And If Men Will Have More, They Cast Them In
Again, And They Bring Up As Many As Men List To Have.
And from that city passing many journeys is another city, one the
greatest of the world, that men clepe
Cassay; that is to say, the
'City of heaven.' That city is well a fifty mile about, and it is
strongly inhabited with people, insomuch that in one house men make
ten households. In that city be twelve principal gates; and before
every gate, a three mile or a four mile in length, is a great town
or a great city. That city sits upon a great lake on the sea as
doth Venice. And in that city be more than 12,000 bridges. And
upon every bridge be strong towers and good, in the which dwell the
wardens for to keep the city from the great Chan. And on that one
part of the city runneth a great river all along the city. And
there dwell Christian men and many merchants and other folk of
diverse nations, because that the land is so good and so plenteous.
And there groweth full good wine that men clepe Bigon, that is full
mighty, and gentle in drinking. This is a city royal where the
King of Mancy was wont to dwell. And there dwell many religious
men, as it were of the Order of Friars, for they be mendicants.
From that city men go by water, solacing and disporting them, till
they come to an abbey of monks that is fast by, that be good
religious men after their faith and law. In that abbey is a great
garden and a fair, where be many trees of diverse manner of fruits.
And in this garden is a little hill full of delectable trees. In
that hill and in that garden be many diverse beasts, as of apes,
marmosets, baboons and many other diverse beasts. And every day,
when the convent of this abbey hath eaten, the almoner let bear the
relief to the garden, and he smiteth on the garden gate with a
clicket of silver that he holdeth in his hand; and anon all the
beasts of the hill and of diverse places of the garden come out a
3000, or a 4000; and they come in guise of poor men, and men give
them the relief in fair vessels of silver, clean over-gilt. And
when they have eaten, the monk smiteth eftsoons on the garden gate
with the clicket, and then anon all the beasts return again to
their places that they come from. And they say that these beasts
be souls of worthy men that resemble in likeness of those beasts
that be fair, and therefore they give them meat for the love of
God; and the other beasts that be foul, they say be souls of poor
men and of rude commons. And thus they believe, and no man may put
them out of this opinion.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 103 of 158
Words from 53084 to 53585
of 81655
