dy to make him companye, ne to speke
with hym, ne that no man zeve him ne selle him ne serve him nouther of mete
ne drynk: and so schalle he dye in myschef. Thei spare no man that hath
trespaced, nouther for love ne for favour ne for ricchesse ne for noblesse,
but that he schalle have aftre that he hathe don.

Bezonde that yle, is another yle, where is gret multytude of folk; and thei
wole not for nothing eten flesche of hares, ne of hennes, ne of gees: and
zit thei bryngen forthe y now, for to seen hem and to beholden hem only.
But thei eten Flesche of alle other bestes, and drynken mylk. In that
contre, thei taken hire doughtres and hire sustres to here wyfes, and hire
other kynneswomen. And zif there ben 10 or 12 men or mo dwellynge in an
hows, the wif of eyeryche of hem schalle ben comoun to hem alle, that
duellen in that hows; so that every man may liggen with whom he wole of
hem, on o nyght. And zif sche have ony child, sche may zeve it to what man
sche list, that hathe companyed with hire; so that no man knoweth there,
whether the child be his or anotheres. And zif ony man seye to hem, that
thei norrischen other mennes children, thei answeren, that so don other men
hires. In that contre and be all Ynde, ben gret plentee of cokodrilles,
that is the maner of a longe serpent, as I haye seyd before. And in the
nyght, thei dwellen in the watir, and on the day, upon the lond, in roches
and caves. And thei ete no mete in all the wynter: but thei lyzn as in a
drem, as don the serpentes. Theise serpentes slen men, and thei eten hem
wepynge: and whan thei eten, thei meven the over Jowe, and noughte the
nether Jowe; and thei have no Tonge. In that contree, and in many other
bezonde that, and also in manye on this half, men putten in werke the sede
of cotoun: and thei sowen it every zeer, and than growthe it in smale
trees, that beren cotoun. And so don men every zeer; so that there is
plentee of cotoun, at alle tymes. Item, in this yle and in many other,
there is a manner of wode, hard and strong: who so coverethe the coles of
that wode undir the assches there offe, the coles wil duellen and abyden
alle quyk, a zere or more. And that tre hathe many leves, as the gynypre
hathe. And there ben also many trees, that of nature thei wole never brenne
ne rote in no manere. And there ben note trees, that beren notes, als grete
as a mannes hed. There also ben many bestes, that ben clept orafles.
[Footnote: Giraffes.] In Arabye, thei b