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

CHAPTER V. 1

[Of diversities in Cyprus; of the road from Cyprus to Jerusalem; and of the marvel of a fosse full of sand.]

FRA þis ile of Rodes men passez in to Cypre, whare er many vynes, of þe whilk es made noble wyne and myghty; þe whilk er þe first ȝere reed, and after a ȝere it turnez to whyte, and, ay þe elder it es, þe whittere it waxes and þe mare clere and mare myghty and þe better smell hase. Vnto Cypre men passez by a place þat es called þe Gulf of Cathaly, 2 þe whilk was sum tyme a grete cuntree and a faire, and a faire citee þerin, þat hight Cathaly. And all þat cuntree was lost thurgh foly of a ȝong man. For þer was a faire damysell whilk he luffed wele, and scho dyed sudaynely and was layd in a graue of marble; and for þe grete lufe þat he had to hir he went on a nyght til hir grafe and opned it and went in and lay by hir and ȝode his way. And at þe nynde moneth end a voice come to him on a nyght and said, "Ga to þe graue of þat womman and open it, and behald what þou has geten on hir. And, if þou ga noght, þou schall hafe grete harme and grete disese." And he went and opned þe grafe, and þer flewe oute a heued 3 riȝt horrible and hidous to see, þe whilk flewe all aboute þe citee, and alssone it sank and all þe cuntree aboute it. And þare er many perilous passagez.

Fra Rodes to Cypre es nere v^c myle; bot men may wende to Cipre and noȝt com at Rodes. Cypre es a gude ile and a grete; and þare er many gude citez, bot principally foure. Þare er also three bischopes and ane [folio 12b] ercebischope. Þe ercebischope see es at Nicosy. 4 Þe principale citee of Cypre es Famagost 5; and þare es þe best hauen of þe see in all þe werld, for þare arryues Cristen men and hathen and men of all naciouns. And in 6 Cypre es anoþer hauen at þe citee of Lymettes. 7 In Cypre also es þe hill of þe Haly Crosse; and þare es ane abbay of mounkes, and þare es þe crosse of þe gude theeffe Dismas, as I hafe said before. And sum trowes þat þare es þe half of þe crosse of oure Lord, bot it es noȝt so. In Cipre lyes sayn Genouefe, of wham men of þat cuntree makes grete feste and grete sollempnytee. And in þe castell of Amours liez þe body of saynt Hillarion, and men kepes it full wirschipfully. In Cipre men huntes with papiouns, þe whilk er

lyke to leoperds; and þai take wylde bestes riȝt wele, ȝa better and mare swiftly þan hundes. And þai er sum dele mare þan lyouns. 1 In Cipre es þe maner þat all men, bathe lordes and oþer, etez þaire mete apon þe erthe. For þai make pittes in þe erthe all aboute þe hall, depe to þe knee, and þai ger paue þam wele; and, when þai will ete, þai ga in to þa pittes and settes þam doune. And þis es þe cause, for to be mare fresche; for þat land es mare hate þan it es here. At grete festes, and for straunge men þat commez þider, þai sette burdes and fourmes, as men duse in þis cuntree; bot þai ware leuer sitte on þe erthe.

In Cipre 2 þer es a laake half a myle fra þe see, þe water of þe whilk ilk a ȝere a certayne tyme congelez in to gude salt; and þerfor schippes þat commes fra þe Haly Land commes þer away for to fraght þam with þat salt.

[folio 13]

Fra Cipre men may wende by ysee and by land to Ierusalem; and in a day and a nyght he þat has gude wynd may com to þe hauen of Tyre, þat now es called Surry, 3 and it 4 es at þe entree of Surrie. Þare was sum tyme a faire citee of Cristen men, but Sarzenes hase destruyd it a grete party; and þai kepe þat hauen riȝt strangly, for drede þat þai hase of Cristen men. Men myght passe to þat hauen righter and better and com noȝt at Cipre, bot þai wende gladly to Cipre to rest þam þare on þe land and to refresch þam, and 5 also to fraght þer schippes with salt, as I talde ȝow before, and to by þam oþer thinges þat þai hafe nede off to þaire liffing. At Tyre euen apon þe see syde men may fynd many rubies. And þare es also þe well of whilk haly writte 6 saise þus, “Fons ortorum, puteus aquarum viuencium”. In þis citee of Tyre said þe womman Samaritane til oure Lorde þir wordes, 7 “Beatus venter qui te portauit et vbera que suxisti”, þat es at say, "Blissed be þe wambe þe bare and þe pappes þat þou sowked." And þare forgafe oure Lord þe womman of Cananee hir synnes. Before þe citee of Tyre was sum tyme þe stane whareon oure Lorde satte and preched; and on þat stane was founded þe kirk of saynt Saueour.

And viii. myle fra Tyre apon þe see syde es þe citee of Saphon, 8 or Sarepte, toward þe este. Þare was þe prophete Helyas wont for to dwelle; and þare raised oure Lorde Iesus þe wydow son 9 fra deed to lyue. And v. myle þeine es þe citee of Sydon, of whilk citee Dydo, þat was Eneas wyf after þe destruccion of Troy, was lady. And scho founded Cartage in Affryk; the whilk es now called Dydoncato. 10 In þe citee of Tyre regned [folio 13b] Achilles, Dydon fader. And xviii. myle fra Sydon es þe citee of Beruch. 11 And fra Beruch three day iourneez es þe cytee of Sardyne. And fyue myle þeine es þe citee of Damasc.

Qwha so wil ga langer tyme on þe see and com nere to Ierusalem, he schall go fra Cipre by see vnto porte Jaff, for þat es þe next hauen to Ierusalem. For fra þat hauen to Ierusalem es noȝt bot a day iournee and a half. Þare es þe citee of Joppe; bot it es called Jaffe after ane of Noe sones, þat hight Japhet, whilk founded it. And sum men saise it es þe eldest citee of þe werld, for it was made before Noe flude. And þare er banes 1 of a geaunt, þat hight Andromedes; and ane of his ribbes es xl. fote lang. Wha so arrvues at þe first hauen of Tyre or of Surry, whilk I spakke off before, he may, if he will, ga by land to Ierusalem. And he sall ga to þe citee of Acon, 2 þat was sum tyme called Tholomayda, a day iournee fra Tyre. And it was a citee of Cristen men sum tyme, bot now it es destruyd for þe maste party. And fra Venice til Acon es by see ii^m and iiij^xx2080 myle of Lumbardy; and fra Calabre, or fra Cicil, til Acon es i^m and ccc. myle. And þe ile of Grece 3 es riȝt in þe mydde way. Beside þe citee of Acon toward þe see, as it ware sex score furlangs þeine, on þe riȝt hand toward þe south es þe hill of Carmele, whare Helyas þe prophete dwelled. And þare was þe order of frere Carmes first founded. Þis hill es noȝt riȝt grete ne hie. At þe fote of þis hill was sum tyme a gude cytee of Cristen men, þat men called Cayphas, 4 [folio 14] because þat Cayphas founded it; bot it es now all wasted. And at þe left syde of þe hill es a toune þat men calles Saffre, 5 and it es sette apon anoþer hill. Þare was sayn Jame and sayn John borne; and in þe place of þaire birthe þer es a faire kirke standand. Also fra Acon til a hill þat men calles Scale de Tyre 6 es a c. furlangs.

And be syde of Acon rynnes a litil riuer, þat men calles Belyon, 7 and þare nere es þe fosse of Mynon, all rounde, þe whilk es nere hand a c. cubites large; and it es all full of grauell. And if þer be neuer so mykil taken on þe ta day, on the morue it es als full as euer it was; and þat es a grete meruaile. And þer es euermare grete wynd in þat fosse, þat stirres all way þe grauell and makez it to buyle vp. And if a man putte þerin any metell, it turnez alssone in to glasse. Þis grauell es schynand, and men makes þeroff gude glasse and clere. Þe glasse þat es made of þis grauell, if it be putte agayne in to þe grauell, it turnes agayne in to grauell, as it was first. And sum saise þat it es a swelgh of þe Grauelly See. Men commes fra ferre cuntreez with schippes by see and with cartes by land to fecche of þat grauell.

Also fra Acon before said gase men three day iournez to þe citee of Palestyne, þat now es called Gaza, and it es a full faire citee and full of ricches and of folk. Fra þis citee til a hill withoute bare Sampson þe forte þe ȝates of þe citee, þe whilk ware made of brasse. And in þat citee he sloghe þe kyng in his palays and many oþer also aboute iij^m, and himselfe with þam. For þai had taken him and putte oute bathe his eghen, and culled [folio 14b] off his hare, and putte him in prisoun. And at þaire festes þai broght him furth before þam and made dance before þam and make iapes. So on a hie feste day, when he was wery for þat he danced before þam, he bad him þat ledd him þat he suld lede him to þe post þat bare vp all þe hous; and he tuke þe post in his armes and schoke doune all þe hous apon þam, and so he sloghe himself and all þat ware þerin, as it telles in þe bible in xvi. chapetre of Judicum. Fra þis citee 1 men may ga to þe citee of Gerare, and so to þe castell of Pilgrimes, and so to Ascalon, and þan to Iaff, and so to Ierusalem.

He þat will ga first to Babilone whare þe Sowdane dwelles to hafe leue for to passe mare surely thurgh þe cuntreez and for to ga to þe mount Synay before he com to Ierusalem and þan turne agayne to Ierusalem, he sall ga fra Gaza to þe castell of Ayre. 2 And þan a man passez oute of Surry and enters in til wildernes, whare þe way es riȝt sandy. And þat wildernes lastes viii. day iournez. Neuerþeles men schall fynd all way by þe way all þat þam nedes of vitailes. Þis wildernes es called Acchelek. And, when a man commes oute of þis deserte, he enters in til Egipte, whilk also es called Canopak; and in anoþer langage it es called Merfyne. And þe first gude toune þat men fyndes es called Balbeor; 3 and it es at þe end of þe kyngdom of Halope. And fra þeine men gase til Babilon and to þe citee of Caire.

Notes

• 1

  There is no division or rubric here in C, although the matter following is not covered by the rubric of chp. iv.
• 2

  Satalia, or Adalia, on the mainland, N.W. of Cyprus.
• 3

  an eddere, C.
• 4

  Nicosia, Lefkosia.
• 5

  Famagosta.
• 6

  And in … Lymettes, om. C.
• 7

  Limasol.
• 1

  and þei taken more scharpelych the bestes and more delyuerly þan don houndes, C.
• 2

  In Cipre … þat salt, om. C.
• 3

  Sûr.
• 4

  and it … Surrie, om. C.
• 5

  and … before, om. C.
• 6

  Canticles [Song of Solomon], iv. 15.
• 7

  Luke xi. 27.
• 8

  Sûrafend.
• 9

  and þere reysed he [sc. Elijah] Jonas the widwes sone, C.
• 10

  and now is cleped Sydon Sayete, C.
• 11

  Beirut.
• 1

  irene cheynes, C, and otherwise following H literally.
• 2

  Acre, Akka, or Acco Ptolemais, 27 miles south of Tyre.
• 3

  i.e., Crete, as in C.
• 4

  Haifa, or Caiffa.
• 5

  Sepphoris, Seffûrieh.
• 6

  Scala Tyriorum, or Râs en Nâkûrah, north of Acre.
• 7

  Belus, Wâdy Abellin.
• 1

  i.e. Acre. The proper order, from north to south, of the places mentioned is Acre, Castellum Peregrinorum (i.e. 'Athlît), Cæsarea, Jaffa, Ascalon, and Gaza.
• 2

  Daron, Darum.
• 3

  Belbays.