The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-08-29
THE MARVELLOUS ADVEN-
TURES OF SIR JOHN
MAUWDEVILLE
A. D. 1922

IL | am not worthy, that was Dofn Ill
England, in the town of st. Allans,
passed the sea In the year of our Lord
1922 -. . and hitherto have been long
time on the sea, and have seen and
gone through many diverse lands +.
with good company of many lords. God
be thankful !"
So wrote a very gentle and pious
Knight. His book of travels begins
with the journey to Constantinople.
which I'M his day was the seat of a
Christian emperor. Beyond vas the
Saracen empire, whose sultans reigned
lii the name of the Prophet Mahomet
over Asia Minor, Syria, the Holy Land
and Egypt. For three hundred years
Christian and Saracen had fought for
the possession of Jerusalem, but now
the Moslem power was stronger than
ever.
Sir John Maundeville found the sui
tan of Babylon the Less at his capital
city in Egypt, and there entered in his
service as a soldier for wars against
the Arab tribes of the desert. The
sultan grew to love this Engllshman,
talked with him of affairs in Europe,
urged him to turn Moslem. and offered
him the hand of a princess in marriage.
But when Maundeville insisted on a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, his mas
ter let him go.
Sir John went all over Palestine, de-
voutly believing everything he was
fo1I In,.o &c hfc starry of thn EipI6
Beiowered. For a fair maiden was
blamed with wrong, and s%landered
for which cause she was con
demned to death, and to be burnt in
that place, to the which she was led.
And as the fire began to burn about
her, she made her prayers to u Lord,
that as certainly as she was not guilty
of that sin, that he would help her, and
make it to be known to all men of his
merciful grace. And when she had thus
said she entered the fire, and anon
was the fire quenched and out; and
the brands which were burning became
red rose trees, and the brands that
were not kindled became white rose
trees full of roses. And these were the
first rose trees and roses, both white
and red, which ever any man saw"
All this part of his book is very
beautiful concerning the holy places,
and there are nice bits about incuba-
tors for chickens and the use of car
rier pigeons. But it is in the regions
beyond the Holy Land that Sir Johns
wonderful power of believing every
thing that he had heard makes his
chapters more and more exciting.
'In Ethiopia there be folk that
have but one foot, and they go so fast
that ii is a marvel. And the foot is so
large that it shadoweth all the body
against the sun when they will lie and
rest them"
Beyond that was the Isle of Nacu-
mera, where all the people have
of good understanding save that they
worship an OK for their god. And
they all 90 naked save a little clout,
and if they take any man in battle
anon they eat him.
Next he came to Ceylon. in that
land is full much waste, for it is full OF
serpents, of dragons and of %cockodrills,
so that no man may dwell there.
I'm one Of these isles be folk as of
great stature as giants. And they be
hideous to look upon. And they have
but one eye, and that is in the middle
Of the forehead. And they eat moth
ing but raw flesh and raw fish. And
il another isle towards the south dwell
folk of foul stature and of cursed ma
ture that have no heads. And their
eyes be in their shoulders and their
mouths be round shapen, like an horse
shoe, amidst their breasts. And in
another Isle be men without heads,
and their eyes and mouths be behind
their shoulders. And in another isle
be folk that have the face all fiat, all
plain, without nose and without mouth.
But they have two small holes, all
round. instead of their eyes, and theil
mouth is fiat also without lips. And
in another isle be folk of foul fashion
and shape that have the lip above the
mouth so great that when they sleep
In the sun they cover all the face with
that lip"
If Sir John had been untruthful he
might have been here tempted to tell
improbable stories, but he merely re
fers to these isles in passing with a
few texts from the Holy Scriptures
TO express his entire disapproval. His
chapters on the Chinese empire are q
perfect model of veracity, and he
merely cocks on a few noughts to the
statistics. In outlying parts of Cathay
he feels once more the need of a little
self-indulgence. One province is GOV
cred with total and everlasting dark
ness, enlivened by the neighing of I'm.
seer horses and the growing of mys
FERROUS cocks. In the neXt province
he found a fruit, which, when ripe
is cut open, disclosing "a little beast
In flesh and bone and blood, as though
1t were a little lamb without wool
And men eat both the fruit and the
beast. And that is a great marvel
Of that fruit have / eaten, although
1t we're wonderful, but that | know