_Of the haven Gene, for to go by the sea into divers countreys._
FOR he that wyll goe to Tartary, Percy, Caldee or Inde, he entreth the
sea at Gene or at Venyce, or at any other haven, and so passeth by the
sea, and arriveth at Topasonde,[1] that is a good citie, that sometime
men call the haven of bridge, and there is the haven of Perce, of
Medes, and of other marches.[2] In this citie lieth saint Athanasius,
that was bishop of Alexandry, that made the Psalme, _Quicunque vult
salvus esse_. This man was a great doctour of divinitie, and of
the godheade, he was accused unto the Pope of Rome that he was an
heritike, and the pope sent for hym and put him in prison, and while
he was in that prison he made this Psalme and sent it unto the Pope &
sayde if that he were an heretyke, then that was heresie, for y^t
was his faith and his belefe: and when the Pope saw that he had sayde
therein was all our faith, then anon he did deliver him out of prison,
and he commaunded that Psalme to be sayd every day at prime, & so he
held Athanasius for a good christen man, but he never would after goe
to his bishoprych for they accused him of heresie.
Topasond was some tyme holden of the Emperour of Constantinople, but
a great man that he sent to help that countrey against the Turkes, did
holde it to himselfe, & called himself Emperour of Topasonde.
[Illustration]
And from thence men go through lyttle Armony,[3] & in that countrey is
an olde castell that is on a rock, y^t men call the castell of Spirys,
& there men finde an hawke sitting upon a perch right well made & a
faire lady of Fayry that keepeth it, & he that will wake[4] this same
hawke seven days and seven nightes, and some say that it is not but
three days and three nightes, alone without any company and without
slepe, this faire ladie shall come unto him at the vii dayes or iii
dayes ende & shall graunte unto him the first thing that he will aske
of worldly things, and that hath often ben proved. And so uppon a time
it befell that a man which that tyme was Kinge of Armonye that was a
righte doughty[5] man waked uppon a tyme, and at the seven dayes ende
the lady came to him and bade him aske what he would for he had wel
done his devoure,[6] and the king aunswered and sayde that he was a
great lorde and in good peace, and he was riche, so that he would aske
nothing but all onely the body of the fayre lady, or to haue his will
of hir. Then this fayre lady aunswered and sayde unto him, that he was
a foole, for he wist not what he asked, for he might not have hir,
for he shoulde not haue asked hir but worldly thinges & she was not
worldly. And the king sayde he woulde nought else, and she said sith
he would aske nought else, she should graunt him three thinges and
all that came after hym, and sayde unto him, Sir kinge you shall haue
warre without peace unto the ix degree, and you shall be in subjection
of your enemies, and you shall have greate nede of good and cattell,
and sithen that tyme all the Kynges of Armonye have been in warre and
nedefull[7] and under trybute of the Sarasyns. Also a poore mannes
sonne as he waked on a tyme, and asked the lady that he might be rych
and happy in marchaundise and the ladye graunted him, but she sayde to
him that he hadde asked his undoynge for great pryde that he shoulde
haue thereof. And this became so greate a marchaunte bothe by sea and
lande, that he was so ryche that he knew not the thousande parte of
hys goods. Also a Knight of the Templers waked likewise and when he
had done, he desired to haue a purse full of golde and what soever he
tooke thereof it shoulde ever be full againe and the ladye graunted it
hym, but she tolde him that hee had desyred his destruction for great
mistrowing that hee shoulde have of the same purse, and so it befell.
But he that shal wake hath great nede for to kepe him from slepe, for
if he sleepe he is lost that he shall neuer bee sene, but that is not
the righte way, but for the mervaile. And from Topasonde men go to
greate Armony to a citie that men call Artyron[8] that was wont to be
a great Citie, but Turkes have destroyed it, for there neyther groweth
no wyne nor fruyt. From this Artyron men go to an hyll that is called
Sabissacol & there nere is another hil that men call Arath,[9] but the
Jewes call it Thano where Archa Noe[10] rested after the diluvie[11]
& yet it is on that hyll, a man may se it from ferre in cleare wether,
& the hilles be xii[12] myle of height & some saye they haue bene
there & put theyr fingers in the holes where the fende[13] went out
when Noe sayde in this maner of wyse _Benedicite_. But they note well,
for none may go on that hyll for snowe, that is alwaye uppon that hyll
bothe wynter and somer, that no man may go by and never yode[14] syth
Noe was, but a monke, through the grace of God, broughte a planke that
yet is at the Abbey, at the hyll foote, and he had great desyre to
go uppon that hyll, and aforced him thereto, and when he was at the
thyrde part upwarde he was so wery that he might goe no further, and
he rested him & slept and when he was awake he was downe at the hyll
foote, and then prayed he to God devoutly that he would suffer him to
go upon the hill, and the Aungell sayd that he should go upon the hil,
and so he dyd, and since that tyme no man came there. And therefore
men shoulde not beleve such wordes.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
And from thence men go to a citie that men call Tanziro[15] and that
is a fayre citie & good. Besyde that citie is an hyll of salte, and
thereof every man taketh what he wyll and there dwelled many Christen
men under tribute to the Sarasyns. From thence men go through many
cities, townes, and castels towarde Inde, and then come to a citie
that men call Cassaye that is a fayre citie, and in that citie is
aboundance of corne wynes, and all maner of goods, and there met the
three kynges togither that wente to make theyr offeryng to our Lord in
Bethlehem. From that citie men go to a citie that men call Cardabago,
and paynims say y^t Christen men may not dwell there, by[16] they dye
sone and they know not the cause. And from thence men go through many
countreys, cities & townes, that it were to long to tell, & to the
citie of Carnaa, that was wont to be so great, that the wall about was
of xxv myle, the wall sheweth yet, but it is not inhabited now with
men, and there endeth the land of the Emperour of Perce.
[Footnote 1: Trebizond.]
[Footnote 2: Neighbouring countries.]
[Footnote 3: Armenia.]
[Footnote 4: Watch.]
[Footnote 5: Brave.
In the old Romance of Melusina, which was written
by Jean d'Arras, Secretary to the Duc de Berri, brother to
Charles V. of France--in 1387 (at the command of his master)
is the legend of the Lady of the Sparrow Hawk, which shows how
current it was at the time. According to his version, a fairy,
named Presine, married King Helmas, and made him vow that he
would never go near her at the time of childbirth. She bore
him three daughters--Melusina, Melior, and Palestine--and
at the birth of the latter the king broke his vow. When
his children grew up they learnt this fact, and were very
indignant at their father's conduct, to punish which (being
gifted with supernatural power) they enclosed him in an
enchanted mountain until he died. Presine was powerless
to undo this deed, but she visited their unnatural conduct
severely upon her daughters. Melusina was to become half
serpent, half woman, every Saturday; Palestine was ever to
watch their father's treasure on the top of a mountain in
Arragon; while Melior's fate is thus told by the chronicler:--
"And thou Melyor to the I gyve a Castel in the grette Armenye,
whyche is fayre and riche, wher thou shalt kepe a Sperschak
unto the tyme that the grett maister shall hold his Jugement.
And al noble and worthy knyghts, descended and come of noble
lynee, that wil you watche there the day byfore the even, and
th' even also of Saint Johan Baptiste, whiche is on the xx day
of Juny, without any slep, shal have a geft of the of suche
thinges, without to demande thy body, ne thy love, by maryage,
nor other wise. And al thos that shal demande the without
cesse, and that wol not forbere, and absteyn them not, shal
be infortunat unto the IX lynee, and shal be put from theire
prosperytees."]
[Footnote 6: Devoir, duty.]
[Footnote 7: Poor, needy.]
[Footnote 8: Erzeroum.]
[Footnote 9: Ararat.]
[Footnote 10: Noah's Ark.]
[Footnote 11: Flood.]
[Footnote 12: Others say seven.]
[Footnote 13: Fiend.]
[Footnote 14: Never went there.]
[Footnote 15: Tabreez or Tabriz.]
[Footnote 16: For.]