CRITICAL NOTICES OP NEW PUBLICATIONS. 163 



The great " Chane of Chatay" obtains a full share of our knyghte's 

 attention, and the journalist appears to speak, in part at least, from 

 personal observation. He relates, in ample detail, the circumstances 

 of this prince's court and kingdom, beginning with the rialtee of the 

 Chane's palays, how he sits at Mete, and the grete number of officers 

 that serve him. We are then entrusted with a knowledge of the rea- 

 sons wherefore this mighty monarch is denominated, or clept, the 

 Grete Chane ; with the style of his letters and the superscriptions on 

 his seals ; with the governance of his court whan he maketh solemn 

 feasts, four times in the year ; and with an account of his array when 

 he rideth through the country. We cannot fail of admiring the mag- 

 nificence of his domestic economy, as displayed in Sir John's pro- 

 gramme of an imperial entertainment. In addition to the nobles and 

 other high personages usually admitted to the enjoy mennt of royal 

 hospitality, we are informed, with a pleasing seriousness, that 



^ At o syde of the Eraperour's table, sitten manje Philosofres that ben 

 preved for wise men, in manye dyverse scyences ; as of astronomye, nigro- 

 mancye, geomancye, pyromancye, ydromancye, and augurye. And everyche 

 of hem ban before hem astrolabres of gold, sum speres, sum the brayn-panne 

 of a ded man, sum vesselles of gold fulle of gravele or sond, sum vesselles of 

 gold fulle of coles brennynge, sum vesselles of gold fulle of watre and of wyn 

 and of oyle, and sum oriloges of gold mad ful nobely and richly wroughte, 

 and manye othere maner of instruments after hire scyences. And at certyn 

 houres whan hem thinkethe tyme thei seyn to certeyn ofRceres that stonden 

 before hem, ordeynd for the tynxQ to fuifille hire comaundements, Makethe 

 Pees ; and than seyn the officeres, now Pees lystenethe. And aftre that, sey th 

 another of the philosofres, everyche man do reverence and enclyne to the Empe- 

 rour that is Goddes sone and soverayn lord ofalle the world, for now is tyme ; and 

 thanne everyche man bowethe his bed toward the erthe. And thanne co- 

 maundethe the same philosophre azen, Stondethe up ; and thei don so. And 

 at another houre seythe another philosophre, Putte the zoure litylle fynger in 

 zoure eres ; and anon thei don so. And at another houre, seythe anothre phi- 

 losophre, Puttethe zoure honde before zoure mouthe ; and anon thei don so. And 

 at another houre, seythe another philosophre, Puttethe zoure honde upon zoure 

 hed. And aftre that, he byddethe bem to done here honde a wey ; and thei 

 don so. And so from houre to houre thei comaunden certeyn thinges ; and 

 thei seyn that tho thinges ban dyverse significaciouns. And / asked hem pre^ 

 vyly what tho thinges betokened ; and on of the maistres told me that the 

 bowynge of the hed at that houre betokened this, that alle tho that boweden 

 here hedes sholden evere more aftre ben obeyssant and true to the Empe- 

 rour, and nevere for ziftes ne for promys in no kynde ben fals ne traytour 

 unto him for gode ne evylle. And the puttynge of the lityelle fynger in 

 the ere betokenethe that none of hem ne schalle not here, speke no contrari- 

 ous thing to the Emperour, but that he schalle telle it anon to his conseille 

 or discovere it to sum men that wille make relacioun to the Emperour, 

 though he were his fadre or brother or sone. And so forthe of alie othere 

 thinges that is don be the philo^ophres, thei tolde the causes of manye dy- 

 verse thinges ; and trustethe righte wel in certeyn that no man dothe no 

 thing to the Emperoure that belongethe unto him, nouther clothinge, ne bred, 

 ne wyn, ne bathe, ne non othere thinge that longethe to him, but at cer- 

 teyn houres that his philosophres wille devysen. And zif there falle werre in 

 ony side to the Emperour, anon the philosophres comen and seyn here avys 

 aftre here calculaciouns, and conseylen the Emperour of here avys be here 

 scyences ; so that the Emperour dothe no thing with outen here conseille." 



