[1:] Dark, murky.
CAP. CIII.
A lyttle of Paradise terrestre.
THIS Paradise terrestre is enclosed al about with a wall, and that wall is all covered with mosse as it semeth, yt men may see no stone nor nothing else whereof it is, and in the highest place of Paradise in the middest of it is a well that casteth out the foure flouds that run through divers landes. The first floud is called Phison or Ganges, and that runneth through Inde, in that river are many precious stones and much Lignum Aloes & gravel of golde. Another is called Nilus or Gison, and yt runneth through Ethiope & Egipt. The third is called Tigre & that runneth through Assyry & Armony the great. And the fourth is called Eufrates, yt runneth through Armony and Percy & men say that the sweete and fresh waters of ye world take their springing of them. The first river is called Phison, that is to say, gathering of many rivers together & faling into one, and some call it Ganges, for a King yt was in Inde that men cal Gangeras, for it runneth through his land & this river is in some places cleane, in some places troble,[1] in some places hot, in some places cold. The second river is called Nilus or Gison, for it is ever trouble, for Gison is to say troble. The third river is called Tigris that is to say fast running, for it runneth faster than any of the other, & so is a beast that men call Tigris for he runneth fast. The fourth ryver is called Eufrates yt is to say well bearing, for there groweth many good things upon that ryver. And ye shall understande that no man living may go unto yt Paradise, for by land he may not go for wylde beastes which are in the wyldernesse, and for hylls and rocks where no man may passe. Nor by those ryvers may no man passe, for they come with so great course and so great waves that no ship may saile against them. Many great lordes haue essayed many times to go by those rivers to Paradise, but they might not spede in theyr way, for some dyed for werynesse of rowinge, some waxt blynde and some defe for noise of the waters, so no man may passe there but through speciall grace of God—for I can tell you no more of that place. I shall tell you of that I haue seene.
[1:] Troubled or muddy.
CAP. CIIII.
How Prester Johns land lyeth foote against[1] foote to Englande.
THERE yles of the land of Prester John, they are under the earth to us, & other yles are there whoso wold pursue them for to environ the earth whoso had grace of God to hold the waye, he mighte come right to the same countreys that he were come of and come from & so go about the earth, and for that it asketh so long tyme, & also there are so many perils to passe that fewe men assay to go so, and yet it might be done, & therefore men come from these yles to other yles costing of the lordship of Prester John, & men come in the coming to one yle yt men cal Cassoy, & that country is nere Lx journeys long & more than L of bredth, that is the best land that is in those countreys saue Cathay & if marchants came thither as commonly as they do to Cathay, it would be better than Cathay, for it is so thick of cities & towns yt when a man goeth out of a citie he seeth another on eche side. There is great plenty of spices and other goods. Ye king of this ile is rich & mighty & he holdeth his land of ye great Caan for yt is one of ye xii princes[2] that the great Caan hath under him beside his owne lande.