Yale_University_Osborn_a55

For as much as þe lond ov[er] þe see þat ys to say þe holy lond þat men call þe lond of byhest among alle othir londis hit is þe most worþy ladi and sov[er]ayn off all oþr londis and hit is blessid and sacrid and halwid of þe p[re]cious blode of oure lord ih[es]u crist in þe whiche lond it lykyd to him to take flesch and blod of þe virgine marie and to enviro[u]n þat lond w[i]t[h] his blessid fete & þare he wolde do many miraclis & p[re]che & teche þe lawe of us c[r]istin men as unto his childer and þare he wolde suffer many reprovys & stornes for us & he þat was kyng of heven and erþe of eyre and of se and of al thingis þat beth conteyned in ham wolde all only be callyd kyng off þat londe whan he sayde . su[m] rex iudeor[um]. I am kyng of iuwis For þat tyme was þat londe of iewis.[?] and þat lond he ches be fore all oþir londis as for þe beste and most worþi and vertuous off þe worlde and as þe philesophur sayþ þus .virtus rer[um] in medio co[n] sistit. þat is to say. þe vertu of all thing ys in þe myddil. and in þat lond he wolde lede his lyf and suffer passio[u]n and deþ of þe iewis for us and for to bye & delyv[er]e us fro þe peynes off helle & fro þe deth wyþ owten ende þe wiche was ordeynyd to us for þe synne off owre fader ad[a]m and for oure owne synne also : for as of himself he had no payne diserned for he þowht nev[er]e ille: and he that was kyng of glorie and of ioye myht best in þat plase suffer deth. for he þat will do any thing openly he will do cry hit openly i[n] þe myddil plase of a tow[u]n or a cite so þat hit may be knowen openly to alle

[Margin: Sr. John Mandeviles Travails. MS.]

partyes of þe cite. So he þ[at] was Kyng ov[er] al þe world suffrid deþ for us at ier[usa]l[e]m þat is þe myddis of þe worlde so þat yt myht be knowen to all parties of þe worlde how dere he bowht man þat he had mad to .his liknes for þe grete love he had to us for more worþi catel myht he nowht have set for us þan his owne blessid body and his owne p[re]cious blode þat which he ofred for us/./ A dere god what love he. had to his sub iectis. Whan he þat had do no trepas. wolde for trespasowris suffir deth. riht wel owht men to love & worshippe such a lord & drede & serve him and wurschip & prayse him & such an holy lond þ[a]t browht forth such frut þorwh þe wheche eche man ys saved but he will him self þorw his defawte. þus ys þis lond hiht to us in eritage. and in þ[a]t he wolde deye as sesid to leve þat to his childrin for þe wheche ech good man þat hath wherof schulde strengthe him to winne and conquere riht owre eritage & chase owt þe lyþer trowand men. For we beth callid cristin me[n] of c[r]ist oure fader and ȝyf we bee riht children of c[r]ist we owe forto chalange þe eritage þat owre fader left us and do it owt of strau[n]ge men hondis. But now pride conetise and envye hath so enflamyd the hertis of lordis of þe worlde þat þay beth more besy to disherite her neghbo[r]is þan forto chalange or conquer har riht eritage be fore sayd. And þe comou[n] pepill þ[a]t wold put har bodies and har catel for to conquere oure eritage þ[a]t þai may noht do w[i]t[h] owte lordis. for asemble of pepill w[i]t[h]owte a chef lord is as a flok of schep þ[a]t ha[þ] non herde þe wheche dep[ar]tiþ a sonder & wat[?] nev[er]e wheder þay schall go. But wolde god þ[a]t þe wordly lordis

were of gode a cord and wit of har comou[n] pepill wold take þis holy viage over þe see. I trow wel þat w[i]t[h] in alytyl tyme owre ryht eritage be fore said schal be reconsiled & put in þe hondis of þe riht eires of ih[es]u crist & for as moche as it is long time passid þ[a]t þere was non gen[er]al passage ov[er] þe see and many men desiren to here speke of þe holy lond and have þare of grete solas and confort I Jon de Mau[n]devyle knyht þawh þ[a]t y be noht wordi þat was borne in inglond in þe town of Seint albonis and passid þe se in þe ȝere of owre lord ih[es]u c[r]ist M CCC ȝere on þe day of Seint Michell and seth haþ be long tyme ov[er] þe see and haþ seen & goon þorw many londis and p[ro]vincis and king domis & ylis and haþ passid þorw turky ermony þe lasse and þe more þorw tartary percy Surry araby. egipte þe heyh and þe lowe þorw libey caldee and a gret part of ethiope þorw amaȝnyȝe Inde þe lasse and þe more a gret party. and þorw many oþir ylis þ[a]t beth a bowt [India|Inde]] where dwellin many div[er]se man[er]is of folk of div[er]se schappis of whiche I shall speke more plainly after and I schal devise ap[ar]tli of thingis what þay beþ whan time hit comiþ to mende after. and specially for ham þ[a]t beþ in pur pos to visite þe holy lond & cite of ier[usa]l[e]m & þe hold placis þat beþ þere abowte. and I schall telle þe way þ[a]t þay schall holde þedir for i have many tyme passid & riden þ[a]t w[i]t[h] many lordis and good company. In the name of god almyhty he þat will passe the see. he may go by many weyes on. see & lond aft[er] þe contreys þ[a]t he comyth fro but many on of

hem comiþ al to on ende but trowe nowht þat I will tell al the townes and contreys citeis and castellis þ[a]t men go by for þan scholde I make to long tale but su[m] contreis / and most p[r]inspale stedis þ[a]t men schal go þorw and by to go to þe rihte wey first ȝif aman come owt of þe west syde of þe worlde as ynglond irlond walis scotland and norwey. He may ȝyf he wil go þorw almanye & þorw þe kyngdome of hungry at marcheþ to þe lond of poyalme. & to þe lond off pannonie and of ilsey and þe kyng of hungry ys [margin: hungre. r.] a gret lord and mihty and holdiþ moche londe for he holdiþ the lond of hungry. Savoy. comanye a gret p[ar]ty of bulgary þat men calliþ þe lond bugers a gret parti of þe kingdome of rosse and þ[a]t lastiþ to þe long of myfland and marchiþ on prisse and men goon þorw þe lond of hungri þus þorw a cite [margin: Chyprum. c.] þat men calliþ chiprun and þorw þe castell off [margin: newborgh. cast[le]] nowborwh and by þe yle of tyne to þe ende of hu[n]gry [margin: tyne .i.] and men passiþ be þe river of da[n]by þat river goþ [margin: Ddonby no[t]a] into almany undir the hillis of lunbardy & hit [margin: manicule] takiþ to him xl oþ[er] riveris and hit rinneþ þorw hungry and þorw gresses & þorw crachie and goþ into þe see so streyht þ[a]t þe wat[er] is fresch xx.ti myle wiþinne þe see and aft[er] men goþ to belgrane [margin: .bugres.] and entriþ into þe lond of bugres and þer[e] men passiþ a bregge of marrok & men passith þorw þe long [margin: pinceras t[er].] of pinceras and men comiþ to þe grete cite of st[er]nis

and hit ys of Seint Sophe and before þis cherche is an Image of iustiniarie þe emp[er]o[ur] and it is on a hors no[t]a [with manicule] & hit was wont to holde arou[n]d appill in his hond and men saiþ þere þ[a]t it is token þ[a]t þe emp[er]o[ur] haþ lost a gret part of his lordschipe for he was wont to be emp[er]o[ur] of romayne and grece and al assye þe lasse of Surry and of þe lond of Indee in þe whiche is ier[usa]l[e]m and of a lond of egipt percy and araby but he haþ lost al but grece and þat lond he haldith al only and men wolde many tyme put þe appil in the Images hond but hit wil not holde hit. þis appil no[t]a. toknyth þe lordschip þ[a]t he had þorw þe worlde and þ[a]t oþ[er] he holdiþ up agayn þe west in toknyng forto manas þe mysdoeris / þis Image stondiþ on a peler of ston of marbill at constantinople. þere is a spou[n]ge no[t]a. and þe rede þe whiche þe iewis ȝaf oure lord drinke galle on þe cros / and þere is on of þe nailis þ[a]t crist was naylid with to þe cros. Su[m] men trow þ[a]t half þe cros of crist be in cipre Inon abbei of monkis þ[a]t men calliþ þe hill of þe holy cros but yt is not so for þ[a]t cros þ[a]t in cipre ys þe cros of dismas þe gode þef þ[a]t was hangid no[t]a on but almen wot nowht þ[a]t. and it is evele ido for getynge of gode of þe offringe þai saiþ it is þe cros of oure lord ih[es]u c[r]ist And ȝe undirstond þ[a]t þe cros of owre lord was made of .iiij. manere treis as hit is conteined in þis vers. In cruce sit palma cedrus ci [margin: [c]rux xp[rist]i] pressus oliva. for þ[a]t pece þ[a]t went up riht fro þe erþe unto þe hed was cipre and þe pece þ[a]t wente ov[er]þwart was of palm and þe stok þ[a]t stode w[i]t[h]inne þe erþe was of cedre and þe tabull a bove his hed þ[a]t was a fot & half off lengthe on þe whiche þe tytel was write in