Gangem

it is made of a most fine wooll, growing on the leaves of trees. This Serica Castaldus calleth Cataio: and so doe most of our new writers.” (Pilgrimage, p. 452.) The “barren plains”are perhaps the desert of Lop or Gobi, of which Marco Polo writes: “The Desert of Lop … is situated between east and northeast. It belongs to the Great Kaan, and the people worship Mahommet. Now, such persons as propose to cro the Desert take a week’s rest in this town to refresh themselves and their cattle; and then they make ready for the journey, taking with them a month’s supply for man and beast. The length of this Desert is so great that ’tis said it would take a year and more to ride from one end of it to the other. And here, where its breadth is least, it takes a month to cro it. ’Tis all composed of hills and valleys of sand, and not a thing to eat is to be found on it.” There is a marvelous thing related of this Desert, which is that when travelers are on the move by night, and one of them chances to lag behind or to fall asleep or the like, when he tries to gain his company again he will hear spirits talking, and will suppose them to be his comrades. Sometimes the spirits will call him by name; and thus shall a traveler ofttimes be led astray so that he never finds his party. And in this way many have perished.” (Pp. 196-7.) Cf. the reference to this......... phenomenon in Comus 205-9. ch267.xhtml c 276