And There Be Also In That
Country Many Camles; That Is A Little Beast As A Goat, That Is
Wild, And He Liveth By The Air And Eateth Nought, Ne Drinketh
Nought, At No Time.
And he changeth his colour often-time, for men
see him often sithes, now in one colour and now in another colour;
and he may change him into all manner colours that him list, save
only into red and white.
There be also in that country passing
great serpents, some of six score foot long, and they be of diverse
colours, as rayed, red, green, and yellow, blue and black, and all
speckled. And there be others that have crests upon their heads,
and they go upon their feet, upright, and they be well a four
fathom great, or more, and they dwell always in rocks or in
mountains, and they have alway the throat open, of whence they drop
venom always. And there be also wild swine of many colours, as
great as be oxen in our country, and they be all spotted, as be
young fawns. And there be also urchins, as great as wild swine
here; we clepe them Porcz de Spine. And there be lions all white,
great and mighty. And there be also of other beasts, as great and
more greater than is a destrier, and men clepe them Loerancs; and
some men clepe them odenthos; and they have a black head and three
long horns trenchant in the front, sharp as a sword, and the body
is slender; and he is a full felonious beast, and he chaseth and
slayeth the elephant. There be also many other beasts, full wicked
and cruel, that be not mickle more than a bear, and they have the
head like a boar, and they have six feet, and on every foot two
large claws, trenchant; and the body is like a bear, and the tail
as a lion. And there be also mice as great as hounds, and yellow
mice as great as ravens. And there be geese, all red, three sithes
more great than ours here, and they have the head, the neck and the
breast all black.
And many other diverse beasts be in those countries, and elsewhere
there-about, and many diverse birds also, of the which it were too
long for to tell you. And therefore, I pass over at this time.
CHAPTER XXXII
OF THE GOODNESS OF THE FOLK OF THE ISLE OF BRAGMAN. OF KING
ALEXANDER. AND WHEREFORE THE EMPEROR OF IND IS CLEPT PRESTER JOHN
AND beyond that isle is another isle, great and good and plenteous,
where that be good folk and true, and of good living after their
belief and of good faith. And albeit that they be not christened,
ne have no perfect law, yet, natheles, of kindly law they be full
of all virtue, and they eschew all vices and all malices and all
sins. For they be not proud, ne covetous, ne envious, ne wrathful,
ne gluttons, ne lecherous. Ne they do to any man otherwise than
they would that other men did to them, and in this point they
fulfil the ten commandments of God, and give no charge of avoir, ne
of riches. And they lie not, ne they swear not for none occasion,
but they say simply, yea and nay; for they say, he that sweareth
will deceive his neighbour, and therefore, all that they do, they
do it without oath.
And men clepe that isle the Isle of Bragman, and some men clepe it
the Land of Faith. And through that land runneth a great river
that is clept Thebe. And, in general, all the men of those isles
and of all the marches thereabout be more true than in any other
countries thereabout, and more rightfull than others in all things.
In that isle, is no thief, ne murderer, ne common woman, ne poor
beggar, ne never was man slain in that country. And they be so
chaste, and lead so good life, as that they were religious men, and
they fast all days. And because they be so true and so rightfull,
and so full of all good conditions, they were never grieved with
tempests, ne with thunder, ne with light, ne with hail, ne with
pestilence, ne with war, ne with hunger, ne with none other
tribulation, as we be, many times, amongst us, for our sins.
Wherefore, it seemeth well, that God loveth them and is pleased
with their creaunce for their good deeds. They believe well in
God, that made all things, and him they worship. And they prize
none earthly riches; and so they be all rightfull. And they live
full ordinately, and so soberly in meat and drink, that they live
right long. And the most part of them die without sickness, when
nature faileth them, for eld.
And it befell in King Alexander's time, that he purposed him to
conquer that isle and to make them to hold of him. And when they
of the country heard it, they sent messengers to him with letters,
that said thus; What may be enough to that man to whom all the
world is insufficient? Thou shalt find nothing in us, that may
cause thee to war against us. For we have no riches, ne none we
covet, and all the goods of our country be in common. Our meat,
that we sustain withal our bodies, is our riches. And, instead of
treasure of gold and silver, we make our treasure of accord and
peace, and for to love every man other. And for to apparel with
our bodies we use a silly little clout for to wrap in our carrion.
Our wives ne be not arrayed for to make no man pleasance, but only
convenable array for to eschew folly. When men pain them to array
the body for to make it seem fairer than God made it, they do great
sin.
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