There May Men See Many Foul Figure
Assembled, And Namely Nigh The Good Towns.
In that isle be ships without nails of iron or bonds, for the rocks
of the adamants, for they be all full thereabout in that sea, that
it is marvel to speak of.
And if a ship passed by those marches
that had either iron bonds or iron nails, anon he should be
perished; for the adamant of his kind draweth the iron to him. And
so would it draw to him the ship because of the iron, that he
should never depart from it, ne never go thence.
From that isle men go by sea to another isle that is clept Chana,
where is great plenty of corn and wine. And it was wont to be a
great isle, and a great haven and a good; but the sea hath greatly
wasted it and overcome it. The king of that country was wont to be
so strong and so mighty that he held war against King Alexander.
The folk of that country have a diverse law. For some of them
worship the sun, some the moon, some the fire, some trees, some
serpents, or the first thing that they meet at morrow. And some
worship simulacres and some idols. But between simulacres and
idols is a great difference. For simulacres be images made after
likeness of men or of women, or of the sun, or of the moon, or of
any beast, or of any kindly thing. And idols is an image made of
lewd will of man, that man may not find among kindly things, as an
image that hath four heads, one of a man, another of an horse or of
an ox, or of some other beast, that no man hath seen after kindly
disposition.
And they that worship simulacres, they worship them for some worthy
man that was sometime, as Hercules, and many other that did many
marvels in their time. For they say well that they be not gods;
for they know well that there is a God of kind that made all
things, the which is in heaven. But they know well that this may
not do the marvels that he made, but if it had been by the special
gift of God; and therefore they say that he was well with God, and
for because that he was so well with God, therefore they worship
him. And so say they of the sun, because that he changeth the
time, and giveth heat, and nourisheth all things upon earth; and
for it is of so great profit, they know well that that might not
be, but that God loveth it more than any other thing, and, for that
skill, God hath given it more great virtue in the world.
Therefore, it is good reason, as they say, to do it worship and
reverence. And so say they, and make their reasons, of other
planets, and of the fire also, because it is so profitable.
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