Note 1: — CAP: II.

ABOUT Grece be many yles that men cal Calastre,1 Calcas Settygo, Thoysoria, Mynona, Faxton, Molo, Carparte and Lempne, and in this yle is mount Athos that passeth the clowdes & there are divers speaches and many countries that are obedient to the Emperour of Constantinople, that is to say Turcoply, Pyncy, Narde, Comage and many other, Tracy & Macedony, of which Alexander was king. In this countrey was Aristotle borne, in a citie that men call Strages, a little from the citie of Tragie, & at Strages is Aristotle buried, and there is an aulter on his tombe, and there they make a greate feast every yeare as he were a saint, & upon his aulter the lordes holde their great counsayles and assemblies and they think, that through the inspiration of God & him, they should have the better councill. In this countrey are right highe hilles, there is an hill that men call Olimphus that departeth Macedonie and Tracy, and is as high as the cloudes, and the other hill that men call Athos is so highe, that the shadow of him stretcheth unto Olimphus and it is neare lxxvii myle between, and above that hill is the aire so cleere, that men may fele no wynde there, and therefore may no beast live there the ayre is so drye, and men say in the countrey that Philosophers somtyme went up to these same hilles and helde to their noses a sponge wet with water for to have ayre, for the ayre was so drye there & above in the pouder2 of the hill they wrote letters with their fingers, and at the yeares ende they came againe and found those letters which they had written the yeare before without any defaute,3 and therefore it seemeth well that these hilles passe the cloudes to ye pure aire.