_Of the Hills of Gold that Pismires keep_. _And of the four Floods that
come from Paradise Terrestrial_
TOWARD the east part of Prester John’s land is an isle good and great,
that men clepe Taprobane, that is full noble and full fructuous. And the
king thereof is full rich, and is under the obeissance of Prester John.
And always there they make their king by election. In that isle be two
summers and two winters, and men harvest the corn twice a year. And in
all the seasons of the year be the gardens flourished. There dwell good
folk and reasonable, and many Christian men amongst them, that be so rich
that they wit not what to do with their goods. Of old time, when men
passed from the land of Prester John unto that isle, men made ordinance
for to pass by ship, twenty-three days, or more; but now men pass by ship
in seven days. And men may see the bottom of the sea in many places, for
it is not full deep.
Beside that isle, toward the east, be two other isles. And men clepe
that one Orille, and that other Argyte, of the which all the land is mine
of gold and silver. And those isles be right where that the Red Sea
departeth from the sea ocean. And in those isles men see there no stars
so clearly as in other places. For there appear no stars, but only one
clear star that men clepe Canapos. And there is not the moon seen in all
the lunation, save only the second quarter.
In the isle also of this Taprobane be great hills of gold, that pismires
keep full diligently. And they fine the pured gold, and cast away the
un-pured. And these pismires be great as hounds, so that no man dare
come to those hills for the pismires would assail them and devour them
anon. So that no man may get of that gold, but by great sleight. And
therefore when it is great heat, the pismires rest them in the earth,
from prime of the day into noon. And then the folk of the country take
camels, dromedaries, and horses and other beasts, and go thither, and
charge them in all haste that they may; and after that, they flee away in
all haste that the beasts may go, or the pismires come out of the earth.
And in other times, when it is not so hot, and that the pismires ne rest
them not in the earth, then they get gold by this subtlety. They take
mares that have young colts or foals, and lay upon the mares void vessels
made there-for; and they be all open above, and hanging low to the earth.
And then they send forth those mares for to pasture about those hills,
and with-hold the foals with them at home. And when the pismires see
those vessels, they leap in anon: and they have this kind that they let
nothing be empty among them, but anon they fill it, be it what manner of
thing that it be; and so they fill those vessels with gold. And when
that the folk suppose that the vessels be full, they put forth anon the
young foals, and make them to neigh after their dams. And then anon the
mares return towards their foals with their charges of gold. And then
men discharges them, and get gold enough by this subtlety. For the
pismires will suffer beasts to go and pasture amongst them, but no man in
no wise.
And beyond the land and the isles and the deserts of Prester John’s
lordship, in going straight toward the east, men find nothing but
mountains and rocks, full great. And there is the dark region, where no
man may see, neither by day ne by night, as they of the country say. And
that desert and that place of darkness dure from this coast unto Paradise
terrestrial, where that Adam, our formest father, and Eve were put, that
dwelled there but little while: and that is towards the east at the
beginning of the earth. But that is not that east that we clepe our
east, on this half, where the sun riseth to us. For when the sun is east
in those parts towards Paradise terrestrial, it is then midnight in our
parts on this half, for the roundness of the earth, of the which I have
touched to you of before. For our Lord God made the earth all round in
the mid place of the firmament. And there as mountains and hills be and
valleys, that is not but only of Noah’s flood, that wasted the soft
ground and the tender, and fell down into valleys, and the hard earth and
the rocks abide mountains, when the soft earth and tender waxed nesh
through the water, and fell and became valleys.
Of Paradise ne can I not speak properly. For I was not there. It is far
beyond. And that forthinketh me. And also I was not worthy. But as I
have heard say of wise men beyond, I shall tell you with good will.
Paradise terrestrial, as wise men say, is the highest place of earth,
that is in all the world. And it is so high that it toucheth nigh to the
circle of the moon, there as the moon maketh her turn; for she is so high
that the flood of Noah ne might not come to her, that would have covered
all the earth of the world all about and above and beneath, save Paradise
only alone. And this Paradise is enclosed all about with a wall, and men
wit not whereof it is; for the walls be covered all over with moss, as it
seemeth. And it seemeth not that the wall is stone of nature, ne of none
other thing that the wall is. And that wall stretcheth from the south to
the north, and it hath not but one entry that is closed with fire,
burning; so that no man that is mortal ne dare not enter.
And in the most high place of Paradise, even in the middle place, is a
well that casteth out the four floods that run by divers lands. Of the
which, the first is clept Pison, or Ganges, that is all one; and it
runneth throughout Ind or Emlak, in the which river be many precious
stones, and much of lignum aloes and much gravel of gold. And that other
river is clept Nilus or Gison, that goeth by Ethiopia and after by Egypt.
And that other is clept Tigris, that runneth by Assyria and by Armenia
the great. And that other is clept Euphrates, that runneth also by Media
and Armenia and by Persia. And men there beyond say, that all the sweet
waters of the world, above and beneath, take their beginning of the well
of Paradise, and out of that well all waters come and go.
The first river is clept Pison, that is to say in their language
Assembly; for many other rivers meet them there, and go into that river.
And some men clepe it Ganges, for a king that was in Ind, that hight
Gangeres, and that it ran throughout his land. And that water [is] in
some place clear, and in some place troubled, in some place hot, and in
some place cold.
The second river is clept Nilus or Gison; for it is always trouble; and
Gison, in the language of Ethiopia, is to say, trouble, and in the
language of Egypt also.
The third river, that is dept Tigris, is as much for to say as,
fast-running; for he runneth more fast than any of the tother; and also
there is a beast, that is clept tigris, that is fast-running.
The fourth river is clept Euphrates, that is to say, well-bearing; for
there grow many goods upon that river, as corns, fruits and other goods
enough plenty.
And ye shall understand that no man that is mortal ne may not approach to
that Paradise. For by land no man may go for wild beasts that be in the
deserts, and for the high mountains and great huge rocks that no man may
pass by, for the dark places that be there, and that many. And by the
rivers may no man go. For the water runneth so rudely and so sharply,
because that it cometh down so outrageously from the high places above,
that it runneth in so great waves, that no ship may not row ne sail
against it. And the water roareth so, and maketh so huge noise and so
great tempest, that no man may hear other in the ship, though he cried
with all the craft that he could in the highest voice that he might.
Many great lords have assayed with great will, many times, for to pass by
those rivers towards Paradise, with full great companies. But they might
not speed in their voyage. And many died for weariness of rowing against
those strong waves. And many of them became blind, and many deaf, for
the noise of the water. And some were perished and lost within the
waves. So that no mortal man may approach to that place, without special
grace of God, so that of that place I can say you no more; and therefore,
I shall hold me still, and return to that, that I have seen.