THE SCENE: One can’t help but detect a bit of a cultural inferiority complex as Gerald of Wales compares the purity of the austere British Isles to his mental picture of the decadent and deadly East.
THE TEXT: There is no disturbance of the air or inclemency of the weather such as inconveniences those that are in health and spirits, or distresses those that suffer from nervous disorders. What riches has the East then to offer in comparison with these? It has, of course, many-coloured silken cloth produced by the silk-worm; it has precious metals of certain types, sparkling gems and aromatic spices. But what are these in comparison with the loss of life and health?
All the elements in the East, even though they were created for the help of man, threaten his wretched life, deprive him of health, and finally kill him. If you put your naked foot upon the ground, death is upon you; if you sit upon marble without taking care, death is upon you; if you drink unmixed water, or merely smell dirty water with your nostrils, death is upon you; if you uncover your head to feel the breeze the better, it may affect you by either its heat or coldness – but in any case death is upon you. The heavens terrify you with their thunder and threaten you with their lightnings. The sun with its burning rays makes you uncomfortable. And if you take more food than is right, death is at the gate; if you take your wine unmixed with water, death is at the gate; if you do not hold back your hand from food long before you are satisfied, death is at the gate.
Let the East, then, have its riches – tainted and poisoned as they are. The mildness of our climate alone makes up to us for all the wealth of the East.
– The History and Topography of Ireland, Gerald of Wales, 12th Century AD
