DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.30698#0268
240
BOOKS PRINTED BY [.Mirrorofthe
The account of the Amazons is sufficiently extraordinary : ‘ Another
regyon ther is y e whiche coraeth toward the north in whiche ther
dwelleth noman, but wymraen whiche ben as fyers as lyons, And whan
nede is they fyghte frely ayenst the men They go armed as knyghtes
in bataylle, & brynge doun their enemyes wythout sparynge, they haue
fair tresses of their heer whiche hange doun byhynde tliem, And they
be garnysshed wyth grete prouesses in all their werkes & affayres,
And ben called Amazones, But they haue men nyghe to their contre
dwellyng, Whom they euery yere fetche for to be in their companye
viij or xv dayes longe and suffre them to knowe them carnelly so longe
tliat they suppose that they haue conceyuyd, and thenne departe the
men fro that contre And goon agayn thedvr that tliey came fro, and
wlian thyse wymmen haue childed. yf it be a doughter they reteyne
her wyth them, And yf it be a sone they nourysshe it fyue or syx yere,
and after sende it out of the contree yet in other places ben many
fayr ladyes whiche in bataylles, & in estowrs vse alle their Armes of
syluer for lacke ofyron and of steell. of whiche they haue not. In the
woodes of Inde ben otlier wymmen the whiche haue their berdes so
longe that they come doun to their pappes, They lyue by wylde
beestys, and clothe them wyth the skynnes of the same wyld beestis.’
Sign. e vij.
The following affords a singular melange * And they entretiene &
cleue to gydre wel an hondred in a clustre, & the leues that growe on
this apple trees ben wel two fote longe, & a foot brode, Other apples
ther growe moche grete, wherin appiereth the bytte of a man, wyth
his teeth, And ben called thapples of Adam by cause of y' bytte that
apiereth in them, ther ben other trees whiche bere apples, that ben
right fair wythout forth, And wythin it is as it were asshes. The
vygnes bere there grapes, of which wyn is maade. they ben so habon-
daunt of fruyt, And y e clustres of grapes ben so grete & so ful of
muste. that two men ben gretly charged to bere one of them only
vpon acolstaf. Also thergrowe lytyl smale trees that be remeuyd euery
yere the whiche bere cotoun. also ther growe in many places canes
dyuerse that they bete and slee the Olyphaunts. This wonne lyueth right longe, And
whan he is olde and i’eleth liym feble, he consumeth hym self by fastynge, And suffreth to
be enfamyned so ouer moche tliat lytyl abydetli of his body, Thenne he goth in to a lytyll
liooll of somme stone wliiche is wel strayt and thenne he putteth hym self out wyth so
jyght grete distresse, that hys sliynne remayneth all hool. And tlier groweth and cometh
on hym another skynue, And thus reneweth his age as a wyse beeste tliat he is.’
Sign,«. iiij. v.
BOOKS PRINTED BY [.Mirrorofthe
The account of the Amazons is sufficiently extraordinary : ‘ Another
regyon ther is y e whiche coraeth toward the north in whiche ther
dwelleth noman, but wymraen whiche ben as fyers as lyons, And whan
nede is they fyghte frely ayenst the men They go armed as knyghtes
in bataylle, & brynge doun their enemyes wythout sparynge, they haue
fair tresses of their heer whiche hange doun byhynde tliem, And they
be garnysshed wyth grete prouesses in all their werkes & affayres,
And ben called Amazones, But they haue men nyghe to their contre
dwellyng, Whom they euery yere fetche for to be in their companye
viij or xv dayes longe and suffre them to knowe them carnelly so longe
tliat they suppose that they haue conceyuyd, and thenne departe the
men fro that contre And goon agayn thedvr that tliey came fro, and
wlian thyse wymmen haue childed. yf it be a doughter they reteyne
her wyth them, And yf it be a sone they nourysshe it fyue or syx yere,
and after sende it out of the contree yet in other places ben many
fayr ladyes whiche in bataylles, & in estowrs vse alle their Armes of
syluer for lacke ofyron and of steell. of whiche they haue not. In the
woodes of Inde ben otlier wymmen the whiche haue their berdes so
longe that they come doun to their pappes, They lyue by wylde
beestys, and clothe them wyth the skynnes of the same wyld beestis.’
Sign. e vij.
The following affords a singular melange * And they entretiene &
cleue to gydre wel an hondred in a clustre, & the leues that growe on
this apple trees ben wel two fote longe, & a foot brode, Other apples
ther growe moche grete, wherin appiereth the bytte of a man, wyth
his teeth, And ben called thapples of Adam by cause of y' bytte that
apiereth in them, ther ben other trees whiche bere apples, that ben
right fair wythout forth, And wythin it is as it were asshes. The
vygnes bere there grapes, of which wyn is maade. they ben so habon-
daunt of fruyt, And y e clustres of grapes ben so grete & so ful of
muste. that two men ben gretly charged to bere one of them only
vpon acolstaf. Also thergrowe lytyl smale trees that be remeuyd euery
yere the whiche bere cotoun. also ther growe in many places canes
dyuerse that they bete and slee the Olyphaunts. This wonne lyueth right longe, And
whan he is olde and i’eleth liym feble, he consumeth hym self by fastynge, And suffreth to
be enfamyned so ouer moche tliat lytyl abydetli of his body, Thenne he goth in to a lytyll
liooll of somme stone wliiche is wel strayt and thenne he putteth hym self out wyth so
jyght grete distresse, that hys sliynne remayneth all hool. And tlier groweth and cometh
on hym another skynue, And thus reneweth his age as a wyse beeste tliat he is.’
Sign,«. iiij. v.