And then these holy men took leave each of other, and they wept both
full sore, and kissed each other. Then Saint Brandon entered into the
ship, and sailed forty days even south, in full great tempest, and on
Easter Even they came to their procurator, which made to them good
cheer, as he had beforetime. And from thence they came to the great
fish whereon they said matins and mass on Easter Day, and when the mass
was done, the fish began to move and swam forth fast into the sea,
whereof the monks were sore aghast which stood upon him, for it was
a great marvel to see such a fish, so great as all a country, for to
swim so fast in the water, but, by the will of our Lord, this fish set
all the monks aland in the Paradise of Birds, all whole and sound, and
then returned to the place he came from. And then Saint Brandon and his
monks thanked our Lord of their deliverance of the great fish, and kept
their Eastertide till Trinity Sunday, like as they had done beforetime.
And after this they took their ship and sailed east forty days, and at
the forty days' end it began to hail right fast, and therewith came a
dark mist which lasted long after, which feared Saint Brandon and his
monks, and they prayed to our Lord to keep and help them. And then anon
came their procurator and bade them to be of good cheer, for they were
come into the Land of Behest.
And soon after, that mist passed away, and anon they saw the fairest
country eastward that any man might see, and it was so clear and
bright that it was a heavenly sight to behold, and all the trees were
charged with ripe fruit, and herb full of flowers. In which land they
walked forty days, but they could not see none end of that land, and
there was always day and never night, and the land temperate, ne too
hot ne too cold.
And at the last they came to a fair river, but they durst not go over,
and there came to them a fair young man, and welcomed them courteously
and called each by name, and did great reverence to Saint Brandon. And
he said to them: "Be ye now joyful, for this is the land that ye have
sought, but our Lord will that ye depart hence hastily, and He will
show you more of His secrets, when ye come again into the sea, and our
Lord will that ye lade your ship with the fruit of this land, and hie
you hence, for ye may no longer abide here, but thou shalt sail again
to thine own country, and soon after thou comest home thou shalt die.
And this water that thou seest here departeth the world asunder, for on
that other side of this water may no man come that is in this life. And
the fruit that ye see here is always thus ripe every time of the year;
and always it is here light as ye now see. And he that keepeth our
Lord's hests at all times shall see this land or he pass out of this
world."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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