Of the wildernesse wherein groweth the trees of the sonne & the Moone.

AND beyond that river is a great wildernesse as men that haue ben there say. In this Wildernesse as men saye are the trees of the Sonne and of the Mone that spake to Kyng Alexander and tolde him of his death, and men saye that folke that kepe these trees & eate of the fruits of them, they live foure or five hundred yeare through vertue of the fruite, and we woulde gladly haue gone thyther, but I beleve that an hundred thousand men of armes shold not passe that wildernesse for great plenty of wilde beastes, as dragons and serpents that sley men when they pass that way. In this lande are many Oliphantes all white and blew without number, and unicornes & lyons of many maners.¹ Many other yles are in the land of Prester John that were to long to tell, and much ryches and nobly of precious stones in great plenty. I beleve y^t we haue herd say why this Emperour is called Prester John but for those that know it not I wil declare. There was sometime an Emperour that was a noble prince, & doughty, & he had many christen Knights with him and y^e Emperour thought hee woulde see the service in Christen churches, and then was churches of christendome in Turkey, Surry and Tartary, Hierusalem, Palistine, Araby and Alappy,² and all the lordes³ of Egypte. And thys Emperour came with a Christen Knight into a church of Egipt and it was on a saterday after Whit sonday when the byshop gaue orders, and he behelde the service and he asked of the Knight what folke those should be that stode before the Byshop, and the Knight sayd they should be prestes, & he sayde he wold no more be called Kinge ne Emperour but preest, and he would haue the name of him that came first out of the prestes and he was called John, and so haue all the Emperors sythen⁴ be called Prester John. In this lande are many Christen men of good faith & good lawe, and they haue prestes to sing masse, and they make the sacrements as men of Grece do, but they say not but that y^e Apostles said as saint Peter, and saint Thomas, and other apostles when they song masse and said Pater noster, and the wordes with the which Gods body is sacred; we haue many addicions of Popes that haue bene ordeyned of which men in those countreys know not.

1: Kinds or sorts.

2: ? Aleppo.

3: Other editions read land.

4: Since then.