Chapter I: KNOW of nothing more likely to be provocative of a literary war

than the question of Sir John Mandeville's personal entity. Were I to express an opinion either way--that he was a real being, or that he never existed--fierce would be the criticism on my views, and much good ink be spilt, which might well be devoted to a better purpose, so that I prefer letting the reader form his own opinion thereon,--a course which will save everybody any trouble or vexation of spirit.

We labour under this difficulty--all that is known about him is what he tells us himself, and no one who reads the book can altogether trust his absolute verity. If his book is a mere compilation from other sources, so then is that of Odorico (who died January, 1331), which I place in an Appendix, and which agrees with Mandeville in so many particulars, that one might reasonably suppose him to be the "fellawe," or companion, whom he frequently mentions, and connect him with that Minorite friar from Lombardy (for Odorico was born at Udine or Friuli) who shrove them before their entrance into "y^e Valey of Divels."[1] According to his own account, he was a knight, that he was born at St. Albans, and that he left England on his wonderful voyage on 29th September, 1322. He informs us that he travelled through Asia Minor, Armenia, Tartary, Persia, Syria, Arabia, Upper and Lower Egypt, Libya, Chaldæa, a large portion of Ethiopia, Amazonia, Lower India, and the greater part of Upper India, together with the neighbouring islands. If his narrative can be trusted, he lived in most friendly relations with the ruler of Egypt, whom he served in his war against the Bedouins, and was on such familiar terms that they would privately argue on religious topics, and he was even offered a richly dowered princess as a wife, if he would but change his creed, and become a Mahometan. If he can be believed, he wandered all over the then known world, and gratified his military instincts by helping the Emperor of China in his war against the sovereign of Manzi. He tells us that after thirty-four years of wandering and exile he returned to England, taking Rome in his way home, in order to get the Pope's Imprimatur to his book, for which he naïvely gives as reason: "and, for as much as many men beleve not that they see with theyr eyen, or y^t they may conceiue & know in their mynde, therefore I made my way to Rome in my coming homewarde, to shew my boke to the holy father the pope, and tell him of the mervayles y^t I had sene in diverse countreys; so that he with his wise counsel wold examine it, with diverse folke y^t are at Rome, for there dwell men of all nations of the world, and a lytle time after whan he & his co[~u]sel had examined it all through, he sayde to me for a certayne that it was true, for he sayd he had a boke of latin contayning all that, and much more, of y^e which _Mappa Mundi_ is made, the which boke I saw, & therefore the pope hath ratyfied & confirmed my boke in all poyntes." If any portion of this is true, it is probable that the "boke of latin" may have been Pliny, Solinus, or some other equally veracious writer.

As to the "Mappa Mundi" constructed from such sources, that at Hereford may be taken as a type of ideal geography of the time. This was almost contemporary with Mandeville, and is ascribed to the very early part of the fourteenth century. Indeed, it can be proved to be of this date, for, among other inscriptions on the map, is the following:-

"Tuz Ki cest estoire ont.
Ou oyront ou lirront ou veront.
Prieut a ihesu su deyte.
De Richard de Haldingdam e de Lafford eyt pite.
Ki lat fet e compasse.
Ki ioie eu cel li seit donc."

Which may be thus translated:--

"All who have, or shall have, or shall read, or shall see this
history--pray to Jesu in deity (or as God) that he may have
pity on Richard of Haldingham and of Lafford, who has made and
contrived it, that joy in heaven may be given unto him."

Richard of Haldingham, or Holdingham, whose real name was Richard de la Battayle, or de Bello,[2] held the prebend of Lafford (now Sleaford), in Lincoln Cathedral up to the year 1283, and afterwards held the prebend of Norton, in Hereford Cathedral. Hardy, in his edition of Le Neve's _Fasti Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ_, says he was appointed to this stall in 1305. He was afterwards preferred to the Archidiaconate of Berkshire. Perhaps the best description of this map is in a paper read before the Geographical Society of Paris, 30th November, 1861, by M. D'Avezac, President of the Society, a translation of which may be found in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ of May, 1863. He considers it to have been executed early in the year 1314, because Lyons was not annexed to France till the 30th of April, 1313, and gives other reasons, equally strong, in support of his argument.

Thus, then, we have a contemporary map as a guide, and on this Hereford map are portrayed all the monsters described by Mandeville--the one-eyed men, those with their heads in their breasts, even the big-footed one-legged man--all those things which are regarded as fable in Mandeville--are here drawn, and evidently must have been currently believed in. So that when Mandeville, or some subsequent editor, challenged the _Mappa Mundi_ as confirmatory evidence, he clearly knew what he was about.

A strong presumption of his personal being is drawn from the fact that Liège is said to be the place of his burial, _see Appendix Harl._, 3589. 2, "qui obiit Leodii A.D. 1382." That he was believed to have lived at Liège is also shown in _Appendix Grenville_, 6728/3, where he is said to have written his book in the year 1355; and if Weever[3] is to believed, he died there, but at an earlier date, namely, 1371. Speaking of St. Albans, he says: "This Towne vaunts her selfe very much of the birth and buriall of _Sir Iohn Mandeuill_ Knight, the famous Trauailer, who writ in Latine, French, and in the English tongue, his Itinerary of three and thirty yeares. And that you may beleeue the report of the Inhabitants to bee true, they haue lately pensild a rare piece of Poetry, or an Epitaph for him, vpon a piller; neere to which, they suppose his body to haue beene buried, which I think not much amisse to set downe; for although it will not bee worth the reading, yet do but set it to some lofty tune, as to the _Hunting of Antichrist_, or the leke, I know it will be well worth the singing: marke how it runs.

"'All yee that passe, on this pillar cast eye,
This Epitaph read if you can;
'Twill tell you a Tombe onc't stood in this roome,
Of a braue spirited man.
_Iohn Mandeuill_ by name, a knight of great fame,
Borne in this honoured Towne.
Before him was none that euer was knowne,
For trauaile of so high renowne.
As the Knights in the Temple, crosse-legged in marble,
In armour, with sword and with sheeld,
So was this Knight grac't, which time hath defac't,
That nothing but ruines doth yeeld.
His Trauailes being donne, he shines like the Sun,
In heauenly Canaan.
To which blessed place, O Lord of his grace
Bring vs all man after man.'

"That he was borne heere in this Towne I cannot much deny; but I am sure that within these few yeares, I saw his Tombe in the Citie of Leege, within the Church of the religious house of the _Guilliammits_, with this Inscription vpon it, and the verses following hanging by on a table.

"_Hic iacet vir nobilis D. Ioannes de Mandevile, Al;[4] D. ad Barbam miles; Dominus de Campdi: natus de Anglia, Medicine professor, deuotissimus orator: et bonorum largissimus pauperibus erogator qui toto quasi orbe lustrato. Leodij diem vite sue clausit extremum. Ann. Dom. M.C.C.C.lxxi. Mens. Nouemb. die xvi._

_ALIUD._

"'_Hoc iacet in tumulo, cui totus patria vino
Orbis erat; totum quem peragrasse ferunt.
Anglus Equesque fuit, nunc ille Britannus Vlysses
Dicatur, Graio clarus Vlysse magis._

_Moribus, ingenio, candore, & sanguine clarus
Et vere cultor Relligionis erat.
Nomen si queras, est Mandevil, Indus, Arabsque
Sat notum dicet finibus esse suis._'

"The Churchmen will shew you here his kniues, the furniture of his horse, and his spurres, which he vsed in his trauells."

Thus speaks Weever, and nobody doubts but that there was a tomb of a Jehan de Maundeville in the Abbey of the Guilelmites,[5] which is mentioned by Bollandus in his _Acta Sanctorum_ (Februarius, Tom. 2, p. 481, edit. 1658) as "Domus de Motta extra Leodium, inchoata, anno CI[C]CCLXXXI." The abbey, or hospital, is now destroyed; but, as side proofs, let me give two extracts from different works of the eighteenth century. One, "Abrégé curieux et nouveau de l'histoire de Liege," &c. (no date), 24mo., p. 117. "L'Hôpital & la Chapelle de S. Guilleaume aux Faux-bourgs de S. Walburge furent fondez l'an 1330," and in "Abrégé Chronologique de l'histoire de Liege, jusqu'a l'année 1784, &c." Liege, 1784, 12mo., p. 66. It says, "L'hôpital & la chapelle de Saint Guillaume au fauxbourg de Sainte Walburge furent fondés l'an 1330."

As I said before, regarding Mandeville it must be a question of faith. If Weever is to be relied on, he was a physician, and from the fact of his wearing a beard, probably acquired in his eastern travels, he received the sobriquet of "ad Barbam." This title, however, is claimed for a certain "Jehan de Bourgoigne dit à la Barbe," but the bare fact of anyone wearing a beard in France, in the clean-shaven fourteenth century, was sufficient to make him remarkable.

If, again, Weever and others are to be relied on, he died in 1371, and it is a curious fact that the earliest French, or Romance, manuscript known in this country is one of that date, and, moreover, it is circumstantially dated, as will be shown hereafter. This MS. is in the Earl of Ashburnham's collection (catalogued Barrois 24), which every lover of literature will regret was not secured for the nation in its entirety. Its text is most beautiful, and the few illuminations are fine examples of fourteenth century French art. But what I want particularly to point out, is the curious coincidence of dates--absolutely contemporaneous. Whether there were any MSS. published before then I cannot tell, but here is a book published the year of his death, when inquiry would have proved easily whether such a man had ever lived, but the whole style of the MS. shows that he was well known as a traveller, and it is evidently copied from an earlier edition, as at the end it says, "Ce livre cy fist escrire honorables homes sages et discret maistre Gervaise crestien, maistre en medicine, et premier phisicien de tres puissant noble et excellent prince Charles, par la Grace de Dieu, roy de France, Escript par Raoulet dorliens lan de grace mil ccclxxj le xviij jour de Septembre."

Here we have an authentic date, which there could be no earthly reason to falsify, and this MS. was written--unless Weever and others are liars--during the man's lifetime. For, according to their authority, he did not die until _November_ of that year, and we must not fail to remember that Liege was not a very far cry from Paris, and that his fame must have been great, or his book would never have been written as a present for the king, as it probably was.

This manuscript, being the earliest known, is also useful in another way. By some singular chance, all the English versions make out that Mandeville wrote his book first in Latin, then in French, and afterwards in English. But this manuscript settles the point, as it says, "Et sachies [~q] je eusse cest livret mis en latin pour plus briefment deviser. Mais pour ce que pluseurs entendent mieulx ro[~m]ant que latin je lay mis en ro[~m]ant par quoy [~q] chacun lentende." Which I translate: "And know that I should (or might) have written this book in Latin, for the sake of brevity. But, because more people know the Romance (or French) tongue, than Latin, I have written it in Romance, so that anyone may understand it." And this translation is endorsed by E. M. Thompson, Esq., the head of the MS. department in the British Museum. It all depends on the words "je eusse." They do not mean _I had_; and, even in modern French, might be used for _I should have_, although of course _j'aurais_ would be better.

For many years he has been called the "father of English Prose," but this title, after the above, is doubtful, even if his existence is granted, and belongs of right to Wyclif.

Another book, and a very rare and curious one it is, is attributed to Mandeville. There is a copy of this book in the British Museum (C. 27, f. 2), which, although in Gothic letter, gives no clue as to its date, or place of birth, nor do any of the bibliographical authorities which I have consulted (and they are all that can be found in the British Museum) throw any light upon it. The museum authorities catalogue it as _Lyons? 1530?_ Its title is "LE LAPIDAIRE _en francoys compose par messire Jehan de mandeuille chevalier_." Its contents are of little worth, except that they contain a store of legendary lore relating to precious stones, such as are met with in most medieval treatises on jewels and it winds up with a prayer. The authorship of this book, too, must be a matter of faith, since it has nothing to guarantee it but its title-page.

It is somewhat singular too, that the Latin letter supposed to be written by Mandeville to King Edward the Third, and which is _apropos_ of nothing, only exists in the French edition.

In the appended Travels of Oderico, the Minorite Friar, I have italicized many of the passages which are identical with Mandeville's description in order that the reader may have easier reference.

[Footnote 1: "And there were in our company two friers minours
of Lombardy, & sayd, if any of us wold go in, they wold also,
as they had sayd so, and upon trust of them we sayd that we
wold go, & we dyd sing a masse, and were shriven & houseled,
and we went in xiiii men, and wh[=e] we came out we were but
x."]

[Footnote 2: Havergal's _Fasti Herefordenses_, p. 161.]

[Footnote 3: "Ancient Funerall Monuments, &c. Composed by
the Travels and Studie of John Weever." Lond. 1631. It is
exceedingly singular that a book published at Antwerp in 1584,
"The Itinerarium per nonnullas Galliæ Belgicæ partes Abrahami
Ortelii et Joannis Viviani," confirms Weever, in such almost
identical words, that it is not worth while to append a
translation. Ortelius, or Ortell, writes (p. 16):--"_Est
in hac quoq. regione Gulielmitar[~u] C[oe]nobium in quo
epitaphi[~u] hoc Joannis à Mandeuille excepimus_: HIC IACET
VIR NOBILIS D[~NS] JO[~E]S DE MANDEVILLE AL' D[~CV]S AD
BARBAM, MILES D[~NS] DE C[~A]PDI, NATUS DE ANGLIA, MEDICI[~E]
[~P][~F]ESSOR DEVOTISSIMVS ORATOR ET BONORUM LARGISSIMVS
PAUPERIBUS EROGATA QUI TOTO QUASI ORBE LUSTRATO LEODII DIEM
VITE SUE CLAVSIT EXTREMUM [~AN]O D[~NI] M^O CCC^O LXXI MENSIS
NOV[~E]BRE' DIE XVII.

"_Hæc in lapide, in quo c[oe]lata viri armati imago, leonem
calcantis, barba bifurcata, ad caput manus benedicens, &
vernacula hæc verba_: VOS KI PASEIS SOR MI POVR LAMOVR DEIX
PROIES POR ME. _Clypeus erat vacuus, in quo olim laminam
fuisse dicebant æream, & eius in ea itidem c[oe]lata
insignia, leonem videlicet argenteum, cui ad pectus lunula
rubea, in campo c[oe]ruleo, quem limbus ambiret denticulatus
ex oro. Eius nobis ostendeb[~a]t & cultros, ephippioque, &
calcaria, quibus usum fuisse affereb[~a]t in perigrando toto
fere terrarum orbe, vt clarius eius testatur Itinerarium, quod
typis etiam excusum passim habetur._"]

[Footnote 4: "Otherwise called the Bearded Knight."]

[Footnote 5: An order founded by Sir William of Maleval--a
hermit--who died 10th Feb., 1157. The order was somewhat
austere, as the members went barefoot, and their fasts were
almost continual. They have nearly all been absorbed into the
Augustines.]

[Decoration]

[Decoration]

THE TABLE.

CAP. PAGE

Preface v

Introduction ix

I. He that wyl go toward Hierusalem on horse, on
foote, or by sea 4

II. Of the Ilands of Greece 14

III. To come againe to Constantinople for to go to the
Holy Land 19

IV. Of a terrible dragon 22

V. Of a yong man and his lemm[=a] 25

VI. Of the maner of hunting in Cipres 27

VII. Of the haven named Jaffe 29

VIII. Of the haven of Tyre 29

IX. Of the Hyll Carme 30

X. How Sampson slew the King and his enemies 32

XI. The way to Bebilon whereas the Sowdan dwelleth 33

XII. Yet here foloweth of the Sowdan & his Kingdomes
that he hath conquered, which he holdeth strongly
with force 35

XIII. For to returne fro Sinay to Hierusalem 37

XIV. As men are passed this wildernesse againe coming
to Hierusalem 39

XV. Here foloweth a little of Adam & Eve and other
things 41

XVI. Of the dry tree 43

XVII. Fro Bethlehem 44

XVIII. Of a fayre mayden that shold be put to death
wrongfully 45

XIX. Of the citie of Hierusalem 48

XX. Yet of y^e holy citie of Hierusalem 50

XXI. Of y^e church of y^e holy sepulchre 55

XXII. Of the temple of God 57

XXIII. Yet of the temple of God 59

XXIV. Of King Herode 64

XXV. Of S. Salvatours church 66

XXVI. The fielde of Acheldemack which was bought
with y^e xxx p[=e]ce 69

XXVII. Of the mount Joye 70

XXVIII. Of the castell Berthania 72

XXIX. Of Jerico and other things 72

XXX. Of the holy place betwene Bethany and from
Jordan, and other things 73

XXXI. Of Abram and his Generation 75

XXXII. Of the river Jordan 76

XXXIII. Of many other marvailes 78

XXXIV. Of the Samaritanes 81

XXXV. Of Galyle 82

XXXVI. Of the way of Nazareth to y^e mount or hyll of
Tabor 84

XXXVII. Of the sea of Galyle 85

XXXVIII. Of the table whereon Christ eate after his resurrection 85

XXXIX. Of straunge maners & divers 87

XL. For to turne againe on this side Galile 91

XLI. How a man may go furdest and longest in those
countreis as hereafter ben rehersed 93

XLII. Of other wayes for to go by lande unto Hierusalem 95

XLIII. Yet an other waye by lande toward the lande of
promission 97

XLIV. Of the faith of the Sarasins and of the booke of
their law, named Alkaron 99

XLV. Yet it treateth more of Mahomet 101

XLVI. Of the byrth of Mahomet 104

XLVII. Of the yles and divers maner of people and of
marvailous beastes 107

XLVIII. Of the haven of Gene, for to go by the Sea into
divers countreys 109

XLIX. Of the country of Job, and of the kingdome of
Caldee 115

L. Of the kingdome of Amazony whereas dwelleth
none but women 117

LI. Of the lande of Ethiope 119

LII. Of Inde the more, and Inde y^e lesse, and of
diamonds, and small people and other things 121

LIII. Of divers kingdomes and yles which are in the land
of Inde 123

LIV. Of the kingdome of Mabar[=o] 130

LV. Of a great countrey called Lamozy where the people
go all naked 134

LVI. Of the countrey and yle named Jana which is a
mighty land 137

LVII. Of the kingdome of Pathen or Salmasse which is
a goodly lande 138

LVIII. Of the kingedome of Talonach, the king thereof
hath many wyves 140

LIX. Of the ylande called Raso where men be hanged
as sone as they are sicke 143

LX. Of the ylande of Melke wherein dwelleth evill people 144

LXI. Of an ylande named Macumeran whereas the
people have heads lyke houndes 146

LXII. Of a great yland called Dodin wher are many
divers men of evil condicions 149

LXIII. Of the kingdome named Mancy, which is the best
kingedome of the world 153

LXIV. Of the lande of Pygmeen, wherein dwell but smal
people of three spanne long 156

LXV. Of the citie of Menke wher a great navy is 158

LXVI. Of the lande named Cathay & of y^e great riches
thereof 158

LXVII. Of a great citie named Cadon wherein is the great
Caanes palaice and sege 159

LXVIII. Wherfore that the Emperoure of Cathay is called
y^e great Caane 163

LXIX. How the great Caane was hid under a tree, and so
escaped his enemies because of a bird 165

LXX. Of the great Caanes letters and the writing about
his seale 166

LXXI. Of the governaunce of the country of the great
Caane 167

LXXII. Of the great riches of y^e Emperour and of his
dispending 170

LXXIII. Of the ordinaunce of the Lordes of y^e Emperour
when he rideth from one countrey to an
other to warre 171

LXXIV. How the Empyre of the great Caane is departed
into 12 provinces and how that they doe cast
ensense in the fyre wher y^e great Caane passeth
thorough the Cities and townes, in worship
of the Emperour 172

LXXV. How the great Caane is the myghtiest lord of
all the world 173

LXXVI. Yet of other maners of his countrey 174

LXXVII. How the Emperour is brought unto his grave
when he is dead 175

LXXVIII. When the Emperour is dead how they chose
and make an other 176

LXXIX. What countries and kingedomes lye next to the
lande of Cathay and the frontes thereof 177

LXXX. Of other wayes comming fro Cathay toward
the Grekes sea, and also of the Emperour of
Percey 179

LXXXI. Of the lande of Armony, which is a good land,
and of the land of Middy 180

LXXXII. Of the Kingdome of George and Abcan and many
marvayles 181

LXXXIII. Of the land of Turkey, and divers other countreys,
and of the lande of Mesopotamy 182

LXXXIV. Of divers countreys, kingdomes and yles, and
marvayles beyond the land of Cathay 183

LXXXV. Of the land of Bactry and of many Griffons and
other beastes 186

LXXXVI. Of the way for to goe to Prester John's lande,
which is Emperour of Inde 187

LXXXVII. Of the fayth and belyefe of Prester John, but
he hath not all the full beliefe as we haue 190

LXXXVIII. Of an other yland where also dwelleth good
people therein and is called Sinople 191

LXXXIX. Of two other yles, one is called Pitan wherein be
little men that eat no meate, and in an other
yle are the men all rough of fethers 193

XC. Of a rich man in Prester John's l[=a]d named Catolonapes
and of his gardeine 194

XCI. Of a marvailous valey that is beside the river of
Phison 196

XCII. Of an yland wherin dwell people as great as
gyants of 28 or 30 foote of length and other
things 198

XCIII. Of women which make great sorow as their
children are borne and great joy when they are
dead 199

XCIV. Of an yland where men wed their owne daughters
and kinswom[=e] 200

XCV. Of an other yland wherein dwell full good people
and true 202

XCVI. How King Alexander sent his men thither for to
winne the land 203

XCVII. How the Emperour Prester John when he goeth
to batayle he hath iii Crosses borne before him
of gold 204

XCVIII. Of the most dwelling place of Prester John in a
citie called Suse 205

XCIX. Of the wilderness wherein groweth the trees of
the sonne and the moone 207

C. Of a great yland and Kingdome called Taprobane 208

CI. Of two other yles, one is called Orel, and the other
Argete, where are many gold mynes 209

CII. Of y^e darke country and hyls and roches of stone
nigh to Paradise 210

CIII. A little of Paradise Terrestre 211

CIV. How Prester Johns land lieth fote against fote to
England 213

CV. Of the Kingdome of Ryboth 214

CVI. Of a rich man that is neither King, Prince, Duke
ne Erle 216

CVII. How of all these lands, yles, and kingdomes, and
the men thereof afore rehersed haue some of
the articles of our faith 217

CVIII. How John Maundevyl leveth many mervayles unwritten
and the cause therefore 218

CIX. What time John Maundevil departed out of England 219