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Fiuiiinucii Zarncke,
aiul large. For alle Uie eonlree of Ynde is devysed in yles, l'or tlie greteflodes, lliat conien from paradys, tliat departen alle the lond in many parties.And also in Ihc seo, lie hathe fülle inanye yles. 2. And the beste cyteo inthe yle of Penlexoire is Nyse, that is a fülle ryalle cytee and a noble, andfülle riebe. This preslrc John hathe und re him many kynges and many ylesand many dyverse folk of dyverse condiciouns. And this lond is lulle godeand ryclie; but not so riche as is the lond of the grete chane. 3. For themarchauntes come not thidre so comounly, for lo bye marchandises, as theidon in the lond of the gret chane: for it is to l'er to travaylle lo. And onthat other parlie, in the yle of Cal-hay, men fynden alle maner thing, that isnede lo man; clolhes of gold, of silk, and spycerie. 1. And therfore, allebe it that men hau gretlre chep in the yle of prestre John, nalheles mendreden the longe wey and the grete periles in the see, in Iho parties. Forin many places of the see ben grete roches of slones of the adamant, that ofhis propre nalure drawethe iren to him. 5. And therfore there passen noschippes, that hnn oullier bondes or nayles of iren wilh in hem: and-spf theredo, anon the roches of the adamantes drawen hem lo hem, that never theimay go thens. 6. 1 my seif have seen o lerrom in that see, as thoughe ithadde ben a gret yle fülle of trees and buscaylle, lulle of thornes and breres,gret plenlee. And the schipmen lolde us, lliat alle that was of schippes, thatweren drawen thidre be the adamauntes, for the iren that was in hem.7. And of the rotenesse and other thing that was wilh in the schippes, gre-vven such buscaylle and thornes and breres and grene grasse and suche manerof thing; and of the master and the seylle ^erdes : it semed a grete wode ora grove. And suche roches ben in many places there aboulen. 8. And ther-fore dur not the marchauntes passen there, bul y,if thei knowen wel the pas-sages, or eile that thei han godes lodes men. And also thei dreden the longeweye: and therfore thei gon to Cathay; for it is inore nyghe: and ^it is notso nyghe, but that men moste ben travayllynge be see and lond, I I rnonethesor 12, from Gene or from Venyse, or he come to Cathay. 9. And ^it is thelond of prestre John more l'err, be many dredfulle iourneyes. And the mar-chauntes passen be the kyngdom of Persie, and gon to a cytee lliat is cleptHermes: for Hermes the philosophre lounded it. 10. And aflre that, theipassen an arm of the see, and llianne thei gon to another cytee that is cleptGolbachc (Goliathe lat.) : and there thei fynden marchandises, and of popen-gayes, as gret plenlee as men fynden liere of gees. 11. And ^il' thei willpassen ferthere, thei may gon sykerly i now. In that eonlree is but lylyllewhete or berley: and therfore thei eten ry^s and liony and niylk and cheseand frule.
12. 1 his emperour prestre John lakelhe alle weys to his wif, the doughlreof the grete chane: and the gret chane also in the same wise, the doughlreof prestre John. For theise 2 ben the greltest Iordes undir the firmament.
13. In the lond of prestre John ben many dyverse Ihinges and many pre-cious slones, so grete and so large, that men maken of hem vesselle, as pla-teres, dissches and cuppes. And many other marveylles ben there; that itwere to combrous and to long to pulten it in scriplure of bokes.