, 1870-05-15


ycsT, AID sho sra an VIII STOW great. =
And . rnan ,ahould carry tbs Diamond "a hi.
hft =ids$ for n Is Of gre:te7 ttue th,n oa tkd
rirls ssdo; for the strength q thels
proving II tg*and tho nossa, tsas
to I'm part Of roa7s I. vixen ho t7rEs his
IL toward the cast" Sir Johu was not by /
Al y meaps singular In hf-views Of the nature |
OF diamonds il his day. hoMcScr much ne may
he at vu,iancr with rnodcvn authorities and
he ia only repeating rSs,sf ha saPers.9ta .se1;bes
n.ry wonderful si1.rns to this gem,
VI III bo aays preserves tho: weazsr fron
rtison, and Wild Eeaata, and the assaults Of !
eremIce, and the machin.tsana Of oncaanteEs,
Evca courage 10 shs heart and strength - tao I
Gnhe, heals lun.t:cs, aod casts OFT de7.ls'
Bat It lcacs it's sfrtua BY sin- -.
rscm ste,:ea Of celia thirty feet long, md
people Of m evil color, green and ypnowy ant
tic well af Perpesu1} Youth, froua which Sir
Jchu ayers tust he drank, and fsta as Ercst as
dogs. which thay tako with huge masttaa, be-
causc the cats feel unabo 70 manage theu,
which, considering ths tias when it vss witt
ten, is certainly curious. 0ne hundred aud !
seventy years befors tho nsme q Columbus we |
find Sir John Maundeville arguing that "tha
land and Sea ara Of round shape, because the |
t>clk u! luH A1Ilt1Ecuk appears III Ut1a Euuut{v
which is no. seen in another country" and
Predicting that q il man found passages by
skirs, he might go By ship Ill roaaa tho
wc,ll, above and beneath. 4 rather elabo-
rato essay Is devoted to an estimate Of the
size al the world, sad to tho ssozr Of Al Eng
it once and neve. knew it; but
coming to country wlssle this
people spoke his own language,
vas SO mAeh amazed tha. lie turned around
and sailcd I'll the way ha:k.sgsin. After this.
Sir John gets bsek without unnecessary delay
to the rpss rs.al0,s Of e,ste1rfable.
We next find him IN Jara and among the
ncs Kings, and splendid palscts vhazo all ma
sterss arc gold and silver alternately, aud the
walls covered with plates Of precious 1netsk,
aud hAl1s and chambers paved wsth tho SAILS;
Of trees which bear meai. and horey, and vine,
and dsaaly poison vheFeTish; ths Jews
Of snails 70 big that many persons may lodgs
| in their ss>Ats Of men who feed upon Ser
psnts, 40 that they spesk nsught, brf hiss as
setpenta dn- OF ;aeu md women who have
OF SilhA ubcne Alan and Eve went and cried
for one hundaad yeara nfte1 they were driven
out o. psradias, ,-xzie1 70 hxd that theutea1a
formed deep.tAke, which nay be seen theirs
I to this day. il anybody 1oubts the story. He
| tells Of giants hASi,rg only one eye, which is
stature and curacd nature, who have no
Fsheads. but their epes ara Ii their ehcnl
f;dcta; peos,le- who, lAA1e neiths1 noses ree
! mouths; people who have mouths 60 big that
when they shep in tbs sun thsy cover the
Whole face With the upper lip; people who
| h.se ezts hzasdng down 10 their knees; peos-
I pll who hAvs horrea fsA*: and fea.hered men
| who leap fro-a tree to tstaa. Passing to India
and Chius, Sir John describes the fair and
frni'1ul land OF Mbadn, ~he1o therr are no
l ~axt i'm x1,o1S 81 L.
complexion, and have only about fifty hairs in
their bearls. Ha speaks OF nAsing personally
visited these regions: hut We are
sory to, say that his. narrative ia
fIny and Marco rolo. At the great town
called Janlchay hs seems TO- base found the
psototsra OF Delms1aeo, and he gives All i'm
pressiye zeount ofthe good cnston that when
| man will make = faast for his friends he coes
| to the host oi certain kind Of inn, and says,
msny peoales and says also, Thus much
! will spend, and III more" And Sir John
adds, j" Anon the hoss a1rays for him, so fair
aud 10 well and 30 honestly that there shAl
lack not4ina7 OF the great Chan 9
: and nabnlhcense, Sir Jeha writes AZ consid
erable length, but. with IN evident e1pectatio1
that men viii rot believe him. MI fellow,
: and I, he says. with cur yeouaen. ae1vet
this Emperor, and we're lis soldiers, nfteer
]
ut xsr with him, because We had great dcsirt
to SEQ his noblensss aud tl,e estate OF his coart
and al his government, to know II il, were
such u we Heard YAy>" How many his fellowt
; we're, or what ro'Ne they followed IN theil
| eastern wanderine1- We cantaot tell sir Joht
; ! gives us no particulars: We oulv lsx1r
that be must have combined in cur
: | Gus perfection the characters OF pil
grim and military adventure and how mucl
u the world he saw, how much he deecril>es
), from hearsay,. We AN only determine frns
8 no reasonable doubt that he did spend som,
9 time in the dominion OF the great chan 10
! his description Of the country, the manners q
E the peorle,. the msgniheence Of th
: tovereign aud tho ceremonies of the court
though exaggerated sometimes tothe height
!. Of the grotes4ne. If not Of the suhlims, keep
near enough to the probable truth. We csunt
J say that We are glad Of 1t; for Sir John is vas
; " more entertaining when he does not kuo
j what he il talking about
- Tic skirs about with the moat charming :
a md back again to India, and sometimes it
I. certain that he tells Us Of wonders which
y l did not geo With his own eyes. In Geotgi
/ for Instance, there is = marvellous proyin
Is called Han{yson. where once upon time
y cursed Persian ENG named saqTea o7eEto
st Tod for delirc1oncc, and, LOT a gre
"a ! cloud arose. coyerins the Kings ht
ae with darkness, out Of which they could +
T.. pass, and 60 the whole province remains d
Il 10 this Lou1, and no Light shall shine there 4
nj ! no man shall enter it til the day OF iudgmel
= | Voices may sometimes be heard coming out
4. the darkness, and tho neighiDg OF hoIses a
!, growing OF cocks and greet ri7er Issues TT
Of It bearing tokena Of human life. Somewl
"a / similar to this story ia tho account Of regi
Is | on the borders OF the Caspian SEA-, where IT
IT. Jews Of ten Gncagcs who are calfed Cog a
eli 7 MaEog '-n1ma1y, the lost tziass-l&Ga bc
d, [ shut up for ages behind impassahas mount tai
on Tho legend IL that king Alexander drove TIL
90 | IN there, and prevailed upon his gods 10 c.s
en- the mountains with irumenaa stone gates
on ! tho DAYS OF Antichtist fux Rhal1 burr
no through where Alexander 1uAds tha gates, I
ue the imprisoned Jevs, who hAye nsver seen
Ie fox, shall hunt him. and following the burrc
an break down the gatca and come. out in I
On world. Then they shah mike great slauEh
Ia Of tie Christians; wherefore Jews all over
no world learn the Hebrew language, 80 that
.ee that day tie ten tribes may recoghize tht
tl,o world Sir john SAW aud tested kindot fr
in Ike gou1sls, which, when thoy. are ripe. n
cut III two, and find within little beast.
~. Gcsh, boue anl blood, a. though it we're =
Il tie 1a1ub Without WOOL Both the fruit a
ich the beast are good TO est. F!r John confess
~. outdone, 1e told his entertainers that IN E.
az land there were trees bearing fEuit which
oH 10 comes flying birds, right good for mane NE
~ ~, whcrrxt his listeners had also great nass'
~ and soma even thought the thing imp,ssil
tS' ,tS' Sir John, .howeyer, was nos pa,pos
cct' cra,umiug the rersiaps; be only
IT, peated tho popular fable of the bstna
NJ goose, wLich WIS aaciently believed to
M fatchcd from the ha1Dac1ea growing on ah
:.-a bottoms and logs Of wood, just AZ an ordir
~ | goose is hatcle1 from N egg,
ions Tie great mystery and marvel Of the az
t is | which Sir John Maundcville wToto was
"a" Christian empire Of prester John. suppose
any extend over lt.ntrai Indis, and to be in rss
that vast island. separated from other count
Iany BIZ great branching rivers which flowed
mn- o{ Paradise Many traveller weat
aree eeasch Of. this mythical and rnagnih
apy noteuta,e; many doubtful ato:y Of
fea- rover and designs WAS brought bsck
ha6e Europe: md even pretended letter +
1u: | His Majesty 70 the Pope waa widely pulls
au | in Latin, French. and other languages.
IL cent the Clan Of Cath2y, there waa no o
Vi = mtuarcA ii tie world 10 great and 10
bead The Chan, therefore, always married
nd It daughter Of Prester John, and Pfester :
it alwnvs married the daughter Of the C.
I is which naturally made confusion in tho
MAS illogical records Of the reiEning families.
y. in course. Sir John Maun3eville WA too gali'
, was traveller to 20 home without fuu acco1E
ihich the eupire Of Prester John. He says he We
,aars il, and tho catalogue. Of things he Saw:
:, foz ths history Of things ho did aza wond
Inhp 1 nrx,,p1, n asfi4fr tbt, ,rnat exnrtiDp res