_Of the Country of Egypt_; _of the Bird Phoenix of Arabia_; _of the City
of Cairo_; _of the Cunning to know Balm and to prove it_; _and of the
Garners of Joseph_
EGYPT is a long country, but it is straight, 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 abroad
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 that flood of that river. And forasmuch as it ne
raineth not in that country, but the air is alway pure and clear,
therefore in that country be the good astronomers, for they find there no
clouds to letten them. Also the city of Cairo is right great and more
huge than that of Babylon the less, and it sitteth above toward the
desert of Syria, a little above the river above-said.
In Egypt there be two parts: the height, that is toward Ethiopia, and the
lower, that is toward Arabia. In Egypt is the land of Rameses and the
land of Goshen. Egypt is a strong country, for it hath many shrewd
havens because of the great rocks that be strong and dangerous to pass
by. And at Egypt, toward the east, is the Red Sea, that dureth unto the
city of Coston; and toward the west is the country of Lybia, that is a
full dry land and little of fruit, for it is overmuch plenty of heat, and
that land is clept Fusthe. And toward the part meridional is Ethiopia.
And toward the north is the desert, that dureth unto Syria, and so is the
country strong on all sides. And it is well a fifteen journeys of
length, and more than two so much of desert, and it is but two journeys
in largeness. And between Egypt and Nubia it hath well a twelve journeys
of desert. And men of Nubia be Christian, but they be black as the Moors
for great heat of the sun.
In Egypt there be five provinces: that one is Sahythe; that other
Demeseer; another Resith, that is an isle in the Nile; another
Alexandria; and another the land of Damietta. That city was wont to be
right strong, but it was twice won of the Christian men, and therefore
after that the Saracens beat down the walls; and with the walls the tower
thereof, the Saracens made another city more far from the sea, and clept
it the new Damietta; so that now no man dwelleth at the rather town of
Damietta. At that city of Damietta is one of the havens of Egypt; and at
Alexandria is that other. That is a full strong city, but there is no
water to drink, but if it come by conduit from Nile, that entereth into
their cisterns; and whoso stopped that water from them, they might not
endure there. In Egypt there be but few forcelets or castles, because
that the country is so strong of himself.
At the deserts of Egypt was a worthy man, that was an holy hermit, and
there met with him a monster (that is to say, a monster is a thing
deformed against kind both of man or of beast or of anything else, and
that is clept a monster). And this monster, that met with this holy
hermit, was as it had been a man, that had two horns trenchant on his
forehead; and he had a body like a man unto the navel, and beneath he had
the body like a goat. And the hermit asked him what he was. And the
monster answered him, and said he was a deadly creature, such as God had
formed, and dwelt in those deserts in purchasing his sustenance. And
[he] besought the hermit, that he would pray God for him, the which that
came from heaven for to save all mankind, and was born of a maiden and
suffered passion and death (as we well know) and by whom we live and be.
And yet is the head with the two horns of that monster at Alexandria for
a marvel.
In Egypt is the city of Heliopolis, 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 that
temple at the end of five hundred year; for so long he liveth. And at
the five hundred years’ end, the priests array their altar honestly, and
put thereupon spices and sulphur vif 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 next after, men find a bird quick and perfect; and the third
day next after, he flieth his way. 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 ne is
no God but one; and also, that our Lord arose from death to life the
third day. This bird men see often-time fly in those countries; and he
is not mickle more than an eagle. And he hath a crest of feathers upon
his head more great than the peacock hath; and is neck his yellow after
colour of an oriel that is a stone well shining, and his beak is coloured
blue as ind; and his wings be of purple colour, and his tail is barred
overthwart with green and yellow and red. And he is a full fair bird to
look upon, against the sun, for he shineth full gloriously and nobly.
Also in Egypt be gardens, that have trees and herbs, the which bear
fruits seven times in the year. And in that land men find many fair
emeralds and enough; and therefore they be greater cheap. Also when it
raineth once in the summer in the land of Egypt, then is all the country
full of great mires. Also at Cairo, that I spake of before, sell men
commonly both men and women of other laws as we do here beasts in the
market. And there is a common house in that city that is all full of
small furnaces, and thither bring women of the town their eyren of hens,
of geese, and or ducks for to be put into those furnaces. And they that
keep that house cover them with heat of horse dung, without hen, goose or
duck or any other fowl. And at the end of three weeks or of a month they
come again and take their chickens and flourish them and bring them
forth, so that all the country is full of them. And so men do there both
winter and summer.
Also in that country and in others also, men find long apples to sell, in
their season, and men clepe them apples of Paradise; and they be right
sweet and of good savour. And though ye cut them in never so many
gobbets or parts, overthwart or endlong, evermore ye shall find in the
midst the figure of the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesu. But they will rot
within eight days, and for that cause men may not carry of those apples
to no far countries; of them men find the mountance of a hundred in a
basket, and they have great leaves of a foot and a half of length, and
they be convenably large. And men find there also the apple tree of
Adam, that have a bite at one of the sides; and there be also fig trees
that bear no leaves, but figs upon the small branches; and men clepe them
figs of Pharaoh.
Also beside Cairo, without that city, is the field where balm groweth;
and it cometh out on small trees, that be none higher than to a man’s
breeks’ girdle, and they seem as wood that is of the wild vine. And in
that field be seven wells, that our Lord Jesu Christ made with one of his
feet, when he went to play with other children. That field is not so
well closed, but that men may enter at their own list; but in that season
that the balm is growing, men put thereto good keeping, that no man dare
be hardy to enter.
This balm groweth in no place, but only there. And though that men bring
of the plants, for to plant in other countries, they grow well and fair;
but they bring forth no fructuous thing, and the leaves of balm fall not.
And men cut the branches with a sharp flintstone, or with a sharp bone,
when men will go to cut them; for whoso cut them with iron, it would
destroy his virtue and his nature.
And the Saracens clepe the wood _Enonch-balse_, and the fruit, the which
is as cubebs, they clepe _Abebissam_, and the liquor that droppeth from
the branches they clepe _Guybalse_. And men make always that balm to be
tilled of the Christian men, or else it would not fructify; as the
Saracens say themselves, for it hath been often-time proved. Men say
also, that the balm groweth in Ind the more, in that desert where
Alexander spake to the trees of the sun and of the moon, but I have not
seen it; for I have not been so far above upward, because that there be
too many perilous passages.
And wit ye well, that a man ought to take good keep for to buy balm, but
if he con know it right well, for he may right lightly be deceived. For
men sell a gum, that men clepe turpentine, instead of balm, and they put
thereto a little balm for to give good odour. And some put wax in oil of
the wood of the fruit of balm, and say that it is balm. And some distil
cloves of gilofre and of spikenard of Spain and of other spices, that be
well smelling; and the liquor that goeth out thereof they clepe it balm,
and they think that they have balm, and they have none. For the Saracens
counterfeit it by subtlety of craft for to deceive the Christian men, as
I have seen full many a time; and after them the merchants and the
apothecaries counterfeit it eft sones, and then it is less worth, and a
great deal worse.
But if it like you, I shall shew how ye shall know and prove, to the end
that ye shall not be deceived. First ye shall well know, that the
natural balm is full clear, and of citron colour and strongly smelling;
and if it be thick, or red or black, it is sophisticate, that is to say,
counterfeited and made like it for deceit. And understand, that if ye
will put a little balm in the palm of your hand against the sun, if it be
fine and good, ye ne shall not suffer your hand against the heat of the
sun. Also take a little balm with the point of a knife, and touch it to
the fire, and if it burn it is a good sign. After take also a drop of
balm, and put it into a dish, or in a cup with milk of a goat, and if it
be natural balm anon it will take and beclippe the milk. Or put a drop
of balm in clear water in a cup of silver or in a clear basin, stir it
well with the clear water; and if the balm be fine and of his own kind,
the water shall never trouble; and if the balm be sophisticate, that is
to say counterfeited, the water shall become anon trouble; and also if
the balm be fine it shall fall to the bottom of the vessel, as though it
were quicksilver, for the fine balm is more heavy twice than is the balm
that is sophisticate and counterfeited. Now I have spoken of balm.
And now also I shall speak of another thing that is beyond Babylon, above
the flood of the Nile, toward the desert between Africa and Egypt; that
is to say, of the garners of Joseph, that he let make for to keep the
grains for the peril of the dear years. And they be made of stone, full
well made of masons’ craft; of the which two be marvellously great and
high, and the tother ne be not so great. And every garner hath a gate
for to enter within, a little high from the earth; for the land is wasted
and fallen since the garners were made. And within they be all full of
serpents. And above the garners without be many scriptures of diverse
languages. And some men say, that they be sepultures of great lords,
that were sometime, but that is not true, for all the common rumour and
speech is of all the people there, both far and near, that they be the
garners of Joseph; and so find they in their scriptures, and in their
chronicles. On the other part, if they were sepultures, they should not
be void within, ne they should have no gates for to enter within; for ye
may well know, that tombs and sepultures be not made of such greatness,
nor of such highness; wherefore it is not to believe, that they be tombs
or sepultures.
In Egypt also there be diverse languages and diverse letters, and of
other manner and condition than there be in other parts. As I shall
devise you, such as they be, and the names how they clepe them, to such
intent, that ye may know the difference of them and of others,—Athoimis,
Bimchi, Chinok, Duram, Eni, Fin, Gomor, Heket, Janny, Karacta, Luzanin,
Miche, Naryn, Oldach, Pilon, Qyn, Yron, Sichen, Thola, Urmron, Yph and
Zarm, Thoit.