was born in Englond, in the town of Seynt Albones, passede the see, in the yeer of our Lord Jhesu Crist mcccxxii., in the day of Seynt Michelle; and hidre to have ben longe tyme over the see, and have seyn and gon thorghe manye dyverse londes, and many provynces and kingdomes and iles; and have passed thorghout Turkye, Tartarye, Percye, Surrye, Arabye, Egypt the highe and the lowe, Ermonye the litylle and the grete; thorgh Lybye, Caldee, and a gret partie of Ethiope; thorgh Amazoyne, Inde the lasse and the more, a gret partie; and thorgh out many othere iles, that ben abonten Inde; where dwellen many dyverse folkes, and of dyverse maneres and lawes, and of dyverse schappes of men. Of whiche londes and iles I schalle speke more pleynly hereaftre. And I schal devise ʓou sum partie of thinges that there ben, whan time schalle ben, aftre it may best come to my mynde; and specyally for hem, that wylle and are in purpos for to visite the holy citee of Jerusalem, and the holy places that are thereaboute. And I schalle telle the weye, that thei schalle holden thidre. For I have often tymes passed and ryden the way, with gode companye of many lordes: God be thonked.
And ʓee schulle undirstonde, that I have put this boke out of Latyn into Frensch, and translated it aʓen out of Frensche into Englyssch, that every man of my nacioun may undirstonde it.
But lordes and knyghtes and othere noble and worthi men, that conne Latyn but lityle, and han ben beʓonde the see, knowen and undirstonden, ʓif I seye trouthe or no, and ʓif I erre in devisynge, for forʓetynge, or elles;
