An interesting text about Friar William's travels. He endured trials & hardships (weather, bad interpreters, lack of food & drink, etc...) in his travels, yet gives a lively account of his time in his telling of it to King Louis IX of France. Truthfully, he comes across a bit whiny at times (but I would have been too, given the circumstances under which he traveled).

I enjoyed this particular passage where Friar William is debating religion with some "idolators" (a version of Buddhism):

Then they asked me, somewhat mockingly, 'Where is God?'
To which I replied, 'Where is your soul?'
'In our bodies,' they said.
'Is it not everywhere in your body,' I asked, 'and in complete control of it, and yet is not to be seen? In this way God is everywhere and governs all things, while being invisible, because He is wisdom and understanding.' But at this point, when I wanted to argue further with them, my interpreter, who was tired and incapable of finding the right words, made me stop talking.

While the footnotes were helpful, I found them tedious to read in relation to Friar William's text. Additionally, it would have helped had I been more familiar with Franciscan interpretations of Christianity while reading.