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| Title page of the 1517 French edition of "Le Mirouer du monde" |
Gautier de Metz (Gossouin or Walther von Metz) was a French priest and poet who became famous for writing the encyclopedic work "Imago mundi" around 1245.
The book proved to be very popular and was consulted by many contemporaries, who borrowed entire passages while writing their own works; Sir John Mandeville's The Voyage and Travels... for example contains many passages that are taken from Gautier's work.
The book was soon translated into the French under the title of "L'Image du Monde" and was later printed as "Le Mirouer du Monde" in 1517. Among other editions, in 1480, William Caxton, one of the first English printers, published an English translation "The Myrrour of the World" which is considered the first English book to be printed with illustrations.
Gauthier sought to provide a broad overview of the history of the world since the creation of the universe. As such, his work does combine historical facts with embellishments but remains an interesting source for contemporary views and perceptions. The book is divided into three parts - part one contains discussions of theological matters, part two offers descriptions of various places and peoples and part three contains astronomical observations. Among the peoples mentioned in the book were Georgians, whose description Gautier borrowed from Jacques de Vitry, a French theologian who visited the Holy Land and published the Historia Hierosolymitana, a history of the Holy Land from the advent of Islam until the crusades of his own day.
In this region [Asia Minor] there are also other people,
Christians too, worshiping the Lord a little better,
Fighting strong and mighty so the Saracens [sarrazins/Muslims] fear them and dare not mistreat them.
And because surrounded by enemies, rogues and unbelievers,
they always invoke the name of Saint George
for their help and succor,
these people are called Georgians.
And they also worship and honor all other [Christian] saints.
They all have crowns [top of the head] shaved;
the clergymen wear them round,
the laity wears them square.
When they go [to Jerusalem] to worship
at the Holy Sepulcher of Our Lord,
the Saracens dare not to demand tolls [peaige] on them
nor do any harm onto them because they fear
that when they [Georgians] return, they should revenge themselves
[on other Saracens their neighbours].
[on other Saracens their neighbours].
The noble ladies of this country
bear arms and fight
the heathens ["payens"/païens].
Their [Georgian] speech [liturgy] and [religious] laws
are similar to those of the Greeks.
In English edition of 1480, William Caxton added certain passages to this text. While discussing Georgian women, his text reads (original orthography retained):
"The sarasyns doubte them moche and dar not mysdoo them, but ben to them swete and amyable."
"The gentyl ladyes of the coitre Arme them and ride upon good horses rennyng and swyfte, and fight asprely in the company of the knyghtes of Georgia against the Saracens."
