Page 17 - Book of Composition

Here begins the tale of Galip
the servant and captain of King Calid
the son of Gazid the son of Mocoya.

Galip the captain said:

After a few days that the man had shown these things unto the king, this
man came and stood before the king, saying, “God convert you to a
better mind. I will not defer off any longer those things which I have
promised you. Therefore call all my servants that are chiefest of birth and
of them choose out some, which may go with me, and return again with
me, for have a long journey to take in hand.”

And the king looking on me with a merry countenance said, “You say
well, let it be done.”

Then the king commanded me to be called before him, and when I came
before him, he said, “O Galip my good servant, gather together all my
chief servants by birth and choose out of them, which and as many as
shall please this man, who may go with you and return again, for he had
said there is a long journey for us to take.”

Therefore I did according as the king commanded me, and after a few
days we began our journey towards the city of Jerusalem, and by passing
many uncouth and desert places we spent many days, and at length came
to Jerusalem. And while we tired ourselves by strain in the deserts of the
mountains, in the end we found out the hermitage, in which Morienus
Romanus the ancient hermit led his life, which when we entered into, we
found there a a certain old man, tall of stature, lean of body, comely of
countenance and face, at whose habit and countenance we were struck
with great admiration. For his skin was wrinkled by reason of the hairy
garment, which he had on his body.

Then said that man unto us, who brought us thíther with him: “My
friends this is Morienus Romanus the ancient hermit.”

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