_I.--Of the Holy Land and the Way Thereto_
The celebrated "Voyage and Travel of Sir John Mandeville"
was first published in French between 1357 and 1371. The
identity of its author has given rise to much difference
of opinion, but its authorship is now generally ascribed
to Jehan de Bourgoigne, a physician who practised at
Liège. There is, indeed, some evidence that this name was
assumed, and that the physician's real name, Mandeville,
had been discarded when he fled from England after
committing homicide. A tomb at Liège, seen at so late as
the seventeenth century, bore the name of Mandeville, and
gave the date of his death as November 17, 1372. As to the
book itself, its material is evidently borrowed chiefly
from other writers, especially from the account of the
travels of Friar Odoric and from a French work on the
East, and only a small part contains first-hand
information. Numerous manuscripts exist, in several
languages. The English version is probably not the work of
the original writer, but it is, nevertheless, regarded as
a standard piece of mediæval English prose.
For as much as the land beyond the sea, that is to say, the Holy Land,
passing all other lands, is the most worthy land, most excellent, and
Lady and Sovereign of all other lands, and is blessed and hallowed of
the precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that land He
chose before all other lands as the best and most worthy land, and the
most virtuous land of all the world; wherefore, every good Christian
man, that is of power, and hath whereof, should strive with all his
strength for to conquer our right heritage, and chase out all
misbelieving men. And for as much as many men desire to hear speak of
the Holy Land, I, John Mandeville, Knight, albeit I be not worthy, that
was born in England, in the town of Saint Albans, passed the sea, in the
year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1322, on the day of Saint Michael, and
hitherto have been a long time over the sea, and have seen and gone
through many divers lands. And I shall devise you some part of things
that there be, when time shall be, after it may best come to my mind;
and specially for them that are in purpose for to visit the Holy City of
Jerusalem, and I shall tell the way that they should hold thither. For I
have oftentimes passed and ridden that way, with good company of many
lords; God be thanked.
In the name of God, glorious and almighty, he that will pass over the
sea to go to the city of Jerusalem, if he come from the west side of the
world, as from England, he may and he will go through Almayne and
through the kingdom of Hungary, that marcheth to the land of Polayne.
And after go men to Belgrave and enter into the land of Bourgres, and
through the land of Pyncemartz, and come to Greece, and so to the city
of Constantynoble. And there dwelleth commonly the Emperor of Greece.
And there is the most fair church and the most noble of all the world;
and it is of Saint Sophie. From Constantynoble he that will go by water
goeth to an isle that is clept Sylo, and then to the isle of Patmos.
From Patmos men go into Ephesus, a fair city and nigh to the sea. And
there died Saint John, and was buried behind the high altar, in a tomb.
And in the tomb of Saint John is nought but manna, that is clept angels'
meat. For his body was translated into Paradise. And Turks hold now all
that place, and the city and the church. And all Asia the less is clept
Turkey. And ye shall understand that St. John made his grave there in
his life, and laid himself therein all quick. And therefore some men say
that he died not, but that he resteth there till the Day of Doom. And
forsooth there is a great marvel, for men may see there the earth of the
tomb apertly many times stir and move, as there were quick things under.
And from Ephesus men go through many isles in the sea, and to the isle
of Crete, and through the isles of Colos and of Lango, of the which
isles Ypocras was lord. And some men say that in the isle of Lango is
yet the daughter of Ypocras, in form and likeness of a great dragon that
is a hundred fathom of length, as men say, for I have not seen her. And
they of the isles call her Lady of the Land. And she lieth in an old
castle, in a cave, and showeth twice or thrice in the year. And she doth
none harm to no man but if man do her harm. And she was thus changed and
transformed from a fair damsel in the likeness of a dragon by a goddess
that was clept Diana. And men say that she shall so endure in the form
of a dragon unto the time that a knight come that is so hardy that dare
come to her and kiss her on the mouth; and then shall she turn again to
her own kind, and be a woman again, but after that she shall not live
long.
And it is not long since that a knight that was hardy and doughty in
arms said that he would kiss her. And when he was upon his courser and
went to the castle and entered into the cave, the dragon lifted up her
head against him. And when the knight saw her in that form so hideous
and so horrible, he fled away. And the dragon bore the knight upon a
rock, and from that rock she cast him into the sea; and so was lost both
horse and man.
Egypt is a long country, but it is strait, that is to say narrow, for
they may not enlarge it toward the desert, for default of water. And the
country is set along upon the river of Nile; by as much as that river
may serve by floods or otherwise, that when it floweth it may spread
through the country, so is the country large of length. For there it
raineth not but little in that country, and for that cause they have no
water but if it be of the flood of that river. And for as much as it
raineth not in that country, but the air is always pure and clear,
therefore in that country be they good astronomers, for they find there
no clouds to let them.
In Egypt is the city of Elyople, that is to say, the City of the Sun. In
that city there is a temple made round, after the shape of the Temple of
Jerusalem. The priests of that temple have all their writings under the
date of the fowl that is clept Phoenix; and there is none but one in
all the world. And he cometh to burn himself upon the altar of the
temple at the end of 500 years; for so long he liveth. And at the 500
years' end the priests array their altar honestly, and put thereupon
spices and sulphur and other things that will burn lightly. And then the
bird Phoenix cometh, and burneth himself to ashes. And the first day
next after men find in the ashes a worm; and the second day after men
find a bird quick and perfect; and the third day next after, he flieth
away.
And so there is no more birds of that kind in all the world but it
alone. And truly that is a great miracle of God, and men may well liken
that bird unto God; because that there is no God but one, and also that
our Lord arose from death to life the third day. This bird men see
oftentime flying in the countries; and he is not much greater than an
eagle. And he hath a crest of feathers upon his head more great than the
peacock hath; and his neck is yellow; and his back is coloured blue as
Ind; and his wings be of purple colour, and the tail is yellow and red.
And he is a full fair bird to look upon against the sun, for he shineth
fully gloriously and nobly.
From Egypt men may go by the Red Sea, and so by desert to the Mount of
Synay; and when they have visited the holy places nigh to it, then will
they turn toward Jerusalem. They shall see here the Holy Sepulchre,
where there is a full fair church, all round and open above and covered
with lead. And then they may go up to Golgatha by degrees, and they
shall see the Mount of Calvarie. Likewise they will behold the Temple of
our Lord; and many other blessed things all whereof I cannot tell nor
show him.
_II.--Of Strange Peoples and Strange Beasts in Divers Lands_
From the south coast of Chaldea is Ethiopia, a great country that
stretcheth to the end of Egypt. Ethiopia is departed in two principal
parts, and that is the East part and the Meridional part. And the folk
of that country are black, and more black than in the other part, and
they be clept Moors. In Ethiopia be folk that have but one foot, and
they go so fast that it is a marvel; and the foot is so large, that it
shadoweth all the body against the sun, when they will lie and rest
them. In that country when the children be young and little they be all
yellow, and when they wax of age that yellowness turneth to be all
black. And as men go forth towards Ind, they come to the city of
Polombe, and above the city is a great mountain.
And at the foot of that mount is a fair well and a great, that hath
odour and savour of all spices, and at every hour of the day he changeth
his odour and his savour diversely. And whoso drinketh three times
fasting of that water of that well he is whole of all manner of sickness
that he hath. And they that dwell there and drink often of that well
they never have sickness, and they seem always young. I have drunken of
it, and yet, methinketh, I fare the better. Some men call it the Well of
Youth, for they that often drink thereof seem always young and live
without sickness. And men say that that well cometh out of Paradise, and
that therefore it hath such virtue.
To that land go the merchants for spicery. And there men worship the ox
for his simpleness and for his meekness, and for the profit that cometh
of him. And they say that he is the holiest beast in the earth. For it
seemeth to them that whosoever is meek and patient he is holy and
profitable; for then they say he hath all virtues in him. They make
the ox to labour six years or seven, and then they eat him. And the king
of the country hath always an ox with him; and he that keepeth him hath
every day great fees.
Now shall I tell you of countries and isles that lie beyond those
countries that I have spoken of. Wherefore I tell you that in passing by
the land of Cathay toward the higher Ind, men pass by a kingdom that
they call Caldilhe, that is a full fair country. And there groweth a
manner of fruit, as it were gourds; and when they be ripe men cut them
in two, and men find within a little beast, in flesh, in bone and blood,
as though it were a little lamb without wool. And men eat both the fruit
and the beast, and that is a great marvel. Of that fruit I have eaten,
although it were wonderful; but that I know well that God is marvellous
in His works. And nevertheless, I told them of as great a marvel to them
that is among us; for I told them that in our country were trees that
bear a fruit that become birds flying, and those that fall into the
water live, and they that fall on the earth die anon; and they be right
good for man's meat. And thereof they also had great marvel, that some
of them trowed it were an impossible thing to be.
And beyond this land, men go towards the land of Bacharie, where be full
evil folk and full cruel.
In that land be trees that bear wool, as though it were of sheep;
whereof men make clothes, all things that may be made of wool. And there
be also many griffons, more plenty than in any other country. Some men
say that they have the body upward as an eagle and beneath as a lion;
and truly they say sooth that they be of that shape. But one griffon
hath the body more great and is more strong than eight lions; of such
lions as be of this half; and more great and stronger than a hundred
eagles such as we have amongst us. For one griffon there will bear,
flying to his nest, a great horse, or two oxen yoked together, as they
go at the plough. For he hath his talons so long and so large and great
upon his feet, as though they were horns of great oxen or of bugles or
of kine; so that men make cups of them, to drink of. From thence go men,
by many journeys, through the land of Prester John, the great Emperor of
Ind.
_III.--Of the Land of Prester John_
The Emperor Prester John holdeth a full great land, and hath many full
noble cities and good towns in his realm, and many great isles and
large. And he hath under him seventy-two provinces, and in every
province is a king. And these kings have kings under them, and all are
tributaries to Prester John. And he hath in his lordships many great
marvels. For in his country is the sea that men call the Gravelly Sea,
that is all gravel and sand without any drops of water; and it ebbeth
and floweth in great waves, as other seas do, and it is never still nor
in peace. And no man may pass that sea by navy, nor by no manner of
craft, and therefore may no man know what land is beyond that sea. And
albeit that it have no water, yet men find therein and on the banks full
good fish of other manner of kind and shape than men find in any other
sea; and they are of right good taste and delicious to man's meat.
In the same lordship of Prester John there is another marvellous thing.
There is a vale between two mountains, that dureth nigh on four miles;
and some call it the Vale of Devils, and some call it the Valley
Perilous. In that vale men hear often time great tempests and thunders
and great murmurs and noises all days and nights; and great noise, as it
were sown of tabors, and of trumpets, as though it were of a great
feast. This vale is all full of devils, and hath been always. And men
say there, that is one of the entries of hell. And in mid place of that
vale under a rock is a head and the visage of a devil bodily, full
horrible and dreadful to see, and it showeth not but the head to the
shoulders.
But there is no man in the world so hardy, Christian man nor other, but
that he would be in dread for to behold it and that he would be ready to
die for dread, so is it hideous for to behold. For he beholdeth every
man so sharply with dreadful eyes that be evermore moving and sparkling
as fire, and changeth and stareth so often in diverse manner with so
horrible countenance that no man dare come nigh him. And in that vale is
gold and silver and rich jewels great plenty. And I and my fellows
passed that way in great dread, and we saw much people slain. And we
entered fourteen persons, but at our going out we were but nine. And so
we wisten never whether that our fellows were lost or turned again for
dread.
But we came through that vale whole and living for that we were very
devout, for I was more devout then than ever I was before or after, and
all for the dread of fiends, that I saw in diverse figures. And I
touched none of the gold and silver that meseemed was there, lest it
were only there of the subtlety of the devils, and because I would not
be put out of my devotions. So God of His grace helped us, and so we
passed that perilous vale, without peril and without encumbrance,
thanked be Almighty God.
These things have I told, that men may know some of all those marvellous
things that I have seen in my way by land and sea. And now I, John
Mandeville, Knight, that have passed many lands and many isles and
countries, and searched many full strange places, and have been in many
a full good honourable company, and at many a fair deed of armes--albeit
that I did none myself, for mine unable insuffisance--now I am come
home--mawgree myself--to rest. And so I have written these things in
this book. Wherefore I pray to all the readers and hearers of this book
that they would pray to God for me. And I shall pray for them, and
beseech Almighty God to full fill their souls with inspiration of the
Holy Ghost, in saving them from all their enemies both of body and soul,
to the worship and thanking of Him that in perfect Trinity liveth and
reigneth God, in all worlds and in all times; Amen, Amen, Amen.