[Decoration] THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF SIR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, KNIGHT. [Decoration] THE VOIAGE AND TRAVAYLE OF SIR JOHN MAUNDEVILLE KNIGHT WHICH TREATETH OF THE WAY TOWARD HIERUSALEM AND OF MARVAYLES OF INDE WITH OTHER ILANDS AND COUNTREYS _EDITED, ANNOTATED, AND ILLUSTRATED IN FACSIMILE_ BY JOHN ASHTON _Author of "Chap Books of the 18th Century," "Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne," "English Caricature and Satire on Napoleon I.," &c._ [Illustration: Logo] LONDON PICKERING & CHATTO 66, HAYMARKET 1887 CHISWICK PRESS:--C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE. [Decoration] PREFACE. I HAVE edited, and illustrated "The Voiage and Travayle of Syr John Maundeville, Knight," for two reasons. First, that a popular edition has not been published for many years--so much so, that many otherwise well educated people hardly know his name; or, if they do, have never read his book of Marvels. Secondly, a good edition has not yet been published. Putting aside the chap-books of the eighteenth century, which could only cram a small portion of his book into their little duodecimos, the only English versions of this century are the reprint by Halliwell, in 1839, of the _reprint_ in 1725-1727, of the early fifteenth century MS. (Cotton, Tit. c. 16), which he again reprinted in 1866,[1] the edition in "Bohn's Classical Library" ("Early Travels in Palestine"), 1848; and "The English Explorers," which forms part of Nimmo's "National Library," 1875. There was also a small edition published in Cassell's "National Library" in 1886 in modern English. Halliwell's reprint of the Cotton MS. is open to objection, because the language of the MS. is specially rude, and can only be understood by professed antiquaries, no footnotes explanatory of the text being given, only a glossary at the end of the book. Also, Mr. Halliwell has taken his illustrations from various sources, not confining himself to English woodcuts--the Cotton MS. having no illustrations. If, however, the language in Halliwell's edition is too archaic, Bohn and Nimmo err in the opposite direction. Without illustrations, and clothed in modern English, they are bald in the extreme; whilst the editors of both have not been over careful to closely copy the text. Seeing these difficulties, and dearly loving Sir John, in spite of his romancing, I cast about for a book which should fulfil the conditions of an edition I should like for my own reading; which should have the spice of the old language, without being unreadable, like the Cotton MS., and which contained the original quaint illustrations. This I have found in a reprint of Pynson's unique edition (now in the Grenville Library, British Museum), from which it varies very slightly, except in the modernizing of the language, which is rather an advantage; and which, by means of the copious footnotes I have made, will, I hope, be easily read by anybody.