ured gold, and casten away the unpured. And theise Pissemyres ben gret as
houndes: so that no man dar come to tho hilles: for the Pissemyres wolde
assaylen hem and devouren hem anon; so that no man may gete of that gold,
but be gret sleighte. And therfore whan it is gret hete, the Pissemyres
resten hem in the erthe, from pryme of the day in to noon: and than the
folk of the con tree taken camayles, dromedaries and hors and other bestes
and gon thidre, and chargen hem in alle haste that thei may. And aftre that
thei fleen away, in alle haste that the bestes may go, or the Pissemyres
comen out of the erthe. And in other tymes, whan it is not so hote, and
that he Pissemyres ne resten hem not in the erthe, than thei geten gold be
this sotyltee: thei taken mares, that han zonge coltes or foles, and leyn
upon the mares voyde vesselles made therfore; and thei ben alle open
aboven, and hangynge lowe to the erthe: and thanne thei sende forth tho
mares for to pasturen aboute the hilles, and with holden the foles with hem
at home. And whan the Pissemyres sen tho vesselles, thei lepen in anon, and
thei han this kynde, that thei lete no thing ben empty among hem, but anon
thei fillen it, be it what maner of thing that it be: and so thei fillen
tho vesselles with gold. And whan that the folk supposen, that the vesselle
ben fulle, thei putten forthe anon the zonge foles, and maken hem to nyzen
aftre hire dames; and than anon the mares retornen towardes hire foles,
with hire charges of gold; and than men dischargen hem, and geten gold y
now be this sotyltee. For the Pissemyres wole suffren bestes to gon and
pasturen amonges hem; but no man in no wyse.

And bezonde the lond and the yles and the desertes of Prestre Johnes
lordschipe, in goynge streyght toward the est, men fynde nothing but
mountaynes and roches fulle grete: and there is the derke regyoun, where no
man may see, nouther be day ne be nyght, as thei of the contree seyn. And
that desert, and that place of derknesse, duren fro this cost unto Paradys
terrestre; where that Adam oure foremost fader, and Eve weren putt, that
dwelleden there but lytylle while; and that is towards the est, at the
begynnynge of the erthe. But that is not that est, that wee clep oure est,
on this half, where the sonne risethe to us: for whenne the sonne is est in
tho partyes, toward Paradys terrestre, it is thanne mydnyght in oure
parties o this half, for the rowndenesse of the erthe, of the whiche I hav