THE TABLE.
APPENDIX.
Here beginnetha lyttle treatise or boke, named John Maundevile Knight, borne in England in the towne of Sainct Albone, & speaketh of the wayes to Hierusalem, to Inde, and to the greate Cane,1and also to Prester Johns land, & to many other countreys, & also of many marvailes that are in the holy Lande.
F
FORAS MUCH as the lande over the sea, that is to say, the holy land, that men cal the land of Behest,2among all other lands is most worthy & Soveraine, for it is blessed, halowed, and sacred of the precious bloud of our LordJesu Christ, in the which land, it liked him to take flesh and bloud of the Virgin Mary, & to environ that lande with his owne feete, and there he wold do many myracles, preach and teach the fayth and the law of Christen men, as unto his children, & there he would suffer many reprouves and scornes for us, and he that was King of heaven and hell, of ayre, of sea, of lande, and of all things that are contained in them, wold alonely3be called King of that land, when he sayde,Rex sum Judeorum, I am King of Jewes: For that tyme was that lande of Jewes, and that lande he chose beforeall other landes, as the best & most worthy of vertues of all the world. And as the Philosopher sayth,Virtus rerum in medio consistit. That is to say, the vertue of things is in the midst: and in that lande he would leade his lyfe, and suffer passion and death of the Jewes for us, to save and deliver us from the paines of hell, and from deathe without ende, the which was ordeyned to us for the sinne of our father Adam, and our owne synnes also, for as for himself he had none evil done ne4deserved, for he never thought ne dyd any evyll, for he that was King of Glory and of joy might best in that place suffer death. For he that will do any thinge that he will haue knowen openly, he wyll proclayme it openly in the myddle place of a towne or of a citie, so that it may bee knowne to all parties of the citie, so he that was King of glory and of all the worlde would suffer death for us at Hierusalem, which is in the mydst of the worlde, so that it might be knowen to all nations of the worlde how deare he bought man, that he made with his handes in his owne likenesse, for the great loue that he had to us. Ah dere God, what love he had to his subjects, when he that had done no trespasse, would for us trespassours suffer death: for a more worthy catell5he might not have sette for us, then his owne blessed bodie and his owne precious bloud the which he suffered for us: right wel ought men to love, worship dreade, and serve such a Lord, and prayse such an holy lande that brought forth a lord of such fruite, through the which eche man is saved but if it be his own defaute. This is that lande prepared for an heritage to us, and in that lande would he dye as seased,6to leaue it to his children. Forthe which eche good Chrysten man that may & hath wherewith, should strengthen him for to conquere our righte heritage, and purchace7out of the evill peoples handes: for we are cleped8christen men of Christ our father, and if we be the ryght children of Christ, we oughte to challenge the heritage that our father lefte us & take it out of straunge mens handes. But now Pryde, Covetyse and Envy hath so inflamed the hearts of the lordes of the worlde, that they are more busy for to disheryte theyr neighbours than to challenge or conquere their right heritage aforesayde. And the common people that would put their bodies and theyr catell for to conquere our heritage, they may not do so without lordes: for assembling of the people without a chiefe lorde, is as a flocke of sheepe without a sheepherd, the which depart asunder, and wot not whether they shall go. But would9God, the worldly Lordes were at a good accorde, and with other of their common people would take this holy voyage over the sea. I trust well that within a little tyme our right heritage before sayd should be reconsiled and put into the hands of the right heires of Jesu Christ. And for as much as it is long time that there was any general passage over the sea, and that many men desire to here speaking of the holy lande, and have therefore great solace and comfort, therefore ye shall here by me John Maundevile Knight which was borne in England in the towne of Saint Albones, and passed the sea in the yeare of our LordJesu Christ a. MIII.C.10on the day of Sainct Michael, and there remained long tyme, and went through many landes,and many provinces, kingdomes and yles, & have passed through Turkey, and through Armony11the lyttle and the great, through Tartary, Percy,12Surre,13Araby, Egypt the high and the low, through Libie, Caldee and a great part of Ethiope, through Amazonie through Inde the lesse & the more a great part, and through many other yles which are about Inde, where many people dwelleth of divers lawes and shapes. Of the men of which landes and yles I shall speake more plainly and I shall devise14a parte of the things what they are when time shall be, after it may best come to my mynde & specially for them that will, and are in purpose, for to visite the holy citie of Hierusalem and the holy places that are there aboute & I shall tell the way that they shall holde15thither, for I have many times passed and ridden it with good company and with many lordes.
1:Khan.2:Promise.3:Pynson, all oonly.4:Nor.5:Treasure, money, goods, property, possessions.6:Possessing (seized).7:Pynson, "andchaseout the ylle trowand."8:Called.9:(to) omitted.10:Pynsonand other authorities say MCCCXXXII.11:Armenia.12:Persia.13:Syria.14:Relate.15:Travel or journey.
1:Khan.
2:Promise.
3:Pynson, all oonly.
4:Nor.
5:Treasure, money, goods, property, possessions.
6:Possessing (seized).
7:Pynson, "andchaseout the ylle trowand."
8:Called.
9:(to) omitted.
10:Pynsonand other authorities say MCCCXXXII.
11:Armenia.
12:Persia.
13:Syria.
14:Relate.
15:Travel or journey.