They honour the sun for his great light, For that doth them great pleasure; Building nor house they have none at all, But woods, cots, and caves small, No marvel though it be so, For they use no manner of iron, Neither in tool nor other weapon, That should help them thereto: Copper they have, which is found In divers places above the ground, Yet they dig not therefore; For, as I said, they have none iron, Whereby they should in the earth mine, To search for any wore: Great abundance of woods there be, Most part fir and pine-apple tree, Great riches might come thereby, Both pitch and tar, and soap ashes, As they make in the east lands, By brenning thereof only. Fish they have so great plenty, That in havens take and slain they be With staves, withouten fail. Now Frenchmen and other have found the trade, That yearly of fish there they lade Above a hundred sail; But in the south part of that country The people there go naked alway, The land is of so great heat: And in the north part all the clothes That they wear is but beasts' skins, They have no nother fete; But how the people first began In that country, or whence they came, For clerks it is a question. Other things mo I have in store, That I could tell thereof, but now no more Till another season. STU. Then at your pleasure show some other thing; It liketh me so well your communing, Ye cannot talk amiss. EX. Then will I turn again to my matter Of cosmography, where I was ere: Behold, take heed to this; Lo, eastward, beyond the great ocean, Here entereth the sea called Mediterranean, Of two thousand miles of length: The Soldan's country lieth hereby, The great Turk on the north side doth lie, A man of marvellous strength. This said north part is called Europa, And this south part called Africa, This east part is called India; But this new lands found lately Been called America, because only Americus did first them find. Lo, Jerusalem lieth in this country, And this beyond is the Red Sea, That Moses maketh of mention; This quarter is India Minor, And this quarter India Major, The land of Prester John: But northward this way, as ye see, Many other strange regions there be, And people that we not know. But eastward on the sea side A prince there is that ruleth wide, Called the Can of Catowe. And this is called the great east sea, Which goeth all along this way Towards the new lands again; But whether that sea go thither directly, Or if any wilderness between them do lie, No man knoweth for certain: But these new lands, by all cosmography, From the Can of Catowe's land cannot lie Little past a thousand miles: