CHAPTER IV

[Of seynt John the euangelist; and of Ypocras doughter transformed from a womman to a dragoun.]

AND if all it be so þat þire thynges touche noȝt to teching of þe way to þe haly land, neuer þe les þai touche þat þat I hafe hight to schewe, þat es at say of þe customes and maners and diuersteez of cuntreez. And for þe land of Grece es þe next cuntree þat variez and es discordand in faith and lettres fra vs and oure faith, þerfore I hafe sette it here, þat ȝe may wit þe diuersetee þat es betwene oure trowth and þaires; for many men has grete lyking and comforth to here speke of straunge thinges.

Now comme I agayne for to teche þe way fra Constantinople to þe haly land. He þat will ga thurgh Turkye, he gase to þe citee þe whilk es called Nyke, 5. [Nicæa, in Bithynia.] and so thurgh þe ȝate of Chiuotot, 6. [Cibotus, Civitot, now Gemlik.] and to þe mount of Chiuotot, þat es riȝt hie; and it es oþer halfe myle fra þe citee of Nyke. Wha so will passe fra Constantinople to þe haly land by see, he schall ga by þe Brace of Sayn George, and so, sayland in þe Grekes see, by a place 7. [Myra, in Lycia.] whare sayne Nicholas lies and by many oþer places. And first men commes til ane ile þe whilk es called Sylo. 8. [Chios, Scio.] And in þat yle growes mastik apon smale treesse; and it springes oute of þam as it ware þe gum of plum tree or chiry tree.

Seyne men passez by þe ile of Pathmos, whare sayn Iohn þe euaungelist wrate þe apochalipse. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat, when oure Lorde died, sayn Iohn was of elde xxxii. ȝere, and he liffed after þe passioun of Criste lxii. ȝere. 1. [lxvii. ȝeer and in the c. ȝeer of his age he dyede, C.] Fra Pathmos men gase til Ephesum, a faire citee and nere to þe see; and þare died sayne Iohn, and was grauen behind þe awter in a toumbe. And þare es a faire kirk; for Cristen men ware wont for to hafe þat citee in hand. Bot now it es occupied with Turkes, and so es all Asy þe less; and þerfore es Asy þe lesse called Turky. In þe toumbe of sayne Iohn men may fynd na thyng bot manna; for sum men saise his body was translated in to paradyse. And ȝe schall vnderstand þat sayn Iohn gert make his graue þare in his lyfe and laid himself þerin all qwikk; and þerfore sum saise þat he dyed noȝt, bot þat he restez þare to þe day of dome. And forsothe þare es riȝt a grete meruaile; for men may see þare þe erthe of þe toumbe many a tyme stirre and moue, as þer ware a qwikke thing vnder.

Fra Ephesum men passez by many iles in þe see vnto þe citee of Pateran, 2. [Patera, in Lycia.] whare sayne Nicholas was borne, and so to the citee of Marc, 3. [Myra.] whare he was chosen to be bischope. Þare growes riȝt gude wyne and myghty, þe whilk men callez wyne of Marc. Fra þeine men passez to þe ile of Grece, 4. [Crete.] þe whilk þe emperour gafe sum tyme to þe Ianuynes. And fra þeine men wendes to þe ile of Cophos, 5. [Cos, another name for Lango, the birthplace of Hippocrates.] and so by þe ile of Lango, of whilk iles Ypocras was sum tyme lorde.

And sum saise þat in þe ile of Lango es Ypocras doghter in likness of a dragoun, þe whilk es a hundreth fote lang, as men saise, for I hafe noȝt sene it. And folk þare calles hir Lady of þat ile. Scho lies in ane alde castell, and schewes hir thries in þe ȝere; and scho duse na man harme. Scho was changed þus fra a faire damysell til a dragoun thurgh a goddess þat men called Diane. And men saise þat scho sall dwell so vnto þe tyme þat a knyght comme þat schall be so hardy þat he sall dare ga to hir and kisse hir mouth. And þan sall scho turne agayne to hir awen kynde and be a womman; bot scho sall liffe bot lytill while efter. And it es noȝt lang sithen a knyght of Rodes, the whilk was a doghty man and a hardy, said þat he wald kisse hir. And he leped on his coursere and went to þe castell and entred in to þe caue whare þe dragoun lay. And scho began to lift vp hir heued agayne him; and þe knyght 6. [So also in C. In the French it is the "chival," not "chivaler."] sawe it so hidous, and fast he fledd away. And þe dragoun folowed and tuke þe knyght and bare him maugree his til a cragg of þe see, and ouer þat cragg scho kest him in to þe see;Page  13 and so was þat knyght lost. Also a ȝong man, þe whilk wist noȝt of þat dragoun, went oute on a tyme of a schippe for to refresch him, and walked furth in þis ile til he come to þe castell, and entred in to þe caue. And so he fand a chaumbre, and þerin he sawe a damysell kemmand hir hare and loked in a mirrour, and scho had mykill tresoure aboute hir. And he supposed þat scho had bene a common womman, þat had dwelled þare to kepe men þat come thurgh þe cuntree; and he stude still þare behind hir till scho turned hir toward him and [folio 11b] asked him what he wald. And he said þat he wald be hir paramour. And scho asked him if he ware a knyght, and be said nay. And scho said þat þan myght he noȝt be hir lemman; bot scho bad him go agayne to his felawes and make him knyght and com agayne on þe morue, and scho schuld com oute of þe caue. And scho bad him þat he schuld kisse hir mouthe and hafe na drede of hir, what figure so euer he sawe hir, for scho schuld do him no harme, if all scho ware neuer so vggly ne so hidous til his sight. For, scho said, it was done by enchauntement, for scho was swilk as he sawe hir þat tyme. And scho said him þat, if he kissed hir, he schold hafe all þat tresour and be lord of hir and of þase iles. And he went fra hir and come to his felawes to þe schippe and gert make him knyght and went agayne apon the morue to kisse þe damysell. And, when he sawe hir comme oute of þe caue in liknes of a dragoun, he had so grete drede þat he fledd to þe schippe, and scho folowed him. And when scho saw þat he turned noȝt agayne, scho began to crie, as a thing þat had mykill sorowe. To þe schippe scho folowed him and, when he was entred in to þe schippe, scho turned agayne with a hidous crie; and sone after þe knyght died. And seyne hiderward myght na knyght see hir, þat ne he died sone after. Bot, when a knyght commes þat es so hardy þat he dare kisse hir, he schall noȝt die, bot he schall turne þat damysell in to hir riȝt schappe, and he schall be lord of hir and of þe iles beforesaid.

Fra þis ile men passez to þe ile of Rodes, þe whilk þe Hospitelers haldez and gouernes. And þis ile þai wan of þe emperour of Constantinople. And it was sum tyme called Colos, 1. [From the Colossus.] and so calles þe Turkes it ȝit. [folio 12] And sayne Paule in his pistle wrate to þam of þat ile ad Colocenses. Þis ile es viii^c myle fra Constantinople, for to wende by þe see.