Of the lande of Armony, which is a good land & of the lande of Middy.[1]
THEN is the lande of Armony, in the which was sometime three kingdomes, this is a good land and a plentious, & it beginneth at Percy, & lasteth westward to Turkey of length, and in breadth lasteth from the citie of Alexander (that is now called Port de fear) unto the lande of Myddy. In this Armony are many fayre cities, but Cauryssy[2] is most of name. Then is the land of Myddy, and it is full long and not brode & beginneth eastward at the land of Percy, & Inde the lesse, and lasteth westward to the kingdome of Calde,[3] & northward to little Armony. In this Myddy are many great hyls, & little (of) plaines & ther dwel Sarasins & other maner of men, that men call Cordines.[4]
[1:] Media.
[2:] Other editions have it Taurizo—in all probability the modern Tabriz is meant.
[3:] Chaldæa.
[4:] Kurds.
CAP. LXXXII.
Of the Kingdome of George & Abcan, and many marvayles.
THEN next is the kingdome of George,[1] that beginneth eastward at a great hil that men call Abiorz,[2] this land lasteth to Turkey to the great sea, & to the land of Myddy, and great Armony & in this land are two kynges, one of Abcan, and another of George but he of George is in subjection of the great Caane, but he of Abcan hath a strong countrey, and defendeth him well against his enimies, & in this land of Abcan is a great marvaile, for there is a countrey in this land that is nere III dayes long and about, & is called Hanison, and that countrey is all covered with darknesse, so that it hath no light that no man may see there, and no man dare go into that countrey for darkenes. And neverthelesse men of that countrey thereby say that they may sometime heare therein the voyce of man and horse crying, and cocks crow, and they know wel that men dwel there, but they know not what maner of men, and they saye this darknesse came through miracle of God that he dyd for Christen men there. For there was a wicked Emperour yt was of Poy[3] & was called Saures, & he pursued sometime all Christen men to destroy them, and did make them do sacrifice to their false gods, & in that countrey dwelled many Christen men ye which left al their goods & catel, and riches, and wold go to Grece, and when they were all in a great plain yt is called Megon the Emperour and his men came to sley the Christen men, & then the christen men kneled down & prayed to God, and anon came a thick cloude and covered the Emperour and al his host, so that he might not go away, and so dweled they in darkness, and they neuer came out after, and ye Christen men went there as they would, and therefore they might say thus, A domino factum est istud, & est mirabile in oculis nostris, that is to say, of our Lord is this done, & it is wonderful in our eyes. Out of this lande cometh a river yt men may se by good tokens yt men dwel therein.
[1:] Georgia.
[2:] Probably Mount Elburz, one of the Caucasian range.
[3:] Misprint for Persia.
CAP. LXXXIII.
Of the land of the land of Turky & divers other countreys and of the land of Mesopotamy.