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And zee schulle undirstonde, that marchaundes, that comen fro Gene or fro Venyse or fro Romanye, or other partyes of Lombardye, thei gon be see and be lond 11 monethes, or 12, or more sum tyme, or thei may come to the yle of Cathay, that is the princypalle regyoun of alle partyes bezonde; and it is of the grete Cane.
And witethe wel, that the kyng of that yle is so myghty, that he hathe many tymes overcomen the grete Cane of Cathay in bataylle, that is the most gret emperour that is undre the firmament, outher bezonde the see or on this half.
In that lond ben many fairere wommen, than in ony other contree bezonde the see: and therfore men clepen that lond Albanye; because that the folk ben whyte. And the chief cytee of that contree is clept Latoryn; and it is a iourneye from the see: and it is moche more than Parys. In that cytee is a gret ryvere, berynge schippes, that gon to alle the costes in the see.
Aftre that men taken the ademand, that is the schipmannes ston, that drawethe the nedle to him, and men leyn the dyamand upon the ademand, and leyn the nedle before the ademand; and zif the dyamand be gode and vertuous, the ademande drawethe not the nedle to him, while the dyamand is there present. And this is the preef, that thei bezonde the see maken.
And whoso that wole, may leve me, zif he wille; and who so wille not, may chuse. For I wot wel, zif ony man hathe ben in tho contrees bezonde, thoughe he have not ben in the place, where the grete Chane duellethe, he schalle here speke of him so meche merveylouse thing, that he schalle not trowe it lightly: and treuly, no more did I my self, til I saughe it.
In that lond, ne in many othere bezonde that, no man may see the sterre transmontane, that is clept the sterre of the see, that is unmevable, and that is toward the northe, that we clepen the lode sterre. But men seen another steere, the contrarie to him, that is toward the south, that is clept Antartyk.
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 the kyngdom of Mede and of Persye, ben betwene the ryveres of Nile and of Tigres. And the kyngdom of Syrie, where of I have spoken beforn, and Palestyne and Phenycie, ben betwene Eufrates and the See Medyterrane: the whiche see durethe in lengthe, fro Mayrok, upon the See of Spayne, unto the grete See; so that it lastethe bezonde Costantynople 3040 myles of Lombardye.
And zee schulle undirstonde, that the emperour, in his propre persone, rydethe not as othere gret lordes don bezonde; but zif him liste to go prevyly with fewe men, for to ben unknowen.
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