FRIAR BEATUS ODORICUS ad. 



1330- 

 kings under his jurisdiction. The said Hand is throughly 



inhabited, & is thought to be one of the principal! Hands 



of ye whole world. In the same Hand there groweth 



great plenty of cloves, cubibez, and nutmegs, and in a 



word all kinds of spices are there to be had, and great 



abundance of all victuals except wine. The king of the 



said land of Java hath a most brave and sumptuous 



pallace, the most loftily built, that ever I saw any, & 



it hath most high greeses & stayers to ascend up to the 



roomes therin contained, one stayre being of silver, & 



another of gold, throughout the whole building. Also 



the lower roomes were paved all over with one square 



plate of silver, & another of gold. All the wals upon 



the inner side were seeled over with plates of beaten gold, 



wherupon were ingraven ye pictures of knights, having 



about their temples, ech of them a wreath of golde, 



adorned with precious stones. The roofe of the palace 



was of pure gold. With this king of Java the great Can 



of Catay hath had many conflictes in war : whom 



notwithstanding the said king hath alwayes overcome 



& vanquished. 



Of certaine trees yeelding meale, hony, and 

 poyson. 



NEere unto the said Hand is another countrey called 

 Panten, or Tathalamasin. And the king of the 

 same country hath many Hands under his dominion. In 

 this land there are trees yeelding meale, hony, & wine, & 

 the most deadly poison in all ye whole world : for against 

 it there is but one only remedy : & that is this : if any 

 man hath taken of ye poyson, & would be delivered from 

 the danger therof, let him temper the dung of a man in 

 water, & so drinke a good quantitie thereof, & it expels 

 the poyson immediatly, making it to avoid at the funde- 

 ment. Meale is produced out of the said trees after this 

 maner. They be mighty huge trees, and when they are 

 cut with an axe by the ground, there issueth out of the 

 stocke a certain licour like unto gumme, which they take 



IV 417 2D 



