Sir John,--Wit you well that men holden you but light, and some
clepen you a Liar. And they say that you never were born in
Englond, in the town of Seynt Albones, nor have seen and gone
through manye diverse Londes. And there goeth an old knight at
arms, and one that connes Latyn, and hath been beyond the sea, and
hath seen Prester John's country. And he hath been in an Yle that
men clepen Burmah, and there bin women bearded. Now men call him
Colonel Henry Yule, and he hath writ of thee in his great booke, Sir
John, and he holds thee but lightly. For he saith that ye did pill
your tales out of Odoric his book, and that ye never saw snails with
shells as big as houses, nor never met no Devyls, but part of that
ye say, ye took it out of William of Boldensele his book, yet ye
took not his wisdom, withal, but put in thine own foolishness.
Nevertheless, Sir John, for the frailty of Mankynde, ye are held a
good fellow, and a merry; so now, come, let me tell you of the new
ways into Ynde.

In that Lond they have a Queen that governeth all the Lond, and all
they ben obeyssant to her. And she is the Queen of Englond; for
Englishmen have taken all the Lond of Ynde. For they were right
good werryoures of old, and wyse, noble, and worthy. But of late
hath risen a new sort of Englishman very puny and fearful, and these
men clepen Radicals. And they go ever in fear, and they scream on
high for dread in the streets and the houses, and they fain would
flee away from all that their fathers gat them with the sword. And
this sort men call Scuttleres, but the mean folk and certain of the
baser sort hear them gladly, and they say ever that Englishmen