CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



157 



folk of certain norabre als they may suffise, but the gret Chane hath every 

 day folke at his Costages and Expenses as withouten nombre. But the Or- 

 dynance, ne the expenses in mete and drynk, ne the honestee ne the clen- 

 nesse, is not so arrayed there as it is here ; for alle the Comouns there eten 

 withouten Clothe upon here knees, and thei eten alle maner of Flessche and 

 litylle of Bred. And after Mete thei wypen here Hondes upon here 

 Skyrtes, and thei eten not but ones a day. But the Estat of Lordes is fulle 



fret and riche and noble. And alle be it that sum men wil not trow me, but 

 olden it for Fable to tell him the Noblesse of his persone and of his Estate 

 and of his Court, and of the gret multytude of folk that he holt, natheless I 

 schalle seye zou a partye of him and of his folk, aftre that I have seen, the 

 manere and the ordynance, fulle many a tyme. And whoso that wol may 

 leve me zif he wille ; and whoso wille not may chuse; for I wot wel zif ony 

 man hathe ben in tho Contrees bezonde, thoughe he have not ben in the 

 place where the grete Chane duellythe, he schalle here speak of him so 

 meche merveylouse thing that he schalle not trowe it lightly : and treuly no 

 more did I my self til I saughe it. And those that han ben in tho Contrees, 

 and in the great Chane's Houshold, knowen wel that I seye sothe." 



Now, in these extracts and references, there is full and fair reason 

 for concluding that " Sir John Maundeville's Voiage and Travaile** 

 was a true pilgrimage, and that " he departed from oure contrees and 

 passed the See, the Zeer of Grace 1322, and passed manye Londes 

 and manye Yles and Contrees, and cerched manye fulle straunge 

 places, and have ben in manye a fulle gode honourable Companye, 

 and at many a faire Dede of Armes.'' 



In the section where Sir John treats of many Soudans and of the 

 " Tour of Babiloyn," he inserts a diversity of historical sketches, and 

 adorns them with the pageantry of monkish or legendary inventions 

 and disfigured notes of events recorded in the sacred writings* Here 

 follows a saintly tale, with a lively representation. 



" The Mount of Synay is clept the Desert of Syne, that is to seyne, the 

 Bussche brennynge. There is an Abbeye of Monkes, wel bylded and wel 

 closed with Zates of Iren, for drede of the wylde Bestes. And the Monkes 



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