Mandeville's travels : the Egerton version / from the edition by George F. Warner.

CHAPTER XXVIII

[Of the emperour of Persye; and of the lond of derknesse; and of other kyngdomes that belongen to the Grete Cane, and other londes of his vnto the see of Grece.]

HERE hafe I talde ȝow of landes and kyngdommes toward þe north, to comme doune fra þe land of Catay vnto þe landes of Pruysse and Ruscy, whare Cristen men dwellez; and now will I tell ȝow of oþer landes and kyngdommes in commyng doune fra Catay to þe see of Grece toward Cristen land on toþar syde. And for als mykill as, next þe Grete Caan of Catay and Prestre Iohn þe emperoure of Inde, þe emperour of Perse es þe grettest londe, þertore I will first speke of him and of his kyngdom. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat he has twa kyngdommes, of whilk ane begynnez estward at þe kyngdom of Turquesten and it lastez westward to þe ryuer of Phison, þe whilk es ane of þe foure fludez þat commez oute of Paradyse. And [folio 106b] toward þe north it lastez to þe see of Caspye; and southward it lastez to þe desertes of Inde. And þis land es gude and plentifous, and mykill folk þerin and many citeez. Bot twa principall citeez of þat land er called Bactria aad Seormegraunt. Þe toþer kyngdomme lastez fra þe ryuer of Phisoun toward þe west vnto þe land of Medy and Ermony þe mare, and toward þe north vnto þe see of Caspy, and southward to þe land of Inde. And þis es a plentifous cuntree and a gude. And þare er þarin three principall citeez, þat es to say Nessabon, Saphaon, and Sarmassane.

And þan es þe land of Ennony, þe whilk was sum tyme diuided in foure kyngdommes. Þis es a grete land and a plentifous and gude. And it begynnes at Perse and lastez toward þe west on lenth vnto þe land of Turky; and on brede it lastez fra þe citee of Alisaundre, þat now es called Porte de Fer, [ȝate of Helle, C.] vnto þe land of Medy. In þis land of Ermony er many faire citeez, bot Taurisius es maste of name.

Þan es þe land of Medie, þe whilk es riȝt lang, bot noȝt full brade. And it begynnez estward at þe land of Perse and Inde þe less, and lastez westward to þe kyngdom of Caldee, and northward to Lytill Ermony. In þis land of Medy er many grete hilles and lytill playne. And þare dwellez Sarzenes and anoþer maner of folk, þat men callez Cordynes. Þe principall citeez of þat land er called Seras and Kermen.

[folio 107]

And þan next es þe kyngdom of Georgy, þe whilk begynnez estward at a grete hill þat es called Abior. In þis land dwellez many diuerse naciouns; and þis land es called Halamo. And it lastez vnto Turky and to þe grete see; and southeward it marchez apon Ermony þe mare. In þis land er twa cuntreez; þe tane es called Georgy and þe toþer Abcaz. And ayþer of þam has a kyng, and bathe er þai Cristen; bot þe kyng of Georgee es vnder þe subieccion of þe Grete Caan. Bot þe kyng of Abeaz es subiecte till na man, for his land es riȝt strang of þe self and þerfore he defendez him wele agayne all men.

In þis land of Abcaz es a grete meruaile; for þare es a cuntree þe whilk es nere three day iourneez vmgang, and it es called Hamson. And þat cuntree es couerd all ouer with mirkness, [derkness, C.] so þat men þat er withouten may noȝt see anything [any, erased, and "no" interlined.] þerin; and þer dare na man ga in to þat cuntree for þe mirkness. And neuerþeles men þat dwellez in þe cuntree nere aboute it saise þat þai may sum tyme here þerin þe voice of men, and horsez nye, and cokkes crawe, and þareby wate þai wele þat sum maner of men dwellez þare, bot þai wate noȝt whatkyn men þai er. And þai say alsso þat þis mirkness come thurgh myracle of Godd, þat he schewed þare for Cristen men; and þat fynd þai writen in alde storyes amanges oþer wonders and meruailes. For are was sum tyme a wikked tiraunt þat was emperour of þe land of Perse, and he was called Taures. Þis emperour persued Cristen men in his tyme, all þat ware within his empyre; and he went aboute ferre and nere with a grete oste for to destruy [folio 107b] þam, or elles to gerre þam make sacrifice to his mawmetz. And in þat cuntree dwelled many Cristen men, þe whilk forsuke all þaire gudes and þaire ricchess and fledd by cause of þe persecucioun of þat tiraunt, and wald hafe gane in to Grece. And, when þai ware all gadred sammen in a faire playne, þe whilk es called Megon, þe emperour þat was warned of þaire fleyng lay before þam with his oste for to fall apon þam and sla þam. And, when þe Cristen men sawe þam com to þam wardes, þai ware riȝt ferde, and þai sette þam all apon þaire kneesse and besoght Godd to helpe þam and saue þam fra þaire enmys. And alssone come a thikke mirkness and vmbelapped þe emperour and all his oste, so þat þai myȝt nower go away; and so dwell þai ȝet in þat mirkness and euermare schall. [and so schulle þei euermore abyden in þat derknesse tille the day of dome be the myracle of God, C.] And þe Cristen men went whare þai wald; and þerfore may þai say with þe prophete Dauid on þis wyse, “A Domino factum est istud et est mirabile in oculis nostris”, [Ps. cxvii. 23. C omits the English translation as usual.] þat es to say, "Of oure Lorde es þis done, and it es wonderfull io oure sight." And me think þat þis miracle and swilke oþer schuld stirre Cristen men to be mare deuote ynentez Godd þan þai er now on days [þan ony other men of ony other secte, C.] for withouten doute, ware ne þer ware so mykill wikkednes and syn amanges Cristen men, þai schuld be lordes of all þe werld and soueraynes. For Godd es euermare redy for to succoure and helpe his lele seruandes, þat seruez him duely with a clene hert, so

þat he will send þam þe ouerhand of þaire enmys, as þe prophete saise, “Quomodo persequebatur vnus mille, et [folio 108] duo fugarent decem milla”, [Deut. xxxii. 30, with "persequatur" and "fugent" (cf. French text).] þat es to say, "Ane of þi trewe seruandes pursued a thousand mescreauntes [] , and twa chaced x^m." And Dauid saise on þis wyse, "On þine a syde sall fall a thowsand, and on þine oþer syde x^m." And how þis may be he tellez efterward in Haly Wrytte, “Quia manus Domini fecit hoc”, þat es to say, "For þe myght of oure Lorde Godd duse all þis." [And oure Lord him self seyth (Ps. lxxx. 15), be þe prophetes mouth, etc. (cf. French text), adds C.] And þus it may appertely be proued þat, and we will be gude men, oure enmys may noȝt agayne stand vs. [enduren aȝenst vs, C.] Oute of þis land commez a riuer þat by certayne taknez schewez hat men dwellez þerin; neuerþeles þare dare na man comme þerin.

And ȝe schall vnderstand þat in þir forsaid rewmes of Georgy and Abcaz and of Ermony þe less er dwelland gude Cristen men and deuote. For þai schryue þam ilke a woke [ones or twyes in the woke, C.] and er howseld; and sum of þam er schryuen and howseld ilke a day. And [And so do wee not on this half, alle be it þat seynt Poul commandeth it, seyenge, etc. (cf. French text). Thei kepen þat commandement, but wee ne kepen it not, C. The passage quoted is not from St. Paul.] in þis þai schewe mare deuocioun þan we do, þat er vnnethez anez in a ȝere schryfen and howseld.

Next þis land es þe rewlm of Turky, þe whilk marchez apon Grete Ermony. And þare in er many cuntreez, as Lycony, Saure, Capadoce, Bryke, Quificion, Pytan and Geneth. In ilkane of þir cuntreez er many citeez faire and gude. Þis land of Turky lastez to þe citee of Sakara, þe whilke standes apon þe Grekez see; and also it marchez apon Surry, þe whilke es a grete cuntree and a gude, as I talde ȝow before. Also [folio 108b] amanges þir forsaid landes towardes Inde es þe land of Caldee, þe whilk lastez fra þe hilles of Caldee estward vnto þe citee of Niniue, þat standez apon þe riuer of Tygre, on lenth; and on brede it begynnez northward at þe citee of Maraga and lastez southward to þe grete see Occian. Þe land of Caldee es a playne cuntree, and þare bot few riuers þerin.

And next þe land of Caldee es þe land of Mesopotamy, þe whilk begynnez estward at þe riuer of Tygre at a citee þat men callez Mosell, and it lastez westward to þe riuer of Eufrates at a citee þat men callez Rochays; and on brede it lastez fra þe mountez of Ermony vnto þe desertez of Inde þe lesse. And it es a playne cuntree and a gude and plentifous, and few riuers þerin. And twa hie mountaynez er þerin, [It hath (il y a) but ii. mountaynes in þat contree, C.] of whilk þe tane es called Symar and þe toþer Lyson. And it marchez to þe land of Caldee.

And ȝe schall vnderstand þat Ethiopie marchez [ȝit þere is toward the parties meridionales many contrees and many regyouns, as the lond of Ethiope þat marcheth, etc., C.] estward to þe grete deserte, westward to þe land of Numidy, southward to Mauritane, and northward to þe Reed See. And Mauritane lastez fra þe hillez of Ethiopie vnto Liby þe hye; and it liggez on lenth endlang þe grete see Occeane southward, and northward it marchez apon Numidy and Liby þe hie. In Namidy dwellez Cristen men; and it marchez apon þir forsaid landez and to þc deserte of Egipte, of whilk I spak before. And þan es Liby, þe hie and þe lawe, þe whilk commez [folio 109] doune toward þe Spaynisch see. In þe whilk cuntree er many diuerse folk and diuerse naciouns. Here hafe I talde ȝow of many cuntreez þat er on þis syde of þe grete kyngdom of Catay, of þe whilk many er obeischaunt to þe Grete Caan.