Chapter 29 |
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Chapter 31
OF THE ROYAL ESTATE OF PRESTER JOHN. AND OF A RICH MAN THAT MADE A
MARVELLOUS CASTLE AND CLEPED IT PARADISE; AND OF HIS SUBTLETY
THIS emperor, Prester John, holds full great land, and hath many
full noble cities and good towns in his realm, and many great
diverse isles and large. For all the country of Ind is devised in
isles for the great floods that come from Paradise, that depart all
the land in many parts. And also in the sea he hath full many
isles. And the best city in the Isle of Pentexoire is Nyse, that
is a full royal city and a noble, and full rich.
This Prester John hath under him many kings and many isles and many
diverse folk of diverse conditions. And this land is full good and
rich, but not so rich as is the land of the great Chan. For the
merchants come not thither so commonly for to buy merchandises, as
they do in the land of the great Chan, for it is too far to travel
to. And on that other part, in the Isle of Cathay, men find all
manner thing that is need to man - cloths of gold, of silk, of
spicery and all manner avoirdupois. And therefore, albeit that men
have greater cheap in the Isle of Prester John, natheles, men dread
the long way and the great perils in the sea in those parts.
For in many places of the sea be great rocks of stones of the
adamant, that of his proper nature draweth iron to him. And
therefore there pass no ships that have either bonds or nails of
iron within them. And if there do, anon the rocks of the adamants
draw them to them, that never they may go thence. I myself have
seen afar in that sea, as though it had been a great isle full of
tree, and buscaylle, full of thorns and briars, great plenty. And
the shipmen told us, that all that was of ships that were drawn
thither by the adamants, for the iron that was in them. And of the
rotten-ness, and other thing that was within the ships, grew such
buscaylle, and thorns and briars and green grass, and such manner
of thing; and of the masts and the sail-yards; it seemed a great
wood or a grove. And such rocks be in many places thereabout. And
therefore dare not the merchants pass there, but if they know well
the passages, or else that they have good lodesmen.
And also they dread the long way. And therefore they go to Cathay,
for it is more nigh. And yet it is not so nigh, but that men must
be travelling by sea and land, eleven months or twelve, from Genoa
or from Venice, or he come to Cathay. And yet is the land of
Prester John more far by many dreadful journeys.
And the merchants pass by the kingdom of Persia, and go to a city
that is Clept Hermes, for Hermes the philosopher founded it. And
after that they pass an arm of the sea, and then they go to another
city that is clept Golbache. And there they find merchandises, and
of popinjays, as great plenty as men find here of geese. And if
they will pass further, they may go sikerly enough. In that
country is but little wheat or barley, and therefore they eat rice
and honey and milk and cheese and fruit.
This Emperor Prester John taketh always to his wife the daughter of
the great Chan; and the great Chan also, in the same wise, the
daughter of Prester John. For these two be the greatest lords
under the firmament.
In the land of Prester John be many diverse things and many
precious stones, so great and so large, that men make of them
vessels, as platters, dishes and cups. And many other marvels be
there, that it were too cumbrous and too long to put it in
scripture of books; but of the principal isles and of his estate
and of his law, I shall tell you some part.
This Emperor Prester John is Christian, and a great part of his
country also. But yet, they have not all the articles of our faith
as we have. They believe well in the Father, in the Son and in the
Holy Ghost. And they be full devout and right true one to another.
And they set not by no barretts, ne by cautels, nor of no deceits.
And he hath under him seventy-two provinces, and in every province
is a king. And these kings have kings under them, and all be
tributaries to Prester John. And he hath in his lordships many
great marvels.
For in his country is the sea that men clepe the Gravelly Sea, that
is all gravel and sand, without any drop of water, and it ebbeth
and floweth in great waves as other seas do, and it is never still
ne in peace, in no manner season. And no man may pass that sea by
navy, ne by no manner of craft, and therefore may no man know what
land is beyond that sea. And albeit that it have no water, yet men
find therein and on the banks full good fish of other manner of
kind and shape, than men find in any other sea, and they be of
right good taste and delicious to man's meat.
And a three journeys long from that sea be great mountains, out of
the which goeth out a great flood that cometh out of Paradise. And
it is full of precious stones, without any drop of water, and it
runneth through the desert on that one side, so that it maketh the
sea gravelly; and it beareth into that sea, and there it endeth.
And that flome runneth, also, three days in the week and bringeth
with him great stones and the rocks also therewith, and that great
plenty. And anon, as they be entered into the Gravelly Sea, they
be seen no more, but lost for evermore. And in those three days
that that river runneth, no man dare enter into it; but in the
other days men dare enter well enough.
Also beyond that flome, more upward to the deserts, is a great
plain all gravelly, between the mountains. And in that plain,
every day at the sun-rising, begin to grow small trees, and they
grow till mid-day, bearing fruit; but no man dare take of that
fruit, for it is a thing of faerie. And after mid-day, they
decrease and enter again into the earth, so that at the going down
of the sun they appear no more. And so they do, every day. And
that is a great marvel.
In that desert be many wild men, that be hideous to look on; for
they be horned, and they speak nought, but they grunt, as pigs.
And there is also great plenty of wild hounds. And there be many
popinjays, that they clepe psittakes their language. And they
speak of their proper nature, and salute men that go through the
deserts, and speak to them as apertly as though it were a man. And
they that speak well have a large tongue, and have five toes upon a
foot. And there be also of another manner, that have but three
toes upon a foot, and they speak not, or but little, for they can
not but cry.
This Emperor Prester John when he goeth into battle against any
other lord, he hath no banners borne before him; but he hath three
crosses of gold, fine, great and high, full of precious stones, and
every of those crosses be set in a chariot, full richly arrayed.
And for to keep every cross, be ordained 10,000 men of arms and
more than 100,000 men on foot, in manner as men would keep a
standard in our countries, when that we be in land of war. And
this number of folk is without the principal host and without wings
ordained for the battle. And when he hath no war, but rideth with
a privy meinie, then he hath borne before him but one cross of
tree, without painting and without gold or silver or precious
stones, in remembrance that Jesu Christ suffered death upon a cross
of tree. And he hath borne before him also a platter of gold full
of earth, in token that his noblesse and his might and his flesh
shall turn to earth. And he hath borne before him also a vessel of
silver, full of noble jewels of gold full rich and of precious
stones, in token of his lordship and of his noblesse and of his
might.
He dwelleth commonly in the city of Susa. And there is his
principal palace, that is so rich and so noble, that no man will
trow it by estimation, but he had seen it. And above the chief
tower of the palace be two round pommels of gold, and in everych of
them be two carbuncles great and large, that shine full bright upon
the night. And the principal gates of his palace be of precious
stone that men clepe sardonyx, and the border and the bars be of
ivory. And the windows of the halls and chambers be of crystal.
And the tables whereon men eat, some be of emeralds, some of
amethyst, and some of gold, full of precious stones; and the
pillars that bear up the tables be of the same precious stones.
And the degrees to go up to his throne, where he sitteth at the
meat, one is of onyx, another is of crystal, and another of jasper
green, another of amethyst, another of sardine, another of
cornelian, and the seventh, that he setteth on his feet, is of
chrysolite. And all these degrees be bordered with fine gold, with
the tother precious stones, set with great pearls orient. And the
sides of the siege of his throne be of emeralds, and bordered with
gold full nobly, and dubbed with other precious stones and great
pearls. And all the pillars in his chamber be of fine gold with
precious stones, and with many carbuncles, that give great light
upon the night to all people. And albeit that the carbuncles give
light right enough, natheles, at all times burneth a vessel of
crystal full of balm, for to give good smell and odour to the
emperor, and to void away all wicked airs and corruptions. And the
form of his bed is of fine sapphires, bended with gold, for to make
him sleep well and to refrain him from lechery; for he will not lie
with his wives, but four sithes in the year, after the four
seasons, and that is only for to engender children.
He hath also a full fair palace and a noble at the city of Nyse,
where that he dwelleth, when him best liketh; but the air is not so
attempre, as it is at the city of Susa.
And ye shall understand, that in all his country nor in the
countries there all about, men eat not but once in the day, as they
do in the court of the great Chan. And so they eat every day in
his court, more than 30,000 persons, without goers and comers. But
the 30,000 persons of his country, ne of the country of the great
Chan, ne spend not so much good as do 12,000 of our country.
This Emperor Prester John hath evermore seven kings with him to
serve him, and they depart their service by certain months. And
with these kings serve always seventy-two dukes and three hundred
and sixty earls. And all the days of the year, there eat in his
household and in his court, twelve archbishops and twenty bishops.
And the patriarch of Saint Thomas is there as is the pope here.
And the archbishops and the bishops and the abbots in that country
be all kings. And everych of these great lords know well enough
the attendance of their service. The one is master of his
household, another is his chamberlain, another serveth him of a
dish, another of the cup, another is steward, another is marshal,
another is prince of his arms, and thus is he full nobly and
royally served. And his land dureth in very breadth four month's
journeys, and in length out of measure, that is to say, all isles
under earth that we suppose to be under us.
Beside the isle of Pentexoire, that is the land of Prester John, is
a eat isle, long and broad, that men clepe Mistorak; and it is in
the lordship of Prester John. In that isle is great plenty of
goods.
There was dwelling, sometime, a rich man; and it is not long since;
and men clept him Gatholonabes. And he was full of cautels and of
subtle deceits. And he had a full fair castle and a strong in a
mountain, so strong and so noble, that no man could devise a fairer
ne stronger. And he had let mure all the mountain about with a
strong wall and a fair. And within those walls he had the fairest
garden that any man might behold. And therein were trees bearing
all manner of fruits, that any man could devise. And therein were
also all manner virtuous herbs of good smell, and all other herbs
also that bear fair flowers. And he had also in that garden many
fair wells; and beside those wells he had let make fair halls and
fair chambers, depainted all with gold and azure; and there were in
that place many diverse things, and many diverse stories: and of
beasts, and of birds that sung full delectably and moved by craft,
that it seemed that they were quick. And he had also in his garden
all manner of fowls and of beasts that any man might think on, for
to have play or sport to behold them.
And he had also, in that place, the fairest damsels that might be
found, under the age of fifteen years, and the fairest young
striplings that men might get, of that same age. And all they were
clothed in cloths of gold, full richly. And he said that those
were angels.
And he had also let make three wells, fair and noble and all
environed with stone of jasper, of crystal, diapered with gold, and
set with precious stones and great orient pearls. And he had made
a conduit under earth, so that the three wells, at his list, one
should run milk, another wine and another honey. And that place he
clept Paradise.
And when that any good knight, that was hardy and noble, came to
see this royalty, he would lead him into his paradise, and show him
these wonderful things to his disport, and the marvellous and
delicious song of diverse birds, and the fair damsels, and the fair
wells of milk, of wine and of honey, plenteously running. And he
would let make divers instruments of music to sound in an high
tower, so merrily, that it was joy for to hear; and no man should
see the craft thereof. And those, he said, were angels of God, and
that place was Paradise, that God had behight to his friends,
saying, DABO VOBIS TERRAM FLUENTEM LACTE ET MELLE. And then would
he make them to drink of certain drink, whereof anon they should be
drunk. And then would them think greater delight than they had
before. And then would he say to them, that if they would die for
him and for his love, that after their death they should come to
his paradise; and they should be of the age of those damosels, and
they should play with them, and yet be maidens. And after that yet
should he put them in a fairer paradise, where that they should see
God of nature visibly, in his majesty and in his bliss. And then
would he shew them his intent, and say them, that if they would go
slay such a lord, or such a man that was his enemy or contrarious
to his list, that they should not dread to do it and for to be
slain therefore themselves. For after their death, he would put
them into another paradise, that was an hundred-fold fairer than
any of the tother; and there should they dwell with the most
fairest damosels that might be, and play with them ever-more.
And thus went many diverse lusty bachelors for to slay great lords
in diverse countries, that were his enemies, and made themselves to
be slain, in hope to have that paradise. And thus, often-time, he
was revenged of his enemies by his subtle deceits and false
cautels.
And when the worthy men of the country had perceived this subtle
falsehood of this Gatholonabes, they assembled them with force, and
assailed his castle, and slew him, and destroyed all the fair
places and all the nobilities of that paradise. The place of the
wells and of the walls and of many other things be yet apertly
seen, but the riches is voided clean. And it is not long gone,
since that place was destroyed.
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