ance of
victuals in this citie, as namely of bread and wine, and especially of
hogs-flesh, with other necessaries.

Of a Monastery where many strange beastes of diuers kindes doe liue vpon an
hill.

In the foresaide citie foure of our friers had conuerted a mighty and riche
man vnto the faith of Christ, at whose house I continually abode, for so
long time as I remained in the citie. Who vpon a certaine time saide vnto
me: Ara, that is to say, Father, will you goe and beholde the citie? And I
said, yea. Then embarqued we our selues, and directed our course vnto a
certaine great Monastery: where being arrived, he called a religious person
with whom he was acquainted, saying vnto him concerning me: this Raban
Francus, that is to say, this religious Frenchman commeth from the Westerne
parts of the world, and is now going to the city of Cambaleth to pray for
the life of the great Can, and therefore you must shew him some rare thing,
that when hee returnes into his owne countrey, he may say, this strange
sight or nouelty haue I seene in the city of Canasia. Then the said
religious man tooke two great baskets full of broken reliques which
remained of the table, and led me vnto a little walled parke, the doore
whereof he vnlocked with his key, and there appeared vnto vs a pleasant
faire green plot, into the which we entred. In the said greene stands a
litle mount in forme of a steeple, replenished with fragrant herbes and
fine shady trees. And while we stood there, he tooke a cymball or bell, and
rang therewith, as they vse to ring to dinner or beuoir in cloisters, at
the sound whereof many creatures of diuers kinds came downe from the mount,
some like apes, some like cats, some like monkeys and some hauing faces
like men. And while I stood beholding of them, they gathered themselues
together about him, to the number of 4200. of those creatures, putting
themselues in good order, before whom he set a platter, and gaue them the
said fragments to eate. And when they had eaten he rang vpon his cymbal the
second time, and they al returned vnto their former places. Then, wondring
greatly at the matter, I demanded what kind of creatures those might be?
They are (quoth he) the soules of noble men which we do here feed, for the
loue of God who gouerneth the world: and as a man was honorable or noble in
this life, so his soule after death, entreth into the body of some
excellent beast or other, but the soules of simple and rusticall