CAP. XCVIII.
Of the moste[1] dwelling place of Prester John in a citie called Suse.
AND he dwelleth commonly at the citie of Suse, & there is his principall palaice that is so riche that marvayle is to tell, & about the principall toure of the palaice are two pomels[2] of gold all round, and eche one of those hath two carbuncles great & large, yt shine ryght clere in the night, and ye principal gates of this palaice are of precious stones that men call Saraine[3] & the borders of the barres are of Ivory, & windowes of the hall and chambers are of Cristall, and tables that they eate of, some Emerandes, some are of Mayk,[4] some of golde and precious stones, and the pillers that beare the tables are of such stones also, and the greces on the which ye Emperour goeth to his sege where he sitteth at meat, one is of Mastik,[5] another of Cristal, another of green Jasphy,[6] another of Diasper,[7] another of Serdin,[8] another of Cornelin,[9] another of Seuton, & that he setteth his fote upon, is of Crisolites, and all these greces are bordered with fine gold, and well set with great perles and other precious stones, and ye side of the sege are Emerauds bordred with gold and with precious stones, the pillers in his chambre are of fine gold with many Carbuncles and other such stones that giue great light in the night, and all if the Carbuncles giue great light, neuerthelesse there burneth xii[10] great vessels of Cristall full of balme to giue good smell, and to drive away evill ayre. The fourme[11] of his bedde is all of Saphire well bound with gold to make him slepe well & for to destroy lechery, for he will not lye by his wives but thrise[12] a yeare, after the seasons, and all onely for getting of children. And he hath also a fayre palayce in the city of Nyse where he dwelleth when he wil, but the aier there is not so well tempered as it is in the citie of Suse. And he hath euery day in his courte more than xxx thousand men, besides comers and goers, but xxx thousand there or in the court of the great Caane spendeth not so much as xii thousand in our countrey. He hath euermore vii kinges in his court to serve him and eche one of them serveth a moneth, and with these kinges serue alway Lxxii Dukes & CCC[13] erles, and euery day eat in his court xii archbishops and xx byshops. The patryarke of saint Thomas is as he were a pope and Archbishops and byshops & abbotes, all are kings in that countrey, and some of the lordes is master of the hall, some of the chambre, some steward, some marshal, and other officers, and therefore he is ful rychley served. And his land lasteth in breadth four moneths journey and it is of length without measure.
[1:] The greatest.
[2:] A ball or knot.
[3:] ? Sardonyx.
[4:] Another edition says Amethysts.
[5:] Another edition says Onyx.
[6:] Probably Jasper.
[7:] Another edition says Amethyst, but as the whole is so apocryphal it does not much matter.
[8:] Sardine or Sardonyx.
[9:] Cornelian. What Seuton is I will not even venture to guess at.
[10:] Another edition says, "a great vessel."
[11:] The framework.
[12:] Others say four times.
[13:] Elsewhere it is 360.
CAP. XCIX.
Of the wildernesse wherein groweth the trees of the sonne & the Moone.
AND beyond that river is a great wildernesse as men that haue ben there say. In this Wildernesse as men saye are the trees of the Sonne and of the Mone that spake to Kyng Alexander and tolde him of his death, and men saye that folke that kepe these trees & eate of the fruits of them, they live foure or five hundred yeare through vertue of the fruite, and we woulde gladly haue gone thyther, but I beleve that an hundred thousand men of armes shold not passe that wildernesse for great plenty of wilde beastes, as dragons and serpents that sley men when they pass that way. In this lande are many Oliphantes all white and blew without number, and unicornes & lyons of many maners.[1] Many other yles are in the land of Prester John that were to long to tell, and much ryches and nobly of precious stones in great plenty. I beleve yt we haue herd say why this Emperour is called Prester John but for those that know it not I wil declare. There was sometime an Emperour that was a noble prince, & doughty, & he had many christen Knights with him and ye Emperour thought hee woulde see the service in Christen churches, and then was churches of christendome in Turkey, Surry and Tartary, Hierusalem, Palistine, Araby and Alappy,[2] and all the lordes[3] of Egypte. And thys Emperour came with a Christen Knight into a church of Egipt and it was on a saterday after Whit sonday when the byshop gaue orders, and he behelde the service and he asked of the Knight what folke those should be that stode before the Byshop, and the Knight sayd they should be prestes, & he sayde he wold no more be called Kinge ne Emperour but preest, and he would haue the name of him that came first out of the prestes and he was called John, and so haue all the Emperors sythen[4] be called Prester John. In this lande are many Christen men of good faith & good lawe, and they haue prestes to sing masse, and they make the sacrements as men of Grece do, but they say not but that ye Apostles said as saint Peter, and saint Thomas, and other apostles when they song masse and said Pater noster, and the wordes with the which Gods body is sacred; we haue many addicions of Popes that haue bene ordeyned of which men in those countreys know not.
[1:] Kinds or sorts.
[2:] ? Aleppo.
[3:] Other editions read land.
[4:] Since then.