of power to dresse him thereto; as I have seyd zou before. And therfore
men returnen from tho yles aboveseyd, be other yles costynge fro the lond
of Prestre John. And thanne comen men in returnynge to an yle, that is
clept Casson: and that yle hathe wel 60 jorrneyes in lengthe, and more than
50 in brede. This is the beste yle, and the beste kyngdom, that is in alle
tho partyes, out taken Cathay. And zif the merchauntes useden als moche
that contre an thei don Cathay, it wolde ben better than Cathay, in a
schort while. This contree is fulle well enhabyted, and so fulle of cytees,
and of gode townes, and enhabyted with peple, that whan a man gothe out of
o cytee, men seen another cytee, evene before hem: and that is what partye
that a man go, in alle that contree. In that yle is gret plentee of alle
godes for to lyve with, and of alle manere of spices. And there ben grete
forestes of chesteynes. The kyng of that yle is fulle ryche and fulle
myghty: and natheles he holt his lond of the grete Chane, and is obeyssant
to hym. For it is on of the 12 provynces, that the grete Chane hathe undre
him, with outen his propre lond, and with outen other lesse yles, that he
hathe: for he hathe fulle manye.

From that kyngdom comen men, in returnynge, to another yle, that is clept
Rybothe: and it is also under the grete Chane. That is a fulle gode
contree, and fulle plentefous of alle godes and of wynes and frut, and alle
other ricchesse. And the folk of that contree han none houses: but thei
dwellen and lyggen all under tentes, made of black ferne, by alle the
contree. And the princypalle cytee, and the most royalle, is alle walled
with black ston and white. And alle the stretes also ben pathed of the same
stones. In that cytee is no man so hardy, to schede Blode of no man, ne of
no best, for the reverence of an ydole, that is worschipt there. And in
that yle dwellethe the pope of hire lawe, that they clepen Lobassy. This
Lobassy zevethe alle the benefices, and alle other dignytees, and all other
thinges, that belongen to the ydole. And alle tho that holden ony thing of
hire chirches, religious and othere, obeyen to him; as men don here to the
Pope of Rome.

In that yle thei han a custom, be alle the contree, that whan the fader is
ded of ony man, and the sone list to do gret worchipe to his fader, he
sendethe to alle his frendes, and to all his kyn, and for religious men and
preestes, and for mynstralle also, gret plentee. And thanne