And When The Philosophers Have Done And Performed Their
Commandments, Then The Minstrels Begin To Do Their Minstrelsy,
Everych In Their Instruments, Each After Other, With All The Melody
That They Can Devise.
And when they have done a good while, one of
the officers of the emperor goeth up on a high stage wrought full
curiously, and crieth and saith with loud voice; Make Peace!
And
then every man is still.
And then, anon after, all the lords that be of the emperor's
lineage, nobly arrayed in rich cloths of gold and royally
apparelled on white steeds, as many as may well sue him at that
time, be ready to make their presents to the emperor. And then
saith the steward of the court to the lords, by name; N. of N.! and
nameth first the most noble and the worthiest by name, and saith;
Be ye ready with such a number of white horses, for to serve the
emperor, your sovereign lord! And to another lord he saith; N. of
N., be ye ready with such a number, to serve your sovereign lord!
And to another, right so, and to all the lords of the emperor's
lineage, each after other, as they be of estate. And when they be
all cleped, they enter each after other, and present the white
horses to the emperor, and then go their way. And then after, all
the other barons every of them, give him presents or jewels or some
other thing, after that they be of estate. And then after them,
all the prelates of their law, and religious men and others; and
every man giveth him something. And when that all men have thus
presented the emperor, the greatest of dignity of the prelates
giveth him a blessing, saying an orison of their law.
And then begin the minstrels to make their minstrelsy in divers
instruments with all the melody that they can devise. And when
they have done their craft, then they bring before the emperor,
lions, leopards and other diverse beasts, and eagles and vultures
and other divers fowls, and fishes and serpents, for to do him
reverence. And then come jugglers and enchanters, that do many
marvels; for they make to come in the air, by seeming, the sun and
the moon to every man's sight. And after they make the night so
dark that no man may see nothing. And after they make the day to
come again, fair and pleasant with bright sun, to every man's
sight. And then they bring in dances of the fairest damsels of the
world, and richest arrayed. And after they make to come in other
damsels bringing cups of gold full of milk of diverse beasts, and
give drink to lords and to ladies. And then they make knights to
joust in arms full lustily; and they run together a great random,
and they frussch together full fiercely, and they break their
spears so rudely that the truncheons fly in sprouts and pieces all
about the hall. And then they make to come in hunting for the hart
and for the boar, with hounds running with open mouth. And many
other things they do by craft of their enchantments, that it is
marvel for to see. And such plays of disport they make till the
taking up of the boards. This great Chan hath full great people
for to serve him, as I have told you before. For he hath of
minstrels the number of thirteen cumants, but they abide not always
with him. For all the minstrels that come before him, of what
nation that they be of, they be withholden with him as of his
household, and entered in his books as for his own men. And after
that, where that ever they go, ever more they claim for minstrels
of the great Chan; and under that title, all kings and lords
cherish them the more with gifts and all things. And therefore he
hath so great multitude of them.
And he hath of certain men as though they were yeomen, that keep
birds, as ostriches, gerfalcons, sparrow-hawks, falcons gentle,
lanyers, sakers, sakrets, popinjays well speaking, and birds
singing, and also of wild beasts, as of elephants tame and other,
baboons, apes, marmosets, and other diverse beasts; the mountance
of fifteen cumants of yeomen.
And of physicians Christian he hath 200, and of leeches that be
Christian he hath 210, and of leeches and physicians that be
Saracens twenty, but he trusteth more in the Christian leeches than
in the Saracen. And his other common household is without number,
and they all have all necessaries and all that them needeth of the
emperor's court. And he hath in his court many barons as
servitors, that be Christian and converted to good faith by the
preaching of religious Christian men that dwell with him; but there
be many more, that will not that men know that they be Christian.
This emperor may dispend as much as he will without estimation; for
he not dispendeth ne maketh no money but of leather imprinted or of
paper. And of that money is some of greater price and some of less
price, after the diversity of his statutes. And when that money
hath run long that it beginneth to waste, then men bear it to the
emperor's treasury and then they take new money for the old. And
that money goeth throughout all the country and throughout all his
provinces, for there and beyond them they make no money neither of
gold nor of silver; and therefore he may dispend enough, and
outrageously. And of gold and silver that men bear in his country
he maketh cylours, pillars and pavements in his palace, and other
diverse things what him liketh.
This emperor hath in his chamber, in one of the pillars of gold, a
ruby and a carbuncle of half a foot long, that in the night giveth
so great clearness and shining, that it is as light as day.
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