For the Sarazines counterfeten it be sotyltee of craft, for to disceyven the Cristene men, as I have sene fulle many a tyme. And after hem, the marchauntis and the apotecaries countrefeten it eftsones, and that it is lasse worthe, and a gret del worse. But zif it lyke zou, I schalle schewe, how zee schulle knowe and preve, to the ende that zee schulle not ben disceyved. First zee schulle wel knowe, that the naturelle bawme is fulle cleer, and of cytrine colour, and stronge smellynge; and zif it be thykke, or reed or blak, it is sophisticate, that is to seyne, contrefeted and made lyke it, for disceyt. And undrestondethe, that zif zee wil putte a litylle bawme in the pawme of zoure hond, azen the sonne, zif it be fyn and gode, zee ne schulle not suffre zoure hand azenst the hete of the sonne. Also takethe a lytille bawme, with the poynt of a knif, and touche it to the fuyr, and zif it brenne, it is a gode signe. Aftre take also a drope of bawme, and put it in to a dissche or in a cuppe with mylk of a goat; and zif it be naturelle bawme, anon it wole take and beclippe the mylk. Or put a drope of bawme in clere watre, in a cuppe of sylver or in a clere bacyn, and stere it wel with the clere watre; and zif that the bawme be fyn and of his owne kynde, the watre schalle nevre trouble: and zif the bawme be sophisticate, that is to seyne countrefeted, the watre schalle become anon trouble: And also zif the bawme be fyn, it schalle falle to the botome of the vesselle, as thoughe it were Quyksylver: For the fyn bawme is more hevy twyes, than is the bawme that is sophisticate and countrefeted. Now I have spoken of Bawme: and now also I schalle speke of an other thing, that is bezonde Babyloyne, above the flode of Nyle, toward the desert, betwene Affrik and Egypt: that is to seyn, of the gerneres [Footnote: Granaries.] of Joseph, that he leet make, for to kepe the greynes for the perile of the dere zeres. And thei ben made of ston, fulle wel made of massones craft: of the whiche two ben merveylouse grete and hye; and the tothere ne ben not so grete. And every gerner hathe a zate, for to entre with inne, a lytille hyghe fro the erthe. For the lond is wasted and fallen, sithe the gerneres were made. And with inne thei ben alle fulle of serpentes. And aboven the gerneres with outen ben many scriptures of dyverse langages. And sum men seyn, that thei ben sepultures of grete lordes, that weren somtyme; but that is not trewe: for alle the comoun rymour and speche is of alle the peple there, bothe and nere, that thei ben the garneres of Joseph. And so fynden thei in here scriptures and in here cronycles. On that other partie, zif thei were sepultures, thei scholden not ben voyd with inne. For zee may well knowe, that tombes and sepultures ne ben not made of suche gretnesse, ne of such highnesse. Wherfore it is not to believe, that thei ben tombes or sepultures. In Egypt also there ben dyyerse langages and dyverse