Þe Fare of Hanno

This is an account of a Carthaginian who sailed along the coast of West Africa.

The Writ

Foreƿord

Abute eigt hundred geres before þe Englisc landed in Britten, a great scipfare ƿas undergone by Hanno of Cartain. Hanno ƿent ƿest þen suþe along þe score of Africk bringing sixty scips, eac ƿiþ fifty oars. Þis is hƿat happened and hƿat he saƿ.

Deal I

After faring by þe Sƿeers of Þunder, Hanno and his fleet sailed tƿo days þen stelled a tune, for þe fleet had brougt men for settelling. Þe fleet sailed ƿest more and set up a ƿeefed to þe god of þe sea. Abute here þey saƿ a marsc in hƿic lifed elps and oþer deer. After anoþer day of sailing þey stelled more tunes. Þen þey came to a great ea called Lix, hƿere þey met and befreended men call þe Lixmen. Þe Lixmen spoke of a nearby folk hƿo lifed in þe scrafes of barroƿs, and hƿo ƿere sƿifter þan horses. Hanno took some Lixmen to be þe fleet's ƿalstods, þen þey took to sailing again, going tƿelf days suþe until þey had gone by þe great ƿeasten hƿic sunders þe men of Cartain from þe black men hƿo lif suþe of it.

Deal II

Hanno reckoned þat by þis time he ƿas as far from þe Sƿeers of Þunder as þose sƿeers are to Cartain. Next þey fund anoþer great ea, þis one called Cretes. Þey fund ilands, and ƿild men hƿo ƿore þe fells of deer, and hƿo þreƿ stones at þem, hƿic kept þe fleet from landing. Anoþer ea ƿas fund, þis one ƿas full of seahinxes and great ƿorms. Þey ƿent back to one of þe ilands þey had fund before, and from þere ƿent suþe for almost a fortnigt. Þere þey fund Silers hƿo fled from þem, and hƿo spoke a tung unknoƿn to þe Lixmen. Next þe fleet came upon a land ƿiþ great barroƿs full of stinking trees. Þey saƿ suc barroƿs for tƿo days as þey sailed. Fife days þens þey came to a bay hƿic þe Lixmen called þe Horn of þe Ƿest. It ƿas here þe fleet fund a great iland and landed. Þere ƿas noþing but endless ƿoods on þis iland, and at nigt many fires cud be seen, and drums eke hƿistels eke uproar cud be heard. All of þis frigtened þe men of Cartain, and þeir sooþsayers bade þey leaf þe iland.

Deal III

Next þey came to a burning land full of reek. Molten stone leaked dune from þe score to þe ƿater, and þe land ƿas too hot to make landing. Þe fleet cƿickened itself ute of fear, so þat it ƿuld sooner fare by þis stead. After four days þey saƿ þe land ablase in get more fire. In one spot þere ƿas a brand greater þan þe oþers hƿic seemed as þoug it strecced all þe ƿay to þe stars. Hƿen day came it ƿas seen þat þis brand ƿas insooþ a great barroƿ called þe Crat of þe Gods. Þe fleet sailed by þese fiery lands for þree more days until þey came to a bay called þe Horn of þe Suþe. Here þey fund an iland ƿiþ hairy men called Gorillie hƿo fled from þem by climbing trees. Þree Gorillie ƿomen ƿere fanged but þey did muc biting and scraccing so þey ƿere killed and flayed. Here þe fleet hƿarfed and ƿent back to Cartain, for þey had run ute of ferking.