FRIAR BEATUS ODORICUS ad. 



1330- 

 baskets full of broken reliques which remained of the 

 table, and led me unto a little walled parke, the doore 

 whereof he unlocked with his key, and there appeared 

 unto us a pleasant faire greene plot, into the which we 

 entred. In the said greene stands a litle mount in 

 forme of a steeple, replenished with fragrant herbes, and 

 fine shady trees. And while we stood there, he tooke a 

 cymball or bell, and rang therewith, as they use to ring 

 to dinner or bevoir in cloisters, at the sound whereof 

 many creatures of divers kinds came downe from the 

 mount, some like apes, some like cats, some like monkeys ; 

 and some having faces like men. And while I stood 

 beholding of them, they gathered themselves together 

 about him, to the number of 4200. of those creatures, 

 putting themselves in good order, before whom he set a 

 platter, and gave them the said fragments to eate. And 

 when they had eaten he rang upon his cymbal the second 

 time, and they al returned unto their former places. 

 Then, wondring greatly at the matter, I demanded what 

 kind of creatures those might be ? They are (quoth he) 

 the soules of noble men which we do here feed, for the 

 love of God who governeth the world : and as a man was 

 honorable or noble in this life, so his soule after death, 

 entreth into the body of some excellent beast or other, 

 but the soules of simple and rusticall people do possesse 

 the bodies of more vile and brutish creatures. Then I 

 began to refute that foule error : howbeit my speach did 

 nothing at all prevaile with him : for hee could not be 

 perswaded that any soule might remaine without a body. 

 From thence I departed unto a certaine citie named 

 Chilenso, the walls whereof conteined 40. miles in cir- Chilenso. 

 cuit. In this city there are 360. bridges of stone, the 

 fairest that ever I saw : and it is wel inhabited, having a 

 great navie belonging thereunto, & abounding with all 

 kinds of victuals and other commodities. And thence I 

 went unto a certaine river called Thalay, which, where it Thalay, 

 is most narrow, is 7. miles broad : and it runneth through 

 the midst of the land of Pygmasi, whose chiefe city is 



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