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

CHAPTER XV

[Of the customes of Sarasines and of hire lawe; and how the Soudan arresond me, auctour of this book; and of the begynnynge of Machomete.]

FOR als mykill as I hafe spoken of Sarzenes and of þaire landes, I will now tell ȝow a party of þaire lawe and þaire belefe, after þat it es contende in þe buke of þaire lawe, þat es called Alkaron. And sum callez it Messaph, and sum Harme, after langagez of diuerse cuntreez. Þe whilk buke Machomete gafe to þam. In þat buke amanges oþer thinges es contende, as I hafe oft tymes redd þerin and sene, þat gude men, when þai er deed, sall ga vnto Paradys and þai þat er wikked sall ga to þe payne of hell. And þis trowez stedfastly all Sarzenes. And, if a man ask þam of whilk paradys þai mene, þai say it es a place of delytez, [folio 55] whare a man schall fynd all maner of fruytez all tymes of þe ȝere, and riuers rynnand with wyne, mylke and hony, and fresch water; and þai schall hafe faire palaycez and grete and faire housez and gude, after þai hafe disserued, and þase palacez and housez er made of precious stanes, gold and siluer; and ilk a man sall hafe iiii^xx wyfes of faire damiselles, and he schall hafe at do with þam ay when him list, and he sall euermare fynd þam maydens. Þis trowe þai all þat þai sall hafe in paradys; and þis es agayne oure lawe. Also þe Sarzenes trowez þe incarnacioun, and gladly will þai speke of þe Virgin Mary and saise þat scho was lerned by [taughte of, C.] þe aungell and þat þe aungell Gabriell said to hir þat scho was chosen of Godd before þe begynnyng of þe werld for to consayfe Ihesu Criste and for to bere him, wham scho bare and scho mayden efter as scho was before; and þis witnessez wele þe buke of Alkaron. And þai say þat Criste spak alssone as he was borne, and þat he was and es a haly prophete and a verray in worde and in dede, and meke and riȝtwise to all and withouten vice. Þai afferme also þat, when þe aungell grette oure Lady and talde hir of þe incarnacioun, by cause scho was ȝung, scho was gretely aschamed and astonayd of his wordes, and principally, as þai say, by cause of a mysdoer þat was þat tyme in þat cuntree, þe whilk hight Takyna, þat delt with sorcery and thurgh his enchauntementz feyned him ane aungell and begyled ȝung damyselles oft sythes and lay by þam. And þerfore was Marie fered and coniured þe aungell þat he suld say hir wheþer he ware Takyna or noȝt. And þe aungell answerd hir and bad [folio 55b] hir hafe na drede, for he was verray messanger of Godd. Also þaire buke of Alkaroun saise þat, when Mary

was delyuer of hir childe vnder a palme tree, scho was gretely aschamed and weped and said scho wald scho ware deed. And alssone þe childe spakk and comforthed hir and said, "Be noȝt affered, for in þe Godd hase his sacrement [hath hidd in þe his preuytees, C.] for þe saluacioun of þis werld." And in many oþer placez witnessez þaire buke of Alkaron þat Ihesu Christ spakk alssone as he was borne. And þat buke saise þat Criste was sent fra Godd all myghty in til erthe for to be ensaumple and mirroure til all men. Þat buke also spekez of þe day of dome, how þat Godd schall comme and deme all men; þe gude he sall drawe on his party and gorifie þam in ioy withouten end, and þe wikked he sall dampne till ay lastand paynes of hell. Amanges all prophetes þai say þat Criste es þe best, þe worthiest and next to Godd, and þat he made þe Ewangels, in þe whilk es helefull teching and sothefastnes and preching til þaim þat trowes in Godd, and þat he was mare þan prophete, liffand withouten syn, þat gafe sight to þe blynd and heled meselles [lepres, C.] and raised men fra deed to lyf and went all qwikk in to heuen. And, when þai may get þe Gospels writen, þai do grete wirschepe to þam and namely þe gospell of Missus est, whilk gospell þai þat er letterd amanges þam kissez with grete deuocioun, and saise it oft tymes amanges þaire praiers. Þai fast ilk a ȝere a hale moneth, and etez na mete bot at euen, and abstenez þam fra þaire wyfez all þat moneth. Bot þai þat er seke er noȝt constreyned to þat fast. Also þe buke of Alkaron spekez of þe Iewes, and saise þat þai er [folio 56] wikked and cursen, for þai will noȝt trowe þat Ihesus was sent fra Godd; and þat þai lye falsly on Mary and hir son Ihesu Criste, when þai say þat þai didd him on þe crosse. For þai crucified noȝt Ihesus, as þai say, for Godd tuke him vp til him [sc. le fist Dieu monter, cf. French text; God made him to stye vp to him, C.] withouten deed and transfigured þe fourme and þe likness of his body in to Iudas Yscarioth, and him didd þe Iews on þe crosse and wend it had bene Ihesus. Bot Ihesus was taken all qwikk, þai say, in til heuen, and so [and so … werld, om. C.] sall he comme to deme all þe werld. And þis wate noȝt Cristen men; and þerfore þai say þai er noȝt right belefand, when þai trowe þat Ihesu Criste was done on þe crosse. All þir poyntes er contende in þe buke of Alkaron. Þe Sarzenes saise also þat, if Ihesu Criste had bene crucified, Godd þan had done agayne his riȝtwisness for to suffer swilk ane innocent die withouten gylt; and in þat þai say we erre. Neuerþeles in þat erre þai. Þai graunt wele þat all þe werkes of Criste and all his wordes and his techings and his ewaungelles er gude and trewe, and his myracles verray and clere; and þat þe Virgyne Mary was a gude mayden and a haly before þe birth of Criste and efter also and vnwemmed; and þat þase þat trowes perfitely in Godd sall be sauf. And,

for als mykill as þai ga þus nere oure faith in þir pointes and many oþer, me think þat mykill þe titter and þe lightlier þai schuld be conuerted till oure lawe thurgh preching and teching of Cristen men. Þai say þai wate wele and findez by þaire prophecies þat Machometes lawe sall faile, as þe Iewez lawe es failed, and þat þe Cristen lawe schall last to þe werldes end. And, if a man ask þam of þaire beleue and how þai trowe, þai [folio 56b] answere and saise, "We trowe in Godd, þat made heuen and oþer thinges of noght, and withouten him es na thing made. And we trowe þe day of dome schall comme, whare ilk man schall hafe his mede after his disserte. We trowe also verraily þat all es sothe þat Godd has spoken thurgh þe mouthes of his haly prophetez, whils þai welk in erthe." Also þai say þat Machomete bad and commaundid in þe buke of Alkaron, þat ilk a man schuld hafe three or foure wyfes. Bot now take þai ma, for sum of þam hase nyne; bot of concubines ilke man takes als many as he may sustene of his gudes. And, if any of þaire wyfes do amisse agaynes hir husband and lat anoþer man lye by hir, þan is it leuefull till hir husband to putte hir away fra him and take anoþer in hir steed; bot him behufez gyffe hir a porcioun of his gudes. Also, when men spekes to þam of þe Trinytee, þai say þai er three Persones, bot noȝt a Godd. For þaire buke of Alkaron spekes noȝt of Trinitee. Neuerþeles þai graunt and sais þat Godd has worde, and elles ware he dumbe; and þat he hase a spirit, and þat elles behufed him be withouten lyf. And, when men spekes to þam of Cristez incarnacioun, how by þe worde of þe aungell Godd sent wisdom in til erthe and lightid in Virgin Mary, and thurgh þe worde of Godd þai þat er deed schall be raised apon þe day of dome, þai say þat all þis es sothe, and all þis þai trowe, and þat Goddes worde has grete vertu, and he þat knawez noȝt Goddes worde he knawez noȝt Godd. Þai say also þat Criste was Goddes worde; and so saise þaire Alkaron, þare it saise þat þe aungell spakk to Mary and said, [folio 57] "Mary, Godd sall send to þe worde of his mouthe, and his name sall be called Ihesu Criste." Also þai say þat Abraham was Goddes frende, and Moyses Goddez forspeker, and Ihesu Criste was þe worde and þe gaste of Godd, and þat Macomete was þe verray messanger of Godd; and of all þir foure Ihesus was þe worthiest and maste excellent. And þus it semez þat þe Sarzenes has many articles of oure trouth, þof it be noȝt perfytely; and þarfore it ware þe lighter to conuerte þam and to bring þam till oure trouth, and namely þase þat er letterd and has knawyng of Scriptures. For þai hafe amanges þam þe Euaungelles and þe Prophetes and all þe Bible writen in Sarzene langage. Bot þai vnderstand noȝt haly writte spiritually, bot after þe letter, as þe Iews does; and þerfore saise sayne Paule, “Litera occidit, spiritus autem viuificat”, [II. Cor. iii.6.] þat es to say, "Þe lettre slaez, and þe

spirit qwikkens." And þerfore þe Sarzenes saise þat þe Iewes er wikked men and cursed, for þai hafe broken þe lawe þat Godd gafe þam thurgh Moyses; and Cristen men þai say er wikked and ill, for þai kepe noȝt þe commaundement of þe Gospell, whilk Ihesus Criste bad þam.

Now will I tell ȝow what þe Sowdan did tell me apon a day in his chaumbre. He gert all men void his chaumbre, bathe lordez and oþer þat ware þerin; for he wald speke with me in priuetee betwene vs twa. And, when all ware gane furth, he asked me how Cristen men gouerned þam in oure cuntreez. And I said, "Lord, wele; thanked be Godd." And he answerd and said, "Sikerly, nay. It es noght so. For ȝour prestez," quod [folio 57b] he, "seruez noȝt Godd duely in gude liffyng, as þai schuld do. For þai schuld giffe to lewed men ensaumple of gude liffyng, and þai do euen þe contrary; for þai giffe þam ensaumple of all wikkidness. And þerfore on haly days, when þe folk schuld go to þe kirke to serue Godd, þai go to þe tauerne and occupiez all þe day and perchaunce all þe nyght after in drinkyng and in glotry, as þai ware bestez oute of resoun, þat knawez noght when þai hafe ynoghe. And afterwardes thurgh drunkenness þai fall at grete wordes and feyghtes and flytez till ilk ane of þam sla oþer. Þe Cristen men also vsez ilkane to begyle oþer and falsely to swere grete athes. And þerwith þai er so bolned in pride and vayne glory, þat þai wate neuer how þai may clethe þam, bot now þai vse schort clathes, now syde, now strayte, now wyde." [now long, now schort. now streyt, now large, now swerded, now daggered, and in alle manere gyses, C.] "Ȝe schuld," he said, "be symple, meke and sothfast, and almous gerne, [fulle of almes dede, C.] as Criste was, in wham ȝe say ȝe trowe. Bot it es all oþerwise. For Cristen men er so prowde, so enuyous, so grete glotouns, and so licherous, and þerto so full of couetise, þat for a lytill siluer þai will sell þaire doghters, þaire sisters, ȝa and þaire awen wyfes, to lat men lye by þam. And ilk ane takes oþer wyf, and nane haldez his fayth till oþer; and so þe lawe þat Criste gaffe ȝow wikkidly and ill ȝe despise and brekez it. And certaynely for ȝour synne ȝe hafe lost all þis land, þe whilk we hafe and haldez. For by cause of ȝour ill liffing and ȝour synne and noȝt of oure strenth Godd has giffen it intill oure handes. And we wate wele þat, when ȝe serue ȝour Godd duely and wele and plesez him with gude werkes, na man schall mow agaynestand ȝow. We knawe wele also by oure prophecyes þat Cristen men schall recouer þis land agayne in tyme [folio 58] commyng, when ȝe serue ȝour Godd wele and deuotely. Bot als lang as ȝe liffe, as ȝe do, in wikkednes and in synne, we hafe na drede of ȝow; for ȝour Godd will noȝt helpe ȝow." When I had herd þe sowdan speke þir wordes and many ma whilk I will noȝt tell at þis tyme, I asked him with grete reuerence, how he come to þus mykill knawyng of þe state of Cristiantee. And þan he gert call in agayne all þe grete lordes and þe worþi þat he sent furth of þe chaumbre before; and he assigned foure of þam, þat ware grete lordes, for to speke with me.

Þe whilk rekned me all þe maner of my cuntree and descryued me þe maners of oþer cuntrees of Cristendon als graythely and als verraily as þai had bene euer ȝit dwelland in þam. And bathe þe sowdan and þai spakk Fransch wonder wele, and þerof I meruailed me gretely. And at þe last I vnderstude þat þe sowdan sent of his lordes in to diuerse rewmes and diuerse landes in gyse of marchandes, sum with preciouse stanes, sum with clathez of gold, and sum with oþer iowelles, þe whilk in swilk maner visitez all rewmes for to aspie þe maners of vs Cristen men and to knawe oure febilnes. And þan me thoȝt grete schame þat Sarzenes, whilk hase nowþer riȝt beleue ne perfite lawe, schuld þus reproue vs of oure inperfiteness and kepez þaire vayne lawe better þan we do þe lawe of Ihesu Criste; and þai þat schuld be turned thurgh oure gude ensaumple to þe faith and þe lawe of Ihesu Criste, þai er drawen away thurgh oure wikked liffing. And þerfore it es na wonder if þai call vs synfull and [folio 58b] wikked, for it es sothe. Bot þai er riȝt deuote in þaire lawe and riȝt trewe, and wele kepez þe commaundementz of þaire Alkaron, whilk Godd sent to þam by his messanger Machomete, to wham, as þai say, þe aungell Gabriell spakk oft tymes and talde him þe will of Godd.

And ȝe schall vnderstand þat Machomete was borne in Araby, and first he was a pouer knafe, þat keped hors and camelles and went with marchaunds intil Egipte, þe whilk was þat tyme inhabited with Cristen men. And in þe desertes of Araby by þe hie way toward Egipte was a chapell and ane hermyte dwelland þerat. And in to þis ilke chapell went Machomete for to speke with þe hermyte. And, when he entred þe chapell, þe dure, whilk was riȝt lawe, sudaynely it wex als hie as it had bene þe ȝate of a grete palace; and þis, as þai say, was þe first myracle þat he didd, when he was ȝung. After þat began Machomete to be wyse and riche, and he was a grete astronomyer. And þe prince of þe land of Corodan made him keper and gouernour of his land; and he gouerned it wisely and graciousely, so þat, when þe prince was deed, he wedded þe princesse, whilk was called CadrigeKhadija. And þis ilke Machomete had þe falland euill, and oft tymes he fell by violence of þat sekeness; and þe lady had mykill sorow þat scho had wedded him. Bot he made hir at vnderstand þat ilke a tyme þat he fell so þe aungell Gabriell apperid till and spak with him, and for þe grete briȝtness of þe aungell he fell doune. And þerfore saise þe Sarzenes þat þe aungell Gabriell spakk oft tymes with him. Þis Machomete [folio 59] regned in Araby þe ȝere of oure lord vi^c and twenty; and he was of þe kynde of Ismael, þat was Abraham sonne, whilk he gatte apon Agar his chaumberere. And þerfore sum Sarzenes er called Ismaelitez, sum Agarrenes of Agarre, and sum Ammonytes after twa sonnes of Loth, whilk he gat on his twa doghters. And sum er properly called Sarzenes, after þe citee of Sarras. [Sarrazines of Sarra, C.] Also Machomete lufed wele sum tyme a gude hermyte þat dwelled in þe wildernes a myle fra þe mount Synai in þe way as men gase fra Araby to Caldee and

till Inde, a day iournee fra þe see, whare marchaunds of Venice commez oft tymes for to by marchandyse. And Machomete went so oft to þis hermyte to here him preche þat his seruands wex heuy þerwith and euill apaid. [alle his men weren wrothe, C.] For he went so oft þider and so gladly herd þis hermyte preche þat many tymez he gert his men wake all þe nyght ouer; and his men thoȝt þai wald fayne þis ilke hermyte had bene deed. So it befell apon a nyght þat Machomete was drunken of wyne and fell on slepe; and, whils he sleped, his men drew oute his awen swerde of þe schethe and with þat swerde þai slew þe hermyte, and, when þai had done, þai putte vp þe swerde agayne in to þe schethe all bludy. And at morue, when Machomete wakned and fand þe hermyte deed, he was wonder wrathe and wald hafe slayne his men, for he said þai had murtherd him amang þam. Bot þai all with ane accorde and ane ascent said þat him self had slayne him in his slepe, when he was drunken, and þai schewed him his swerde all bludy, and þan trowed he þat þai said sothe. And þan he cursed wyne and all þase þat it [folio 59b] drinkez; and þerfore Sarzenes þat er deuoute in þaire lawe will drynke na wyne. Bot þai hafe ane oþer maner of drinke gude and delicious and riȝt nurischand, þe whilk es made of diuerse spiceries and namely of calamel, wharoff gude sugur es made. [þat men maken sugre of, þat is of right gode sauour and it is gode for the breest, C.] Neuerþeles sum Sarzenes will drinke wyne gladly in priuetee, bot noȝt in apperte; for, if þai drink wyne openly, þai schall be blamed þerfore. Also it fallez sum tyme þat sum Cristen men becommez Sarzenes, owþer for pouert or sympless or for wikkedness of þam self; and he þat es þe cheeff maister and keper of þaire lawe, [the archiflamyn or the flamyn, as oure echebisshopp or bisshopp, C.] when he ressayuez þam to þaire lawe, saise on þis wyse,

La elles ella sila Machomet rores alla hec

, þat es to say, "Þare es na Godd bot ane, and Machomete his messangere."

Sen I hafe talde ȝow sum what of þe Sarzenes lawe, and of þaire maners and custommes, now will I tell ȝow of þaire letters whilk þai vse, [The characters in both MSS. [Egerton and Cotton] are too corrupt to be worth reproducing.] with þe names and þe maner of þaire figures:—Almoy, Betach, Cathi, Delphoi, Ephoti, Fothi, Garophi, Hethim, Iocchi, Kacchi, Lothyn, Malach, Nahalet, Orthi, Porizeth, Qutholath, Routhi, Salathi, Tothintus, Vzazot, Yrtim, Theth. Þir er þe names of þaire letteres, and now will I sett þe figures of þam … Here will I sett þaire letters on anoþer maner, as I hafe sene þam made in sum oþer bukes; and þis maner payes me better þan þe toþer:—Almoy, Bethath, Cathi, Delphoi, Ephothi, Fothi, Garophi, Hechim, [folio 60] Iocchi, Kaythi, Lothim, Malach, Nahalot, Orthi, Corizi, Ȝoch, Rutolath, Routhi, Salathi, Thatimus, Yrthom, Azazoth, Arotthi, Ȝotipin, Ichetus. And þir er þe letters … Þir foure letters hafe þai mare þan we hafe for diuersitee of þaire langage, by cause þai speke so in þaire throtes; as we hafe in oure speche in Ingland twa oþer letters þan þai hafe in þaire abce, þat es to say, þ and ȝ, whilk er called þorn and ȝok.