_Of the wildernesse wherein groweth the trees of the sonne
& the Moone._
AND beyond that river is a great wildernesse as men that haue ben
there say. In this Wildernesse as men saye are the trees of the Sonne
and of the Mone that spake to Kyng Alexander and tolde him of his
death, and men saye that folke that kepe these trees & eate of the
fruits of them, they live foure or five hundred yeare through vertue
of the fruite, and we woulde gladly haue gone thyther, but I beleve
that an hundred thousand men of armes shold not passe that wildernesse
for great plenty of wilde beastes, as dragons and serpents that sley
men when they pass that way. In this lande are many Oliphantes
all white and blew without number, and unicornes & lyons of many
maners.[1] Many other yles are in the land of Prester John that were
to long to tell, and much ryches and nobly of precious stones in great
plenty. I beleve y^t we haue herd say why this Emperour is called
Prester John but for those that know it not I wil declare. There was
sometime an Emperour that was a noble prince, & doughty, & he had many
christen Knights with him and y^e Emperour thought hee woulde see the
service in Christen churches, and then was churches of christendome in
Turkey, Surry and Tartary, Hierusalem, Palistine, Araby and Alappy,[2]
and all the lordes[3] of Egypte. And thys Emperour came with a
Christen Knight into a church of Egipt and it was on a saterday after
Whit sonday when the byshop gaue orders, and he behelde the service
and he asked of the Knight what folke those should be that stode
before the Byshop, and the Knight sayd they should be prestes, & he
sayde he wold no more be called Kinge ne Emperour but preest, and he
would haue the name of him that came first out of the prestes and
he was called John, and so haue all the Emperors sythen[4] be called
Prester John. In this lande are many Christen men of good faith &
good lawe, and they haue prestes to sing masse, and they make the
sacrements as men of Grece do, but they say not but that y^e Apostles
said as saint Peter, and saint Thomas, and other apostles when they
song masse and said _Pater noster_, and the wordes with the which
Gods body is sacred; we haue many addicions of Popes that haue bene
ordeyned of which men in those countreys know not.
[Footnote 1: Kinds or sorts.]
[Footnote 2: ? Aleppo.]
[Footnote 3: Other editions read _land_.]
[Footnote 4: Since then.]