And There Lieth The Body Of Saint Barbara The Virgin
And Martyr.
And there dwelled Joseph, when he was sold of his
brethren.
And there made Nebuchadnezzar the king put three
children into the furnace of fire, for they were in the right truth
of belief, the which children men clept Anania, Azariah, Mishael,
as the Psalm of BENEDICITE saith: but Nebuchadnezzar clept them
otherwise, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that is to say, God
glorious, God victorious, and God over all things and realms: and
that was for the miracle, that he saw God's Son go with the
children through the fire, as he said.
There dwelleth the soldan in his Calahelyke (for there is commonly
his seat) in a fair castle, strong and great, and well set upon a
rock. In that castle dwell alway, to keep it and to serve the
soldan, more then 6000 persons, that take all their necessaries off
the soldan's court. I ought right well to know it; for I dwelled
with him as soldier in his wars a great while against the Bedouins.
And he would have married me full highly to a great prince's
daughter, if I would have forsaken my law and my belief; but I
thank God, I had no will to do it, for nothing that he behight me.
And ye shall understand that the soldan is lord of five kingdoms,
that he hath conquered and appropred to him by strength. And these
be the names: the kingdom of Canapac, that is Egypt; and the
kingdom of Jerusalem, where that David and Solomon were kings; and
the kingdom of Syria, of the which the city of Damascus was chief;
and the kingdom of Aleppo in the land of Mathe; and the kingdom
Arabia, that was to one of the three kings, that made offering to
our Lord, when he was born. And many other lands he holdeth in his
hand. And therewithal he holdeth caliphs, that is a full great
thing in their language, and it is as much to say as king.
And there were wont to be five soldans; but now there is no more
but he of Egypt. And the first soldan was Zarocon, that was of
Media, as was father to Saladin that took the Caliph of Egypt and
slew him, and was made soldan by strength. After that was Soldan
Saladin, in whose time the King of England, Richard the First, with
many other, kept the passage, that Saladin ne might not pass.
After Saladin reigned his son Boradin, and after him his nephew.
After that, the Comanians that were in servage in Egypt, felt
themselves that they were of great power, they chose them a soldan
amongst them, the which made him to be clept Melechsalan. And in
his time entered into the country of the kings of France Saint
Louis, and fought with him; and [the soldan] took him and
imprisoned him; and this [soldan] was slain by his own servants.
And after, they chose another to be soldan, that they clept
Tympieman; and he let deliver Saint Louis out of prison for a
certain ransom.
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