[1:] Roumanian.
[2:] ? Pharphar of the Scriptures.
[3:] ? Abana.
[4:] Latakijah.
[5:] Jebili.
[6:] Tortosa.
[7:] Tripoli.
[8:] Acre.
[9:] Caiffa.
[10:] Philippi.
CAP. XLIII.
Yet another way by lande toward the lande of promission.
NOW haue I tolde you some wayes by land and by water how men may go to Hierusalem. And if it be so that there be many other wayes that men go by, after the countreys that they come from, neverthelesse they tourne all to one ende, yet is there a way all by land to Hierusalem, & passe no sea from Fraunce or Flaunders, but that way is full longe and perylous & of great travaile, & therefore few go that way, he that goeth that way, he goeth through Almayn & Pruse and so to Tartary, this Tartary is holden of the great Cane,[1] of whome I shall speake afterwarde, for thether lasteth[2] his lordeshippe, and all the lords of Tartary yelde to him tribute. Tartary is a full evill land, sandy and a lytle fruite bearing, for there groweth but little corne or fruyte, but bestes are there great plentie, and therefore eate they but fleshe without breade, and they sup the broth, and they drynke mylke of all maner of bestes, they eat Cattes, and all maner of wyld bestes, rattes & myce, and they haue but lyttle wodde,[3] and therefore they dyght[4] theyr meate with horse dounge & other bestes doung, when it is dry. Princes and other lordes eate but ones in the day, and ryght lyttle, and they be ryght foule folke, and of evyll lyking, and in somer there is many tempests and thonders, that sleaeth many men & bestes (sodainly it is) right colde, and sodainly it is right hot. The Prince that governeth that land they call him Roco and he dwelleth at a Citie that men call Orda, and forsoth there is no man that will dwell in that lande, for it is good to sow in thornes & wedes, other good is there none, as I herd say, for I was not that way, but I have bene in other lordes landes marching thereon, and the land of Rossye and Nyflonde & the Kingedome of Grecon[5] and Lectowe, and the kingdome of Grasten[6] & in many other places, but I went neuer that way to Hierusalem & therefore I may not tell it, for I haue understande, that men may not well go that way but in winter, when the waters and marys[7] that be in that lande be frosen and covered with snow, so that men may passe thereon, for were not the snow, there might no man go in that lande but he wer lost. And ye shall understande that a man shall go three days journey from Pruse to passe this waye, tyll he come to the lande of Sarasyns, that men dwell in. And if by fortune any christen men passe that way, as once a yeare they doe, they cary theyr vitale with them, for they shoulde finde nothing there but a maner of things that they call Syleys, and they cary theyr vytales upon the yce on sleddes[8] and charyottes without wheles, and as long as theyr vitayles laste, they may dwell there, but no longer. And when spyes of the countrey see christen men come, they runne to the towns and castels and cry right loude, Kera, Kera, Kera, and as sone as they haue cryed, then dothe the people arme them. And ye shall understande that the yse there is harder than it is here, and euery man hath a stew[9] in his house, and therein they eat and do all things that them nedeth. And that is at the North part of the world, where it is commonly colde, for the Sonne cometh ne shineth but a little in that countrey, and that lande is in some places so colde, that there may no man dwel therein, and on the South side of the world it is in some places so hote, that there can no man dwel, the son giveth so great heate in those countreys.
[1:] Khan.
[2:] For his dominions extend as far.
[3:] Wood.
[4:] Cook.
[5:] Cracow.
[6:] Darestan, or Silistria.
[7:] Marais or marshes, meres.
[8:] Sledges.
[9:] Stove.
CAP. XLIIII.
INASMUCH as I haue told you of the Sarasins and of other landes, if ye will I shall tell you a parte of theyr law, and of theyr beleve, after as theyr boke sayeth, that they call Alkaron,[1] and some call that boke Mysap,[2] some call it Harme[3] in diverse language of countreys, which booke Machomet gave them, in ye which boke he wrote among other things as I have often red and sene, that they that are good shall goe to Paradise, and the evill folkes to hell, and that beleeve all the Sarasyns. And if a man aske of what Paradise they meane, they say it is a place of delytes, where a man shall finde all maner of fruites at all times, and waters, and rivers running with milke & hony, wine and fresh water, and they shall have faire houses & good as they have deserved, and those houses are made of precious stones, gold & sylver & every man shall haue ten[4] wives and all maydens. Also they speake often & beleve of the Virgin Mary and tell of the Incarnation, that Mary was learned[5] of Aungels and that Gabriel sayd to hir that she was chosen before all other from the beginning of the world, and that wytnesseth well theyr booke, & Gabriel tolde hir of the incarnation of Jesu Christ, and that she shoulde conceive and beare a childe and they saye that Christ was a holy prophet in word & dede, and also meke & rightwise to all men, and without any blame worthy. And they saye that when the Aungell tolde hir of the incarnation, she hadde great dread, for she was righte younge, and there was one in the countrey that medled with sorcery, that men called Takina,[6] that with enchauntements could make him lyke an Aungell and he went often and lay with maidens, and therefore was Mary the more aferde[7] of the Aungell, and thought in hir mynde that it had bene Takina that went to maydens, and she conjured him that he should tell hir if he were the same Takina, and the Aungell bad hir have no dreade for he was for certayne a true messenger of Jesu Christ. Also theyr booke of Alkaron saith, that she had a child under a palme tree, then was she greatly ashamed and sayde that she woulde she had bene dead. As sone as hir childe was borne, he spake and comforted hir and sayd, Ne timeas Maria, That is to say, Be not afraide Mary. And in many other places, sayth theyr booke Alkaron, that Jesu Christ spake as sone as he was borne, & the booke sayth that Jesu Christ was sent of Almighty God to be ensample to all men, and that God shall deme[8] all men, the good to heaven and the wicked to hell & that Jesu Christ is the best prophete of all other and nexte to God and that he was a holy prophet, for he gave to the blynde theyr sight, and heled Mesels[9] & raysed men and went all quick[10] to heaven. And if they may finde a boke with gospels, namely, Missus est Angelus, they doe it great worship, they fast a moneth in the yere & they eate but in the night, and they kepe them from theyr wyves, but they that are syke are not Constrayned to that. And that booke Alkaron speaketh of Jewes and sayth, they are wicked people for they will not beleve that Jesu Christ is of God. And they say, yt the Jewes lye on our Lady and hir sonne Jesu Christ, saying that they did him not on the crosse, for Sarasyns beleve so nere our fayth, that they are lightly converted when men preche the lawe of Jesu Christ, and they saye that they wote well by theyr prophicies, that theyr lawe of Machomet shall fayll as doth the law of Jews and that Christen mens laws shall last unto the worlds ende. And if a man aske them wherein they beleve they say that they beleve in god almightie, that is the maker of heaven and earth and all other things and without him is nothing done and at the day of Judgement when euery man shall be rewarded after his deserving, & that all things is soth[11] that Christ said through the mouthes of his prophetes.
[1:] The Koran.
[2:] Some say Meshaf. Mishaf means written sheets of paper.
[3:] Harme is "Haram," sacred.
[4:] Some say 80.
[5:] Taught by.
[6:] Other editions have Taknia.
[7:] Afraid.
[8:] Judge.
[9:] Lepers.
[10:] Alive.
[11:] True.