In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity. Amen. In the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1398 recte 1397 on the eve of Our Lady of September September 8, having obtained the blessing of Pope Benedict the anti-pope Benedict XIII (1394-1423), I, Ramon by the grace of God viscount of Perellós and Rodas, lord of the barony of Ceret, left the city of Avignon to go to Saint Patrick's Purgatory.
Since all men in this world wish to know strange and wonderful things, as these by nature are more pleasing than those which one can know by hearsay, for this reason I, who in my youth was fostered with king Charles, king of France, with whom my good father left me (he being his admiral and chamberlain) in that court with all the squires and knights of his realm and other Christian realms, indeed wish to be informed of the strange and wonderful things in all lands of Christians and Infidels, both of Saracens and others of various sects which are in the world; for here there came of them from many places and I had my heart well set to know by sight what I had heard said by various knights and other people. And indeed I set myself to follow adventures in the world in all lands of Christians and Infidels, both of Saracens and others of various sects which are in the world, where one may reasonably go, inasmuch as by God's grace I have seen and suffered on land and sea most of the strange and wonderful things of which I had heard tell and I can give true testimony of those which I have seen. And I have sustained great dangers, expense and labors, both on land and sea, and I have taken and suffered in the lands of Infidels and Christians things which I do not intend to recount as they have no bearing on the matter which I wish to pursue with regard to the journey to Saint Patrick['s Purgatory] which is in the regions of Ireland; which journey with God's help I have made and accomplished as much as any man has done since the death of Saint Patrick.
And this I shall recount completely in four ways: firstly why Saint Patrick ordered the purgatory; secondly for what reason I set my heart on entering said purgatory; thirdly where it is; fourthly the things which I saw or found in said purgatory which may be revealed, for there are things which it is not pleasing to God that I should reveal and he does not wish it on account of the dangers which might accrue to me or to those to whom they might be revealed by me, which thing would be irreparable.