The Voiage and Travayle of Sir John Maundeville Knight: Which treateth of the way towards Hierusalem and of marvayles of Inde with other ilands and countreysMandeville, John, Sir
Religion
The Voiage and Travayle of Sir John Maundeville Knight: Which treateth of the way towards Hierusalem and of marvayles of Inde with other ilands and countreys
Mandeville, John, Sir
Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
At the left syde of his throne is the sege of his wife a degree lower
than he sitteth and that is of Jasper bordred with gold and the sege
of his seconde wife is a degree lower than the fyrste, and that is
also of good Jasper bordred with golde and the sege of the thyrd wife
is a degree lower than the seconde for alwaye he hathe three wives
with him wheresoeuer he is, besyde these wives on the same side
setteth other ladies of his kin eche one lower than other, as they are
of degree, and all those that are wedded, haue a counterfaite[5] of a
man's foote uppon their heads a cubite long and all made with precious
stones, & about they are made with shining fethers of pecockes or such
other in tokening that they are in subjection to man & under men's
feete, & they that are not wedded haue none such. On the right side
of the Emperour sitteth fyrste his sonne the which shall be Emperour
after him, and he sitteth also a degree lower than the Emperour in
such maner of seges as the Emperour sitteth, and by him sitteth other
lordes of his kyn, eche one lower than other as they are of degree.
And the Emperour hath his table by himselfe alone that is made of
golde and precious stones, or of white Crystal or yelowe, bordred with
golde, and eche one of his wyves hath a table by hirselfe. And under
the Emperours table sitteth foure clerkes at his feete that wryteth
all that the Emperour sayth be it good or ylle. And at great feastes
about the Emperours table, and all other tables in the hall is a vine
made of gold that goeth all about the hall, and it hath many braunches
of grapes lyke to grapes of the vine, some are white, some are yelowe,
some red, some grene, and some blacke, all the red are of rubies of
cremes[6] or allabonce, the white are of cristall or byrall,[7] the
yelowe are of topaces, the grene are of Emeraudes & Crysolytes, and
the blacke are of Quickes and Gerandes, & this vyne is made thus
of precious stones so properly that it seemeth that it were a vyne
growinge. And before the borde of the Emperour standeth great lordes
and no man is so hardy to speke unto hym, except it be musicians for
to solace the Emperour. And all the vessell that is served in his hall
or chambres, are of precious stones and namely at tables where great
lordes eate, that is to say, of Jasper, crystall, amatyst, or fyne
golde, and the cuppes are of Emeraudes, saphyres, topaces, and many
other maner of stones; and (_of_) silver haue they no vessell, for
they praise silver but little to make vessell of, but they make of
silver greces, pylers & paviments of halles & chambres. And ye shall
understande that my felaw & I were in wages with him xvi moneths
against the Kinge of Mancy,[8] uppon whome he made warre, and the
cause was we had so great desire to see the nobilitye of his court,
if it were suche as we heard speake of, and forsoth we founde it more
richer & solempne than ever we harde speake of, and we should neuer
haue beleved it, had we not seene it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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