Of an other ylande where also dwelleth good people therein, and is called Sinople.
THEN is there an other yland that is called Synople, wherein also are good people and true, & full of good faith, & they are much lyke in their living to ye men before sayd, and they go all naked. Into that Iland came King Alexander, & when he saw their good faith and trouth, and theyr good belefe, he said that he wold do them no harme and bad them aske of him riches and nought1 else, and they shoulde haue it. And they aunswered, that they had richesse ynough, when they had meat & drinke to sustaine their bodies, & they sayde also that richesse of this world is nought worth, but if it were so that he might graunt them that they should never dye, that would they pray him. And Alexander said that might he not do, for he was mortal and shold die as they shold. Then sayd they, why art ye so proude & woldest win all the world, and haue it in thy subjection as it were a god & hast no terme2 of thy life, & thou will haue all riches of ye world, the which shall forsake thee or thou forsake it, & thou shalt beare nothing with thee, but it shal dwel to other, but as thou were borne naked, so shalt thou bee done in earth. And Alexander was greatly astonied of this aunswere, & if it be so that they haue not the articles of our faithe, neverthelesse I beleve that God loveth their service to gree,3 as he did of Job that was a Paynim, the which he held for his true servant and many other. I beeleve well that God loveth al those that love him and serve him mekely and truely, and that despise the vaine glory of the world as these men doe, and as Job did, and therefore saide our Lorde through the mouth of the holy prophet Isay,4 Ponam eis multiplices Leges meas, That is to say, I will put my laws to them in many maners, & the gospell saith thus, Alias oves habeo, que non sunt ex hoc ovili, That is to say I haue other shepe that are not of this folde, and thereto accordeth the vision that saint Peter saw at Jaffe how the aungell came from heaven, & brought with him of all maner of beastes, as serpents and divers foules, and said to sainct Peter, Take and eat. And sainct Peter aunswered, I eat never of uncleane beste. And the aungell sayde to him, Non dicas inmunda, que Deus mundavit. That is to saye, Call thou not those things uncleane that God hath clened. This was done in token that men sholde not haue many men in despite for their divers lawes, for we wot never whom God loveth & whom God hateth.
