turned again for dread; friars minors that were of Lombardy, that said, that if any man would enter, they would go in with us. And when they had said so, upon the gracious trust of God and of hem1, we let sing mass; and made every man to be shriven and houseld; and then we entered fourteen persons; but at our going out, we were but nine. And so we wisten never, whether that our fellows were lost, or elle but we ne saw them never after; and the were two men of Greece and three of Spain; and our other fellows that would not go in with us, they went by another coast to ben before us, and so they were. And thus we passed that perilous vale, and found therein gold and silver and precious stones and rich jewels great plenty, both here and there, as us seemed; but whether that it was, as us seemed, I wot nere; for I touched none, because that the devils be so subtle to make a thing to seem otherwise than it is, for to deceive mankind; and therefore I touched none; and also because that I would not be put out of my devotion for I was more devout then than ever I was before or after; and all for the dread of fiends, that I saw in divers figures; and also for the great multitude of dead bodies that I saw there lying by 1 themselves. 2 to be confessed, and to have the Lord's Supper administered to him. 3 knew. 4 else. 5 they. 6 I never knew. the way, by all the vale, as though there had been a battle between two kings, and the mightiest of the country, and that the greater part had been discomfitted and slain. And I trow that unethe should any country have so much people within him, as lay slain in that vale, as us thought; the which was an hideous sight to seen3. And I marvelled much, that there were so many, and the bodies all whole withouten rotting. But I trowe that fiends made them seem to be so whole, withouten rotting. But that might not be to my avys, that so many should have entered so newly, ne so many newly slain, without stinking and rotting. And many of them were in habit of Christian men; but I trowe well, that it were of such, that went in for covetyse of the treasure that was there, and had overmuch feebleness in faith; so that their hearts ne might not endure in the belief for dread. And therefore were we the more devout a great deal; and yet we were cast down, and beaten down many times to the hard earth, by winds and thunders and tempests; but evermore, God, of his grace, helped us. And so we passed that perilous vale, without peril, and without incumbrance. Thanked be Almighty God. 2 scarcely. 3 sec. 5 covetousness. I suppose. The reason why The Great Khan, emperor of India, was known in Europe by the name of Prester John, Mandeville states to be the following: I trow that ye know well enow, and have heard say, wherefore this emperor is clept Prester John. But natheless for them that know not, I shall say you the cause. It was sometime an emperor there that was a worthy and full noble prince, that had Christian knights in his company, as he hath that is now. So it befel, that he had great list for to see the service in the church, among Christian men. And then dured Christendom beyond the sea. All Turkey, Syria, Tatary, Jerusalem, Palestine, Arabia, Halappu, and all the land of Egypt. So it befel that this emperor came, with a Christian knight with him, into a church in Egypt; and it was the Saturday in Whitsun week. And the bishop made orders. And he beheld and listened the service full tentyfly. And he asked the Christian knight, what men of degree they should be, that the prelate had, before him. And the knight answered and said, that they should be priests. And then the emperor said, that he would no longer be clept king, ne emperor, but priest; and that he would have the name of the first priest that went out of the church; and his name was John. And so evermore sithen, he is clept Prester John. I shall close my extracts from this author with his concluding paragraph. in I John Mandeville, knight abovesaid, (although I be unworthy,) that departed from our countries, and passed the sea, the year of grace 1322, that have passed many lands, and many isles and countries, and searched many full strange places, and have been many full good honourable company, and at many a fair deed of arms, (albeit that I did none myself, for mineable insufficience) now I am come home maugremyself, to rest: for gouts, artetykes', that me distraught, they define the end of my labour, against my will, God knoweth. And thus taking solace in my wretched rest, recording the time past, I have fulfilled these things and put them written in this book, as it would come into my mind, the year of Grace 1356 in the 34th year that I departed from our countries. Wherefore I pray to all the readers and hearers of this book, if it please them, that they would pray to God for me; and I shall pray for them. And all those that 1 aching of limbs. 2 distract. sure. say for me a pater-noster, with an ave-maria, that God forgive me my sins, I make them partners, and grant them part of all the good pilgrimages, and of all the good deeds, that I have done, if any be to his pleaAnd not only of those, but of all that ever I shall do unto my life's end. And I beseech Almighty God, from whom all goodness and grace cometh, that he vouchsafe of his excellent mercy and abundant grace, to fulfil their souls with inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in making defence of all their ghostly enemies here in earth, to their salvation, both of body and soul, to worship and thanking of Him, that is Three and One, withouten beginning and withouten ending; that is, withouten quality, good, and without quantity, great; that in all places is present, and all things containing; the which that no goodness may amend ne none evil impair; that in perfect trinity liveth and reigneth God, be all worlds and be all times. Amen, amen, amen. Sir John Mandeville was not the first European traveller who visited the oriental regions. The Arabians who immigrated into Europe, and finally settled in Spain about the ninth century, by their exaggerated descriptions of the wonders to be seen in the east, were the first to excite the curiosity of Eu |