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

CHAPTER XXIII

[Of the Grete Chane of Chatay; of the rialtee of his palays, and how he sitt at mete; and of the grete nombre of officeres that seruen hym.]

THE land of Catay es a grete cuntree, faire and gude and riche and full of gude marchandyse. And þider commez marchauntz ilk a ȝere for to fecche spicery and oþer maner of marchandys mare comounly þan till oþer cuntrees. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat marchandes þat commez fra Venice or Geen, or oþer placez of Lumbardy or Romany, þai trauaile by see and by land xi. monethes or xii. are þai [folio 88] comme to Catay, whilk es þe cheeffe rewme of þe Grete Caan. [E omits a passage here which is thus given in C (f. 89): "Fro Cathay go men toward the est be many iorneyes, and þan men fynden a gode cytee betwene þeise oþere, þat men clepen Sugarmago; þat cytee is on of the beste stored of sylk and oþer marchandises þat is in the world. After go men ȝit to anoþer old cytee toward þe est, and it es in the prouynce of Cathay. And besyde þat cytee the men of Tartarye," etc.] And toward þe este es ane alde citee, and nere to þat citee þe Tartarenes has made anoþer citee, whilk þai call Gaydon. Þis citee hase xii. ȝatez, and euer betwix a ȝate and anoþer es a myle, and so all þe vmgang of þis citee es xx. myle and foure. In þis citee es þe sege and þe see of þe Grete Caan in a riȝt faire palays, of whilk þe walles aboute er twa myle and mare; and within þase wallez er many oþer faire palays. And in þe gardyn of þe grete palays es a hill, apon whilk es anoþer palays, a faire and a riche; þer es noȝt swilk anoþer in all þe werld. And all aboute þe palays and þe hill er many treesse, berand diuerse maners of fruyt; and withouten þaim er depe dykes and brade, and withouten þaim er many vyuers and stankes, whare on er many fewles of riuer, as swannes and cranes, herouns, butours and mawlardes [wylde gees and gandres and wylde dokes and swannes and heirouns, C.] and swilk oþer. Withouten þaim also er all maner of wylde bestez of wenery, as hertez and hyndez, bukk and da, and rae, and many oþer. And, ay when þe Grete Caan will hafe his disporte in ryuaying or huntyng, he may wylde fewle slayne with hawkes and dere slaen with hundes or oþer gynnez and passe noȝt his chaumbre. Þis palays with his see er wonder faire and grete; and þe hall of þat palays es richely

dight. For within þe hall er xxiiii. pilers of gold; and all þe walles er couerd with reed skynnes of bestez, þat er called Panters. And þai er wonder faire bestez and wele smelland, and by cause of þe gude smell of þe [folio 88b] skynnes þer may na wikked aer comme þerin. Þase skynnes er als reed as any blude, and so faire schynand agayne þe sonne þat men may vnnethes luke on þam or behald þam for grete briȝtness. Þe folk of þat cuntree wirschepez þat beste, whare þai see it, [whan þei meeten hem first at morwe, C.] for þe grete vertu and þe swete sauour þat commez þeroff; and þai praise þe skynne þeroff als mykill as it ware of fyne gold. In þe midward of þe palays es made ane ascensory [mountour, C. ascensorium, Harl. MS. 175.] for þe Grete Caan, enourned with gold and precious stanes; and at þe foure corners er made foure dragouns of gold. And þis ascensory es couerd abouen with clathez [large nettes, C.] of silk, barred ouerthwert with gold and siluer, and many grete precious stanes er hingand aboute it. And vnder þe ascensory er cundytes full of drink, þat þai þat er of þe emperours courte drynk off; and be syde þe cundytes er vessell sett of gold, þat men may drink off when þai will. Þis hall es nobilly and wirschepfully arayd and ordaynd in all thinges. First, vp at þe hie deesse, [at the chief of the halle, C.] euen in þe middes, es ordaind þe trone for þe emperour, whare he sittes at his meet, wele hye fra þe pament. His table, on whilk he etez, es made of precious stanes sett in fyne gold, and it es wele bordured aboute with fyne gold sette full of precious stanes. And þe greece, whare he gase vp till his trone, es all of precious stanes, endentid in gold. [medled with gold, C.] And at þe left syde of his trone es þe seete of his first wyf, a gree lawer þan his trone; and it es of iasper, with sydes of fyne gold sett full of precious stanes, and hir burde es of iasper bordurde with gold sett full of precious stanes. Þe seet of his secund wyf es a gree lawer þan þe toþer; and bathe hir seet and [folio 89] hir burde es enourned wirschipfully as þe toþer es. Þe seet also of þe thrid wyf and hir table er a gree lawer þan þe secund. For he hase euermare three wyfes with him, whare so euer he ryde, ferre or nere. Next his thridd wyf apon þe same syde sittez oþer ladys of þe emperoure kynne, ilkane a gree lawer þan oþer, efter þai er nere of blude to þe emperour. All þe wymmen of þat cuntree þat er weddid hase standand on þaire heuedes as it ware a mannez fote, made of gold and precious stanes and pacok fethers þat er schynand curiousely and wele dight, in takennyng þat þai er vnder mannez subieccioun; and þai þat er noȝt weddid hase nane swilke. Apon þe riȝt hand of þe emperour sittez his eldest sonn, þat schall regne after him, a grece lawer þan his fader. His seet and his borde es araid in all thing as þe empericez es. And þan sittez oþer lordes of þe emperoure kynne, ilkane as þai er of degree, as ladys duse on þe toþer syde. And ilkane of þam has a burde by him self, and riȝt so has þe ladys; and þai er owþer of iasper or of cristall or of amatist or of lignum aloes, whilk commez

oute of Paradys, or of euour. [In C, as in the French text, this is the description of the emperor's table only.] And all þir burdez er bordured aboute with gold sett full of precious stanes, so þat þer es nane of þam þat þai ne er worthe a grete tresoure. Vnder þe emperour table at his fete sittez foure clerkes, þat wrytez all þe wordes þat he spekez at his mete, wheder þai be gude or ill. For all þat euer he saise behoues be halden and done in dede; for his worde may noȝt be agayne called for na thing.

[folio 89b]

Þare er broght furth apon solempne days before þe emperoure tablez of gold, faire and grete, in þe whilk standez pacokes of gold and many oþer maners of fewles of gold, curiousely and sutilly wroȝt. [richely wrought and enameled, C.] And þir fewles er so wonderfully made by craft of man þat it semez as þai leped and daunsed and bett with þaire wengez and playd þam on oþer diuerse wyse; and it es riȝt wonderfull to þe sight, how þat swilk thinges may be done. By what craft þai moue so, can I noȝt say; bot a thing wate I wele, þat þat folk er wonder sutell of witte towchand any thing þat þai will do, forby any oþer folk of þe werld. For þai passe all þe naciouns of þe werld in suteltee of witte, wheder it touche ill or gude; and þat knawez þaim self wele. And þerfore þai say þat þai luke with twa eghen and Cristen men with ane; for þai hald Cristen men maste sutell and wys after þaim selfen. Folk of oþer naciouns þai say er blynd withouten eghen, as ynentes kunnyng and wirking. I bisied me gretely for to wit and persayfe by what craft þir forsaid thinges ware done; bot þe mayster of þe werk sayd me þat he was so boun by vowe til his godd þat he myght schew þat craft to na man bot till his eldest sonne. Abouen þe emperour table and aboute a grete party of þe hall es made a grete vyne of fyne gold; and it es wonder curiousely wroȝt with many braunchez and grapez lyke vnto grapez of vynes growand, of whilk sum er whyte, [folio 90] sum ȝalow, sum reed, sum blakk, sum grene. All þase þat are reed er made of rubies or cremas or alabauncez [of grenaz and of alabaundynes, C.] ; þe whyte er made of cristall or of berill [of berylle and of iris, C.] ; þe ȝalow er made of topazes or crisolytez [of perydos and of crisolytes, C, after "emeraudes."] ; þe grene of emeraudez; þe blak of onichyns or geraudes. [garantez, C.] And þis vyne es þus made of precious stanes so properly and so curiousely þat it semez as it ware a vyne growand. [a verry vyne, berynge kyndely grapes, C.]

And before the emperoure table standez grete lordes and barouns for to serue the emperoure; and nane of þaim er so hardy to speke worde, bot if þe emperour speke first to þaim, oute taken minstralles þat singez him sanges, or saise him gestes, or tellez iapez or bourdez [gestes or oþer desportez, C.] for solace of þe emperour. All þe vessell þat er serued in to his hall or his chaumbre, and namely at his awen burde or at burdez þare grete lordes sittez, er of iasper or of cristall or of amatistes or of fyne gold. And all þaire coppes er of smaragdez or of saphires, of topacez or of

oþer precious stanes. Vessell of siluer make þai nane, ne settez na prys by siluer. For þai will nowþer ete ne drink of þe vessell þat er made þeroff; bot þai make þeroff grecez, pilers and pamentes to halles and chaumbres. Before þe hall dure standez certayne lordes and many oþer knyghtes for to kepe þat nane entre in at þe dure bot þai þat þe emperour will, oless þan he be of þe houshald or a mynstrall; oþer dare þer nane comme nere.

And ȝe schall vnderstand þat my felawes and I ware dwelland sodeours with þe Grete Caan xvi. monethes [folio 90b] agaynes þe kyng of Mancy, for þai ware at were when we ware þare. And þe cause of oure dwellyng with him was for þat we desired gretely to see his grete nobillay and þe state and þe ordinaunce of his courte, and þe grete excellence of his ricches, to wit wheder it ware swilk as we had herd tell before. And sikerly we fand it mare riche and noble þan we herd say þeroff; and we schuld neuer haf trowed it, if we had noȝt sene it with oure eghen. Þare es na swilk courte here in þis land. For kynges and lordes in þir parties haldes als fewe men in þaire courtes as þai may [han folk of certeyn nombre, als þei may suffise, C.] ; bot þe Grete Caan hase ilke a day in his courte at his coste folk withouten nowmer. Bot ȝe sall vnderstand þat mete and drynk es mare honestly araid in oure cuntree þan it es þare; and also in þis cuntree men sittez mare honestly at þe mete þan þai do þare. For all þe comouns of his courte hase þaire mete laid on þaire kneesse, when þai ete, withouten any clathe or towail, and for þe maste party þai ete flesche, withouten breed, of all maner of bestez; and, when þai hafe eten, þai wype þaire hend on þaire skirtez. And þai ete bot anes on þe day. Þis es þe aray and þe maner of þe comouns of þe courte of þe Grete Caan. Bot þe aray of him self and oþer lordes þat sittez with him es nobill and reall, passand all erthely mennez. For sikerly [For sikerly … leue on, not in French text or C.] vnder þe firmament es noȝt so grete a lorde ne sa riche ne na so myghty as es þe Grete Caan of Tartre. Noȝt [folio 91] Prestre Iohn þat es emperour of Inde þe less and þe mare, ne þe sowdan of Babiloyn, ne þe emperoure of Pers, ne nan oþer may be made comparisoun off till him. Certez it es mykill harme þat he ne ware a Cristen man; and noȝt forþi he will gladly here speke of Godd and suffer Cristen men dwell in his empire. For na man es forboden in his land to trowe in what lawe þat him list leue on. And if all sum men perauenture will noȝt trowe me of þis þat I hafe said, and will say it es bot truflez [holden it for fable, C.] þat I tell of þe noblay and þe grete excellence and ricches of þe Grete Caan and of his courte and þe multitude of men þerin þat I spakk off before, I recke noȝt mykill. Bot he þat will trowe it, trowe it; and he þat will noȝt, lefe. For I will neuer þe latter tell sum what þat I sawe with myne eghen of him and of his folk and of þe ordinaunce of his courte, wheder þai will trowe it or þai nil. Neuerþeles I wate wele þat, and any had bene þare or in cuntrez þat marchez þer apon, if all he had noȝt bene in his courte, he schuld hafe herd of his noblay and his excellence so mykill þat he schuld lightly trowe me of þat þat I hafe said. And þerfore I will noȝt lette þat ne I will tell thinges þat I knawe wele er sothe for þaim þat knawez þam noȝt ne will noȝt trowe þam. Now will I tell ȝow mare of þe Grete Caan and of his state and his ordinaunce, when he will passe oute of a cuntree in to anoþer, and when he makes his grete festez.