There dwell
many Christian men under tribute of Saracens. And from that city,
men pass by many towns and castles in going toward Ind unto the
city of Sadonia, that is a ten journeys from Thauriso, and it is a
full noble city and a great. And there dwelleth the Emperor of
Persia in summer; for the country is cold enough. And there be
good rivers bearing ships.
After go men the way toward Ind by many journeys, and by many
countries, unto the city that is clept Cassak, and that is a full
noble city, and a plenteous of corns and wines and of all other
goods. This is the city where the three kings met together when
they went to seek our Lord in Bethlehem to worship him and to
present him with gold, incense, and myrrh. And it is from that
city to Bethlehem fifty-three journeys. From that city men go to
another city that is clept Gethe, that is a journey from the sea
that men clepe the Gravelly Sea. That is the best city that the
Emperor of Persia hath in all his land. And they clepe flesh there
Dabago and the wine Vapa. And the Paynims say that no Christian
man may not long dwell ne endure with the life in that city, but
die within short time; and no man knoweth not the cause.
After go men by many cities and towns and great countries that it
were too long to tell unto the city of Cornaa that was wont to be
so great that the walls about hold twenty-five mile about. The
walls shew yet, but it is not all inhabited. From Cornaa go men by
many lands and many cities and towns unto the land of Job. And
there endeth the land of the Emperor of Persia. And if ye will
know the letters of Persians and what names they have, they be such
as I last devised you, but not in sounding of their words.
CHAPTER XVII
OF THE LAND OF JOB; AND OF HIS AGE. OF THE ARRAY OF MEN OF
CHALDEA. OF THE LAND WHERE WOMEN DWELL WITHOUT COMPANY OF MEN. OF
THE KNOWLEDGE AND VIRTUES OF THE VERY DIAMOND
AFTER the departing from Cornaa, men enter into the land of Job
that is a full fair country and a plenteous of all goods. And men
clepe that land the Land of Susiana. In that land is the city of
Theman.
Job was a paynim, and he was Aram of Gosre, his son, and held that
land as prince of that country. And he was so rich that he knew
not the hundred part of his goods. And although he were a paynim,
nevertheless he served well God after his law. And our Lord took
his service to his pleasane. And when he fell in poverty he was
seventy-eight year of age. And after, when God had proved his
patience and that it was so great, he brought him again to riches
and to higher estate than he was before. And after that he was
King of Idumea after King Esau, and when he was king he was clept
Jobab. And in that kingdom he lived after 170 year. And so he was
of age, when he died, 248 year.
In that land of Job there ne is no default of no thing that is
needful to man's body. There be hills, where men get great plenty
of manna in greater abundance than in any other country. This
manna is clept bread of angels. And it is a white thing that is
full sweet and right delicious, and more sweet than honey or sugar.
And it cometh of the dew of heaven that falleth upon the herbs in
that country. And it congealeth and becometh all white and sweet.
And men put it in medicines for rich men to make the womb lax, and
to purge evil blood. For it cleanseth the blood and putteth out
melancholy. This land of Job marcheth to the kingdom of Chaldea.
This land of Chaldea is full great. And the language of that
country is more great in sounding than it is in other parts of the
sea. Men pass to go beyond by the Tower of Babylon the Great, of
the which I have told you before, where that all the languages were
first changed. And that is a four journeys from Chaldea. In that
realm be fair men, and they go full nobly arrayed in clothes of
gold, orfrayed and apparelled with great pearls and precious
stone's full nobly. And the women be right foul and evil arrayed.
And they go all bare-foot and clothed in evil garments large and
wide, but they be short to the knees, and long sleeves down to the
feet like a monk's frock, and their sleeves be hanging about their
shoulders. And they be black women foul and hideous, and truly as
foul as they be, as evil they be.
In that kingdom of Chaldea, in a city that is clept Ur, dwelled
Terah, Abraham's father. And there was Abraham born. And that was
in that time that Ninus was king of Babylon, of Arabia and of
Egypt. This Ninus made the city of Nineveh, the which that Noah
had begun before. And because that Ninus performed it, he cleped
it Nineveh after his own name. There lieth Tobit the prophet, of
whom Holy Writ speaketh of. And from that city of Ur Abraham
departed, by the commandment of God, from thence, after the death
of his father, and led with him Sarah his wife and Lot his
brother's son, because that he had no child.
