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
Aftre passe men overthwart a gret ryvere, that men clepen Dalay: and that
is the grettest ryvere of fressche water, that is in the world. For there,
as it is most narow, it is more than a myle of brede. And thanne entren men
azen into the lond of the grete Chane. That ryvere gothe thorghe the lond
of Pigmaus: where that the folk ben of litylle stature, that ben but 3 span
long: and thei ben right faire and gentylle, aftre here quantytees, bothe
the men and the wommen. And thei maryen hem, whan thei ben half zere of
age, and geten children. And thei lyven not, but 6 zeer or 7 at the moste.
And he that lyvethe 8 zeer men holden him there righte passynge old. Theise
men ben the beste worcheres of gold, sylver, cotoun, sylk, and of alle
suche thinges, of ony other, that be in the world. And thei han often tymes
werre with the briddes of the contree, that thei taken and eten. This
litylle folk nouther labouren in londes ne in vynes. But thei han grete men
amonges hem, of oure stature, that tylen the lond, and labouren amonges the
vynes for hem. And of tho men of oure stature, han thei als grete skorne
and wondre, as we wolde have among us of geauntes, zif thei weren amonges
us. There is a gode cytee, amonges othere, where there is duellynge gret
plentee of tho lytylle folk: and it is a gret cytee and a faire, and the
men ben grete, that duellen amonges hem: but whan thei geten ony children,
thei ben als litylle as the pygmeyes: and therfore thei ben alle, for the
moste part, alle pygmeyes; for the nature of the lond is suche. The grete
Cane let kepe this cytee fulle wel: for it is his. And alle be it, that the
pygmeyes ben lytylle, zit thei ben fulle resonable, aftre here age, and
connen bothen wytt and gode and malice, y now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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