156 CRITICAL NOTICES OP NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



In his introduction to the " Voiage," the editor justly estimates the 

 suggestion " that Maundeville may never have gone to the east at 

 all, but compiled his book out of previous journals" — a suggestion 

 alike flimsy and unjustifiable. It is refuted by the knightly journal- 

 ist's own declaration. At page 35 we find him stating explicitly that 



" At Babyloyne, there dwelleth the Soudan in his Calaheljke, in a fair Cas- 

 telle strong and gret and wel sett upon a Roche. In that Castelle duellen, 

 alle wey to kepe it and to serve the Sowdan, mo than 0000 persones that 

 taken alle here Necessaries of the Sowdanes Court. / oughte righte wel to 

 knowen it, for I duelled with him as Soudyour in his Werres a gret while azen the 

 Bedoynes. And he wolde have maryed nie full highely to a gret Princes 

 Daughtre zif I wolde han forsaken my Lawe and ray Beleve. But I thank 

 God I had no will to don it for no thing that he behighten me." 



Again, in noticing him the whiche leet sle his brother previlyfor 

 to have the Lordschipe, and made him to ben clept Melechmadabron, 

 Sir John says, at p. 39, " and he was Soudan what I departed fro 

 the Contrees" Several other places of our pilgrim's " Travaile" (as 

 pp. 4, 130, 137, 167, 169, 180-1, 190, 219, 220-1, 235, 264, and 

 314-15-16) retain distinct evidences of his actually having visited the 

 far distant east, and ben dwellyng amonges many a dyverse folk of 

 dyverse secte and beleeve, and of his having made his Tretys aftre 

 information of men that knewen of thinges that he hadde not seen 

 himself, and also of marveyles and customes that he hadde seen him- 

 self as fer as God wolde zeve him grace. His good faith is manifest 

 in this passage. After having tt)ld yow som of the Wayes, by the 

 Londe and eke by Water, how that Men mowen goon unto Jerusa- 

 lem, he adds a description of another waye, alle by Londe un to Jeru- 

 salem and passe noon See from Fraunce or Flaundres, comprizing an 

 account of JBatho, the foulest Contree and the most cursed and the 

 poorest that men knowen. At page 130, he remarks, distinctly and 

 candidly, *' I have not ben in that Contree ne be tho Weyes, but I have 

 ben at other Londes that marchen to tho Contrees, and in the Lond 

 of Russye and in the Lond of Nyflan and in the Reme of Crako and 

 of Letto and in the Reme of Daresten and in manye other places that 

 marchen to the Costes ; but I wente never by that weye to Jerusa- 

 lem ; wherfore I may not wel telle zou the manere." In fine, after 

 depicting the wealth and splendour of the " Grete Chane of Chatay," 

 our spirited topographer proceeds to say, at page 220, 



" And zee schulle undirstonde that my Felowes and I, with oure Zomen, 

 we serveden this Emperour and weren his Soudyoures, 15 monethes, azenst 

 thekyngof Mancy, that held Werre azenst him. And the cause was, for we 

 hadden gret lust to see his Noblesse and the Estat of his Court, and alle his 

 Governance to wite zif it were suche, as wee herde seye that it was. And 

 treuly we fond it more noble and more excellent and ricchere and more mar- 

 veyllous than ever we herde speke offe, in so moche that we wolde never 

 han leved it, had wee not seen it. For I trowe that no Man wolde beleve 

 the noblesse, the ricchesse, ne the multytude of folk that ben in his Court, 

 but he had seen it. For it is not there as it is here: for the Lordes here han 



