Þe Fare of Hanno

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

Beware: this article uses spellings which have had foreign influence reverted.

The Writ
Foreword



Abute eigt hundred years before þe Englisc landed in, a great was undergone by Hanno of. Hanno went west þen along þe score of Africk bringing sixty scips, eac wiþ fifty oars. Þis is hwat happened and hwat he saw.

Deal I

After faring by þe, Hanno and his fleet sailed two days þen a , for þe fleet had brougt men for settelling. Þe fleet sailed west more and set up a to þe god of þe sea. Abute here þey saw a marsc in hwic lifed and oþer deer. After anoþer day of sailing þey stelled more tunes. Þen þey came to a great ea called Lix, hwere þey met and befreended men call þe Lixmen. Þe Lixmen spoke of a nearby folk hwo lifed in þe of barrows, and hwo were swifter þan horses. Hanno took some Lixmen to be þe fleet's, þen þey took to sailing again, going twelf days suþe until þey had gone by þe great hwic sunders þe men of Cartain from þe black men hwo lif suþe of it.

Deal II

Hanno reckoned þat by þis time he was as far from þe Sweers of Þunder as þose sweers are to Cartain. Next þey fund anoþer great ea, þis one called Cretes. Þey fund ilands, and wild men hwo wore þe fells of deer, and hwo þrew stones at þem, hwic kept þe fleet from landing. Anoþer ea was fund, þis one was full of and great. Þey went back to one of þe ilands þey had fund before, and from þere went suþe for almost a fortnigt. Þere þey fund Silers hwo fled from þem, and hwo spoke a tung unknown to þe Lixmen. Next þe fleet came upon a land wiþ great barrows full of stinking trees. Þey saw suc barrows for two days as þey sailed. Fife days þey came to a bay hwic þe Lixmen called þe Horn of þe West. It was here þe fleet fund a great iland and landed. Þere was noþing but endless woods on þis iland, and at nigt many fires cud be seen, and drums eke hwistels 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 water, and þe land was too hot to make landing. Þe fleet cwickened itself ute of fear, so þat it wuld sooner fare by þis stead. After four days þey saw þe land ablase in yet more fire. In one spot þere was a brand greater þan þe oþers hwic seemed as þoug it strecced all þe way to þe stars. Hwen day came it was seen þat þis brand was a great barrow 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 wiþ hairy men called Gorillie hwo fled from þem by climbing trees. Þree Gorillie women were fanged but þey did muc biting and scraccing so þey were killed and flayed. Here þe fleet and went back to Cartain, for þey had run ute of .ute of.