Part 2
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. Of Galyle 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 resurrection 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
XLII. Of other wayes for to go by lande unto Hierusalem 95
XLIII. 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
XLVIII. Of the haven of Gene, for to go by the Sea into divers countreys 109
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
LIII. Of divers kingdomes and yles which are in the land of Inde 123
LIV. Of the kingdome of Mabar[=o] 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
LVII. Of the kingdome of Pathen or Salmasse which is a goodly lande 138
LVIII. 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
LXII. Of a great yland called Dodin wher are many divers men of evil condicions 149
LXIII. 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
LXVIII. 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 seale 166
LXXI. Of the governaunce of the country of the great Caane 167
LXXII. Of the great riches of y^e Emperour and of his dispending 170
LXXIII. Of the ordinaunce of the Lordes of y^e Emperour when he rideth from one countrey to an other to warre 171
LXXIV. 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 passeth thorough the Cities and townes, in worship 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
LXXVIII. 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 Kingdome of George and Abcan and many marvayles 181
LXXXIII. Of the land of Turkey, and divers other countreys, and of the lande of Mesopotamy 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
LXXXVII. Of the fayth and belyefe of Prester John, but he hath not all the full beliefe as we haue 190
LXXXVIII. Of an other yland where also dwelleth good people therein and is called Sinople 191
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 l[=a]d named Catolonapes and of his gardeine 194
XCI. Of a marvailous valey that is beside the river of Phison 196
XCII. Of an yland wherin dwell people as great as gyants of 28 or 30 foote of length and other things 198
XCIII. Of women which make great sorow as their children are borne and great joy when they are dead 199
XCIV. Of an yland where men wed their owne daughters and kinswom[=e] 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
CIII. 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 Erle 216
CVII. How of all these lands, yles, and kingdomes, and the men thereof afore rehersed haue some of the articles of our faith 217
CVIII. How John Maundevyl leveth many mervayles unwritten 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 Chaldeans, 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 magnificence 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. 221
Extra Plates in Illustration of the Book 267
List of the Editions in the British Museum 277
[Decoration]
[Decoration]
+The Voiage and Travayle of Syr John Maundeville, Knight.+
_Here beginneth 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 greate Cane,[1] and also to Prester Johns land, & to many other countreys, & also of many marvailes that are in the holy Lande._
FOR 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 all other landes, as the best & most worthy of vertues of all the world. And as the Philosopher sayth, _Virtus rerum in medio 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[4] 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[5] 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,[6] to leaue it to his children. For the which eche good Chrysten man that may & hath wherewith, should strengthen him for to conquere our righte heritage, and purchace[7] out of the evill peoples handes: for we are cleped[8] 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 conquere 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[9] 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.[10] on the day of Sainct Michael, and there remained long tyme, and went through many landes, and many provinces, kingdomes and yles, & have passed through Turkey, and through Armony[11] the lyttle and the great, through Tartary, Percy,[12] Surre,[13] 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[14] 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[15] thither, for I have many times passed and ridden it with good company and with many lordes.
[Footnote 1: Khan.]
[Footnote 2: Promise.]
[Footnote 3: _Pynson_, all oonly.]
[Footnote 4: Nor.]
[Footnote 5: Treasure, money, goods, property, possessions.]
[Footnote 6: Possessing (seized).]
[Footnote 7: _Pynson_, "and _chase_ out the ylle trowand."]
[Footnote 8: Called.]
[Footnote 9: (to) omitted.]
[Footnote 10: _Pynson_ and other authorities say MCCCXXXII.]
[Footnote 11: Armenia.]
[Footnote 12: Persia.]
[Footnote 13: Syria.]
[Footnote 14: Relate.]
[Footnote 15: Travel or journey.]
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.
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 with so great might that the water is freshe xxx[10] myle within the sea and afterwards go men to Belgrave[11] and entereth the lande of Bugres and there pass men a bridge of stone that is over the river Marrock,[12] and so men passe through the lande of Pinseras[13] and come to Grece to the citie of Stermis,[14] and to the citie of Affinpane,[15] that was sometime called Bradre[16] the noble and so to the citie of Constantinople that was sometime called Bessameron[17] and there dwelleth commonly the Emperor of Grece.
At Constantinople is the best and the fairest church of the worlde, and it is of sainct Steven.[18] 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[19] 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,[20] 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,[21] in token to manasse[22] misdoers. This image standeth upon a pyller of marble.
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[23] the good theefe was hanged, but all men wot[24] 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, Cedrus, et Cypressus, Oliva._
For the piece that went ryght up from the earth unto the head was of Cipres, and the piece that went overthwart, 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^t was of Olyve. Y^e Jewes made this crosse of these foure maner of trees for they thought y^t 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[25] in water rot; they thought that the body of Christ shold have stonken, they made the piece y^t 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^t 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 carnels[26] 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 carnels under his tongue and bury him, and he did so, and of these three carnels 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 carnels as the Aungell commaunded him, of the which came three trees, whereof a crosse was 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[27] if it be their owne defaute.[28] 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 overthwart was three cubites[29] and a halfe.