Chapter 16 |
Index |
Chapter 18
OF THE LAND OF JOB; AND OF HIS AGE. OF THE ARRAY OF MEN OF
CHALDEA. OF THE LAND WHERE WOMEN DWELL WITHOUT COMPANY OF MEN. OF
THE KNOWLEDGE AND VIRTUES OF THE VERY DIAMOND
AFTER the departing from Cornaa, men enter into the land of Job
that is a full fair country and a plenteous of all goods. And men
clepe that land the Land of Susiana. In that land is the city of
Theman.
Job was a paynim, and he was Aram of Gosre, his son, and held that
land as prince of that country. And he was so rich that he knew
not the hundred part of his goods. And although he were a paynim,
nevertheless he served well God after his law. And our Lord took
his service to his pleasane. And when he fell in poverty he was
seventy-eight year of age. And after, when God had proved his
patience and that it was so great, he brought him again to riches
and to higher estate than he was before. And after that he was
King of Idumea after King Esau, and when he was king he was clept
Jobab. And in that kingdom he lived after 170 year. And so he was
of age, when he died, 248 year.
In that land of Job there ne is no default of no thing that is
needful to man's body. There be hills, where men get great plenty
of manna in greater abundance than in any other country. This
manna is clept bread of angels. And it is a white thing that is
full sweet and right delicious, and more sweet than honey or sugar.
And it cometh of the dew of heaven that falleth upon the herbs in
that country. And it congealeth and becometh all white and sweet.
And men put it in medicines for rich men to make the womb lax, and
to purge evil blood. For it cleanseth the blood and putteth out
melancholy. This land of Job marcheth to the kingdom of Chaldea.
This land of Chaldea is full great. And the language of that
country is more great in sounding than it is in other parts of the
sea. Men pass to go beyond by the Tower of Babylon the Great, of
the which I have told you before, where that all the languages were
first changed. And that is a four journeys from Chaldea. In that
realm be fair men, and they go full nobly arrayed in clothes of
gold, orfrayed and apparelled with great pearls and precious
stone's full nobly. And the women be right foul and evil arrayed.
And they go all bare-foot and clothed in evil garments large and
wide, but they be short to the knees, and long sleeves down to the
feet like a monk's frock, and their sleeves be hanging about their
shoulders. And they be black women foul and hideous, and truly as
foul as they be, as evil they be.
In that kingdom of Chaldea, in a city that is clept Ur, dwelled
Terah, Abraham's father. And there was Abraham born. And that was
in that time that Ninus was king of Babylon, of Arabia and of
Egypt. This Ninus made the city of Nineveh, the which that Noah
had begun before. And because that Ninus performed it, he cleped
it Nineveh after his own name. There lieth Tobit the prophet, of
whom Holy Writ speaketh of. And from that city of Ur Abraham
departed, by the commandment of God, from thence, after the death
of his father, and led with him Sarah his wife and Lot his
brother's son, because that he had no child. And they went to
dwell in the land of Canaan in a place that is clept Shechem. And
this Lot was he that was saved, when Sodom and Gomorrah and the
other cities were burnt and sunken down to hell, where that the
Dead Sea is now, as I have told you before. In that land of
Chaldea they have their proper languages and their proper letters,
such as ye may see hereafter.
Beside the land of Chaldea is the land of Amazonia, that is the
land of Feminye. And in that realm is all women and no man; not,
as some men say, that men may not live there, but for because that
the women will not suffer no men amongst them to be their
sovereigns.
For sometime there was a king in that country. And men married, as
in other countries. And so befell that the king had war with them
of Scythia, the which king hight Colopeus, that was slain in
battle, and all the good blood of his realm. And when the queen
and all the other noble ladies saw that they were all widows, and
that all the royal blood was lost, they armed them and, as
creatures out of wit, they slew all the men of the country that
were left; for they would that all the women were widows as the
queen and they were. And from that time hitherwards they never
would suffer man to dwell amongst them longer than seven days and
seven nights; ne that no child that were male should dwell amongst
them longer than he were nourished; and then sent to his father.
And when they will have any company of man then they draw them
towards the lands marching next to them. And then they have loves
that use them; and they dwell with them an eight days or ten, and
then go home again. And if they have any knave child they keep it
a certain time, and then send it to the father when he can go alone
and eat by himself; or else they slay it. And if it be a female
they do away that one pap with an hot iron. And if it be a woman
of great lineage they do away the left pap that they may the better
bear a shield. And if it be a woman on foot they do away the right
pap, for to shoot with bow turkeys: for they shoot well with bows.
In that land they have a queen that governeth all that land, and
all they be obeissant to her. And always they make her queen by
election that is most worthy in arms; for they be right good
warriors and orped, and wise, noble and worthy. And they go
oftentime in solde to help of other kings in their wars, for gold
and silver as other soldiers do; and they maintain themselves right
vigourously. This land of Amazonia is an isle, all environed with
the sea save in two places, where be two entries. And beyond that
water dwell the men that be their paramours and their loves, where
they go to solace them when they will.
Beside Amazonia is the land of Tarmegyte that is a great country
and a full delectable. And for the goodness of the country King
Alexander let first make there the city of Alexandria, and yet he
made twelve cities of the same name; but that city is now clept
Celsite.
And from that other coast of Chaldea, toward the south, is
Ethiopia, a great country that stretcheth to the end of Egypt.
Ethiopia is departed in two parts principal, and that is in the
east part and in the meridional part; the which part meridional is
clept Mauritania; and the folk of that country be black enough and
more black than in the tother part, and they be clept Moors. In
that part is a well, that in the day it is so cold, that no man may
drink thereof; and in the night it is so hot, that no man may
suffer his hand therein. And beyond that part, toward the south,
to pass by the sea Ocean, is a great land and a great country; but
men may not dwell there for the fervent burning of the sun, so is
it passing hot in that country.
In Ethiopia all the rivers and all the waters be trouble, and they
be somedeal salt for the great heat that is there. And the folk of
that country be lightly drunken and have but little appetite to
meat. And they have commonly the flux of the womb. And they live
not long. In Ethiopia be many diverse folk; and Ethiope is clept
Cusis. In that country be folk that have but one foot, and they go
so blyve that it is marvel. And the foot is so large, that it
shadoweth all the body against the sun, when they will lie and rest
them. In Ethiopia, when the children be young and little, they be
all yellow; and, when that they wax of age, that yellowness turneth
to be all black. In Ethiopia is the city of Saba, and the land of
the which one of the three kings that presented our Lord in
Bethlehem, was king of.
From Ethiopia men go into Ind by many diverse countries. And men
clepe the high Ind, Emlak. And Ind is divided in three principal
parts; that is, the more that is a full hot country; and Ind the
less, that is a full attempre country, that stretcheth to the land
of Media; and the three part toward the septentrion is full cold,
so that, for pure cold and continual frost, the water becometh
crystal. And upon those rocks of crystal grow the good diamonds
that be of trouble colour. Yellow crystal draweth colour like oil.
And they be so hard, that no man may polish them. And men clepe
them diamonds in that country, and HAMESE in another country.
Other diamonds men find in Arabia that be not so good, and they be
more brown and more tender. And other diamonds also men find in
the isle of Cyprus, that be yet more tender, and them men may well
polish. And in the land of Macedonia men find diamonds also. But
the best and the most precious be in Ind.
And men find many times hard diamonds in a mass that cometh out of
gold, when men pure it and refine it out of the mine; when men
break that mass in small pieces, and sometime it happens that men
find some as great as a peas and some less, and they be as hard as
those of Ind.
And albeit that men find good diamonds in Ind, yet nevertheless men
find them more commonly upon the rocks in the sea and upon hills
where the mine of gold is. And they grow many together, one
little, another great. And there be some of the greatness of a
bean and some as great as an hazel nut. And they be square and
pointed of their own kind, both above and beneath, without working
of man's hand. And they grow together, male and female. And they
be nourished with the dew of heaven. And they engender commonly
and bring forth small children, that multiply and grow all the
year. I have often-times assayed, that if a man keep them with a
little of the rock and wet them with May-dew oft-sithes, they shall
grow every year, and the small will wax great. For right as the
fine pearl congealeth and waxeth great of the dew of heaven, right
so doth the very diamond; and right as the pearl of his own kind
taketh roundness, right so the diamond, by virtue of God, taketh
squareness. And men shall bear the diamond on his left side, for
it is of greater virtue then, than on the right side; for the
strength of their growing is toward the north, that is the left
side of the world, and the left part of man is when he turneth his
face toward the east.
And if you like to know the virtues of the diamond, (as men may
find in THE LAPIDARY that many men know not), I shall tell you, as
they beyond the sea say and affirm, of whom all science and all
philosophy cometh from. He that beareth the diamond upon him, it
giveth him hardiness and manhood, and it keepeth the limbs of his
body whole. It giveth him victory of his enemies in plea and in
war, if his cause be rightful. And it keepeth him that beareth it
in good wit. And it keepeth him from strife and riot, from evil
swevens from sorrows and from enchantments, and from fantasies and
illusions of wicked spirits. And if any cursed witch or enchanter
would bewitch him that beareth the diamond, all that sorrow and
mischance shall turn to himself through virtue of that stone. And
also no wild beast dare assail the man that beareth it on him.
Also the diamond should be given freely, without coveting and
without buying, and then it is of greater virtue. And it maketh a
man more strong and more sad against his enemies. And it healeth
him that is lunatic, and them that the fiend pursueth or
travaileth. And if venom or poison be brought in presence of the
diamond, anon it beginneth to wax moist and for to sweat.
There be also diamonds in Ind that be clept violastres, (for their
colour is like violet, or more brown than the violets), that be
full hard and full precious. But yet some men love not them so
well as the other; but, in sooth, to me, I would love them as much
as the other, for I have seen them assayed.
Also there is another manner of diamonds that be as white as
crystal, but they be a little more trouble. And they be good and
of great virtue, and all they be square and pointed of their own
kind. And some be six squared, some four squared, and some three
as nature shapeth them. And therefore when great lords and knights
go to seek worship in arms, they bear gladly the diamond upon them.
I shall speak a little more of the diamonds, although I tarry my
matter for a time, to the end, that they that know them not, be not
deceived by gabbers that go by the country, that sell them. For
whoso will buy the diamond it is needful to him that he know them.
Because that men counterfeit them often of crystal that is yellow
and of sapphires of citron colour that is yellow also, and of the
sapphire loupe and of many other stones. But I tell you these
counterfeits be not so hard; and also the points will break
lightly, and men may easily polish them. But some workmen, for
malice, will not polish them; to that intent, to make men believe
that they may not be polished. But men may assay them in this
manner. First shear with them or write with them in sapphires, in
crystal or in other precious stones. After that, men take the
adamant, that is the shipman's stone, that draweth the needle to
him, and men lay the diamond upon the adamant, and lay the needle
before the adamant; and, if the diamond be good and virtuous, the
adamant draweth not the needle to him whiles the diamond is there
present. And this is the proof that they beyond the sea make.
Natheles it befalleth often-time, that the good diamond loseth his
virtue by sin, and for incontinence of him that beareth it. And
then it is needful to make it to recover his virtue again, or else
it is of little value.
Chapter 16 |Index | Chapter 18