EARL OF LINDSEY.
England's Black Tribunal;
BEING THE
Characters of King CHARLES the First, and
the Nobility that Suffer'd for him.
Ecce Spectaculum dignum ad quod respiciat Deus operi suo
intentus, Vir fortis cum mala fortuna compositus.
Sen. de Prov. c. 2.
LONDON: Printed for E. M. near White-Hall.
This Chap-book is extremely like the "History of the Royal Martyr," as it simply consists of portraits and short biographies of
Sir Bevil Granville.
Viscount Falkland.
Earl of Lichfield.
Sir Ralph Hopton.
Earl of Carnarvon.
Earl of Holland.
Marquis of Montrose.
Earl of Kingston.
Archbishop Laud.
Earl of Lindsey.
Dr. Hewit.
Earl of Northampton.
Lord Capel.
Sir Henry Slingsby.
Earl of Strafford.
Duke of Hamilton.
Colonel Penruddock.
Sir Charles Lucas.
Sir George Lisle.
Earl of Derby.
The Foreign Travels of
SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE
CONTAINING
An Account of remote Kingdoms, Countries, Rivers, Castles, &c. Together with a Description of Giants, Pigmies, and various other People of odd Deformities; as also their Laws, Customs, and Manners. Likewise, enchanted Wildernesses, Dragons, Griffins, and many more wonderful Beasts of Prey, &c. &c. &c.
Printed and Sold in Aldermary Church Yard London
The earliest printed English edition seems to be that by Wynkyn de Worde: "Here Begynneth a lytell treatyse or booke named Johan Mandeuyll Knyght born in Englonde in the towne of saynt Albone, and speketh of the wayes of the holy londe towards Iherrusalem, and of marueyles of Ynde and of other dyuers coūtrees;" colophon: "Here endeth the boke of Johan Maūdeuyll Knyght, of the wayes towarde Jerusalem and of the meruayles of Ynde and of other diverse coūtries. Emprynted at Westmynster by Wynkyn de Worde. Anno dni 1499." But the British Museum possesses earlier editions in other languages—for instance, in French, 1478; Dutch, 1470; and Italian, 1488; which goes to show how universally his work was read.
The original of this book was intended as a guide for pilgrims for Jerusalem. Of Sir John Maundeville, Knight, very little is known but what he tells us—that he set out on his travels in 1323, and returned and wrote the account in 1356. He afterwards went to Liége, and is said to have died there, according to one authority in 1371, and to another in 1382. He either was extremely credulous, and believed everything told him, or he drew very largely upon his imagination for his facts. Anyhow, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries his work was most popular; and even the marvels contained in the condensed form of a Chap-book are sufficient to satisfy the most rabid craving for literary stimulants. As this history is not well known, it is given in its entirety.
Chap. 1.
Sir John's Travels to the Holy Land; and of the
enchanted Hawke.
I, Sir John Mandeville Knt born in the Old town of St Albans set forward to travel on Michaelmas Day 1322,[*] to the Holy Land; and shall give an account of all the remarkable things in the countries thro' which I passed, as follows; First, In my way to Jerusalem, I passed through Almain, Hungary, and so to Constantinople where before St Stephen's Church is the image of Justinian the Emperor, sitting on horseback crowned, holding an apple in his hand. From thence I passed thro' Turkey, Nika, and several islands, where I beheld men hunting with pampeons like leopards, catching wild beasts quicker than hounds. From thence I passed to Hierusalem and went on a pilgrimage to the Church where is the holy grave; in the middle of the Church is a tabernacle, on the right side of which is the Sepulchre of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the Cross on which he was crucified standing in a Mortis by it. In this mortis, it is said Adam's head was found after the Flood.
Travelling on further I came to a country whereon stands the Castle of Cyprus; where I beheld a curious hawk sitting on a porch, and a beautiful Lady of Fairy Land keeping it; and it is said, he that will watch seven days and seven nights, without company or sleep, this lady will come and grant him the richest of worldly things he shall crave; and the truth of which hath been proved often by experience.
The men here are proper and of fine complection, their cloaths richly beset with rubies and gold; but the women are short, hard favoured, and go for the most part barefooted, their garments poor and short, that it comes but to the middle of their thighs, yet their sleeves, so extraordinary long that they hang down to their toes. Their hair long and lank.
[*] The Chap-book says 1372, but that is a misprint.
Chap. 2.
Description of an Odd sort of People, of India's extraordinary
Eels; and of other remarkable Wonders.
From thence I came to the land of Ethiope, where I beheld many strange things. Here is a well, whose water is so cold in the day, as no man dare drink it, and so hot in the night as you cannot bear your finger in it. There is still one thing remarkable in this place, for there is a sort of men who have one foot, yet so swift as to exceed the deer in running. This foot is so large in compass, as when they are minded to rest, lying on their backs it shelters the body from the heat of the sun or showers of rain—When their Children come first into the world they are of a russet complection; but as they grow up they turn perfect black.—One of the wise men who sought for Our Lord in Bethlehem, was King of this Country.
From thence I went thro' many Islands into India, where there are eels thirty feet in length, and the men who commonly fish there are of different colours, such as green, yellow, blue, &c. In the heat of the day the men and women lay themselves under water, and the women are not ashamed to appear naked before the men.
In the island of Lombe they worship images according to their own imaginations; and here there are wonderful rats, exceeding the tallest hounds; and they hunt these rats with mastiff dogs, who can scarce conquer them.
From thence I passed thro' the forest of Tombar, where grows abundance of Spices, and came to a city called Polomes, where there is a well, whose waters are variable every hour of the day, taking of changeable spices and rich odors; and whoever drinks of this water three times is cured of all diseases: They call it, The Well of Youth. I drank thereof myself, and believe I am the better for it ever since.
Here they worship an Ox for his simplicity, whose dung and urine they preserve in vessels of gold, and present it to the King, who puts his hand into it, and anoints his breast and forehead, saying, "I am anointed with the virtue of the Ox." And after him the Nobles do the like, as long as any is left. The idols they constantly worship are half men and half oxen, before whom they often slay their Children by way of sacrifice. And when any man dies they burn him, in token of penance; and if he leaves no children, they burn his wife with him, saying she ought to bear him company in the next world, as she did in this.
Chap. 3.
Of the Country of Lemory. Of the King of Java's
Golden Palace. And of the Kingdom of Telonock.
From thence I came to Lemory, where the men and women go naked, and glory in it, saying God made Adam and Eve both naked, and why should they be ashamed of what God made? Here is no marriages, but all are common one with another. Their riches is as common to each other as themselves; and though they have plenty of corn and other dainties yet their chief food is Man's flesh.—Children from other Countries are brought hither as Merchandise to be sold; and those that are fat and plump are killed like pigs for stately banquetting; and those that are lean they fatten and kill also. Near this isle is another, where the nobility, as a mark of distinction are burned in the face with a red hot iron. These people hold a perpetual war with the aforesaid naked men and women.
From thence I travelled to Java, a place abounding with all manner of Spices; the King thereof has seven Kings under him, and so wealthy is he, that the stairs and floors of his palace are covered with massy gold and silver; and the walls with the same. On which are written ancient stories of renowned Knights and valiant men at arms.
Travelling from thence by sea, I came to the land of Telonoch; the King of which has as many wives as he pleases, and never lies but once with each woman. Here is a miraculous wonder, for the various sorts of fishes that breed in the sea, come once a year to land, and lie there three days, in which time the inhabitants take what they please, and the rest return. Then comes another sort and does the like, till all have taken their turns; and no one knoweth the reason, except it be, as they say, that they come to worship their King; who is a mighty Prince, and has at his command forty thousand elephants, upon whose back, when he goeth to fight he placeth mighty Castles, whereby he conquers his enemies.
Chap. 4.
Of a bloody kind of People; and of People that have
Heads like Hounds.
Not far from the last mentioned place is an island called Tarkonet, inhabited by a wicked kind of people, whose delight is in the slaughter of mankind, whose blood they drink with as much pleasure as if it was the richest wine in the world. Moreover, he is accounted most famous who commits most murders; and if two are at variance they must drink of each other's blood before they can be reconciled.
Departing from thence, I came to the isle of Macumerac, where the men and women have heads like hounds, and worship the Ox. They fight well, and send the prisoners to their King; who is a peaceable and virtuous man, hindering nobody from passing through his country. About his neck he wears three hundred pearls, with which he says three hundred prayers every morning before breakfast. Here are wild beasts, serpents, &c.
Chap. 5.
Of the Savage People dwelling in the Isle of Dodyn.
After three days journey I came to Dodyn, where the Child eats its parents, and its parents the child; the husband his wife, and the wife her husband. If a parent lies sick, the son goes to enquire of the Oracle whether they are for life or death? if for death, he returns with the priest and immediately stops the breath of the parent; which done, the body is strait cut in pieces, and the relations invited to come and feast upon it; having eat the flesh, they bury the bones with joy and musick.
The King of this place has twelve isles under his government, viz. in the first are men that eat fish and flesh raw, having but one eye, and that in the middle of their foreheads—In the second are men whose eyes are in their shoulders, and their mouths in their breasts, having no heads.—In the third are men with plain faces, without noses or eyes, but have two holes instead of eyes, and flat mouths—In the fourth are men with plain faces, without nose, mouth or eyes; but they are on their back and shoulders.—In the fifth are men with lips so large that they cover their faces while asleep.—In the sixth are men very small, being but two feet high.—In the seventh are men hanging below their shoulders—In the eighth are men that have feet like horses, and run as swift—In the ninth are men that run upon all fours; their skins are as rough as bears—In the tenth are men going upon their knees, with eight toes on each foot—In the eleventh are men with fingers and toes a yard long—And in the twelfth are people that are both men and women.
Chap. 6.
Of the Kingdom of Mancia. Of Pigmies. Of the Province
of Cathay, and the Grandeur of its Emperor.
Departing from Dodyn, I came to Mancia, in which is the City of Cassa, having ten thousand bridges, and on each bridge a stately tower. Here married women wear crowns on their heads by way of distinction. The fowl are six times as large as in England—Hens instead of feathers wear wool like sheep—Men have beards like Cats, yet are rational, and of good and sound understanding.
From thence I passed along the river that leads to the Line of Pigmies, where the men and women are but three spans long, and marry when but half a year old; for as they are but of small stature, so their days are short; for he is looked on to be old who lives eight years. They are very ingenious at working silk and cotton, which is their employ. Large men that live among them till the land, because they are not strong enough to perform such hard labour.
From thence I travelled to the province Catha, where are two Cities, the Old and the New. The New has twelve gates, each a mile asunder. In these cities the palace of the great Caan is; in the hall are thirteen pillars of fine gold, the walls covered with red skins of beasts. In the center is a lofty seat for the great Caan, adorned with rubbies, pearls, and diamonds; and underneath are fountains flowing with liquor for the supply of his court. At the left hand are three seats for his three wives who sit in a degree below each other; and on his right hand sits his son and heir. In this hall is an artificial vine which extends its branches over every part of the hall, on which appears fine clusters of grapes.
Here the Emperor informed me of the origin of his title, which was as follows; Under his government are seven Lineages, and it is not long since a poor man, named Chanius, sleeping on his bed, was visited by an apparition in the likeness of a Nobleman, saying unto him, Arise, for God hath sent me unto thee to say unto thee, Go unto the seven Lineages, and tell them, that thou shalt be their mighty Emperor to deliver them from their enemies. The old man went, and having delivered his message, they not only laughed at the old man, but called him an hundred fools.—Soon after this, he appeared to the Seven Lineages, telling them it was the will of God it should be so for their deliverance; whereupon they took the old man, and made him Emperor, calling him Great Caan, which continues to this day. To try the loyalty of his nobility, he summoned them together and ordered them to smite off the heads of their eldest sons with their own hands; which they accordingly did. After this convincing proof he sent them forth, and conquered all the countries around him; together with the land of Catha, and then died, leaving his eldest son Chico Emperor whose grandeur made him the greatest Emperor in the World.
This Caan is great, and may expend forty millions yearly; but his money is made of leather, for he builds his palaces of silver: in his presence chamber is a gold pillar, in which is fixed a carbuncle that gives continual light in the dark; his subjects have as many wives as they please: some have forty, fifty, an hundred, or more; and they marry their relations, except mothers, sisters, and daughters. Men and women go all in one sort of apparel. When the Emperor dies he is put in a cart, and placed in the midst of a tent, and they set before him a table furnished with meat and mare's milk and close by it a horse saddled and bridled, loaded with gold and silver; and having dug a deep pit, they lay him in it, with all the stuff about him, and also the horse, mare and colt, that he may not want for horses in another world, and one of his Chamberlains is buried alive with him, that he may do him service in another world.
Chap. 7.
Of the Lands of Gorgy and Bactrine.
Travelling from thence I came to the land of Gorgy, where dwell many Christians. A great part of this Country is hid with perpetual darkness; nevertheless they have often heard the crowing of cocks, the cries of men, the trampling of horse, and clashing of arms, though none know what sort of people they are; but it is said, a bloody minded Emperor who pursued the Christians to put them to death, and was opposed by the hand of heaven, and the land covered with darkness, so that he could pursue them no longer; but remains with his host in continual darkness.
Then I travelled to the land of Bactrine, where are many marvels. Trees bearing wool, with which they make Cloth. Likewise creatures that are half horses, living sometimes in water, and sometimes on land, and they devour men when they meet with them. There I have seen griffins, and the fore part like an eagle, and the hinder parts like a lion. There is likewise another kind of griffin much larger and stronger than the former; also a great number of wild animals of all kinds.
Chap. 8.
Of the Land of Prestor John, and Parts adjacent; and
Sir John Mandeville's happy return to England, &c.
From thence I went to the Country of Prestor John, who is a noble Lord and wedded the only daughter of the Great Caan. Such plenty of rich stones and diamonds there is in this country that they make them into Cups and dishes. In this land is a gravelly sea, which ebbs and flows like the ocean, yet not one drop of water is to be seen therein, yet never the less men catch fishes in it. A sand runs in three days in a week, among which are found many rubbies. Trees grow from sun rising to mid day, bearing apples that are harder than iron, which fall into the earth at noon successfully each day. Here are wild men, who are very hairy, with horns on their heads, they speak not but roar like swine.
At Pitan, a place in this Kingdom, are men very small, but not so small as the Pigmies. They live on the smell of Apples. On another island are men overgrown with feathers, like the fowls of the air. Near the river Poison there is an enchanted valley between two hills; here are tempests and storms like shrieks and cries so that they call it the Valley of Devils; both day and night the sound of musick and much feasting is heard in it; it also contains great store of gold and silver, for the lucre of which, many have gone into it but never came back again. Beyond this valley is the isle of Girty, where men are 40 feet high, and sheep bigger than oxen.
The Emperor Prestor John when he goes to battle hath three golden Crosses carried before him, set with precious stones, and each cross guarded by One Thousand fighting men. He has a most superb palace, and seven Kings, seventy two Dukes, three hundred Earls, and thirty two bishops to wait upon him every day.
Beyond this place is a large wilderness, in which grow speaking Trees, called The Trees of the Sun and Moon; and whoever eats of the fruit thereof live four or five hundred years; and some never die. These trees foretold Alexander his death. I would willingly have gone to see them, but was prevented by lions, dragons, etc.
The reason of this Emperor's being called Prestor John was as follows; He happened in his progress to go into a Christian Church in Egypt, on the Saturday after Whitsunday, when the Bishop gave Orders; and he asked who they were that stood before the Bishop? the answer was, They are priests. Then said he, I will no longer be called Emperor, but according to the name of the first that comes forth, whose name was John. Therefore the Emperors of that country ever since have been called Prestor John.
Towards the East of this place is an island wherein is a mountain of gold dust, kept by pismires, whose industerous labours is to part the fine from the coarse. They are larger than the English hounds, and it is difficult for any one to gain the treasure, through fear of them, for they sting to death.
Near this place is a dark Wilderness, full of mountains and craggy rocks, no manner of light appearing to distinguish the day from night. Beyond this is the Paradise where Adam and Eve were, whose ground is the highest in the world. The Flood was not so high as this mountain.—No man can come to the Paradise by land for huge rocks and mountains, nor by sea for restless waves and dangerous waters; some that have attempted it have been struck dead, others blind.
This Prester John and his people are baptized, hold with Three Persons in the Trinity, and are very devout in what they profess. They have plenty of Cattle; and the land is divided into twenty two provinces, every one of which hath a king. In this Country also is a gravelly sea containing the like wonders in that before mentioned.
Towards the east side of Prester John lies the Island of Taprabone, being a very pleasant and spacious place, abounding with unspeakable plenty, and all manner of rich fruits and spice. The king of this Country pays obedience and is subject to Prester John; to whom he pays a very large revenue. This king is always made by election. To our wonderful admiration here are two summers and two winters every year; they have two harvests, and as for their herbs and flowers they always flourish. The people are of a kind and loving disposition, being for the most part of them Christian professors; whose laws, customs, manners, and actions are as reasonable as their profession; to which they adhere very strictly.
Between Prester John's Country and this island is a small river that men wade over from country to Country, without danger of being drowned.
These islands and kingdoms of Prester John are directly under the earth, from England. We are foot to foot I can assure the reader, from the great experience of my long travels; of which I at last grew weary, and being desirous once more to see the land of my nativity, and accordingly I set sail for England, and after a very favourable passage, arrived safe on my native shore, to the great joy and satisfaction of all my friends. And since my arrival, have been employed by the help of my journals, in compiling this book, which gives an account of what I have seen in my travels, some of which for their strangeness may seem incredible; but those that will not believe the truth of these things, let them but read the book of Mappa Mundi, and they will find a great part of it there continued; and great many stranger things than are here recited.
FINIS.
The Surprizing
LIFE
and most Strange
ADVENTURES
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE
Of the City of York, Mariner.
GIVING
An Account how he was cast on Shore by Shipwreck (none escaping but himself) on an uninhabited Island, on the Coast of America near the mouth of the great River Oroonoque, where he lived twenty eight Years, till at length he was strangely delivered by Pirates, and brought Home to his native Country.
Printed in this present Year.
From Defoe's original edition of three volumes in 1719, to the 12mo Chap-book, is a great drop, and, naturally, the story is much condensed. As it is so well known, only the illustrations are given, which in this edition are quainter than in the earlier one published at Aldermary Churchyard.