The Goddesse of Surrye (6-10)

But I saughe in Byblos a gret temple of Venus of Byblos, wherin thei perfourmen cerimonyes in mynde of Adoon; and I lernede tho cerimonyes.[*] Thei seyn that the dede that was don to Adoon be the bore befell in here londe, and for memorie of that myschaunce everyche yeer thei beten here brestes and sorwen and perfourmen tho cerimonyes, makynge gret doel thorgh that contree. And whan mournthe betynge and the wepynge is atte ende, first thei maken offringes to Adoon, as though he were ded; and than, on the morwe, thei fablen that he is quick, and fecchen him forth in to the eyr, and lette air

Natheles, ther ben somme men of Byblos that seyn Osiris of Egypte lyeth enterred amonges hem, and the doel and the cerimonyes ben alle made in mynde of Osiris in stede of Adoon.[*] And I schalle seye you the cause whi this semeth hem trewe. Eech yeer an heed cometh from Egypte to Byblos, heaa that passeth the see betwene in seven iorneyes, and the windes dryven it, be governaunce of the Goddes, and it torneth not asyde in no wyse but cometh all only to Byblos. And this is hoolyche merveylle. whoty It befalleth everyche yere, and befel that tyme that I was in Byblos, and I saughe the heed, that is of Byblos.[*]

And in the londe of Byblos is arf other merveylle, a Ryvere goynge out of the Mount Libanon in to the See, the which is cleped Adoon. Everyche yeer it is bebledde and leseth his kyndely hewe, and whan natural it falleth in to the See, it maketh mochel therof rede; and so it betokneth the doel to hem of Byblos.[*] For they seyn that in tho dayes Adoon is ywounded up Libanon, and his blod that cometh into the water chaungeth the ryvere and yeveth the streme his name. Thus seyn lewed folk. But I trowe that a man of Byblos spak sothe that devysed me an other cause of the chaunge, seyinge: “The Flom Adoon, o straunger, renneth thorgh Libanon, and erthe of Libanon is right broun. Therfore whan roughe windes that arysen in tho dayes beren the erthe to the ryvere, the erthe, that is ful rody, maketh him blody. So of this chaunge nys not the blod, as they seyn, the resoun, but the lond.” He of Byblos devysed me thus; but and al it so be that he spak trewely, yit to me it semeth passing merveyllous that the wind aryseth at the righte tyme.

Also, I went up on Libanon fro Byblos, oon iorneye, be cause I lernede that ther was an old

But of hem alle, as I wene, is non gretter than tho in the Holy Cytee, ne non other temple mo blessed, ne non other lond holier. Costevouse costly werkes ben therinne, and aunciene offringes, and manye merveylles, and symulacres in lyknesse of goddes. Also, the goddes ben apertely reveled unto hem; for here symulacres sweten and meven and prophecyen, and ofte tymes hath ben schowtynge in the temple whan the holy place was under lokke, and many han herde. Certes, in richesse it is first amonges alle that I knowe; for thider cometh moche tresor from Arabye and Phenicye and Babiloyne, and moche fro Cappadocye, and som Cilicyens bryngen, and som Assuryens. And I saughe what hath ben prively put up in the temple, many robes and other thinges that have ben chosen out as silver outher gold. And of festes and solempnytees noon other folk in the world hath apoynted so many.