FRIAR BEATUS ODORICUS a,d. 



1330- 

 your fingers in your eares : and foorthwith againe he 

 saieth ; Plucke them out. Againe, at the third point 

 he crieth, Boult this meale. Many other circumstances 

 also doe they performe, all which they say have some 

 certaine signification : howbeit, neither would I write 

 them, nor give any heed unto them, because they are 

 vaine and ridiculous. And when the musicians hower 

 is come, then the Philosophers say, Solemnize a feast 

 unto your Lord : with that all of them sound their 

 instruments, making a great and a melodious noyse. 

 And immediately another crieth. Peace, peace, and they 

 are all whist. Then come the women-musicians and 

 sing sweetly before the Emperour, which musike was 

 more delightfull unto me. After them come in the lions 

 and doe their obeisance unto the great Can. Then the 

 juglers cause golden cups full of wine to flie up and 

 downe in the ayre, and to apply themselves unto mens 

 mouthes that they may drinke of them. These and 

 many other strange things I sawe in the court of the 

 great Can, which no man would beleeve unlesse he had 

 seen them with his owne eies, and therefore I omit 

 to speake of them. I was informed also by certaine 

 credible persons, of another miraculous thing, namely, 

 that in a certaine kingdome of the sayd Can, wherein 

 stand the mountains called Kapsei (the kingdomes name 

 is Kalor) there growe great Gourds or Pompions, which A kmbe in a 

 being ripe, doe open at the tops, and within them is ^°^^ 

 found a little beast like unto a yong lambe, even as I 

 my selfe have heard reported, that there stand certaine 

 trees upon the shore of the Irish sea, bearing fruit like 

 unto a gourd, which, at a certaine time of the yeere doe 

 fall into the water, and become birds called Bernacles, 

 and this is most true. 



Of divers provinces and cities. 



ANd after three yeres I departed out of the empire ^zV retume 

 of Cataie, travailing fiftie dayes journey towards ^'?■^^^^'■^• 

 the West. And at length I came unto the empire of 



435 



