THEN next is the kingdome of George,[1] that beginneth eastward at a great hil that men call Abiorz,[2] this land lasteth to Turkey to the great sea, & to the land of Myddy, and great Armony & in this land are two kynges, one of Abcan, and another of George but he of George is in subjection of the great Caane, but he of Abcan hath a strong countrey, and defendeth him well against his enimies, & in this land of Abcan is a great marvaile, for there is a countrey in this land that is nere III dayes long and about, & is called Hanison, and that countrey is all covered with darknesse, so that it hath no light that no man may see there, and no man dare go into that countrey for darkenes. And neverthelesse men of that countrey thereby say that they may sometime heare therein the voyce of man and horse crying, and cocks crow, and they know wel that men dwel there, but they know not what maner of men, and they saye this darknesse came through miracle of God that he dyd for Christen men there. For there was a wicked Emperour y^t was of Poy[3] & was called Saures, & he pursued sometime all Christen men to destroy them, and did make them do sacrifice to their false gods, & in that countrey dwelled many Christen men y^e which left al their goods & catel, and riches, and wold go to Grece, and when they were all in a great plain y^t is called Megon the Emperour and his men came to sley the Christen men, & then the christen men kneled down & prayed to God, and anon came a thick cloude and covered the Emperour and al his host, so that he might not go away, and so dweled they in darkness, and they neuer came out after, and y^e Christen men went there as they would, and therefore they might say thus, _A domino factum est istud, & est mirabile in oculis nostris_, that is to say, of our Lord is this done, & it is wonderful in our eyes. Out of this lande cometh a river y^t men may se by good tokens y^t men dwel therein. [Footnote 1: Georgia.] [Footnote 2: Probably Mount Elburz, one of the Caucasian range.] [Footnote 3: Misprint for Persia.] CAP. LXXXIII. _Of the land of the land of Turky & divers other countreys and of the land of Mesopotamy._