And when that messengers of strange countries come before him, the
meinie of the soldan, when the strangers speak to him, they be
about the soldan with swords drawn and gisarmes and axes, their
arms lifted up in high with those weapons for to smite upon them,
if they say any word that is displeasance to the soldan. And also,
no stranger cometh before him, but that he maketh him some promise
and grant of that the [stranger] asketh reasonably; by so it be not
against his law. And so do other princes beyond, for they say that
no man shall come before no prince, but that [he be] better, and
shall be more gladder in departing from his presence than he was at
the coming before him.

And understandeth, that that Babylon that I have spoken of, where
that the sultan dwelleth, is not that great Babylon where the
diversity of languages was first made for vengeance by the miracle
of God, when the great Tower of Babel was begun to be made; of the
which the walls were sixty-four furlongs of height; that is in the
great desert of Arabia, upon the way as men go toward the kingdom
of Chaldea. But it is full long since that any man durst nigh to
the tower; for it is all desert and full of dragons and great
serpents, and full of diverse venomous beasts all about. That
tower, with the city, was of twenty-five mile in circuit of the
walls, as they of the country say, and as men may deem by
estimation, after that men tell of the country.

And though it be clept the Tower of Babylon, yet nevertheless,
there were ordained within many mansions and many great dwelling-
places, in length and breadth. And that tower contained great
country in circuit, for the tower alone contained ten mile square.
That tower founded King Nimrod that was king of that country; and