The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
And from thens, men gon thorghe litille Ermonye. And in that contree is an
old castelle, that stont upon a roche, the whiche is cleped the Castelle of
the Sparrehawk, that is bezonde the cytee of Layays, beside the town of
Pharsipee, that belongethe to the lordschipe of Cruk; that is a riche lord
and a gode Cristene man; where men fynden a sparehauk upon a perche righte
fair, and righte wel made; and a fayre lady of fayrye, that kepethe it. And
who that wil wake that sparhauk, 7 dayes and 7 nyghtes, and as sum men
seyn, 3 dayes and 3 nyghtes, with outen companye, and with outen sleep,
that faire lady schal zeven him, whan he hathe don, the first wyssche, that
he wil wyssche, of erthely thinges: and that hathe been proved often-tymes.
And o tyme befelle, that a kyng of Ermonye, that was a worthi knyght and
doughty man and a noble prince, woke that hauk som tyme: and at the ende of
7 dayes and 7 nyghtes, the lady cam to him, and bad him wisschen: for he
had wel disserved it. And he answerde, that he was gret Lord y now, and wel
in pees, and hadde y nowghe of worldly ricchesse: and therfore he wolde
wisshe non other thing, but the body of that faire lady, to have it at his
wille. And sche answerde him, that he knew not what he asked; and seyde,
that he was a fool, to desire that he myghte not have; for sche seyde, that
he scholde not aske, but erthely thing: for sche was non erthely thing, but
a gostly thing. And the kyng seyde, that he ne wolde asken non other thing.
And the lady answerde, sythe that I may not withdrawe zou fro zoure lewed
corage, I schal zeve zou with outen wysschinge, and to alle hem that
schulle com of you. Sire kyng, zee schulle have werre withouten pees, and
alle weys to the 9 degree, zee schulle ben in subjeccioun to zoure enemyes;
and zee schulle ben nedy of alle godes. And nevere sithen, nouther the kyng
of Ermoyne, ne the contree, weren never in pees, ne thei hadden never
sithen plentee of godes; and thei han ben sithen alle weyes undre tribute
of the Sarrazines. Also the sone of a pore man woke that hauke, and wisshed
that he myghte cheve wel, and to ben happy to merchandise. And the lady
graunted him. And he becaam the most riche and the most famouse marchaunt,
that myghte ben on see or on erthe. And he becam so riche, that he knew not
the 1000 part of that he hadde: and he was wysere, in wisschynge, than was
the king. Also a knyght of the temple wooke there; and wyssched a purs
evere more fulle of gold: and the lady graunted him. But sche seyde him,
that he had asked the destruccioun of here ordre; for the trust and the
affiance of that purs, and for the grete pryde, that they scholde haven:
and so it was. And therfore loke, he kepe him wel, that schalle wake: for
zif he slepe, he is lost, that nevere man schalle seen him more. This is
not the righte weye for to go to the parties, that I have nempned before;
but for to see the merveyle, that I have spoken of.
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