CHAPTER XX

[Of the euyll customs vsed in the yle of Lamary; and how the erthe and the see ben of rownd forme and schappe, be pref of the sterre that is clept Antartyk, that is fix in the south.]

FRA þis cuntree men gase by þe grete see Occean thurgh many iles and diuerse cuntrez, whilke ware lang to tell. At þe last after lii. day iournez men commez till a land, a large and a mykill, þe whilke es called Lamory. In þat land es wonder grete hete; and þe custom es þare þat men and wymmen gase all naked and schamez noȝt for to schew þam as Godd made þam. And þai scorne oþer þat er cledd; for þai say þat Godd made Adam and Eue naked, and þat men schuld hafe na schame of þat þat Godd made, for na thing þat es kyndely es foule. Þai say also þat men þat vsez clathez er of anoþer werld, or elles þai trowe noȝt in Godd, þat made all þe werld. In þat cuntree es na mariage betwene man and womman; bot all þe wymmen of þat land er comoun till ilke man. And þai say, if þai did oþer wyse, þai did grete synne, by cause Godd said till Adam and Eue, "Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram", þat es to say, "Waxez and beese multiplied and fillez þe erthe." And forþi na man þare saise, "Þis es my wyfe"; ne na womman, "Þis es my [folio 74b] housband." And when wymmen er delyuer of childer, þai giffe þam to wham þai will of men þat hase lyen by þam. And on þe same wyse þe land es comoun till ilke man. For þat þat a man hase a ȝere anoþer hase anoþer ȝere; and ilke man takez what him list, now here now þare. For all thinges er comoun, as I said before, bathe cornes and all oþer gudes; for þare es na thing vnder lokk, and als riche es a man as anoþer. Bot þai haue ane euill custom amanges þam; for þai will gladlier ete mannes flesch þan any oþer. Neuer þe latter þe land es plentifous ynogh of flesch and fisch and of corne, and also of gold and siluer and many oþer gudes. And þider bringes marchandes childer for to sell; and þe men of þat cuntre byes þam. And þase þat er fatte þai ete; and þase þat er noȝt fatte þai fede to þai be fatte, and þan slaez þam and etez þam. And þai say it es þe best and þe swettest flesch of þe werld.

And ȝe schall vnderstand þat in þis land, and in many oþer þare aboute, men may noȝt see þe sterne þat es called Polus Articus, 1. [þe Sterre of þe See, þat is vnmevable and þat is toward the north, þat wee clepen þe Lode Sterre, C.] whilk standes euen north and stirrez neuer, by whilk schippe men er ledd, for it es noȝt sene in þe south. Bot þer es anoþer sterne, whilke es called Antartic, and þat es euen agayne þe toþer sterne; and by þat sterne er schippe men ledd þare, as schippe men er ledd here by Polus Articus. And, riȝt as þat sterne may noȝt be sene here, on þe same wyse þis sterne may noȝt be sene þare. And þare by may men [folio ] see wele þat þe werld es all rounde; for parties of þe firmament whilk may be sene in sum cuntree may noȝt be sene in anoþer. And þat may men proue þus. For, if a man myght fynd redy schipping and gude company and þerto had his hele and wald ga to see þe werld, he myght ga all aboute þe werld, bathe abouen and benethe. And þat prufe I þus, after þat I hafe sene. For I hafe bene in Braban and sene by þe astrolaby þat þe pole artyc es þare liii. degreez hegh, and in Almayne towardes Boem 2. [sc. Bohemia; more forþere in Almayne and Bewme, C.] it has lviii. degrez, and forþermare toward þe north it has lxii. degrez of height and sum mynutes. All þis I persayued by þe astrolaby. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat in þe south, euen ynentes þis sterne, es þe sterne þat es called Pole Antartic. Þise twa sternes stirrez neuer mare; and aboute þaim mouez þe firmament, as a qwhele duse aboute ane axeltree. And so þe lyne þat es betwene þise twa sternez departez all þe firmament in twa partes, ayther ylike mykill. Afterwardes I went toward þe south, and I fand þat in Liby seez men first þe sterne Antartyke; and, as I went ferrer, I fand þat in hie Liby it hase in height xviii. degreez and sum mynutes, of whilke mynutes lx. makez a degre. And so, passand by land and by see toward þe cuntree þat I spakk off are, and oper landes and iles þat er beȝond, I fand þat þis sterne Antartik had in height xxxiii. degreez. 3. [and mo mynutes, adds C.] And, if I had had cumpany and schipping þat wald hafe [folio 75b] gane ferrer, I trow forsothe þat we schuld hafe sene all þe roundeness of þe firmament, þat es to say bathe þe emisperies, þe vppermare and þe nedermare. For, as I sayd ȝow before, halfe þe firmament es betwene þise twa sternes; þe whilk I hafe sene. And of þe toþer I sawe a party toward þe north, þat es to say lxii. degreez and x. mynutes, vnder þe pole Artyk 4. [under the Transmontane, C.]; and anoþer party I sawe toward þe south, þat es to say xxxiii. degreez and xvi. mynutes, vnder þe pole Antartyke. And halfe þe firmament contenez bot nyne score degreez, of whilk I hafe sene lxii. degreez of Artyk and ten mynutes, and of Antartyk toward þe south I hafe sene xxxiii. degreez and xvi. mynutes. Þise er iiii^xx and xv. degreez and nere half a degree. And so þer lakkez bot iiii^xx and fourePage  91 degreez and mare þan halfe a degree, þat I ne hafe sene all þe firmament. For þe ferthe parte contenes iiii^xx and x. degreez. And so þe three partes hafe I sene and v. degreez mare and nere a half. And þerfore I say sikerly þat a man myght go all þe werld aboute, bathe abouen and bynethe, and comme agayne to his awen cuntree, so þat he had his hele, gude schipping, and gude company, as I said before. And all way he schuld fynd men, landes and iles and citeez and townes, as er in þir cuntrees. For ȝe wate wele þat þase men þat dwellez euen vnder þe pole Antartyk er fote agayne fote to þase þat dwellez euen vnder þe þole Artyke, als wele as we and [folio 76] þase men þat dwellez agaynes vs er fote agayne fote; and riȝt so it es of oþer parties of þe werld. For ilke a party of þe erthe and of þe see hase his contrary of thinges, whilk er euen agaynes him. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat, as I coniecture, þe land of Prestre Iohn, emperour of Inde, es euen vnder vs. For, if a man schall ga fra Scotland or Ingland vnto Ierusalem, he sall ga all way vpward. For oure land es þe lawest party of þe west, and þe land of Prestre Iohn es in þe lawest party of þe este. And þai hafe day when we hafe nyght, and nyght when we hafe day. And, als mykill as a man ascendes vpward oute of oure cuntreez to Ierusalem, als mykill schall he go dounward to þe land of Prestre Iohn; and þe cause es for þe erthe and þe see er rounde. For it es þe comoun worde þat Ierusalem es in myddes of þe erthe; and þat may wele be proued þus. For, and a man þare take a spere and sett it euen in þe erthe at midday, when þe day and þe nyght er bathe ylyke lang, it makez na schadowe till na party. And Dauid also beres witnes þeroff, þare he saise, "Deus autem rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medio terre", 1. [Ps. lxxiii. 12.] þat es to say, "Godd oure kyng before þe begynnyng of þe werld wroght hele in myddes of þe erthe." And þerfore þai þat gase oute of oure cuntreez of þe west toward Ierusalem, als many iournez as þai make to ga þider vpward, als many iournez sall þai make to ga in to þe land of Prestre Iohn dounward fra Ierusalem. And so he may ga in to þase iles enuirounand all þe roundness of þe erthe [folio 76b] and of þe see till he com euen vnder vs. And þerfore I hafe oft tymes thoght on a tale þat I herd, when I was ȝung, how a worthy man of oure cuntree went on a tyme for to see þe werld; and he passed Inde and many iles byȝonde Inde, whare er ma þan v^m iles, and he went so lang by land and by see, envirounand þe werld, þat he fand ane ile, whare he herd men speke his awen langage. For he herd ane dryfe bestez sayand to þam swilke wordes as he herd men say til oxen in his awen cuntree gangand at þe plugh; of whilk he had grete meruaile, for he wist noȝt how it myght be. Bot I suppose he had so lang went on land and on see, envirounand þePage  92 werld, þat he was commen in to his awen marchez; and, if he had passed forþermare, he schuld hafe commen euen to his awen cuntree. Bot for he herd þat meruaile and myght get schipping na ferrere, he turned agayne as he come; and so he had a grete trauaile. 1. [and so he loste moche peynefull labour, as him self seyde a gret while after þat he was comen hom, C.] And it befell efterward þat he went in to Norway; and a tempest of wynd in þe see drafe him, so þat he arryued in ane ile. And, when he was þare, he wist wele it was þe ile in whilk he had bene before and herd his awen speche, as men drafe bestez. And þat myght right wele be; þof all it be þat symple men of cunnyng trowe noȝt þat men may ga vnder þe erthe bot if þai fall vnto þe firmament. For as vs think þat þase men er vnder vs, so think þaim þat we er vnder þaim. For, if a man myghte fall fra þe [folio 77] erthe to þe firmament, by mare skill þe erthe and þe see, þat er so heuy, schuld fall vnto þe firmament. Bot þat may noȝt be, as Godd witnessez him self þare he saise, "Non timeas me, qui suspendi terram ex nichilo", 2. [Apparently a misquotation of Job xxvi. 7.] þat es to say, "Hafe na drede of me, þat hynged þe erthe of noȝt."

And, if all it be possible þat a man may ga all aboute þe erthe, neuerþeless of a thowsand perauenture ane schuld noȝt do it in all his lyf, for to take þe riȝt way all aboute þe erthe til he come till his awen cuntree agayne þat he come fra. For þer er so many wayes and cuntreez þat a man schuld lightly faile, bot if it ware by special grace of Godd. For þe erthe is riȝt grete and large, and it contenes in roundeness aboute, abouen and bynethe xx^miiii^c and xxv. myle, after þe opinioun of alde wyse men þat saise it, whilke I will noȝt reproue. Bot after my feble witte me thinke, saue þaire grace, þat it es mykill mare aboute. And for to make ȝow to vnderstand how, I ymagyne a figure of a grete compas; and aboute þe poynt of þat compas, whilke es called þe centre, be anoþer lytill compas departed by lynes in many parties and þat all þase lynes mete sammen on þe centre, so þat als many parties or lynes as þe grete compas hase be on þe lytill compas, if all þe space be less. Now be þe grete compas sette for þe firmament, þe whilk by astronomyeres es diuided in twelfe signez, and ilke a signe es diuided in xxx. degreez; þis es ccc. and lx. degreez þat it es aboute. Now be þe less compas sett for [folio 77b] þe erthe and departid in als many parties as þe firmament, and ilkane of þase parties answere to a degree of þe firmament; þise er in all dcc. and xx. 3. [and wyteth it wel þat after the auctoures of astronomye dc. furlonges of erthe answeren to a degree of the firmament and þo ben iiii^xxvii. miles and iiii. furlonges, C.] Now be þise all multiplied ccc. tymes and lx. and it schall amountPage  93 in all til xxxi^m myle and fyue, ilke a myle of viii. furlangs, as myles er in oure cuntree. And so mykill hase þe erthe in roundeness all aboute after myne opinioun and myne vnderstanding. And ȝe schall vnderstand after þe opinioun of alde wise philosopheres and astronomyeres þat Ingland, Scotland, Wales ne Ireland er noȝt rekned in þe height of þe erthe, as it semez wele by all þe bokes of astronomy. For þe height of þe erthe es departed in vii. parties, þe whilk er called vii. climates after þe vii. planetes, þat er called climates; and til ilk ane of þa planets es approperd ane of þe climatez. And þise cuntreez þat I spakk of er noȝt in þase climatez, for þai er dounward toward þe west. And also iles of Inde, whilke er euen agaynes vs, er noȝt rekned in þe climates, for þai er toward þe est. Þise climatez envirouns all þe werld. Neuerþeles 1. [From here to the end of the chapter not in the French text, nor in C.] sum astronomieres appropers þise forsaid countreez to þe mone, whilk es þe lawest planet, and swiftliest makez his course. Now will I turne agayne to my mater þare I left, and tell ȝow of ma cuntreez and iles, whilke er in Inde and beȝond.