_Of an other ylande where also dwelleth good people therein,
and is called Sinople._
THEN is there an other yland that is called Synople, wherein also are
good people and true, & full of good faith, & they are much lyke in
their living to y^e men before sayd, and they go all naked. Into that
Iland came King Alexander, & when he saw their good faith and trouth,
and theyr good belefe, he said that he wold do them no harme and bad
them aske of him riches and nought[1] else, and they shoulde haue it.
And they aunswered, that they had richesse ynough, when they had meat
& drinke to sustaine their bodies, & they sayde also that richesse
of this world is nought worth, but if it were so that he might
graunt them that they should never dye, that would they pray him. And
Alexander said that might he not do, for he was mortal and shold die
as they shold. Then sayd they, why art y^e so proude & woldest win all
the world, and haue it in thy subjection as it were a god & hast no
terme[2] of thy life, & thou will haue all riches of y^e world,
the which shall forsake thee or thou forsake it, & thou shalt beare
nothing with thee, but it shal dwel to other, but as thou were borne
naked, so shalt thou bee done in earth. And Alexander was greatly
astonied of this aunswere, & if it be so that they haue not the
articles of our faithe, neverthelesse I beleve that God loveth their
service to gree,[3] as he did of Job that was a Paynim, the which
he held for his true servant and many other. I beeleve well that God
loveth al those that love him and serve him mekely and truely, and
that despise the vaine glory of the world as these men doe, and as
Job did, and therefore saide our Lorde through the mouth of the holy
prophet Isay,[4] _Ponam eis multiplices Leges meas_, That is to say,
I will put my laws to them in many maners, & the gospell saith thus,
_Alias oves habeo, que non sunt ex hoc ovili_, That is to say I
haue other shepe that are not of this folde, and thereto accordeth the
vision that saint Peter saw at Jaffe how the aungell came from heaven,
& brought with him of all maner of beastes, as serpents and divers
foules, and said to sainct Peter, Take and eat. And sainct Peter
aunswered, I eat never of uncleane beste. And the aungell sayde to
him, _Non dicas inmunda, que Deus mundavit_. That is to saye, Call
thou not those things uncleane that God hath clened. This was done in
token that men sholde not haue many men in despite for their divers
lawes, for we wot never whom God loveth & whom God hateth.
[Footnote 1: Misprint for _aught_, anything.]
[Footnote 2: End, termination.]
[Footnote 3: Pleasure, "please Him."]
[Footnote 4: Others say Hosea.]