that there ben many dyverse lawes
in the world, zit I trowe, that God lovethe alweys hem that loven him, and
serven him mekely in trouthe; and namely, hem that dispysen the veyn glorie
of this world; as this folk don, and as Job did also: and therfore seyde
oure Lorde, be the mouthe of Ozee the prophete, _Ponam eis multiplices
leges meas_. And also in another place, _Qui totum orbem subdit suis
legibus_. And also our Lord seythe in the Gospelle, _Alias oves habeo, que
non sunt ex hoc ovili_; that is to seyne, that he hadde othere servauntes,
than tho that ben undre Cristene lawe. And to that acordethe the avisioun,
that Seynt Petir saughe at Jaffe, how the aungel cam from Hevene, and
broughte before him diverse bestes, as serpentes and other crepynge bestes
of the erthe, and of other also gret plentee, and bad him take and ete. And
Seynt Petir answerde; I ete never, quoth he, of unclene bestes. And thanne
seyde the aungelle, _Non dices immunda, que Deus mundavit_. And that was in
tokene, that no man scholde have in despite non erthely man, for here
diverse lawes: for wee knowe not whom God lovethe, ne whom God hatethe. And
for that ensample, whan men seyn _De profundis_, thei seyn it in comoun and
in generalle, with the Cristene, _pro animabus omnium defunctorum, pro
quibus sit orandum_. And therfore seye I of this folk, that ben so trewe
and so feythefulle, that God lovethe hem. For he hathe amonges hem many of
the prophetes, and alle weye hathe had. And in tho yles, thei prophecyed
the incarnacioun of oure Lord Jesu Crist, how he scholde ben born of a
mayden; 3000 zeer or more or oure Lord was born of the Virgyne Marie. And
thei beleeven wel in the incarnacioun, and that fulle perfitely: but thei
knowe not the manere, how be suffred his passioun and dethe for us.

And bezonde theise yles, there is another yle, that is clept Pytan. The
folk of that contree ne tyle not, ne laboure not the erthe: for thei eten
no manere thing: and thei ben of gode colour, and of faire schap, aftre
hire gretnesse: but the smalle ben as dwerghes: but not so litylle, as ben
the pigmeyes. Theise men lyven be the smelle of wylde apples, and whan thei
gon ony fer weye, thei beren the apples with hem. For zif the hadde lost
the savour of the apples, thei scholde dyen anon. Thei ne ben not fulle
resonable: but thei ben symple and bestyalle.

Aftre that, is another yle, where the folk ben alle skynned, roughe heer,
as a rough best, saf only the fa