is a vale
betwene the mountaynes, that durethe nyghe a 4 myle: and summen clepen it
the Vale Enchaunted; some clepen it the Vale of Develes, and some clepen it
the Vale Perilous. In that vale, heren men often tyme grete tempestes and
thondres and grete murmures and noyses, alle dayes and nyghtes: and gret
noyse, as it were sown of tabours and of nakeres and trompes, as thoughe it
were of a gret feste; This ale is alle fulle of develes, and hathe ben alle
weyes. And men seyn there, that it is on of the entrees of helle. In that
vale is gret plentee of gold and sylver: wherefore many mysbelevynge men,
and manye Christene men also, gon in often tyme, for to have of the
thresoure, that there is: but fewe comen azen; and namely of the mys
belevynge men, ne of the Cristene men nouther: for thei ben anon strangled
of develes. And in mydde place of that vale, undir a roche, is an hed and
the visage of a devyl bodyliche, fulle horrible and dreadfulle to see, and
it schewethe not but the hed, to the schuldres. But there is no man in the
world so hardy, Cristene man ne other, but that he wolde ben a drad for to
beholde it: and that it wolde semen him to dye for drede; so is it hidous
for to beholde. For he beholdethe even man so scharply, with dreadfulle
eyen, that ben evere more mevynge and sparklynge, as fuyr, and chaungethe
and sterethe so often in dyverse manere, with so horrible countenance, that
no man dar not neighen towardes him. And fro him comethe out smoke and
stynk and fuyr, and so moche abhomynacioun, that unethe no man may there
endure. But the gode Cristene men, that ben stable in the feythe, entren
welle withouten perile. For thei wil first schryven hem, and marken hem
with the tokene of the Holy Cros; so that the fendes ne han no power over
hem. But alle be it that thei ben with outen perile, zit natheles ne ben
thei not with outen drede, whan that thei seen the develes visibely and
bodyly alle aboute hem, that maken fully dyverse assautes and manaces in
eyr and in erthe, and agasten hem with strokes of thondre blastes and of
tempestes. And the most drede is, that God wole taken vengeance thanne, of
that men han mys don azen his wille. And zee schulle undirstonde, that whan
my fellows and I weren in that vale, wee weren in gret thought, whether
that wee dursten putten oure bodyes in aventure, to gon in or non, in the
proteccioun of God. And somme of oure fellowes accordeden to enter, and
somme noght. So there weren