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sles. 7. And llian die einperour seyde, tliat lie wolde no longer heil cleplkyng ne einperour, but preesl; and (hat he wolde liave (he naine of die firstpreest, tliat wenle out of die chirche: and his mime was John. And so evcremore silhens, he is clepl preslre John.
S. In his lond ben nianye cristene inen of gode feythe and of godc lawe;and naniely of hem of the saine contrcc; and lian coniounly liire prosles,(hat syngen the messe, and maken die sacrenient of die awlier of lircd, rightas the Grek.es don: but tliei seyn not so inany thinges at the messe, as mendon liere. f). For thei.seyo not but only tliat, tliat the aposlles seyden, asoure lord taughte hem : righle as seynt Peter and seynt Thomas and the otherapostles songen the messe, seyenge the pater-nosler, and the wordes of thesacrenient. 10. But wee liave inany mo addiciotms, Ihat dyversc [iopes lianmade, tliat tliei ne knowe not olle.
Hiernach handelt, Gap. XXX: Of die hiIlos of gold, Ihat pissemyres kepen :and of the i llodes, tliat conien from ]iaradys terrestre. liier heisst es imBeginne: 1. Toward the Est partye of preslre Jolincs lond, is an yIo gode
and grel, tliat men clepen Taprobane, tliat is fülle noble and fülle frucluous -and the kyng thercof is fülle ryclie, and is undre the olicyssauce of preslre..lohn. — — 2. Of olde lyme, wlian men passcd from die lond of preslreJohn unto Ihat yle, men maden ordynancc for Io passe liy schippe, 23 dayesor more: but now men passen by schippe in 7 dayes. And men may seethe bolnie of die see in inany plaees: for it is not lulle depe. 3. Dann -vonden grossen Ameisen u. s. w.
4. And beende the lond and the yles and die deserles of preslre Johneslordschipc, in goynge streyght toward the Est, men l'yndo nolhing but moun-laynes and roc-hes fülle grete: and liiere is the derke regyoun, wliere nonman may see, noulher be day ne be nyghl, as tliei of the conlree seyn.5. And tliat desert, and tliat place of derknesse, duren lro lliis cost unto pa-radys terrestre; where (hat Adam oure foremesl fader, and Eve weren putt;u. s. w.
Cap. XXXI: Of die cusloms of kynges, and othere tliat dwellen in dieyles costynge to preslre Johnes lond, n. s. w. Hier wird nur noch im Anfängeder Priester Johannes erwähnt. Die Stelle ist interessant, da in ihr bereits derGedanke einer Reise um die Well hervorlrilt, und sie mag daher hier zum Schlussnoch Aufnahme finden: 1. From tho yles, Ihat I liave spoken of bel'ore, in
the lond of preslre John, Ihat ben undre erlbe as lo us, tliat ben o lliis half,and of other yles, Ihat ben more furtherc be^onde; who so wil, pursuen hem,for to conien a^en right to the parties tliat he cam fro; and so environne alleerlhe: 2. but what for die yles, what for the see, and wliat for slrong ro-
wynge, fewe folk assayen for lo passen tliat passage; alle be il tliat inenmyghte don it wel, Ihat myghl ben of power to dresse liini thereto; as I liaveseyd 7/iu before. 3. And llierfore inen relurnen from tho yles aboveseyd, beother yles costynge fro the lond of preslre John. And thanne conien men inreturnynge lo an yle, that is clept Casson. U. s. w.