_Of the way for to go to prester Johns land which is Emperour
of Inde._
FROM this lande of Bactry men goe many dayes Jorneyes to the lande of
Prester John, that is a great Emperour of Inde, and men call his lande
the yle of Pantoroze.[1] This Emperour Prester John holdeth great
land, & many good cities, and good townes, in his kingedome is many
great yles & large for this land of Ynde is departed in yles because
of great flods that come out of Paradise, and also in the sea are many
great yles, the best citie that is in the yle of Pantoroze is called
Nile,[2] that is a noble citie & a rich. Prester John hath under him
many kings and many diverse people, and his land is good & rych, but
not so rich as the land of the great Caane, for marchaunts come not so
much thyther as they do unto the lande of the greate Caane, for it is
so long a journey. And also they finde in the yle of Cathay all thing
that they haue nede of, as spycery, clothes of gold, and other riches,
and all if they might haue better cheape in the lande of Prester John
than in the land of Cathay, and more finer, neverthelesse they would
let[3] it, for the long waye and great perils on the sea, for there
are many places in the sea where are many roches of a stone that is
called Adamand, the which of its own kinde, draweth to him all maner
of yron, & therefore there may no ships that hath yron nayles passe,
but it draweth them to him, and therefore they dare not go into that
countrey with ships for dread of the Adamand. I went once into that
sea & sawe along as it had bene a great yle of trees, stockes &
braunches growinge, and the shipmen told me that those were of great
shippes that abode there, through the vertue of the Adamandes and of
things that were in the ships, whereof those trees sprong and waxed.
And such roches are there many in diverse places of that sea &
therefore dare there no shypman passe that waye. And another thing
also that they dread the long way, and therefore they go moste to
Cathay, and that is nerer unto them. And yet it is not so nere, but
then behoveth[4] for Venice or Gene be in ye sea toward Cathay xi
or xii moneths. The land of Prester John is long, & marchaunts passe
thither through the lande of Persy, and come unto a citie that men cal
Hermes,[5] for a Philosopher that was called Hermes founded it, and
they passe an arme of the sea, & come to another citie that men call
Saboth,[6] & there fynde they all marchaundises, & popiniayes, as
great plentie as larkes[7] in our countrey. In this countrey is little
wheat or barly, and therefore they eate ryce mylk and chese, & other
fruits. This Emperour Prester John weddeth commonly the daughter of
the greate Caane, and the great Caane his daughter. In the land of
Prester John is many divers things, and many precious stones so great
& so large that they make of them vessels, platters, and cuppes, and
many other things of which it were to long to tell, but somewhat of
his law and of his faith I shall tell you.
[Footnote 1: Other editions say Pentexoire.]
[Footnote 2: Nyse in other copies.]
[Footnote 3: Would not go that.]
[Footnote 4: This must be a misprint, and the text must read
that travellers from Venice or Genoa to Cathay must make a
voyage lasting 11 or 12 months.]
[Footnote 5: Ormuz.]
[Footnote 6: Other editions say Colbache.]
[Footnote 7: Others say _geese_.]