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.
[1:] Khan.
[2:] Promise.
[3:] Pynson, all oonly.
[4:] Nor.
[5:] Treasure, money, goods, property, possessions.
[6:] Possessing (seized).
[7:] Pynson, "and chase out the ylle trowand."
[8:] Called.
[9:] (to) omitted.
[10:] Pynson and other authorities say MCCCXXXII.
[11:] Armenia.
[12:] Persia.
[13:] Syria.
[14:] Relate.
[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.