THE PRINCIPLE OF HOPE

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that spoke Greek, another of the sun that spoke an Indian language; — such fantasies were grouped around the king's oriental campaign. Many of them are also
echoed in the letter of the priest­king, are repeated, a complete dream arsenal of geographical fairytales and exceptions to everyday life. People are named in it who
conjure up, saddle, and bridle aerial dragons, and ride off on them into the distance; the praises are sung of marvellous stones which heat up or cool down as required
and illuminate all objects within a radius of five miles at night, stones which convert unconsecrated water into milk or wine, stones which gather fish around them, tame
wild animals, kindle enormous conflagrations, extinguish enormous conflagrations. But Prester John's letter (the text of the copy addressed to Emperor Manuel is the
one that survives) adds totally incomprehensible marvellous beings of its own, heightening the nonsense and the temptation: ‘I, Presbyter John, the lord of lords, surpass
all others walking beneath the heavens in virtue, wealth and power. Seventy­two kings pay tribute to Us …Our magnificence holds sway in the three Indias, and Our
lands extend as far as the further India, where the body of the holy apostle Thomas lies …Our land is the home and dwelling­place of elephants, dromedaries, camels,
of the Meta collinarum (!), Cametemnus (!), Tinserete (!), of panthers, forest asses, white and red lions, of white bears, white Merules, cicadas, silent gryphons, of
tigers, Lamias, hyenas, wild horses, wild asses, wild oxen and wild men, of horned and one­eyed men, of men with eyes at the front and back of their heads, of
centaurs, fauns, satyrs, pygmies, as well as giants forty cubits high, Cyclops and women of a similar nature, and of the bird called the Phoenix’ (Oppert, Der
Priesterkõnig Johannes in Geschichte und Sage, 1864, p. 36ff.). Thus the entire stock of marvels in medieval bestiaries and books of precious stones has been located
in the kingdom of Prester John in India, even the white bears of the high north, which people had only heard about in Europe in the eleventh century; the white elephant,
on the other hand, which is actually found in India, is missing. Equally boastful and unreal is the description of the imperial palace: ‘Its foundations and walls are made of
precious stones, and the best, purest gold serves as cement. Its sky or roof consists of the clearest sapphires, mixed here and there with gems of dazzling topaz…Thirty
thousand people dine at the Emperor's table every day, the table is made of emeralds, supported by four pillars of amethyst …Outside the palace there is a door of
crystal framed with gold, this portal lies towards the east, is a hundred and thirty cubits high and opens and closes by itself whenever Our Excellency repairs to the
palace.’ In the profusion of these