And All Those That Hold Anything Of Their Churches,
Religious And Other, Obey To Him, As Men Do Here To The Pope Of
Rome.
In that isle they have a custom by all the country, that when the
father is dead of any
Man, and the son list to do great worship to
his father, he sendeth to all his friends and to all his kin, and
for religious men and priests, and for minstrels also, great
plenty. And then men bear the dead body unto a great hill with
great joy and solemnity. And when they have brought it thither,
the chief prelate smiteth off the head, and layeth it upon a great
platter of gold and of silver, if so [he] be a rich man. And then
he taketh the head to the son. And then the son and his other kin
sing and say many orisons. And then the priests and the religious
men smite all the body of the dead man in pieces. And then they
say certain orisons. And the fowls of ravine of all the country
about know the custom of long time before, [and] come flying above
in the air; as eagles, gledes, ravens and other fowls of ravine,
that eat flesh. And then the priests cast the gobbets of the flesh
and then the fowls, each of them, taketh that he may, and goeth a
little thence and eateth it; and so they do whilst any piece
lasteth of the dead body.
And after that, as priests amongst us sing for the dead, SUBVENITE
SANCTI DEI, ETC., right so the priests sing with high voice in
their language; Behold how so worthy a man and how good a man this
was, that the angels of God come for to seek him and for to bring
him into Paradise. And then seemeth it to the son, that he is
highly worshipped, when that many birds and fowls and ravens come
and eat his father; and he that hath most number of fowls is most
worshipped.
And then the son bringeth home with him all his kin, and his
friends, and all the others to his house, and maketh them a great
feast. And then all his friends make their vaunt and their
dalliance, how the fowls came thither, here five, here six, here
ten, and there twenty, and so forth; and they rejoice them hugely
for to speak thereof. And when they be at meat, the son let bring
forth the head of his father, and thereof he giveth of the flesh to
his most special friends, instead of ENTRE MESSE, or a SUKKARKE.
And of the brain pan, he letteth make a cup, and thereof drinketh
he and his other friends also, with great devotion, in remembrance
of the holy man, that the angels of God have eaten. And that cup
the son shall keep to drink of all his life-time, in remembrance of
his father.
From that land, in returning by ten journeys throughout the land of
the great Chan, is another good isle and a great kingdom, where the
king is full rich and mighty.
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