That is to saye, This God our King before 
 worldes, hath wrought healthe in the myddes of the 
 earth. And also upon the roche where the crosse was 
 fyxed is wrytten within the roche, Eros 2 guyst basys, 
 thou, pestes, thoy, thesmoysy. That is to say in latin, 
 Quod vides est fundamentum totius mundi et hujus fidei. 
 And it is to saye, that thou seest, is grounde of all the 
 world and of this faith. And ye shall understande that 
 our Lorde whan he dyed was thyrty & two 3 yeare olde 
 and three monethes and the prophecie of David sayth 
 that he should haue xl yeares, when he saith thus. 
 Quadraginta annis proximus fni generatione huic, that is 
 to say, fourtie yeare was I neighbour to this kinde, and 
 thus it should seme that prophecie were not sothe, 4 but 
 it is. For in olde time men called yeares of ten monethes 
 of the which Marche was the fyrst & December the last. 
 But Cayus Cezar 3 that was Emperour of Rome dyd 
 sette to these two moneths Januarie & Februarie and 
 ordeyned the yere of xii months. That is to say ccc 8 
 dayes without lepe yere the proper course of the sonne 
 and therefore after the accompting of x moneths to the 
 yeare, he dyed in xl yeare and three moneths. 
 
 Also within mounte Calvary at the ryghte syde is 
 there an aulter where the piller lyeth that our Lorde was 
 
 1 Should read " O 6f6c BamXtiit; t'ifiwv ?rp6 atwvwv ttnydaaro ffiurriniav 
 iv fisatf) TIJG yJc." 
 
 2 Should read "O tidit^, tarl Ba<r( Tfjg Trirrrtiof oXrjc TOV 
 
 TOVTOV." 
 
 3 Other editions have 33 years and 3 months. 
 
 4 Sooth, true. 5 Caius Julius Caesar. 
 
 (; Other editions give the proper number of days, viz., 365.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 53 
 
 bound to when he was scourged and thereby are three l 
 other pyllers that alwaye drop water, and some saye 
 that those pyllers weepe for our Lords death, and neare 
 
 this aulter in a place xlii grees 2 depe was founde the 
 verye crosse by the assent 3 of sainct Eleyne 4 under a 
 roch where the Jewes had hydde it and it was assayed, 
 for they founde three crosses, one of our Lorde and two 
 of theves. And Saint Elene assayed them on a dead 
 body that rose as sone as the very 3 crosse of our Lorde 
 
 1 Other editions say four, which is the number represented in the 
 engraving. 2 Paces. 
 
 3 Perception, or sagacity. Lat., sensus. 
 
 4 Helena, mother of Constantine. 
 
 5 True, veritable.
 
 54 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 was laid on him. And thereby, in the vale, is the place 
 where the foure nayles of our Lord were hyd, for he had 
 two nayles in his handes and two in his fete, and one of 
 those nailes the Emperour of Constantinople 1 dyde 
 make a bridell for his horse to beare him in bataile, for 
 by 2 the vertue that it had, he overcame his enimies, 
 and wan 3 all the land of Asye, Turky, Damasse the 
 more 4 and the lesse, Surrey and Hierusalem, Araby, 
 Percy, and Mesopotamy, the Kingdome of Alabe, 5 Egipt 
 the high and the lowe, and other kingdomes many full 
 nyghe all unto Ethyope the low, and also unto Inde the 
 lesse, that then was chrysten. And there was in that 
 tyme many good men and holy hermits, of whome the 
 booke of 6 the fathers lyves speaketh, and they are now 
 in Paynims & Sarasins handes, but whan God will 
 righte 7 as these landes are lost through sinne of Christen 
 men, so shall they be won againe by christen me throygh 
 the helpe of God. And in the myddes of this Church 
 is a compasse, 8 in the which Joseph of Armathy a layd 
 the body of our Lord whan he had taken him of 10 the 
 crosse & upon the same place dyd he wash the fete of 
 our Lorde, & that compasse men say is in the myddes 
 of the world. 
 
 1 Another is said to be incorporated in the so-called Iron Crown 
 of Lombardy. Guisto Fontanini, Archbishop of Ancyra, gives a 
 list of twenty-three places claiming to have a nail Venice having 
 three. M. Rohault de Fleury gives six more whilst, according to 
 tradition, Helena sent two to her son, and threw one in the sea to 
 still a storm, thus leaving but one to meet all demands. 
 
 2 Through. 3 Won or conquered. 
 4 Greater. s Aleppo. 
 
 6 The Vitas Sanctorum Patrum, many old printed copies of which 
 exist. 
 
 7 When God thinks fit. 8 A linen swathing-band. 
 9 Arimathaea. 10 Off.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 55 
 
 CAP. XXI. 
 
 Of the church of tJie holy sepulchre. 
 
 IN that Churche of the sepulcre on the north syde is 
 the place where our Lord was done 1 (in) prison, and 
 there is a part of the cheyne with which he was bound, 
 and there he appeared fyrst to Mary Magdeleyne when 
 he was risen from death and she trowed 2 that he had 
 bene a gardeiner. In the Church of the sepulcre was 
 wont to be 3 Chanons of sainct Benet and they had a 
 pryour ; but the Patryarke was theyr soveraigne. 
 
 And without the dores of the Churche on the righte 
 syde as men go up xviii grees, 4 our Lorde sayde to his 
 mother 3 Eccefilius tuns. That is to say, Woman beholde 
 thy sonne De inde dixit discipulo, Ecce mater tua. That 
 is to say, Then said he to his disciple, Behold thy 
 mother. 6 And these wordes he sayde when he hanged 
 upon the crosse. And upon these greces went our 
 Lorde when he bare the crosse uppon his shoulder, and 
 under these greces is a Chappell where the priestes 
 synge, but not after our lawe, and alway they make 
 theyr Sacrament of the aulter of bread, say Paternoster 
 &c., and other prayers, as with the which thing they say 
 the wordes of whome the sacrament is made, for they 
 
 1 Put. 2 Thought or believed. 
 
 3 Were formerly Canons of the Order of St. Benedict. 
 
 4 Should be greces or steps. 
 
 3 The printer has omitted the word " M idler ecce," &c. 
 6 Gospel according to St. John, cap. 19, vv. 26, 27.
 
 50 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 know not of the addicions that many Popes haue made 
 but they singe in good devocion. And nere there is the 
 stone wher our Lord rested him when he was wery for 
 bearing of the crosse. And ye shall understand that 
 before the Churche of the Sepulcre is the citie most 
 strong 1 for the great playne that is betwene the citie 
 & the church ; on the East side without the walles of 
 the citie is the vale of Josaphat that commeth to the 
 walles. In that vale of Josaphat without the citie, is the 
 churche of sainct Stephen where he was stoned to death, 
 
 and thereby is the gate gylted that may not be opened. 
 Through this gate our Lord entred on palme Sonday 
 upon an asse, and the gate opened against him whan he 
 would go to the Temple, and yet are the steppes of the 
 asse sene in three places the which stand 2 in full harde 
 
 1 Pynson says, " most wake " or weak, and other editions say, 
 " feeble." 
 
 2 Pynson has this passage : " The wyche are full of harde 
 stones."
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 57 
 
 stones. Before the churche of the sepulcre two hundred 
 paces, is a great hospitall of Sainct John, in the which 
 hospytall are liiii pyllers made of stone. 
 
 And to go towarde the East from the hospitall is a 
 righte fayre churche that men call our lady the greate, 
 and then is there another church after that, that men 
 call our lady of the latyn, 1 and there it was Mary 
 Cleophe and Magdeleyne drew 2 theyr here whan oure 
 Lord was put to death. 
 
 CAP. XXII. 
 Of the Temple of God. 
 
 AND from the churche of the sepulcre towarde the 
 East at xviii 3 paces is Templum Domini. That is a 
 fayre house and it is all rounde and ryghte high & covered 
 with leed, 4 and it is well paved with white marble, but 
 y e Sarasins wyl suffre no christen men ne Jewes to come 
 therein, for they say that so 5 foule men should not come 
 into that holye place, but I came therein and in other 
 places where I woulde, for I had letters of the Soudan, 
 wyth hys great seal, and, commonly, other men but 
 have of his signet, and men beare hys letter with his 
 scale before them hanginge on a speare, and men do 
 great worship thereto, and kneele against 6 it as it were 
 against God's body : for those men that it is sent to, 
 
 1 Pynson says " Nostre dame de Vatyns." 
 
 2 Tore. 3 Other editions say 160 paces. 
 
 4 Lead. 5 Such unclean. B Before.
 
 58 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 before they take it, they encline 1 thereto & and then they 
 take it, and laye it upon their heads, and afterward they 
 kisse it, and then they reade it, all enclining with great 
 worship, and then they profer 2 them to do all that the 
 bringer will. And in this Templum Domini were wont 
 
 to be Chanons regulers, and they had an Abbot to 
 whome they were obedient, in this Temple was Charle- 
 maine when the Aungell brought him the prepuis of 
 our Lorde when he was circumsised, and after King 
 Charles brought it to Aeon 3 into our Ladies Chapell. 
 
 1 Bow. ' 2 Proffer or offer. 
 
 3 Pynson and others say Paris.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 59 
 
 CAP. XXIII. 
 
 Yet of the temple of God. 
 
 AND ye shall understande that this is not the temple 
 that Salomon made, for that temple lasted but a 
 thousand, an hundred and two yeare. For Titus, Ves- 
 pasianus Son, that was Emperour of Rome that layde 
 syege about Hierusalem for to discomfyte the Jewes, for 
 they hadde put Chryst to death without leave of the 
 Emperour, and when he had taken the citie he did 
 brenne the temple and caste it downe, and toke all the 
 Jewes and put to death CXIM and the other he put in 
 prison, and solde xxx for a peny for they sayd that they 
 bought Jesu Christ for xxx pence. And sithen 1 gave 
 Julian Apostata leve to y e Jewes to make the Temple 
 of Hierusalem againe for he hated christen men, and 
 yet he was Chrysten, but he forsoke his lawe. And whan 
 the Jewes hadde made the Temple, then came an earthe 
 quacke (as God woulde) and caste downe all that they 
 had made. Sythen Adryan the Emperour that was of 
 them of Troye made Hierusalem againe and the Temple 
 in that same maner that Salomon made it, and would 
 that no Jewe should dwell there but all christen men, 
 for if all it were 2 so that he was not chrystened, he loved 
 the christen men more than other men, save men of his 
 owne fayth. And this emperour dyd enclose and wall 
 the church of the holy sepulcre within the citie, that 
 before was farre without the citie, and he would have 
 
 1 Since then. 2 For even if he were not baptised.
 
 60 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 chaunged the name of Hierusalem and called it Helyam, 1 
 but that name lasted not longe. And ye shall wete 2 
 that the Sarasins do greate worship to that Temple and 
 they saye that place is right holy, and when they go 
 therein they go bare foote and knele many times downe. 
 And when I and my felowes came therein, we did of 3 
 our harnesse 4 and came bare foote into the Temple & 
 thought that we should doe as much or more than they 
 that were mistrowing. 5 And this Temple is three score 6 
 and three cubites of wydenesse and as much of length 
 and xxxii 7 cubites in height and covered with lead and 
 it is within full of pillers of Marble And in the middes 
 of the Temple is a stage of twenty 8 and foure greces of 
 height and good pillers all about. This place called 
 of Jewes Sancta Sanctorum. That is to say Holy of 
 Holyest and in that place cometh none but their 
 prelate that maketh theyr sacrafyce, and the people 
 standeth all about in divers stages, after they are of 
 dignitie and worshippe, and there be foure entrings into 
 that Temple and the dores are of Cipres well dighte, 10 
 and within the East dore our Lord sayd, here is Hieru- 
 salem. And on the northe syde within the dore is a 
 fountaine but it runneth not ; of the which holy writ 
 speaketh & saith thus Vidi aquaui egredientem de 
 templo. That is to saye, I saw water comming out of 
 the temple. And upon the other side is a roche that 
 men calle sometyme Moryach, but after it was called 
 Belet, 11 or the arke of God, with the reliques of the 
 Jewes. Thys arke did Titus cary with him to Rome 
 
 1 ylia. 2 Know. 3 Put off. 4 Armour. 
 
 5 Unbelieving. 
 
 6 7 8 Other editions say, respectively, 64, 120, and 14. 
 
 9 According to their dignity, &c. 
 
 10 Finely ornamented. n Bethel.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 6 1 
 
 when he had discomfited all the Jewes. In that same 
 arke were the ten commandementes and Aarons rodde 
 and Moyses rodde with which he departed 1 the red sea, 
 when the people of Israeli passed through on dryefoote 
 & with that rod he did many wonders, and there was the 
 vessell of gold ful of manna, & clothing & ornaments & 
 the tabernacle of Aaron, and a table square of golde 
 with twelve precious stones, & a box of Jasper graven 
 with four figures & eight names of our Lorde within, 
 & seven candlesticks of golde, & foure sensers of golde, 
 and an aulter also of fine gold & foure lions of gold, 
 uppon the which they had Cherubin of gold twelve 
 spanne long, & a tabernacle of golde & also twelve 2 
 trumpets of silver & a table of sylver & seven barly 
 loves and all other reliques that were before the nativitie 
 of Jesu. Also upon this roch slept Jacob, when he sawe 
 Aungels go up and downe, and sayde, Vere locus iste 
 sanctusest.et ego ignorabam, That is to say Forsooth this 
 place is holy & I wist 3 it not. And there the Aungel 
 chaunged Jacob's name and called him Israeli, And in 
 that same place David saw the aungell that slew the 
 people with a sworde, and put it all blody in the shethe. 
 And in this roch was saynct Symeon when he received 
 our Lorde into the temple, and on this roch he set him 
 when the Jewes would have stoned him and the roch 
 rived in two and in that refte 4 he hid him and after a 
 sterre came downe & gave him light. And on this roch 
 sat our Lady and learned hir sauter/ And there for- 
 gave our Lord the sinnes of the woman that was taken 
 and found in adoultry, and there was our Lorde Jesu 
 Christ circumcised, and there the Aungell denounced to 
 
 1 Divided. 2 Other editions say 2. 
 
 3 Knew. 4 Rift or cleft. 5 Psalter.
 
 62 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 Zachary the nativitie of sainct Jhon Baptist, and there 
 offred fyrst Melchisedech bread and wine and water to 
 our Lorde in tokening of the sacrament that was to 
 come, and there fell Davyd, praying to our Lorde for 
 mercy for him and for his people, when he sawe the 
 Aungell slea 1 his people, and our Lorde anon herde his 
 prayer, & therefore woulde he make the Temple in that 
 place, but our Lorde Jesu Christ forbadde hym by an 
 Aungell, for he had done treason when he did slea 
 Euryas, a good knight, for to haue his wyfe. And there- 
 fore all that he had ordeined for to make the Temple 
 he betoke 2 it to Salomon hys sonne, and he made it, 
 and he prayed our Lorde, that all those that prayed in 
 that place devoutly, and wyth good hearte, that he 
 woulde heare theyr prayer and graunt that they asked 
 ryght wysely, and our Lorde graunted it, and therefore 
 Salomons son called it the Temple of counseyll and 
 helpe of God. Wythout the dores of that Temple is an 
 auter, where Jewes were wont to offer doves 3 and tur- 
 tylles, and in that Temple was Zachary slayne, and on 
 that pynacle the Jewes sette Sainct James that was the 
 fyrst Byshoppe of H Jerusalem. And a lyttle from this 
 temple on the right syde, is a church covered with lead, 
 that is called the scole 4 of Salomon. And toward the 
 south is the temple of Salomon that is full fayre, and a 
 greate place, and in this place dwell knightes y* are 
 called Templars and that was the founder thereof and 
 of theyr order and in that Templum Domini dwell 
 Chanons. From this Temple towarde the East xxvi * 
 paces in a corner of the citie, is the bathe of our Lorde, 
 
 1 Slay. 2 Bequeathed. 
 
 3 Pigeons and turtle doves. 4 School. 
 
 5 Other editions say 120.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 63 
 
 and (in) thys bath was wont to go 1 to Paradise & beside 
 is our Ladies bed and nere there is the tombe of Saynt 
 Symeon. And without the Cloyster of the Temple 
 towarde the North is a ryght fayre Churche of Sainct 
 Anne our Ladies mother, & there was our ladye con- 
 ceyved, and before that churche is a great tree that 
 began to grow that same nighte. And as men go downe 
 from y' Church xxii greces lieth Joachim our ladyes 
 father, in a tombe of stone and there nere was layde 
 sometyme sainct Anne, but saint Eleyne did translate 
 hir to Constantinople. In this churche is a well in maner 
 of a cesterne that is called Probatica piscina that hath 
 five entrings, and in that cesterne was wont an Aungell 
 to discende and sterre the water, and what man that 
 bathed him firste therein after the morning, 2 was made 
 hole that was sicke, what sycknesse so euer he had, and 
 there was the man of the palsye made hole, that was 
 sicke xxxviii yeare and our Lorde sayde to him in this 
 maner of wyse Tolle grabatum tiium et ambula. That is 
 to say, take thy bed and go. And there besyde, was 
 the house of Pylate and a little thence was the house of 
 Kinge Herode that dyd slea the Innocentes 
 
 1 Others say, "wont to come water_/)w# Paradise." 
 - Pynson has it " moving."
 
 64 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. XXIIII. 
 Of Herod the King. 
 
 King Herod was a full wycked man and a 
 JL fell, 1 for he did firste and formost slea his wife 
 which he loved full well, and for the greate love of hir, 
 he went out of his witte, 2 and so was he a long time, and 
 afterwarde he came againe to himselfe. And sythen he 
 did slea his own children that he had gotten of that 
 same wyfe, and after he made slea 3 the other, his second 
 wife & a son that he had gotten of that same wyfe, and 
 after he did slea his owne mother, & he wold also haue 
 slaine his owne brother, but his brother died sodeinly, 
 and thus he did all the.yll that he might. And then he 
 fell syke and when he sawe that he should dye, he sent 
 for his sister, and all the great lordes of that countrie, 
 and when they were there, he did put all the Lordes into 
 a toure and sayde to his syster, he wist well that the men 
 of the countrey should make no sorowe for him when he 
 was deade, and therefore he made hir for to sweare unto 
 him that she should * do smite of the heads of his lordes 
 every one, after his death and then shoulde men of the 
 countrey make sorowe for his death or else they woulde 
 not sorowe and then he made his testament. But his 
 
 1 Crafty. 
 
 2 In Pynson's version it is "and for the greate love that he had 
 to hir, whan she was dede, he behelde her, and want out of his 
 wyt." 
 
 3 Killed. 4 Cause to be smitten off.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 65 
 
 sister fulfylled it not as of that thing that pertayned 
 unto the lordes, for, as sone as he was deade, she 
 delyvered the lordes out of the toure, and sent every one 
 home to theyr houses, and tolde them what hir brother 
 would that she do unto them. And ye shall understande 
 that in that tyme was three Herodes of great name. 
 This of whome I speake, men called him Herode Asco- 
 lonite, and he that did smite of Saint John Baptist 
 heade, was called Herode Antipa and the thirde was 
 called Herode Agrypa that did sleay Saint James and 
 put Saint Peter in prison.
 
 66 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. XXV. 
 Of Saynte Salvators church. 
 
 ALYTTEL within the citie is saynct Salvatours 
 church & therein is Saint Jhon Crysostoms arme, 
 and the most part of Sainct Stephens head. 
 
 And on the other syde towarde the south as men go 
 to mount Syon is a fayre church of sainct James where 
 his head was smitten of, and there is mounte Syon 
 and there is a fayre church of God and of our Lady 
 where she was dwelling and dyed, and there was 
 sometime an Abbey of Chanons regulers and from that 
 place she was borne of the Apostles unto the Vale of 
 Josaphat. And there is the stone that y e aungel bare 
 to our ladye from mount Synay & it is of that colour 
 that the roche of Sainct Katheryne is of, and there
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 6/ 
 
 besyde is the gate where our Ladye when she was with 
 Childe went through to Bethlem. Also at the entrynge 
 of Mount Syon is a chappell and in that Chapell is that 
 stone greate and large, with which the Sepulcre was 
 
 covered when Christe was layde therein, the which stone 
 as it is wrytten y e three Maryes saw turned upward when 
 they came to the sepulcre, and they found an Aungell 
 that sayd to them, that Christ was rysen from death to 
 lyfe. And there is a litle piller to the which our Lord 
 was bounde and scourged, and there was Anas house 
 that was bishop of the Jewes in that time, and in that 
 same place forsoke Saint Peter our Lord thrise before 
 the Cocke crewe. And there is a part of the table on 
 the which God made his maunde with his disciples & yet 
 is there the vessell with water out of the which his dis- 
 ciples feete were washed, and thereby is Sainct Stephens 
 grave and there is the Aulter where our Lady heard the 
 Aungels sing masse and there appeared Christ fyrst to 
 Jhis disciples after his resurrection, and when the gates
 
 68 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 were sperde, 1 and sayde Pax vobisctim. That is to saye, 
 Peace be to you. And on that Mount apeared Christ to 
 Sainct Thomas, and badde him assaye hys Wounde, and 
 that was the viii daye after his resurrection and then he 
 beleved perfectly & sayde Dominus metis & deus metis. 
 That is to say in English, My Lorde & my God. In 
 that same Chappell behind the highe aulter were all 
 the Apostles on Witsonday, when the holy ghoste 
 descended on them in likenesse of fyre, and there made 
 God Paske 2 with his disciples, and there slepte Saynt 
 Jhon the Evangelyst on our Lordes breast and saw slep- 
 ing many privy things of heaven. And mount Syon is 
 within the Citie, and it is a lyttle hygher than the other 
 syde of the Citie, and that Citie is stronger on that one 
 syde than on the other, for at the fote of mount Syon is 
 
 a fayre Castell & strong which the Soudan did cause to 
 be made there. On mount Syon was King David buried 
 
 Shut. 
 
 Kept the Passover.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 69 
 
 and Salomon and many other Kings of Hierusalem, and 
 here is the place where saint Peter wepte full tenderly 
 when he had forsaken our Lorde, and a stones cast from 
 that is another place where our Lord was judged, for 
 that time was there Caiphas house & betwene that Tem- 
 ple (of} Salomon and Mount Sion is the place where 
 Christ raysed the mayden from death to lyfe. Under 
 mount Syon toward the vale of Josaphat is a well that 
 men call Natatorium l Sylo, there was our Lord washed 
 after he was baptized. And thereby is the tree on 
 which Judas hanged himselfe for dispaire when he had 
 soulde Christ. And thereby is the synagoge where the 
 Bishops of J ewes and the Pharyses came to hold theyr 
 counsel and there Judas cast the xxx pence before them 
 & said Peccavi tradens sanguinem justum, That is to 
 saye, I haue sinned in betraying the innocent bloude. 
 
 CAP. XXVI. 
 
 Of the field* of AcJieldemack 2 which was bought with the 
 xxx pence. 
 
 ON the other syde of mount Syon towarde the South 
 a stons Cast, is the feeld that was bought with 
 those xxx pence for which Christe was sold, that men 
 call Acheldemack, that is to say the feeld of bloude, in 
 that feelde is many tombes of Chrysten men for there 
 bee many pylgrims graven. 3 And also in Hierusalem 
 toward the weast, is a fayre churche where the tree grew 
 of which the crosse was made and thereby is a fayre 
 
 x The Pool of Siloah. 2 Aceldama. ' Buried.
 
 7O THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 churche where our lady mette with Elizabeth when they 
 were both with Chylde & sainct Jhon styrred in his 
 mothers wombe and made worship to our Lord his 
 maker, and under the aulter of the church is a place 
 where Sainct Jhon was borne and thereby is the castell 
 of Emax. 1 
 
 CAP. XXVII. 
 
 Of mount Joye, 
 
 TWO myle from Hierusalem is the mounte Joye that 
 is a fayre place and a liking, & there lieth Samuell 
 the prophete in a fayre tombe, and it is called mount 
 Joye for there many pylgrims se first Hierusalem. And 
 in the middle of the Vale of Josaphat is a lyttle ryver 
 that is called Torrens 2 Cedron, and over thwart this laye 
 a tree, of the which the crosse was made, that men 
 passed over on. Also in y e vale is a churche of our 
 lady, and there is the sepulchre of our lady, and our 
 lady was of age when she dyed, Ixxii yeare. And 
 there nere is the place where our Lorde forgaue Sainct 
 Peter all his sinnes and mysdedes that he had done. 
 And beside that is a chappell where Judas kissed our 
 Lorde, that men call Getsemay, 3 and he was taken of the 
 Jewes, and there lefte Christ his disciples before his 
 passion, when he went to praye, and seyd, Pater Si fieri 
 potest, transeat a me calix zste, that is to say in English, 
 Father if it may be done, let this chalice go from me. 
 Also thereby is a chapell where our Lord swet both bloud 
 & water and there is the tombe of King Josaphat, of 
 
 1 Emmaus. 2 The Brook Kedron. 3 Gethsemane.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. /I 
 
 whom the Vale had the name, and on the syde of that 
 Vale is the mount Olivet, and it is called so for there 
 groweth many Olive trees, and it is higher than Hierusa- 
 lem & therefore from that hill men may see into the 
 streetes of Hierusalem. And betwene that hill and the 
 citie is nothing but the vale of Josaphat and that is not 
 full large, and uppon that hyl stode our Lorde when he 
 went into heaven, and yet semeth there the steppe l of 
 his left foote in the stone. And there is an Abbey of 
 black chanons that was great sometime, but now there is 
 but a church. And but a little thence xviii paces is a 
 chapell, and there is the stone on the which our Lord 
 God sate and when he preched, and sayde thus, Beati 
 pauperes spiritu, quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum. 
 That is to saye in English, Blessed be they that are poore 
 in spirite, for theyrs is the Kingdome of heaven, and 
 ther he taught his disciples theyr Pater noster. There 
 also is a churche of that blessed woman Mary Egypcian, 
 and there is she buryed. And uppon the other side 
 towarde the East three bow shotes from thence, standeth 
 Bethephage, where our Lorde Jesu Christ sente Sainct 
 Peter and saynte James, for to fetch an asse on Palme 
 Sonday. 
 
 1 Footprint.
 
 72 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. XXVIII. 
 Of the Castell BetJiania. 
 
 'HT^HERE toward the East is a castel, that men call 
 Ji Bethania and there dwelled Symon the lepruse, 
 that harborowed ! our lord, and them that were Baptysed 
 of his disciples, and he was called Julyan and was made 
 Bishop and that is he that men call on for good har- 
 borow. 2 In that same place our lord forgave Mary 
 Magdeleyne hir sinnes, and there she washed his fete 
 with teares & wiped them with hir here & there was 
 Lazarus raised that was foure dayes deade. 
 
 CAP. XXIX. 
 Of Jerico and other things. 
 
 IN the returning to mount Olivet, is the place where 
 oure Lorde wept uppon Hierusalem and thereby 3 
 our Lady apeared to Sainct Thomas after hir assump- 
 tion and gave him hir gyrdell and thereby is the stone 
 on the which our Lorde sat often upon and preched and 
 thereon he shall syt at the day of Judgement, as himselfe 
 sayd. And there is mount Galile where the appostels 
 were gathered when Mary Magdelein tolde them of 
 Christe's rising. Betwene mount Olivet & mount 
 
 1 Lodged. 2 Protection. 3 Close by.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 73 
 
 Galile is a church, where the Aungell sayde to our Lady 
 when she should die. And from Bethany to Jerico is 
 fiue myle. Jerico was sometime a little citie but it was 
 wasted, and now it is but a lyttle towne, that towne toke 
 Josue through miracle of God, & bydding of the 
 aungell, and destroyed it, & cursed all those that 
 builded it againe. Of that citie was Raab that common 
 woman, that received messengers of Israel & kept them 
 from many perils of deth, & therefore she had a good 
 rewarde, as holy writ sayth " Quando accepit prophetum 
 in nomine meo mercedempropJiet&accipiet. That is to say, 
 He that taketh a prophet in my name, he shall take 
 mede of a prophet. 1 
 
 CAP. XXX. 
 
 Of the holy place betwene Bethany and flom Jordane and 
 other thing's. 
 
 ALSO from Bethany men go from Jordan thorow the 
 Wildernesse and it is nere a daies journey betwene. 
 Toward the East is a great hill where our Lord fasted 
 XL dayes & upon this hill was Christ brought of the 
 fende " of Hell, & sayd to him thus, Die nt lapides isti 
 panis fiant. That is to say, Commaund that these stones 
 be made bread. And there is an Hermitage wher 
 dwelled a maner of Christen men called Georgins 3 for 
 sainct George converted them, and upon that hill 
 
 1 Matt. x. 41, " He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a 
 prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward." 
 
 2 Fiend. 3 Georgians.
 
 74 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 dwelled Abraham a great whyle. Also as men go to 
 Jerico, in the way sate many sicke men crying, Jesu fill 
 David, misere nobis. That is to say, Jesu the sonne of 
 David have mercie upon us. And two myle from Jerico 
 is flom * Jordan & ye shall wete the dead sea departeth 
 the lande of Jude and of Araby and the water of the 
 sea is right bitter and this water casteth out a thinge 
 that men call aspatum ~ as great pieces as a horse. And 
 Hierusalem is cc furlonges from this sea, and it is called 
 the dead sea, for it runneth not, nor no man, ne beast, 
 
 that hath life, that is therein, may lyve, and that hath 
 bene proved many times, for they have cast therein men 
 that were judged to death, nor no man may drinke of 
 that water & if men cast yron therein it commeth up 
 againe, and if a man cast a fether therein it goeth to the 
 grounde, and that is against kinde. 3 
 
 And there about grow trees that beare fruite of faire 
 
 River. Lat., Flumen. 
 
 Asphaltum. 
 
 Nature.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 75 
 
 color and seme rype, but when a man breaketh them or 
 cut them, he findeth naught in them but coales or asshes, 
 in tokening that throughe the vengaunce of God these 
 cities were brent with the fyre of hell. And some men 
 call that lake the lake of Alphytedde, 1 and some call it 
 the florae of the divell, and some call it the stinking 
 flome, for the water thereof stynketh. There sanke 
 these five cities through the wrath of God, that is to 
 saye, Sodome, Gomor, 2 Aldema, 3 Solome, 4 and Segor, for 
 the sinne that raigned in them, but Segor through the 
 prayer of Loth, was saved a great while, for it sat on an 
 hyll, and yet apeareth much thereof above the water,, 
 and men may see the walles in cleare weather. And in 
 this citie of Segor, Loth dwelled a great while . . . 
 
 and at the ryght side 
 
 of this see dwelled Lothes wife in a stone of salt for that 
 she looked againe when the citie sanke downe. 
 
 CAP. XXXI. 
 Of A braliam and his generation. 
 
 AND ye shall understande that Lothe was Arons 
 sone, Abraham's brother, and Sara Abraham's wyfe 
 was Loths syster, and Sara was xc yere olde when she 
 gate Ysaac and Abraham had another son named IsmaeL 
 that he had gotten on his mayden Ager. And when 
 Ysaac was viii days olde he was circumcised and his 
 other son Ismaell was cyrcumcised the same day and 
 was xiiii yeare of age, therefore the Jewes that be of the 
 
 1 Assa fcetida. 2 Gomorrah. 3 Aldama. 4 Seboym,
 
 76 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 generation of Isaac do circumcyse them at the viii day 
 of theyr age and the Sarasyns that be of Ismaels kinde 
 doe cyrcumsise them at theyr xiii yeare of age. And 
 into that dead sea aforesayde runneth flome Jordan and 
 maketh there an ende and this is within a myle of saint 
 Jhons church & a lyttle beneth that same church West- 
 ward, were the Christen men are wont to bath them & a 
 myle thence is the river Loth, through which Jacob went 
 when he came from Mesopotamye. 
 
 CAP. XXXII. 
 
 Of 'the river Jordan. 
 
 THIS flom Jordan is no great ryver nor depe, but 
 there is much good fishe therein, and it commeth 
 from mount Lybany from two welles, that men call Jor and 
 Dane and of them it taketh the name. And upon the 
 one syde of that river is mount Gelboe, 1 and there is a 
 fayre playne. And on that other syde men goe by 
 mount Lybany, to the desert of Pharon. 2 These hylles 
 departe the kingdome of Surry and the countreys of 
 Phenys. 3 On that hyll grow Cedres that beare longe 
 apples which are as muche as a mannes heade. Thys 
 flom Jordan departeth Galily and the lande of Idumea 
 and the lande of Botron 4 & it runneth into a playne 
 that men call Meldarn * in Sarasyns language, and in 
 Englyshe, fayre, because ofte tymes bee there kepte 
 
 1 Gilboa. 2 Pharan. 3 Phoenicia. l Betron. 
 
 8 In all probability the same as the Arabic word Multamin, 
 which means a congregation of visitors.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 77 
 
 great fayres, and in the playne is the tombe of Job. In 
 this flom Jordane our Lord was baptised, and there was 
 the voice of the Father hearde saying, Hie est filius metis 
 dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui, ipsuui audite. That 
 is to saye in English, Here is my sonrie that I love, in 
 whome I am well pleased, heare him. And the holy 
 ghost descended on him in lykenesse of a doue & so was 
 there in thys baptysing all the Trinitie. And through 
 
 the flome Jordan passed the children of Israeli all dry, 
 and they sette stones in the myddest of the water, in 
 token of great myracle. And also in that flome Naaman 
 of Surry bathed him, that was mesel, and he was made 
 hole, and a lyttle from thence is the citie of Hay, the 
 which Josue assayled and toke. And about flom Jordan 
 are many churches where Christen men dwel, also by 
 flom Jordan, is the vale of Mambre that is a fayre vale 
 & a plenteous.
 
 78 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. XXXIII. 
 
 Of many other mervailes. 
 
 AND ye shall understande, that for to go from the 
 dead sea afterward out of the marche of the land 
 ofpromissions, is a stronge Castell that men call Carran T 
 in Sermoys, that is to saye, the kinges hyll in English. 
 This castell did a King of Fraunce make, that men call 
 Baudewin, that had conquered all that lande, and put it 
 into Christen mens handes to kepe, and under that cas- 
 tell is a fayre towne that men call Sabaoth, and there 
 about dwell many Christen men under tribute. And 
 then go men to Nazareth, of the which our Lord had 
 his name. And from Nazareth unto Hierusalem is 
 three dayes journey. Also men go through the province 
 of Galyle, through Romacha/ through Sophyn, 3 and 
 through the hygh hill of Effrayne, 4 where Anna that 
 was Samuells mother the prophet dwelled, & there was 
 the prophete borne and after his deathe was buried at 
 mount Joye as I have sayde. And after come men to 
 Sybula, 3 where the Arke of God was kepte under Helye 6 
 the Prophete. And there made the people of Israeli 7 
 theyr sacrafyce unto our Lorde Also there spake our 
 Lorde'fyrst unto Samuell and there mynistered God the 
 sacrament. Also nere there at the lefte side is Gabaon 8 
 
 1 In some other editions called Carak. 2 Ramoth. 
 
 3 Sodom. 4 Ephraim. 5 Shiloh. 
 
 6 Eli. 7 Hebron. " Gibeon.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 79 
 
 and Rama * & Benjamin of the which holy writ speaketh. 
 After that come men to Sychem, that some men call 
 Sycar and this is in the province of Samaritanes, and 
 sometime there was a Church, but it is all wasted, and it 
 a faire vale and plenteous, and there is a good citie that 
 men call Neople, 2 and from thence it is a dayes journey 
 
 unto Hierusalem. And there is the well where oure 
 Lorde spake to the woman of Samaritane, and Sechen 
 is ten myle from Hierusalem and it is called Neople, 
 that is to saye, the new towne. And there is the Temple 
 of Joseph, Jacobs sonne, that 'governed Egipte, and 
 
 Ram ah. 
 
 - Neapolis.
 
 8<D THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 from thence were his bones brought and layde in the 
 temple, and thyther came Jewes often in pilgrimage 
 with great devotion, and in that citie was Jacob's 
 daughter Diana ravished, for whom hir brethren slewe 
 many men, and thereby is the citie of Garysim 1 where 
 the Samaritanes make their sacrifyce. 
 
 On this hill wold Abraham haue sacryfised his sonne 
 Isaac and there nere is the vale Dotaym," and there is 
 the cesterne that Josephe was cast in of his bretherne 
 before that they solde him, and it is two myle to Sichar, 
 and fro thence men come to Samary, 3 that men call 
 Sabaste, and that is the chiefe citie of that countrey, 
 and in that citie was the seat of the twelve Kynges of 
 Israeli, but it is not so great as it was. And there was 
 saint John Baptist buried betwene two prophetes Helyas 4 
 and Abdon, 5 but he was beheaded in the castell of 
 Makaryn besyde the dead sea and he was translated 6 of 
 his disciples and buried at Samary, but there dyd Julius 
 apostata take hys bones and brente 7 them, for he was that 
 tyme Emperour, but that finger with whiche hee shewed 
 our Lord saying, Ecce Agnus dei, That is to say, 
 Beholde the lamb of God, and that ringer might not bee 
 brent, and sainct Tecla 8 the Virgin did bring this finger 
 under the Alphen, 9 that be mountaynes, where they do 
 it great worshippe. And there was sainct Jhon Baptist 
 head closed in a wall, but the Emperour Theodosius did 
 take it out, and found it lapped in a clothe all bloudie, 
 and bare it to Constantinople, and there is yet the one 
 
 1 Gerizim. 2 Dothan. 3 Samaria. 
 
 4 Elisha. * Abdias. 
 
 6 Carried away 7 Burnt. 
 
 8 Was an English woman, and was invited by St. Boniface into 
 Germany, where she was made Abbess of Kissengen, near Wurtz- 
 burg in Bavaria. Alps.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 Si 
 
 halfe of the head, and the other is at Rome in Saint 
 Sylvesters church, & the vessell wherein his head was 
 layde when it was smitten of is at Geene, 1 and they do 
 it great worship. Some saye that Sainct Jhons hedde is 
 at Amiens in Pycardy, and some say it is saincte Johns 
 head the byshop. I wot not but to God it is knowne. 
 
 CAP. XXXIIII. 
 
 Of tJie Samaritanes, 
 
 FROM Sebasten to Hierusalem is xii myle and be- 
 twene the hylles of this countrey is a well, that 
 men call fans Jacob, That is to say Jacobs well, that 
 chaungeth foure times in the yeare his coloure, forsome- 
 
 1 Genoa. 
 G
 
 82 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 tyme it is redde, sometymes cleare, sometime grene and 
 sometyme thycke, and men that dwell there are called 
 Samarytanes, & they were converted through the 
 Apostles and theyr law varieth from Christen law and 
 Sarasins lawe and also from Jewes & Paynims. They 
 beleve well in one God that all shall deme, 1 and beleve 
 the Byble after the lettre, and they lappe theyr heads in 
 redde linnen cloth, for difference of other, for Sarasins 
 wrap theyr heads in white cloth & christen men that 
 dwell there in blew cloth, and Jewes in yelow, and in 
 this country dwell many Jewes paying tribute as Christen 
 men doth. 
 
 CAP. XXXV. 
 Of Galyle. 
 
 FROM this countrey that I have spoken of, men go 
 to the playne of Galyle and leave the hyll on the 
 one side and Galyle is of the province of the lande of 
 promyssion and in that province is the lande of Naym 
 and Capharnaym and Corasaym and at Bethsayda was 
 Saint Peter & Saint Andrew borne. At Carasaym shall 
 Antechrist be borne, and as some men say he shall be 
 borne in Babilon therefore sayd the Prophet, Debabilonia 
 Coluber exiet, qui totum mundum devorabit, That is to 
 say, Of Babilon shall come a serpent that shall devoure 
 all the worlde. And this Antechrist shall be nourished 
 in Bethsayde and shall raign in Corasaym, therefore sayth 
 holy writ, Ve tibi Corasaim Ve tibi Bethsayda, that is to 
 say, Wo be to the Corasaim, Wo be to the Bethsayda. 
 
 1 Regard, consider, or suppose.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 83 
 
 And the cave of Galyle is foure myle from Nazareth. Of 
 that citie was the woman of Cananee, of whome the 
 Gospell speaketh, and there our Lorde did the fyrst 
 myracle at the wedding at the Archedeclyne l when he 
 turned water into wine. And from thence men go unto 
 Nazareth that was sometime a great Citie, but now there 
 is but a lyttle towne and it is not walled, and there was 
 our Lady borne, the name toke our Lorde of this Citie, 
 but our Ladie was gotten at Hierusalem. At Nazareth 
 Joseph toke our lady to wyfe whan she was fourtene 
 yeare of age, and there the aungell saluted hir sayinge, 
 Ave gratia plena Dominus tecum, That is to saye, Hayll 
 full of grace the Lord be with thee. And there was 
 sometime a great Church, and now is there but a lyttle 
 closet to receive the offryngs of the Pylgrymes, and there 
 is the well of Gabryell where our Lorde was wont to 
 bathe him in wan he was lyttle. At Nazareth was our 
 Lord nouryshed, and Nazareth is to say floure of gardeyn 
 & it may be well called so, for there was nourished the 
 floure of lyfe, that was our lorde Jesu Christ. At halfe a 
 myle from Nazareth is thebloude 2 of our Lorde, for the 
 Jewes ledde him upon an hyghe roche to cast him downe 
 & slea him, but Jesu Christ passed them and lepte on a 
 roche where his steps be yet sene, & therefore some when 
 they dreade them of theves or else of enemies, say thus, 
 Jesus aiitem transiens per medium illorum ibat. And 
 they say also these verses of the Psalter three tymes, 
 Irruat super cos formido & favor in magnitudine brachii 
 tui Doming Fiant immobiles quasi lapis, donee per transeat 
 populus tuus domine, ts populus iste quern redemisti. And 
 
 1 Pynson says Archetryclyne. A'p^t rpiK\ivos, the president of 
 a banquet. 
 
 2 Should be leap.
 
 84 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 so when all this is sayd, a man may go without any let- 
 tyng. 1 Also ye shall understande and know that our 
 blessed Lady bare hir chylde whan she was xv yeare of 
 age, and she lived with hym xxxii 2 yeare and three 
 monethes, and after his passion she lived xxii 2 yeare. 
 
 A 
 
 CAP. XXXVI. 
 
 The ivay of Nazareth to the mount or hyll of Tabor. 
 
 ND from Nazareth to the mounte Tabor is thre 3 
 myle, and there our Lord transfygured hym before 
 sainct Peter, sainct Jhon & sainct James. And there 
 they saw ghostly 4 our Lorde and Moyses and Helye the 
 prophetes. And therefore Sainct Peter sayde, Bonum est 
 nos hie esse, faciamus tria tabernacula, That is to say, It 
 is good to us to be here, make we three tabernacles. 
 And our lord Jesu Chryste bad them that they should 
 say it to no man, unto the time that he was rysen from 
 death to lyfe. And uppon the same hyll shall foure 
 aungels sowne 5 theyr trompets, and rayse all men that 
 are dead to lyfe, and then shall they come in bodie and 
 Soule to the Judgement, but the Judgement shall be in 
 the Vale of Josaphat on Easterday, at the same tyme as 
 our Lorde rose from death to lyfe. And also a myle 
 from mounte Tabor is mount Hermon, and ther was 
 the citie of Namy, 6 before the gates of the Citie our 
 
 1 Hindrance. 
 
 2 Other editions say 33 and 24, which would make the Virgin's 
 age 72 when she died (see ante, p. 70). 
 
 3 Others say 4. 4 In a spiritual shape. ' Sound. 
 Nain.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 85 
 
 Lord raysed the wydowes sone, that had no more 
 Chyldren. 
 
 CAP. XXXVII. 
 
 Of the sea of Galyle. 
 
 AND from thence men go to a citie that men call Tybe- 
 ryen, 1 that sitteth 2 on the sea of Galyle, it is no 
 sea ne arme of the sea, for it is but a staumble 3 of fresh 
 water, and it is no more than an hundred furlongs long 
 and XL brode, and therein is many good fyshes. And by 
 that same sea, standeth many good cities, and therefore 
 thys sea chaungeth often his name after the cities that 
 stande thereupon, but it is all one water or sea and upon 
 this sea, our Lorde went dry fote and there sayde he to 
 Peter when he came on the water, & was nere drowned, 
 Modicefidei quare dubitasti ? That is to saye, Thou of 
 lyttle fayth, why hadst thou doubte. 
 
 CAP. XXXVIII. 
 Of the table whereon Christ eat after his resurrection. 
 
 IN this citie of Tiberyen is the table that Christ eat on 
 with his disciples after his resurrection & they knew 
 him in breaking of bread (as holy writ saith) Et cognovc- 
 runt euin in fractione Pants. That is to say, they knew 
 
 1 Tiberias. 2 On the borders of. 3 A pool or lake.
 
 86 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 him in breaking of bread. And aboute the hyll of Tibe- 
 rien is the citie where our Lord fed v thousand people 
 with five Early loves and two fishes, and in that same 
 citie did men cast in anger a fierbrand or burning stick 
 after our Lord, but the same burning sticke did fall on 
 the earth, and incontinent grew out of the same sticke a 
 tree, and is waxen a bigge tree, and groweth yet, and the 
 scales of the tree be all blacke. And ye shall under- 
 
 stand that flom Jordan beginneth under the hill of 
 Libany, & there beginneth the lande of promission, and 
 it lasteth under Barsabe l of length, & from the North 
 part to the South, it holdeth ix score myle and of breadth 
 from Jerico to Jaffe it is XL mile, and ye shall under- 
 stande that the lande of promission beginneth at the 
 Kingdome of Surry and lasteth unto the wildernesse of 
 Araby. 
 
 1 Beersheba.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 8? 
 
 CAP. XXXIX. 
 Of straunge maners and divers. 
 
 A ND in this countrey & in many other landes over 
 ^-A. the sea, it is a maner when they have warre and 
 cities or castels beseged so strongly that they may send 
 no messages to any lordes for socour then they write 
 their letters & binde them about the neckes of doves and 
 let them flie their wayes, bicause the dove is of that 
 
 nature that he will returne againe to the place where he 
 is brought up, and thus they do commonly in that coun- 
 trey. And ye shal wete that among the Sarasins in 
 many places dwel christen men under tribute and they 
 are of divers maners, and divers maners of monkes, and
 
 88 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 they are all christened and have divers lawes, but they 
 all beleve well in our Lord God, the father, the sonne, & 
 in the Holy ghost, but yet they fayle in the articles of 
 our faith, and they are called Jacobyns. For sainct 
 
 James converted theym to the fayth, and sainct John 
 baptised them, and they say that men shall onely shryve 1 
 them unto God, & not unto man for they saye that God 
 bad not man shryve him unto another man. And there- 
 fore saith David in the Psalter in this maner of wise, 
 Confitebor tibi, doinine in toto Corde meo, &c. That is to 
 saye, Lord I shall shrive me unto thee in all my hart. 
 And in another place he saith thus, Delictum meum tibi 
 cogiiitum fed. That is to saye, My trespasse I have 
 made knowne unto thee. And in another place, Deus 
 metis es tu & confitebor tibi. That is to saye, Thou art 
 my god and I shall be shriven to thee. And in another 
 place Qnoniam cogitatio hominis confitcbitiir tibi, &c. 
 
 1 Confess.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 89 
 
 That is to say, The thought of man shal be shriven to 
 thee, and they knovve well the Bible and Psalter but 
 they say it not in latin, but in their owne language, and 
 they saye that David and other prophetes havesayde it. 
 But Sainct Austyn and Saynct Gregory say, Qui scelera 
 sua cogitat, & converses fecerit, veniam sibi credat, That 
 is to say, Who so knowith his syn and turneth, he may 
 beleve to have forgivenesse. And Sainct Gregory sayth 
 thus, Dominns potius mentem, quam verbum considerat, 
 That is to saye, Our Lord taketh more kepe * to thought, 
 than to worde, and Sainct Hilarius sayth, Longorumtem- 
 porum crimina> ictu oculi pereunt, si cordis nata fuerit 
 compunctio, That is to say, Synnes that are done of olde 
 tyme perysh in twinkling of an eye, if despising of them 
 be born in a mans heart. And therefore say they, men 
 shal shrive them onely to God, by these authorities, 
 & this (if) was the Apostles, & popes that came sithen 
 
 Heed.
 
 90 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 haue ordeyned, that men shall shrive them to priestes 
 & men as they are, & the cause is this, for they saye that 
 a man that hath a sicknesse, men may giue him no good 
 medecines but they know y' kinde of the sicknesse, also 
 they say a man may give no covenable * penaunce but if 
 he know y e sin. For there is a maner of synne that is 
 grevouser to one man than it is to another, and therefore 
 it is nedefull that a man should know and understande 
 the kinde of sinne. And there be also other men that 
 men call Surryens and they hold halfe our faith, and 
 halfe the faith of the Grekes and they have longe berdes 
 as the Grekes have. 
 
 And there ben other that men call Georgiens, whome 
 sainct George converted, and they doe more worship to 
 halowes 3 of heaven than other doe, and they haue their 
 crownes shaven, the clerkes haue rounde crowns, and the 
 lewde 4 have crownes square, & they holde the Grekes 
 
 Convenient. 
 
 Be. 
 
 Saints. 
 
 Common people.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 9! 
 
 lawe. And there be other that men call christen men 
 of gyrding, 1 for as much as they were gyrdels underneth, 
 some other men call Nestoryens, some Aryens, some 
 Nubyens, some Gregours, and some Indiens that are of 
 Prester Johns lande, and euery one of those haue some 
 artycles of our belefe. But eche of them varye from 
 other, and of their varyaunce it were to muche to de- 
 clare. 2 
 
 CAP. XL. 
 
 For to turne on this syde of Galyle. 
 
 N' O W sythen I haue tolde you of many maners of 
 men, that dwell in the countreys before said, now 
 will I tourne againe to my waye for to tourne uppon this 
 side. Now he that will tourne from the lande of Galyle, 
 that I spake of, to come on this syde, he shall go through 
 Damas that is a fayre citie & full of good marchaundises, 
 and it is three Journeys from the sea and five journeis 
 from Hierusalem, but they cary marchaundises upon 
 camels, mules, horses and dromedaries and other maner 
 of beastes. This citie of Damas founded Helyzeus, that 
 was Abrahams servaunte before Ysaac was borne, and 
 he thought to haue bene Abrahams heyre and therefore 
 he named that citie Damas. And in that place slew 
 
 1 This arose from a curious ordinance in A.D. 856 of the Khalif 
 Molawakkel, who ordered both Jews & Christians to wear leather 
 girdles ; hence those Christians who lived in Syria were called 
 " Christians of the girdle." 
 
 2 Tell.
 
 92 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 Cayne his brother Abel, and besyde Damas is y e mount 
 of Syry, and in y* Citie is many a Phisicion & y 4 holy man 
 S. Paule was a phisicion to saue mens bodys before y* he 
 was Converted, and after, he was a phisicyon of soules. 
 And from Damas men come by a place called our Lady 
 
 of Sardmarch, 1 that is fiue myle from Damas & it is on 
 a roch & there is a fayre churche and there dwell Monkes 
 & Nunnes, crysten, in the church, behynde the high 
 auter is a table of tree, 2 on the whiche table the ymage 
 of our lady was depainted that many tymes was turned 
 into fleshe, but the ymage is now sene but a lyttle, but 
 
 Others say Sardenak. 
 
 On wood panel.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 93 
 
 evermore through grace of God, the table droppeth oyle, 
 as it were an Olyfe, & there is a vessell of marble under 
 the table to receive the oyle, thereof they giue to Pyl- 
 grimes, for it maketh whole many sicknesses, and he that 
 kepeth it clenely a year, after a yeare, it turneth to fleshe 
 and bloud. Betwene the citie of Darke and the citie of 
 Raphane is a ryver that men call Sabatory, for on the 
 Saterday it runneth fast, and all the weeke else it standeth 
 styll and runneth not or little. And there is another 
 ryver that in the night freseth fast and upon the day no 
 frost is scene. And so men go by a citie that men call 
 Berugh, 1 and there men go into the sea that will go into 
 Cipres and they aryve at a porte of Sur or of Thyrry 2 & 
 then men go to Cipres, or else men go or may goe from 
 the porte of Thyry ryght, and come not to Cypres and 
 arryve at some haven of Grece & there come men into 
 those countreys by ways that I haue spoken of before. 
 
 CAP. XLI. 
 
 How a man may go furdest and longest in those countreys 
 as Jieare are rehersed. 
 
 NOWE have I tolde you of wayes by the whiche men 
 goe furthest and longeste, as by Babylon and 
 mount Synay, and other places many, through the which 
 landes men turne againe to the lande of promission. 
 Now will I tell you the way of Hierusalem, for some men 
 will not passe it, some for they have no company 3 and 
 
 1 Others say Beruthe. 2 Tyre. 
 
 3 i.e., it was unsafe to go alone.
 
 94 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 many other causes resonable and therefore I shall tell 
 you shortely how a man may go with lyttle coste and 
 short tyme. 
 
 A man that commeth from the lande of the Weast, 
 he goeth through Fraunce, Burgoyn, 1 Lumberdy & to 
 Venys or to Geen 2 or some other haven of those marches, 
 and take there a ship and go to the yle Gryffe, 3 and so 
 arryveth he in Grece, or else at port Myrock, 4 or Valon 
 or Duras or some other haven of those marches, and to 
 go lande for to reste hym, and goeth againe to the sea 
 and arryveth at Cypres and commeth not in the yle of 
 Rodes and arriveth at Famagost that is the Chiefe haven 
 of Cypres or else at Lamaton, And then enter shyppe 
 againe, and passe besyde the haven of Tyre and come 
 not to lande, and so passeth by all the havens of the 
 coste, untill he come to Jaffe, that is the next hauen to 
 Hierusalem, for it is xxviii 5 myle betwene. And from 
 Jaffe men go to the Citie of Ramos " & that is but little 
 thence, & it is a fayre citie & beside Ramos is a fayre 
 churche of our lady, where our lord shewed hym unto 
 hir in three shadowes, that betokeneth the trinitie, and 
 there nere is a church of Sainct George where his head 
 was smitten of, and then to the Castell of Emaux, and 
 then to the mount Joye & from thence pilgrimes see 
 Hierusalem, and then to mount Modyn & then go to 
 Hierusalem. At mount Modyn lyeth the prophet Mac- 
 habe, 7 and over Ramatha 8 is the towne of Donke, whereof 
 Amos the prophet was. 
 
 1 Burgundy. 2 Genoa. 
 
 3 In some editions Gryffh, Grif, or Gresse, probably Crete. 
 
 4 In other editions Moroche or Myroche. 5 Others say 27. 
 G Rames, Ramla. 7 Maccabeus. s Ramah Gibeon.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 95 
 
 CAP. XLII. 
 Of othar wayes for to go by lande unto Hierusalein. 
 
 FOR as muche, as many men may not suffer the 
 savour of the sea, & better it is to go by lande 
 even if it be more payne, and a man shall go to one of 
 the havens of Lumberdy as Venys or another, and he 
 shall passe into Grece to port Myroche, or another and 
 shall goe to Constantinople, and shall passe the water 
 that is called the brache of Saynt George that is an arme 
 of the sea. And from thence ye shall come to Pulveral, 
 and then to the castel of Synople. And from thence 
 shall ye go unto Capadoce, that is a great countrey, 
 wherein is many great hylles and he shall go thorow 
 Turky, and to the citie of Nike, the which they wan 
 from the Emperour of Constantinople, and it is a faire 
 citie and well walled, and there is a river that men call 
 the Lay, and there go men by the Alpes of Mormaunt, 
 & through the vales of Malebrynes and the vale of Er- 
 nax, and so to Antioche lesser, that sitteth on the river 
 richly, and there is about many good hills & fayre and 
 many fayre woddes and wild beastes. And he that will 
 go another way, he goeth by ye plaine of the Remain ' 
 Coste and the Romaine sea. On that coste is a fayre 
 castell that men call Florage, and when a man is oute of 
 the hilles, he passeth through the citie of Moryach and 
 Artose, where there is a great bridge upon the river of 
 
 1 Roumanian.
 
 96 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 Feme, that men call Fassor, 1 & it is a great river bering 
 ships, and beside the citie of Damas, is the river that 
 cometh from the mount of Libany, and that men call 
 Alban, 2 at the passing of this river Sainct Eustache lost 
 his two sonnes when he had lost his wife. And it goeth 
 through the playne of Archades, & to the red sea, and 
 then men go to the citie of Fermyne, and so to the citie 
 of Feme, and then to Arttioche & that is a fayre citie 
 and well walled, for it is two myle long, and there is a 
 bridge over the river, that hath at eche pillar, a good 
 tower, and is the best citie of the Kingdome of Surrey. 
 From Antioche, men go to the citie of Locuth 3 and so 
 to Geble 4 and to Tortouse, 5 & thereby is the lande of 
 Lambre & a strong castell, that men call Mambeke. 
 And from Tortouse, men go to Trypelle 6 on the sea, and 
 upon the sea men go to Dacres, 7 and there is two wayes 
 to Hierusalem, on the lefte way men go first unto Damas 
 by flom Jordan, and on the right syde men go throughe 
 the lande Flagme and so to the citie of Cayphas/ in 
 which citie Cayphas was lorde, & some call it the castell 
 Pelleryus and from thence it is foure dayes journey to 
 Hierusalem & they go throughe Cesarye Phylyp, 9 and 
 Jaffe, and Ramas, Eumaux, & so forth to Hierusalem. 
 
 1 ? Pharphar of the Scriptures. 2 ? Abana. 
 
 3 Latakijah. 4 Jebili. 5 Tortosa. Tripoli. 
 
 7 Acre. 8 CaifTa. 9 Philippi.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 97 
 
 CAP. XLIII. 
 
 Yet another way by lande toward the lande of promission. 
 
 NOW haue I tolde you some wayes by land and by 
 water how men may go to Hierusalem. And if 
 it be so that there be many other wayes that men go by, 
 after the countreys that they come from, neverthelesse 
 they tourne all to one ende, yet is there a way all by 
 land to Hierusalem, & passe no sea from Fraunce or 
 Flaunders, but that way is full longe and perylous & of 
 great travaile, & therefore few go that way, he that goeth 
 that way, he goeth through Almayn & Pruse and so to 
 Tartary, this Tartary is holden of the great Cane, 1 of 
 whome I shall speake afterwarde, for thether lasteth 2 
 his lordeshippe, and all the lords of Tartary yelde to him 
 tribute. Tartary is a full evill land, sandy and a lytle 
 fruite bearing, for there groweth but little corne or fruyte, 
 but bestes are there great plentie, and therefore eate 
 they but fleshe without breade, and they sup the broth, 
 and they drynke mylke of all maner of bestes, they eat 
 Cattes, and all maner of wyld bestes, rattes & myce, and 
 they haue but lyttle wodde, a and therefore they dyght 4 
 theyr meate with horse dounge & other bestes doung, 
 when it is dry. Princes and other lordes eate but ones 
 in the day, and ryght lyttle, and they be ryght foule 
 folke, and of evyll lyking, and in somer there is many 
 tempests and thonders, that sleaeth many men & bestes 
 
 1 Khan. 2 For his dominions extend as far. 
 
 3 Wood. Cook. 
 
 H
 
 98 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 (sodainly it is) right colde, and sodainly it is right hot. 
 The Prince that governeth that land they call him Roco 
 and he dwelleth at a Citie that men call Orda, and for- 
 soth there is no man that will dwell in that lande, for it 
 is good to sow in thornes & wedes, other good is there 
 none, as I herd say, for I was not that way, but I have 
 bene in other lordes landes marching thereon, and the 
 land of RossyeandNyflonde & theKingedome ofGrecon 1 
 and Lectowe, and the kingdome of Grasten 2 & in many 
 other places, but I went neuer that way to H Jerusalem 
 & therefore I may not tell it, for I haue understande, 
 that men may not well go that way but in winter, when 
 the waters and marys 3 that be in that lande be 
 frosen and covered with snow, so that men may passe 
 thereon, for were not the snow, there might no man go 
 in that lande but he wer lost. And ye shall understande 
 that a man shall go three days journey from Pruse to 
 passe this waye, tyll he come to the lande of Sarasyns, 
 that men dwell in. And if by fortune any christen men 
 passe that way, as once a yeare they doe, they cary theyr 
 vitale with them, for they shoulde finde nothing there 
 but a maner of things that they call Syleys, and they 
 cary theyr vytales upon the yceon sleddes 4 and charyottes 
 without wheles, and as long as theyr vitayles laste, they 
 may dwell there, but no longer. And when spyes of the 
 countrey see christen men come, they runne to the towns 
 and castels and cry right loude, Kera, Kera, Kera, and 
 as sone as they haue cryed, then dothe the people arme 
 them. And ye shall understande that the yse there is 
 harder than it is here, and euery man hath a stew '' in 
 his house, and therein they eat and do all things that 
 
 1 Cracow. 2 Darestan, or Silistria. 
 
 3 Marais or marshes, meres. 4 Sledges. 5 Stove.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 99 
 
 them nedeth. And that is at the North part of the 
 world, where it is commonly colde, for the Sonne cometh 
 ne shineth but a little in that countrey, and that lande is 
 in some places so colde, that there may no man dwel 
 therein, and on the South side of the world it is in some 
 places so hote, that there can no man dwel, the son 
 giveth so great heate in those countreys. 
 
 CAP. XLIIII. 
 
 INASMUCH as I haue told you of the Sarasins and 
 of other landes, if ye will I shall tell you a parte of 
 theyr law, and of theyr beleve, after as theyr boke say- 
 eth, that they call Alkaron, 1 and some call that boke 
 Mysap, 2 some call it Harme 3 in diverse language of 
 countreys, which booke Machomet gave them, in y e which 
 boke he wrote among other things as I have often red 
 and sene, that they that are good shall goe to Paradise, 
 and the evill folkes to hell, and that beleeve all the Sara- 
 syns. And if a man aske of what Paradise they meane, 
 they say it is a place of delytes, where a man shall finde 
 all maner of fruites at all times, and waters, and rivers 
 running with milke & hony, wine and fresh water, and 
 they shall have faire houses & good as they have de- 
 served, and those houses are made of precious stones, 
 gold & sylver & every man shall haue ten 4 wives and all 
 maydens. Also they speake often & beleve of the Vir- 
 gin Mary and tell of the Incarnation, that Mary was learned 5 
 
 1 The Koran. 
 
 2 Some say Meshaf. Mishaf means written sheets of paper. 
 
 3 Harme is " Haram," sacred. 4 Some say 80. 
 5 Taught by.
 
 100 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 of Aungels and that Gabriel sayd to hir that she 
 was chosen before all other from the beginning of 
 the world, and that wytnesseth well theyr booke, & 
 Gabriel tolde hir of the incarnation of Jesu Christ, and 
 that she shoulde conceive and beare a childe and they 
 saye that Christ was a holy prophet in word & dede, and 
 also meke & rightwise to all men, and without any 
 blame worthy. And they saye that when the Aungell 
 tolde hir of the incarnation, she hadde great dread, 
 for she was righte younge, and there was one in the 
 countrey that medled with sorcery, that men called 
 Takina, 1 that with enchauntements could make him lyke 
 an Aungell and he went often and lay with maidens, and 
 therefore was Mary the more aferde'ofthe Aungell, and 
 thought in hir mynde that it had bene Takina that went 
 to maydens, and she conjured him that he should tell 
 hir if he were the same Takina, and the Aungell bad hir 
 have no dreade for he was for certayne a true messenger 
 of Jesu Christ. Also theyr booke of Alkaron saith, that 
 she had a child under a palme tree, then was she greatly 
 ashamed and sayde that she woulde she had bene dead. 
 As sone as hir childe was borne, he spake and comforted 
 hir and sayd, Ne limeas Maria, That is to say, Be not 
 afraide Mary. And in many other places, sayth theyr 
 booke Alkaron, that Jesu Christ spake as sone as he was 
 borne, & the booke sayth that Jesu Christ was sent of 
 Almighty God to be ensample to all men, and that God 
 shall deme 3 all men, the good to heaven and the wicked 
 to hell & that Jesu Christ is the best prophete of all 
 other and nexte to God and that he was a holy prophet, 
 for he gave to the blynde theyr sight, and heled Mesels 4 
 
 1 Other editions have Taknia. 2 Afraid. 
 
 3 Judge. 4 Lepers.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNUEVILLE, KNIGHT. IOI 
 
 & raysed men and went all quick l to heaven. And if 
 they may finde a boke with gospels, namely, Missus est 
 Angelus, they doe it great worship, they fast a monethin 
 the yere & they eate but in the night, and they kepe 
 them from theyr wyves, but they that are syke are not 
 Constrayned to that. And that booke Alkaron speaketh 
 of J ewes and sayth, they are wicked people for they will 
 not beleve that Jesu Christ is of God. And they say, y* 
 the Jewes lye on our Lady and hir sonne jesu Christ, 
 saying that they did him not on the crosse, for Sarasyns 
 beleve so nere our fayth, that they are lightly converted 
 when men preche the lavve of Jesu Christ, and they saye 
 that they wote well by theyr prophicies, that theyr lawe 
 of Machomet shall fayll as doth the law of Jews and that 
 Christen mens laws shall last unto the worlds ende. And 
 if a man aske them wherein they beleve they say that 
 they beleve in god almightie, that is the maker of heaven 
 and earth and all other things and without him is nothing 
 done and at the day of Judgement when euery man 
 shall be rewarded after his deserving, & that all things 
 is soth 2 that Christ said through the mouthes of his 
 prophetes. 
 
 CAP. XLV. 
 
 Yet it treateth more of Machomet. 
 
 ALSO Machomet badde in his boke Alkaron, that 
 euery man shoulde haue two wives or three or 
 foure, but now they take nine and as many lemmans as 
 them liketh, & if any of their wives doe amisse against 
 
 1 Alive. 2 True.
 
 IO2 
 
 their husbandes, he may driue hir out of his house, and 
 take another, but he must giue to hir part of his goodes. 
 Also when men speake of the Father, and the Sonne, and 
 holy Ghost, they saye they are three persons, but not 
 one God, for their boke Alkoran speaketh not thereof, 
 nor of the trinitie, but they say that God spake or else 
 he was dumb, and that God hath a ghost, 1 or else he 
 were not alive, & they say Gods word hath great strength, 
 and so saith theyr Alkaron & they say that Abraham 
 and Moyses were greatly in favor with God, for they 
 spake with him, & Machomet was right messenger of 
 God. And they haue many good articles of our faith 
 and some understand the scriptures, profites, gospels, and 
 the Bible, for they haue them written in theyr language, 
 in this maner they knowe holy writ, but they understande 
 it not, but after the letter and so do the Jewes, for they 
 understande it not, but after their letter ghostly, and 
 therefore saith Sainct Paule, Litera occidil : Spiritus vivi- 
 ficat that is to say, Letter dieth, and ghost maketh 
 quicke. And the Sarasins say y l Jewes are wicked, for 
 they kepe not y e lawe of Moyses the which he toke to 
 them, & also chrysten men are yll, for they kepe not the 
 commaundments of the gospels that Jesu Christ sent 
 unto them & therefore I shall tell you what the Soudan 
 tolde me upon a daye in his chamber, voiding 2 out all 
 other men, as Lordes, Knightes & other, for he woulde 
 speke with me in counsel, and then asked he me how 
 christen men governed them in our countrey and I 
 aunswered him & sayd, right well thankes be to God ; 
 & he sayd, secretly nay, for he sayd that our priestes 
 made no force of gods service, for they shoulde giue good 
 example to men, to doe well, and they giue ill example, 
 
 1 Spirit. 2 Turning.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 103 
 
 and therefore when the people should go on the holy 
 daies to church to serve God they go to the taverne to 
 sin in glotony both day and nighte, and eate and drink 
 as bestes, that wot not when they haue had ynough, and 
 also Christen men he sayde, inforced them to fight 
 together & eche to begile other and they are so proude, 
 that they wot not how they may cloth them, now short, 
 now long, now straite now wyde, of all manner of fas- 
 sions. They shoulde be simple, meke and softe, and doe 
 theyr almes as Jesu Christe dyd, in whome they beleve, 
 and he sayde they are so covetouse, that for a lyttle 
 money they sell theyr children, theyr systers, and theyr 
 wyves, and one taketh another mans wife, and none 
 holdeth his fayth to other, therefore sayde he, for theyr 
 sinnes hath God given these landes to our handes, and 
 not through our strength, but all for your synnes. For 
 we wot well, that when that ye serve well your god, 
 that he wyll helpe you, so that no man shall winne of 
 you, if that ye serve your god as ye oughte to doe, but 
 while they lyve so sinfully as they doe, we have no 
 dread ' on them, for theyr God shall not helpe them. 
 And then I asked him how that he knew the state of 
 Chrysten men in that maner, & he sayde that he knewe 
 well both of lordes and of commons, by his messengers 
 which he sent through all the countreys as it were mer- 
 chants with precious stones & other marchandise to know 
 the manner of euery countrey. And then he did call 
 againe all the lordes into his chamber to us & then 
 shewed he unto me iiii persons that were great lordes of 
 that countrey, that shewed me the maner of my countrey, 
 and of all Christendome, as though they had bene men 
 borne in the same partes, and they speak french right 
 
 1 Fear of.
 
 IO4 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 well and the Soudain also, and then I had greate mar- 
 vaile of this slaunder of our faith and so they that should 
 bee turned by our good examples to the fayth of Jesu 
 Christe, they are drawen away through our evyl living, 
 and therefore it is no wonder if that they call us evyll, 
 for they save soth, but the Sarasins are true for they 
 kepe truly the commaundements of their Alkaron that 
 God sent them by his messenger Machomet, to whome 
 they say, Gabryell the Aungell spake often, and tolde to 
 him the will of God. 
 
 CAP. XLVI. 
 Of the byrtli of Machomet. 
 
 AND ye shall understande y* Machomet was borne in 
 Araby, and that he was first a pore drudge & kept 
 horse & went after marchaundise. And so he came once 
 into Egipt with marchaundise & Egipt was the same 
 time Christen, & there was a chappell besyde Araby, & 
 there was an hermite & when he came to the chappell y* 
 was but a lyttle house and a lowe, as sone as he entered, 
 it began to be as great as it were of a palas gate and 
 that was the first miracle that the Sarasyns saye that he 
 did in his youth. After began Machomet to be wise and 
 rich and became a great Astronomer, and sithen was he 
 keper of the lande of the prince Corodan and governed 
 it full well, in such maner that when the prince was dead 
 he maryed the lady y l men call Quadryge. 1 And 
 Mahomet fell often in the falling evill, 2 wherefore the 
 
 1 Kadijah. 2 Had epileptic fits.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. IO5 
 
 lady was wroth that she had taken him unto hir husband, 
 & he made hir to understande that every tyme that he 
 fell so, he said that Gabriel the aungell spake to him, 
 and for the great brightnesse of the aungell he fell 
 downe. This Machomet raigned in Araby the yeare of 
 our Lord, vi hundred and xx 1 and he was of the kinde of 
 Ismael that was Abrahams son that he begat of Agar, 
 and other are called Sarasins of Sara, but some are 
 called Moabites and some Amenites after the two sons of 
 Loth. And also Machomet loved well a good man an 
 hermite that dwelled in the wildernesse a myle from 
 Mounte Sinay in the way as men go from Araby to 
 Caldee, and a dayes journey fro the sea where mar- 
 chaunts of Venice come, and Machomet went so often 
 to this hermyte that all his men were wroth, for he 
 harde 2 gladly the hermit preach, and his men did walke 
 all the night & thought they would this hermyte were 
 dead. So it befell on a night that Machomet was full 
 dronken of good wine, and he fell in a slepe, and his men 
 toke Machomets sworde out of his sheath whyles he lay 
 and slept, and therewith they slew the Hermit, and after- 
 warde they put up the sword againe all bloudy, and upon 
 the morow when that he founde the Hermite thus dead, 
 he was in his mynde verye angry, and right wroth, and 
 woulde haue done his men unto the death, but they all 
 with one accorde, and with one will sayde that he him- 
 selfe hadde slaine hym when he was dronken, and they 
 shewed his own swerd all bluddy & then he beleved that 
 they sayde soth, & then cursed the wine & all those that 
 drank it. And therefore Sarasins that are devout drinke 
 
 1 Other editions have it 610, but it was A.D. 611 when Mahomet 
 professed to have received his call. 
 
 2 Heard.
 
 io6 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 no wine openly, else they should be reprouved but they 
 drynke good beverage & svveete & nourishing that is 
 made of Calamelles, and thereof is suger made. 
 
 And it befel l sometime, y* christen men became Sara- 
 sins, either through povertie, simplenesse, or vvickednesse 
 & therefore theyr Archbishop when he received them, 
 sayd thus, 2 Lae/es ella Machomet roses ella That is to 
 say, there is no God but one, and Machomet is his mes- 
 sengere. And sithern 3 I have told you a part of theyr 
 law, and of theyr customes, now I shall tell you of theyr 
 letters that they haue with theyr names. First they have 
 for A- almoy, B. bethath, c- cathi, d- delphoy, e- ephoti, 
 f- forthy, g- garophin, h- hechum, i- iocchi, k- kattu, 1- 
 lothum, m- malach, n- nahalgt, o- orthy, p- choziri, q- 
 
 1 Pynson says "befalleth." 
 
 2 The Mahometan Confession of Faith is Ld ildha ilia 'llah 
 Muhammadun rasulu 'lldh. 
 
 3 Since.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. IO/ 
 
 zothii, r- rucholat, s- routhi, t- solathy, v- chorimus, x- 
 yrithom, y- mazot, z-alepin & ioheten- com these are the 
 names. These foure letters have they yet more for 
 diversitie of their language, for as much as they speake 
 so in their throtes, as we have in our language and 
 speake in England. Two letters may they then have in 
 theyr A. B. C that is to say, y &, the which are called 
 thorne- and zowx. 
 
 CAP. XLVII. 
 
 Of the yles and divers maner of people and of marvaylous 
 
 beastes. 
 
 AND sithen I have devised before of the holy land 
 and countreys thereabout, and many wayes thether, 
 and to mount Synay, and to Babilon, and other divers 
 places which I have spoken of, now will I tell & speake 
 of iles and of divers bestes, and divers folke and coun- 
 treys that be departed 1 by the flouds that came out of 
 Paradise terrestre. For Mesopotame and the kingdome 
 of Calde and Araby are between two floddes, Tigre and 
 Eufrace, and the kingedome of Media and Perce are 
 betwene two flouds Tigre and Nyle, & the kingdome of 
 Surrey, Palestine and Femines 2 are betweene Eufrace and 
 the sea Mediterranean, it is of length from Marroch on 
 the sea of Spaine, unto the great sea, and so lasteth it 
 beyonde Constantinople three M and xx 3 myle of Lom- 
 bardy and to the Occean sea. In Inde is the kingdome 
 of Sichem, 4 that is all closed among hils, and beside 
 
 1 Parted. 2 Phoenicia. 
 
 3 Others say 3,040. * Scythia
 
 io8 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 .Sichem is the lande of Amazony, wherein dwell none 
 but women. 
 
 And thereby is the kingdome of Albany, which is a 
 great lande and it is called so bicause that men are more 
 whiter there than in other places, & in this countrey are 
 great houndes and stronge, so that they overcome Lions 
 and slay them. And ye shall understande that to those 
 countreys are many iles and landes, of the which were 
 too long to tell, but of some I will speake more plainly 
 afterwarde.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 109- 
 
 CAP. XLVIII. 
 
 Of the haven Gene, for to go by the sea into divers 
 countreys. 
 
 F*OR he that wyll goe to Tartary, Percy, Caldee or 
 Inde, he entreth the sea at Gene or at Venyce, or 
 at any other haven, and so passeth by the sea, and 
 arriveth at Topasonde, 1 that is a good citie, that some- 
 time men call the haven of bridge, and there is the 
 haven of Perce, of Medes, and of other marches. 2 In 
 this citie lieth saint Athanasius, that was bishop of 
 Alexandry, that made the Psalme, Quicunque vult salvus 
 esse. This man was a great doctour of divinitie, and of 
 the godheade, he was accused unto the Pope of Rome 
 that he was an heritike, and the pope sent for hym and 
 put him in prison, and while he was in that prison he 
 made this Psalme and sent it unto the Pope & sayde if 
 that he were an heretyke, then that was heresie, for y* 
 was his faith and his belefe : and when the Pope saw 
 that he had sayde therein was all our faith, then anon 
 he did deliver him out of prison, and he commaunded 
 that Psalme to be sayd every day at prime, & so he held 
 Athanasius for a good christen man, but he never would 
 after goe to his bishoprych for they accused him of 
 heresie. 
 
 Topasond was some tyme holden of the Emperour of 
 Constantinople, but a great man that he sent to help- 
 
 1 Trebizond. 2 Neighbouring countries.
 
 rio 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 that countrey against the Turkes, did holde it to him- 
 selfe, & called himself Emperour of Topasonde. 
 
 And from thence men go through lyttle Armony, 1 & 
 in that countrey is an olde castell that is on a rock, y* 
 men call the castell of Spirys, & there men finde an 
 hawke sitting upon a perch right well made & a faire 
 lady of Fayry that keepeth it, & he that will wake 2 this 
 same hawke seven days and seven nightes, and some say 
 that it is not but three days and three nightes, alone 
 without any company and without slepe, this faire ladie 
 shall come unto him at the vii dayes or iii dayes ende 
 & shall graunte unto him the first thing that he will 
 aske of worldly things, and that hath often ben proved. 
 And so uppon a time it befell that a man which that 
 tyme was Kinge of Armonye that was a righte doughty 3 
 
 1 Armenia. 2 Watch. 3 Brave. 
 
 3 In the old Romance of Melusina, which was written by Jean 
 d'Arras, Secretary to the Due de Berri, brother to Charles V. of
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. Ill 
 
 man waked uppon a tyme, and at the seven dayes ende 
 the lady came to him and bade him aske what he would 
 for he had wel done his devoure, 1 and the king aunswered 
 and sayde that he was a great lorde and in good peace, 
 and he was riche, so that he would aske nothing but all 
 onely the body of the fayre lady, or to haue his will of 
 hir. Then this fayre lady aunswered and sayde unto 
 him, that he was a foole, for he wist not what he asked, 
 for he might not have hir, for he shoulde not haue asked 
 hir but worldly thinges & she was not worldly. And 
 the king sayde he woulde nought else, and she said sith 
 
 France in 1387 (at the command of his master) is the legend of 
 the Lady of the Sparrow Hawk, which shows how current it was at 
 the time. According to his version, a fairy, named Presine, married 
 King Helmas, and made him vow that he would never go near her 
 at the time of childbirth. She bore him three daughters Melu- 
 sina, Melior, and Palestine and at the birth of the latter the king 
 broke his vow. When his children grew up they learnt this fact, 
 and were very indignant at their father's conduct, to punish which 
 (being gifted with supernatural power) they enclosed him in an en- 
 chanted mountain until he died. Presine was powerless to undo 
 this deed, but she visited their unnatural conduct severely upon her 
 daughters. Melusina was to become half serpent, half woman, every 
 Saturday ; Palestine was ever to watch their father's treasure on 
 the top of a mountain in Arragon ; while Melior's fate is thus told 
 by the chronicler : 
 
 " And thou Melyor to the I gyve a Castel in the grette Armenye, 
 whyche is fayre and riche, wher thou shalt kepe a Sperschak unto 
 the tyme that the grett maister shall hold his Jugement. And al 
 noble and worthy knyghts, descended and come of noble lynee, 
 that wil you watche there the day byfore the even, and th' even also 
 of Saint Johan Baptiste, whiche is on the xx day of Juny, without 
 any slep, shal have a geft of the of suche thinges, without to de- 
 mande thy body, ne thy love, by maryage, nor other wise. And al 
 thos that shal demande the without cesse, and that wol not forbere. 
 and absteyn them not, shal be infortunat unto the IX lynee, and 
 shal be put from theire prosperytees." 
 
 1 Devoir, duty.
 
 112 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 he would aske nought else, she should graunt him three 
 thinges and all that came after hym, and sayde unto 
 him, Sir kinge you shall haue warre without peace unto 
 the ix degree, and you shall be in subjection of your 
 enemies, and you shall have greate nede of good and 
 cattell, and sithen that tyme all the Kynges of Armonye 
 have been in warre and nedefull l and under trybute of 
 the Sarasyns. Also a poore mannes sonne as he waked 
 on a tyme, and asked the lady that he might be rych 
 and happy in marchaundise and the ladye graunted him, 
 but she sayde to him that he hadde asked his undoynge 
 for great pryde that he shoulde haue thereof. And this 
 became so greate a marchaunte bothe by sea and lande, 
 that he was so ryche that he knew not the thousande parte 
 of hys goods. Also a Knight of the Templers waked 
 likewise and when he had done, he desired to haue a 
 purse full of golde and what soever he tooke thereof it 
 shoulde ever be full againe and the ladye graunted it 
 hym, but she tolde him that hee had desyred his destruc- 
 tion for great mistrowing that hee shoulde have of the 
 same purse, and so it befell. But he that shal wake 
 hath great nede for to kepe him from slepe, for if he 
 sleepe he is lost that he shall neuer bee sene, but that is- 
 not the righte way, but for the mervaile. And from 
 Topasonde men go to greate Armony to a citie that men 
 call Artyron 2 that was wont to be a great Citie, but 
 Turkes have destroyed it, for there neyther groweth no 
 wyne nor fruyt. From this Artyron men go to an hyll 
 that is called Sabissacol & there nere is another hil that 
 men call Arath, 3 but the Jewes call it Thano where 
 Archa Noe 4 rested after the diluvie, 5 & yet it is on that 
 
 1 Poor, needy. 2 Erzeroum. 3 Ararat. 
 
 4 Noah's Ark. 5 Flood.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEViLLE, KNIGHT. 113 
 
 hyll, a man may se it from ferre in cleare wether, & the 
 hilles be xii 1 myle of height & some saye they haue 
 bene there & put theyr fingers in the holes where the 
 fende 2 went out when Noe sayde in this maner of wyse 
 Benedicite. But they note well, for none may go on that 
 hyll for snowe, that is alwaye uppon that hyll bothe 
 wynter and somer, that no man may go by and never 
 yode 3 syth Noe was, but a monke, through the grace of 
 God, broughte a planke that yet is at the Abbey, at the 
 
 hyll foote, and he had great desyre to go uppon that 
 hyll, and aforced him thereto, and when he was at the 
 thyrde part upwarde he was so wery that he might goe 
 no further, and he rested him & slept and when he was 
 awake he was downe at the hyll foote, and then prayed 
 he to God devoutly that he would suffer him to go upon 
 
 1 Others say seven. 2 Fiend. 
 
 3 Never went there. 
 I
 
 114 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 the hill, and the Aungell sayd that he should go upon 
 the hil, and so he dyd, and since that tyme no man came 
 there. And therefore men shoulde not beleve such 
 wordes. 
 
 And from thence men go to a citie that men call Tan- 
 ziro l and that is a fayre citie & good. Besyde that citie 
 is an hyll of salte, and thereof every man taketh what 
 he wyll and there dwelled many Christen men under 
 
 tribute to the Sarasyns. From thence men go through 
 many cities, tovvnes, and castels towarde Inde, and then 
 come to a citie that men call Cassaye that is a fayre 
 citie, and in that citie is aboundance of corne wynes, 
 and all maner of goods, and there met the three kynges 
 togither that wente to make theyr offeryng to our Lord 
 in Bethlehem. From that citie men go to a citie that 
 men call Cardabago, and paynims say y 4 Christen men 
 
 1 Tabreez or Tabriz.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 115 
 
 may not dwell there, by l they dye sone and they know 
 not the cause. And from thence men go through many 
 countreys, cities & townes, that it were to long to tell, & 
 to the citie of Carnaa, that was wont to be so great, that 
 the wall about was of xxv myle, the wall sheweth yet, 
 but it is not inhabited now with men, and there endeth 
 the land of the Emperour of Perce. 
 
 CAP. XLIX. 
 
 Of the countrey of Job, and of the Kingedome of Caldee. 
 
 ON the other side of the citie of Carnaa men enter 
 into the land of Job, that is a good lande & great 
 plentie of all fruites & men call that land of Swere. 2 In 
 this lande is the citie of Thomar. Job was a Paynim 
 & also he was Cofraas son & he helde that lande as 
 prince thereof, & he was so riche that he knew not the 
 hondreth parte of his good, and after his povertie God 
 made him richer than ever he was before, for after he 
 was Kinge of Idumea after the death of King Esau, & 
 when he was king he was called Joab, and in that kinge- 
 dome he lived c yeare and Ixx so that he was of age when 
 he dyed cc yeare and xlviii. And in this lande of Job 
 is no defaute 3 of nothing that is nedefull to mans body. 
 There are hilles where men finde manna, and manna is 
 called Aungell's bread that is a whit thing right sweete 
 & much sweter than suger or hony, and that commeth 
 of the dew of heaven that falleth on the herbes, and 
 
 1 For. 2 Susiana. 3 Want of anything.
 
 Il6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 there it congeled and waxeth white and men doe it in 
 medecines for riche men. 
 
 This lande marcheth to the lande of Caldee that is a 
 great land, & there is full faire folke & well apparaited 
 & they go richly araied with cloth of gold & with perls 
 & other precious stones. But the women are righte foule 
 & evill clad & go bare fote & bare an ill cote, large, wide, 
 & short, unto theyr knees, & haue long sieves down to 
 the fote, & they haue great black here long hanging 
 about theyr shoulders & they are right foule for to loke 
 upon that I dare not tell it all bicause that I am worthy 
 for to haue a great reward for my praising of them. In 
 this land of Caldee aforesayde is a citie that men call 
 Hur & in y l citie was Abraham y e patriark born.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 1 1/ 
 
 CAP. L. 
 
 Of the Kingedome of Amazony whereas dwelleth none but 
 
 women. 
 
 \ FTER the lande of Caldee is the lande of Amazony 
 ~\ that is a land where there is no man but all women 
 as men say, for they wil suffer no men to lyve among 
 them nor to haue lordeshippe over them. For sometyme 
 was a kinge in that lande and men were dwelling there 
 as did in other countreys, and had wives, & it befell that 
 the kynge had great warre with them of Sychy, he was 
 called Colopius and hee was slaine in bataill and all the 
 good blonde of his lande. And this queene when she herd 
 that, & other ladies of that land, that the king and the
 
 Il8 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 lordes were slaine, they gathered them togither and 
 killed all the men that were lefte in their lande among 
 them, and sithen that time dwelled no man among 
 them. 
 
 And when they will have any man they sende for 
 them in a countrey that is nere theyr lande, and the 
 men come and are ther viii dayes or as the woman 
 lyketh, & then go they againe, and if they have men 
 children they send them to theyr fathers when they can 
 eate & go, and if they have maide chyldren they kepe 
 them, and if they bee of gentill bloud they brene l the 
 left pappe 2 away for bearing of a shelde, and if they be 
 of little bloud they brene the ryght pappe away for 
 shoting. For those women of that countrey are good 
 warriours and are often in soudy 3 with other lordes, and 
 the queene of that lande governeth well that lande, this 
 lande is all environed with water. Beside Amazony is 
 the lande of Termagute that is a good laride, King 
 Alexander did make a citie ther that men call Alex- 
 andry. 
 
 1 Burn. 2 Breast. 3 War. 

 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 119 
 
 CAP. LI. 
 Of the lande of Ethiope, 
 
 N the other side of Calde toward the south side is 
 Ethyope a great lande. In this lande on the 
 south are the folke right blacke. In that side is a well 
 that in the daye the water is so colde that no man may 
 drinke thereof, & in the nighte it is so hote that no man 
 may suffer to put his hand in it. In this lande the rivers 
 
 O 
 
 and all the waters are troublous and some dele salte for 
 the great hete, and men of y l lande are lightly dronken 
 & haue little appetite to meate, and they haue commonly 
 the flixe of body and they live not long. In Ethiope l 
 
 1 Like many other marvellous stories related by Sir John Man-
 
 I2O 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 are such men that have but one foote, and they go so 
 fast y' it is a great marvaill, & that is a large fote that 
 the shadow thereof covereth y e body from son or rayne 
 when they lye uppon their backes, and when their 
 
 children be first borne they loke like russet, and when 
 they waxe olde then they be all blacke. In Ethiope is 
 the lande of Saba, of the which one of the three Kings 
 that sought our Lorde at Bethleem was King. 
 
 deville, they were told by Pliny, in his Natural History, nearly 1200 
 years previously. For instance, in Book 7, chap, ii., devoted to 
 Man, he quotes Ctesias as saying that in India is another race of 
 men, who are known as Monscoli, who have only one leg, but are 
 able to leap with surprising agility. The same people are also 
 called Sciapodce, because they are in the habit of lying on their 
 backs during the time of extreme heat and protect themselves from 
 the sun by the shade of their feet. For other types of these " pecu- 
 liar people" see Appendix.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 121 
 
 CAP. LII. 
 
 Of hide the more, & Inde the lesse, & of diamonds, and 
 small people, & other things. 
 
 FROM Ethyope men go into Inde through many 
 dyverse countreys, and it is called Inde the more, 
 and it is departed in three parties, that is to say, Inde 
 the more that is a full hote lande, & Inde the lesse 
 is a temperate land, and the thyrde part that is toward 
 the north there it is right cold, so that for greate colde, 
 frost & yce, the water becommeth Cristal & upon that 
 groweth the good diamondes y l is like a trouble T colour, 
 & that Diamonde is so harde that no man may breake 
 it. Other Diamonds men finde in Araby that are not 
 so good for they are more softer and some are in Cipres 
 and in Macedony men also finde diamondes but the best 
 are in Inde & some are founde many times in a masse 
 that cometh oute where men fynde golde from the myne 
 when men breake the masse in pyeces, and sometyme 
 men finde some of greatnesse of a pese, 2 and some lesse, 
 and those are as harde as those of Inde, and all if it be 
 that men fynde good dyamondes in Indie upon theRoch of 
 Crystall, also menne finde good dyamondes upon theRoch 
 of Adamante 3 in the sea and on hilles, as it were haysell 
 noutes, 4 and they are all square and poy nted of they re owne 
 
 1 Prismatic. 2 Pea. 
 
 3 Rocks of Magnetic Loadstone were then firmly believed in. 
 
 4 Hazel nuts.
 
 122 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 kynde, and they grow both togither, male and female, 
 and are noryshed with the dewe of heaven, and they 
 engendre commonly & bring forth small children that 
 multiply & growe all the yeare. I haue many times 
 assayed that if a man kepe them with a lyttle of the 
 roche, and wette them with many dewes oft times, they 
 shal grow euery yeare, and the small shall waxe greate. 
 And a manne shall bere the Diamonde in his left side, 
 and then it is of more vertue, for the strength of theyr 
 growing is toward the North, that is on the lefte side as 
 men of those countreys say. To him that beareth the 
 diamond upon him it giveth him hardinesse, it kepeth 
 his lims of his body hole, it giveth victory of 1 enimies if 
 a mans cause be ryght, and hym that bereth it in good 
 will, it kepeth him from strife, from ryote, ill dreames, 
 and sorcerys, and enchauntements, and no wylde beste 
 shall greve him nor assaile him. And also the Dya- 
 monde shoulde be given freely without covetyse and 
 bying, & then it is of more vertue, it healeth him that is 
 lunatyke, and he that is travailed with a divell, and if 
 venym or poyson be brought in the presence of the 
 Diamonde so soon it moysteth and beginneth to sweate, 
 and men may well polyce 2 them to make men beleve 
 that they may not be polyshed. But men may assaye 
 them well in this maner, fyrst cut with them an diverse 
 precious stones, as Saphyrs or other uppon Crystall and 
 then men take a stone that is called Adamande, lay a 
 nedell before that Adamande and if the Diamond is 
 good & vertuous the Adamande draweth not the nedell 
 to him whiles the Diamonde is there. And this is the 
 proof that they make beyonde the sea. But it falleth 
 sometime that the good diamond loseth his vertue 
 
 1 Over. 2 Polish.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 123 
 
 through him that wereth it, and therefore it is nedefull 
 for to make it to recover his virtue againe, or else it is 
 lyttle of value. 1 
 
 CAP. LIII. 
 
 Of diverse countreys & Kingdomes & yles of the lande of 
 
 Inde. 
 
 MANY diverse countreys & Kingdoms are in Inde r 
 and it is called Inde of a river that runneth 
 through it, which is called Inde also & there are many 
 precious stones in that river Inde. And in that ryver 
 men finde Eles of xxx foote long & men y* dwell nere 
 that river are of evill colour, yelowe & grene. In Inde 
 
 1 This description of the diamond is largely taken from Pliny, 
 book 37, chap. iv.
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 is more than fyve thousande yles that men dwell in 
 good and great, beside those that men dwel not in. 
 And in eche one of those is great plenty of cities and 
 muche people, for men of Inde are of that condicion that 
 they passe not out of theyr lande commonly, for they 
 dwell under a planet that is called Saturne, & that planet 
 maketh his course by the xii signes in xxx l yeare and 
 the Mone passeth through the xii signes in a moneth 
 and for that Saturne is of so late sterying, 2 therefore men 
 that dwell under him, & in that clymate have no good 
 will to be much sterying aboute. And in our countrey 
 is it contrary, for we are in a climate that is of the mone, 
 & of light stering and that is the planet of way, & there- 
 fore it giveth us will to much moving & steryng and to 
 
 go into diverse countreys of the world, for it goeth about 
 the worlde more lyghtly than any other planet dothe. 
 
 1 Pynson says 20 years. 
 
 2 Slow motion.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 125 
 
 Also men passe through Inde by many countreys unto 
 the great Occean Sea. And then they fynde the yle of 
 Hermes where marchaunts of Venis and of Gene and of 
 other diverse partes of christendome come for to by 
 them marchaundise. 
 
 In this lande men and women lye all naked in the 
 ryvers and waters, from undren l or heate of the day tyll 
 it be past none, and they ly all in the water but the face, 
 for the great heat that is there, and the women be not 
 ashamed for the men. In that yle are the ships without 
 nayles of yron, or bond, for roches of Adamand" that 
 are in the sea would draw shippes to them. From this 
 yle men go by the sea to the yle of Lana where is great 
 
 plenty of corne, and the King of this yle was sometime 
 so mighty that he helde war against King Alexander 
 
 1 An early hour before noon. 
 hora tertia, tisq : ad nonam." 
 
 2 Loadstone rocks. 
 
 A Latin edition has it : " A diet
 
 126 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 with great strength. Men of this yle have many maner 
 beleves and faithe & have also diverse lawes, for some do 
 worship the Sunne, some the fyre, some the trees, & some 
 the serpents, or any other thinge that they fyrst meete in 
 the morning, and some doe worship simulacres 1 and 
 Idoles, but betwene symulacres & ydoles is no 2 diffe- 
 rence, and that is to understande, ymages made to what 
 lykenesse of thing that man may invent, for some ymage 
 hath an head lyke an Oxe, some haue three or foure 
 heddes, on of a man or an hors or Oxe or any other best 
 that no man hath scene. And ye shall understande 
 that they that worship symulacres they worship them as 
 for worthy men that were sometime, as Hercules, and 
 other that dyd many mervayles in theyr tymes. For 
 they saye they know well that they are not god of 
 kynde 3 that made all thinges, but that they are wel 4 
 with god for the mervayles that they did, and therefore 
 they worship them. And so say they of the sonne, for 
 it chaungeth oft tymes, for it giueth sometime great 
 heate for to nourych 5 all things on earth, & bicause it 
 is of so greate profyte they knowe well that it is not God 
 but it is well with God & that God loveth it more than 
 any other thing, and for this cause they worshippe it. 
 And also they saye theyr reasons of other pianettes, and 
 of fyre also, for it is profitable, and nedefull. And of 
 ydolls they say the Oxe is the holyest that they may 
 finde here in earthe, and more profitable than any other, 
 for he doth much good, and none ille, and they knowe 
 well that it maye not bee without the speciall grace of 
 
 1 Images. 
 
 2 Other editions have "a gret difference," which the context 
 shows should be the right reading. 
 
 3 Similar to Him that made, &c. 
 
 4 They were helped by God in the marvels, &c. 5 Nourish.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 127 
 
 God, and therefore they make theyr God of an Oxe, the 
 one halfe, and the other halfe a man, for man is the 
 fairest and the best creature of the worlde. And they 
 doe worship to serpentes, and other beastes that they 
 fyrste meete with in the morninge, and namely those 
 bestes that have good, meting after whome they speake 1 
 well all the day after, the which they have proved of 
 long time, & therefore they say that this meting cometh 
 of Gods grace, and therefore they doe make ymages lyke 
 unto those things that they may worship them before 
 they meete anythinges else. And there are some christen 
 men that say that some bestes are better for to meet 
 
 than some, for hares, swine, and other bestes are ill to 
 meete first, as they saye. In this yle of Cana is many 
 wilde bestes, & rattes in that countrey are as great as 
 houndes here, and they take them with mastifes, for 
 cattes may not take them. Fro thence men come to a 
 
 1 Speed, i.e. have good luck.
 
 128 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 citie that men call Sarchys, and it is a faire and a goode 
 citie and there dwell many christen men of Gods faith, 
 and there be men of religion. From thence men come 
 to the land of Lombe & in that lande groweth peper in 
 a forest that men call Tomber & it groweth in none other 
 place more in all the worlde than in that forest, and that 
 forest is well L 1 daies journey. And there by the lande 
 of Lombe is the Citie of Polomes, 2 and under that Citie 
 is an hyll that men call Polombe and thereof taketh the 
 citie his name. And so at the fote of the same hill is a 
 right faire and a clere well, that hath a full good and 
 sweete savoure, and it smelleth of all maner of sortes of 
 spyces, and also at eche houre of the daye it changeth 
 his savour diversly, and who drinketh thries on the daye 
 of that well, he is made hole of all maner (of) sicke- 
 nesse that he hathe. I have sometime dronke of that 
 well, and methinketh yet that I fare the better ; some 
 call it the well of youth, for they that drinke thereof 
 seme to be yong alway, and live without great sicknesse, 
 and they saye this well, cometh from Paradise terrestre, 
 for it is so vertuous, and in this lande groweth ginger, 
 and thither come many good marchauntes for spyces. 
 In this countrey men worship the Oxe for his great sim- 
 pleness and mekenesse, and the profite that is in him, 
 for they make the Oxe to travaile vi or vii yere and then 
 men do eate him. And the Kinge of that land hath 
 euermore one Oxe with him, and he that kepeth him 
 euery day taketh hys fees for the keping. And also 
 euery daye he gathereth his uryne and his dong in a 
 vessell of gold, and bereth it to the prelate that they call, 
 Archi porta papaton 3 and the prelate bereth it to the 
 
 1 Other editions say 18. 2 Quilon, on the Malabar Coast. 
 
 3 Archi proto papaton.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. I2Q 
 
 King, and maketh thereupon a great blessing and then 
 the King putteth his hande therein, and they call it gaule 
 and hee anoynteth his fronte, and his breste therewith, 
 and they doe it great worship, and saye he shall be ful- 
 filled with the vertu of the Oxe before sayde, and that 
 he is halowed through vertue of that holy thinge as they 
 saye. And when the Kinge hath this done, then doe it 
 other lordes, and after them other men after theyr 
 degree, if they may haue any of the remenaunt. 1 In 
 thys countrey theyr ydoles are halfe men and halfe oxe, 
 as the figure sheweth in theseconde lefe here before, and 
 out of these ydolles the wycked ghost 2 speaketh unto 
 them, and giveth them aunswere of what thing that they 
 aske him, and before these ydolles they many times 
 sleay theyr children, and sprinkle the blood on the 
 ydoles, and so make they sacrifice. And if any man die 
 in that countrey, they brene them in tokening of pe- 
 naunce that he should suffer no penance if he were layd 
 in the earth for eating of wormes. And if his wife haue 
 no children then they burne hir with him, and they saye 
 that is good reason that she keepe him company in the 
 other worlde, as she dyd in this, & if she haue children 
 she may Hue with them and 3 she will ; and if the wyfe 
 dye before, she shall be burnt, & hir husbande also, if he 
 will. In this countrey groweth good wine, & women 
 drink wine & men none, and women shaue theyr berds 
 & not men. 
 
 1 Remnant. ' 2 Wicked spirit. 3 An, if. 
 
 K
 
 130 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LIIII. 
 Of the Kingedome of Mabaron. 
 
 FROM this lande men go many journeys to a coun- 
 trey that men call Mabaron, 1 and this is a greate 
 Kingdome, therein is many fayre cities & townes. In 
 this lande lyeth Sainct Thomas in a fayre tombe, in 
 
 fleshe and bones, in the Citie of Calamy, and the arme 
 and hande that hee put in our Lordes syde after his 
 resurrection, when Christ sayde unto hym, Noli esse in- 
 credulus sed fidelis :, that is to saye, Be not of vaine hope 
 
 1 Identical with the Maabav of Marco Polo, book 3, cap. xvi., 
 where he gives a very interesting account of the place. It was what 
 we call the Coromandel Coast.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 131 
 
 but beleve ; that same hande lyeth yet without the 
 tombe bare, and with this hande they giue theyr domes l 
 in that countrey, to mete 2 who saith righte, and who 
 doeth not, for, if any stryfe be betwene two parties, they 
 write their names, & put them into the hand, & then 
 incontinently the hande casteth away the byll 3 of him 
 that hath wronge and holdeth the other still that hathe 
 righte, and therefore they come from farre countreys to 
 have Judgementes of causes that are in doubte. In this 
 church of Saint Thomas is a great image, y' is a simu- 
 lacre, & it is richly beset with precious stons & perles, 
 to that image men come in pilgrimage from farre coun- 
 treys, with great devocion, as Christen men go to Saint 
 James, & there come some pilgrims y i beare sharp knives 
 in theyr handes, & as they go by the waye they shere 4 
 theyr shankes & thyghes, that the bloude may come out 
 for the love of that ydoll and they saye that he is holy 
 that will dye for that ydols sake. And there is some 
 that for the time that they go out of their houses at eche 
 third pace they knele till that they come to this idole. 
 And when they come there they have ensence 5 or such 
 other thing for to ensence the ydole, as we would do to 
 Gods body. And there before that mynster or church of 
 this ydol, is a river full of water, & in that river pilgrims 
 cast gold, silver, perles & other precious stones without 
 number, in stede of offerings, and therefore, when y 
 maister of the minster hath any neede of helping, as sone 
 they go the river & take thereout as much as they haue 
 neede to helping of y e minster. And ye shall under- 
 stande when that any greate festes come of y e Idol, as 
 the dedication day of the church, or of the throning of 
 
 1 Judgments. 2 Find out. 3 Paper. 
 
 4 Cut their legs. 5 Incense.
 
 132 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 the Idol, all the countrey there about assemble them 
 there togither and then men set this Idoll with great 
 reverence & worship in a chaire well dressed with cloth 
 of gold, and other tapistry, & so they carry him with 
 great reverence & worship, rounde about the citie, and 
 before the chaire goeth firste in procession all the maidens 
 of the countrey two & two togither, & so after them go 
 the pilgrimes that are come fro far countreys, of the which 
 
 pilgrims some fall downe before the chaire, & letteth all 
 go over them and so are they slaine, and some haue 
 theyr armes broken & leggs, 1 and this they doe for love 
 of the Idol, and they beleve the more paine that they 
 suffer here for their Idol the more joy shall they haue in 
 y e other world, & a man shall finde few Christen men 
 will surfer so much penaunce for our Lordes sake as 
 they do for the ydoll. And nighe before the chaire go 
 
 1 Mandeville probably describes the Car of Juggernaut.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 133 
 
 all the mynstrels of the countrey, as it were without 
 nomber with many divers melodyes. And when they 
 are come againe to the Church they sette up the ydol 
 againe in his throne, and for worship of the ydoll two or 
 three l are slaine with sharpe knives with their good will. 
 
 And also a man thinketh in our countrey that he hath a 
 great worshippe to haue an holy man in his kyn, lyke- 
 wise they saye that those that are there slayne are holye 
 men and sayntes & they are wrytten in their letany, and 
 when they are thus dead theyr frendes brene theyr bodies 
 & they take the ashes, and those are kepte as relykes, 
 and they say it is an holy thing, & that they doubte of 
 no perill when they haue of those ashes. 
 
 1 Other editions have it " two or three hundred."
 
 134 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LV. 
 
 Of a great countrey called Lamory, where the people go all 
 naked ds 5 other things. 
 
 FROM this countrey LII journeys is a countrey that 
 men call Lamory, 1 and in that lande is greate 
 heate, and it is the custome there, that men and women 
 go al naked and they scorne all them that are clade, for 
 they say that God made Adam & Eve all naked, and 
 that men shoulde haue no shame of that God made, & 
 they beleve in the same God that made Adam & Eve 
 and all the world, and there is no woman wedded, but 
 
 1 Sumatra.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 135 
 
 women are all common there, and they forsake no man. 
 And they say that God commaunded to Adam & Eve 
 and all that come of them saying, Crescite & multiplica- 
 mini, & replete Terram. That is to say in English, 
 Encrease & multiply and fyll the earth, and no man 
 may say there, This is my wife, & no woman may say, 
 this is my husbande. And when they haue any children 
 they give them to whom they will of men that haue 
 medled with them. Also the lande is all common, for 
 
 every man taketh what he will, for that one man hath in 
 one yere now, an other man hath another yeare. Also 
 all the goods, as come, beastes and all maner thing of 
 that countrey are all in common. For there is nothing 
 under locke, and as riche is one man as an other, but 
 they haue an evill custome in eating of fleshe, for they 
 eate gladlier mans fleshe than other. Neverthelesse in 
 that lande is abundaunce of corne, of fleshe, of fishe, of 
 golde of silver and all maner of goods. And thether
 
 136 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 doeth the marchauntes bring their children for to sell, 
 and those that are fatte they eate them, & those that be 
 lean, they kepe them tyll they befatte, & then are they 
 eaten. And besyde this yle of Lamory, is another yle 
 that men call Somober, 1 and is a good yle, men of that 
 yle do marke them in the visage with an hot yron, bothe 
 men & women for great nobility & to be knowen from 
 
 other, for they hold themselfe the worthiest of y c world 
 and they haue warre evermore with those men that are 
 naked that I spake of before. Also there are many 
 other yles and diverse maner of men, of the which it 
 were overmuch for to speake of all. 
 
 1 ? Sumatra. One or other, Lamory or Somober, is evidently 
 this island.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 137 
 
 CAP. LVI. 
 
 Of the countrey and yle named Java, which is a mighty 
 
 lands. 
 
 AND there is also a great yle that men call Java & 
 the kinge of that countrey hath under hym seven 
 kinges, for he is a full mightie prince. In this yle 
 groweth all maner of spyces more plenteously than in 
 
 any other place, as ginger, clowes, canell 1 nutmyge 2 and 
 other, and ye shall understande that the nutmyge beareth 
 the maces, & of all thing therein is plenty savinge wine. 
 The King of this lande hath a riche palace and the best 
 
 Cinnamon. 
 
 Nutmeg.
 
 138 . THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 that is in the worlde, for all the greces of his hall and 
 chambres are all made one of gold & another of silver, 
 & all the walls are plated with fine gold and silver, & 
 on those plates are written stones of knightes, and 
 batayles, and the pavimente of the hall and chambres is 
 of golde and silver, and there is no man that woulde 
 beleve this riches that is there except hee had sene it, 
 and the Kynge of this yle is so mightie, that he hath 
 many times overcom the great Caane of Cathay which 
 is the myghtiest Emperour that is in all the worlde, for 
 there is often warre amonge them, for the great Caane 
 would make hym hold his land of him. 
 
 CAP. LVII. 
 
 Of the Kingdome of Pathen or Salmasse, wJiicJi is a 
 goodly lande. 
 
 AND for to go forth by the sea, there is an yle that 
 is called Pater, and some call it Salmasse, for it is 
 a great kingedome with many faire cities. In this lande 
 groweth trees that beare meale, of which men make faire 
 bread & white & of good savour, and it seemeth lyke as 
 it were of wheate. And there be other trees that beare 
 venym, 1 againe the which is no medicine but one, that is 
 to take of the leaves of the same tree and stampe them, 
 and tempre them with water and drinke it, or else he 
 shall dye sodainly, for Treacle may not helpe. And if 
 you will know how this tree beare meale, I shall tell you, 
 
 1 Poison, i.e., are poisonous.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 139 
 
 men hew with a hatchet aboute the rote of the tree by 
 the earth, and they perce him in many sundry places, 
 and then cometh out a lycoure the which they take in a 
 vessell, and sette in the sonne and dry it, and when it is 
 dry, they cary it unto the mille to grynde, and so it is 
 faire meale and white. Also hony wyne, and venym are 
 drawen out of other trees in the same maner, and they 
 
 put it in vessels to keepe. In that yle is a dead sea, which 
 is a water that hath no grounde and if anythinge fall 
 therein it shall never be founde, besyde that sea groweth 
 great canes and under theyr rootes men finde precious 
 stones of great vertue, for he that beareth one of those 
 stones uppon him, there may no yron greve 1 him nor drawe 
 blood on hym, and therefore they y* have those stones 
 fyght full hardely, for there may no quarell 2 nor such 
 thing greve them, therefore they that knowe the maner 
 make their quarell without yron & so they sleay them. 
 
 Wound or hurt. 
 
 2 Arrow.
 
 140 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LVIII. 
 
 Of the Kingdome of Talonach, the king tlureof hath 
 many ivyves. 
 
 THEN is there another yle that men call Talonach, 
 that is a greate lande, and plenteous of goods & 
 fyshes, as you shall hereafter heare. And the King of 
 
 the lande hath as many wives as he will, a thousande & 
 mo, and lyeth never by one of them but once, and that 
 lande hath a marvayle that is in no other land, for all 
 maner of fyshes of the sea cometh there once a yeare, 
 one after another, and lyeth him nere the lande, some- 
 time on the lande, and so lye three dayes, and men of 
 that lande come thither and take of them what he will,
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 141 
 
 and then go those fyshes awaye and another sorte 
 commeth, and lyeth also three dayes and men take of 
 
 them, and doe thus all maner of fyshes tyll all haue 
 bene there, and menne have taken what they wyll. And
 
 142 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 menne wot ' not the cause why it is so. But they of 
 that countrey saye, that those fyshes come so thyther to 
 do worship to theyr king, for they say he is the most 
 worthiest king of the worlde for he hath so many wives 
 and geateth so many children of them. And that same 
 kinge that XIIII M Olyfauntes or mo which be all tame, 
 and they be all fedde of the men his countrey, for his 
 pleasure bicause that he may haue them redy to his hande 
 when he hath any warre against any kyng or prince, and 
 then he doth put uppon theyr backs castels & men of 
 warre as the use is of the lande, and lykewyse do other 
 kyngs and princes thereabout. 
 
 1 Know.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 CAP. LIX. 
 
 Of the ylande called Raso * where men be hanged as sone 
 as they are sicke. 
 
 AND from this yle menne go unto another yle that 
 men call Raso, and menne of this yle when that 
 theyr friendes are sicke & that they beleve surely that 
 they shal dye, they take them & hange them al quick 
 on a tree, and say that it is better that byrdes, that are 
 aungels of God, eate them, than wormes of the earthe. 
 Fro thence men go to an yle where the men are of ill 
 kinde, for they nourishe houndes for to strangle men. 
 And when theyr friendes are sicke that they hope they 
 
 1 Pynson and others say Gaffolo or Caffolos.
 
 144 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 shal dye, then do those houndes strangle them, for they 
 wyll not that they dye a kyndely death, for then shoulde 
 they suffre to great paine as they say, & when they are 
 thus dead they eate theyre flesh for venison. 
 
 CAP. LX. 
 
 Of the ylande of Melke wherein divdleth evill people. 
 
 FROM thence menne go through many yles by sea 
 unto an yle that men call Melke, and there be full 
 yll people, for they haue none other delyte but to fyght 
 and slee men, for they drinke gladly mans blood, which 
 blood they call good, and they that maye most sleay is 
 of moste name amonge them. And if two men there be 
 at stryfe and after bee made at one, it behoveth them to 
 drink eyther others blood, or else the accorde is nought.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 145 
 
 From this yle men go to an yle that is called Tracota 
 where all men are as beastes & not reasonable, they 
 dwell in caves, for they haue not wyt to make them 
 houses, they eate adders l and they speake not, but they 
 
 make such a noyse as adders doe one to another, and 
 they make no force of ryches but of a stone that hath 
 forty colours, and it is called Traconyt after that yle, 
 they know not the vertue thereof but they covete it for 
 the great fayreness. 
 
 1 Pliny speaks (Book 7, cap. 2) of adder-eating people in India 
 and elsewhere, but he says they live to the age of four hundred 
 years, which is supposed to be owing to the flesh of vipers, which 
 they use as food, in consequence of which they are free from all 
 noxious animals, both in their hair and their garments. In book 
 29, c. 38, he also gives directions for the preparation of viper's flesh 
 for food.
 
 146 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LXI. 
 
 Of an yland named Macumeran, whereas the people haue 
 heads lyke houndes. 1 
 
 I ^ROM that yle menne go to an yle that is called 
 -1 Macumeran, whiche is a greate yle and a fayre 
 and the men and women of the countrey haue heads like 
 
 houndes, they are reasonable & worship an oxe for their 
 god, they go all naked but a little clothe before them, 
 
 1 Again in Book 7, cap. 2, Pliny speaks of Cynocephali, or dog- 
 headed people, for he says that on many of the mountains there is 
 a tribe of men, who have the heads of dogs, and clothe themselves 
 with the skins of wild beasts. Instead of speaking, they bark ; 
 and, furnished with claws, they live by hunting and catching birds.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 147 
 
 they are good men to fighte, & they beare a great target 
 with which they couer all the body and a speare in theyr 
 hande, and if they take any man in batayle they sende 
 him to theyr King which is a great lorde & devoute in 
 his faith, for he hath about his necke on a cord thre 
 hondred pearles great & orient, 1 in maner of Pater noster, 
 and as we saye Pater noster, and Ave maria, Right so 
 ye King saith euery day three hundred prayers to his 
 god before he eate, & he beareth also about hys necke a 
 
 ruby, oryent, fine & good, that is neer a foote & five 
 fingers long. For when they chuse theyr Kyng they 
 giue to him that Ruby to beare in his hande, and then 
 they lead him riding about the citie, and then euer after 
 are they subjecte to him, and therefore he beareth that 
 Ruby alway about his necke, for if he beareth not the 
 Ruby, they woulde no longer holde hym for kynge. The 
 
 1 Oriental, coming from the East.
 
 148 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 greate Caane of Cathay hath much coveted this Ruby : 
 but he might never haue it, neither for war nor for other 
 catell, 1 and this Kinge is a full true & a righteous man, 
 for men may go safely & surely through his lande & 
 beare y* he will, for there is no man so hardy to let 2 
 them. And from thence men go to an ile that is called 
 Silo, this ile is more than a hundred 3 myle about and 
 
 therein be many serpents which are great with yelow 
 stripes & they haue foure feete, with short leggs & great 
 claws, some be five fadome 4 of length & some of viii & 
 some of x & some more and some lesse & be called 
 Cocodrylles & there are also many wylde beasts & Oly- 
 fants. 5 Also in this yle & in many yles thereabout are 
 many wyld geese with two heads, and there be also in 
 y 1 countrey white lyons and many other dyverse mer- 
 
 1 Nor in exchange. 2 Hinder. 3 Others say 800. 
 
 4 A fathom is 6 feet. 5 Elephants.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 149 
 
 vaylous beastes, & if I should tell it all it should be to 
 long. 
 
 CAP. LXII. 
 
 Of a great yland called Dodyn, where are many diverse 
 men of evill conditions. 
 
 THEN there is another yle that men call Dodyn, & 
 it is a great yle. In this yle are maner diverse 
 maner of men y' haue evyll maners, for the father eateth 
 the son & the son the father the husband his wyfe and 
 the wyfe hir husbande. And if it so be that the father 
 be sicke, or the mother, or any frend, the sonne goeth 
 soone to the priest of the law & prayeth him that he will 
 aske of the ydoll if his father shall dye of that sicknesse 
 or not. And then the priest and the son kneele downe
 
 ISO 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 before the ydole devoutly & asketh him, and he aun- 
 swereth to them, and if he say that he shall lyve, then 
 they kepe him wel, and if he say that he shall dye, then 
 commeth the priest with the son or with the wyfe or 
 what frende that it be unto him y l is sicke, and they lay 
 their hands over his mouth to stop his breath, and so 
 they sley him & then they smite all the body into peces 
 & praieth all his frendes for to come and eate of him that 
 is dead, and they make a great feste thereof and haue 
 many minstrels there, and eate him with great melody. 
 And so when they haue eaten al y e flesh, then they take 
 the bones and bury them all singing with great worship, 
 
 and all those that are of his friendes that were not there 
 at the eating of him haue great shame and vylany, so 
 that they shall never more be taken as frends. And the 
 King of this yle is a great lord and mightie, & he hath 
 under him Lull grete Yles and eche of them hath a King,
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 151 
 
 and in one of these yles are men that haue but one eye, 
 & that is in the middest of theyr front and they eate not 
 
 flesh & fishe all rawe. And in another yle dwell men 
 that haue no heads & theyr eyen are in theyr shoulders
 
 152 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 & theyr mouth is on theyr breste. 1 In another yle are men 
 that haue no head ne eyen and theyr mouth is in theyr 
 shoulders. And in another yle are men that haue flatte 
 faces without nose and without eyen, but they haue two 
 small round holes in stede of eyen, and they haue a flatte 
 mouth without lippes. And in that yle are men also 
 that haue their faces all flat without eyen, without mouth 
 & without nose, but they haue their eyen and their mouth 
 behinde on their shoulders. And in an other yle are 
 foule men that haue the lippes aboute the mouth so 
 
 greate that when they sleepe in the sonne, they cover all 
 theyr face with the lippe. And in another yle are lyttle 
 men as dwarfes, and haue no mouth but a lyttle rounde 
 hole & through that hole they eate their meat with a 
 
 1 Here again Pliny says in his yth book, cap. 2 : " These people 
 dwell not very far from the Troglodytae (dwellers in caves) to the 
 west, of whom again there is a tribe who are without necks, and 
 haue eyes in their shoulders."
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 153 
 
 pipe, & they haue no tongue & they speake not but they 
 blow & whistle and so make signes one to another. And 
 in another yle are men with hanging eares unto their 
 shoulders. 1 And in another yle are wild men with 
 hanging eares & haue feete lyke an hors & they run faste 
 & they take wild beastes and eate them. And in another 
 yle are men that go on theyr handes & feete lyke beasts 
 & are all rough and will leape upon a tree like cattes or 
 apes. And in an other yle are men that go euer uppon 
 theyr knees mervaylosly, and haue on euery foote viii 
 Toes. 2 Many other maner of folke bee in the sea in 
 yles thereabout, of whome it were to longe to tell all. 
 
 CAP. LXIII. 
 
 Of the Kingedome named Mancy which is the best kinge- 
 dome of the worlde. 
 
 TO go from this yle toward the east many journies 
 a man shall finde a kingdome that is called Mancy :t 
 & this is in Inde the more, & it is y e most delectable 
 and plenty of goods of all the worlde. In this lande 
 dwell christen men and Sarasins, for it is a great lande, 
 and therein are II M great cities & many other townes. 
 In this lande no man goeth a begging, for there is no 
 
 1 See Appendix. 
 
 2 Here a paragraph is omitted, not being suitable for general 
 readers. 
 
 3 Or Manzi, that part of China south of the river Hoang-ho.
 
 154 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 pore man, and there men haue beardes of heare l as it 
 were cattes. In this lande are faire women, and there- 
 fore some men call that lande Albany, for the white 
 folke, and there is a citie that men call Latorim and is 
 more 2 than Paris, and in that land are birdes twise 
 greater than they be here and there is all maner of 
 vytayles good cheape. 3 In this countrey are whyte 
 hennes, and they beare no feathers but woll * as shepe 
 
 doe in our lande ; and women of that countrey that are 
 wedded beare crownes uppon theyr heads that they may 
 
 1 Pynson has " berdes thynne of here, as it were cattes." 
 
 2 Larger. 
 
 3 Pynson here has, " and there is plenty of great neddres (adders) 
 of whyche they make a greate fest and etc theym at great solem- 
 nytees. 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." 
 
 4 Wool.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 155 
 
 be knowne by. In this countrey they take a beast that 
 is called Loyres, and they keepe it to goe in to waters 
 or ryvers, and straighte waye hee bringeth out of the 
 water great fishes, and thus they take fishe as longe as 
 they will, and as them nedeth. Fro this citie men go 
 by many journeys to an other citie that is called Cassay, 1 
 that is the fayrest citie of the worlde, and that citie is 
 fifty myle about and there is in that citie mo than xii 2 
 principall gates without. From thence within three myle 
 is an other great citie, and within this citie are more 
 than xii thousand bridges and upon eche bridge is a 
 stronge toure where the kepers dwell to kepe it against 
 the great Caane, for it marcheth 3 on his land. And on 
 one side of the citie runneth a great river, and there 
 dwell christen men & other for it is a good countrey and 
 plentious, & there groweth right good wine. In this 
 noble citie the King of Mancy was wont to dwell and 
 there dwell religious men, as fryers. And men go vpon 
 the river till they come to an Abbey of Monkes a lyttle 
 from the citie & in y l Abbey is a great gardeine, and 
 therein is many maner of trees of divers fruites, in that 
 gardein are divers kindes of beastes, as Baboyns, 4 Apes, 
 Marmosets and other, & when the covent 5 haue eaten, a 
 monke taketh the reliefe 6 & beareth it into the gardein, 
 & smiteth once with a bell of silver which he holdeth in 
 his hand, anone come out these beastes that I speake of 
 and many nere II or in thousand, 7 and he giveth them 
 
 1 Hangchow-fu. 
 
 2 Pynson says, " There is in y l citie mo than VII thousand gates 
 and each of III gate is a good toure where the kepers dwell," &c. 
 
 3 Borders. 4 Baboons. 5 Convent. 
 
 6 What is left over. 
 
 7 Pynson says III Thousand or IIII Thousand.
 
 I$6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 to eate of 1 faire vessels of silver, & when they haue 
 eaten he smyteth the bell againe and they go away, and 
 the monke sayth that those beasts are soules of men 
 that are dead, and those beastes that are fayre are soules 
 of Lordes and other rich men, & those that are foule 
 beastes are soules of other commons, and I asked them 
 if it had not been better to give that relife to pore men, 
 & they sayde there is no pore men in y e countrey and if 
 there were yet were it more almes to give it to those 
 soules y* suffer there their penaunce & may go no farther 
 to get their meat, than to men that haue wit & may 
 travail for theyr meat. Then come men to a citie y* is 
 called Chibens & there was the first sege 2 of the King 
 of Mancy. In this citie are LX brydges of stone as 
 fayre as they may be. 
 
 CAP. LXIIII. 
 
 Of the lande of Pygmen? ivherein divell 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 nil 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 
 
 1 Off. 2 Seat or settlement. 
 
 3 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 yth Book, cap. "2, 
 speaks thus of them : " Beyond these people, and at the very ex-
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 157 
 
 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 * 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. 
 
 tremity of the mountains, the Trispithami (from r^tiq, three, and 
 T7ri9a.pi, spatis\ 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. " 
 
 1 Other editions say six or seven years.
 
 158 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 
 
 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 2 & 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. 
 
 1 Conveniences. 2 Northern China.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 159 
 
 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 l hathe xii 2 gates, and 
 betvvene 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 Pan- 
 thera. 
 
 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 
 
 1 Others call it Sugarmago or Eugarmago. 
 
 2 Pynson says seven.
 
 I6O THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 1 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 2 
 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 3 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 
 
 1 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. 
 
 2 Serpents. 3 Representation.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. l6l 
 
 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 l or allabonce, the white are 
 of cristall or byrall, 2 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 Empe- 
 rour 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 
 
 1 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." 
 
 2 Beryl. 
 
 M
 
 1 62 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 where great lordes eate, that is to say, of Jasper, crys- 
 tall, 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, 1 uppon whome he made warre, and the cause 
 was we had so great desire to see the nobilitye of his 
 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 scene 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. 
 
 1 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 Bay an (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.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 163 
 
 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 knovve y 1 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 head- 
 lesse, 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. ' These are all holding of the great Caane of 
 
 1 People or tribes. 
 
 2 Tangut, or Tanghut, is the name given to certain tribes of 
 Thibetan extraction, who lived on the north-west frontier of China. 
 
 3436 Called variously Eurache, Semoche, Megly and Coboghe, 
 whose relative positions can scarcely now be defined accurately.
 
 164 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 Cathaj. 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 l thou shalt be 
 theyr Emperour, for ye shall conquereall 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. 1 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 l 
 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 ! eche man should bringe his eldest 
 
 1 Others write it Ysya-Chan.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 165 
 
 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 l 
 of what he bad them, then bad he them folow his baner, 
 and then he put in subjection all the landes about him. 
 
 CAP. LXIX. 
 
 How tJie 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 
 fevve 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 2 they went 3 he 
 had been deade, and fledde, & the ennimies folowed after, 
 and when he sawe his ennimies were fer,* 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 
 
 1 Hindrance. 2 On the ground. 
 
 3 Weened supposed, imagined. 4 Far away.
 
 1 66 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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. 
 
 CAP. LXX. 
 
 Of the great Caanes letters and the wry ting about his 
 seale. 
 
 N 
 
 OW when he had wonne the lande of Cathay he 
 dyed, and then raigned after Cythoco * the eldest 
 
 1 In other editions Ecchecha. In reality, Ok-lar-Khan, who 
 succeeded his father in 1229, and reigned over the Tartars till 1241.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. l6/ 
 
 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 scale is, Deus in celo & Caane super terram ej us for- 
 titude omnium hominum imperatoris sigillum That is to 
 say, God in heaven, Caan uppon earth, his strength the 
 scale of the Emperor of all men. And the wryting 
 about his privy scale is, Dei fortitudo omnium hominum 
 imperatoris sigillum That is to say, The strength of 
 God, scale 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. 
 
 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
 
 1 68 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 phylo- 
 sophers of many sciences, some of Astronomic, Nygro- 
 mancie ' 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 
 
 1 A rich silken or thread stuff. 
 
 2 Necromancy, or foretelling events by pretended communion 
 with the dead. 
 
 3 Divination by fire. 4 An astronomical instrument. 
 6 Timepieces.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 169 
 
 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 coun- 
 sayll. 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 l sperhaukes, 2 
 faucons, 3 gentils, 4 lavers, sacres/ popyniayes 6 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 
 
 1 Girfalcons. 2 Sparrowhawks. 3 Falcons. 
 
 4 Gentles. ' Sakers or Peregrine hawks. 
 
 Parrots.
 
 I/O THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 Christen and converted to the faith, through preching of 
 good Christen men that dwel there, but there are many 
 that will not that men l wete that they are Christen. 
 
 CAP. LXXII. 
 
 Of the great ryches of the Emperour and of his 
 dispending. 
 
 THIS Emperour is a great lorde, for he may dis- 
 pend 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 2 
 long, the which lighteth all his chambre by night & he 
 hath many other precious stones & rubies, but this is 
 the most. 3 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. 
 
 1 Will not let men know. 
 
 2 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. 
 
 3 The greatest.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. I/I 
 
 CAP. LXXIII. 
 
 Of the ordynaitnce 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 J 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. 
 
 1 Private retinue.
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LXXIIII. 
 
 How the empyre of the great Caane is departed l into xii 
 provinces & Jww 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 Ernperour 
 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 com- 
 maundeth 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 ' 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, & 
 
 1 Partitioned. 2 Taketh off. 3 Blessing. 
 
 4 Others say silver.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 173 
 
 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 
 acccdat in conspectu meo manis l That is to say, No man 
 come into my sight idle. And then y e Emperour bid- 
 deth 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. 
 
 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 2 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, 3 
 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 4 women that are 
 
 1 Misprint for vacuus, empty-handed. 
 
 2 In the 1 2th and I3th 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. 
 
 3 Others say 60.
 
 1/4 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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. 
 
 CAP. LXXVI. 
 
 Of other matters 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 * with another, and to spyll mylke on the 
 grounde, or any other lycour y 4 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 
 
 1 A bone. 2 A passage is here omitted.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 1/5 
 
 bovves and many arowes and a great hatchet, gentilmen 
 haue short swords, 1 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 2 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. 
 
 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 3 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 
 
 1 Other editions say spears. 2 Eyes. 
 
 3 Other editions say a chair.
 
 1/6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 ] for 
 to speake of him before his frendes. 
 
 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 l 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 
 
 1 I.e., his name is never mentioned.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 1 77 
 
 that he shall haue more than a C Camelles l laden with 
 gold and silver, beside other Jewels y* he shall haue of 
 lords, of precious stones & gold without number & 
 horse, & riche clothes of Camacas 2 and Tarins, 3 & such 
 other. 
 
 CAP. LXXIX. 
 
 What countreys and kingdomes lye next to the land of 
 Cathay and the fr antes tJtereof. 
 
 THIS lande of Cathay is in Asia the depe, 4 and this 
 same lande marcheth toward the west upon the 
 kingdome of Sercy, 5 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, 6 y l 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 war- 
 riors 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 
 
 1 Other editions say 60 chariots. 
 
 2 See footnote, ante, p. 168. 
 
 3 Tartarins, a kind of silken fabric. * Lower Asia. 
 5 Others write it Tharse. 8 ? Khorassan. 
 
 N
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 l 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 2 of beastes for defaut of 
 wood. This lande descendeth toward Pruse & Rossy & 
 through this land runneth the river Echell, 3 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 4 at once. And 
 a lyttle from y e river is the great sea of Occyan, that 
 they cal Maure ! and betwene this Maure & Caspy e is a 
 full straight passage to go towarde Inde and therefore 
 King Alexander did make there a citie y* 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, 7 and the principall citie of Comayne is 
 called Sarachis, 8 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. 9 And 
 another way is to go from y e land of Turkescon 10 through 
 
 1 A misprint for flies. 
 
 2 The usual fuel in an unwooded Asiatic country. 
 
 3 Volga. 4 Others say 200,000. 5 The Black Sea. 
 
 6 The Caspian Sea. 
 
 7 Port de Fer, or Iron Gate. Other editions have it " Gate of 
 Hell." 
 
 8 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 werried Russie." 
 
 9 The Pass of Derbend, still called in Turkish Demir Kapi, or 
 the Iron Gate. 10 Turkestan.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 179 
 
 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. 1 And ye shall understand y* all these kinge- 
 domes & lords unto Percy are holden of y e great Caan 
 & many other & therefore he is a great lorde of men & 
 of lande. 
 
 CAP. LXXX. 
 
 Of other wayes commingfrom 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 & king- 
 doms, 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 king- 
 domes, the one beginneth eastward and it is the king- 
 dome of Turkescon & it lasteth westward to the sea of 
 Caspy & southward to the lande of Inde. This lande 
 is good & playne and well manned, 2 with good cities but 
 two most principal, ye which are called Bacirida & 
 Sormagaunt. 3 The other is the kingedome of Percy, and 
 lasteth from the river of Phison 4 unto great Armony, 5 & 
 
 1 Variously written Abcaz or Abkhas. 2 Peopled. 
 
 :t Bokhara and Samarcand. 4 Pison. 5 Armenia
 
 ISO THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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. 1 
 
 CAP. LXXXI. 
 
 Of the lande of A rmony, which is a good land & of the 
 lande of Middy? 
 
 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 3 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, 4 & north- 
 ward to little Armony. In this Myddy are many great 
 hyls, & little (of] plaines & ther dwel Sarasins & other 
 maner of men, that men call Cordines. 5 
 
 1 Otherwise spelt Messabor, Caphon, and Sarmassane. 
 
 2 Media. 
 
 3 Other editions have it Taurizo in all probability the modern 
 Tabriz is meant. 
 
 4 Chalda. 5 Kurds.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. l8l 
 
 CAP. LXXXII. 
 
 Of the Kingdome of George & Abcan, and many 
 marvayles. 
 
 THEN next is the kingdome of George, 1 that begin- 
 neth 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 neverthe- 
 lesse 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 l was of Poy 3 & was called Saures, 
 & he pursued sometime all Christen men to destroy them, 
 
 1 Georgia. 
 
 2 Probably Mount Elburz, one of the Caucasian range. 
 
 3 Misprint for Persia.
 
 1 82 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 i 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* men may se 
 by good tokens y* men dwel therein. 
 
 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 
 
 1 Otherwise written Brique, Quesiton, Pytan, and Cemethe. 
 J The river Tigris. 3 Mosul.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 183 
 
 that men call Rochaym 1 & 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, 2 southwarde to the lande of 
 Maratan 3 and northward to the redde sea & then is the 
 Maritan that lasteth from the hilles of Ethiope unto 
 Liby, 1 the high, and the low that lasteth to the great sea 
 of Spayne. 5 
 
 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 G to the great Caane. Now 
 s-hall 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 7 & 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 
 
 1 Otherwise Roiantz. 2 Nubia. 8 Mauritania. 
 
 4 Lybia. 5 The Mediterranean. 
 
 6 Obedient, or under the rule of. 
 
 7 Other editions say Caldithe.
 
 1 84 
 
 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 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 i for no mar- 
 vayle, for I sayd that in my countrey are trees y* beare 
 fruit y' 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 l 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 a enclosed therein, that men call Gog & Magog & 
 they may not come out on no syde. There were inclosed 
 
 Cinnamon. 
 
 2 Tribes.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 185 
 
 xxii kynges with theyr folke that dwelled betwene y fc 
 hills of Syche, 1 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 2 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 3 
 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 4 but their own. 
 And ye shall understand that the Jewes haue no law 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 & 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. Neverthe- 
 lesse 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 
 
 1 Scythia. "* Except. 3 Lake or pool. 
 
 4 Can only speak their own language. 
 
 5 Misprint for land. 
 
 6 Other editions say Amazony.
 
 1 86 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 prophecies that those Jewes y* 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 Ante- 
 christe 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 1 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' 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 l Alexander did make of great stones well 
 dight 2 with siment, then shall they brake these gates, 
 and they shall find the issue. 
 
 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, 3 
 where are many wicked men & fell, 4 in that land 
 are trees that beare wol, 5 as it were shepe, of which they 
 make cloth. In this land are ypotains 6 that dwel some- 
 time on land, sometime on water, and are halfe a man 
 
 1 Be astonished at him. 2 Well cemented. 
 
 3 Bactria. 4 Crafty. 
 
 8 Wool. G Hippopotamuses.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 1 87 
 
 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 1 than a hun- 
 dred 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 homes of Oxen, 2 
 and of those they make cups there to drynke of, and of 
 his rybes 3 they make bowes to shoote with. 
 
 CAP. LXXXVI. 
 
 Of the way for to go to prester Johns land which is 
 Emperour of hide. 
 
 FROM this lande of Bactry men goe many dayes 
 Jorneyes to the lande of Prester John, that is a 
 great Emperour of Inde, and men call his lande the yle 
 of Pantoroze. 4 This Emperour Prester John holdeth 
 
 1 Stouter, braver. 
 
 2 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 on is engraven Griphi Unguis, Divo Cuthberto 
 Dunelmensi sacer. Another, about an Ell long, is mentioned by 
 Dr. Grez's, 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 ! 
 
 3 Ribs. 4 Other editions say Pentexoire.
 
 1 88 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 great land, & many good cities, and good townes, in his 
 kingedome is many great yles & large for this land of 
 Ynde is departed in yles because of great flods that 
 come out of Paradise, and also in the sea are many great 
 yles, the best citie that is in the yle of Pantoroze is called 
 Nile, 1 that is a noble citie & a rich. Prester John hath 
 under him many kings and many diverse people, and 
 his land is good & rych, but not so rich as the land of 
 the great Caane, for marchaunts come not so much 
 thyther as they do unto the lande of the greate Caane, 
 for it is so long a journey. And also they finde in the 
 yle of Cathay all thing that they haue nede of, as spy- 
 eery, clothes of gold, and other riches, and all if they 
 might haue better cheape in the lande of Prester John 
 than in the land of Cathay, and more finer, neverthe- 
 lesse they would let* it, for the long waye and great 
 perils on the sea, for there are many places in the sea 
 where are many roches of a stone that is called Ada- 
 mand, the which of its own kinde, draweth to him all 
 maner of yron, & therefore there may no ships that hath 
 yron nayles passe, but it draweth them to him, and 
 therefore they dare not go into that countrey with ships 
 for dread of the Adamand. I went once into that sea 
 & sawe along as it had bene a great yle of trees, stockes 
 & braunches growinge, and the shipmen told me that 
 those were of great shippes that abode there, through 
 the vertue of the Adamandes and of things that were 
 in the ships, whereof those trees sprong and waxed. 
 And such roches are there many in diverse places of 
 that sea & therefore dare there no shypman passe that 
 waye. And another thing also that they dread the 
 
 1 Nyse in other copies. 2 Would not go that.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 189 
 
 long way, and therefore they go moste to Cathay, and 
 that is nerer unto them. And yet it is not so nere, but 
 then behoveth l for Venice or Gene be in ye sea toward 
 Cathay xi or xii moneths. The land of Prester John is 
 long, & marchaunts passe thither through the lande of 
 Persy, and come unto a citie that men cal Hermes, 2 for 
 a Philosopher that was called Hermes founded it, and 
 they passe an arme of the sea, & come to another citie 
 that men call Saboth, 3 & there fynde they all mar- 
 chaundises, & popiniayes, as great plentie as larkes 4 in 
 our countrey. In this countrey is little wheat or barly, 
 and therefore they eate ryce mylk and chese, & other 
 fruits. This Emperour Prester John weddeth commonly 
 the daughter of the greate Caane, and the great Caane 
 his daughter. In the land of Prester John is many 
 divers things, and many precious stones so great & so 
 large that they make of them vessels, platters, and 
 cuppes, and many other things of which it were to long 
 to tell, but somewhat of his law and of his faith I shall 
 tell you. 
 
 1 This must be a misprint, and the text must read that travellers 
 from Venice or Genoa to Cathay must make a voyage lasting 1 1 or 
 12 months. 
 
 2 Ormuz. 3 Other editions say Colbache. 
 4 Others say geese.
 
 1 90 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. LXXXVII. 
 
 Of tJie faith and belyfe of Prester John, but he hath not 
 all the full belief e as we haue. 
 
 THIS Emperour prester John is christen & a great 
 part of his lande also, but they haue not all the 
 articles of our fayth, but they beleve well in the Father, 
 the Sonne, & the Holy Ghost, & they are full devout 
 and true to one another, & they make no force of Catal, 1 
 and he hath under him Lxxii provinces and countries, 
 and in eche one is a king, & those kings haue other 
 kinges under them. And in this lande are many mar- 
 vailes, for in that lande is the gravely sea, that is of 
 sande and gravaile and no drop of water, and ebbeth 
 and floweth with righte great waves as another sea doth, 
 and it is never standing still, nor never in rest, and no 
 man may passe that land beyond it And al if it so be 
 that there bee no water in the sea, yet men may finde 
 therein right good fishe, and of other fashion & shape 
 than is in any other seas, and also they are of full good 
 savour & swete, and good to eat. And three jorneys 
 from that sea are many greate hills, through which run- 
 neth a great floud that cometh from Paradise, and it is 
 full of precious stones, and no drop of water, and it run- 
 neth with great waves into the gravely sea. And this 
 floud runneth three dayes in the weke so fast, & stirreth 
 great stones of the roches with him that make muche 
 
 1 They care not for property.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 191 
 
 noise, and as sone as they come into the gravely sea, 
 they are no more sene, and in those three dayes when it 
 runneth thus, no man dare come in it, but the other 
 dayes men go therein where they will. And also beyond 
 that floud towards that wildernesse is a great plaine all 
 sandy and gravely among hills, & in that plain grow 
 trees that at the rising of the Son ech day begin to 
 grow, and so grow they to midday, and beare fruit, but 
 no man dare eate of that fruite, for it is a maner of 
 yron, 1 and after myddaye it turneth againe to the earth, 
 so that when the Sonne goeth downe it is nothinge scene, 
 and so doeth it every day. And there is in y 4 wilder- 
 nesse many wild men with horns on their heads righte 
 hidious, and they speke not but rout 2 as swine & in y 4 
 countrey are many popiniayes, y 4 they call in theyr lan- 
 guage (pistak) & they speke through their own kind as 
 a part as a man, & those that speake well haue long 
 tonges and large & on every fote five toes, but there are 
 som that haue but three toes but those speake nought 
 and very ill. 
 
 CAP. LXXXVIII. 
 
 Of an other ylande where also dwelleth good people therein, 
 and is called Sinople. 
 
 THEN is there an other yland that is called Synople, 
 wherein also are good people and true, & full of 
 good faith, & they are much lyke in their living to y e 
 
 1 In other editions it is "for it is a thing of Fayrye," or Magic. 
 a Root like hogs.
 
 IQ2 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 men before sayd, and they go all naked. Into that 
 Hand came King Alexander, & when he saw their good 
 faith and trouth, and theyr good belefe, he said that he 
 wold do them no harme and bad them aske of him 
 riches and nought 1 else, and they shoulde haue it. And 
 they aunswered, that they had richesse ynough, when 
 they had meat & drinke to sustaine their bodies, & they 
 sayde also that richesse of this world is nought worth, 
 but if it were so that he might graunt them that they 
 should never dye, that would they pray him. And 
 Alexander said that might he not do, for he was mortal 
 and shold die as they shold. Then sayd they, why 
 art y e so proude & woldest win all the world, and 
 haue it in thy subjection as it were a god & hast no 
 terme 2 of thy life, & thou will haue all riches of y e 
 world, the which shall forsake thee or thou forsake it, & 
 thou shalt beare nothing with thee, but it shal dwel to 
 other, but as thou were borne naked, so shalt thou bee 
 done in earth. And Alexander was greatly astonied of 
 this aunswere, & if it be so that they haue not the 
 articles of our faithe, neverthelesse I beleve that God 
 loveth their service to gree, 3 as he did of Job that was a 
 Paynim, the which he held for his true servant and many 
 other. I beeleve well that God loveth al those that love 
 him and serve him mekely and truely, and that despise 
 the vaine glory of the world as these men doe, and as 
 Job did, and therefore saide our Lorde through the 
 mouth of the holy prophet Isay, 4 Ponam eis multiplices 
 Leges meas, That is to say, I will put my laws to them 
 in many maners, & the gospell saith thus, Alias oves 
 
 1 Misprint for aught, anything. 2 End, termination. 
 
 3 Pleasure, " please Him." 4 Others say Hosea.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 193 
 
 habeo, que non sunt ex hoc ovili, That is to say I haue 
 other shepe that are not of this folde, and thereto 
 accordeth the vision that saint Peter saw at Jaffe how 
 the aungell came from heaven, & brought with him of 
 all maner of beastes, as serpents and divers foules, and 
 said to sainct Peter, Take and eat. And sainct Peter 
 aunswered, I eat never of uncleane beste. And the 
 aungell sayde to him, Non dicas inmunda, que Deus mun- 
 davit. That is to saye, Call thou not those things un- 
 cleane that God hath clened. This was done in token 
 that men sholde not haue many men in despite for their 
 divers lawes, for we wot never whom God loveth & whom 
 God hateth. 
 
 CAP. LXXXIX. 
 
 Of two other iles, the one is called Pitan where in be little 
 men that eate no meat, and in that other He are the men 
 all rougJi of f ethers. 
 
 r I "'HERE is another yle that men call Pitan, men of 
 
 -L this lande till no lande, for they eate nought and 
 
 they are smal, but not so smal as Pigmes. These men 
 
 Hue with smell of wild aples, 1 & when they go far out 
 
 1 Pliny (book 7. cap. 2) says : "At the very extremity of India, 
 on the eastern side, near the source of the River Ganges, there is 
 the nation of the Astonei, a people who have no mouths ; their 
 bodies are rough and hairy, and they cover themselves with a down 
 plucked from the leaves of trees (probably cotton}. These people 
 subsist only by breathing and by the odours which they inhale 
 through the nostrils. They support themselves upon neither meat 
 nor drink : when they go upon a long journey they only carry with 
 
 O
 
 194 TH E VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 of the countrey, they beare apples with them, for anon 
 as they lose that savour of apples they dye, they are not 
 reasonable but as wyld beastes. And there is another 
 yle where the people are all fethers, 1 but the face and 
 the palmes of theyr handes, these men go as well about 
 the sea as on the lande, and they eate fleshe & fish all 
 raw, in this yle is a great river that is two mile brode & 
 a halfe that men call Renemar. 
 
 CAP. XC. 
 
 Of a rich man in Prester Joharis lande named Catolo- 
 napes and of his gardeine. 
 
 IN an yle of Prester Johans land y* men call Miscorach, 
 there was a rich man y* was called Catolonapes, he 
 was ful rich & had a fair castel on a hil & strong, & he 
 made a wal all about ye hill right strong & fayre, within 
 he had a faire gardeine wherein were many trees bearing 
 all maner of fruits y 1 he might find, & he had planted 
 therein al maner of herbes of good smel and that bare 
 flowers, & ther wer many faire wels, & by them was 
 made many hals & chambers wel dight with gold & 
 asure, & he had made there dyverse stories of beastes 
 and birds y' song & turned by engin and orbage 2 as they 
 
 them various oderiferous roots & flowers, and wild apples, that they 
 may not be without something to smell at. But an odour which is 
 a little more powerful than usual easily destroys them." 
 
 1 Other editions read, rough hair. 
 
 2 This word is very puzzling. It seems to me that it probably 
 means wheel work, from Lat. orbis, a circle ; but Rd. Braithwaite, 
 in his Arcadian Princesse, says: "In the lowest border of the
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 195 
 
 had been quick, 1 & he had in his gardeine al thing that 
 might be to man solace & comfort, he had also in that 
 gardeine maydens within y e age of xv yeare, y e fairest 
 y* he myght find, & men children of the same age, & 
 they were clothed with clothes of gold, & he sayd that 
 they were aungels and he caused to be made certain 
 hils, 2 & enclosed them about with precious stones of 
 Jaspy & christal & set in gold & pearls and other maner 
 of stones, and he had made a coundute 3 under y e earth, 
 so that when he wold y e walls 4 ran somtime with milke, 
 somtime with wine, somtime honey, & this place is called 
 Paradise & when any yong bacheler of y e countrey, 
 knight or sqyer, cometh to him for solace and disport, 
 he ledeth him into his paradise & sheweth them these 
 things, as the songs of birds & his damosels and wels, 
 & he did strike diverse Instruments of musyke, in a 
 high tower that might be sene, and sayde they were the 
 aungels of God, & that place was Paradise, that God 
 hath graunted to those that beleved, when hee sayde thus, 
 Dabo vobis terrain fluentam lac & mel. That is to say, I 
 shall giue you land flowing with mylk and hony. And 
 then this rych man dyd 5 these men drinke a maner of 
 drinke, of which they were dronken, & he said to them 
 if they wold dye for his sake & when they were dead 
 they shold come to his paradise, and they should be of 
 the age of those maydens, and shold dwell alway with 
 them, and he shold put them in a fayrer paradise where 
 they shold se god in his joy, and in his majesty & then 
 
 garden, I might see a curious orbell, all of touch, wherein the Syra- 
 cusan tyrants were no lesse artfully portrayed, than their severall 
 cruelties to life displayed." 
 
 1 As if they had been alive. 2 Misprint for Wells. 
 
 3 Conduit. 4 Wells. 5 Made.
 
 196 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 they graunted to do that he wold, and he bad them go 
 and sleay such a lord, or a man of the countrey that he 
 was wroth with, and that they should haue no dread of 
 no man and if they were slaine themselfe for his sake, 
 he shold put them in his paradise when they were dead. 
 And so went those bachelers to sleay great lordes of the 
 countrey, & were slaine themselfe in hope to haue that 
 Paradise, and thus was he avenged of his enimies through 
 his desert, 1 and when rich men of the countrey perceived 
 this cautell 2 and malice and the will of this Catolonapes, 
 they gathered them to gither & assayled the castel & 
 slew hym & destroyed all his goods and his faire places 
 and riches that were in his paradise, and the place of the 
 wales 3 are there yet, and it is not long ago since it was 
 destroyed. 
 
 CAP. XCI. 
 Of a marvelous vale that is beside tJie river of P hyson. 
 
 A ND a lyttle from that place, on the left syde besyde 
 L\. the river of Physon is a great marvaile. There is 
 a vale betwene two hils, and that is foure myle longe, and 
 some men call it the valay enchaunted, some y e valey of 
 Divels, some the valey perylous, 4 and in that valey are 
 many tempests & a great noyse very hydeous bothe day 
 & night & sound as it were a noise of Taburines 5 of 
 nakers " & of trumpets as it were a great feast. This 
 
 1 Deceit. 2 111 intent, evil mind. 3 Wells. 
 
 4 Perilous. 5 Tambourines. 
 
 8 A kind of drum, probably a kettledrum.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 valey is all full of devils, and hath ben alway, and men 
 say thereby y' it is a enter l to hell. In this valey is 
 muche golde & silver, wherefore many Christen men & 
 other go thether for covetise of that golde and silver, but 
 few of them come out againe, for they are anon strangled 
 with divels. And in the middes of that vale on a roche 
 is a visage, & the head of a fiend bodely, right hideous 
 and dreadfull to see, and there is nothing sene but the 
 head to y e shoulders, but there is no christen men in y e 
 world nor other so hardy but y* he should be greatly afraide 
 to beholde it, for he beholdeth eche man so sharply & 
 felly 2 & his eyes are so staring & so sprinkling 3 as fyre 
 & he chaungeth so often his countenaunce that no man 
 dare come nere for all the worlde, and out of his mouth 
 & his nose cometh great plenty of fyer of divers colours, 
 & sometime is the fyer so stynking, that no man may 
 suffer it, but alway a good christen man, and one that is 
 stedfast in the fayth may go therein without harme, if 
 they shrive them well and blesse them with the token of 
 the crosse, then shall the divels haue no power over them. 
 And ye shall understande that when my felowes & I 
 were in that valey, we had full great dought 4 if we shold 
 put our bodies in a venture to go through it, & some of 
 my felows agreed therto, & some wold not, and there 
 were in our company two friers minours of Lombardy & 
 sayd if any of us wold go in, they wold also, as they had 
 sayd so, and upon trust of them we sayd that we wold 
 go, & we dyd sing a masse and were shriven & houseled, 6 
 and we went in xiiii men & when we came out we were 
 but x e & we wist not whether our felowes were loste 
 
 1 Entrance. 2 Evilly. 3 Sparkling. 
 
 4 Doubt. s Received the Sacrament. 
 
 6 Others say 9.
 
 198 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 there, or that they turned againe, but we saw no more of 
 them, others of our felowes that would not go in with us, 
 went about another way for to be before us, and so they 
 were. And we went through the valey and saw there 
 many marvailous things, gold silver precious stones & 
 jewels great plenty, as we thought, whether it were so or 
 no, I know not, for divels are so subtill & false, that they 
 make many times a thinge to seme y l is not, for to 
 deceive men, and therefore I wold touch nothing for 
 dread of enimies that I saw there in many likenesses, 
 and of dead bodies that I saw lye in the valey, but I 
 dare not saye that they were all bodies, but they were 
 bodies through making of divels. And we were often 
 cast down to the earth by winde, thunder & tempest, but 
 God helped alway, and so passed we through that valey 
 without peryl or harme thankes be to God. 
 
 CAP. XCII. 
 
 Of an yland wherein dwell people as great as giants of 
 xxviii or xxx fote of length & other things. 
 
 AND beyond that valey is a great yle, where people 
 as great as giaunts of xxviii fote long & they haue 
 no clothinge but beasts skyns that hang on them, & they 
 eate no bread but flesh raw and they drink milke, & 
 they haue no houses, & they eat gladlyer fleshe of men, 
 than other, & men saye to us, that beyond that yle is a 
 yle where are greater giaunts as xlv or L fote long, & 
 some sayd L cubits long, but I saw not them, and among 
 those giaunts are great shepe, as it were young oxen,
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 199 
 
 and they beare great wolle, these shepe haue I sene 
 many times. An other yle is there northward where are 
 many evill and fell women and they haue precious stones 
 in their eies, & they haue suche kinde y* if they beholde 
 any man with wrath, they sley them of the beholding as 
 the Basalysk doeth. 1 
 
 CAP. XCIII. 
 
 Of women which make great sorow as theyr children are 
 borne & great joy when tJiey are dead. 
 
 A N other yle there is, where women make great sorow 
 *L\. when theyr children be borne & when they are 
 dead they make great joy and caste them in a great fier 
 and burne them, and they that loue well theyr husbands, 
 when they are dead they cast them in a fyer to burn 
 them, for they say that fyer shall make them clean of 
 all filth & vices & they shall be cleane in another world, 
 and the cause why they wepe when their children are 
 borne, and y 4 they joye at their death, they say a child 
 when he is borne cometh into this world to haue travaile, 
 sorow & heavinesse, & when they are dead they go to 
 Paradise where rivers are of mylke and honey, & there 
 is lyfe & joy and plenty of goods without travaile or 
 sorow. In thys yle they make their kings by chosing, & 
 they chose him not for his riches and noblenesse, but 
 him that is of good conditions and most righteous and 
 trew that judgeth euery man truely, little & much after 
 
 1 Here a passage is omitted.
 
 200 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 their trespasse, and ye king may judge no man to death 
 without counsel of his barons, & that they all assent. 
 And if it so be y* the king do a great trespasse, as sley 
 a man or such lyke, he shall dye also, but he shall not 
 be slaine, but they shall defend and forbid that no man 
 be so hardy to beare him company, nor to speake to 
 him, ne giue him meat nor drinke and thus he shall dye, 
 for they spare no man y* hath done a trespasse, for loue, 
 lordeship riches nor noblenes, but they do him right after 
 y' he hath deserved. 
 
 CAP. XCIIII. 
 
 Of an yland ivhere men wed theyr owne daughters & 
 kinswomen. 
 
 THERE is another yle where there is great plenty 
 of people & they eate neuer flesh of hares, nor 
 of hens, nor geese, yet is there many of them but they 
 eate of all other beastes, and they drink mylk, in this 
 countrey they wed theyr owne daughters and other of 
 theyr kyn as them liketh, and if there be x or xii men 
 in one house, eche one of theyr wyves shal be comon to 
 other, & at night shal one haue one of y e wives and 
 another night another. And if she haue any chylde, she 
 may give it to whome she would so that no man knowe 
 if it be his or not. In this land & many other places of 
 Inde, are many cocodrilles, that is a maner of a long 
 serpent, and on nights they dwell on water, and on dayes 
 they dwell on land and rocks, and they eat not in winter.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 2O I 
 
 These serpents sley men and eate them weping, 1 and 
 they haue no tongue. In this countrey and many other, 
 men caste sede of cotton, and sow it eche yeare and it 
 groweth as it were small trees, and they here cotton. In 
 Araby is a kynde of beast that some men call Garsantes, 2 
 that is a fayre beast, & he is hyer than a great courser 
 or a stead 3 but his neck is nere xx cubytes long, and his 
 
 crop and his taile lyke a hart and he may loke ouer a 
 high house and there is many Camilions, 4 that is a lytle 
 beaste, & he eateth nor drinketh never, and he chaungeth 
 his colour often, for sometime he is of one colour & 
 sometime of another, and he may chaunge him into all 
 colours that he will, saue black and red. There are 
 many wilde swine of many colours and as great as Oxen, 
 
 1 This curious belief gave rise to the term " Crocodile's tears," 
 i.e., hypocritical tears. 
 
 2 Giraffes. 3 A steed or horse. 4 Chameleon.
 
 202 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 & they are spotted as it were smal fawnes, and there are 
 lions all white, and there be other beastes as great steedes 
 that men call Lauhorans, 1 and men call them Toutes, 
 and their head is blacke, and three long homes in his 
 fronte, as cutting as sharp swords, and he chaseth and 
 vvil sley Olifants. And there is many other maner of 
 beastes, of whom it were to long to write all. 
 
 CAP. XCV. 
 
 Of an ylande ^v herein dwell full good people and true. 
 
 THERE is another yland good and great, and plen- 
 tiouse, where are good men and true and of godly 
 lyfe after their faith, & all if they be not christen never- 
 thelesse of kinde they are full of good vertues and they 
 fly all vices, and all sinne and malice, for they are not 
 envious, proud, covetous, lecherous nor glotenus, and 
 they do not unto another man but that they wold he did 
 to them, and they fulfill the x commaundementes and 
 they make no force of ryches nor of having, & they 
 Swere not, but they say ye and nay, for they say he that 
 swereth will deceive his neighbour, and some men call 
 this yle the yle of Bragamen, and some call it the land 
 of faith, and through it runneth a great river that men 
 call Thebe, and generally al men in those iles, and other 
 iles thereby are truer and rightwiser than in other 
 countreys. In this ile are no theves, murderers nor 
 beggers. And for as much as they are so true and so 
 
 1 A rhinoceros is here evidently meant.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 2OJ 
 
 good, there is no tempest nor thunder, warre, hunger, 
 nor tribulation, and thus it semeth well that God loveth 
 them wel, and he is well payed of theyr dedes, and they 
 beleve in God y* made all thing & him they worship and 
 they live so ordinately in meate and drinke that they 
 live right longe, and many of them dye without sick- 
 nesse, that kinde 1 faileth them for age. 
 
 CAP. XCVI. 
 
 How King Alexander sent his men thither for to winne 
 that lande. 
 
 AND King Alexander sometime sent his men to win 
 that lande, and they sent him letters that sayde 
 thus, What behoveth a man to have all the worlde, that 
 is not content therewithal : thou shalt fynde nothing at 
 al in us, why that thou shouldest make warre upon us, 
 for we haue no ryches nor treasure, and all the cattell of 
 our countrey are common, our meates that we eate are 
 our riches, and instede of gold and silver, we make our 
 treasure peace & Concorde of love, and we have nought 
 but a cloth uppon our bodies, our wyves are not arrayed 
 rychely to pleasing, for we holde it a great foly for a 
 man to tryme up his body with costly aparel to make it 
 seme fairer than God made it. We haue ben evermore 
 in peace til now y 1 thou wilt disherite us. We haue a 
 king among us, not for nede of the law, nor to judge any 
 man, for there are no trespassours among us, but all 
 
 1 They only die of old age.
 
 2O4 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 onely to learne us to be obedient to him & so maist you 
 take from us but our good peace. And when King 
 Alexander saw this letter he thought he shold doe to 
 much harme if he troubled them, and sent to them that 
 they should kepe well theyr good maners, & haue no 
 dread of him. 
 
 CAP. XCVII. 
 
 How the Emperour Prester John when he goeth to batayle, 
 he hath three crosses borne before him of fine gold. 
 
 Emperour Prester John, when he goeth to 
 -L batayle, he hath no baner borne before him, but he 
 hath borne before him three crosses of fine gold, & those 
 are large & great, and well set with precious stones, & 
 for to kepe eche crosse, is ordeyned a thousand 1 men of 
 armes, in maner as men kepe a standerde in other 
 countreys, and he hath men without number when he 
 goeth in any batayle against any other lord. And when 
 he hath no battayle but rydeth with privy company, then 
 doth he beare before him a crosse of tree 2 not painted, 
 and without gold or precious stones, and all playne in 
 token that our lord Jesu Christ suffered death on a cross 
 of tree. And also he hath borne before him a platter of 
 gold ful of earth, in token y l lordship and noblenesse 
 shal tourne to nought, & his flesh shall turne to earth. 
 And also he has borne before him another vessell full of 
 Jewels, and golde and precious stones, in token of his 
 noblenes and of his might. 
 
 1 Others say 10,000. 2 A wooden cross.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 2O5 
 
 CAP. XCVIII. 
 
 Of the moste l dwelling place of Prester JoJin in a citie 
 called Suse. 
 
 AND he dwelleth commonly at the citie of Suse, & 
 there is his principall palaice that is so riche that 
 marvayle is to tell, & about the principall toure of the 
 palaice are two pomels 2 of gold all round, and eche one 
 of those hath two carbuncles great & large, y' shine 
 ryght clere in the night, and y e principal gates of this 
 palaice are of precious stones that men call Saraine 3 & 
 the borders of the barres are of Ivory, & windowes of 
 the hall and chambers are of Cristall, and tables that 
 they eate of, some Emerandes, some are of Mayk, 4 some 
 of golde and precious stones, and the pillers that beare 
 the tables are of such stones also, and the greces on the 
 which y Emperour goeth to his sege where he sitteth at 
 meat, one is of Mastik, 5 another of Cristal, another of 
 green Jasphy, 6 another of Diasper, 7 another of Serdin, 8 
 another of Cornelin, 9 another of Seuton, & that he set- 
 teth his fote upon, is of Crisolites, and all these greces 
 are bordered with fine gold, and well set with great 
 
 1 The greatest. - A ball or knot. 3 ? Sardonyx. 
 
 4 Another edition says Amethysts. 
 
 5 Another edition says Onyx. 6 Probably Jasper. 
 
 7 Another edition says Amethyst, but as the whole is so apocry- 
 phal it does not much matter. 
 
 8 Sardine or Sardonyx. 
 
 9 Cornelian. What Seuton is I will not even venture to guess at.
 
 2O6 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 perles and other precious stones, and ye side of the sege 
 are Emerauds bordred with gold and with precious 
 stones, the pillers in his chambre are of fine gold with 
 many Carbuncles and other such stones that giue great 
 light in the night, and all if the Carbuncles giue great 
 light, neuerthelesse there burneth xii 1 great vessels of 
 Cristall full of balme to giue good smell, and to drive 
 away evill ayre. The fourme 2 of his bedde is all of 
 Saphire well bound with gold to make him slepe well & 
 for to destroy lechery, for he will not lye by his wives 
 but thrise 3 a yeare, after the seasons, and all onely for 
 getting of children. And he hath also a fayre palayce 
 in the city of Nyse where he dwelleth when he wil, but 
 the aier there is not so well tempered as it is in the citie 
 of Suse. And he hath euery day in his courte more 
 than xxx thousand men, besides comers and goers, but 
 xxx thousand there or in the court of the great Caane 
 spendeth not so much as xii thousand in our countrey. 
 He hath euermore vii kinges in his court to serve him 
 and eche one of them serveth a moneth, and with these 
 kinges serue alway Lxxii Dukes & CCC 4 erles, and 
 euery day eat in his court xii archbishops and xx 
 byshops. The patryarke of saint Thomas is as he were 
 a pope and Archbishops and byshops & abbotes, all are 
 kings in that countrey, and some of the lordes is master 
 of the hall, some of the chambre, some steward, some 
 marshal, and other officers, and therefore he is ful rychley 
 served. And his land lasteth in breadth four moneths 
 journey and it is of length without measure. 
 
 1 Another edition says, " a great vessel." 
 
 2 The framework. 
 
 3 Others say four times. 4 Elsewhere it is 360.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 2O/ 
 
 CAP. XCIX. 
 
 Of the ivildernesse wherein groiueth the trees of the sonne 
 & the Moone. 
 
 AND beyond that river is a great wildernesse as men 
 that haue ben there say. In this Wildernesse as 
 men saye are the trees of the Sonne and of the Mone 
 that spake to Kyng Alexander and tolde him of his 
 death, and men saye that folke that kepe these trees & 
 eate of the fruits of them, they live foure or five hundred 
 yeare through vertue of the fruite, and we woulde gladly 
 haue gone thyther, but I beleve that an hundred thousand 
 men of armes shold not passe that wildernesse for great 
 plenty of wilde beastes, as dragons and serpents that 
 sley men when they pass that way. In this lande are 
 many Oliphantes all white and blew without number, 
 and unicornes & lyons of many maners. 1 Many other 
 yles are in the land of Prester John that were to long to 
 tell, and much ryches and nobly of precious stones in 
 great plenty. I beleve y' we haue herd say why this 
 Emperour is called Prester John but for those that know 
 it not I wil declare. There was sometime an Emperour 
 that was a noble prince, & doughty, & he had many 
 christen Knights with him and y e Emperour thought hee 
 woulde see the service in Christen churches, and then 
 was churches of christendome in Turkey, Surry and 
 Tartary, Hierusalem, Palistine, Araby and Alappy, 2 .and 
 
 1 Kinds or sorts. 2 ? Aleppo.
 
 2O8 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 all the lordes l of Egypte. And thys Emperour came 
 with a Christen Knight into a church of Egipt and it 
 was on a saterday after Whit sonday when the byshop 
 gaue orders, and he behelde the service and he asked of 
 the Knight what folke those should be that stode before 
 the Byshop, and the Knight sayd they should be prestes, 
 & he sayde he wold no more be called Kinge ne Empe- 
 rour but preest, and he would haue the name of him that 
 came first out of the prestes and he was called John, 
 and so haue all the Emperors sythen 2 be called Prester 
 John. In this lande are many Christen men of good 
 faith & good lawe, and they haue prestes to sing masse, 
 and they make the sacrements as men of Grece do, but 
 they say not but that y e Apostles said as saint Peter, 
 and saint Thomas, and other apostles when they song 
 masse and said Pater noster, and the wordes with the 
 which Gods body is sacred ; we haue many addicions of 
 Popes that haue bene ordeyned of which men in those 
 countreys know not. 
 
 CAP. C. 
 Of a great yland and kingedome called Taprobane? 
 
 TOWARDE the East side of Prester John's lande is 
 an yle that men call Taprobane, & is right good 
 and fructuous, 4 and there is a great Kyng and a rych, 
 
 1 Other editions read land. 2 Since then. 
 
 3 There seems a difference of opinion whether this island is 
 Ceylon or Sumatra. 
 
 4 Fruitful.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 2CX) 
 
 and he is obedient unto Prester John & the King is 
 alway made by eleccion. In this yle is ii wynters and 
 two somers, and they shere 1 corne twise in the yere, all 
 times in the yeare gardeins florysheth. There dwelleth 
 good people and reasonable and many Christen men 
 among them that are full rich, and the water betwene 
 the syde of Prester John and this yle is not full depe for 
 men may see the grounde in many places. 
 
 CAP. CI. 
 
 Of two other yles, one is called Orel, & the other Argete 
 where are many gold mines. 
 
 THERE are more eastward two other yles y e one 
 is called Orell and the other Argete of whom all 
 the land is mine of gold & silver. In those yles many 
 men se no sters '* clere shining, but one starre y ! is called 
 Canapos 3 and there many men se not y e Mone but in 
 the last quarter. In that yle is a great hyll of golde 
 that pismyres 4 kepe, & they do fine golde from the other 
 that is not fine golde, and the pismyres are as great as 
 houndes, so that no man dare come there for dread of 
 pismyres that should assayle them so that men may not 
 worke in that gold nor get thereof but by subtiltie, and 
 therefore when it is righte hote the pismyres hide them 
 in the earth from undern 5 to none of the daye, and then 
 
 1 Reap. * Stars. 
 
 3 Canopus, a star of the first magnitude, in the rudder of the 
 constellation Argo. 
 
 4 Ants. ' See footnote, ante, p. 125. 
 
 P
 
 210 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 men of the countrey take Cameles and dormedaries and 
 other beastes & go thither and charge them with gold 
 and go away fast or the pismyres come out of the earth. 
 And other times when it is not so hot y* the pismyres hide 
 them not, they take mares that haue foles, and they lay 
 upon these mares two long vessels as it were two small 
 barels and the mouth upwards and drive them thether 
 and holde theyr foles at home, and when the pismyres se 
 these vessels they spring therein, for they haue 1 of kinde 
 to leue no hole nor pyt open, and anone they fyl these 
 vessels with golde, and when men think that the vessels 
 be full they take the foles and bring them as nere as 
 they dare, and then they whine, and the mares heare 
 them, and anone they come to theyr foles and so they 
 take the gold, for these pismyres will suffer beastes for 
 to go among them, but no men. 
 
 CAP. CII. 
 
 Of the darke countrey and Jiils and roches of stone nigh to 
 Paradise. 
 
 T) EYOND the yles of the lande of Prester John and 
 -U his lordeship of wildernesse to go right East, men 
 shall not finde but nils, great rocks and other myrke * 
 lande, where no man may see a day or night as men of 
 the countrey say, and this wildernesse and myrke land 
 lasteth to Paradise terrestre, where Adam and Eve were 
 sette, but they were there but a lyttle while, and that is 
 
 1 For it is their habit. * Dark, murky.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 211 
 
 toward the East at the beginning of the earth, but that 
 is not our East that we call where the Son ryseth in 
 those countreys towarde Paradise, and then it is mid- 
 night in our countrey for the roundnesse of the earth, 
 for our Lorde made the earth all rounde in the middest 
 of y e fyrmament. Of Paradise can I not speake properly 
 for I haue not bene there, but that I haue heard I shall 
 tell you. Men say that Paradise terrestre is the highest 
 lande in all the worlde, and it is so high that it toucheth 
 nere to the cyrcle of the Mone, for it is so high y* Noes 
 floude might not come thereto which covered all the 
 earth about. 
 
 CAP. cm. 
 
 A lyttle of Paradise terrestre. 
 
 THIS Paradise terrestre is enclosed al about with a 
 wall, and that wall is all covered with mosse as it 
 semeth, y* men may see 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 run 
 through divers landes. The first floud is called Phison 
 or Ganges, and that runneth through Inde, in that river 
 are many precious stones and much Lignum Aloes & 
 gravel of golde. Another is called Nilus or Gison, and 
 y l runneth through Ethiope & Egipt. The third is called 
 Tigre & that runneth through Assyry & Armony the 
 great. And the fourth is called Eufrates, y 4 runneth 
 through Armony and Percy & men say that the sweete 
 and fresh waters of y e world take their springing of them.
 
 212 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 The first river is called Phison, that is to say, gathering 
 of many rivers together & faling into one, and some call 
 it Ganges, for a King y* was in Inde that men cal Gan- 
 geras, for it runneth through his land & this river is in 
 some places cleane, in some places treble, 1 in some places 
 hot, in some places cold. The second river is called 
 Nilus or Gison, for it is ever trouble, for Gison is to say 
 treble. The third river is called Tigris that is to say 
 fast running, for it runneth faster than any of the other, 
 & so is a beast that men call Tigris for he runneth fast. 
 The fourth ryver is called Eufrates y* is to say well 
 bearing, for there groweth many good things upon that 
 ryver. And ye shall understande that no man living 
 may go unto y 1 Paradise, for by land he may not go for 
 wylde beastes which are in the wyldernesse, and for hylls 
 and rocks where no man may passe. Nor by those 
 ryvers may no man passe, for they come with so great 
 course and so great waves that no ship may saile against 
 them. Many great lordes haue essayed many times to 
 go by those rivers to Paradise, but they might not spede 
 in theyr way, for some dyed for werynesse of rowinge, 
 some waxt blynde and some defe for noise of the waters, 
 so no man may passe there but through speciall grace of 
 God for I can tell you no more of that place. I shall 
 tell you of that I haue scene. 
 
 1 Troubled or muddy. 

 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 213 
 
 CAP. .CIIIL 
 
 How Pr ester Johns land lyeth foote against 1 foote to 
 Englande. 
 
 r I S HESE yles of the land of Prester John, they are 
 JL under the earth to us, & other yles are there whoso 
 wold pursue them for to environ the earth whoso had 
 grace of God to hold the waye, he mighte come right to 
 the same countreys that he were come of and come from 
 & so go about the earth, and for that it asketh so long 
 tyme, & also there are so many perils to passe that fewe 
 men assay to go so, and yet it might be done, & there- 
 fore men come from these yles to other yles costing of 
 the lordship of Prester John, & men come in the coming 
 to one yle y* men cal Cassoy, & that country is nere Lx 
 journeys long & more than L of bredth, that is the best 
 land that is in those countreys saue Cathay & if mar- 
 chants came thither as commonly as they do to Cathay, 
 it would be better than Cathay, for it is so thick of cities 
 & towns y l when a man goeth out of a citie he seeth 
 another on eche side. There is great plenty of spices 
 and other goods. Ye king of this ile is rich & mighty 
 & he holdeth his land of y e great Caan for y' is one of 
 y e xii princes' that the great Caan hath under him 
 beside his owne lande. 
 
 1 Antipodes. 2 Misprint for provinces.
 
 214 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. CV. 
 
 Of the Kingedome of Ryboth. 
 
 FROM this yle men go another kyngdome that is 
 called Riboth, and that is also under y e great Caan. 
 This is a good countrey and plentious of come, wine & 
 other things, men of this lande haue no houses but they 
 dwell in tentes made of tree. And the principall citie 
 of the countrey is all blacke made of black stones and 
 white and all the streetes are paved with such stones 
 and in the citie is no man so hardy to spil blood of man 
 ne beast, for worship of a mawment 1 that is worshiped 
 there. In that citie dwelleth the Pope of their lawe, 
 that they call Lopasse, and he giveth all dignities & 
 benefices that fall to y e mawmet. And men of religion 
 and men that haue churches in that countrey are obe- 
 dient to him as men here to the pope. In this yle they 
 haue a custome through all the countrey that when a 
 mans father is dead they wil 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 Joy 
 and myrth, and whan it is there, the greatest prelate 
 smiteth of his head, & laieth it upon a great plate of 
 gold, or silver, and giveth it to his sonne and his son 
 taketh it to his other friends, singing and sayinge many 
 orysons, 2 and then the prestes and the religious men cut 
 
 1 A puppet or doll, or mammet an idol probably so called as 
 a contraction for Mahomet. 
 
 2 Prayers.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 215 
 
 the flesh of 1 the body in peces and say orysons, and the 
 byrds of the countrey come thether, for they know well 
 the custome, and they flye about them as they were 
 egles and other birds that eate flesh, and the priestes 
 cast the pieces unto them, and they beare it away a little 
 from thence and then they eate it, and as priestes in our 
 countrey sing for soules subvenite sancti del and so forth, 
 so those prestes ther syng with high voyce in their lan- 
 guage in this maner wyse. Se and beholde how good 
 and gracious a man this was, that ye aungels of God 
 come for to fetch him & beare him into Paradise. And 
 then thinketh y e son of the same man that he is greatly 
 worshipped when birds haue eaten his father, and where 
 are most plenty of byrds, there is most worship. And 
 then cometh the sonne home with all his friendes, and 
 maketh them a great feast, the sonne maketh cleane his 
 fathers head and giveth them drynke thereof, & the 
 fleshe of the head he cutteth of, and giveth it to his 
 moste speciall fryends, some a lyttle, & some a lyttle, for 
 deynty. And in remembrance of this holy man that 
 the birds haue eaten, the sonne doth make a cuppe of 
 the scalpe 2 & thereof drinketh he all his life, in remem- 
 brance of his father. 
 
 1 Off. 2 Skull.
 
 216 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 CAP. CVI. 
 
 Of a rych man that is neyther king, prince duke nor erle. 
 
 AND from this men go ten journeys through the land 
 of the great Caan, which is a full good yle & a 
 great kingdom & the king is ful mighty. And in this 
 yle is a rich man which is no king prince Duke nor Erie, 
 but he hath eche yere cccc * thousand horses charged - 
 with ryce and corne, and he hath a noble & a rich life 
 after the maner of the countrey, for he hath L damosels 
 that serve him every day at his meate & bed and do 
 what he wil. And when he sytteth at the table they 
 bring him meat, & at eche time fiue meates togither, and 
 they sing in the bringing a song, and they cut his meate 
 and put it in his mouth, and he hath righte long nayles 
 on his hands, that is a great nobility in that countrey & 
 therefore they let theyr nayles grow as long as they 
 may, 3 and some let them growe so long that they come 
 about theyr handes and y 4 is a great nobility & gentry, 
 and the gentry of a woman is to haue small fete, and 
 therefore anon as they are borne, they binde their feete 
 so straight that they cannot wax halfe as they shoulde. 
 And he hath a full faire palaice, & rich, wher he dwelleth, 
 of which the wall is two myle about, & there is many faire 
 gardeins, and all the pavement of the hal, & chambres, 
 is of gold & silver, and in the midst of one of these 
 
 1 Other editions say 300,000. 2 Loaded. 
 
 3 Similar to the Chinese custom of the upper classes.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 21? 
 
 gardeins is a lyttle hyl, whereon is a place made wyth 
 toures and pynacles all of golde, and there he wyll syt 
 often to take the ayer and disport, for it is made for 
 nothing else. From this land men may go through y e 
 land of the great Caane. 
 
 CAP. CVIL 
 
 How all these landes yles and kingdomes, and the men 
 therof afore rehersed, haue some of the articles of otir 
 faith, 
 
 AND ye shall understand that all these men & folke 
 that haue reason y* I haue spoken of, haue some 
 articles of our faith, all 1 if they be of divers lawes and 
 divers beleves, yet they haue some good poynts of our 
 fayth, & they beleve in God of kinde as theyr prophecie 
 sayth, Et metuent eum omnes fines terra, That is to say, 
 And all endes of the earth shall dread him. And in 
 another place, Omnes gentes servient ei, That is to say, 
 All folk shall serve him, but they cannot speak parfitly 
 but as theyr kyndly wit teacheth them, neither of the 
 Son nor of the Holy Ghost can they speake, but they 
 can speake well of the Byble, and specially of Genesis, 
 and of the bokes of Moyses. And they say that those 
 creatures y 1 they worship are no gods, but they worship 
 them for great vertue that is in them which may not be 
 without special grace of God, & of simulacre and ydoles, 
 they say that all men haue simulacres, and that, say 
 
 1 Even.
 
 2l8 THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF 
 
 they, for us christen men haue ymages of our Lady & 
 other, but they wot not that we worship not the ymages 
 of stone nor of wood, but the saynts of whome they are 
 made, for as the letter teacheth clarkes how they shal 
 beleve, so ymages and paynture teacheth lewde l men. 
 They say also that the aungell of God speaketh to them 
 in their ydoles & do miracles, they say soth, 2 but it is 
 the evil aungell that doth myracles to maintaine them 
 in their ydolatrie. 
 
 CAP. CVIII. 
 
 How John Maundevyl leveth many mervailes tinwrytten & 
 the cause wherefore. 
 
 THERE are many other countreys where I haue not 
 yet ben nor sene & therefore I can not speke pro- 
 perly of them. Also in countreys where I haue bene are 
 many marvailes that I speke not of, for it were to long a 
 tale and therefore hold you payd at this time y 4 I haue 
 sayd, for I will say no more of mervailes that are there, 
 so that other men that go thither may fynde ynough for 
 to say that I haue not tolde. 
 
 1 Unlearned. 2 Truly.
 
 SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 2 19 
 
 CAP. CIX. 
 
 What time John Maundevil departed out of England. 
 
 AND I John Maundevil that went out of my countrey 
 and passed the sea, the yeare of our lord MCCCXXII 
 and I haue passed through many landes and yles and 
 countreys, and now am come to rest. I haue compyled 
 this boke and do wryte it the yeare of our Lord 
 MCCCLXVI at XXXIV yeare after my departing from my 
 countrey, & for as much as many men beleve not that 
 they 'see with theyr eyen, or y l they may conceive & 
 know in their mynde, therefore I made my way to Rome 
 in my coming homewarde, to shew my boke to the holy 
 father the pope, 1 and tell him of the mervayles y 4 I had 
 sene in diverse countreys ; so that he with his wise 
 counsel wold examine it, with diverse folke y l are at 
 Rome, for there dwell men of all nations of the world, 
 and a lytle time after when he & his counsel had ex- 
 amined it all through, he sayde to me for a ccrtayne 
 that it was true for he sayd he had a boke of latin con- 
 tayning all that and much more, of y* which Mappa 
 Mundi is made, the which boke I saw, & therefore the 
 pope hath ratyfied & confirmed my boke in all poyntes. 
 And I pray to all those that rede this boke, that they 
 will pray for me and I shall pray for them, & all those 
 that say for me our Lord's prayer & that God forgive 
 me my sinnes, I make them parteners & graunt them 
 
 1 Urban V.
 
 22O SYR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. 
 
 part of all my good pylgrimages and other good dedes 
 which I ever dyd or shall do to my lyves ende & I pray 
 to God of whome all grace cometh, that he will, all the 
 readers and hearers that are christen, fulfil with his 
 grace, and saue them body and soule & bring them to 
 his Joy that euer shall last. He that is in the Trinitie, 
 the Father, the Sonne, and the Holy Ghost, that liveth 
 & raigneth God without ende 
 
 Amen 
 
 Imprinted at London in Breadstreat at the nether ende 
 by Thomas East. An 1568 
 . The 6 day of October
 
 Here beginneth the journall of Frier Odoricus, one of the 
 order of the Minorites, concerning strange things which 
 hee sazve among the Tartars of tJie East. 
 
 JLBEIT many and sundry things are reported 
 by divers authors concerning the fashions 
 and conditions of this world : notwithstand- 
 ing I frier Odoricus of Friuli, de portu 
 Vahonis being desirous to travel unto the foreign and 
 remote nations of infidels, sawe and heard great and 
 miraculous things, which I am truly able to avouch. 
 First of al therefore sayling from Pera by Constanti- 
 nople, I arrived at Trapesunda. 1 This place is right 
 commodiously situate, as being an haven for the Persians 
 and Medes, and other countries beyonde the sea. In 
 this lande I behelde with very great delight a very strange 
 spectacle, namely a certain man leading about with him 
 more than foure thousande partriges. The man himselfe 
 walked upon the grounde, and the partriges flew in the 
 aire, which he ledde unto a certaine castle called Zavena, 
 being three days journey distant from Trapesunda. 
 The saide partriges were so tame, that when the man was 
 desirous to lie downe and rest, they would all come 
 flocking about him like chickens. And so hee led them 
 
 1 Trebizonde.
 
 222 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 unto Trapesunda, and unto the palace of the Emperour, 
 who tooke as many of them as he pleased, and the reste 
 the saide man carried unto the place from whence he 
 came. In this citie lyeth the body of Athanasius, upon 
 the gate of the citie. And then I passed on further unto 
 Armenia major, to a citie called Azaron, 1 which had 
 been very rich in olde time, but nowe the Tartars haue 
 almost layde it waste. In the saide citie there was 
 abundance of bread and flesh, and of all other victuals 
 except wine and fruits. This citie also is very colde, 
 and is reported to be higher situated, then any other city 
 in the world. It hath most holesome and sweete waters 
 about it : for the veines of the saide waters seeme to 
 spring and flow from the mighty river of Euphrates, 
 which is but a dayes journey from the saide city. Also, 
 the saide citie stands directly in the way to Tauris. 2 
 And I passed on unto a certaine mountaine called 
 Sobissacalo. In the foresaide countrey there is the very 
 same mountaine whereupon the Arke of Noah rested ; 
 unto the which I would willingly haue ascended, if my 
 company would haue stayed for me. Howbeit the 
 people of that countrey report, that no man could euer 
 ascend the saide mountaine, because (say they) it 
 pleaseth not the highest God. And I travailed on further 
 unto Tauris that great and royal city, which was in olde 
 time called Susis. This city is accompted for traffique 
 of merchandize the chiefe citie of the world : for there 
 is no kinde of victuals, nor anything else belonging unto 
 merchandize, which is not to be had there in great abun- 
 dance. This citie stands very commodiously : for unto 
 it all the nations of the whole worlde in a maner may 
 
 1 Erzeroum. Tauris, a city of Persia.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 223 
 
 resort for traffique. Concerning the saide citie, the 
 Christians in those parts are of opinion, that the Persian 
 Emperour receives more tribute out of it, then the King 
 of France out of all his dominions. Neare unto the saide 
 citie there is a s alt -hill yeelding salt unto the city : and of 
 that salt ech man may take what pleaseth him, not paying 
 ought to any man therefor. In this city many Christians 
 of all nations do inhabite, over whom the Saracens beare 
 rule in all things. Then I travelled on further unto a 
 city called Soldania, 1 wherein the Persian Emperour 
 lieth all Sommer time : but in Winter hee takes his pro- 
 gresse unto another city standing upon the sea called 
 Baku. 2 Also the foresaide city is very great and colde 
 having good and holesome waters therein, unto the 
 which also store of marchandize is brought. Moreover 
 I travelled with a certaine company of Caravans toward 
 upper India : and in the way, after many days journey, 
 I came unto the citie of the three wise men called 
 Cassan, 3 which is a noble and renowned city, saving that 
 the Tartars haue destroyed a great part thereof, and it 
 aboundeth in bread, wine, and many other commodities. 
 From this citie unto Jerusalem (whither the three fore- 
 said wisemen were miraculously led) it is fifty days 
 journey. There be many wonders in this citie also, 
 which for brevities sake, I omit. From thence I de- 
 parted unto a certain city called Geste, whence the sea of 
 sand is distant one dayes journey, which is a most wonder- 
 ful and dangerous thing. In this city there is abundance 
 of all kinds of victuals and especially of figs, raisins, and 
 grapes : more (as I suppose) then in any part of the 
 
 Or Sultania. 2 The Caspian Sea. 
 
 Or Cassibin.
 
 224 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 whole world besides. This is one of the three principall 
 cities of all the Persian Empire. Of this city the 
 Saracens report, that no Christian can by any means 
 live therein above a yeere. Then passing many dayes 
 journey on forward, I came unto a certain city called 
 Comum l which was a huge and mightie citie in olde 
 time, conteyning well nigh fiftie miles in circuite, and 
 hath done in times past great damage unto the Romanes. 
 In it there are stately palaces altogether destitute of in- 
 habitants, notwithstanding it aboundeth with great store 
 of victuals. From hence travailing through many 
 countreys, at length I came unto the land of Job called 
 Hus, which is full of all kinde of victuals and very plea- 
 santly situated. Thereabouts are certaine mountaines 
 having good pastures for cattell upon them. Here also 
 Manna is found in great aboundance. Four partriges 
 are here solde for lesse than a groat. In this countrey 
 there are most comely olde men. Here also the men 
 spin and card, and not the women. This land bordereth 
 upon the North part of Chaldea. 
 
 Of the maners of the Chaldeans, and of India. 
 
 FROM thence I traveled into Chaldsea, which is a 
 great kingdome and I passed by the tower of 
 Babel. This region hath a language peculiar unto 
 itselfe, and there are beautiful men and deformed 
 women. The men of the same countrey used to hane their 
 haire kempt, and trimmed like unto our ivomen : and they 
 
 1 Como.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER OUORICUS. 22$ 
 
 weare golden tur bants upon their heads richly set with 
 pearle, and pretious stones. The women are clad in a 
 course smock onely reaching to their knees and having long 
 sleeves hanging downe to the ground. And they goe bare- 
 footed, wearing breeches which reach to the ground also. 
 They weare no attire upon their heads, but their haire 
 hangs disheaveled about their eares : and there be many 
 other strange things also. From thence I came into the 
 lower India, which the Tartars overran & wasted. And 
 in this countrey the people eat dates for the most part, 
 whereof 42 li are there sold for lesse than a groat. I 
 passed further also many dayes journey unto the Ocean 
 Sea & the first lande where I arrived, is called Ormes, 1 
 being well fortified, and having great store of merchan- 
 dize and treasure therein. Here also they use a kinde 
 of Bark or shippe called Jase, being compact together 
 onely with hempe. And I went on board into one of 
 them, wherein I could not finde any yron at all, and in 
 the space of 28 days I arrived at the city of Thana, 2 
 wherein foure of our friers were martyred for the faith 
 of Christ. This countrey is well situate having abun- 
 dance of bread and wine, and of other victuals therein. 
 This Kingdome in olde time was very large and under the 
 dominion of King Porus, who fought a great battell with 
 Alexander the great. The people of this countrey are 
 idolaters worshipping fire, serpents and trees. And ouer 
 all this land the Saracens do beare rule, who tooke it by 
 maine force, and they themselues are in subjection unto 
 King Daldilus. There be divers kinds of beasts, as 
 namely blacke lyons in great abundance, and apes also, 
 
 1 Ormus. 
 
 2 Thana, whereof Frederick Caesar maketh mention. 
 
 Q
 
 226 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 and monkeis, and battes as bigge as our doves. And 
 there are mise as bigge as our countrey dogs, and there- 
 fore they are hunted with dogs, because cats are not 
 able to encounter them. Moreouer in the same countrey 
 every man hath a bundle of great boughs standing in a 
 water-pot before his doore, which bundle is as great as a 
 pillar, and it will not wither, so long as water is applied 
 thereunto : with many other novelties and strange things, 
 the relation whereof would breed great delight. 
 
 o o 
 
 How peper is had : and where it groweth. 
 
 MOREOUER, that it may be manifest how peper 
 is had, it is to be understood that it groweth in a 
 certaine kingdome whereat I myself arrived, being called 
 Minibar, 1 and it is not so plentifull in any other part of 
 the worlde as it is there. For the wood wherein it 
 growes conteineth in circuit 18 dayes journey; And in 
 the said wood or forrest there are two cities one called 
 Flandrina, 2 and the other Cyncilim. In Flandrina both 
 Jewes & Christians doe inhabite, betweene whom there 
 is often contention and warre : howbeit the Christians 
 overcome the Jewes at all times. In the foresaid wood 
 pepper is had after this maner : first it groweth in leaves 
 like unto pot-hearbes, which they plant neere unto great 
 trees as we do our vines, and they bring forth pepper in 
 clusters, as our vines doe yeeld grapes, but being ripe, 
 they are of a green colour, and are gathered as we 
 
 1 Malabar. 2 Or Alandrina.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 22/ 
 
 gather grapes, and then the gfaines are layd in the 
 Sunne to be dried, and being dried are put into earthen 
 vessels : and thus is pepper made and kept. Now, in 
 the same wood there be many rivers, wherein are great 
 store of Crocodiles, and of other serpents, which the in- 
 habitants of that countrey do burne up with strawe and 
 with other dry fewel, and so they go to gather their 
 pepper without danger. At the South End of the said 
 forrest stands the city of Polumbrum, 1 which aboundeth 
 with marchandize of all kinds. All the inhabitants of 
 that countrey do worship a living oxe, as their god, whom 
 they put to labour for sixe yeres, and in the seventh yere 
 they cause him to rest from al his worke, placing him in 
 a solemne and publique place : and calling him an holy 
 beast. Moreouer they use this foolish ceremonie : Every 
 morning tJiey take two basons, either of silver or of gold, 
 and with one they receive the urine of the oxe, and with the 
 other his dung. With the urine they wash their face, their 
 eyes, and all tlieir fine senses. Of the dung they put into 
 both their eyes, then they anoint the bals of tJieir cheeks 
 therewith, and thirdly their breast : and then they say that 
 they are sanctified for all that day: And as the people 
 doe, euen so doe their king and Queene. This people wor- 
 shippeth also a dead idole which from the navel upward, 
 resembleth a man, and from the navel downward an oxe. 
 The very same Idol delivers oracles unto them, and 
 sometimes requireth the blood of fourtie virgins for his 
 hire. And therefore the men of that region do conse- 
 crate their daughters and their sonnes unto their idols, 
 euen as Christians do their children unto some Religion 
 or Saint in heaven. Likewise they sacrifice their sonnes 
 
 1 Query, whether this is not Kaulam or Balldd-ul-Falfal, the 
 Pepper Country, or Malabar, latinized into Columbum or Columbus.
 
 228 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 and their daughters, and so, much people is put to death 
 before the said Idol by reason of that accursed cere- 
 mony. Also, many other hainous and abominable vil- 
 lainies doeth that brutish beastly people commit : and I 
 saw many more strange things among them which I 
 meane not here to insert. Another most vile custome 
 the foresaide nation doeth retaine : for when any man 
 dieth they bnrne his dead corpse to ashes : and if his wife 
 surviveth him, her they bnrne qnicke, because (say they) she 
 shall accompany her husband in his tiltJie and husbandry, 
 when he is come unto a new worlde. Howbeit the said 
 wife having children by her husband, may if she will, re- 
 maine still alive with them, without shame or reproche : 
 notwithstanding, for the most part, they all of them make 
 choice to be burnt with their husbands. Now, albeit the 
 wife dieth before her husband, that law bindeth not the 
 husband to any such inconvenience but he may marry 
 another wife also. Likewise, ye said nation hath another 
 strange custome, in that their zvomen drink wine, but their 
 men do not. Also the women hane the lids & brows of their 
 eyes & beards shaven, but the men haue not : with many 
 other base and filthie fashions which the said women 
 do use contrary to the nature of their sexe. From that 
 kingdome I traveiled 10 dales journey unto another 
 kingdome called Mobar, 1 which containeth many cities. 
 Within a certaine church of the same countrey, the 
 body of S. Thomas the Apostle is interred, the very 
 same church being full of idols : and in 15 houses round 
 about the said Church there dwell certaine priests who 
 are Nestorians, that is to say, false, and bad Christians 
 and schismatiques. 
 
 1 Malabar.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 22Q 
 
 Of a strange and uncouth idole : & of certaine customes 
 and ceremonies, 
 
 IN the kingdome of Mobar there is a vvonderfull 
 strange idole, being made after the shape and resem- 
 blance of a man, as big as the image of our Christopher, 
 & consisting all of most pure and glittering gold. And 
 about the necke thereof hangeth a silke riband, ful of 
 most rich & precious stones, some one of which is of 
 more value than a whole kingdome. The house of this 
 idol is all of beaten gold, namely the roofe, the pave- 
 ment, and the sieling of the wall within and without. 
 Unto this idol the Indians go on pilgrimage, as we do 
 unto St. Peter. Some go with halters about their necks, 
 some with their hands bound behind them, some with 
 knives sticking on their armes or legs : and if after their 
 peregrination, the flesh of their wounded arme festereth 
 or corrupteth, they esteeme that limme to be holy, & 
 thinke that their God is wel pleased with them. Neare 
 unto the temple of that idol is a lake made by men in an 
 open and common place, whereinto the pilgrimes cast gold, 
 silver and precious stones, for the honour of the idol and the 
 repairing of his temple. A nd therefore when anything is 
 to be adorned or mended, they go unto this lake taking up 
 the treasure which ivas cast in. Moreouer at euery yerely 
 feast of the making or repairing of the said idol, the king 
 and queene, with the whole multitude of the people, & all 
 the pilgrimes assemble themselues, & placing the said idol 
 in a most stately & rich chariot, they cary him out of their
 
 230 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 temple with songs, & with all kinds of musical harmonic, 
 and a great companie of virgins go procession-wise two and 
 two in a rank singing before him. Many pilgrims also put 
 themselves wider the chariot wheeles, to tJic end that their 
 false god may go oner them, and al tJiey ouer whom the 
 chariot runneth, are crnsJied in pieces, & divided asunder- 
 in the midst, and slaine right out. Yea, & in doing this, 
 they think tliemselves to die most holily & securely, in the 
 service of their god. And by this meanes every yere, 
 there die under the said filthy idol, mo then 500 persons, 
 whose carcases are burned, and their ashes are kept for 
 reliques, because they died in that sort for their god. 
 Moreover they haue another detestable ceremony. For 
 when any man offers to die in the service of his false god, 
 his parents & all his friends assemble themselues together 
 with a consort of musicians, making him a great & 
 solemne feast : which feast being ended, they hang 5 
 sharpe knifes about his neck carrying him before the idol 
 & so soone as he is come thither, he taketh one of his 
 knives crying with a loud voice, For the worship of my 
 god do I cut this my flesh, and then he casteth the mor- 
 sel which is cut, at y e face of his idol : but at the very 
 last wound wherewith he murthereth himselfe, he uttereth 
 these words : " Now do I yeeld myself to death in the 
 behalfe of my god " and being dead his body is burned, 
 & is esteemed by al men to be holy. The king of the 
 said region is most rich in silver, gold, and precious 
 stones, & there be the fairest unions in al the world. 
 
 Traveling from thence by the Ocean sea 50 daies 
 journey southward. I came unto a certaine land named 
 Lammori, 1 where, in regard of extreeme heat, the people 
 
 1 Perhaps he meaneth Cammori.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 231 
 
 both men and women go stark-naked from top to toe : who 
 seeing me apparelled, scoffed at me, saying that God made 
 Adam and Eve naked. In this conntrey al women are 
 common, so that no man can say, this is my wife. Also w/ien 
 any of the said women beareth a son or a daughter, she 
 bestowes it upon anyone that hath lien with her, whom she 
 pleaseth. Likewise al the land of that region is possessed 
 in common, so that there is not mine & thine, or any pro- 
 priety of possession in the division of lands : howbeit euery 
 man JiatJi his owne house peculiar unto Jiimselfe. Mans 
 flesh, if it be fat, is eaten as ordinarily there as beefe in 
 our countrey. And albeit the people are most lewd, yet 
 the countrey is exceeding good, abounding with al com- 
 modities, as fleshe, corne, rise, silver, gold, wood of aloes, 
 Camphir, and many other things. Marchants coming 
 unto this region for traffique do usually bring with them 
 fat men, selling them unto the inhabitants as we sel hogs, 
 who immediately kil and eat them. In this island 
 towards the south, there is another kingdome called 
 Simoltra, 1 where both men and women marke themselves 
 with red-hot yron in 12 sundry spots of their faces : and 
 this nation is at continual warre with certaine naked 
 people in another region. Then I traveled further unto 
 another island called Java, the compasse whereof by sea 
 is 3000 miles. The king of this Hand hath 7 other 
 crowned kings under his jurisdiction. The said Island 
 is throughly inhabited & is thought to be one of the 
 principall Hands of y e whole world. In the same Hand 
 there groweth great plenty of cloves, cubibez, and nut- 
 megs, and in a word all kinds of spices are there to be 
 had, and great aboundance of all victuals except wine. 
 
 1 Sumatra.
 
 232 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 The king of the said Hand of Java hath a brave and 
 sumptuous pallace, the most loftily built, that euer I saw 
 any, & it hath most high greeses l and stayers to ascend 
 up into the roomes therein contained, one stayre being 
 of silver, & another of gold, throughout the whole build- 
 ing. Also the lower roomes were paved all ouer with one 
 square plate of silver, & another of gold. All the walls 
 upon the inner side were seeled ouer with plates of gold, 
 wherupon were ingraven y e pictures of knights, having 
 about their temples, ech of them a wreath of golde, 
 adorned with precious stones. The roofe of the palace 
 was of pure gold. With this King of Java the great 
 Can of Catay hath had many conflicts in war ; whom 
 notwithstanding the said king hath always overcome 
 and vanquished. 
 
 Of certaine trees yeelding meale, honey, and pay so n. 
 
 N' EERE unto the said Hand is another countrey 
 called Panten, or Tathalamasin.' And the king 
 of the same countrey hath many Hands under his domi- 
 nion. In this land there are trees yeelding meale, hony, 
 & wine & the most deadly poison in all y e whole world : 
 for against it there is but one only remedy : & that is 
 this : if any man hath taken of y e poyson, & would be 
 delivered from the danger thereof, let him temper the 
 dung of a man in water, & so drinke a good quantitie 
 thereof, & it expels the poyson immediatly, making it 
 to avoid at the fundament. Meale is produced out of 
 
 1 Steps. 2 Query, The Tathsiaulu of Marco Polo, or Thibet.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 233 
 
 the said trees after this maner. They be mighty huge 
 trees and when they are cut with an axe by the ground, 
 there issueth out of the stock a certain licour like unto 
 gumme, which they take and put into bags made of 
 leaues, laying them for 15 days together abroad in 
 the sunne, & at the end of those 1 5 dayes, when the 
 said licour is throughly parched, it becometh meale. 
 Then they steepe it first in sea water, washing it after- 
 ward with fresh water, and so it is made very good & 
 savorie paste, whereof they make either meat or bread, 
 as they thinke good. Of which bread I my selfe did 
 eate, & it is fayrer without & somewhat browne within. 
 By this countrey is the sea called Mare mortuum, which 
 runneth continually Southward, into y e which whosoever 
 falleth in (is) never scene after. In this countrey also are 
 are found canes of an incredible length, namely of 60 
 paces high or more, & they are as bigge as trees. Other 
 canes there be also called Cassan, 1 which overspread the 
 earth like grasse, & out of euery knot of them spring 
 foorth certaine branches, which are continued upon the 
 ground almost for the space of a mile. In the said canes 
 there are found certaine stones, one of which stones, who- 
 soever carryeth about with him, cannot be wounded with 
 any yron : & therefore the men of that countrey for the 
 most part, carry such stones with them, whithersoever 
 they goe. Many also cause one of the armes of their 
 children, while they are yong, to be launced, putting one 
 of the said stones into the wound, healing also, and 
 closing up the said wound with the powder of a certaine 
 fish (the name whereof I do not know) which powder 
 doth immediatly consolidate and cure the said wounde. 
 
 1 An exaggeration for bamboos.
 
 234 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 And by the virtue of these stones the people aforesaid 
 doe for the most part triumph both on sea and land. 
 Howbeit there is one kinde of stratageme, which the 
 enemies of this nation, knowing the vertue of the sayd 
 stones, doe practise against them : namely, they provide 
 themselues armour of yron or steele against their arroxves, 
 & weapons also poisoned with the poyson of trees & 
 they carry in their hands wooden stakes most sharpe and 
 hard pointed, as if they were yron : likewise they shoot 
 arrowes without yron heads, & so they confound and 
 slay some of their unarmed foes trusting too securely 
 unto the vertue of their stones. Also of the foresayd 
 canes called Cassan they make sayles for their ships, and 
 litel houses, and many other necessaries. From thence 
 after many dayes travell, I arrived at another kingdome 
 called Campa, a most beautiful and rich countrey, & 
 abounding with all kind of victuals : the king whereof, 
 at my being there, had so many wives & concubines, that 
 he had 300 sonnes & daughters by them. This king 
 hath 10004 tame Elephants, which are kept even as we 
 keepe droves of oxen or flocks of sheepe in pasture. 
 
 Of the abundance of fishes, wliicli cast tJiemselues upon the 
 
 shore. 
 
 IN this countrey there is one strange thing to be ob- 
 served, y* euery several kind of fishes in those seas 
 come swimming towards the said countrey in such abun- 
 dance, that, fora great distance into the sea, nothing can 
 be seene but the backes of fishes : which casting- them- 
 selues upon the shore when they come neere unto it, do suffer
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 235 
 
 men, for the space of 3 dates to conic & take as many of 
 them as they please, & then they rettirn again to the sea. 
 After that kind of fishes comes another kind, offering itself e 
 after the same maner, & so in like sort all other kinds 
 whatsoever : notwithstanding they do this but once in a 
 year. And I demannded of the inhabitants there how, or 
 by what meanes this strange accident coiild come to passe : 
 They answered, that fishes were taiigJit, even by nature to 
 come and do homage unto their Emperour. There be Tor- 
 toises also as bigge as an oven. Many other things I 
 saw which are incredible, unlesse a man should see them 
 with his own eies. In this countrey also dead men are 
 burned, & their wives are burned aliue with them, as 
 in the city of Polumbrum aboue mentioned : for the men 
 of that countrey say that she goeth to accompany him 
 in another world, that he should take none other wife in 
 manage. Moreouer I traveled on further by the ocean- 
 sea towards the South, & passed through many countries 
 and islands, whereof one is called Moumoran, & it con- 
 taineth in compasse ii. M miles, wherein men & women 
 haue dogs faces, and worship an oxe for their god : and 
 therefore euery one of them cary the image of an oxe 
 of gold or silver upon their foreheads. The men & 
 women of this country go all naked, saving that they 
 hang a linen cloth round their loins. The men of the 
 said country are very tall and mighty, and by reason 
 that they goe naked, when they are to make battell, 
 they cary yron or steele-targets before them, which do 
 cover and defend their bodies from top to toe : and 
 whomsoever of their foes they take in battel not being 
 able to ransome himselfe for money, they presently de- 
 voure him : but if he be able to redeeme himselfe for 
 money, they let him go free. Their king weareth about
 
 236 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 his necke 300 great & most beautiful unions, 1 and saith 
 euery day 300 prayers unto his god. He weareth upon 
 his ringer also a stone of a span long, which seemeth to 
 be a flame of fire, and therefore when he weareth it, no 
 man dare approach unto him : and they say that there is 
 not any stone in the whole world of more value than it. 
 Neither could at anytime the great Tartarian Emperour 
 of Katay either by force, money, or policie obtain it at 
 his hands, notwithstanding that he hath done the utmost 
 of his indeavour for this purpose. 
 
 Of the Island of Sylan : and of the mountaine where A dam 
 mourned for his sonne Abel. 
 
 I PASSED by also another island called Sylan, 2 which 
 conteineth in compasse aboue ii M miles, wherin 
 are an infinit number of serpents, & great store of lions, 
 beares, & al kinds of ravening & wild beasts, and espe- 
 cially of elephants. In the said countrey there is an 
 huge mountaine, whereupon the inhabitants of that 
 region do report that Adam mourned for his son Abel y e 
 space of 500 yeres. In the midst of this mountaine 
 there is a most beautiful plain, wherin is a litle lake con- 
 teining great plenty of water, which water y e inhabitants 
 report to haue proceeded from the teares of Adam & 
 Eve : howbeit I proved that to be false, because I saw 
 the water flow in the lake. This water is ful of hors- 
 leeches, & blood suckers, & of precious stones also, which 
 precious stones the king taketh not unto his owne use, 
 
 1 Large and fine pearls. 2 Ceylon.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 237 
 
 but once or twise euery yere he permitteth certaine 
 poore people to diue under water for ye said stones 
 & al that they may get he bestoweth upon them, to the 
 end that they may pray for his soule. But y* they may 
 with less danger dive under water, they take limons l 
 which they pil, 2 anointing themselves with the juice 
 thereof, & so they may diue naked under y e water, the 
 hors-leeches not being able to hurt them. From this 
 lake the water runneth even unto the sea, and at a low 
 ebbe the inhabitants dig rubies, diamonds & perles, and 
 other precious stones out of the shore : wherupon it is 
 thought, that ye king of this island hath greater abun- 
 dance of pretious stones, then any other monarch in the 
 whole earth besides. In the said countrey there be all 
 kinds of beastes and foules : & the people told me, that 
 those beasts would not invade nor hurt any stranger but 
 only the natural inhabitants. 
 
 / saw in this island fouls as big as our countrey geese, 
 having two heads, and other miraculous things, whicJi I 
 will not here write off. Traveling on further South, I 
 arrived at a certaine island called Bodinf which signifietli 
 in our language unclean. In this island there do inhabit 
 most wicked persons, who devotir & eate rawe flesh, com- 
 mitting all kinds of uncleannes & abominations in suck 
 sort, as it is incredible. For the father eateth his son, & 
 the son his father, the husband his oivne wife & the wife 
 her husband: & that after this maner. If any mans 
 father be sick, the son straight goes unto the sooth-saying or 
 prognosticating priest, requesting him to demand of his 
 god, whether his father shall recover from his infirmity or 
 no ; Then both of them go unto an idol of gold or silver, 
 
 1 Lemons. 2 Peel. 3 Or Dadin.
 
 238 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 making their prayers unto it in maner folowing : Lord, 
 thou art our god, & thee we do adore, beseeching thee to 
 resolve us, whether sucJi a man must die, or recover of such 
 an infirmity or no : TJien the divel answereth out of y 
 aforesaide idol : if he saieth (he shal Hue) then returneth 
 his son and ministretJi things necessary unto him til Jie 
 hath attained unto his former health : but if he saitJi (he 
 shall die) then goes y* priest unto him, & putting' a cloth 
 into his mouth doth strangle him therewith : which being 
 done, he cuts his dead body into morsels, & al his friends 
 and kinsfolk are invited unto the eating thereof, with 
 musique & all kinde of mirth: howbeit his bones are 
 solemnely buried. And when I found fault with that 
 custome demanding a reason thereof, one of them gaue 
 me this answere ; this we doe lest the wormes should eat 
 his flesh, for then his soule should suffer great torments, 
 neither could I by any meanes remoove them from that 
 errour. Many other novelties and strange things there 
 bee in this countrey, which no man would credite, unles 
 he saw them with his owne eyes. Howbeit, I (before 
 almighty God) do here make relation of nothing but of 
 that onely, whereof I am as sure, as a man may be sure. 
 Concerning the foresaid islands, I enquired of divers wel- 
 experienced persons, who al of them, as it were with one 
 consent, answered me saying, that this India contained 
 4400 islands under it, or within it, in which islands there 
 are sixty and foure crowned kings : and they say more- 
 ouer, that the greater part of those islands are wel in- 
 habited. And here I conclude concerning that part of 
 India.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 239 
 
 Of the upper India : and of tlie province of Mancy? 
 
 FIRST of al therefore, having traveled many dayes 
 journey upon the Ocean-sea towards the East, at 
 length I arrived at a certaine great province called 
 Mancy, being in Latine named India. Concerning this 
 India I inquired of Christians, of Saracens, & of Idola- 
 ters, and of al such as bare an office under the great 
 Can ; who all of them with one consent answered, that 
 this province of Mancy hath mo then 2000 great cities 
 within the precincts thereof & that it aboundeth with 
 all plenty of victuals, as namely with bread, wine, rise, 
 flesh, and fish. All the men of this province be artificers 
 & marchants, who, though they be in never so extreme 
 penurie, so long as they can help themselues by the 
 labor of their handes, will neuer beg almes of any man. 
 The men of this province are of a faire and comely per- 
 sonage, but somewhat pale, having their heads shaven 
 but a little, but the women are the most beautiful under 
 the sunne. The first city of the said India which I 
 came unto, is called Ceuskalon, which being a daies 
 journey distant from the sea, stands upon a river, the 
 water whereof, nere unto the mouth, where it exone- 
 rateth it selfe into the sea, doth overflow the land for 
 the space of 12 daies journey. All the inhabitants of 
 this India are worshippers of idols. The foresaid city 
 of Ceuskalon hath such an huge navy belonging there- 
 
 1 Or China.
 
 240 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 unto, that no man would beleeve it unlesse he should see 
 it. In this city I saw 300 li of good and new ginger 
 sold for lesse than a groat. There are the greatest, and 
 the fairest geese, & most plenty of them to be sold in 
 al the world, as I suppose : they are as white as milke, 
 & haue a bone upon the crowne of their heads, as bigge 
 as an egge, being of the colour of blood : under the 
 throat they haue a skin or bag hanging down halfe a 
 foot. They are exceeding fat and wel sold. Also they 
 haue ducks and hens in that countrey, one as big as two 
 of ours. There be monstrous great serpents likewise, 
 which are taken by the inhabitants & eaten ; whereupon 
 a solemne feast among them without serpents is not 
 set by. 
 
 And to be briefe, in this city there are al kinds of 
 victuals in great abundance. From thence I passed by 
 many cities & at length I came unto a citie named 
 Caitan, 1 wherein ye friers Minorites haue two places of 
 abode, unto which I transported the bones of the dead 
 friers, which suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ, 
 as it is aboue mentioned. In this citie there is abun- 
 dance of al kind of victuals very cheap. The said city 
 is as big as two of Bononia, 2 & in it are many monas- 
 teries of religious persons, al which do worship idols. 
 
 I myselfe was in one of those monasteries, & it was 
 told me, that there were in it III M religious men, having 
 XI M idols ; and one of y e said idols which seemed unto 
 me but litle in regard of the rest, was as big as our 
 Christopher. These religious men euery day do feed 
 their idol-gods : wherupon at a certaine time I went to 
 behold the banquet : and indeed those things which they 
 
 1 Thsiuanchau or Chiuchau, the great mediaeval port of China. 
 
 2 Bologna.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 24! 
 
 brought unto them were good to eate, & fuming hote 
 insomuch that the steam of the smoke thereof ascended 
 up unto their idols, and they said that their gods were 
 refreshed with the smoke : howbeit all the meat they 
 conveyed away, eating it up their owne selves, and so 
 they fed their dumb gods with the smoke only. 
 
 Of the citie of Fuco. 
 
 ' I ^RAVELING more eastward, I came unto a city 
 -I named Fuco, 1 which containeth 30 miles in circuit, 
 wherein be exceeding great & faire cocks, and al their 
 hens are as white as tJie very snow, having wool in stead of 
 feathers, like unto sheep. It is a most stately & beautiful 
 city & standeth up the sea. Then I went 18 daies 
 journey on further, & passed by many provinces & cities, 
 and in the way I went over a certain great mountaine, 
 upon ye one side whereof I beheld al living creatures to 
 be as black as a cole, & the men and women on that 
 side differed somewhat in maner of living from others ; 
 howbeit, on the other side of the said hil every living 
 thing was snow-white & the inhabitants in their maner 
 of living, were altogether unlike unto others. There, al 
 maried women cary in token that they haue husbands, a 
 great trunk of home upon their heads. From thence I 
 traveled 18 dayes journey further and came unto a cer- 
 taine great river, and entered also into a city, whereunto 
 belongeth a mighty bridge to passe the said river. And 
 
 1 Probably Fuchau in Fokieu. 
 R
 
 242 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 mine hoste with whom I sojourned, being desirous to 
 show me some sport, said unto me, Sir, if you will see 
 any fish taken, goe with me. Then hee led me unto the 
 foresaid bridge, carrying in his armes certain dive-doppers ' 
 or water-foules, bound unto a company of poles, and 
 about every one of their necks he tied a thread, lest they 
 should eat the fish as fast as they took them : and he 
 carried three great baskets with him also ; then loosed 
 he the dive-doppers from the poles, which presently went 
 into the water, & within lesse then the space of one 
 houre, caught as many fishes as filled the 3 baskets : 
 which being full, mine hoste untied the threeds from 
 about their neckes, and entering a second time into the 
 river they fed themselves with fish, and being satisfied 
 they returned and suffered themselves to be bound unto 
 the said poles as they were before. And when I did 
 eate of those fishes, we thought they were exceeding 
 good. Travailing thence many dayes journeys, at length 
 I arrived at another city called Canasia, 2 which signified! 
 in our language, the city of heaven. Never in all my 
 life did I see so great a city : for it containeth in circuit 
 an hundreth miles ; neither sawe I any plot thereof, 
 which was not throughly inhabited : yea, I sawe many 
 houses of tenne or twelve stories high, one aboue the 
 other. It hath mightie large suburbs containing more 
 people then the citie it selfe. Also it hath twelue prin- 
 cipall gates : and about the distance of 8 miles, in the 
 high way unto euery one of the saide gates standeth a 
 city as big by estimation as Venice, and Padua. The 
 aforesaide city of Canasia is situated in waters or 
 marshes, which always stand still, neither ebbing nor 
 
 1 Cormorants. * Now Hangchau.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 243 
 
 flowing : howbeit it hath a defence for the winde like 
 unto Venice. In this citie there are mo than 10002 
 bridges, many whereof I numbered and passed over 
 them : and upon every of those bridges stand certaine 
 watchmen of the citie, keeping continuall ward and 
 watch about the saide citie, the great Can the Emperour 
 of Catay. The people of this countrey say, that they 
 haue one duetie injoyned unto them by their lord : for 
 euery fire payeth one Balis in regard of tribute : and a 
 Balis is five papers or pieces of silk, which are worth one 
 floren and an halfe of our coine. Tenne or twelue hous- 
 holds are accompted for one fire, and so pay tribute but 
 for one fire only. Al those tributary fires amount unto 
 the number of 85 Thuman, with other foure Thuman of 
 the Saracens, which make 89 in al : And one Thuman 
 consisteth of 10000 fires. The residue of the people of 
 the city are some of them Christians, some marchants, 
 and some travellers through the countrey. Whereupon 
 I marveiled much how such an infinite number of per- 
 sons could inhabite and Hue together. There is great 
 aboundance of victuals in this city, as namely of bread 
 and wine, and especially of hogs-flesh with other neces- 
 saries. 
 
 Of a Monastery where many strange beastes of divers 
 kindes doe live tipon an hill. 
 
 IN the foresaide citie foure of our friers had converted 
 a mighty and rich man unto the faith of Christ, at 
 whose house I continually abode, for so long time as I
 
 244 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 remained in the citie, Who upon a certain time said unto 
 me : Ara, that is to say, Father, will you go and behoulde 
 the citie ? And I said, yea. Then embarked we our- 
 selves, and directed our course unto a certaine great 
 Monastery : where being arrived, he called a religious 
 person with whom he was acquainted, saying unto him 
 concerning me : this Raban Francus, that is to say, this 
 religious Frenchman commeth from the Westerne parts 
 of the world and therefore you must show him some rare 
 things, that when he returnes into his owne countrey, he 
 may say, this strange sight or novelty haue I scene in 
 the citie of Canasia. Then the said religious man tooke 
 two greate baskets full of broken reliques which remained 
 of the table, & led me unto a little walled parke, the 
 doore whereof he unlocked with his key, and there ap- 
 peared unto us a pleasant faire green plot, into the which 
 we entred. In the said greene stands a litle mount in 
 forme of a steeple, replenished with fragrant herbes, and 
 fine shady trees. And while we stood there, he tooke a 
 cymbal or bell, and rang therewith, as they used to ring 
 to dinner or bevoir in cloisters, at the sound whereof 
 many creatures of divers kindes came dovvne from the 
 mount, some like apes, some like cats, some like mon- 
 keys, and some having faces like men. And while I 
 stood beholding of them, they gathered themselves 
 together about him, to the number of 4200 of those 
 creatures, putting themselues in good order, before whom 
 he set a platter, and gaue them the saide fragments to 
 eate. And when they had eaten he rang upon his cym- 
 bal the second time, and they all returned unto their 
 former places. Then, wondring greatly at the matter, I 
 demanded what kind of creatures those might be ? They 
 are (quoth he) the Soules of noble men which we do
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 245 
 
 here feed, for the love of God who governeth the world : 
 and as a man was honorable or noble in this life, so his 
 soule after death, entreth into the body of some excellent 
 beast or other, but the soules of simple and rusticall 
 people do possesse the bodies of more vile and brutish 
 creatures. Then I began to refute that foule error : 
 howbeit my speech did nothing at all to prevaile with 
 him, for hee could not be perswaded that any soule 
 might remaine without a body. From thence I departed 
 unto a certaine citie named Chilenso, the walls whereof 
 contained 40 miles in circuit. In this citie there are 360 
 bridges of stone, the fairest that euer I saw, and it is 
 wel inhabited, having a great navie belonging thereunto, 
 & abounding with all kinds of victuals and other com- 
 modities. And thence I went unto a certaine river called 
 Thalay which where it is most narrow, is 7 miles broad : 
 and it runneth through the midst of the land of the 
 Pygmcei whose chiefe city is called Cakam, and is one 
 of the goodliest cities in the world. These Pygmceans 
 are three of my spans high, and they make larger and 
 better cloth of cotton and silke, then any other nation 
 under the sunne. And coasting along by the said river, 
 I came unto a certaine city named Janzu, in which citie 
 there is one receptacle for the Friers of our order, and 
 there be also three Churches of the Nestorians. This 
 Janzu is a noble and great citie, containing 48 Thumans 
 of tributarie fires, and in it are all kindes of victuals, and 
 great plenty of such beastes, foules, and fishes, as Chris- 
 tians doe usually Hue upon. The lord of the same citie 
 hath in yeerely revenues for salt onely, fiftie Thuman of 
 Balis, & one balis is worth a floren and a halfe of our 
 coyne : insomuch that one Thuman of balis amounteth 
 unto the value of 15000 florens. Howbeit the sayd lord,
 
 246 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 favoureth his people in one respect, for sometimes he for- 
 giveth them frely 200 Thuman, lest there should be any 
 scarcity or dearth among them. There is a custome in 
 this citie, that when any man is determined to banquet 
 his friends, going about unto certaine tavernes or cookes 
 houses appointed for the same purpose, he sayth unto 
 euery particular hoste, you shall haue such and such of 
 my friends, whom you must entertain in my name, and 
 so much I will bestowe upon the banquet. And by that 
 means his friendes are better feasted at diverse places, 
 then they should haue beene at one. Tenne miles from 
 the sayde citie, about the head of the foresayd river of 
 Thalay, there is a certaine other citie called Montu, 
 which hath the greatest navy that I saw in the whole 
 world. All their ships are as white as snow, & they 
 haue banquetting houses in them, and many other rare 
 things also, which no man would beleeve unlesse he had 
 scene them with his owne eyes. 
 
 Of the citie of Cambaleth. 
 
 TRAVELING eight dayes journey further by divers 
 territories and cities, at length I came by fresh 
 water unto a certaine citie named Leucyn, standing upon 
 a river of Karavoran 1 which runneth through the midst 
 of Cataie, and doeth great harme in the countrey when 
 it overfloweth the bankes, or breaketh foorth of the 
 chanell. From thence passing along the river Eastward, 
 
 1 Karamoron.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 247 
 
 after many dayes travell, and the sight of divers cities, I 
 arrived at a citie called Sumakoto, 1 which aboundeth 
 more with silke then any other citie in the worlde : for 
 when there is a great scarcity of silke, fortie pound is 
 solde for lesse then eight groates. In this citie there is 
 abundance of all merchandize, and all kinds of victuals 
 also, as of bread, wine, flesh, fish, with all choise and 
 delicate spices. Then travelling on still towards the East 
 by many cities, I came unto the noble and renowned 
 citie of Cambaleth, which is of great antiquitie, being 
 situate in the province of Cataie. This citie the Tartars 
 tooke, & neere unto it within the space of halfe a mile, 
 they built another citie called Caido. The citie of 
 Caido hath twelve gates, being each of them two miles 
 distant from another. Also the space lying in the midst 
 betweene the two foresayde cities is very well and 
 thoroughly inhabited, so that they make as it were but one 
 citie betweene them both. The whole compasse or cir- 
 cuit of both cities together is 40 miles. In this citie the 
 great emperour Can hath his principall seat, and his 
 Imperiall palace, the wals of which palace containe foure 
 miles in circuit : and neere unto this his palace are many 
 other palaces and houses of his nobility which belong 
 unto his court. Within the precincts of the said palace 
 Imperiall, there is a most beautifull mount, set and re- 
 plenished with trees, for which cause it is called the 
 Greene mount, having a most royall and sumptuous 
 palace standing thereupon, in which, for the most part, 
 the great Can is resident Upon the one side of the 
 sayde mount there is a great lake, whereupon a most 
 stately bridge is built, in which lake a great abundance 
 
 1 Sumacoto.
 
 248 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 of geese, ducks, & all kinds of water foules, and in the 
 wood growing upon the mount, there is a great store of 
 all birdes and wilde beastes. And therefore when the 
 great Can will solace himselfe with hunting or hauking, 
 he needs not so much as once to step forth of his palace. 
 Moreover, the principall palace, wherein he maketh his 
 abode, is very large, having within it 14 pillers of golde, 
 and all the walles thereof are hanged with red skinnes, 
 which are said to be the most costly skinnes in all the 
 world. In the midst of the palace stands a cisterne of 
 two yards high, which consisteth of a precious stone 
 called Merdochas, and is wreathed about with golde, & 
 at ech corner thereof is the golden image of a serpent, as 
 it were furiously shaking and casting forth his head. 
 This cisterne also hath a kinde of network of pearle 
 wrought about it. Likewise by the sayd cisterne there 
 is drinke conveyed thorow certaine pipes and conducts 
 such as useth to be drunke in the emperours court, upon 
 the which also there hang many vessels of golde, wherein 
 whosoever will may drinke of the said licour. In the 
 foresayd palace there are many peacockes of golde : & 
 when any Tartar maketh a banquet unto his lorde, if 
 the guests chance to clap their hands for joy and mirth 
 the said golden peacocks also will spread their wings 
 abroad, and lift up their traines, seeming as if they 
 danced, and this I suppose to be done by arte magicke 
 or by some secret engine under the grounde.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 249 
 
 Of the glory and magnificence of the great Can. 
 
 MOREOVER, when the great emperour Can sitteth 
 on his imperiall throne of estate, on his lefte 
 hand sitteth his queene or empresse and upon another 
 inferior seate there sit two other women, which are to 
 accompany the emperour, when his spouse is absent, but 
 in the lowest place of all, there sit all the ladies of his 
 kinred. All the married women weare upon tJieir heads a 
 kind of ornament in sJiape like unto a man's foote of a 
 cubite and a halfe in length, and the lower part of the said 
 foote is adorned wit Ji cranes feathers, and is all ouer thicke 
 set with great and orient pearles. Upon the right hande 
 of the great Can sitteth his first begotten sonne and heire 
 apparent unto his empire, and under him sit all the 
 nobles of the blood royall. There bee also foure Secre- 
 taries, which put all things in writing that the emperour 
 speaketh. In whose presence likewise stand his Barons 
 and divers others of his nobilitie, with great traines of 
 folowers after them, of whom none dare speake so much 
 as one worde, unlesse they haue obtained licence of the 
 emperour so to doe, except his jesters and stage players, 
 who are appointed of purpose to solace their lord. 
 Neither yet dare they attempt to doe ought, but onely 
 according to the pleasure of their emperor, and as hee 
 enjoineth by lawe. About the palace gate stand certaine 
 Barons to keepe all men from treading upon the thres- 
 hold of the sayd gate. When it pleaseth the great Can 
 to solemnize a feast, he hath about him 14000 Barons,
 
 250 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 carying wreathes & litle crownes upon their heads, and 
 giving attendance upon their lord, and eueryone of them 
 weareth a garment of golde and precious stones, which 
 is worth ten thousand florens. His court is kept in very 
 good order, by governours of tens, governours of hun- 
 dreds, and governours of thousands, insomuch that euery 
 one in his place performeth his dutie committed to him, 
 neither is there any defect to bee found. I Frier 
 Odoricus was there present in person for the space of 
 three yeares and was often at the sayd banquets : for 
 wee friers Minorites have a place of aboad appointed 
 out for us in the emperours court, and are enjoined to 
 goe and to bestow our blessing upon him. And I en- 
 quired of certain courtiers concerning the number of 
 persons pertaining to the emperors court. Moreouer, 
 when he will make his progresse from one countrey to 
 another, hee hath foure troupes of horsemen, one being 
 appointed to goe a dayes journey before, and another to 
 come a dayes journey after him, the third to march on 
 his right hand and the fourth on his left, in the maner 
 of a crosse, he himselfe being in the midst, and so euery 
 particular troupe haue their daily journeys limited unto 
 them, to the ende they may provide sufficient victuals 
 without defect. Nowe the great Can himselfe is caried 
 in maner following : hee rideth in a chariot with two 
 wheeles, upon which a majesticall throne is built of the 
 wood of Aloe, being adorned with gold and great pearles 
 and precious stones, and foure elephants bravely fur- 
 nished doe drawe the sayd chariot, before which ele- 
 phants foure greate horses richly trapped and covered 
 doe lead the way. Hard by the chariot on both sides 
 thereof, are foure Barons laying hold and attending 
 thereupon, to keepe all persons from approching neere
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 251 
 
 unto their emperour. Upon the chariot two milke-white 
 jer-falcons doe sit, and seeing any game which hee would 
 take, hee letteth them fly, and so they take it, and after 
 this maner doeth hee solace himselfe as hee rideth. 
 Moreover, no man dare come within a stone's cast of the 
 chariot, but such as are appointed. The number of his 
 owne followers, of his wives attendants, and of the traine 
 of his first begotten sonne and heire apparent, would 
 seem incredible to any man ; unless he had first scene it 
 with his owne eyes. The foresayd great Can hath 
 divided his Empire into twelue parts or provinces, and 
 one of the said provinces hath two thousand great cities 
 within the precincts thereof. Whereupon his empire is 
 of that length and breadth, that unto whatsoever part 
 thereof he intendeth his journey, he hath space enough 
 for six moneths continual progress, except his islands 
 which are at the least 5000. 
 
 Of certaine Innes or hospitals appointed for travellers 
 throughout the whole empire. 
 
 THE foresayd Emperor (to the end that travailers 
 may haue all things necessary throughout his 
 whole empire) hath caused certaine Innes to be provided 
 in sundry places upon the highwayes, where all things 
 pertaining unto victuals are in a continuall readinesse. 
 And when any alteration or newes happen in any part 
 of his Empire, if he chance to be farre absent from that 
 part, his ambassadors upon horses or dromedaries ride 
 post unto him, and when themselves and their beaste are
 
 252 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 weary, they blowe their home, at the noise whereof, the 
 next Inne likewise provideth a horse and a man, who 
 takes the letter from him that is weary, and runneth 
 unto another Inne : and so by divers Innes, and divers 
 postes, the report, which ordinarily could skarce come 
 in 30 dayes, is in one naturall day brought unto the 
 Emperour : and therefore no matter of any moment can 
 be done in his empire, but straightway he hath intelli- 
 gence of it. Moreouer when the great Can himselfe will 
 go on hunting, he useth this custome. Some 20 days 
 journey from the citie of Kambaleth there is a forrest 
 containing six dayes journey in circuit, in which forrest 
 there are so many kinds of beasts and birds as it is in- 
 credible to report. Unto this forrest, at the ende of 
 euery thirde or fourthe yeere, himself with his whole 
 traine resorteth, and they all of them together environ 
 the said forrest, sending dogs into the same, which by 
 hunting doe bring foorth the beasts : namely lions and 
 stags, and other creatures, unto a most beautifull plaine 
 in the midst of the forrest, because all the beasts of the 
 forrest doe tremble, especially at the cry of hounds. 
 Then cometh the great Can himselfe, being caried upon 
 three elephants, and shooteth fiue arrowes into the whole 
 herd of beasts, and after him all his Barons, and after 
 them the rest of his courtiers and family doe all in like 
 maner discharge their arrowes also, and euery mans 
 arrow hath a sundry marke. Then they all goe unto the 
 beasts which are slaine (suffering the living beasts to 
 returne into the wood that they may haue more sport 
 with them another time) and euery man enjoyeth that 
 beast as his owne, wherein he findeth his arrow sticking.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 253 
 
 Of the foure feasts which the great Can solemnizeth euery 
 yeere in his court. 
 
 FOURE great feasts in a yeere doeth the emperor 
 Can celebrate : namely the feast of his birth, the 
 feast of his circumcision, the feast of his coronation, and 
 the feast of his mariage. And unto these feasts he in- 
 viteth all his Barons, his stage players, and all such as 
 are of his kinred. Then the great Can sitting in his 
 throne, all his Barons present themselves before him, 
 with wreaths and crowns upon their heads, being diversely 
 attired, for some of them are in greene, namely the prin- 
 cipall : the seconde are in red, and the third in yellow : 
 and they hold each man in his hand a little Ivorie table 
 of elephants tooth, and they are girt with golden girdles 
 of halfe a foote broad, and they stand upon their feete 
 keeping silence. About them stand the stage-players 
 or musicians with their instruments. And in one of the 
 corners of a certaine great pallace, all the Philosophers 
 or Magicians remaine for certaine howers, and do attend 
 upon points or characters ; and when the point and 
 hower which the sayd Philosophers expected for, is 
 come, a certain crier crieth out with a loud voice, saying, 
 Incline or bowe your selves before your Emperour ; with 
 that all the Barons fall flat upon the earth. Then hee 
 crieth oute againe : Arise all, and immediately they all 
 arise. Likewise the Philosophers attend upon a point 
 or character the second time, and when it is fulfilled the 
 crier crieth out amaine : Put your fingers in your eares ; 
 and foorthwith againe he saieth : Plucke them out.
 
 254 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 Againe, at the third point he crieth, Boult this meale. 
 Many other circumstances also doe they performe, all 
 which they say haue some certaine signification, howbeit 
 neither would I write them, nor giue any heed unto 
 them, because they are vaine and ridiculouse. And 
 when the musicians houre is come, then the Philosophers 
 say, Solemnize a feast unto your Lord : with that all of 
 them sound their instruments, making a great and 
 melodious noise. And immediately another crieth, 
 Peace, Peace, and they are all whist Then come the 
 women-musicians, and sing sweetly before the Emperour, 
 which musike was more delightfull unto me. After them 
 come in the lions and doe their obeisance unto the great 
 Can. Then the juglers cause golden cups full of wine 
 to flie up and downe in the ayre & to apply themselves 
 unto mens mouths that they may drinke of them. These 
 any many other strange things I sawe in the court of 
 the great Can, which no man would beleeve unlesse he 
 had seen them with his owne eies, and therefore I omit 
 to speake of them. I was informed also by certaine cre- 
 dible persons of another miraculous thing, namely, that 
 in a certaine Kingdome of the sayd Can, wherein stand 
 the mountains called Kapsei (the Kingdomes name is 
 Kalor) there groweth great Gourds or Pompions, 1 which 
 being ripe, doe open at the tops, and within them is found 
 a little beast like unto a yong lambe, even as I my selfe 
 have heard reported, that there stand certain trees upon the 
 shore of the Irish Sea, bearing fruit like unto a gourd, 
 which at a certaine time of the yeere doe fall into the water, 
 and become birds called Bernacles, and this is most true. 
 
 1 Pumpkins.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 2$ 5 
 
 Of divers provinces & cities, 
 
 AND after three yeeres I departed out of the empire 
 of Cataie, travelling fiftie dayes journey towards the 
 West. And at length I came unto the empire of Prete- 
 goani, 1 whose principall citie is Kasan, which hath many 
 cities under it. From thence passing many dayes travel 
 I came unto a province called Casan, which is for good 
 commodities, one of the onely provinces under the Sunne, 
 & is very well inhabited, insomuch that when we depart 
 out of the gates of one city we may beholde the gates of 
 another city, as I myselfe sawe in divers of them. The 
 breadth of the said province is 50 dayes journey and the 
 length aboue sixtie. In it there is great plenty of all 
 victuals, and especially of chesnuts, and it is one of the 
 twelve provinces of the great Can. Going on further, I 
 came unto a certaine Kingdome called Tebek, 2 which is 
 in subjection unto the great Can also, wherein I thinke 
 there is more plenty of bread and wine then in any other 
 part of the worlde besides. The people of the sayd 
 countrey do, for the most part, inhabit in tents made of 
 blacke felt. Their principall city is invironed with faire 
 and beautifull walls, being built of most white and blacke 
 stones, which are disposed checkerwise one by another, 
 and curiously compiled together : likewise all the high 
 wayes in this countrey are exceedingly well paved. In 
 the said countrey none dare shed the bloud of a man, or 
 of any beast, for the reverence of a certaine idol. In the 
 
 1 Presterjohn. * Or Thibet.
 
 256 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 aforesayd citie their Abassi, that is to say, their Pope is 
 resident, being the head and prince of all idolaters (upon 
 whom he bestovveth and distributeth gifts after his maner) 
 euen as our Pope of Rome accounts himselfe to be the 
 head of all Christians. The Women of this countrey 
 vveare aboue an hundreth tricks & trifles about them, 
 and they haue two teeth in their mouthes as long as the 
 tuskes of a boare. When any mans father deceaseth 
 among them, his sonne assembleth together all tJie priests 
 and musicians that he can get, saying that he is determined 
 to honour his father : thencauseth he him to be carted into 
 the field (all his kinsfolks, friends, and neighbours, accom- 
 panying him in the sayd action} where the priests with 
 great solemnity cut off the fathers head, giving it unto his 
 sonne, which being done, they divide the whole body into 
 morsels, and so leaue it behinde them, returning home with 
 prayers in the company of the said sonne. So soone as 
 they are departed, certain vultures, wlticJi are accustomed 
 to such bankets, come flying from the mountains, and cary 
 away all the sayd morsels of flesh : and from thenceforth 
 a fame is spread abroad, that the sayd party deceased was 
 holy, because the angels of God carried him into paradise. 
 And this is the greatest and highest honour, that the sonne 
 can devise to performe unto his father. Then the sayd 
 sonne taketh his fathers head, seething it and eating the 
 flesh thereof, but of the skull he maketh a drinking cup, 
 wherein himselfe with all his family and kinred do drinke 
 with great solemnitie and mirth, in the remembrance of his 
 dead and devoured father. Many other vile and abomi- 
 nable things doth the sayd nation commit, which I 
 meane not to write because men neither can nor will 
 beleeve, except they should haue a sight of them.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 257 
 
 Of a certaine riche man, who is fed and nourished by 50 
 virgins. 
 
 WHILE I was in the province of Mancy, I passed 
 by the palace of a certaine famous man, which 
 hath fifty virgin damosels continually attending upon 
 him, feeding him euery meale as a bird feeds her yoong 
 ones. Also he hath sundry kinds of meat served in at 
 his table and three dishes of ech kinde : and when the 
 said virgins feed him, they singe most sweetly. This 
 man hath in yeerely revenues thirty thuman of tagars of 
 rise, euery of which thuman yeeldeth tenne thousand 
 tagars, and one tagar is the burthen of an asse. His 
 palace is two miles in circuit, the pavement thereof is 
 one plate of golde and another of silver. Neere unto the 
 wall of the sayd palace there is a mount artificially 
 wrought with golde and silver, whereupon stand turrets 
 and steeples, and other delectable things for the solace 
 and recreation of the foresayd great man. And it was 
 tolde me that there were foure such men in the sayd 
 kingdome. It is accounted a great grace for the men of 
 that countrey to haue long nailes upon their fingers, and 
 especially upon their thumbes which nailes they may 
 folde about their handes : but the grace and beauty of 
 their women is to haue small and slender feet : and 
 therefore the mothers when their daughters are yoong, 
 do binde up their feete that they may not grow great. 
 Travelling on further towards the South, I arrived at a 
 certain countrey called Melistorte, which is a pleasant 
 
 S
 
 258 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 and fertile place. In this countrey was a certain aged 
 man called Senex de monte, who round about two 
 mountaines had built a wall to inclose the said moun- 
 taines. Within this wall there were the fairest and most 
 chrystall fountaines in the whole world : and about the 
 sayd fountaines there were the most beautifull virgins in 
 great number, and goodly horses also, and in a word, 
 euery thing that could be devised for bodily solace and 
 delight, and therefore the inhabitants of the countrey 
 call the same place by the name of Paradise. The olde 
 Senex, when he saw any proper and valiant yoong man, 
 he would admit him into his paradise. Moreover by 
 certain conducts he makes wine and milke to flow abun- 
 dantly. This Senex when he hath a minde to revenge 
 himselfe or to slay any king or baron, commandeth him 
 who is governor of the sayd paradise, to bring thereunto 
 some of the acquaintance of the sayd king or baron, 
 permitting him a while to take his pleasure therein, and 
 then to give him a certaine potion being of force, to cast 
 him into such a slumber as should make him quite voide 
 of all sense, and so being in a profound sleepe to convey 
 him out of his paradise : who being awakened and seeing 
 himselfe thrust out of the paradise, would become so 
 sorrowfull, that he could not in the world devise what to 
 do, or whither to turne him. Then would he goe unto 
 the foresaid old man, beseeching him that he might be 
 admitted again into his paradise, who saith unto him, 
 You cannot be admitted thither, unlesse you will slay 
 such or such a man for my sake, & if you will giue the 
 attempt onely, whether you kill him or no, I will place 
 you againe in paradise, that there you may remain 
 always : then would the party without faile put the same 
 in execution, indevouring to murther all those against
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 259 
 
 whom the old man had conceived any hatred. And 
 therefore all the kings of the east stood in awe of the 
 sayd olde man, and gaue unto him great tribute. 
 
 Of the death of Senex de monte. 
 
 AND when the Tartars had subdued a great part of 
 the world, they came unto the sayd olde man, and 
 tooke from him the custody of his paradise : who being 
 incensed thereat, sent abroad divers desperate and reso- 
 lute persons out of his forenamed paradise, and caused 
 many of the Tartarian nobles to be slaine. The Tartars 
 seeing this, went and beseiged the citie wherein the sayd 
 olde man was, tooke him, and put him to a most cruell 
 and ignominious death. The friers in that place haue 
 this special gift and prerogative, namely, that by the 
 vertue of the name of Christ Jesu, & in the vertue of his 
 precious blood, which he shedde upon the crosse for the 
 salvation of mankinde, they doe cast foorth devils out of 
 them that are possessed. And because there are many 
 possessed men in those parts, they are bound and brought 
 ten dayes journey unto the sayd friers, who being dis- 
 possessed of the uncleane spirits, do presently beleeve in 
 Christ, who delivered them, accounting him for their 
 God, and being baptised in his name, and also delivering 
 immediately unto the friers all their idols and the idols 
 of their cattell, which are commonly made of felt or of 
 womens haire : then the sayd friers kindle a fire in a 
 publicke place (whereunto the people resort, that they 
 may see the false gods of their neighbors burnt), and
 
 260 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 cast the sayd idols thereinto : howbeit at first those idols 
 came out of the fire againe. Then the friers sprinkled 
 the sayd fire with holy water, casting in the idols the 
 second time, and with that the devils fled in the like- 
 nesse of black smoake, and the idols still remained till 
 they were consumed unto ashes. Afterward, this noise 
 and outcry was heard in the ayre : Beholde and see how 
 I am expelled out of my habitation. And by these 
 means the friers doe baptise great multitudes, who pre- 
 sently revolt againe unto their idols ; insomuch that the 
 sayd friers must eftsoones, as it were, underprop them, 
 and informe them anew. There was another terrible 
 thing which I saw there : for passing by a certaine valley, 
 which is situate beside a pleasant river, I saw many dead 
 bodies, and in the said valley also I heard divers siveet 
 sounds and harmonies of musike, especially the noise of 
 citherns, whereat I was greatly amazed. This valley con- 
 teineth in length seven or eight miles at the least, into the 
 which whosoeuer entreth, dieth presently, and can by no 
 means passe aliue tliorow the middest thereof; for which 
 cause all the inhabitants tJiereabout decline unto the one 
 side. Moreover, I was tempted to go in & to see what it 
 was. At length, making my prayers and recommending 
 my selfe to God in the name of Jesu, I entred, and saw 
 such swarmes of dead bodies there, as no man woidd 
 beleeve unless he were an eyevvitnesse thereof. At the one 
 side of the foresayde valley upon a certaine stone, I saw 
 the visage of a man, which beJielde me with such a terrible 
 aspect that I tJiought verily I should haue died in the same 
 place. But alwayes this sentence^ the word became flesh, 
 and dwelt amongst us, I ceased not to pronounce, signing 
 my selfe with the signe of the crosse, and neerer than seven 
 to eight pases I durst not approach unto the sayd head:
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 26l 
 
 but I departed & fled unto another place in the sayd valley, 
 ascending up into a little sande mountaine, where look- 
 ing about, I saw nothing but the sayd citherns, which 
 methought I heard miraculously sounding and playing 
 by themselves without the helpe of musicians. And 
 being upon the toppe of the mountaine, I found silver 
 there like the scales of fishes in great abundance, and I 
 gathered some part thereof into my bosome to shew for 
 a wonder, but my conscience rebuking me, I cast it upon 
 the earth, reserving no whit at all unto my selfe, and so, 
 by God's grace I departed without danger. And when 
 the men of the countrey knew that I was returned out 
 of the valley alive, they reverenced me much, saying 
 that I was baptised and holy, and that the foresayd 
 bodies were men subject unto the devils infernall who 
 used to play upon citherns, to the end they might allure 
 people to enter, and so murther them. Thus much con- 
 cerning these things which I beheld most certainly with 
 mine eyes, I frier Odoricus haue heere written : many 
 strange things also I haue of purpose omitted, because 
 men will not beleeue them unlesse they should see them. 
 
 Of the honour and reverence done ^mto the great Can. 
 
 I WILL report one thing more, which I saw, concerning 
 the great Can. It is an usuall custome in those 
 parts, that when the foresayd Can traveileth thorow any 
 countrey, his subjects kindle fires before their doores, 
 casting spices thereinto to make a perfume, that their 
 lord passing by may smell the sweet and delectable
 
 262 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 odours thereof, and much people come forth to meet 
 him. And upon a certaine time when he was comming 
 towardes Cambaleth, the fame of his approch being 
 published, a bishop of ours with certaine of our minorite 
 friers and myselfe went two dayes journey to meet him : 
 and being come nigh unto him, we put a crosse upon 
 wood. I my selfe having a censer in my hand, and 
 began to sing with a loud voice : Veni creator spiritus. 
 And as we were singing on this wise he caused us to be 
 called, commanding us to come unto him : notwith- 
 standing (as it is above mentioned) that no man dare 
 approche within a stones cast of his chariot, unlesse he 
 be called, but such onely as keep his chariot. And when 
 we came neare unto him, he vailed his hat or bonet 
 being of an inestimable price, doing reverence unto the 
 crosse. And immediately I put incense into the cen- 
 sour, and our bishop taking the censer perfumed him, 
 and gaue him his benediction. Moreouer, they that 
 come before the said Can, do alwayes bring some obla- 
 tion to present unto him, observing the ancient law : 
 Thou shalt not appear in my presence with an empty 
 hand. And for that cause we carried apples with us, 
 and offered them in a platter with reverence unto him : 
 and taking out two of them he did eate some part of 
 one. And then he signified unto us, that we should go 
 apart, lest the horses comming on might in ought offend 
 us. With that we departed from him, and turned aside, 
 going unto certaine of his barons, which had been con- 
 verted to the faith by certaine friers of our order, being 
 at the same time in his army : and we offered unto them 
 of the foresayd apples, who received them at our hands 
 with great joy, seeming unto us to be as glad, as if we 
 had giuen them some great gift. All the premisses
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 263 
 
 above written frier William de Solanga hath put downe 
 in writing euen as the foresayd frier Odoricus uttered 
 them by word of mouth, in the yeere of our Lord 1330 
 in the moneth of May, and in the place of S. Anthony 
 of Padua. Neither did he regard to write them in difficult 
 Latine, or in an eloquent style, but even as Odoricus him- 
 self e rehearsed them, to the end that men might the more 
 easily understand the things reported. I Odoricus frier, 
 of Friuli, of a certaine territory called Portus Vahonis, 
 and of the order of the minorites, do testifie and beare 
 witnesse unto the reverend father Guidotus minister of 
 the province of S. Anthony, in the marquisate of Tre- 
 viso (being by him required upon mine obedience so to 
 doe) that all the premisses above written, either I saw 
 with mine owne eyes, or heard the same reported by 
 credible and substantiall persons. The common report 
 also of the countreys where I was, testifieth those things, 
 which I saw, to be true. Many other things I haue 
 omitted because I behelde them not with my owne eyes. 
 Howbeit from day to day I purpose with my selfe to 
 travell countreys or lands, in which action I dispose my- 
 selfe to die or to live, as it shall please my God. 
 
 Of the death of frier Odoricus. 
 
 IN the yeere therefore of our Lord 1331 the foresayd 
 frier Odoricus preparing himselfe for the perform- 
 ance of his intended journey, that his travel and labour 
 might be to greater purpose, he determined to present 
 himselfe unto Pope John the two and twentieth, whose
 
 264 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 benediction and obedience being received, he with a 
 certaine number of friers willing to beare him company 
 might convey himselfe unto all the countreys of infidels. 
 And as he was travelling toward the pope, and not farre 
 distant from the city of Pisa, there meets him by the 
 waye a certaine olde man, in the habit and attire of a 
 pilgrime, saluting him by name and saying : All haile 
 frier Odoricus. And when the frier demaunded how he 
 had knowledge of him : he answered : Whilest you were 
 in India I knew you full well, yea, and I knew your holy 
 purpose also : but see that you returne immediately unto 
 the coven a from where you came, for tenne dayes hence 
 you shall depart out of this present world. Wherefore 
 being astonished and amazed at these words, (especially 
 the olde man vanishing out of his sight, presently after 
 he had spoken them) he determined to returne. And so 
 he returned in perfect health feeling no crazedness nor 
 infirmity of body. And being in his coven at Udene 
 in the province of Padua, the tenth daye after the fore- 
 sayd vision, having received the Communion, and pre- 
 paring himselfe unto God, yea, being strong and sound 
 of body, hee happily rested in the Lord : who sacred 
 departure was signified unto the Pope aforesaid, under 
 the hand of the publique notary in these words fol- 
 lowing. 
 
 In the yeere of our Lord 1331, the 14 day of Januarie, 
 Beatus Odoricus a Frier minorite deceased in Christ, at 
 whose prayers God shewed many and sundry miracles, 
 which I Guetelus publique notarie of Utina, sonne of M. 
 Damianus de Porto Gruaro at the commandment and 
 direction of the honorable Conradus of the Borough of 
 
 1 Convent.
 
 JOURNALL OF FRIER ODORICUS. 
 
 26s 
 
 Gastaldion, and one of the Councell of Utina, haue 
 written as faithfully as I could, and haue delivered a 
 copie thereof unto the friers minorites, howbeit not of 
 all, because they are innumerable, and too difficult for 
 me to write.
 
 WOODCUTSfSELECTED FROM OTHER EDITIONS 
 
 SHOWING THE DIFFERENT TREATMENT 
 
 OF THE SAME SUBJECTS.
 
 268
 
 270
 
 271
 
 272
 
 273
 
 274
 
 275
 
 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 OF THE VOYAGES AND TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 
 NOW (1884) IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 
 
 CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. 
 MSS. 
 
 GERTON MSS. 672. Johannis de Maundevilla 
 Itinerarium ad partes lerusolumitanas, &c. 
 Vellum, 14 Cent., small 4. 
 
 Grenville XXXIX. A 14 Cent. MS. fol. on 
 vellum in double columns, which evidently has belonged to 
 one of the French Royal Libraries, as the binding testifies. 
 It commences " Ci comence le liure qui parle des diuersites 
 des pais qui sunt par universe monde : le quel liure fut com- 
 pile par mesire Jehan Mandeuille chlr ne dangleterre de la 
 uille con dit Saint Albain." 
 
 Harl. 3954. A MS. on vellum, end of i4th Cent, with un- 
 finished illuminations ; fine copy. 
 
 Sloane, 1464. Voyage in 1356. Vellum, in French. Early 
 15 Cent 
 
 Harl. 212 (i). Le Geste de S r John Maundeville de Mer- 
 vailles de Monde. Small 4. French. Vellum. Early 15 
 Cent. MS. note at end seems to place it as having been written 
 previous to 1425.
 
 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 Harl. 212 (2). La Copie de la Lettre maunde ovesque cest 
 Escrit a tres noble Prince Monsire E. de Wyndesore Roy 
 d'Engleterre, et de Fraunce, par Monsire Johan de Maunde- 
 ville, autour susdit. 
 
 Cotton, Tit. C. 1 6. English MS. 4. Vellum. Early 15 Cent. 
 
 Sloane, 560. De la Terre Seinte, que houme 1'appelle Terre 
 de Promissionis de Jerusalem. Vellum. French. 15 Cent. 
 
 Add. MSS. 17,335. Travels of Sir John de Mandeville 
 translated into German by Otto von Diemeringen, Canon of 
 Metz. Vellum and paper, 15 Cent., with coloured drawings. 
 Fol. 
 
 Add. MSS. 10,129. The Voyages and Travels of Sir John 
 Mandeville; in German. On paper. 15 Cent. Fol. 
 
 Egerton MSS. 1982. "Yebuke of (the voiage and travail e 
 of Sir) John Maundeville." The text differs considerably from 
 that of the printed editions, and the prologue does not include 
 the apocryphal passage found in Cotton MS. Titus C. xvi., in 
 which the author states that he translated the work from Latin 
 into French, and from French into English. Vellum. 15 
 Cent. On the fly-leaf, f, 2, is a note by E. Hill, M.D., 22 
 Mar. 1803, stating that on a leaf of paper pasted on the inside 
 of the old cover, was written, "Thys fayre Boke I have fro 
 the Abbey of Saint Albons in thys yeare of our Lord 
 M.CCCCLXXXX the sixte daye of Apryll. Willyam Caxton," 
 together with the name of Richard Tottyl, 1579, by whose 
 descendant, the Rev. Hugh Tuthill, the book was given to E. 
 Hill. Small quarto. 
 
 Harl. 82 (4). Itinerarium D. Joannis de Maundevyle 
 Militis, a^t'^aXoi, et in fine Truncatum. Vellum, fol. 15 Cent. 
 In Latin. 
 
 Harl. 175. Itinerarium Dnijohannis de Maundeville Militis, 
 de Mirabilibus Mundi. In Latin, 15 Cent. 12. Vellum. 
 
 Harl. 204. In French. On vellum. 4. 15 Cent. On the 
 last page is a copy of the letter to Edward III. 
 
 Harl. 3589 (2). A Latin MS. commencing "Incipit Itine-
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 2/9 
 
 rarius magistri Johannis de Mandevelt ad partes Hierosoly- 
 mitanas, et ulteriores partes transmarinas ; qui obiit Leodii 
 A.D. 1382." Paper. 15 Cent. 
 
 Harl. 3940. Le Livre de Jeh. de Mandeville, chevalier, le 
 queil fut ney du pais d'engleterre, le queil parle de 1'estat de 
 la terre, et de marveilles que il y a veues. 15 Cent. Vellum. 
 French. 4. 
 
 Harl. 4383. Voiage de D. Jean Maundeville. 15 Cent. 
 Vellum. French. Fol. 
 
 Harl. 1739. A French 4 MS. of 15 Cent, on vellum and 
 paper, with letter to Edward III., in Latin, at the end. 
 
 Arundel, 140 (2). English MS. Fol. Paper, 15 Cent., ending 
 " Her endys the boke of Johne Maundevile, Knyghte, of 
 wayes to Jerusalem and of merveyles of Ynde and othere 
 contrees." 
 
 Add. MSS. 18,026. The Voyages and Travels of Sir John 
 Mandeville Knight; translated into German, and written by 
 Johann Segnitz de Castel. 1449. Paper. 4. 
 
 Egerton MSS. 1781, f. 129. Translation into Irish of the 
 Travels of Sir John Mandeville made by Fineen Mac Mahon 
 in 1475. 
 
 Cotton, App. 4, art. 2. Iter. Johannis Mandevill. Vellum. 
 Small fol., in Latin. Late 15 Cent. 
 
 Grenville XII. An English MS. on paper, fol., end of 15 
 Cent., commencing " Here begynnth the boke of Moundevyle 
 Knyzt that techyth the weyes to Jeslm and of the Meruelis of 
 ynde and of the londe of Pit John, and of the grete Cham, 
 and of Constantinople and of many oder Contreys."
 
 280 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 PRINTED EDITIONS. 
 
 RENVILLE, 6775. This is, probably, the oldest printed 
 VJT "Mandeville" extant, certainly the oldest dated copy, 
 except a folio copy printed at Lyons on the 8th day of 
 February of the same year, and there was also an Italian 4 
 edition previously printed at Milan. As far as is known this 
 copy is unique, and it is in B. L. double columns, fol. It has, 
 unfortunately, no name of printer, nor place of publication. 
 " Ce liure est eppelle mandeuille et fut fait et compose par 
 monsieur jehan de mandeuille cheualier natif dangleterre de la 
 uille de sainct alein. 1 Et parle de la terre de promission cest 
 assauoir de ierusalem et de pluseurs autres isles de mer et les 
 diuerses et estranges choses qui sont es dites isles. Cy finist 
 ce tres plaisant liure nome Mande ville parlant moult auten- 
 tiquement du pays et terre doultre mer Et fut fait Ian Mil. 
 CCCCLXXX le mi iour dauril." Folio. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6702. Itinerario. Explicit Johannes de Mande- 
 uilla impressus Mediolani ductu et auspiciis Magistri Petri de 
 corneno pridie calendas augusti MCCCCLXXX. 4. B. L. 
 This is said to be the first Italian edition. 
 
 Grenville, 6700. Itinerarius Domini Johannis de Mande- 
 ville militis. This is a curious edition, printed in semi-Gothic 
 Letter, and is the first known of the Latin editions. Its date 
 is unknown, as is also the place where it was printed, but its 
 date is fixed circa 1480. 
 
 C. 32, m. 5. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 travels of Sir J. M. translated into Dutch. G. L. (no place). 
 1470? Fol. 
 
 566, f. 6/1. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Begin- 
 
 1 St. Albans.
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 28 1 
 
 ning (fol. 4, verso) Liber prls cui auctor fert johanes de made- 
 ville militari ordis, agit de divers patrijs, etc. G. L. Alosta? 
 1478? 4. Imperfect. 
 
 Grenville, 6774. Hie hebt sich an das piich (sic) des Ritters 
 herz Hannsen von Monte Villa. Gedrucht zii Augspurg -von 
 hannsen schonsperger am freitag nach Galli. Anno domini 
 (MCCCCLXXXII). Fol. 
 
 Grenville, 6773. Johannes von Mondeuilla, Ritter. Ge- 
 truckt zii Strassburg Johannes Priissz. 1484. Fol. B. L. This 
 is a very rare German edition, and is attributed to Michelfeld 
 or Michelfelser. 
 
 Grenville, 6728/3. Explicit Itinerarius a terra Anglic in 
 partes lerosolymitanas et in vlteriores transmarinas editus 
 primo in lingua gallicana a domino Johanne de Mandeville 
 milite suo auctore. Anno incarnacionis domini MCCCLV in 
 civitate leodiensi et paulo post in Eadem civitate translatus in 
 dictam forinam latinam. Quod opus ubi inceptum simul et 
 completum sit ipa elementa seu singularum seorsum caracteres 
 literarum quibus impressum vides venatica, monstrant mani- 
 feste. 4. l 
 
 789, a. 19. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Tractate 
 de le piu maravegliose cose e piu notabile che si trovino i le 
 parte del mondo reducte e colte sotto brevita in lo psente 
 compedio dal strenuissimo cavalier a speron doro J. de Manda- 
 villa anglico, &c. 
 
 G. L. p. U. Rugeriu bon (onioe). 1488. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6703. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels printed at Bologna, "per mi Ugo di Rugerii" 1488. 
 4. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6704. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels, printed at Venice, "per mi Nicolo de li ferari de pra- 
 lormo" 1491. 4. B. L. 
 
 1 This edition has no date, but Brttnet says (vol. iii. p. 1359) that it is 
 printed from the same type used by Gerard Leeu at Antwerp in 1484 or 
 1485. As Graesse also confirms this, I attribute that date to it.
 
 282 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 C. 4, h. ii. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Joanne 
 de Mandavilla. G. L. Nicolo de li ferari de pralormo. 
 Venetia, 1491. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6705. Tractato belissimo, delle piu marivigliose 
 cose, &c. scripte dallo cavaliere asperondoro Giov. Mandavilla 
 Frazese ridocto in lingua thoscana. Impresso ne la cipta di 
 Firenze, per Lorenzo de Morgiani et Giovanni da Maganza. 
 Adi viz. di Giugno MDCCCCLXXXXII. 4. This edition is very 
 rare. 
 
 Grenville, 6706. Johanne de Mandauilla. Bologna, per 
 mi Joanne jacobo et Joanne antonio di benedetti da Bologna. 
 1492. 4. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6709. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels, printed at Milan, per Uldericho Scinzenzeler. 1497. 
 4. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6707. A Dutch copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels, printed at Antwerp bii nuy Govaerdt Back. 1494. 
 4. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6699. Itinerarius in partes Iherosolimitanas. Et 
 in ultiores transmarinas. B. L. 4. There is no certainty 
 when or where this was printed, but it contains a MS. note 
 attributing its production to P. Friedberg, of Maintz, 
 circa 1495. 
 
 Grenville, 6713. Thebokeof John Maunduyle Knyght of 
 wayes to Jerusalem and of maruelys of ynde and of other 
 countrees, Emprented by Richard Pynson. 4. B. L. This is 
 considered the oldest English printed version extant, older 
 even than that of Wynkyn de Worde's of 1499. It is unfor- 
 tunately undated. Pynson began to print 1493- 
 
 Grenville, 6708. Tractato, etc. Venexia, per Maestro 
 Manfredo da Monferato da Streuo da Bonello. 1496. 4. 
 
 789, a. 20. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Johanne 
 de mandauilla. Tractato de le piu marauegliose cose e piu 
 notabili che si trouino in le parte del mondo, etc. per Maestro 
 Manfredo da Moferato da streno de Bonello. Venice, 1496. 4,
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 283 
 
 100 77, b. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Johanne 
 de mandavilla. Tractate de le piu maravegliose cose e piu 
 notabile che se trouino in le parte del modo, etc. 
 
 G. L. Stapado p Ulfrycho scienzezeler, Milao. 149(7). 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6710. Che tracta de le piu marauegliose cose e 
 piu notabile che si trouyns in le parte del Mondo. Bologna, 
 per mi Piero et Jacobo fratelli da Campii, 1497. 4. B.L. 
 
 C. 32, e. 2/2. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. 
 Johannis de montevilla Itinerari in partes Iherosolimitanas. 
 Et in ulteriores transmarinas. G.L. 1500? 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6711. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. Impressa in Venetia, per Zuan Baptista Sessa. Anno 
 1504. Adi 29, Luio. 4. B.L. 
 
 280, f. 32. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. I. de 
 Mandavilla. Tractate de la piu maraviliose cose e piu 
 notabili che si trovino in le parte del monde redutte .... 
 sotto brevita in lo presente compendio, etc. 
 
 Manfredo da sustrevo daca Bonis. Venezia, 1505. 8. 
 
 148, c. 3. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Von . der. 
 erfarung . des. streugen . Ritters . Johannes . vo . montaville. 
 
 G. L. J. Knoblouch. Strassburg, 1507. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6701. Tractate bellissimo delle piu marauigliose 
 cose, et piu notabile che si trouino nelle parte del mondo. 
 Impresso nella excelsa cipta di Firenze appetitione di Ser Piero 
 -da Peseta, etc. Circa, 1512. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6712. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels printed at Milan, per Rocho et fratelli da Valle. 1517. 
 4. B. L. 
 
 Grenville, 6656. Another copy of Sir John Mandevilles 
 travels, printed at Venice, per Marchio Sessa e Piero de rauani. 
 1521. 8. 
 
 1051, c. i/ 1. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. I. de 
 Mandavilla, qual tratta della piu maravegliose cose e piu 
 .notabile che si trovino, etc. Venetia, 1537. 8. 
 
 567, i. 5. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Juan de 
 
 T
 
 284 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 Mandavila. Libro de las Marauillas del mundo y del viage 
 d' la tierra santa di Hierusale & de todas las provincias & 
 hombres monstrussos que hayen las Indias. G. L. Valencia, 
 1540, fol. 
 
 149, e. 6. Libro de las maravillas del mondo que trata 
 del viage de la Tierra Santa de Hierusalem y de todas 
 las provincias y Ciudades de las Indias y de los hombres 
 mostruosos que ay en el mundo. Alcala de Heuares. 1547, 
 fol. 
 
 1074, k. 4/1. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Maistre 
 lehan Mandeville Chevalier natif du pays Dangleterre, lequel 
 parle des grandes Adventures des pays estrange, tant par mer, 
 que par terre .... Ensemble la terre de promission & du 
 sainct voyage de Hierusalem. G. L. Jehan Bonfons. Paris, 
 1560? 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6657. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. Nel quale si contengono di molte cose maravigliose. 
 Venetia, 1567. 8. 
 
 1046, a. 26/4. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. I. de 
 Mandavilla, nel quale si contengono di molte cose maravigliose, 
 etc. Venetia, 1567. 8. 
 
 1045, h. 2. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 Voiage and travayle of Syr I. M. which treateth of the way 
 toward Hierusalem, and of marvayles of Inde, with other Hands 
 and Countryes. B. L. Lond. 1568. 8. 
 
 10,076, a. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Reysen 
 und Wander schafften, durch das Gelobte Land, Indien und 
 Persien, dess .... Ritters J. de Montevilla .... von ihm 
 in Frantzosischer unnd Lateinischer Sprach .... beschrieben. 
 Nachmals durch O. von Dameringer . . verteutscht .... auffs 
 neuw corrigieret und mit .... Figuren gezieret. 
 
 Franckfurt am Mayn, 1580. 8. 
 
 790, m. 1 6. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Reysen 
 ins gelobte Land .... Persien, Indien, Tartary, etc. 1584, 
 fol.
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 285 
 
 Grenville, 6714. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels in English, unfortunately mutilated, said to be probably 
 printed by Thomas East or Este 1 but it is unlike his type 
 and the engravings are totally different. 
 
 791, 1. 12. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Reysen 
 .... durch das gelobte Landt, Indien, und Persien, etc. 
 1609, fol. 
 
 Grenville, 6715. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. "Wherein is set downe the way to the Holy Land, 
 and to Hierusalem : as also to the land of the great Caane, 
 and of Prester John ; to Inde, and diuers other countries : 
 together with the many and strange Meruailes therein. Lon- 
 don, by Thomas Stansby. 1618. 4. B. L. 
 
 10,056, bbb/2. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De 
 wonderlijcke Reyse van I. Mandevijl, be schrijvende eerst de 
 Reyse ende gheschiedenisse van den H. Lande .... Daer 
 na de ghestaltenisse ende zeden van den Lande van Egipten, 
 Syrien,Persen . . . Indien, ende Ethiopien, &c. t' Amsterdam. 
 1650. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6716. Voyages and travels, wherein is set down 
 the way to the Holy Land, &c. London, 1657. 4. B. L. 
 
 791, 1. 25. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Reysen 
 unnd Wanderschafften durch .das gelobte Landt, Indien und 
 Persien . . . durch Otto von Demeringen .... verteutscht. 
 1659, fol. 
 
 10,055, a - Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 voyages and travels of Sir J. Mandevile, Knight. Wherein is 
 set down the way to the Holy Land, and to Hierusalem ; as 
 also to the lands of the Great Caane, and of Prester John, &c. 
 (Woodcuts). B. L. Lond. 1670. 4. 
 
 12,410, f. 10. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De 
 Wonderlycke Reyse van I. Mandevyl. Naer het H. Landt, 
 ghedan in 't Jaer 1322 &c. Antwerpen, 1677. 4. 
 
 1 The dated works of Est, Este, East, or Easte range from 1565 to over 
 1600.
 
 286 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 Grenville, 6717. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. London, for R. Scot, 1684. 4. 
 
 1045, h. 30. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 voyages of Sir I. M., &c. B. L. Lond. 1684. 4. 
 
 Grenville, 6718. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. London, for R. Chiswell, &c. 1696. 4. The wood- 
 cuts in this edition are the same as in Grenville 6717. 
 
 12,315, c. 5/4. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Des 
 vortrefflich Welt-Erfahrnen . . . Ritters Johannis de Monte- 
 villa, curieuse Reiss-Beschreibung wie derselbe in das gelobte 
 Land, Palastinum, Jerusalem, Egypten, Turkey, Judaam, 
 Indien, Chinam, Persien, angekommen, und fast den ganzen 
 Erd-und Welt. Kriebs durchzogen seye ; . . . . Nunmehrins 
 Teutsche iibersetzt .... Jetzt von neuem auferlegt, vermehrt 
 und verbessert, &c. (no place named) 1700 ? 8. 
 
 1077, g. 35/2. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 voyages and travels of Sir J. M., &c. Lond. 1705. 4. 
 
 10,056, c. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 voyages and travels of Sir J. Mandevile . . . where in is set 
 down the way to the Holy Land. ... As also to the lands of 
 the Great Caan, and of Prester John ; to India, and divers 
 other countries, &c. Lond. 1710. 4. 
 
 I0 >55> a- Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 Travels and voyages of Sir J. M., &c. Lond. 1720? 12. 
 
 Grenville, 2247. Another copy of Sir John Mandeville's 
 travels. London, for J. Osborne. (A chap book.) No date 
 ? 1720-30. 12. 
 
 683, f. 1 8. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The voiage 
 and travaile of Sir I Maundevile, which treateth of the way 
 to Hierusalem, and of marvayles of Inde, with other ilands, 
 and countreyes. Now publish'd entire from an original MS. in 
 the Cotton Library. Lond. 1725. 8. 
 
 Note. There is another title page, with the date 1727. 
 
 149, b. 8. Another edition of the same in the King's 
 Library without the 1727 title page.
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 28/ 
 
 The Grenville Library also has copies of the 1727 edition 
 of the Cotton M.S. and Halliwell's reprint of same, edition 
 1839. 
 
 212, e. 6. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Receuil 
 ou abrege des voiages et observations de, &c. (Receuil de 
 divers Voyages Curieux, &c.) Vol.2. 1729. 4. 
 
 435, a. i. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The Travels 
 and Voyages of Sir I. M. Lond. 1730? 8. 
 
 454, f. 6. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. See Bergeron 
 (P.) Parisien Voyages faits principalement en Asie dans les 
 xn. xin. xiv. et xv siecles, &c. 1735. 4- 
 
 100,56, cc. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De 
 Wonderlyke Reyse van Ian Mandevyl, &c. Amsterdam, 
 1742? 4. 
 
 790, b. 34. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De won- 
 derlyke Reize van Jan Mandevyl, &c. Amsterdam 1750? 4. 
 
 1077, i. 14/23. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 foreign travels of Sir I. M., &c. (A chap book.) Aldermary 
 Church Yard, Lond. 1750? 12. 
 
 10,056, aa. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De won- 
 derlyke Reize van Ian Mandevyl, &c. Amsterdam, 1760. 4. 
 
 10,055, b. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De won- 
 derlyke Reize von I. Mandevyl, &c. Amsterdam, 1779. 4. 
 
 12,315, aaa. 6/3. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 foreign travels of Sir I. M., &c. London, 1780? 12. (A 
 chap book.) 
 
 1295, c. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. De wonder- 
 lyke Reyse van Ian Mandevyl, naer het H. Land, gedden in 't 
 jaer 1622 (1322) . . . Menheeft desen nieuwen Gendsehen 
 Druk van alle Touten gesuyverd, &c. Gend. 1780? 4. 
 
 1076, 1. 3/12. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 foreign travels and dangerous voyages of Sir I. M. (A chap 
 book). London, 1785? 12. 
 
 209, h. ii. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Liber 
 Praesens . . . agit de diversis patriis ... & insulis, Turcia,
 
 288 LIST OF THE EDITIONS 
 
 Armenia, &c. Hakluyt's Collection of the early Voyages, &c. 
 Vol. 2. 1809, &c. 4. 
 
 790, g. 17. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 Voiage and Travaile of Sir I. Maundeville . . . which treateth 
 of the way to Hierusalem; and of Marvayles of Inde, with 
 other Islands and Countryes. Reprinted from the Edition of 
 A.D. 1725, with an Introduction, Additional Notes, and Glos- 
 sary, by J. O. Halliwell. Lond. 1839. 8. 
 
 836, i. 23(1). Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Biblio- 
 graphische Untersuchungen iiber die Reise. Beschreibung 
 des Sir I. M., &c. 1840. 4. 
 
 2101, a. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Early Travels 
 in Palestine, comprising the narratives of Arculf, Willibald . . . 
 Sir I. Mandeville (the latter entitled The Book of Sir I. M. 
 A.D. 1322-1356), &c. Bohn's Antiquarian Library, 1847, &c. 
 8. 
 
 1007, 6, aa. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. Des 
 edlen engellandischen Ritters . . . J. v. Montevilla . . . Reis 
 Beschreibung . . . von Neueman's Licht gestellt durch O. F. H. 
 Schonhuth. 
 
 Reutlingen, 1865. 8. 
 
 10,075, g. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The Voiage 
 and Travaile of Sir J. Maundevile . . . Reprinted from the 
 edition of 1725. With an introduction, additional notes, and 
 glossary, by J. O. Halliwell, &c. Lond. 1866. 8. 
 
 1 1,900, bb. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller, A Transla- 
 tion of a portion of Sir J. M.'s travels. (Irish.) See Todd 
 (J. H.), D.D. Some account of the Irish manuscript, &c. 
 1867. 8. 
 
 12,226, bbbb. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. I. 
 Viaggi di G da Mandavilla. Volgarizzamento antico Toscano, 
 ora ridotto a buona lezione coll' ainto di due testi a penna per 
 cura di F. Zambrini. 2 vols. Bologna, Imola (printed) 1870. 
 8.
 
 IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 289 
 
 10,027, aaa. Mandeville (Sir John) the Traveller. The 
 English Explorers, &c. 
 
 Note. Forming part of " Nimmo's National Library," Lond. 
 Edinburgh (printed), 1875. 8. 
 
 Ac. 9057. Mandeville (Sir John) The Traveller. Mande- 
 villes Rejse, pa danok fra i5 de arhundrede, . . . udgiven af 
 M. Lorenzen. 1881, &c. 8.
 
 CHISWICK PRESS I C. VVHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, 
 CHANCERY LANE.
 
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