And There Is A Fair Church; For Christian Men Were Wont To
Holden That Place Always.
And in the tomb of St. John is nought
but manna, that is clept angels' meat; for his body was translated
into Paradise.
And Turks hold now all that place, and the city and
the church; and all Asia the less is y-clept Turkey. And ye shall
understand, that St. John let make his grave there in his life, and
laid himself therein all quick; and therefore some men say, that he
died not, but that he resteth there till the day of doom. And,
forsooth, there is a great marvel; for men may see there the earth
of the tomb apertly many times stir and move, as there were quick
things under.
And from Ephesus men go through many isles in the sea, unto the
city of Patera, where St. Nicholas was born, and so to Martha,
where he was chosen to be bishop; and there groweth right good wine
and strong, and that men call wine of Martha. And from thence go
men to the isle of Crete, that the emperor gave sometime to [the]
Genoese.
And then pass men through the isles of Colcos and of Lango, of the
which isles Ypocras was lord of. And some men say, that in the
isle of Lango is yet the daughter of Ypocras, in form and likeness
of a great dragon, that is a hundred fathom of length, as men say,
for I have not seen her. And they of the isles call her Lady of
the Land. And she lieth in an old castle, in a cave, and sheweth
twice or thrice in the year, and she doth no harm to no man, but if
men do her harm. And she was thus changed and transformed, from a
fair damosel, into likeness of a dragon, by a goddess that was
clept Diana. And men say, that she shall so endure in that form of
a dragon, unto [the] time that a knight come, that is so hardy,
that dare come to her and kiss her on the mouth; and then shall she
turn again to her own kind, and be a woman again, but after that
she shall not live long.
And it is not long sithen, that a knight of Rhodes, that was hardy
and doughty in arms, said that he would kiss her. And when he was
upon his courser, and went to the castle, and entered into the
cave, the dragon lift up her head against him. And when the knight
saw her in that form so hideous and so horrible he fled away. And
the dragon bare the knight upon a rock, maugre his head; and from
that rock, she cast him into the sea. And so was lost both horse
and man.
And also a young man, that wist not of the dragon, went out of a
ship, and went through the isle till that he came to the castle,
and came into the cave, and went so long, till that he found a
chamber; and there he saw a damosel that combed her head and looked
in a mirror; and she had much treasure about her. And he trowed
that she had been a common woman, that dwelled there to receive men
to folly. And he abode, till the damosel saw the shadow of him in
the mirror. And she turned her toward him, and asked him what he
would? And he said, he would be her leman or paramour. And she
asked him, if that he were a knight? And he said, nay. And then
she said, that he might not be her leman; but she bade him go again
unto his fellows, and make him knight, and come again upon the
morrow, and she should come out of the cave before him, and then
come and kiss her on the mouth and have no dread, - for I shall do
thee no manner of harm, albeit that thou see me in likeness of a
dragon; for though thou see me hideous and horrible to look on, I
do thee to wit that it is made by enchantment; for without doubt, I
am none other than thou seest now, a woman, and therefore dread
thee nought. And if thou kiss me, thou shalt have all this
treasure, and be my lord, and lord also of all the isle.
And he departed from her and went to his fellows to ship, and let
make him knight and came again upon the morrow for to kiss this
damosel. And when he saw her come out of the cave in form of a
dragon, so hideous and so horrible, he had so great dread, that he
fled again to the ship, and she followed him. And when she saw
that he turned not again, she began to cry, as a thing that had
much sorrow; and then she turned again into her cave. And anon the
knight died. And sithen hitherward might no knight see her, but
that he died anon. But when a knight cometh, that is so hardy to
kiss her, he shall not die; but he shall turn the damosel into her
right form and kindly shape, and he shall be lord of all the
countries and isles abovesaid.
And from thence men come to the isle of Rhodes, the which isle
Hospitallers holden and govern; and that took they some-time from
the emperor. And it was wont to be clept Collos; and so call it
the Turks yet. And Saint Paul in his epistle writeth to them of
that isle AD COLOSSENSES. This isle is nigh eight hundred mile
long from Constantinople.
CHAPTER V
[Of diversities in Cyprus; of the Road from Cyprus to Jerusalem,
and of the Marvel of a Fosse full of Sand]
AND from this isle of Rhodes men go to Cyprus, where be many vines,
that first be red and after one year they become white; and those
wines that be most white, be most clear and best of smell.
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