The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, vol 9 | Page 9

hem to gidere, and chesen his eldest sone, or the
nexte aftre him, of his blood: and thus thei seye to him; wee wolen and
wee preyen and ordeynen, that zee ben oure lord and oure emperour.
And thanne he answerethe, zif yee wile, that I regne over zou, as lord,
do eyeryche of zou, that I schalle commanden him, outher to abyde or
to go; and whom soever that I commaunde to ben slayn, that anon he be
slayn. And thei answeren alle with o voys, what so evere zee
commanden, it schalle be don. Thanne seythe the emperour, now
undirstondethe wel, that my woord from hens forthe, is scharp and
bytynge as a swerd. After men setten him upon a blak stede, and so
men bryngen him to a cheyere fulle richely arrayed, and there thei
crownen hym. And thanne alle the cytees and gode townes senden hym
ryche presentes; so that at that iourneye, he schalle have more than 60
chariottes charged with gold and sylver, with outen jewelles of gold
and precyouse stones, that lordes zeven hym, that ben withouten
estymacioun: and with outen hors and clothes of gold and of Camakaas
and Tartarynes, that ben with outen nombre.
Of the Roialme of Thurse and the Londes and Kyngdomes towardes the
Septentrionale parties, in comynge down from the Lond of Cathay.
This lond of Cathay is in Asye the depe. And aftre, on this half, is
Asyetthe more. The kyngdom of Cathay marchethe toward the west,
unto the kyngdom of Tharse; the whiche was on of the kinges, that cam
to presente our Lord in Betheleem. And thei that ben of the lynage of
that kyng, arn somme Cristene. In Tharse, thei eten no flessche, ne thei
drynken no wyn. And on this half, towardes the west, is the kyngdom
of Turquesten, that strecchethe him toward the west, to the kyngdom of
Persie; and toward the Septrentionalle, to the kyngdom of Chorasme. In
the contre of Turquesten, ben but fewe gode cytees: but the beste cytee
of that lond highte Octorar. There ben grete pastures; but fewe Coornes;

and therfore, for the most partie, thei ben alle herdemen: and thei lyzn
in tentes, and thei drynken a maner ale, made of hony.
And aftre, on this half, is the kyngdom of Chorasme, that is a gode lond
and a plentevous, with outen wyn. And it hathe a desert toward the est,
that lastethe more than an 100 iourneyes. And the beste cytee of that
contree is clept Chorasme. And of that cytee, berethe the contree his
name. The folk of that contree ben hardy werryoures. And on this half
is the kyngdom of Comanye, where of the Comayns that dwelleden in
Grece, somtyme weren chaced out. This is on of the grettest
kyngdomes of the world: but it is not alle enhabyted. For at on of the
parties, there is so gret cold, that no man may dwelle there: and in
another partie, there is so grete hete, that no man may endure it. And
also there ben so many flyes, that no man may knowe on what syde he
may turne him. In that contree is but lytille arberye, ne trees that beren
frute, ne othere. Thei lyzn in tentes. And thei brenen the dong of bestes
for defaute of wode.
This kyngdom descendeth on this half toward us, and toward Pruysse,
and toward Rossye. And thorghe that contree rennethe the ryvere of
Ethille, that is on of the grettest ryveres of the world. And it fresethe so
strongly alle zeres, that many tymes men han foughten upon the Ise
with grete hostes, bothe parties on fote, and hire hors voyded for the
tyme: and what on hors and on fote, mo than 200000 persones on every
syde. And betweene that ryvere and the grete see ocean, that thei clepen
the see maure, lyzn alle theise Roialmes. And toward the hede benethe
in that Roialme, is the mount Chotaz, that is the hiest mount of the
world: and it is betwene the see Maure and the see Caspy. There is fulle
streyt and dangerous passage, for to go toward Ynde. And therfore
Kyng Alysandre leet make there a strong cytee, that men clepen
Alizandre, for to kepe the contree, that no man scholde passe with
outen his leve. And now men clepen that cytee, the Zate of Helle. And
the princypalle cytee of Comenye is clept Sarak, that is on of the 3
weyes for to go in to Ynde: but be the weye, ne may not passe no gret
multytude of peple, but zif it be in wyntre. And that passage men
clepen the Derbent. The tother weye is for to go fro the citee of
Turquesten, be Persie: and be that weye, ben manye