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And whan men casten hem in to the watre, anon thei bringen up gret fissches, als manye as men wold. And zif men wil have mo, thei cast hem in azen, and thei bryngen up als many as men list to have. And fro that cytee, passynge many iourneyes, is another cytee, on of the grettest of the world, that men clepen Cassay; that is to seyne, the Cytee of Hevene.

But I have the lasse marvaylle, be cause that thei ben the moste sotyle men in alle sciences and in alle craftes, that ben in the world. For of sotyltee and of malice and of fercastynge, thei passen alle men undre hevene. And therfore thei seyn hem self, that thei seen with 2 eyen; and the Cristene men see but with on: be cause that thei ben more sotylle than thei.

And bezonde the ryvere of Tygre, is Caldee, that is a fulle gret kyngdom. In that Rewyme, at Baldac aboveseyd, was wont to duelle the Calyffeez, that was wont to ben bothe as Emperour and Pope of the Arabyenez; so that he was lord spirituelle and temporelle. And there duelled the holy prophete Daniel; and there he saughe vissiones of Hevene; and there he made the expositioun of dremes.

And thei that worschipen symulacres, thei worschipen hem for sum worthi man, that was sum tyme, as Hercules and many othere, that diden many marvayles in here tyme. For thei seyn wel, that thei be not goddes: for thei knowen wel, that there is a God of kynde, that made alle thinges; the which is in hevene.

And neere besyde Damasce, was he converted: and aftre his conversionn, he duelte in that cytee 3 dayes, with outen sight, and with outen mete or drinke. And in tho 3 dayes he was ravisscht to hevene, and there he saughe many prevytees of oure Lord. And faste besyde Damasce, is the Castelle of Arkes, that is bothe fair and strong.

The Ménagier does not want his wife to be on a pedestal, like the troubadour's lady, nor licking his shoes like Griselda; he wants a helpmeet, for, as Chaucer said, 'If that wommen were nat goode and hir conseils goode and profitable, oure Lord God of hevene wolde never han wroght hem, ne called hem "help" of man, but rather confusioun of man. Ecclesiastical Jeremiahs were often wont to use the characteristically medieval argument that if God had meant woman for a position of superiority He would have taken her from Adam's head rather than his side; but the Ménagier would have agreed with the more logical Peter Lombard, who observed that she was not taken from Adam's head, because she was not intended to be his ruler, nor from his feet either, because she was not intended to be his slave, but from his side, precisely, because she was intended to be his companion.

Into that welle, aungeles weren wont to come from Hevene, and bathen hem with inne: and, what man that first bathed him, aftre the mevynge of the watre, was made hool, of what maner sykenes that he hadde: and there oure Lord heled a man of the palasye, that laye 38 zeer: and oure Lord seyde to him, Tolle Grabatum tuum & ambula: that is to seye, Take thi bed, and go.

Also fro Nazarethe, men gon to the Mount Thabor; and that is a 4 myle: and it is a fulle faire hille, and well highe, where was wont to ben a toun and many chirches; but thei ben alle destroyed; but zit there is a place, that men clepen the scole of God, where he was wont to teche his disciples, and tolde hem the prevytees of hevene.

And fro that mount, steighe oure Lord Jesu Crist to Hevene, upon ascencioun day: and zit there schewethe the schapp of his left foot, in the ston. And there is a chirche, where was wont to be an abbot and chanouns reguleres.

But how it semethe to symplemen unlerned, that men ne mowe not go undre the erthe, and also that men scholde falle toward the hevene, from undre! But that may not be, upon lesse, than wee mowe falle toward hevene, fro the erthe, where wee ben.