The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact mec-info@umich.edu. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact libraryit-info@umich.edu.
DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
AFTER the departyng fro CORMAA men entren into þe lond of Iob þat is a fuƚƚ fair contree & a plentyfous of aƚƚ godes, And men clepen þat lond the lond of Sweze.Open page In þat lond is the cytee of THEMAN.Open page
Iob was a payneem & he was ARE of GOSRAOpen page is sone & held þat lond as prynce of that contree & he was so riche þat he knew not the hundred [folio 64a] part of his godes. And aƚƚ þougℏ he were a payneem natheles he serued wel god after his laweOpen page And oure lord toke his seruice to his plesance. And whan he feƚƚ in pouerte he was .lxxviij. ȝeer of age. And after whan god had preued his pacyence & it was so gret, he broughte him aȝen to richess & to heere estateOpen page þan he was before. And after þat he was kyng of YDUMYE after kyng Esau. And whan he was kyng he was clept IOBAB And in þat kyngdom he lyuede after .clxx. ȝer And so he was of age whan he dyed .ccxlviij. ȝeer. In þat lond of Iob þere nys no defaute of no þing þat is nedefuƚƚ to mannes body. Þere ben hilles where men geten gret plente of Manna,Open page in gretter habundance þan in ony otℏer contree. This MANNA is clept bred of aungeles & it is a white þing þat is fuƚƚ swete & rigℏt delicyous & more swete þan hony or sugre and it cometℏ of the dew of heuene þat falletℏ vpon the herbes in þat contree And it congeletℏOpen page & becometℏ aƚƚ white & swete. And men putten it in medicynes for ryche men to make the Wombe lax & to purge euyƚƚ blode, for it clensetℏ the blood & puttetℏ out malencolye. This lond of IOB marchetℏ to the kyngdom of Caldee;Open page This lond of CALDEE is fuƚƚ gret & the langage of þat contree is more gret in sownyngeOpen page þan it is in oþer parties beȝonde þe see. Men passen to go beȝonde be the tour of Babiloyne the grete of the whiche I haue told ȝou before, where þat aƚƚ the langages weren first chaunged; And þat is a .iiij. iorneyes fro Caldee. In þat remeOpen page ben faire men & þei gon fuƚƚ nobely arrayed in clotℏes of gold orfrayed [folio 64b] & apparayled with grete perles & precyous stones fuƚƚ nobely, & the wommen ben rigℏt foule & euyƚƚ arrayed & þei gon aƚƚ bare fote & clothed in euyƚƚ garnementes large wydeOpen page but þei ben schorte to the knees & longe sleves doun to the feet lycℏ a Monkes frokke & here sleves ben hongyng doun to the
feet; And þei han gret heer & long hanginge aboute here schuldres. And þei ben blake wommen, foule & hidouse; And treuly as foule as þei ben als euele þei ben. In þat kyngdom of Caldee in a cytee þat is clept HUROpen page dueled Thare Abrahames fader & þere was Abraham born. And þat was in þat tyme þat Nunus was kyng of Babiloyn̛ of Arabye & of Egypt. This Nunus made the cytee of Nynyuee the whicℏe þat Noe had begonne before & be cause þat Nunus performed it he cleped it Nynyuee after his owne name. Þere lytℏ Thobye the prophete of whom holy writt speketℏ offe. And fro þat cytee of Hur Abraham departed be the commandement of god fro þens after the detℏ of his fader & ladde with him Sarra his wif & Loth his brotheres sone because þat he hadde no child, And þei wenten to duelle in the lond of CHANAAN in a place þat is clept SYCHEM. And þis lotℏ was he þat was saued whan Sodom & Gomorre & the oþere cytees weren brent & sonken doun to helle where þat the dede see is now, as I haue told ȝou before. In þat lond of Caldee þei han here propre langages & here propre lettres, suche as ȝee may see here after.Open page Besyde the lond of Caldee is the lond of AMAZOYNEOpen page þat is the lond of FEMYNYE & in þat reme is aƚƚ wommen & noman, Nogℏt as summe [folio 65a] men seyn þat men mowe not lyue þere, but for because þat the wommen wil not suffre no menOpen page amonges hem to ben here souereynes. For sum tyme þer was a kyng in þat contrey & men maryed as in oþer contreyes & so befeƚƚ þat the kyng had werre with hem of SICHIE, the whiche kyng higℏte COLEPEUS,Open page þat was slayn in bataylle & aƚƚ the gode blood of his reme. And whan the queen & aƚƚ the othere noble ladyes sawen þat þei weren aƚƚ wydewes & þat aƚƚ the riaƚƚ blood was lost þei armed hem & as creatures out of wyttOpen page þei slowen aƚƚ the men of the contrey þat weren laft for þei wolden þat aƚƚ the wommen weren wydewes as the queen & þei weren. And fro þat tyme hiderwardes
þei neuere wolden suffren man to dweƚƚ amonges hem lenger þan .vij. dayes & .vij. nyghtes, Ne þat no child þat were male scholde dueƚƚOpen page amonges hem lenger þan he were noryscℏt & þanne sente to his fader. And whan þei wil haue ony companye of man þan þei drawen hemOpen page towardes the londes marchynge next to hem. And þan þei haue here loues þat vsen hem & þei duellen with hem an .viij. dayes or .x. & þanne gon hom aȝen. And ȝif þei haue ony knaue child þei kepen it a certeyn tyme & þan senden it to the fadir whan he can gon allone & eten be him self or eƚƚ þei sleen it; And ȝif it be a femele þei don awey þat on pappe with an hote hiren. And ȝif it be a womman of gret lynage þei don awey the left pappe þat þei may the better beren a scheeld, And ȝif it be a womman on fote þei don awey the riȝt pappe for to scheten with bowe turkeys, For they schote wel with bowes. In þat lond þei haue a queen þat gouernetℏ aƚƚ þat lond & aƚƚ þei ben obeyssant to hire And [folio 65b] alweys þei maken here queen by electioun þat is most worthy in armes. For þei ben rigℏt gode werryoures & orped & wyse, noble & wortℏi. And þei gon often tyme in sowd to help of oþer kynges in here werres for gold & syluer as otℏere sowdyoures don. And þei meyntenen hemself right vygouresly. This lond of Amazoyne is an Ile aƚƚ envirouned with the see saf in .ij. places where ben .ij. entrees, And beȝonde þat water duellen the men þat ben here paramoures & hire loues, where þei gon to solacen hem whan þei wole. Besyde amazoyne is the lond of TARMEGYTEOpen page þat is a gret contre & a fuƚƚ delectable And for the godness of the contree kyng Alisandre leet first make þere the cytee of Alisandre; And ȝit he made .xij. cytees of the same name; But þat cytee is now clept Celsite. And fro þat oþer cost of Caldee toward the south is Ethiope a gret contree þat strecchetℏ to the ende of Egypt; Ethiope is departed in .ij. parties princypaƚƚ. And þat is in the est partie & in the meridionaƚƚ partie,Open page
The whicℏe partie meridionaƚƚ is clept MORETANE. And the folk of þat contree ben blake ynow & more blake þan in the toþer partie & þei ben clept mowres. In þat partie is a weƚƚOpen page þat in the day it is so cold þat noman may drynke þere offe And in the nygℏt it is so hoot þat noman may suffre hys hond þere in. And beȝonde þat partie toward the soutℏ to passe by the see Occean is a gret lond & a gret contrey, but men may not dueƚƚ þere for the feruent brennynge of the sonne, so is it passynge hoot in þat contrey. In Ethiope aƚƚ the Ryueres & aƚƚ the watres ben trouble & þei ben somdeƚƚ salte for the gret hete þat is þere. And the folk of þat contree ben [folio 66a] lygℏtly dronken & han but litiƚƚ appetyt to mete And þei han comounly the flux of the wombe & þei lyuen not longe. In Ethiope ben many dyuerse folk And Ethiope is clept CUSIS. In þat contree ben folk þat han but o footOpen page & þei gon so blyue þat it is meruaylle And the foot is so large þat it schadewetℏ aƚƚ the body aȝen the sonne Whanne þei wole lye & reste hem. In Ethiope whan the children ben ȝonge & lytiƚƚ þei ben aƚƚ ȝaloweOpen page And whan þat þei wexen of age þat ȝalowness turnetℏ to ben aƚƚ blak.Open page In Ethiope is the cytee of Saba & the lond of the whiche on of the .iij. kynges þat presented oure lord in Bethleem was kyng offe. Fro Ethiope men gon into ynde be manye dyuerse contreyes And men clepen the higℏ ynde EMLAK.Open page And ynde is devyded in .iij. princypaƚƚ parties Þat is ynde the more þat is a fuƚƚ hoot contree & ynde the less þat is a fuƚƚ atempree contrey þat strecchetℏ to the londe of Mede. And the .iij. part toward the Septentrion is fuƚƚ cold so þat for pure cold & contynueƚƚ frost the water becometℏ Cristaƚƚ.Open page And vpon tho roches of cristaƚƚ growen the gode dyamandes þat ben of trouble colour; Ȝalow Cristaƚƚ draweth colour lyke oylleOpen page And þei ben so harde þat noman may pollyscℏ hem & men clepen hem dyamandes in þat contree & HAMESE in anoþer contree. Othere dyamandes men
fynden in ArabyeOpen page þat ben not so gode & þei ben more broun & more tendre. And oþer dyamandes also men fynden in the Ile of Cipre þat ben ȝit more tendre & hem men may wel pollischen; And in the lond of Macedoyne men fynden dyamaundes also, But the beste & the moste precyiouse ben in ynde. [folio 66b] And men fynden many tyme harde dyamaundes in a masse þat cometℏ out of goldOpen page whan men puren it & fynen it out of the myne whan men breken þat mass in smale peces. And sum tyme it happenetℏ þat men fynden summe as grete as a pese & summe lasse & þei ben als harde as þo of ynde. And aƚƚ be it þat men fynden gode dyamandes in ynde, ȝit natℏeles men fynden hem more comounly vpon the roches in the see & vpon hilles where the myne of gold is; And þei growen many to gedre on lytiƚƚ anotℏer gret And þer ben summe of the gretness of a bene & summe als grete as an haseƚƚ note & þei ben square & poynted of here owne kynde boþe abouen & benetℏen withouten worchinge of manues hond & þei growen togedre male & femeleOpen page And þei ben norysscℏt with the dew of heueneOpen page And þei engendren comounly & bryngen fortℏ smale children þat multiplyen & growen aƚƚ the ȝeer. I haue often tymes assayedOpen page þat ȝif a man kepe hem with a lityƚƚ of the roche, & wete hem with may dew ofte sithes þei schuƚƚ growe euerycℏe ȝeer, & the smale wole wexen grete. For rigℏt as the fyn perl congeletℏOpen page and wexetℏ gret of the dew of heuene rigℏt so dotℏ the verray dyamand, And rigℏt as the perl of his owne kynde taketℏ roundness rigℏt so the dyamand be vertu of god taketℏ squareness. And men schaƚƚ bere the dyamaund on his left sydeOpen page for it is of grettere vertue þanne þan on the rigℏt syde; For the strengtℏe of here growyngeOpen page is toward the nortℏ þat is the left syde of the world, & the left partie of man is whan he turnetℏ his face toward the est.Open page And ȝif ȝou lyke to knowe the vertues of þe dyamand [folio 67a] as men may fynden in the lapidarye þat many men knowen nogℏt, I schaƚƚ telle ȝou as þei beȝonde the see seyn & affermen, of whom
aƚƚ science & aƚƚ philosophie cometℏ from. He þat beretℏ the dyamand vpon him, it ȝeuetℏ him hardynessOpen page & manhode & it kepetℏ the lemes of his body hole, It ȝeuetℏ him victorye of his enemyes in plee & in werre ȝif his cause be rigℏtfuƚƚ, & it kepetℏ him þat beretℏ it in gode wytt. And it kepetℏ him fro strif & ryot, fro euyƚƚ sweuenes, from sorwes & from enchauntementes & from fantasyes & illusiouns of wykked spirites. And ȝif ony cursed wycche or enchauntour wolde bewycchen him þat beretℏ the dyamand, aƚƚ þat sorwe & mischanceOpen page schaƚƚ turne to himself þorgℏ vertue of þat ston And also no wylde best dar assaylle the man þat beretℏ it on him. Also the dyamand scholde ben ȝouen frely withouten coueytynge & withouten byggynge & þan it is of grettere vertue. And it maketℏ a man more strong & more sad aȝenst his enemyes And it heletℏ him þat is lunatyk & hem þat the fend pursuetℏ or trauayletℏ. And ȝif venym or poysoun be brougℏt in presence of the dyamand anon it begynnetℏ to wexe moyst & for to swete. Þere ben also dyamandes in ynde pat ben clept VIOLASTRESOpen page for here colour is liche vyolet or more browne þan the violettes, þat ben fuƚƚ harde & fuƚƚ precyous, But ȝit sum men loue not hem so wel as the oþere But in sotℏ to me I wolde louen hem als moche as þe oþere, For I haue seen hem assayed. Also þere is a noþer maner of dyamandes þat ben als white as cristaƚƚ but þei ben a lityƚƚ more trouble & þei ben gode & of gret vertue & aƚƚ þei ben square & poynted of here owne kynde, And summe ben .vj. squared [folio 67b] summe .iiij. squared & summe .iij. as nature schapetℏ hem & þerfore whan grete lordes & knygℏtes gon to sechen worschipe in armes þei beren gladly the dyamaund vpon hem. I schal speke a litiƚƚ more of the dyamandes aƚƚ þougℏ I tarye my matereOpen page for a tyme, to þat ende þat þei þat knowen hem not be not disceyued be gabberes þat gon be the contree þat sellen hem. For whoso wil bye the dyamand, it is nedefuƚƚ to him þat he knowe hem be cause þat men
counterfeten hem often of cristaƚƚ þat is ȝalow. & of SAPHIRES of cytryne colour þat is ȝalow also, & of the Saphire loupe & of many oþer stones; But I teƚƚ ȝou theise contrefetes ben not so harde. And also the poyntes wil breken ligℏtly & men may esily pollisschen hem But summe werkmen for malice wil not pollisschen hem, to þat entent to maken men beleue þat þei may not ben pollisscℏt. But men may assaye hem in this manere: First schere with hem or write witℏ hem in SAPHIRES in cristaƚƚ or in oþer precious stones. After þat men taken the ADEMAND þat is the schipmannes ston þat drawetℏ the nedle to him And men leyn the dyamand vpon the Ademand & leyn the nedle before the ademand And ȝif the dyamand be gode and vertuous, the ademand drawetℏ not the nedleOpen page to him whils the dyamand is þere present. And þis is the preef þat þei beȝonde the see maken. Natheles it befalletℏ often tyme þat the gode dyamand lesetℏ his vertue be synne & for Incontynence of him þat beretℏ it And þanne is it nedfuƚƚ to make it to recoueren his vertue aȝen or eƚƚ it is of litiƚƚ value.