IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^o 1.0 I.I ^ 114 lU 111 L£ 12.0 IJ& IL25 H 1.4 ^>.:? Photographic Sciences Corporation ^J%% 33 WEST MAIN STKEET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVi/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian tnttitute for Historical IViicroraproductions / institut Canadian de microreproductions historiquas Tachnical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notaa tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa / Tha Inatituta haa anamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba biblipgraphieaily uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chackaid balow. □ Colourad covara/ Couvarturo da coMlaur r~n Covara damagad/ D D D D D Couvartura andommagte Covara raatorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raatauria at/ou pailicul^a r~~| Covar titia miaaing/ La titra da couvartura manqua □ Colourad mapa/ Cartaa gAographiquas an coulaur Colourad inic (i.a. othar than blua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua blaua ou noira) r~n Colourad plataa and/or illuatrationa/ Planchaa at/ou illuatrationa tt coulaur Bound with othar matarial/ RalM avac d'autraa docummita Tight binding may cauaa ahadows or diatortion along intarior margin/ Laraiiura 99rr^ paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la diatorslon la long da la marga intiriaura Blank laavas addad during raatoration may appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibia, thaaa hava baan omittad from filminc/ II sa paut qua cattainas pagaa bianehaa ajoutias lora d'una raatauration apparaiasant dana la taxta, mala, iorsqua cala itait poaaibia, caa pagaa n'ont paa *t« filmAas. Th to L'Institut a microfilm* la maiilaur axamplaira qu'il lui a it* poaaibia da aa procurer. Las details da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquaa du point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modif iar una imaga raproduita, ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dana la mithoda normala da fiimaga aont indiqute ci-daaaous. r~~| Colourad pagaa/ D Pagaa da coulaur Pagaa damagad/ Pagaa andommagias Pagaa raatorad and/oi Pagaa rastaurAas at/ou pailicu!jas pn Pagaa damagad/ r~] Pagaa raatorad and/or laminatad/ Q Pagaa diacolourad. stainad or foxad/ Pagaa d4coiorias, tachat^as ou piquiaa Th po of III Or ba th si< ot fir alt or Pagaa datachad/ Pagaa d^tachias Showthrough/ Transparanca |~~| Quality of print varies/ Qualit* inigala da i'imprassion Includaa supplamantary material/ Comprand du material suppiimantaira Only edition available/ Seuie Mition disponibie Th ah Til wl Ml dif en b« rig rec m« Pegee wholly or pertieily obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. heve been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Lea pages totalement ou partiailement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. una pelure, etc.. ont Ati fiimtes A nouveau da fapon k obtanir la meilleure imege poaaibia. Additional commanta:/ Commentaires suppiimantairas: Wrinkled pagti may film slightly out of focus. Thia item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document eat filmA au taux da reduction indiqu* ci-dessoua. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2BX 30X y 12X 16X aox 24X 28X 32X / TiM copy film«d her* has bMn r«produe«d thanks to tho gonorotity of: DougiM Library Quaan's Univarsity L'axamplaira flhni fut raproduit grica k la g^nAroaiti da: Douglas Library Quaan'H Univarsity Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality poaaibia conaldaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacif icationa. Original copiaa In printad papar covara ara fllmad baginning with tha front eovar and anding on tha lait paga with a printad or illuatratad impras- slon, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original capias ara fllmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- sion, and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or Illuatratad Impraasion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfiche shall contain tha symbol — ^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar appllas. Las imagas suhrantas br:« 4t4 raproduitas avac la plus grand soin. compta t«nu da la condition at da la nattat* da l'axamplaira f ilmi. at an conformit* avac laa conditions du eontrat da fllmaga. Laa axamplairaa orlginaux dont la couvartura an paplar aat Imprimte sont fllmte an commandant par la pramlar plat at an tarminant soit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'lllustratlon, soit par la sacond pkit, aalon la caa. Toua las autras axamplairas orlginaux sont filmte an commandant par la pramMra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'lllustratlon at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talia amprainta. Un daa symbolas suhrants apparaftra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microfiche, salon la cas: la aymbola -^ signifia "A 8UIVRE", la symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". Maps, plataa, charts, ate, may ba fllmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly included in ona axpoaura ara fllmad baginning In tha uppar laft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, aa many frames aa required. The following diagrams illuatrate the method: Lea cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film*8 A das taux da rMuction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un aaui cilchA, 11 eat flimA A partir da I'angia supArieur gauche, de gauche * droite. et de haut an bea, en prenant le nombre d'Imagea nicassaire. Laa diagrammas suivants lllustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 :T .<•' \ifi« e> L«? h i » •; C^MltiltU. /W«_^J/^. GENERAL HISTORY AND COLLECTION OF VOYAGES AND TRAVELS, ARRANGED IN SYSTEMATIC ORDER: FORMING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND PROORBM OF NAVIGATION, DISCOVERY, AND COMMERCE, BY SEA AND LAND, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME. BY ROBERT/KERR, F.R.S. & F.A.S. EDIN. :/KEB IU.U£rnUTED BY MAPS AND CHARTS. VOL. I. , [AM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH: 0,:.|'*'*'*"' y^ND T. CADELL, LONDON. MDCCCXXIV. 1 m•■ i t»'^«-j ■*. •i^je^i . '\m . ,«^:U!i';«*^i*«n»"-^*^ ftif'ii j'^to-i 1. ", .>*-•"( ' , !*>.H> » •:. « ' *» <** "k •^^' . i\i "it \ In this enlightened age, when ever^ department of science and literature is making rapid progress, and knowledge of every kind excites uncommon interest, and is widely diffused, this attempt to call the at- tention of the public to a Systematic Arrangement of Voyages and Fravels, from the earliest period of authentic history to the present time, ought scarcely to require any apology. Yet, on appearing before the tribunal of public opinion, every author who has not cherished an unreasonable estimate of his own quahfications, must necessarily be impressed with considerable anxiety respecting the probable recep- tion of his work ; and may be expected to offer some account of the plan and motives of what he proposes to lay before the public. The present work is the first of the kind that has ever been attempted in Scotland : and though, as al- ready avowed in the Prospectus, the Editor has no wish to detract from the merits of similar publica- tions, it might appear an overstrained instance of false delicacy to decline a statement of the circum- stances which, he presumes to hope, will give some prospect of the work being received with^tttentioii and indulgence, perhaps with favour. It certainly is the onfy General History and Collection of Voy- ages ■r**-?- i*- ft mWACM, ages and Travels that has been hitherto attempted in the fingliib language, upon any arrangement tha| merita tpe appellation of a tyttematic plan. And hence, should the plan adopted be found only com- paratively good, in so for the system of arrangement must be pronounced the best that has been as yet devised. If this be conceded, and the fact is too obvious to reouire extended proof or minute cIucIt dation, the Editor shall not feel mortified even if his arrangement mav he considerably improved herer The only work on the subjecrtttat1lif»iWsmai|e8f^ pretensions to system, and that is tcinciful, involve^, irregular, abrupt, and obscure, is Purchas Bia PiLOBiMS. Even admitting the plan of that work to be in itself excellent ; aluiough it may be a Oe^ neral Hutwryy so far as it extends, it certainly is in no respect a ConipieU Collection of Voyages and Travels. In a very large proportion of that curious work, it is the auihof who speaks to the reader, and not the traveller. In the present work, wherever that could possibly be accomplished, it has uniform* ly been the anxious desire of the Editor that the voyagers and travellers should tell their own story ; In that department of his labour, hi» only object has been to assume the character of interpreter between them and the readers, by translating foreign or an- jtiquated language into modem English. Sometimes, indeed, where no record remains of particular voy- iG^es and travels, as written. by the persons who per- formed them, the Editor has necessarily had recourse to theif historians. But, on ever such occasion^ the moatancient and most authentic accessible sour- ces have been anxiously sought after and employed. In every extensive work, it is of the utmost con- sequence that its various parts should be arranged upon a comprehensive and perspicuously systematic plan. This has been accordingly aimed at with the • utmost ^ ft^- .11 PBBVACB. <1^ r utmott •oliciCude in the present undertaking ; and the drdiftf 0f iti arrttngemeht was Adopf^d after mticb daHbeMitidn, awd feotiH a tery attentive edniiideMtidit of eveiy general wo#k of the satae natut« thit eodld be'birbciired. If, therefore, the'iystiBmbtic drder^tn Which it is conducted shall appear well adapted to- the subject, after an attentive perusal' and candid investigation, the Editor c6nfid)Bntlyi^o|)es that his labours may bear a fair cdmparison with any similar ptkblication that has yet been brbught forward. ^ ^ In the short Pi^spectos 6f this work, formierly submitted to the public, a very general enunciation 6p\y^ of the hiSiiids df the int^ndedpldn, Was kttempt- ed ; as that was then deemed sufficient to convey a distinct idea of the nature, arranffcment, and distri- butibn of the proposed work. Unavoidable circum- stances still necessarily preclude the possibility, or the propriety rather, of attempting to eive a more full anci complete devdopement of the divisions and Subdivisions of the systematic arrangement which is tb'be ; putlsued, and which circumstances may re- since anxi- biisly reconsidered, corrected, r^ltered, and extend«> ed, in the progress of the work, as additional mate* rials occurred : yet the Editor considers that the final and public adoption of his plan, in a positively fixed and pledged systematic foim, any farther than lias been already conveyed in the Prospectus, would have ^he einect to preclude the availment of those new views of the subject which are continually afforded .'lly additional materials, in every pr(%re8sive step of jpre'pairation for the press. The nuinoer of books of voyages f j^ Va K J t- . »i l >-«i« i^t a'.». -!■«»« — ewfc-*^^"'** ; ^ OofMi. i^Md a// ihm wiUbp/mlhitt m^irtVM mt^p0rtiatlar ekupUrf «r <«cli#ii9« ^wrrMjiWefil to Me gupMpfikal arrangen^U ^ the»0 ttvierttl port i.'' I PABT IV. m ^.'' »y«- GtnmtU Voi^geB and Traveh of DUeoverjf during the era of Cleorge II J. which were conducted upon etknMic principicey and by which the Oeographt^ of theghbe hat been nearly perftetcdi ' PART V. Historical Deduction of the Prorrete of Naviga- it'on, Discovery y and Commerce, by ua and land, from the earliest times to the present period. In the deliberate construction of this syttematic plan, it has been a leading object of anxious consi- ileratidn^ to reduce the extensive and inter^ting ma- terials of which the work is composed under a clear, intelligible, and comprehensive arrangement, so combined in a geographical and chronological series, that each successive division and subdivision, through- out the whole work, may prepare the mind of the reader for that which is to tbllow, and may assist the memory in the recollection of what has sone be- fore. By these means, an attentive perusal of this work must necessarily be of material usefulness, in fixing distinct and just ideas of geography, history, and chronology in the minds of its readers ; besides the important intbrmation and rational amusement which it will afford, by the frequent description of manners, customs, laws, governments, and many other circumstances, of all the countries and nations <}f the world. ,.V:" • In :i^^ m-. #■;•,■ — — *^" mmimm^tii^ "k. TKBVACE* In determining Upon an era forthe.comnien<%-;. ment of this work, the Editor was -naturally led> .. ftom a consideration of the accidental di8cov*'*--■-*• ''V^ vravAcfe. Don ecute along ig in- only , wasK brtu- |t the to be erval, enry, ' our num- heal- and India and .' . ■»^-, ..■■ •■Tit -! _ ■.,*-.,. .'i^ii — m- ■ -J: ■■ . r, -.1'. .. t', -K ^*r,\,M\< *.t^i>' and nioKli-^asterii Africa, were commuAicated to Ihe Europeans by the Folos and others. In separating Fart IV. trom Part 11. the General Voyages and Travels of Discovery which have been uiraertaken during the long and busy reign of our present venerable Sovereign, from those of a similar inature which succeeded the discovery of the new world, and of the route by sea to India, the Editor only pays a just tribute to thti enlightened spirit of the age, under the munificent and enlightened pa- tronage of the beloved Monarch of a tree and happy people. Those former voyages of Part 11. were mbstiy undertaken from mere inters c>icd views of di- rect or expected commercial b^efit ; while these of the era of George III. originated in the grand prin- ciples of endeavouring to extend the bounds of science and human happiness. Perhaps it may occur to some readers, that Part Vj the last in order of the general heads of our plan, ought to have fonr.ed Part I. as partaking of the nature of an introduction to the subject, and Ibrming a summary of the whole work. Upon even a very slight consideration, however, it must be ob- vioust that it is impossible to compose that proposed deduction in any adequate manner, until the whAlie mass of selected materials is possessed by the Edi- tor^ and definitivelv arranged. It m£ly likewise be known to many, that introductions and prelaces, though usually placed at the beginning of books, are uniformly and necessarily last composed, and usually last printed, except in new editions. A great variety of Collections of Voyages and Tra- vels have been published at different periods j many of which are inaccessible from their scarcity^ or from being in foreign languages : And such great num- bers of Voyages and Travels to particular regions and countries nave been printed, as to be altogether un- attainable by the generality of readers. Every thing, however, WM«W xu PREFACE. { however, which couM contribute to the perfection of this work has been collected, or will be carefully procured during its progress ; and no pains or ex- pence siiall be withheld which can contribute to render it as complete and comprehensive as possible. In the employment of the vast variety and extent of excellent materials, great care shall be taken to in- sert every useful and curious information, reduced, where necessary, to modern language ; and nothing shall be omitted which is conducive to valuable in- formation and rational amusement. In our approach towards the present times, the multitude of particular Voyages and Travels incre^ises prodigiously ; and, in employing these, it becomes pecuUarly necessary to make a selection of the best in every period, and especially of those best adapted for conveying just ideas of each geographical divir sion and subdivision, of the world ; while those of less merit, but which contain useful notices of the regions and countries of which they treat, shall be carefully epitomized in illustration of the dilSerent subjects. Without the employment of discriminate selection and occasional abridgement, this work must have extended to an inconvenient and conse- quently expensive size, or must have been left unfi- nished and abrupt in some of its parts : But abridge- ment shall be very seldom employed, and never with" out acknowledgment. Indeed, the grand object of the present work is to bring together a more com- plete and entire collection of Voyages and Travels, than has hitherto appeared in any language. From the nat'jre of the plan, it is utterly impos- sible to ascertain, with any precision, the exact length to which it may extend ; but, so far as can be judged of at present, it is not expected to exceed eighteen or twentv volumes. Throughout the whole work, a series of Maps and Charts will be inserted in their proper places, carefully selected and construct- ..-^.j.^:,:*-^^*^"*''-,'^-- *<3**¥t*':^]':'- --"''• "^ *'■' Vhp 'ACS. «4« Ip6s. [exact can Ixceed rhole Ited in Itruct- ed «d for the putpose of iUustratinff the various Voyages and Travels. At the close of tne whole, a complete Index will be given to the entire series of vohimes, so arranged as to tbrm a regular Gazetteer of the whole world. In every article which has been adopted in- to this work, the original and accessory sources of all the materials shall be distinctly indicated. Notes of explanation will be given, wherever necessary; and, as many of these are drawn from various sources, the names of the authors from whom they are adopt- ed shall always be acknowledged : Such notes as are marked by the letter £. are by the Editor of the work,' , ■ . ;,..,•.. ■. khMifi.m^^4ti. Owing to the indispensable nature of this work, it, makes no positive claim to the character of an original composition, in the strict accepta- tion of that term ; and he, therefore, who has un» dertaken the care of its collection and arrangement, assumes no higher title than that of Editor. In the discharge of that duty, however, the labour which he has necessarily bestowed, though always plea-> sing, lias often been considerable, and sometimes ar- duous ; and he trusts that the plan of the work, which is altogether original, will be found appropri- ately adapted to the end in view, and that the exe- cution may appear not inadequate to the high im- portance of the subject. Without imputation of ar- rogance, he may be permitted to assert, that he has exerted the most unremitting attention and industr}% in the collection, selection, and preparation of the several portions of the whole work, and in the ar- rangement and distribution of its parts. He has the satisfaction to add, that all his efforts have been se- conded with the utmost readiness and liberalitv by the Proprietor of the work, who has spared oo trouble, and withheld no expence, in procuring and supplying the necessary materials. .-^,-~, ^^\S^ ■mBw »V ttlMWMX. \) < I It is with much grateful satisfaction, that the Edi- tor has to acknowledffe. bis high obligations to the Curators and Librarians of uut Edinburgh public libraries, bekwgine to the Faculty of Advocates, the University, and the Writers to his Majesty's Sig- net, for the communication of many valuwle and scarce materials. Nor ought he to withhold his tri- bute of gratitude, on this occasion, from the liberal spirit of a private individual, the Reverend Henry White of Lichfield, who has moat oUigingly offered the use of his valuable Collection of Voyufes and Travels, and other curious and scarce works con- nected with the subject, for assisting towards the perfection of this publication. Having thus briefly announced the nature, plan, and object of the present work, of which this ^rU Volume is now before the public, it onlv remains to say, that the Editcur and Proprietor, eacn in his par- ticular department, are resolved to exert their utmost endeavoura, that nothing may be omitted which can contribute to render the work deserving of public approbi^on and extensive patrom^. = 'i - ,-•■■- i ^ ■:i ^Av> 1K'iA0:^^i.:}^/,h :■■■ .'C'tf CONTENTS Vj -*Sl/'*e*H.K-'J?;lfl| 1 lim CONTENTS : , 9.?. • VOL. I. 'i*; PARTt ' Toyaget and Travels of Dbcosrcry, ftam the Era of Alfred, King of England, in the Ninth Century, to the Era of • Don Heniy, Prince of Portugal, at the oomiiienoe- mmt'of die Ftfteenth Century, • - . tHAP. I. Discoveries in the tiine of Alfred^ King of England, ' 1^ "' in the Ninth Ceutury of the Christian Era, .■^Mxii^fu ;gjg^^ J Dijjcpveiy of Icehmd by the Norwegians, in ftg* ^^fl,«j to ^Ri'-Zj M-i ,< 3 4 7 12 15 18 20 the Ninth Century, II. Voyages of Ohthere to the White Sea and vie Baltic, in the Ninth Century, III. Remarks on the situation of Sciringes-heal and Jttethuub by J. R. Forster, IV. Voyage of WuUstein in the Baltic, as re- lated to King Alfred, IV *. Voyage of Sighelm to India, in the reign of Alfred, King of England, V. Traveb of John Erigena to Athens, in the Ninth Century, - VI. Geogranhy <^ the known World, in the Ninu Century, as described by King Al- fted, - - - 21 VII. Travels of Andrew Leucander, in the Ele- venth Century, - - 35 VIII. Voyage of Swanus to Jerusalem, in 1052, 36 IX. Voyage of three Ambassadors from Eng- land to Constantinople, about 1056, ib. X. Pil^mage of Alured to Jerusalem, in 1058, 38 XI. Pilgrimage of Ingulphus to Jerusalem, in 10^4, .... ib. * B; «rror of the press, Sect. IV. Ins been nnmerically repeated. xtI voHTMnna, CHAP. II> Original Diacoveiy of Oreenland by the Icelonden, in the MJinth CK^ntdrVj^ *. i . 41 III. Early DiscoTeiy oT Winland^ or America, by the Icelanders, about tiie year 1001, • 43 IV. Travels of two MahoinMans into India and China, in the Ninth Century, ... 47 V. Travels of Rabbi. Bei^|aniin, from Spain to China, in the Twelfth Century, - - 95 VI. Travels of an Englishman in Tartary, in 1243, 114 VII. Sketch of the Revolutions in Tartary, - 117 VIII. Travels of John de Piano Carpini, in 1246, - 123 IX. Travels of W. de Rubruquii, about 1253, - l6l X. TraveU of Haitfa6, Prince df Armenia, in 1254, 262 XI. Travels of Marco Polo into China and the East; ,( >i!i :fromA.I). 1360to 1295,' < -i 266 XII. Travels of Oderic of Portenp^u, in 1318, ii ^> 7 392 XUI. Travels of Sir John Mandeviiie, in 1322. n <• 432 j XIV. Itinerary of Pegoletti, between A)K>f and China, in 1355, - - - 435 XV. Voyages of Nicolo and Antonio Zeno, in 1380, 438 XVI. Travels of Schildtbcrger, in 1394^ , - XVII. Travels of the Ambassadors of Shah Rokh, in 1419> 461 XVIII. Voyage and Shipwreck of Quiriui, in 1431, - 485 XIX. Travels of JositfihatBarb^ in 1436, > 50i ■I ■■ . ihii ■■>.(■ . . ■ ^ . ■ :; tt !5 m ,«/. ' f:,rn r^ at tHOial Hi tahii%i^, '!> 'ija^r*'/ .•7t > . ;. " ••'/,'■' ERRATA, -^l!^,.^^/ '■ Figfr8»HneS6,y&ruuulated mti/bhabited 51, 81, fir phenomena r^ad pheaanMaiyn 68, 41» <{/)»■ each Mwrt of toe ' ' ,/ 118^ 33, q/ier thirteenth insert century . ,4' 165, note lifirKttmK iva/ Theander. . • !!.l . ' . ,, .n..T;v. t ,, . ,1 -''yii^.i .. / i^^-t ptttm-Awiaio''. o.l»i)a;.v«y la !>:,;« /o7 .1117 .J,, ife- -V. -.:«i^:.=^:5,;„ >-.,;,; vj .VI .S^? y: » GENERAL HISTORY AMD COLLECTION VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. PART I; VOYAGES AND TRAVELS OF DISCOVERY, FROM THE ERA OF AL- FRED, KINO OF ENGLAND, IN THE NINTH CENTURY ; TO THE ERA OF DON HENRY, PRINCE OF PORTUGAL, AT THE COM- MENCEMENT OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. VOL. I. PART I. ■V^ :¥l >'(:>', M:;fr-irt-^':';v-;:1' V.U' ■ ■■■y>'v::''^t'^ a)'.. .■ fii'V^n-.y •i (■■ ■■;!rm<*- '• ■■'.-,>:;.,■*. ".*tJ. GENERAL HISTORY AND COLLECTION ov VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. PART I. Voyages and Travels of Discovery, from the era qf A^red, King of England, in the ninth century ; to the era of Don Henry, Prince of Portugal, at the commencement qfthejifteenth century. CHAP. I. Discoveries in the time of Alfred King of England, in the ninth century of the Christian era. INTRODUCTION. 4 ^g,,jV^; vt*,..b=hs^k^l^t IN the midst of the profound ignorance and barbarism which overspread the nations of Western Europe, after the dissolution of the Roman empire in the West, a transient ray of knowledge and good government was elicited by the singular genius of the great Alfred, a hero, Wislator, and phuosopher, among a people nearly barbarous. Not satisfied with having delivered his oppressed and nearly ruined king- dom from the ravages of the almost savage Danes and Nord« men, and the little less injurious state of anarchy and disor- ganization into which the weakness of the vaunted Anglo- Saxon ^ .V- - "»'- n ^ Diseaoery t^Icetani TAKt U >y Saxon Hystcm of government had plunged Cnaland, he for a time rcMtored the wholettomc dominion of the lawa, and even riiileavoiircd to illuminate hiM ignorant people by the intro-> tluction of UHeful leoming. In the pronecution of these pa- triotic vicwH, and for hm own amuHement and initruction* beHidcs other literary perfomioncM, he mode a translation %X the liJNtorical work oi OroHiiM into hii native Anglo-Saxon diuleet ) into which ho interwove the relations of Ohthere nnd Wiilfstan, of which hcrcoller, ond ouch other informa- tion as he could collect respecting the three grand divisions of the world then known | nisomuch, that his account of Eu- rope especially differs very muteriully from that of Orosius, of which he onlv nr()fi>ttse;.. Faro •fmyMit i:,~i-i •fvyn^'jf'^ r-.f. 1 Fragm. Vet. Islandic. ap. Langebeck, II, a 1 .— Forster, Hist, of Voy. an* Disc, in the North, p. SO. CMAP. I. tlCT. I. Inf the Nomfgians, j;r, or to the Fwo /^oy anit Faro id«ndi» wai thrown by a itonn upon the cflRtem coont of an unknown countrji comiderably Dcjrond the ordinary coune of navigation, to which he gave the ligniflcant name of 8ni(^land, or Snow-land, from the immenM qunntltics of mow whidi eveiy where covered Its numeroua lofty uionntninH, even in the heiohth of aummer, and filled iti many vuUeyH dur- ing a long and dreair winter. At Naddod gave a rather fn- irourable account of ni> discovery on his return to Norway, one Oardar Suafarson, of Swedish origin, who was settled in Norway, determined upon making an expedition to Snow- hmdin 864 { and having circumnaviffatea the whole extent of this new discovery, he named it mm himself, Oardars- hohn, or Oardars-iskind. Oardar employed so long a time in this expedition, that, not deemins it sate to navigate the northern ocean during the atorms of winter, he remained on the island until the ensu- ing spring, when he soiled for Norway. He there reported, that though the island was entirely covered with wood, it was, in other respects, a fine country. From the favourable nature of this i^eport, one Flocke, the son of Vigvardar, who had acquired great reputation among the Noiwnen or Normans, as an experiencnl and intrepid vikingr or pirate, resolved to visit the newly-discoverca island. Flocke likewise win- tered in the northern part of the island, where he met with immense quantities of drift ice, from which circumstance he chose to ^ve it the name of Iceland, which it still bears. He was by no means pleased with the country, influencetl, no doubt, Dy the unfavourable impression he had imbibed by mending a long protracted winter on the dreary northern enore, amid almost ever-durlng arctic ice, and surrounded by the most unpromisinff sterility; and though some of his com- panions r^resented the land as pleasing and fertile, the de- sire of visiting Iceland seems, for some time, to have lain dormant among the adv^iturous Norwegian navigators ; pro- bably because neither fame nor riches could be acquired, ci- ther by troflic or depredation, in a country which was utter- ly destitute of inhabitants. At lenffth, in 874, two friends, Ingolf and Lief, repaired to Iceland, and were so much satisfied with its appearance, that they formed a resolution of attempting to make a set- tlement in the country ; induced, doubtless, by a desire to withdhtw from the continual wars ond revolutions which then harassed the north of Europe, and to escape from the • - -♦ ■ • thralilo^n DUeootrjf iff Iceland WkWt ff. thraldom which the incipient monarchies of Norwayi Den- mark, and Sweden, were then imposing upon the indt-pen- Uent chiefs or yildngr of Uie Normans. In pursuance of this dctL'rmination, Ingolf transported some people to Iceknd, about the year 878, wiU) several cattle, and all kinds of im- plcmentH, to enable him to commence a colony. At this pe- riod his friend Lief was absent in the English wars; but went soon afterwards into Iceland, to which he carried the booty which he had acquired in England. Tlie first disi uverers of Iceland are said to have found •ome Irish books, bells, and crozicrs on the coast i whence it has been imagined, that some people from Ireland had resid- ed there previous to its discovery and settlement by the Nor- mans. But it seems a more probable supposition, to account for these articles having been seen, that a party of Norman , pirates or vikinor, who had previously landed in Ireland, or perhaps on Icomikil, and had carried away the plunder of some abbey or monastery, had been driven to Iceland by ',a •torm, and wrecked upon the coast, where these articles might have been washed on shore : Or they may have attri- buted the storm, by which they were driven so far beyond their knowledge, to the anger of the God of the Christians, for their sacrilegious robbery of a holy institution, and may have left these articles behind, in hqjrf. Ji m'opitiat'.ng a more favourable termination to their voyuge. The first set- tlers found extensive forests in the valleys of Iceland } and we know, from authentic documents, that corn was former^ cul- tivated with decent success in that northern region ; where- as, in the present day, not a tree is to be found in the whole island, except some stunted birches, and very low bushes or underwood, in the most sheltered situations, and no com will now ripen, even in the most favourable years. But the roots and stumps of large firs are still to be seen in various ports; and the iinurious alteration of its climate is known tp have been occasioned by the straits between old Greenland and Iceland having been many years ch'>ked up with ice, which the short summers of that high latitude are not sufii- ciently powerful to dissolve. About the present period, Harold Harfagr, or the fair-hair- ed, one of the petty sovereigns or vikingr of Norway, began tp subjugate the v-^ther chieftains of the country under his para- mount authority ^:;d was so successful as to establish the Norwegian monc^S;' in 875. Gcrmt likewise, about the same .#^t*.'- eUAW, I. ICCT. 11. ijf.the Norwegian*. MOne timwf united the petty ttatee of Jutland end the Daniih iiluids into one kingdom, m Ingiald IL '>de had dmit lung before in Sweden. Such independent upiriu u found them- •elvet diaaatinfied with thin new order or affium, found a sure Myliun in Iceland i and the emigrations to this new country became ao numerous, that Harold at length deemed it ex* pedient to impooe a tax of half a mark of silver, equal to five pounds of ni) i,!udern money, on everv one of his subjects who W' >i ilc- iicii of going to settle in tnat island. r4- - Section II. Voyages qfOhthere to the White Sea and the Baltic, in the , Ninth Century '. SoMB of the Norwegian chieftains, who were dissatisfied wiUi the usurpation ot supreme authority by Harold, took refuge in England, where Alfred had recently settled many of the vanquidied Danes and Nordmcn in the northern port of his dominions, which hod been almost entirely depopulat- ed and laid waste, by their long-continued and destructive ra- vages. Among these was one Ohthere, who had made him- aeff fiunouB by nis voyages to unknown parts of the north, and who was invited to court by Alfred, to give an account of the discoveries and observations he had made during his unusual expeditions. This person hod been a chief of some note in his own country, ana dwelt at a place which he cal- led Halgoland, supposed by some to have been in Numado- len, whue others say in Nordland, the most northerly pro- vince of Norway proper. In the succeeding paragraph, he is said to have dwelt opposite to the West Sea ; and as Alfred only uses the word sea to denote a confined expanse or nar- row channel, while he coUs the ocean Garsecg, it seems high- ly probable, that, by the West Sea, the west jiord was in->' ^ nded,— a channel or strait which divides the Luffoden islands tirom the coast of Nordland, which would clearly place the re- sidence of Ohthere in this northern province. The account which he gave of his voyages to his royal patron, is as fol- lows. Ohthere 1 Anfflo-Saxon Yenton of Onwiui, by Alfred the Great, translated by Daines Barrington, p. 9. — Langebeck, Script. Dan. II. lOC-118. — I'orster, Voy. and Due. in the North, p. 53. Vot/ngit^Ohthere to the PAtet I. Ohthare told hli lord KInjr Alfred, thut he lived to thn north of nil tlto Nordnicn or Norwegiani i and that he dwelt in thnt land to the northward* opnoaite to the weat Mea i and that all tlie land to the north of tnat fea U waite and unin- habitetl, except in a few phteei, to which the Finnaa* or Fin* repidr in winter for hunting aiul fowling, and for fliihlng in the summer. Being detiiroiia to ascertain how ftir thiH conn- try mteiidtHl townruM the north, and whether there were any iuhHbitmUit beyond theae waatoa, he proceeded by aea due north l^'oni Iuh own hubitation, leaving the deaert land all the way on the Mttu'boarUntlen being of modem origin, and the Dan«i and Norwegian! itill call thw f«wntry I'lnmark.— For»t. H In former translationii of Alfredt this patMge it rendered ai follows: ** He vas within three day« tail of being aa far north at the whale-huntera ever |(s" This exprmtion it vague and ambiguous, and rather meant that the r««Uieucv from wheiKe he set out waa within three days sail* Ac. i v)iere» a$ the next member of the lame sentence distinctly indicates a preceding thre« dava tail, as in the adopted trantlation. — £. 4 This is not quite accurate, as the coast of Norwayt in the coune of Oh> there, $trftrhes NJN J^. He was now arrived at the North Cape> whence the coast towartU the While Sea trends E. and by N. — E. 5 This doubt, of whether the sea lies within the land or not, probably re- fers to the numerous inlets or fiords alon^ the whole coast of Norway and Ftnnurh, and may mean, that he diil not examine whether the land might not be porctlleii out into innumerable islands. — E. t'iJ -i 'j.Kk.L-MJi-^ia,^. CHAP. I. SECT. II. White 8eM, and the Baltic, 9 fOh- ence Mid without inhabHimUi, except the fithers, fowlen, end launten» befbre-mentioned, who were nil Fin* ( and the open aea lay on bin left hond during his whole voyage. The Beor^ miui'i indeed, hod well peopled thoir country, for which rca^ M>n he did not venture to enter unon it i ond the land of the Terfenna% which he hod nutm hitherto, wm all a desert, with the exception of the nunters and fishers already men- tioned. The Beormos told him many particulars about their land, and of the neighbouring countries { but he could not rely on their accounts, as he had no opportunity of seeing with his own eyes, but it seemed to him that the Bcormas and Fins •poke the same language'. Ohthere stated, that his motive ror this expedition, besides some little curiosity to explore these countries, which were unknown to his countrymen, was principally in pursuit of horse-whales', which are valuable, because their tusks are excellent ivorv, some of which he brought to the king, and because their hides serve for mokine into ropes for ships. This species of the whale is much smal- ler than the other kind, being seldom more than seven ells in length { while the other species is often forty-eight ells long, 9 Tht Beermu are the BUmtisni or Permlaiu of the northern writen ; and Perm or Permis it ttill mentioned among the numeroiu title* of the emperon of Runia. — Font. 7 The Terfennai are mentioned as different from the Scrite>fennu. Theie were diitinguiihed by Ouido, the geographer of Ravennat in the seventh century, into RerefinnI and Scritinnni. The latter lived entirely by hunt- ing, and wore snow-shoes in winter, called Sclirit. The former subsisted on their herds of rein-deer, and perhaps ought to have been therefore called Rene-finni. The name In the text ought perhaps to have been Rhane- fenna, as he tells us they had rein-deer, and employed decoy deer to catch the wild. Pferhaps Fer-tienna, from their travelling m sledges ; fnm/arra, to travel in a carriage.— Forst. 8 It is highly probable, from this remark, in which Ohthere cou'd not be mistaken, as it will appear in the sequel that he must have been perfectly well acquainted with tlte Fins, that the Biarmians were a branch of the great Fianish stock. The principal difference seems to have been, that the Fins continued to be wandering hunters and herdsmen, while the Beormas or Biarmians had advanced to the state of fixed cultivators of the soil. They had likewise an idol called Jomala, which is still the name of one of the deities of the Finlanders.— Forst. 9 The morse is here named horsewhale by king Alfred, with infinitely greater propriety than the appellation of sea-horse, which long prevailed in our language. The tusks of this animal are still considered as excellent ivory, and are peculiarly valuable for the construction of false teeth ; and leather made from the hide is still used in Russia for coach-harness, but stretches more when wet than any other leather.— Forst. .V\ >'•■.■ y^ i^i-Yv'! r this plaice near Dantzic, where, in their opinion, the Scyrcs formerly resided. But, first, the spot where the Scyres lived, as by no means satisfactorily determined i and, next, it is «vid6nt that Ohthere went continually along the coast from Hateoland to Sciringes-heal, and that this coast Was on his kft-hand during the whole course of his navigation. Hie late Mr Murray placed Sciringes-heal at Skanor, in the flouthem extremity of Sweden ; but I cannot think that this place could be five days sail from Hiethum in Jutland, as it IS expressly declared to have been by Ohthere. Langebeck is for carrying Sciringes-heal to Konga^hella, on the Guatcif, near Marstrand ; and insists, that the name, in Alfred's ac- count of the voyage, ought to have been written Cyninges* heal instead of Sciringes-heal. If the word had onIy| once occurred, I might have allowed Langebeck to be right ; but We meet with it five times in the space of a few hues, and always without the slightest variation in orthography. 2dly, The voyage from Halgoland to Konga-hella is not of suf^ ficient extent to have employed a month in the passage. Sdly, Konga-hella is too near Jutland to have required five days for the voyage between it and Heethum. Having demonstrated the insufficiency of these conjectures, we shall now endeavour to point out where Sciringes-heal was really situated. Paul Warenfried, in liis Historia Lonffobar^ dorum. Lib. i. cap. 7. and 10. makes mention of a district, named Scorunga, in which the Winili, or Lombards redded, fdr mtai 'ft-_ i3i K ' \ .V.., i . 1 Font. Voy. and Disc. 67. i» CHAP. I. SECT. III. White Sea, and the Ba!tic, 13 for some time before t|i^ removed to Mairinga and from thence, fiuther on to Gotland, Anthabet, Bethaib* ond Pur- gendaid. This Scorunga was not far from Ootlfuid* and oon- ^uently in Sweden { and seems to have been the district in wmch Sciringes-heal was situated. Add to this, that Ohtheret after having described Sueoland, or Sweden, as being to the southwards of his habitation, immediately sayi» '* there is a port in this southem hmd which is caJled Sciring«s-heaL" By this, he seeips plainlvto indicate, that this place certainly wag in Sweden ; and all this will appear, still more evidenth)r, if we carefully follow the course of the voyage which he describes. First of all, he has Scotland, called IraUmd, evidently by mis- take, and the Orkney and Shetland islands, which lie between Scotland and Halgoland, on his right hand ; and the conti- nent is continually on his left hand, all the way, until he ar- rive at Sciringes-heaL But farther, a large bay stretches to ^he northwara, deep into the country, along the coast of which he had been cpntinualhr sailing ; and this bay commen- ces quite to the iiouthward of Sciringes-heal, and is so, broad that a man cannot see across, and Gmtland is directly cx^posite to this bay*. But the sea, which extended frpm Zedand to this spot, goes many hundred miles up into the country to the eastwards. From Sciringes-heal, Ohthere could sul in five days to Hsethum, which lies between the Wends Saxons and Angles. Now, by this voyage, we are enabled to determinef with still greater exactness, the situation of this place whidi we arc seardiing for. In order to get to Hsethum, he 1^ Gotland on the ri^t', and soon afterwards Zeeland likewise^ together with the other islands which had been the hatntatioii of the Angles before they went to England, while those which belonged to Denmark were on his left for two days. Sciringes-he^, therefore, is consequently in Sweden, at the entrance of the Gulf of Bothnia, which runs up into the land northwards, just on that spot where the Baltic, after having passed Zeeland, spreads into a wide ^^, extending several hundred miles into the land. Just in this place I find the Svia-Scioeren, or Swedish Scares, a cluster of little islands, surrounded by rocks. Heal, in the northern lan- t.i,... v:/;v ,: ,-;■:.-. ■;., guages, 2 It apiwan to me, that the description given by Ohthere, implies, that Gotland was directly opposite to Sciringes-heal, or to the east.— £. 3 Not surtly on going southwards, but after he had again turned to the northwards, after doubling the southem point of Sweden.— £. ^ u Voyages qfOhthere to the 9AKtt, n i ■ fpaag&ii signifies a port, as in such places a ship misht be kept m safety. Sciringcs-hea], therefore, was " the haroour of me Scares," and was probably at the entrance of the gulf <^ Bothnia, and consequently where Stockholm now is i and the tract of land where these Scares lay, towards the sea, was the Scarunga of FauJ Warenfried. The port of Hoethum has occasioned much difficulty to the cmnmentators, as well as that of Sciringes-heal { but all have agreed that it must be Slcswic, as this utter is called Haitha by Ethelwerd the Anglo-Saxon. A Norwegian poet gives it the name of Heythabac, others call it Heydaboe, and Adam of Bremen Heidaba ; and this, in their opinion, is precisely the same with Ilaethnni. It appears to me, however, that the difference between the words Hsethabvand Haethum, are by no means so inconsiderable. And I think the situation of Sueswic does not at all accord with the descriptions which are fiven of Heethum by Ohthere and Wulfstan. Indeed, if leswic be Htethum, I must confess, that I cannot in the least comprehend the course of the voyages of these ancient navigators. Ohthere tells us, that in sailing from Sciringes- heal to Haethum, he had Denmark to the left, and the open sea, for the space of three days, to the right { but that, for two days before he reached Haethum, he had Gotland and Zeeland to the right, and the islands which belong to Den- mark to the lefl. If he had gone to Sleswic, he must have found all the Danish islands on his riffht hand, and not one besides Femeren on his left. This bemg considered, I ask how it is possible, consistent with his own description of the voyaffe, that the situation of Slcswic can be made to corre- spond with Haethum ? As, in the district of Aarhuus in Jut- land, there is an extensive track of land called Alheide, which is in fact a heath, I shall take the liberty to suppose, that the town, in the ninth century, lay higher up towmis Al-heidct or All-heath ; for the town of Anr-nuus is new, and its name signifies in English Oar-house. The old town, therefore, may have been called Al-haethum, or Haethum ; so, that if Ohthere set out from Stockholm for this place, Gotland was on his right hand ^, and so was Zealand. And as he sailed between Zealand and Funen, or Fycn, all the Danish islands t were *.- • 4 This is certainly true during the latter part of his voyage, after turning round the south end of Sweden, and standing again to the northward, be- tween Zealand and Fyen ; but in coasting down the shore of SMreden to the south, he must have left Gotland to the left. — £. «IIA>. I. SECT. III. Whitt Sea, and the Baltic, H I were on his left hand, and he had the wide aea, that is, the Schaffer-raclc, and Catteffat to the right. Farther, when Wulnten went from Haethum, or Aarhuua to Truso, he had Weonothland, that is Funen, Fionia, or Fyen to his right ; and to the left were, Langeland, Laeland, I'alster, and Sco- neg i together with Bomholm, Bleking, Moehre, Oeland, and Gotland. But Wendenland remained on his right, all the way to the mouth of the Vistula. ii d Section IV. lU Voyage of Wulfstan, in the Baltic f as related to Alfred *, yJCt! : Wulfstan said that he sailed from Haethum to Truso* in ^seven days and nights, the ship being under sail all the time. '^Weonothland ^ was on his , riglit ; but Langaland, Laeland, Falster, and Sconeg, were on the left, all oi which belong to Denc-mearkan *. Burgendaland ' also, which has a king of its own, was on the left. After leaving Burgendaland, the 'islands of Becinga-e^, Meorc, Eowland, and Gotland, were on the left, all of which bdong to Sueon', and Weonodland' Kwas all the way on the right to the mouth of the Wisle '. This is a very large river, and near it Witland ' and Weo- ^,; , .■■-:•; ...; , H.-! ..M, J',. „.'■ . ...; ;j .„■., ... Hodlandf 'if. ....!,,., ■ -• ..: .. ,,, .j4-,.^, . ^ 1 AlFfed't Orbsiiitt hy Barringtoh, p. 16, Langebeck, Scrip. Dan. IL '1 1 S-l S3. Wulfstan appears to have been a Dane, who had probably become acquainted with Ohthere, during his maritime expeditions, and had gone with him to reside in £ng1and.-HForst. ^, 2 There is a lake still railed Truso or Drausen, between Elbing and Phii- 'sian Holland, from which, probably, the town here mentioned, which stood on the Frisch-haf, took its name.— Forst. 3 It is necessary to distinguish accurately between Weonothland, which ' is probablv Fuehnen, Funen, or Fionio, now called Fyen ; and Weonodlaad . or Winodland, afterwards Wendenland. — Forst. 4 Denmark obviously, called simply Dene, in the voyages of Ohthere.— E. 5 Probably Bbrnholm. — E. . 6 Called Sueoland in the voyages of Ohthere, is assuredly Sweden, to which all these islands belong. Becinga-eg, is certainly Bleking ; the / being omitted in transcription, called an island by mistake. Meore is indisputably the upper and lower Moehre in Smoland ; Eowland is Oeland ; and Gotland is doubtless the modem isle of that name.-- Forst. 7 Weonodland, or Winodland, extends to the mouth of the Vistula; and is obviously a peculiar and independent country, totally different from Weo- nothland, belonging to Denmark. — Forst. 8 Wisle, or Wisla, is the Sclavonlan orthography for the Vistula, called . Weichsel by the Germans, and Weissel by the Prussians. — Forst. 9 Witland it a district of Samland in Prussia. It had this name of Wit« t I /-^ mm. mm '■\f 16 VegfOge^Wulfttan nn u \ W: tKtdlond are situated { the former of which bebnoi to Eatuin, and the Wiale does not run through WeonodJand,l>ut throu^ Estmere '**( which lake is fifteen miles broad. Tlien runs the Ilfing ' ' from the eastwards into Est-mere^ on the banks of which is Truso. The Ilfincr l|ows from Est-Iand into the Est- mere firom the east, and the Wisle throiu;h Weonodland from the south. The Ilfing, having joined the Wisle, takes its name* and runs to the west of Estmere, and nordiward into the sea, where it is called Wisle-mouth ". Est-Iand is a large track of country, having many towns* in each of which there is a kins. It produces a great quantity of honey, and has abundance of fish. Thelungs* and other rich mm, drink mares milk, while the poor people and slaves use only mead ' '. They have many contests among themselves} and the people of Estum brew no ale, as they have mead in profusion *\ There is also a particular custom observed Isnd at the tune of the cruf ades of the Oermans aniiut PinwU. The word Wit-land, i* a tranilation of the native term Bakikka, or the white land, now applied to the Baltic Sea.— Font. 10 Ett^nere, a lake of freth water, into which the Elbing and Virtulft empty thcmwWes ; now called Frisch-Iaf, or the fireah water sea.— Fortt. U TtoM ia undoubtedly the Elbing which flows from lake Orausen, or TrusOf and joins, by one of its branches, that arm of the Vistula which itcal* led tbugat or Nbgat< — ^Forst. 19 The Ilfing, or Elbing, comes out of Esthonia, yet not from the east, as here said by Alfred, but from the south ; except, indeed, he meau thatarm of the Elbing which runs into the Nogat, or eastern arm of the Vistula. But the Vistula comes out of Wendenland, called Weonodland b the text, ftom the south ; and the two rivers discharge themselves into the Fruch-haf, which •tritcfaes from west to north, or in a north-east direction ; and at Pilau, goea northwards into the sea. It is certainly possible that this entrance may have been formerly called Wisle-mund, or the mouth of the Vistula, as well as thewestem mouth of that river. — Forst. This concession is not necessary to the truth ofWuIfirtan and Alfred. There is a cross branch from Elbing, which joins the Ncwat and Vistula pro- per ; and which is probably meant in the text, where the Ilfine and Wtsley united, are said to run to the west of Est-mere, or the haf, ana then north, into the sea at Wnle-mUhd. — ^E. 13 This circumstance Is singular; yet may be explsdned from the custom of the Tartars. The itares milk, drank by the kings and rich men, was certainly prepared into cosmos, or kumyss, the favourite^ beverage of the great ; while mead, a much inferior liquor in their estimation, was left to the lower orders. — E. 14 Mead was called Medo in Anglo-Saxon, in Lithuanian Middus, in Polish Miod, in Russian Med, in German Meth, in old English Metheglin : perhaps all these are from the Greek verb MsSv*, to intoxicate. Alfred naturally observes, that these drinking-bouts produced many iVays ; and no- tices the reason of the Estum or Esthonians brewing no ale, because they had abundance of mead. — ^Forst. w -•%-V-: TAITI. •.. ,. ,1 I ., f ♦ /• > •^ V- ' f f ^ ' '« f„ »• V»(«^»A«,v :. *«^ HI. WlA »»Ki''t\'' I 1« i 'ifA*r>*'A ^* ,-«*■- I ■ , •> -yf- !*»lrt*. I ••i 'V,. "■-*!,-,».#' e? ft*- iiii< -^<-ii«*-' -'■''Hfft^^^^i ■''■'.' i&S?ySi^''.w«^JnijlttS«.-«>- ."' h .....%: fV-r >■; !vv.„^.*.*' D.LitarsScuIti' «M^«* ««j S< [ t j ii .l 4 j g i^ i )-i|hlii,, i , - -w J iii ji ii iMiui*" '" l\iMu1ira Jmnuu-S'jail.bvWrBLKVi. IVMulird Jaiiiuu-v lail .brlVTBUrluRMjl Kdnibiir}fh. D.limart Settlpf 18 Voyage ofSighelm and Athelstan to Indiat FARTi f *. I Section IV, Vojfage ofSighelm atid Athelstan to India, in the reign oj J3r> /red King of England, in 883 '. Though containinff no important information, it were un« pardonable in an English collection of voyages and travels, to omit the scanty notice which remains on record, respecting li voyage by two Englishmen to India, at so early a period. All that IS said of this singular incident in the Saxon Chro- nicle, is *, " In the year 883, Alfred sent Sighelm and Athel- stxm to Rome, and Ukewise to the shrine of Saints Thomas and Bartliolomew, in India, with the alms which he had vowed." [Bartholomew was the messenger of Christ in India* the extremity of the whole earth.] — The words printed in Italics are nidded in translating, by the present editor, to complete the obvious sense. Those within brackets, are con- tained in one MS. Codex of the Saxon Chronicle, in addition to what was considered the most authentic text by Bishdp Gibson, and are obviously a note or commentary, afterwanb adopted into the text in transcription. This short, yet clear declaration, of the actual voyage, has been extended by succeeding writers, who attribute the whole merit to Sighelm, omitting all mention of Athelstan, his co- adjutor in the holy mission. The first member of the subse- quent paraphrase of the Saxon Chronicle, by Harris, though un- authorized, is yet necessarily true, as Alfred could not have sent messengers to a shrine, of which he did not know the exist- ence. For the success of the voyoge, the safe return, the promotion of Sighelm, and his bequest, the original record gives no authority, although that is the obvious foundation of the story, to which Aserus has no allusion in his life of AU fred. " In the year 883, Alfred, King of England, hearing that there existed a Christian church m the Indies, dedicated to the memory of St Thomas and St Bartholomew, dispatched one Sighelm, or Sithelm, a favourite ecclesiastic of his court, to carry his royal alms to that distant shrine. Sighelm suc- cessfully executed the honourable commission with which he had been entrusted, and returned in safety into England. After I Ilarrin, 1. 87?. IlakUiyt, V. II. 38. 3 Chrom Sax. Ed. Gibson, p. 86. -uHfe.- ^•>A CHA#. I. SBCT. IV. Voyage ^Sighelm and Athehtan to India. 19 After his return, he was promoted to the bishoprick of Sher- bum, or Shirebum, in Dorsetshire ; and it is recorded, that he left at his decease, in the treasury of that church, sundry ; pices and jewels, which he had brought with him from the ndies." ,, Of this voyage, tVilliam of Molmsbury makes twice men- tion ; once in the fourth chapter of his second book, De Ges- tis Regum Angloruih ; and secondlvi in the second book of his work ; entitled, De Oestis Pontincum Anglorum ; aad in the chapter devoted to the Bishops of Shirebum, Salisbury, and Winchester, both of which are here added, although tlie only authori^ for the story is contained in what has been al- ready given from the Saxon Chronicle '. n .** King Alfred being addicted to giving of alms, confirmed the priv&ges which his father ha and with some other transcnpts. But, be- ifore publishing a work of such curiosity and interest, he ought to have made sure of possessing a perfect copy, by the most scrupulous coinparison of his transcript with the origi- nal MS. In the following republication of the geographical chapter, much care has been taken to correct errors, chiefly in regard . to direction, as east, west, north, and south, are often used interchangeably in the translation by Mr Barrington. Most of the notes are from that edition, or from J. R. Forster, who reprinted su much of this chapter as referred to northern geography, and who appears to have studied that part of the subject with creat care. As a specimen of the Anglo-Saxon, or the language of England near a thousand years ago, we have given the first sentence of this ge«.>graphical chapter in the ordinary Roman letters, with a literal translation. Ure yidran calne thyme ymbh- wyrft' thyies middangcardes, cwKth Orosius, swa swa Oceanus ymbligeth utan, wone man ganecg hatath, on threo todxldoa. , Literal TratfjlaUon. Our elders have divided ^1 of this middle-earth) quoth Orosius, which Oceanus surrounds, which men caUeth ganecg, {nto thrcte deals. Geography of Alfred. $ 1. According to Orosius, our ancestors divided the whole world which ie surrounded by the ocean, which we call garsecg *, into three parts, and they named these divi- sions Asia, Europe, a^d Africa ; though some autltors only admit of two parts, Asia and Europe. Asia is bounded to the southward, northward, and eastward by the ocean, and ihus divides all bur part of this earth from that which is to the east. On the north, Europe and Asia are separated by the Tanais or Don ; and in the south, after passing the Me- mterraneah 2 This word is always employed by Alfired to denote the ocean, while smalkr portions are uniformly caUed ja ia the singular, mt in the plural.— Han- ^ , ' '..- -_. - •■' ' >" '" Barr. ■CHAP, 1. SECT. VI. Geography ofAjfred. 23 diterranean' sea, Asia and Africa join to the westward of Alexandria ^ $ 2. Europe begins, as I have said before, at the Tanais, which has its source in the northern parts of the Riphean mountains ', which are near the Sarmatic ^ ocean ; and this river then runs directty south, on the west side of Alexan- der's temples, to the nation of the Russians 7, where it runs into the fen called Maeotis, and thence it issues eastwards with a great stream, near the town called Theodo^iia, into the Euxine. Then becoming narrow for a considerable track, it passes by Constantinople, and thence into the Wen- del sea, or Mediterranean. The south-west end of Europe is in Ispania or Spain, where it is bounded by the ocean ; but the Mediterranean almost closes at the islands called Oades, where stand the pillars of Hercules. To tlie westward of this same Mediterranean is Scotland ^. $ S, Asia and Africa are divided by Alexandria, a city of TSigypt i and that country is bounded on the west by the ri- ver Nile, and then by Ethiopia to the south, which reaches quite to the southern ocean. The northern boundary of Africa is the Mediterranean sea all the way westwards, to where it is divided from the ocean by the pillars of Hercules; and the true western boundaries of Africa are the mountains called Atlas and the Fortunate Islands. Having thus shortly mentioned the three divisions of this earth, I shall now state how those are bounded by land and water, § 4. Opposite to the middle of the eastern part of Asia, the river Ganges empties itself into the sea, whilst the Indian ocean is to the southwards, in which is the port of Caligar- damana. To the south-east of that port is the island of De- probane'. To the north of the mouths of the Ganges, where mount Caucasus ends, is the port of Samera ; and to the ;rranean liift. s Called Wenadel sea in the Anglo-^axon original; probably because it had been crossed by the Vandals or Wends, in going from Spain to the conquest of Africa. — ^E. 4 In the translation by Harrington, this sentence is quite unintelligible. ** All to the northward is At is the ocean. To the west is the hither E^rpt, and in the two Egypts there are twenty- four nations. « $.6. 14 The true Niger, running from the westward* till it loses itself in the •ands of Wangara, seems hfre alluded to ; and the BiAr el Abiad, or West- em Nile, is supposed to be its continuation, rising again out of the 8and.--E. 15 This ought certainly to be after, and seems to allude to the Bahr el Abiad.— E. 16 Literally a ^eat tea. — Barr. 17 This is a mistake, as it only takes a wide turn to the west in Dongola, around what has been falsely called the Isle of Meroe. The cliffs of the Red Sea seem to imply the mountains of Nubia, and the wide sea may be the lake of Dembea.— E. Is A suange attempt to account for the re|;uUr ovsrQow of the Nile.— £. 29 Geography of Alfred. PART U I 6. Having before given an account of the north part of Asia, I shall now speak of its southern parts. I have before mentioned that Mount Caucasus is to the north of India^ be- ffinning eastwards on the ocean, and running due west, till it join the Armenian mountains, which the inhabitants call Par- cbatrae, from which the Euphrates takes its rise ; and from the Farcoatrian mountains mount Taurus runs due west, quite to Cilicia. To the north of these mountains, quite to the ocean, which environs the north east end of the earth, where the river Bore empties itself into the ocean, and from thence vrestwanls to the Caspian sea, which extends to Mount Cau- casus, all the land is called Old Scythia, or Ilircniiia. In this countiy there are forty-three nations, all situate at great distances from each other, on account of the barrenness of the soil '*. Then to the westward of the Caspian unto the Tanais or Don, and the Palus Maeotis, thence south to Mount Taurus *", and north to the ocean, is all Scythia, and 36 divided among thirty-two naticms. The country on the east side pf the Tanais is inhabited by a nation called the Alboari 5n the Latin tongue, which we now call Liobene. Thus have I shortly stated the boundaries of Asia, and shall now state those of Europe, as far as we are informed concerning them. $ 7. From tne Tanais westwards to the Rhine, which takes its rise in the Alps, and runs nortliward, till it faUs into that branch of the ocean which surrounds Bryttannia, and south- ward from the Tanais to the Donua or Inmube, whoso source is near that of the Rhine, and which runs to the northward of Greece, till it empties istelf into the Euxine", and north even to that part of the ocean which is called the Cwew sea '*, there are many nations ) and the whole of this extensive coun- try is called Germany. Hence to the north of the source of the Danubci and to the cast of the Rhine are the people cal- *« '^ le4 19 Thit account of the boundaries of Old Scythia is extremely vague. It f eenu to imply an eastern boundary by an imaginary river Bore, that the Caspian is the western, the northern ocean on the north, and Mount Cau« casus on the south. — £. 20 In the translation by Barriiigton, this portion of Scythia is strangely said to extend south to the Mediterranean ; the interpolation surely of some ignorant transcriber, who pei^aps changed the Euxine or Caspiw sea in- ^o the Mediterranean. — £. 2} Called by mistake, or erroneous transcription, Wendel sea, or Mediter^ ranean in the text and translation. — £. 22 The Cwen sea is the White sea, or sea of Archangel. The Kwen or Cwcn nation, was that now calledFinlanders, from whom that sea received this ancient appellation. ^Forst. CHAP. I. SECT. VI. Oeography of Alfted. IT led oaBtem Franks". To the south of them are the iSfir/pw jpca **>, On the opposite banks of the Danube* and to the south md east, arc thepe<^le called Bee^h-Juiare^^y in that part which is called RegneS'-burh ". Due east from them are the Beme *'. To the north-east the Thvringas *". To the north of these are the Old Seaxan*'. To the north-west of these arc the Frysan ^'*; and to the west of Old Saxony is the mouth of the Aelfe or Elbe, as also Frysan or Ji'nteland. From hence to the north-west is that land which is called Angley with SellindCy and some other parts of Dene". To the north is Apdrede ^*, and to the north-past the Wolds ", which 533 East Francan in the original . The eastern Franks dwelt in that part of Germany between the Rhine and the Sala, in the north reaching to the Ru- hre and Cassel, and in the wuthi almott to the Necker ; according to £gin- bard, inhabiting from Saxony to the Danube. They were called east Franks to distinguish them from that other part of the nation which iiri- Jiabited ancient Gaul, and Franconia continues to preserve their name^~- Forst. . 1 24 Swcpas, or Suevie, who formed part of the Aflemanic contederac^v and afterwards gave their name of Swabes to an extensive nation, ip whose liuunds modem Swabia is still situated. — Forst. 25,. The Bavarians, who were the remnant of the Boii or Bteghten, who escaped from the exterminating sv/ord of the Swevi. — Forst. 26 This may have been the province in which Regens>bergli or Ratisboa \t still situated. — Forst. 27 These were undoubtedly the Bohemians, called afterwards Behemas by our royal geographer. They had their appellation from Boier-heim, or the dwellmg place oi the Boii, who were exterminated by the Suevi. — Forst. 23 The Thurmg^s, at one time so powerful, that their king waa able to engage in war against the king of the Franks. Thuringia is still a well known district in Gemuuiy. — Forst. 29 The Old Saxons inhabited the country still called Old Cassen, or Old Saxony, Halsatia in Latin, which has degenerated into Holstein. — Forst. 30 These Fryssp were afterwards confined by Chsurlemain to the country between the Weser and Elbe, to which they gave the name of Friesland. — Forst. 31 That is to the north-east of Old Saxony, where the Angles,, confe- derates of the Saxon conquerors of Britaini and who gave their name to the English nation, and England or Angle-land, formerly resided. But they likewise appear to have occupied some of the islands in the Baltic. Sill^nd is certainly the Danish island of Zeeland. Dene is Denmark ia iu molt limited sense.— Forst. 32 These are the Obotrites, a Venedic ration, settled in Mecklenburgh, who are called, a little farther on, the Afdrtie, They were not, however, to the north- east of Old Saxony, but rather to the eastwards. Perhaps the copyist inserted north instead of eut, or rather we ought to read thus : «' To the north-east is Apdrede, and to the north the Wolds."— Forst. S3 The word here translated Wolds% on the authority of Daines Bar- rington» 88 Oeegraphjf qfjlf/red. PART I. which are called ^feldan ^*. From hence eaatwards ia Wi« neda-land '', otherwise called Sysyle ^'. To the south-west, at some distance, is the Macroaro '^, and these have to the west the Thyringas and Behemas, as also part of the Baeffthware, all of whom have been already mentioned. And to the south, on the other side of the I)onua or Da- nube, is the country called Carendrae ^". § 8. Southwards, towards and along the mountains which are called the Alps, are the boundaries of the Baegthware and of the Swae&s already mentioned; and then to the eastwards of the Carendrae country, and beyond the Waste '^, is Pulgara^-land or Bulgaria***. To the east is Greca-lond*' or Greece; and to i ringtotif it in the original, fTj^he ; but whether it refers to the tvild or bar- ren state of the country, or the name of a people, it is cUfiicult to say. There were a people named Wilzi in those parts, but J. R. Forster is dis- posed to believe, that Alfred refers here to the Wends or Vandals, who liv- ed on the Havel, and were called Hevelli. But if they are meant, we must correct the text from nort.h>east to south-east, for such is the situation of Havel-land, with reip«ct to Old Saxonv. — Forst. 34 iSfeldan are, as King Alfred calls them, Wolds or Wilds ; as there still are in the middle of Jutland, large high moors, covered only with heath. — Forst. 95 Wineda-land, the land of the Wends Vandals, or Wendian Scalvi in Mecklenburg and Pomerania ; so called from fFiatiJa or ffodat signifying the sea or water. They were likewise called Pomeranians for the same rea- son, frompo moriu, or the people by the sea side.— Forst. 36 In this Alfred seenu to have committed a mistake, or to have made too great a leap. There is a Syssel, however, in the country of the Wends, on the Baltic, which connects them with the Moravians, or rather with the Pelamensan, of whom mention is made afterwards.— Forst. 37 The Moravians, so called from the river Morava, at that time a powerful kingdom, governed by Swatopluk, and of much greater extent than modem Moravia.^ — ^Forst. 38 Carendre must be Carinthia, or the countiy of the Carenders or Cen- tani, which then included Austria and Styrla. — Forst. 39 Barrington has erroneously translated this, *' to the eastward of Caren- dre country, and beyond the leatic league existedt they were called Osterlings or Easterlings, or Ost-men, and their country £st-land, Ostland, or £a8tland> which still adheres to the northernmost part of Livonia, now called Est-land. — Forst. 56 The Burgendas certainly inhabited the island of Bom-holm, called from them Borgenda-holm, or bland of the Borgendas, gradually corrupt* ed to Borgend-holm, Bergen-holm, Bom-holm. In the voyage of Wulfstan, they are plainly described as occupying this situation. — Forst. 57 Called formerly ffelden, a nation who lived on the Havel, and were, therefore, named Hevelli or Hnveldi, and were a Wendick or Vandal tribe. — Forst. 58 These are the Sviones of Tacitus. Jornmndes calls them Swethans, and tWy are certainly the ancestors of the Swedes. — Forst. 59 This short passage in the original Anglo-Saxon is entirely omitted by Barrington. "Though Forster has inserted these Surfe in his map, some- where about the duchy of Magdeburg, he gives no explanation or illus- tration of them in his numerous and learned notes on our royal geogra- pher.— E. 60 Already explained to be Finland on the White sea. — £. 61 This is the same nation with the Finnas or Laplanders, mentioned in the voyage of Ohthere, so named because using jcriJen, schreiten, w snow •hoes. The Fmaas or Laplanders were distinguished by the geographer of Ravenna into Scerde-fcnos, and Rede-fenos, the Scride-finnas, and Ter-fin- nas of Alfred. So late as 1556, Richard Johnson, Hakluyt, ed. 1809. 1, 316. mentions the Scrickfinnes as a wild people near Wardhus. — ^E. 62 The North-men or Normans, are the Norwegians or inhabitants of Norland, Nord-lauU, or North-mana-land.— £. 63 At this place Alfred introduces the voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan* already given separately, in Sect. ii. and iii. of this chapter. — £. -rr.-— Hi K ^ ciiAP. I. iiCT. fi. Qeogntfky of Alfred. %t ty themKclveii into the south-east part of tho Euxinc '*. To the louth and went of these moiitns are the Macsi, a Greek nation ) to the wefit are tho Trad or Thraciani, and to the eatit the Macedonians. To the south, on the southern arm of the Egean sea, are Athens and Corinth, and to the south'* west of Corinth is Achain, near the Mediterranean. All these countries are inhabited by the Greeks. To the west of Achaia is Dalmatia, alons the Mediterranean } and on the north side of that sea, to uie north of Dalmatia, is Bulgaria and Istria. To the south of Istria is the Adriatic* to the west the Alps, and to the north, that desert which is between Carendtui"' and Bulgaria. $ II. Italy is of a groat length from the north-west to the flouth-cast and is surrounded by the Mediterranean on every side, except the north-wo8t. At that end of it are the Alps^ which begin from the Mediterranean, in the Narbonese coun* try, and end in Dalinntia, to tlic cast of the Adriatic sea. C^potiitc to the AlpH, on the norths is Gallia-belgica, near which is the river Rhine, which discharges itself into the Bri* tanisca sea, nnd to the north, on the other side of this sea, ia Brittannia '^'^, llie land to the west of Ligore^ Liguria, is ^quitania; to the south of which is some part of Nar* bonense, to the south-west is Spain. To the south of Nar- bonense is the Mediterronean, where the Rhone empties it- self into that SCO, to the north of tho Profent*' seo. Oppo- site to the wastes is the neater '^^ purl of Spain, to the north- west Aqtiittmia, and the Wawan'* to the north. The Pro* fent ^"^ sea. hath to the north the Al[)«, to the south the Medi- terranean, C4 Either the original or the translation is here erroneous ; it ought to tun thus: ** The Propontis is wcjtivard of Constantinople; to the north- east of that city, the ann of the sea issues fronx the Euxine, and flows south' wejt ; to the north the mouths of the Danube empty themselves into the ttorth-west parts of the Euxlne." — E. 65 Carinthia. The desert has been formerly mentioned as occasioned by the almost utter extirpation of the Avari by Charlemain, and was afterwards occupied by the Madschiari or Magiars, the ancesttH-s of the present Hun- garians.— Forst. 66 Very considerable freedoms have been taken with this sentence ; as in Barrington's translation it is q liie unintelligible. — E. 67 Profent and Profent sea, from the Provincia Gallica, now i-Vovence.— Forst. 68 Probably in relation to Rome, the residence of Orosius. — E. 69 Gasl-ony, called Wascan in the Teutonic or Saxon orthography and pronunciation. Thus the Saxons changed Gauls to Wales, and the Gauls changed Si Gi<^dp}^ of Alfred, tAtiT U terranean, to the north-east the Burgundians, and to the west the Wascang or Gascons. § 12. Spain is triangular, being surrounded by the sea on three sides. The boundary to the south-west is opposite to the island of Gades, Cadiz ; that to the east is opposite to the Narbonense, and the third, to the north-west, is opposite to Brigantia, a town of Gallia, as also to Scotland '"*, over an arm of the sea, and opposite to the mouth of the Scene or Seine. As for that division of Spain which is farthest '* from us, it has to the west the ocean, and the Memterranean to the north, the south, and the east. This division of Spain has to the north Aquitania, to the north-east Narbonense, and to the south the Mediterranean. $ IS. The island of Brittannia extends 800 miles in length to the north-east, and is 200 miles broad. To the south of it, on the other side of an arm of the sea, is Gallia-belgica. To the west of it, on the other side of another arm of the sea» is Ibemia or Ireland, and to the north Orcadus '*. Igber- nia, Ibemia, Hibernia, or Ireland, 'which we call Scotlandy is surrounded on every side by the ocean ; and because it is nearer the setting sun, the weather is milder than it is in Bri- tain. To the north-west of Igbernia is the utmost land called Thila '^, which is known to few, on account of its very great dist&iice. $ 14. Having mentioned the boundaries of Europe, I now proceed to state those of Africa. Our ancestors considered this as a third part of the world ; not indeed that it contains* so much land as the others, because the Mediterranean cuts it, as it were, in two, breaking in more upon the south part than on the north '^^. And oecause the heat is more intense in the south, than the cold in the north, and because every isight '■'i&: changed War-men into Guer-men, hence our modern English Germans.— Forst. 70 Scotland is here assuredly used to denote Ireland. — E. 71 Probably in relation to Komei the residence of Orosius. — ^E. 72 Alfred includes the whole island, now called Great Britain, under one denomination of Brittannia, taking no notice whatever of any of its divi- sions. Orcadus is unquestionably Orcades, or the islands of Orkney and Shetland.~E. 73 The Thila or Thule of Alfred, from its direction in respect of Ire- land, and its great distance, is obviously Iceland. — ^£. 74 This seems to have some obscure reference to an idea, that the sea had disjoined Europe and Africa. But the sense is extremely perplexedf and even unintelligible. — £. \A _ -j'.'i. ■■-^- ■ CHAP. I. SECT. VI. %wnh'if'^^^ 8» mgU tfariyes better in cplii tha)) in hefit, thvrdKkre is A^fa interior to Curope, both in the number of its people, imd in the extent of its l^nd 7'. 'Hie easterly part of Africa, as I said before, begins in the west: of Egypt, at the river Nik, and the n)ost eastern country of this continent is Lybia. Cl> ramacia '"' is to the west of lower Egypt, havi^ff the Mediter- ranean on the north, Libia Ethiopica to tne squth, and Syrtes Mt^P' ^ ^^ ^^^ "^^ ^'^ ^^^ of Libia £)thippica is the farther Egypt, and the sea cdled Ethiopicum '*''. To the west of Rogauiitus ^^ is the natiqn called Tribuhtania ^', and the nation called Syrtes Minofes, to the north of whom is that part of the MJeoiterranean called the Hadriatic. To the west again of Bizaiitium, quite to thje salt mere of the Arr zuges ^^^ ; this nation has to the east the Syrtes Majpres, with the land of Rogathite; and to the south the Natabres, Gepthulas, and Oaramantes ^S quite to the sea of 3izantiuiQ. The sea ports of tlicse nations are Adrumetis and Zuges, and their largest town is Catharina. The country of Numidi^ has to the east the Syrtes Minores and the salt mere formerly mentioned, to the north the Mediterranean, to the west Mauritania, and to the south the hiljs of Uza'a, and the mountains which extend to Ethiopia, one way, and the Mau- ritanian sea on the otlter side. To the east is Numidia, to the north the Mediterranean, to the west the river Mahrttrius, to the south Astryx, near the mountains which divide the fruitful country from the wild and barren sands which Ue southwards 75 It must be noticed, that Alfred was unacqi^Uited with any more <^ AfHca than its northern coast, along the Mediterranean, which explains this emmeous idea of its size being inferior to Europe. — ^E. 76 Syrenaica. — ^E. 77 The Red Sea, or Ethiopic Gulf. In this part of the geography of Alfred, his translator has left the sense often dbscure or contradictory, especially in the directions, which, in this version, have been attempted to be corrected. This may have been owing to errors in the Anglo-Sa;u]|ii MS. which Barrington professes to have translated literally, and he disclaim! any responsibility for the errors of his author. — ^E. 78 Probably some corruption of Syrtes Majores, or of Syrenaica.— E. 79 Tripolitana, now Tripoli. — E. 80 I can make nothing of this salt lake of the Arzuges, unless it be the lake of Lawdeah, between Tunis and Tripoli. The Getulians and Gara* mantes are well known ancient inhi^bitants of the interior of northern Afiri* ca ; the Natabres are unknown. — £. SI The Garamantes are a well known people of the interior of Africa, in ancient eeography ; of the Natabres I can make nothing ; Uie pM^hu* las are evidently the Getulians.— £. VOL. L C "' i>.:^&«i- 'jfar v,\ s ,.«!' «4 dtography tjfAyred, PART 1. h W- ¥^ m <>6uthward8 towiu*dft the Mauritanian sea, by odiers^eaQed the Tingitanean. To the east is the river Malon "*, to» the north the hills of Abbenas and Calpri. Another mountam alsb closes the end of the Mediterranean sea, between the two hills to the west, where stand the pillars of Ercoles or Hercu-^ les. To the west again is Mount Atlas j quite to the sea ; to the south the hills called ^speros, and to the south again the nation called Ausolum ^^, which inhabits quite to the sea. $ 15. Having thus stated the boundaries of Africa, we shall now speak of the islands in the Mediterranean * Cyprus lies opposite to Cilicia, and Isauria on that arm ot the sea called Mesicos^ being 170 miles long, and 122 miles broad. The island of Crete is opposite to Uic sea called Artatium, northwest is the sea of Crete, and west is the Sicilian or Adriatic sea. It is 100 miles long, and 150 miles broad. There are fifty-three of the islands called the Cyclades^ To the east of them is the Risca -Sea, to the soutli the Cretisca or Cretan, to the north the Egisca or Egean, and to the west the Adriatic. The island of Sicily is triangular, and at each end there are towns. « The northern is Petores '♦, near which is the town of Messina ; the south onj^e is Lilitem "^, near which is a town of the same name. The island is 157 miles long from eftst to w^st, and 70 broad to the eastward. To the north-east is that part of the Mediterranean called the Adriatic, to the south the Apiscan sea, to the west the l^r- •rhene sea, and to the north the '' sea, all of which are nar- row and liable to storms. Opposite to Italy, a small arm of tlie sea divides Sardinia from Corsica, which strait is twenty- two miles broad. To the east of it is that part of the Medi- terranean called the Tyrrhenian sea, into which the river Ti- ber empties itself. To the south is the sea which lies opposite to Numidia. To the west the Balearic islands, and to the north Corsica. The island of Corsica lies directly west from the city of Rome. To the south of Corsica is Sardinia, and Tuscany 83 Probably the ume called just berore the Malvarius, and now the Ma- lul. But the geographical description of Africa by Alfred, is so desultory and unarranged as to defy criticism. — ^E. 83 Alfred may possibly have heard of the Monselmines who inhabit the north-western extremity of the Sahara, or great African desert, and extend to the Atlantic— £. 84 Faro; 85 LiUibnuD. , 86 The name of this sea is omitted in the MS<— Barr. '. CHAP. I. SECT. VI. Geography of A]{jrei. ts Tiuciany is to the north. It is sixteen miles bng, and nine broad " \ Africa is to the south of the Balearic islands, Gadcs to iae west, and £^ain to the north. Thus I have shortly described the situation of the islands in the Mediter- ranean. "Note. — The subsequent sections of this chapter, although not cf much importance in themselves, and some of them posses- sing rather doubtful authenticity, are inserted in this place on the authoritv of Hakluyt. In an English general collection of voyages and travels, it would have been improper to have omitted these early specimens, some of which are considerably interesting and curioUs. In some measure these sections ^o not strictly b^ng to the present chapter, as limited to the reisn of Alfred, and the ninth century ; but as they contain isouited circumstances, which do not otherwise properly arrange themselves into the order of our plan, they may be consider- ed as forming a kind of appendix to the era of Alfred. The number of the^a >'>ht have been considerably increased from different sourct .fly from Hakluyt, who collected them from the ancie ' ^.mans ; but as they contain hardly any information, except historical, which does not enter into our plan, the selection here given has been deemed quite sufficient for this work. Section VII. -j/-.r ; .fe^Jft^m^J The Travels of Andrew Leitcander^ or Whiteman, in the ,l ^: Eleventh Centunf '. •fi\-»l> o«e' . Andrew Leucander, or Whiteman, as his Latinized name is explained by Leland the antiquaiy, was an English monk, and third abbot of the monastery of Ramsay, who was much addicted to the study of the liberal sciences, devoting incre- dible exertions, both by day and night, to their cultivation, in which he profited exceedingly. Having a most ardent desire to visit those places where Christ our Saviour had perfected all the mysteries of our redemption, of which he only knew the names in the course of studying the Scriptures, he went from 87 These measures are incorrigibly erroneous, or must have been trans- posed from some other place, having no possible reference to Corsica.— •£. 1 Hakluyt, II. 39. , ... % ui-^,.— .i— ..'i. 90 Vqj/u^e qfSwanus to Jerusalem* PART I. from England to the holy city of Jerusalem) where he visited all the places which had been iUustrated by the miracles, preaching, and paarion of Christ ; and on his return to the monasttjtyhe was dected abbot He flourished in the yetur of our rraemption, 1020, under Canute the Bane. SECTION vin. The Voyage ofSwanus to Jerusalem in 1052 '. SwANUS or Sweno, one of the sons of Earl Godwin, being of a perverse difposition, and faithless to the king, often quarrelled with his &ther and his brothtu Harold ; and, be- coming a pirate, he disgraced the virtues of his ancestors, by his rcoberies on the sea^ At length, being guilty of the murd«r of hb kinsman Bruno, and, as some report, of his own brother, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem ; and on his re- turn towards £ngland» he was intercepted by the Saracens^ by whom he was wi^n. irj Section IX. A Voyage of three Ambassadors from England to Constanti' nople and the East, about the year 1056 *. Upon the holy festival of Easter, King Edward the Con- fessor, wearing his royal crown, P'^t at dinner in his palace of Westminster, surrounded by maiiv of his nobles, v/hile others, after the long abstinence of tne lent season, refreshed themselves with dainty viands, on which they f^ with much earnestness, he, raising his mini above earthly enjoyments, and meditating on divine things, broke out into excessive laughter, to the great astonishment of his guests. But nq one presuming to inquire into the cause of his mirth, all kept silence till dinner was ended. Aft^r dinner, when the king had retired to his bed-chf^nber, to divest himself of his robes, three of his nobles. Earl Harold, an abbot, and a bishop, who were more familiar with him than any of the other cour- «, tiers. 1 HtUuyt, If. 89. Malmsb. L>b. 11. ch. xiii. 3 HaUuyt, II. 40. Mslimb II. xiii. ■,Vj^1 CHAP. I. sEdr. IX. V(yage of three Ambaaiodors, ^c, '^Y tiers, followed him into the thaniber, and boldly asked the reason of his mirth, as it had appeared stAmge to the whole court that his majesty should break out into unseemly lau^- ter on so solemn a day, while all others were silent. ** I saw," said he, ** most wobderfld thiiu;<*, and therefore £d I not laugh vdtliout cause." And they, as \k customary with afimtn, became therefore the more anxious to learn the occasion of his mirth, and humbly beseeched him to impart the reason to them. After musing for sdme time, he at length informed them, 'hat seven sfeepers had rested during two hundred years on Mount Coelius, lying always hitherto on their right sides ; but that, in the very moment of his laughter, th^ had tmned themselves over to their left sides, in which posture they should continue asleep for other seventy-four years, being a dire omen of future misenr to mankind. Tot ^ those things which our Saviour had roretoM to his disc^es, that were to be fulfilled about the end of thQ world, should come to pass within those seventy-four years. That nation should rise up aeainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and there would be in many places earthquakes, pesmence. and &mine, and terrible apparitions in the hea^'ens, tod great signs, with great alterations of dominion ; wars of the infidels against the Christians, and victories gained by the Christians over the unbelievers. And, as they wondeml at these things, the king explained to them the passion of the seven sleq)ers, with ^iie shape and proportion of each of their bodies, which wonderful thmgs no man had hitherto commit- ted to writing J and all this in so jplain and distinct 9 manner, as if he had always dwelt along With them. In consequence of this discourse, the earl sent a knight, the bishop a clerk, and the abbot a monk, as ambassadors to Maniches the emperor of Constantinople, earning lettM^ and presents from the king. The emperm* received tiiem very craciously ; and after a friendly entertainment, sent them to the bishcm of Ephesus with letters, which tiiey name sacred, commanding him to admit the Englidi ambassadors to see the seven siegers. And it came to pass, that the prophetic vision of King Edward was approved by all the Greeks, who protested that they were assured by their fathers, that the se- ven sleepers had always before uiat time reposed on their right sides ; but, upon the entry of the Englishmen iiito the cave where they lay, their bodies confirmed the truth of the foreign vision and prophecy to their countrymen. Neither ■--■-■■^■- ; were .^^ff»r\, I- L*3^«S2B1 S8 Pilgritnage qfJlured to Jerusalem. part i. were the calamities long delayed, which had been foretold by the king. For the Asareni, Arabians, and Turks, enemies of the people of Chnst, invading the countiiy of the Christ- ians, spoiled and destroy^ many cities of Syria, Lycia, and the lesser and great Asias, and, among the rest, depopvJated Ephesus, and even . holy city of Jerusalem. {Nil h 1v. Sectiom X. Pilgrimage qfJlured, Bishop ^ Worcester^ to Jerusalem, in 1058'. 'v In the yew'of omr Lord 1058, Alured, bishop of Worcester, dedicated, with much solemnity, to the honour of St Peter, the prince of the iqpostleb, a church which he had built and endowed in the city of Gloucester ; and afterwards having received the royal hcence, he ordained Wolstan, a monk ra Worcester, to be abbot of this new church. He then left the bishoprick which had been committed to his govempient, resigning the same ^ Herman, and, crossing the seas, travel- led m p^grimage through Hungary and other countries, to Jepifalem. ■:<^> : mV Section XL kPilgyifnage qfihgulphus. Abbot qfCroylandt to Jerusalem, * fnl064*. ^i. I, Ingulphus, an humble minister of St Guthlac, in his monastery of Croyland, bom of English parents, in the most beautiful city of London, was, in my early youth, placed for my education first at Westminster, and afterwards prosecut- ed my studies at Oxford. Having excelled many of my fel- low students in learning Aristotle, I entered upon the study of the first and second rhetoric of TuDy. As I grew up to- wards manhood, I disdained the low estate of my parents, and quitting the dwelling of my father, I much affected to vi- si.. the courts of kings, delighting in fine garments and costly , i attire. 1 Hakluyt, II. 41. R. Hoveden, fo. 255. line 15. S Hakluyt, II. 41.1ngulph. Ab. Croyl. apud fineim. ^r.^-t \y 'Tr!^ CHAP, h SECT. XI. Pi^mage aflngfdj^ui to Jenaalem, 39 attire* Aod bdiold WilUam^no^our renowed aovereigp,; ^en only Eaiii of Nonnandy, came wjth a ^lendid retinue tu; i^ndon, to confer with King Edward his kinsman. Intrud-* ing myself into his company, I proffered my services for the perfonnance of any speeidy or important affaun ; and accord- ingly having 'executed many commissions with ffood success,, I became known to and much beloved by the illuatrous earl^ and sailed with him to Normandy. B^ng there appointed his secretary, I governed his court at my pleasure, though envied b^ several, abasing whom I thought fit. and preferring others at my wilL But, prompted by youthful pride, 1 b^an even to be wearied of this place, in wnich x was advanced so. iar beyond my birth ; and, with an inconstant and over-am- bitious mind, I vehemently aspired, on all occasions, to dipli to higher elevation. y About this time there spread a report through Normandy, ' that several archbishops or the empire, aiid some even of the se- cular princes, were desirous, for the Mlvation of their souk, to go in pilcrimage to Jerusalem, there to pay their devotions at the rioiy Sepulchre. Upon this, several of 'is, who were of the household of our lord, the earl, be. ^entlemen and clerks, of whom I was the principal person, having received permission from the earl, addressed ourselves for the voyage ^ and, being together thirty horsemen or more, in company, we went into Germany, and joined ourselves to the A^f"" bishop of M entz. The whole bdng assembled, the co|npany of this archbishop amounted to sevep thousand pejrsons, m properly provided for the expedition j and we travelled prosr peroudy through many provinces^ arriving ft length at the city of Constantinople. We there did revef^ce to the Em- peror Alexius, visited the churc^ of Sancta Sophia, and de- voutly kissed many sacred r^cs. Departing from Constantinople, we travelled through Ly- cia, where we .eU into the hands of Arabian thieves ; and af- ter we had been robbed of infinite sums of money, and had lost many of our people, we escaped with extreme peril of our lives, and at length entered joyfully iiito the most aqxiously wished-for city of Jerusalem. We were there received by the most reverend, aged^ and holy patriarch Sophronius, w'ith a j^eat melody of cymbals by torch-light, and were conveyed m solemn procession, by a great company of Syrians and Latins, to the church of the ^£)st Holy SepUlclure of our bles- sed Savioijr. Here, how many prayers we uttered, what i ■, : abundance arrr.TiiiiMJiTi'ic 4d Pilgnmage4fln^phUitoJentsalm. i»ARt f. !■ !f abundiuiM of tkfin we shed, what deep sighs we breathed fbrth, is bnl^ knowh to our Lord Jesus Christ. From the most fflorioiit sepQlchre of Christ, w6 were conducted to visit tl^e omer sacred monuments of the hohr dtv { and saw, with weeping ejes, a ttreat number of hbhr ctiurohes and oratories, which Achitis ^e Soldan df Egjrot had littdy destroyed. Aiid, harihg deeply bewailed all tne ruins of that most noly city, bbth wnhin and ilirithout its walls, and having bestowed money for the re-edifying of some of these, we expressled the most ardent desire to go forth into the country, that WO ihight wash ours■*.;/ i/t. . rjiitil^ '■•«>," tUAf. ir. CHAt>. II. tkiglnal Ditcaoery of QreefUand bf the Icelanden ' . A LtHDUOH the discoveries tontained in thi« and the next j\ subseauent chapter were certainly preceded, in point ^time, b^ the voyages of the two Mahomedanft, in Ch^. IV. end the msertion of these two chapters, U. and III. in this place may therefore be considered as a deviation from the chronological order of our plan; it seemed proper and even necessary, that they should be both introduced !pere, as pre^ senting an unbroken series of tlie discoveries of the Norwe* gians) &nd as fUlly authorised by the geographical principles of our aniangement. Among t<^ many petty sovereigns, vikingr or chieftans of I^ofway, who had l>een reduced t6 subjection by Harold Har- fiigr, or the fair-haiKd, was one named Thorer. Thorwald, tlie relative of this ^person, had lived at the court of Earl Hayne, whence he nad l)een obliged to fly, on account of having committed a murder, and wait to Iceland, where he M^^ a considerable track of country with a new colony. ^c-)*&ude, Or red-head, die son of Thorwald, was long per- sieCiit^ by a powerfUl n^hbottf named IByolf iSaor, because lMt Wd kiil6d some of ^olfd servants ; and at length Eric kitted %t)!lf likewise. For this and other crimes he was con- demhed td go into banishment for three years ; and knowing that a man named Gunbiom had previously discovered cer- tain banks to the Vest of Iceland, named m>m him Gunbi- om's Sctiiei*dn, or Guhbnr banks, and likewise a country of considerable e^tteht still farther to the westwards, he deter^ mined on making a Voyage of discovery to that country; Setting sail ther^ore from Iceland, he soon fell in with a point of land called liiiat&.>iicss ; and continuing his voyage to die soat}i->west he entered a large inlet, to wmch he gave the tiame of EriCs^sound, and passed the winter on a pleasant island in that tieighboiuriiood. In the following year he ex- 'plored the continent ; and returning to Iceland in the third year, he represented his new discovery in the fairest light, be- stowing lavish praises on the rich meadows, fine woods, and plentiful fisheries of the country, which he called Greenland, that he might induce a considerable number of people to join ' with if 1 i » > 1 Forster, Voy. and Disc. 79. if- 49 Original Diicdoery qf Greenland, vabt i,^ i with him in colonising this new country. Accordingly, there let out for this place twen^-five vcssek, canying people of both sexei, houaenold-fumiture, implements of all kind*, and cattle for breeding, of which only fourteen vessels arrived in safety. These first colonists were soon followed by many more, both firofn Iceland and Norway ) and in a few years their number is said to have increased so much, as to oc- cupy both the eastern and western coasts of Greenland. This is the ordinary and best authenticated account of the discovery and settlement of Old Greenland, which rests on the creait of the great n(Nrthern historian, Snorro Sturleson, judge of Icc^d, who wrote in the year 1215. Yet others assort that Greenland had been known long before, and ground their assertion on letters-patent from the Emperor L«wis the Pious in 8S4, and a bull of Gregory IV. in 835, in which permission is given to Archbish(^ Ansgar to convert the Sueones, Danes, Sclavonians ; and it is ad^, the Nor- wsehers. Farriers, Chreenlanders, Halsingalanders, Icelanders, apd Scridevinds. Even allowing both charter and bull to be. genuine, it u probable that the copy which has come down to pur time is interpolated, etnd that lOr Gronlandon and Island- on, we oi^ht to read Quenlandon and Hitlandon, meaning the Finlan^rs and Hitlanders : Quenland being the old name of Finland, and Hitland or Hialtaland the Norwegian name of the Shetland islands. It is even not improbame that all the names in these ancient deeds after the Sueones, Danes, and Sclavonians, had been interpolated in a later period ; as St Rembert, the immediate successor of Ansgar, apd who wrote his life, only mentions the Sueones, Danes, and Scla- vonians, together with other nations in the north ; and even Adam of Bremen only mentions these tl^ree, and other neigh- bouring and surrounding nations*. Hence the authority ot St Rembert and Snorro Sturleson remains firm and unshaken, in spite of these falsified copies of the papal buU and imperial patent ; and we may rest assured that Iceland was not disco- vered before 861, nor inhabited before 874 ; and that Green-^ land could hardly have been discovered previous to 982, or 983, and was not inhabited before 985 or 986. — Forst. 9 Vit. S. Anscharii, ap. Langeb. Script. Dan. I. 451. Ad. Brem. Hist.. Eccle«.Lib. I. cap. 17. -^.. CHAP. HI. Icelandic Diuavenf tfAmerua, 43 CHAP. ttL I^rfy Diuaoenf of Witdand In/ the Jcelandertt about A. D. 1001 '. THK passion which the Nordmen or Normoni hod always manifested for maritime expeditions, stlU prevailed amonff them in the cold and inhospitable resions of Iceland and ureeidand. An Icelander, named HeijoU, was accustom- ed to make a trading voyage every year to different countrieSf in which latterly he was accompanied by his son, Biom. About the year 1001, their ships were separated by a storm, and Biom learned on his arrival in Norway that his father had sailed for Greenland, to which place he resolved to follow his father ) bu( another storm drove him a great way to the south-west of his intended course, and he iefi in with an ex- tensive flat country covered all over with thick woods ; and just as^ he set out on his return, he discovered an island on the coast. He made no stay at either of these places ; but the wind being now &llen, he made all the haste he could to return b^ a north-east course to Greenland, where he report- ed the discovery which he had made. Lief, the son of Eric-raudo, who inherited from his father an inordinate desire of distinguishinff himself by making dis- ; C9veries and planting colonies, immediately fitted out a vessel carrying thirty-five men ; and taking Biom along with him, set sail in quest of this newly discovered country. The first land discovered in this voyage was barren and rocky, on which account Lief gave it the name of HeUeland, or Rock- iund. Proceeding farther, they come to a low coast having a sandy soil, which was overgrovm with wood, for which rea- son it was called Mark-land, or the Woody-land. Two da^s af^er this they again saw land, having an island lyins opposite to its northern coast j and on the mainland they discovered tlie mouth of a river, up which they sailed. The bushes on the banks of this river bore sweet berries ; the temperature of the air was mild, the soil fertile *, and the river abounded in fish, 1 Pointer, Hist of Disc in the North, 83. 2 Every jquality must be judged of by comparison ; and, contrasted with ijhe Inhospiuble regions of Iceland and Greenland, in lat. 65'*, this coun- try, which was as far south as even beyond the south of England, must have appeared adihirable.i— £. 1^ l\ 44 Icelandic Discoveiy qf America, VABTI. II Itf Anil, particularly in excellent salmon. Continuing to sail up the river, tliey came to a lake, out of which the river took its rise I and here tliey passed the winter. In the shortest day of winter, the sun remained eight hours above ihe horizon i and consequently the longest day, exclusive of the dawn and twilight, muHt have been sixteen hours. From this circum- itance it follows, that the place in which they were was in about 48° of north latitude j and as they arrived by a south- westerly course from Old Greenland, after havins cleared Cape FarcweU, it must either have been the river Gander or tne Bay of Exploits, in the island now called Newfoundland. It toiud not be on the northern coast of the Gulf of St Law- rence { as in that case, they must have navigated through the straits of Belleisle, which could not have escaped their notice. In this place they erected several huts for their accommodation during winter } and they one day found in the thickets a Ger- man named Tyrkcr, one of theur own people, who hod wan- dered among the woods and been missing for some time. V^hile absent, he had subsisted upon wild grapes, from which * he told them that in his country thev used to make wine { and from this circumstance Lief called the country Winland dot gpde^ or Wine-land the good ^ In the following spring they returned to Greenland ; and Hiorwald, Liefs maternal grandfather, made a trip with the same crew that had attended his grandson, in order to moke &rther advances in this new discoveiy } and it is not at all to be wondered at, if people of every rank were eager to discover » better habitation than the miserable coast of Greenland, and the little less dreary island of Iceland. In this voyage > the coast of the newly discovered land was examined towaras the west, or rather the north-west. Next summer Lief sailed i^ri to Winland, and explored the coast to the east or south-east. Hie coast was so much covered with wood and beset S It is true that grapes grow wild in Canada which are very good to eat, yet no one hu ever been able to make good wine from their juice. Whether these wild gn^ies arc found in Newfoundland I kn*w not. The species of vioes which grow in North America, are named by Linnaus, Vitis labrusca, vulpina, and arborea. — Forst. ^ The propriety of the names imposed by the Norwegians on their new discoveries is admirable. Iceland, Greenland, Hellelana, Markland, Win- land, and many others ; which are perfectly philosophical, excellently sys- tetnatic, and infinitely preferable to the modem chimsy appellations, New Britain, New France, New England, New Holland, Sandwich islsod*} S9* ciety island*, and a multitude of much worse names.— £. '' — i' i 1 1 1 CHAr. III. Icelandic Diucwry ^America. 41 bewt with Ulandai that thev could not perceive a human creature* or animals of any kind. In the third summer they examined die iilandii on the coast of Winland, and so dunaged their ^p that thcv found it necessary to build a new one, kying up their old vessel on a promontory, to which thej gave the name of Kioelcr-ncss. In their new vessel theypro* ceedcd to examine the eastern or south-eastern shore of Win- Unu, and in their progress they fell in with three boats cover- ed with hides, havmg Uircc men in each. These they seized, but one man found means to escape from them, and thcj wantonly butchered all the rest. Soon after this they were attacked by a great number of the natives, armed witn bows and arrows, from which they screened themselves in their ship with a fence of planks i and they defended themsclvei witn so much spirit that their enemies were forced to retire, after giving them battle for an hour. Thorwald received • severe wound from an arrow in this skirmish, of which he died i and over his grave, on a cape or promontory, two chnh ses were erected at nis request { from which the cape was cal- led Krossa-ness, or Cross Point. To the natives of Winland, the Icelanders gave the name of Sknellinger, signifying cuttings or dwarfs, on accoitnt of their beuig of very low stature. These were probably the ancestors of the present Eskimaux, who are the same people with the Oreenlandcrs, and are called Eskimantsik m the language of the Abenaki, on account of their eatine raw fish i in the same manner as the Russians, in their officiu state papers, call the Samoieds Sirojed'zi, because they also eat raw and frozen fish and flesh. In the same year Thorstein, the third son of Eric-raude, set sful for Winland, takins with him his wife, Oudridthe daughter of Thorbiem, wim his children and servants, amount- ing in all to twenty-five persons i but thev were forced by a storm on the western coast of Greenland, where th^ wer«v obliged to ^nd the winter, and where Thorstein died, witli a large proportion of his retinue, probably of the scurvy. Next spring Gudrid todk the dead body of her husband home { and Thorfin, sumamed Kalls^ner, an Iceland^^r of some consequence, descended from Kins RegnerLodbrok, married the widow of Thorstein, ftom which ne considered himself entitled to the possession of the newly discovered country. He accordingly sailed for Winland with a vast quantity of hoiuebold funuturej imidieineuts of all kinds, and several ,.*-3^:,-.. .y!y^:-,tti> ^i.ju- ■*'-"H'--*ft^--. *!^jlgggmat i>iijf>- v,h&t mm • i ill i 48 TVavels of two Mahomedana tAWU events that are nowhere else to be found; and though some of these carry a fiibulbus appearancei the greatest part of them have been confirmed and justified by the best writers in succeeding ages. The first portion^ or the actual narrative, begins abrupuy, on account of some portion of the original manuscript oeuig lost, which would probably have given the name and countiy of the author, and the date and occasion of his voyage. In the accompanying commentary by Abu Zeid, we are informed that the date of the nanrative was of the Hegira 2S7, A. D. 851, which circmnstance was probably contained in die missine tMfft of the manuscript ; but thoi^h writt«i then, it is probable that the first journey of the author was un- dertaken at least twenty years before tnat date, or in 831, as he observes, that he made a second journey into the same coun- tries sixteen years afterwards, and we may allow four years for the time spent in the two joumies, and the intervening space, beides the delay of composition after his last return. Though not mentioned, it is prdbable his travels were undertaken ror the purpose of trade, as we can hardty suppose him to have twice visited those distant countries merely wr the satis^u^tion of curiosity. With regard to the second treatise or commentary, it seems (MPObaole, that when the affairs of China becune better known, some prince or person of distinction had denred Abu Zeid to examine the former relation, and to inform him how far the fkcts of the original work were confirmed by suc- ceeding accounts. The date of the commentary is not cer- tainly ascertainable ; yet it i^pears, that Eben Wahab tra- velled into China A. H. 285. A. D. 898, and that Abu ^id had conversed widi this man after his return, and had re- ceived irom him the facts which are inserted in his discourse, which therefore is probably only sixty or seventy years poste- rior to the actual treatise of the namioeis traveller. Sectton I. Original Account of India and China, by a Mahomedan Tra* veller of the Ninth Century. The third of the seas we have to mention is that of Her- 1 . . hand. •I n CHAP. IV. SECT. r. in India and China, 49 kend '. Between this sea and that of Delarowi there are many islands, said to be in number 1900, which divide those two seas from each other', and are governed by a queen '. Among these islands they find amoergris in lumps of ex- ^ traordinary bigness, and also in smaller pieces, which resem- ble plants torn up. This amber is produced ut the bottom of the sea, in the some manner as plants are produced upon the earth ; and when the sea is tempestuous, it is torn up from the bottom by the violence of the waves, and washed to the shore in the form of a niushroom or truffle. These isl- ands are full of that species of palm tree which bears the cocco nuts, and they are from one to four leagues distant from each other, all inhabited. The wealth of the ijihabi- tants consists in shells, of which even the royal treasury is fuU. The workmen in these islands are exceedingly expert, and make shirts and vests, or tunics, all of one piece, of the fi- bres of the cocco nut. Of the same tree they build ships and houses, and they are skilful in all ciher workmanships. Their shells they have from the sea at certain times, when they rise up to the surface, and the inhabitants throw branches of the cocco nut tree into the water, to which the shells stick. Tliese shells th^ call Kaptaje. Beyond these islands, and in the sea of Herkend, is Seren- dib * or C^lon, the chief of all these islands, which are called Dobijat. It is entirely surrounded by the sea, and on its coast they fish for pearls. In this country there is a moun- tain cdled Rahun, to tlie t<^ of which Adam is slin w i^iif » , ii>iii.i M) :J v-^ h \ I 89 Af^count of India^ and China^ PART %> ascended, where he left the pi^t of his foot, ^evenjty cidiito Ipiiir, on a i;ock, and they say hjU othjer foot stiopd, i^ the se^ ut tnc same tini^. Ahput this itnpuntaiii tl^i^e are mines of riibies, opals, aiid amethysts. IjSis island is pf ^eajt extents and has two Kinflns ; vid it prpduc^A aloes wood^ j^'^ precipwi stones, and peanp^ which last a^^: fibbe^ for on the, ^oast ; and there arc also found a kind, of Urge shells, which ai;e. ns!?d for tri^mpets, apd mucli est^med. In the same s^a, tovv^rds Se* rendib,, there are other' ii^lands, not so mai^y in, num1()er as thosie fonnerly mentioned, but of vast extent, apd unknown. 0l|e of these 18 called tla)|uii, which is divided an)ong a nufpr ber of princes, and in it is fpund plenty of go]4> The inha- bitants haive coccio nut trees, which suppk them with fpodi and wlthwhich also they point Uieir Doqies, and pil. them- sdyes. The custpm of the country is, that no man caf> "^W~ 1^ till he has k,il|ed an enemy, and brought off his l>ea<.l. If Ife has killed two he claiips two wives, and if he has slaiUi fifiy he may have fifty wives. Thjs custom pi;oceeds from the number of enemies with which, they are sunpynded^sp that he who kills t^o greatest number is the most ^oiisidered. 'rhese islands of Eainni a|x)und with elepliants, r,ed-w,ood^ au4 trees called Chalrzan, and the inhabitants eat huni(Ul f^fi^f I , These islands separate the sea of Herkend from .the sei^^of Sbelf^bct, and beyond them are others called N^abalus, which aI^e pretty well pc<^led, botli men and women going, nakedk except that th^ women wear aprons made of l<^aves. When shipping goes among these islands, the inhabitants come off iq boats, bnnging with them ambergris and cocco nuts, which they barter for iron ; for, being free from the inconveniencics either of extreine h^at or cold they want no clodung. Be- yond these two islands is the sea of Andaman. The pec^le on this coast eat human flesh quite raw; their complexion is black, with frizzled hair, their coimteriance and eyes frJghtftil, their feet very large, almost a cubit in length, and.tney go' quite naked. They have no sort of barks or other vessels, or they would seize and devour all the passengers they could lay their hands upon. When ships l^avq been kept back by con- trary winds, an4 are oblj^ed to anchor qh this barbarous, coast, forprocurin^ water, Uiey commonly lose some of their men. Beyond this there is an inhabited mountainous island, which is said to contain mines of silver ; but as it does not lie in the usual track of shipping, many have searched for it in vain, though remarkable for a very lofty mountain called Kas-. henai. ■"f^f-^izA 4aiAP. IV. SECT. L. by a Mahomedan Traodler, 51 henai. A ship, sailiiu in its ladtude, once got si^t of this moHntain, and steered for the coasts where some people were flaitqn i^ore to cut wood :. The men kindled a fire, from which there ran out some melted sih^r, on whidi they con" ^uded tliat there must have been a sihrer mine in the place, and they shipped a oonaiderable quantity of the earth or ore ji but they encountered a terrible storm on their voyage back, and w«re forced to throw all their ore overboard td lighten the vessel Since tliat time the mountain has been several times carefully sought for» but no one has ever been aUe to £nd.itaguin. There are many such isknds in those seas, more in number than can be reckoned ; some inaccessible by seamen, and some unknown to them. It often happens in these seas that a whitish cloud suddenly appears over-head, which lets down a lon^ thin tongue or jspqitf, quite to the surface of the water, which is then turned awiftjy round as if by a whirlwind, and if a vessel happens to be in the way, she is immediately swaUowed up in the vortex. At lenffth this cloud mounts up again and discharges itself in prodigious rain ; but it is not known whether this water is sucked up by the cloud, or how this phenomena comes to pass. All these seas are subject to pro^gious storms, which make them boil up like water over a fire ; at which times the waves dash the shms i^inst the islands with nnspcakaUe violence, to their utter destruction i and even fidt of aO sizes are thrown dead on shore, against the rocks, by the extreme agitation of the sea^ The wind which commonly blbws upon the sea of Herkendis from a different quarter, or firom the N. W. ; but this sea is likewise subject to as violent agitations as those just moitioned, and there ambergris is torn «p from the bottom, paiticularly where it is very &ep ; and the deeper the sea so much the more vtduable is the ambergris whi(^ it produces. It is likewise observed,, that when this sea is tossed by tempestu- ous winds it sparkles like fire ;. and it ia infested with a cer- tain kind of fish called Locldiam, which frequently preys upon men '. .. **« # *tt ««* * * « * * * # ^ Among other circumstances, the fires which frequently hap- pen at Canfu are not die least remarkable. Canm is the poit of all the ships of the Arabs who trade to China, and fires 'i , • £ This is probably the shark, vhich is common oa all the coasts of India. There was a portion of the MS. wanting at this place ; wherein the author treated of the trade to China as it wa« carried on in his time, and of thy causes which had brought it into a declining condition. — Renaud. it /; m r r- ■ ft. -ft.;' : , Account of India and China, >A*T"r» fires arc there very frequent, because all the houses are of wood or of split ca .08; besides, ships sue often lost in going and coining, or they are plundered, ur obliged to make too long a stay in harbours, or to cell theit goods out of the country subject to the Arabs, and tb re to make up their rnrgoe!" In short, ships are under a necessity of wastinr; much ti^)'- iix refitting, and many otlier causes of delay. Foiiman ^ the merchant, writes, that at Canfu, whicl* is a pnncipsil btapie of merchants, there is a Mahometan juilge apponicd by the emp«.) or of China, who is authorized to judge jn every cause vbch arises among the Mahomedans who resoil; to (iie?c parts. T.'pon festival days he performs the public servit 3S of rt'titT'on to the Mjilicmcdans, and pronounces the usual st rmou or Koibatf v,'iuch h ■ concludes with the wsaal form of prt'.irers for the sultan of he Mc.^tleraB. Tue merchants of Irak or Persia, who trade to 1 aiiJU; are no way dissatisfied with the conduct of this judg'. •'" the administration of his. pflice, bi'cause his Jecision:- tire jUst and equitable, and conformable to the. Koran, Respecting tlie places whence ships depart and those they touch at, many persons afiirm that the navigation is perform- ed in the following order : Most of the Chmese ships take in their cargoes at Siraif^, where also they ship their goods wliich come frcm Basra, Oman, and other ports ; and this is done because there are frequent storms and inany shal- lows in those seas. From Basra to SiraiF is an hundred and twf Tity leagues ; and when ships have loaded at this latter plac; they take in water there also. From thence they sail to a place called Mascat, in the extremity of the province of Oman, which is about two hundred leagues from SirafiT. On the east coast of this sea, between Siraff and Mascat, is a ^>lacc called Nasir Bani al Sasack, and an island called £bn Kahowan, and in this sea there are rocks called Oman, and a narrow strait called Dordur between two rocks, through which 6 Perbaps some account of this Soliman might be contained in the lost pages: But the circumstance of a Mahomedan judge or consul at Caiifu is a circumstance worthy of notice, and shews that the Mahomedan^ had carried on a regular and settled trade with China for a considerable time, and were in high estimation in that country. — Renaud. 7 It is difhcult at this distance of time to ascertain the rout laid down by this author, on account of the changes of names. This mart of SirafT is not to be met with in any of our maps ; but it is said by the Arabian geographers to have been in the gulf of Persiaj about sixty leagues ft-om Shirazj and that on its decay, the trade was transferred to Onrnuz.— Renaud. J. a. 7 CHAP. IV. SECT. I. bjfa Mahomedan Ttaveller. '» vrhich shijiB oflcn venture i6 pass, but the Chinese ship dare fiot. Tliere are also two rocks called Kossir and Howare, Mhich scarce appear above the water's edge. After they arc flcfu* of these rocks, they steer to a pkice called Shhu Crnian, »r J fake iu water at Mascat, which is drawn up from we)b, ii\\'\ arc here also supplied with cattle from the province of Oman. From Mascat tlie ships take their departure for India, and first touch at Kaucammali, which is a month's sail from Mascat with a fair wind. Thin is a frontier place, and th chief arsenal in the province of that name ; and here the Clariese ships put in and ure in safety, and procure fresh wa- ter. The Chinese ships pay here a thousand drams for duties, whereas othera pay only from one dinar to ten. From thence they begin to enter the sea of Herkend, and having sailed through it, they touch at a place cdlcd Lajabah^s, where the m- habitants do not understand Arabic, or any other language in use among merchants. They wear no clothes, are white, and weak in their feet. It is said their women are not to be seen, aiid that the men leave the island in canoes, hollowed out of one piece, to go in quest of them, and carry them coccp nuts, moUsa, ana palm wine. This lust liquor is white^ and when drank fresh id sweet like honey, and has the taste of cocco nut milk ; if kept %ome time, it becomes as strong as wine, but after some days changes to vinegar. These pe(^k; ffive this wine, and the small quantities of amber which is thrown up on their coasts, for bits of iron, tine bargains bdng made by signs ; but they are extremely alert, and are ve^ 4tipt to carry off iron from the inorch^ts without making any return. From Lajabalus the sliips steer for Ci^bbar, the name of a kingdmn on the right hand beyond the Imlit^s which depends on the kingdom of 2^bage, bar sigui^in^ a ix>t»st in the language of the country. The inhab^nls <»w dresssed in those sorts of striped garments wbH^ii the Ambs call Fauta, and they commonly wear on') vmk «t A time, which feshion is common to people of all rank's* At this place they take in water, which is drawn from wofls that are fed by springs, tmd which is preferred to that which is pi-ocured fitim cistox'nv vM' tanks. Calabar is about a month s vo^>iuge from a ^iKV v^al- led Kaukam, which is almost ttpon the skirts of the sea of Herkend. In ten days after this, shi[)s reach Botuma, from whence, in ten days »tore. sSvcy coine to Kadninge. In alUhe islands and peninsulas oi' tho Indies, water is to be fomui by . . digging. Account of India and China t FARV I. ' I i \' I digging. In this last mentioned place tlicre ia a very lofty mountaui, which is entirely inhabited by slares and fugitive*. ■Frcnn thence, in ten dtiys, they arrive at Senef, where u fredi water, and from whence comes the aromatic wood which we call Hud al Senefi. Here is a king { the Inhabitants arc black, and thev wear two striped gatnients. Having watered at this jplaoe, it is ten days passage to Sandcifulot, an island which haa fresh water. Thev then steer tlirough the sea pF Sanji, and so to thejj^ttw ot China; for so \\\ey call (artalli rocks imd stiiillnvva wliii'h fi)rm n narrow strait in tlint sea, to pass. It rec|uir(;H a linn, and It takiis right ie i licks and BlHiaJfl. thi'uugh which the ships arc obligee month to sail from Sanderfiiliit to C •w1it)it< diiys to steer thruilgli uiiiuttg t When a ship has got through the before mentioned gates, «he goes with the flood tide into a fresh water gulf, and drops anchor in the chief part of China, which is called (Jiiiit\i ^, where ihey have fresh water, both from ^rings and rivers, as also in most of the other cities of China. The city is adorn- ed with large squares, and is supplied with every thing ne- cessary for defence against an enemy, and in most m the other nrovinces of the empire there are cities of strength limilarly fortified. In this port the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours ( Init, wht^rens from Basra, to tiie island of Bani Kahouan it ilov^s when tliu moon is at full, and ebbs when she rises and wtiioi she sets i from near Bani KiihoUaii quite to the coast of China it is flood tide when the mOon rises, and ebb when she is at her height i and so on the con- trary, when she sets, it is flowing water, and when die is quite hidden under the horizon, tnc tide falls. They say^ that in ithe island of Mu^an, between SerendiU and Ctuo, on the eastern shore of the Indies, there are negroes who go quite naked; and when they meet a stranger they hang hhn up by the heels and slice hitn into pieces, which they eat quite raw. These negroes, wlio have no king, feed chiefly on fish, mousn, cocco nuts, and sugar canes. It is i-e- Sorted, that in some i>arts of this sea, there is a small kind of sh which flies above the water, and is called the sea locust j that in another part, there is a fish which, leaving the sea, gets up into the cocco nut trees, and having drained them of their juices, returns to the sea } and it is added, that there is a fish like a lobster or crab, which petrifies as soon as it is taken out 8 It is probable, or rather certain, that Canton is here meant. — ^E. (I fMAV. IV. 8KCT. I. bjf a Mafiomedan Traveller. ifH out of ite element, ami that when pUlvcri/ed it is a good re- medy for several dfsenscfl of the eyes, l^ey nay also, that near Zabi^e there is a volcanic mbiYntain which cannot be ap- Eroached, which sends forth a thidc smoke by ^ granted in I'ecompence of their kindness to the AraM{ for ^ there are no princes more heartily affectionate to the Arabs, and their subjects profess die same kindness for us. Balhara is not a proper name, but an appeUative, common to all those v^ kings, like Cosroes and some others. Tlie country under '•^ the dominion of the prince begins on the coai^t of the pro* v vince called Komcom, and readies by kuid to the confines of - China. lie is surrounded by tlie dominions of many kings^ : r who are at war with him, yet he never marches against them« i > One of these is the kuig of Plorcz, who has very numer- ' *^ 0U8 10 It is probable that this Balhara, or king of the people with bcred earir > which plainly means the Indians, was the Zamorin or Emperor of Cnlicut ; { ^ who, according to the reports of the most ancient Pbrtur-uesewriteips concerri- . ing India, was acknowledged as a kind of emperui the Indies, six hun- dred years before they discovered the route to India I > the C. pe of Good Hope. — Harris. The original editor of this voyage in English, Harris, is certainly mistaken in this point. The Balhara was the sovereign of J5outhern Scindetic India, of which donunion Guzerat was the principal province.— E. f>MAFk IV. SECT. I. bjf a Mtthomedan Traveller. 57 oua forces, and is stronger in cavalry than all the other princev of the Indie*. He it on enemy to the Arnba, neither ih there any pri^HK^n India who haa a greater aversion to the Maho- inedui)ii''Klouffh he confcsacs their king to be the greatest of pnncet. His dominions ore on a promontory, where arc much riches, many camels, and abundance of other cattle. The inhabitants traffic tor silver, and they say there arc mincH of that metal on the continent. There are no robbers in this country, nor in the rest of the Indies. On one side of thiti country is that of Tafek^ which is not of very great extent. This king has the finest white women in all the Indies j but be is awed by the kings about him, as his army is very small. He has a great affection for the Arabs as wcU as the Balhara. These kingdoms border upon the lands of a king colled Rami, who is at war with the king of Harez, nnd witn the Bnlhora likewise. This prince is not much considered, eitlicr for the dignity of his birth or the antiquity of his kingdom j but his forces are more numerous than tlione of the Balhara, and even than those of the kings of Harez and Tafek. It is said that he appears in the field at the head of fifty thousand el»> f>hants, and commonly marches in the rainy season, because lis elephants cannot move at any other time, as they ore un- able to bear thirst. His army is said commonly to contain from ten to fifteen thousand tents. In this country they make -cotton garments of such extraordinary fineness and perfec- tion, as is to be seen nowhere else. These gannent» are mostly round, and are wove so extremely fine, tnat they may be drawn tliroi^h a moderately sized ring. Shells arc cur- rent in this country as smoll money ; and they hove abundance of gold and silver, aloes wood, and sable skins, of which they maxe their horse-furiiiture. In this country is the famous Karkondan, that is the rhino* ceros, or unicorn, which has but one horn on his forehead^ on which there is a round spot with the. representation of a man ; th6 whole horn being black, except the spot in the middle which is white. The rhinoceros is much smaller than the elephant, ond resembles the buf&lo from the neck down- wards, and excels all other creatures in extraordiiuuy strength. His leg is all one thickness, from the shoulder to the foot, nnd the hoof is not cloven. The elephant flie? trom the rhiiuHc- ros, whose lowing is like that of an ox, with something of the cry of the camel. His flesh is not forbidden, and wo havf eaten (rfit. There are great numbers of this creature in the . ;.....^ ..„. . feus \ SB Account tff India and China^ > '»*. HfAXT i. \ I \ I IciM of tills countnr, m nho in all the other proTtnccn of Indin ; but the horns of these are most esteemiHl, haviiw generally upon them the figures of men, peacocks, fidies and other re- semblances. The Cliinese adorn tlieir gtrdluo with these sortit of figure , so that some of their girdles arc worth two or three thousand pieces <^ gold in China, and sometimes more, the price augmentinff with the beauty of the figures. All these things are to be purchased in tbe kingdom ct Rahmi, for shells, which are the current money of thf country. After this country) there is an inland state diatant from the coast, and caUeo Kasohbin, of which the inhabitants a^e white, and bore their ears. Hiey hove oAmek, and thehr eountry is for the most part desert, and AUl of nsovntaihb. Farther on the coast, there is a small kingdom callbd Hitraagl?, which is TeiV pour i but in its bay, tte sea thrown up great quantities of hmbergrls, and they have elephants tcedi and pepper j but the inhabitants eat this lost gneon,^ beci|iisc cf the small quantity they gather. Beyono these, tkera are other kingm)tns, but their numbers and namea lire unknown. Among tnejae is one named Muiet, the inhabitants of which are white) and dress after tiie Chinese manna* } their coun- try is ftdl of mountains, having white to^s, and of reryi great ex- tent, in which there are great quantities of made, esteemed the most exquisite of any. in the world. Hndy iiave con- tinual war with all the surroundinff kingdomsi The fclng^ dom of Mabet is beyond that of Mojet, wherein are man^ cities, and the inhabitants have even a gveatei' resemblance to the Chinese thaii those of Mi^t { for they hare ofiicers or etinuchs like tlioae who govern the cities among the Chinese. The country of Mabet borderk upon China^ indiiji ait peace with the emperor, but not subject to hiih. ^Vhe kii^ of JMabet sends ambassadors eicrj year with presrats to the emperor of China, who in return, sends ambassadors and presents to Mabet. But vrhen the anibassadors of Mabet enter China, they are very cai'cftilhfr watched^ lest they duMild survey the country, and form designs of conquest ; which would be no difficult matter, as their country is vety exten- sive, and extremely populous, and as they are only divided from China by rocks and mountfdns. It is said that, in the coimtnr of China, there are abov^ two hundred cities having jurisdiction over others^ each of whidi has a governor tuid an eunuch or lieutenant. Canfii 41 one of these cities, being the port for nil shipping, and has jurisdiction eUAP. IT. SECT. I. bjf a Mahomedau Trdvelhr. ^ Jurittdiction over twenty towns, A town is railed to the iMg^ ' nity ot« city, by the ffrant of certain hurge trumpett. TheM are three or four cubits in length, and as large about as catt be groMped by both handH, mrowiiig smaller towards the end which IS fitted to the nioutn. ^ the outside, they ar0 adorned with Chinese ink, and may be heard at the distance of a mile. Each city has four gates, at each of which fire of these trumpets are stationed, which are sounded at certdn hours of the day and night. There are also ten drums in each city, which are beaten at the same times i and this is done ai a public token of obedience to the emperor, and to point out the hours of the day arid night to ttie inhabitants ; and ibr ascertaining the time} they have sun dials, and clocks with weights ". In Chma they use a great Quantity of copper money, like that named taluH by the Arabians, which is the only sort of amall monev, and is current till over the country, and is in« deed the only current coin. Yet their emperor has treasures like other kings, containing abundance of gold and silver, with jewels, pearls, silk, and vast quantities of rich stullii of all kinds, which are only considered as moveables or merchan- dize I and from foreign commerce they derive ivory, frank* Incense, copper in bars, tortoise sliell, and unicbhis horns, with which they adorn their girdles. Of animeJs they have Abundance, particularly of beasts of' burden ; such as pjcen, hones, asses, and camels ; but they have no Arabian horses. Thev have an excellent kind of earth, of which they mjdce a specm of ware equal in fineness to gl&ss, and almost equally transparent. Wh^n merchants arrive at Canfu, the Chinese sei2e their cargoes, which they convey to warehouses, "^hcrc the goods kre detained six months, until the last merchant ship of the season has arrived ; tli^y then detain throe part$ in ten of ev6ry species of commodity, or thi^tv per cent, as duty, and return the rest to the merchants^. Besides which, if the <»nperor has a mind for any particular article, his offi- cers have a ritfht of taking it in preference to any other j>er- son, paying for it, however, to the utmost value ; and they dispatch this business with great expedition, and without the least injustice. 'Diey commonly take the whole importation of camphor, on the account of the emperor, and pay for it at the 11 This is a very early notice of the construction and use of riocks, or machinery to indicate division^ of time, by means of weights.— li. Account of India and China, . ; j^ v vart i. I : I I (. ; tlic rate of &R,yJukuges per jnan, each fukuffe beiii^ worth d; Hiouaand/alus, or pieces of copper coin. When it happens (hat tlie emperor does not take tlic camphor^ it sells for half 08 much again. . The Chinese do not bury their dead till the day tweh^e months after their decease ; but keep tliem all this time in coffins in some part of their houses, having previously dri^ them by means of quicklime. The bodies ot their kings are embalmed with aloes and camphor. They mourn miring three whole years, and who over transgresses this law is pu- nished witli the bamboo, a chastisement to which both men and women are subjectcil, and are at the same time reproach- ed for not shewing concern for the deatli of their parents* 'Iliey bury their dead in deep pits^ 'ch like those in use among the Arabs. During all ' c f no thut the dead bqdy is pre^rvcd in the house, meat una drink are regularly set before it every evening ; and if they find these gone in the morning, they imagine that the dead have consumed all; and all this time they cease not from bewailing their loss, insomuch, that their expences upon these occasions, in paying the last duties to their deceased relations, are exor- bitant, and often consume their wealth and estates, to tlie utter ruin of the living. In former times, they buried very rich apparel, and those expensive girdles already mentionetl, with the bodies of their kings, and others of the blood royal ; but this custom is now discontinued, because it has happened that the bodies have been dug up from their graves by thieves, for the sake cf what was buried with them. The whole, nation, great and small, rich and poor, are taught to read and wi'ite,. The titles of their viceroys or governors, are varied according to the dignity and rank of the cities under their government. Those of the smaller cities are colled Tusiiigy which signifies the governor of a to.vn. Tliose of the greater cities, such as Cunfu, are stiled Di/u, and the eunuch or lieutenant is stiled Tukam, Thc^e lieutenants arc selected from among the inhabitants of the cities. There is also a supreme judge called Lakshima-makvan, and they have other names for other officers, which M'e do not know how properly to express. A person is never raised to the dignity of a prince, or go- vernor of a city, until he has attained to his fortieth year ; for then thoy say he has acquired experience. When one of these princes or viceroys holds his court in the city of his re- s sldence^ CHAP. IV. SECT. I. by a Mahomedan Traveller. tfi' are exor- sidenco, he I4' seated on a tribunal^ in great state, and re- ceives the petitions or complaints of the people i having an officer called Lieu^ who stands behind the tribunal, and in*, dorses an answer upon the petition, according to the order- ofthe viceroy ; for they admit no applications but what are in writing, and give all their decisions in the same manner. Before parties can present their petitions to the viceroy, they must be submitted to the proper officer for examination, who sends them back if he iliscovers any error ; and no person maj draw up any of those writings which are to be presented to. the viceroy, except a clerk versant in business, who must nnu-k at the bottom that it is written by such a man, the son of such a man : And if the clerk is guilty of any error or mis- take, he is pimished with the bamboo. The viceroy never seats himself on his tribunal until he has eaten and drank, lest ho should be mistaken in some things j and he receives his subsistence from the public treasury of the city over which he presides. ITie emperor, who is above all these princes or petty kings, nevei* appears in public but once in ten months, under the idea that the people woidd lose their veneration for him if he shewed himself often or $ for tliey hold it as a maxim, that government can only subsist by means of force, as the people are ignorant of the principles of justice, and that constraint and violence are necessary to maintaia among them the majesty of empire. There are no taxes imposed upon the lands, but all the men of the country are subject to a poll-tax in proportion to their substance. Wlien any failure of crops makes necessa- ries dear, the king opens his stoi*e-houses to the people, and sells all sorts of necessaries at much cheaper rates than they can be had in the markets ; by which means famine is pre- vented, and no dearth is of any long continuance. The sums that are gathered by this capitation tax are laid up in the public treasury, and I believe, that from this tax, fifty thou- sand dinars are paid every day into the treasury of Ganfu alone, although that city is not one of the largest. The em- peror reserves to himself the revenues which arise from the salt mines, and those which are derived Trom impositions ujv on a certain herb called 2<:Aa, which they drink with hot wa- ter, and of which vast quantities are sold i)i aU the cities in China. This is produced from a shrub more bushy than the pomegranate tree, and of a more pleasant smell, but having a kind of a bitterish taste. The way of using this lierb is to l*our l\ ' \'i \ 1 62 Accotint of India and China, PART I. pour boiling water upon the leaves, and the infusion cures aU diseaaesi Whatever suras come into the public treasury arise &om the capitation tax, the duties upon salt, and the tax up- on this leoft In every city there is a small bell hung to ilie wall, imme> (tiateiy over the head of the viceroy or governor^ which may be vung by a string which reaches about three miles, and crosses the high way, on purpose that all the people may have access to it ; and whenever the string is pulled, and the bell strikes, the person who thus demands juisticc is iimnediately commanded to be brought into the presence, where he sets forth his case in person. If any person inclines to travel from one part of the country to another, he must have two passes along with him, one from the governor, and the other i^nii the lieutenant. The governor's pass permits him to set out on his journey, and specifies the name of the traveller, and of aU that arc in his company, with their names and X; for every person in China, whether native, Arab, or r foreigner, is obliged to make a full declaration of every thing he knows about himself. The lieutenant's pass speci- fies the exact quantities of goods and money which the tra- veller and his company take along with them, and this is done for the information of the frmitier places, where both passes ore regularly examined ; for whenever a person arrives at any of these places, it is entered in the register that such a one, the son of such a one, of auch a ttmiily, passed through tile place, in s\ich a month, day, and year, and in such com- §nny. By this means they prevent any one from carrying off »e monev or effects of others, or the loss of their own goods in case ot accident ; so that if any thing has been taken away unjustly, or if the traveller should die on the road, it may be immediately known where the tilings are to be found, that they may l)c restored to the claimants, or to the heirs of the deceasetl. The Chinese administer justice with great strictness, in all their tribunals. When any person commences a suit against imother, lie sets down his claim in writing, and the defendant writes down his defence, which he signs, and holds between his fingers. These twouTitings are delivered in at the same time j and being examined, sentence is pronounced in writ- ing, each parties having his papers returntid to him, the de- fendant havitig his delivereil first. When one party denies tdiat the other affirms, he is ordered to return his writing; and CHAP. lY. SECT. I. In/ a Mahomedan Traveller, i^P and if the defendaaal: thinks he may do it sa&'ly, and dcHvera in his papers a second time, those of ttie plaintiff are likewise called mr; and he who denies the aifirmation of the other h viwoedy that if he does not make out what he denies, he shali undergo twenty strokes of the bamboo on his buttocks, and shall pay^ a fine of twcQty fakuges^ which amount to about two. hundred dimu's. And the pimishment of the bamboo is so severe, thfit the criminal can hardly survive, and no person in all China is permitted to inflict it upon another by his own authority, on pain, of death, and confiscation of his goods ; so that na ona is .evcc so hardy a& to expose himself to such certain danger, by which means, justice is well; administered to all. No witnesses, aue required, neither do they put the parties upon oath. When any person becomes bankrupt, he is immediately- committed to prison in the governor's palace, and is callea upon for a declaration of his effects. After he has remained a month in prison, he is liberated by the governor's order, and a proclamation is made, that such a j^rson, the son of ^uch.aonp, has consumed the goods, of such a one, and that if any person possesBcs any effects whatever belonging to the bankrupt, a full, discovery must be made within one month. If any discovery is made of effects belonging to the bank- rupt,, which he had omitted to declare, lie suffers the punish- ment of the bamboo, and< is upbraided with having remain- ed a month in prison, eating and drinking, although he has wlierewithal to satisfy his creditors. He is reproached for having fraudulently procured and embezzled the property of others, and is chastised for stripping other people of their substonce. But if^ after every inquiry, the debtor does not appear to have been guilty of any fraud, and if it is proved to the satisfaction of the magistrate, that he has nothinf ?n the woi'ld, the creditors are called in, and receive a pan of their claims li-om the treasury of the Bagbun. This is the ordinary title of the emperor of China, and signifies the Son of Heaven, which we ordinarily pronounce Magbun. After this, it is publickly forbidden to buy of or sell' to the bank- rupt, that he may not again have an opportunity of defraud- ing his creditors, by concealing their money or effects. If it be discovered that the bankrupt has any money or effects in the hands of another, and that person makes no disclosure within the time limited, the person guilty of this concealment is bamboocd to death, and the value discovered is divided among iirt'iViiiri'ifjii 64 Account of India and China,, .Tia« part i. [i ^ among the cretlitors ; but the debtor or bankrupt oiust never more concern himself witli trade. Upon a stone ten cubits high, erected in the public squares of all the cities, the nomeii of all sorts of medicines, witli the exact prices of each, are cnm-aven; and when the poor: stand in need of relief from physic, they receive, at the treasury, the price that ench medicine is rated at. In China there is no tax upon land, but every male subject pays a rate- s>hle capitation in proportion to his wealth and possessions. When a male child is born, his name is immediately enter- ed in a public register, and when he has attained his eigh> cetiith yetir he b^ins to pay the poll-tax j but when once a man has reached his eightieth year, he not only ceases to contribute, but even receives a pension from the treasury, as a provision for old age, and in acknowledgment of what he paid during his youth. Tliere are schools, maintained at the public charge, in every town, where the children of the poor are taught to re :d and write. The women wear nothing on their heads besides their hair, " the men are covered. In China there is a certain town called Tayu■^ having a castle, advantageously situated on a hill, and all the fortresses in the kingdom are called by the same name. The Chinese are generally handsome, of comely stature, and of fiiir com- plexions, and by no means addicted to excess in wine. Their hair is blacker than that of any other nation in the world, and the Cliinesc women wear it curled. In the Indies, when ' one man accuses another of a capi- tal crime, it Ls u.snul to ayk tl'c accused if he is wilUng to undergo the trial by tirc, and ii" he consents, the ceremony is conducted in the Ibllowing manner : A piece of iron is heat- ed red hot, and the accused is desired to stretch out his haixl, on which they put seven leaves of a certain tree, and above these the red hot iron is placed. In this condition he walks backwards and forwards lor some time, and then throws off the iron. Immediately after this his hand is co- vered with a leather.' bag, which is sealetl with the prince's signet ; and if at tlu end of three days he appe9j.\s and de- clares that he has suffered no hurt, they ortler him to take out his hand, and if no sign of fire w visible, he is declared innocent of the crime laid to his charge, ami the accuser is condemned to pay a line of a man of gokl to the prince. Sometimes they boil water in a caklron, til! it is so hot ijiat po one can touch it ; tlicy tlien throw in an icon ring, and the •I ^HAK IV. SECT. r. iy a Mahometan Tr'avetter* 6tf iccuser is the accused is commanded to tkru^ down his hand to bring vlp the riBlg. I saw one who did this and received no matt" ner of harm. In this case, likewise, if the accused remain unhurt, the accuser pays a fine of a man of tfold. When a idng dies in the island of SerendiD, which is the last of the islands of the Indies, his body is laid ^ an open chariot, in such a posture, that his head hangs backward, al«_|; most touching the ground, with his hair trailing on thog, earth j and the chariot is followed by a woman, who sweeps , the dust on the face of the deceased, while she proclaims with a loud voice : " O man ! behold your king ! He wa^ yesterday your master, but now the dominion which he ex- ercised over you is at an end. He is reduced to the state ^ you now see, having left the world ; and the arbiter of lifft and death hath witndravm his soul. Count not, thereforei O man ! upon the uncertain hopes of this life." This or a , similar proclamation is continued for three days j after which , the body is embalmed with sandal wood, camphor, and sat- ' fron, and is then burned, and the ashes ore scattered to the winds. When they burn the body of ii king, it is usual for his wives to jump into the fire and burn along v/ith him j but this they are not constrained to do. The same custom of burning the bodies of the dead prevails over all th > Inches. In the Indier there are men who devote themselves to live ^. in the woods and mountains, professing to despise what other men most value, abstaining from every thing but such wild herbs and fruits as are to be found in the woods, and thoy affix an iron buckle to their genitals in such a mam:er as to * interdict all commerce with woman. Some of '\ese go quite , naked, or have only the skin of a leopard thrown over them, and keep perpetually standing with their faces to the sun. X formerly saw one in that posture j and on my return to the Indies, sixteen years afterwards, I found him in the very same attitude, it being astonishing that he had not lost his sight by the heat and glare of the sun. In all these kingdoms the sovereign power resides in the roy&i family, without ever de- parting from it, and the heirs of the family follow each other in regular succession. In like manner, there are families of learned men, of physicians, and of all the artificers concerned , in the -various arts ; and none of these are ever mixed with the family of a different profession. The several states of the Indies are not subject to one king, but each province has its own ; though thg Balhara is considered in the Indies a^s king r/ 'i '/ \s 1 Account of India and ChiAa, .i/S^a' iPAR'^'ifc of kings. The Chinese are fond oF gaining and all manner of diversions ; but the Indians condemn them, and have no pleasure in such employments. They drink no wine, neither do they use vinegar, because it is made from wine { although this abstinence does not proceed from any religious duty: but they allege that a king given to wine is not worthy of being A king ; for how should a drunkard be able to manage the affairs of a kingdom, especially as wars are so frequent between the neighbouring states ? Their wars arc not usually undertaken to possess themselves of the dominions of others, and I never licard of any except the people bordering on the pepper country that seized the dominions of their neighbours utter vii;tory. When a prince masters the dominions of a nei|;;h- ^>Gur, he confers the sovereignty upon some person of the royal family of the conquei'ed country, and thus retains it in dependence upon himself, under the conviction that the natives woidd never submit to be otherwise governed. ■Vhcn any one of the princes or governors of cities in China is guilty of a crime, he is put to death and eaten ; and in general, it may be said that the Chinese eat all those who are put to death. "When the Indians and Chinese are about to marry, and the parties arc agreed, presents are interchanged, and the marriage ceremony is solemnized amidst the noise of drums and various sorts of instruments. The presents consist in money, and all the relatives and friends contribute as much as they can aiFord. Ifanymanin the Indies runs away with a woman and abuses her, both are put to death j unless it is proved that force has been used against the woman, in which case the man only is punished. Theft i» always punished capitally, both in India and China, whether the theft be considerable or trifling ; but more particularly so hi the Indies, where, if a chief have stolen even the value of a small piece of money, he is impaled alive. The Chinese are much addicted to the abominable vice of pederasty, which they even number among the strange acts they perfonn in honour of their idols. The Chinese biuldings ui'c of wood, with stone and plaster, or bricks and mortar. The Chi'.-.se and Indians are not satisfied with one wife, but both nations marry as many as they please, or can maintain. Rice is the common food of the Indians, who eat no wheat ; but the Chinese use both indifferently. Circumcision is not practised either by the Chinese or Indians. The Chinese worship idols, before lyhbnvthey full down and make prayers, and they have books i^y which ''■isf^fKr^*" tHAP. IV. SECT. I. hy a Mahomedan Traveller. *f which explain the articles of their religion. Tlie Indians suffer their beards Do grow, but have no whiskers, and I have seen one vnth a beard three cubits long j but the Chinese, for the most part, wear no beards. Upon the death of a relation, the Indians shave both head and face. When any man in the Indies is thrown into prison, he is allowed neither victuals ^.nor drink for seven days together j and this with them an- swers the end of other tortures for extorting from the crimi- nal a confession of his guilt. The Chinese and Indians have judges besides the governors, who decide in causes between the subjects. Both in India and China there are leopards and wolves, but no lions. Highway robbers are punished with death. Both the Indians and Chinese imagine that the idols which they worship speak to them, and give them an- swers. Neither of them kill their meat by cutting the throat, OS is done by the Mahomcdans, but by beating them on the head till they die. They wash not with well water, and the Chinese wipe themselves with paper, whereas the Indians wash every day before euting. The Indians wash not only the mouth, but the whole body before they eat, but this is not done by the Chinese. The Indies is larger in extent by a half than China, and has a great many more kingdoms, but China is more populous. It is not usual to see palm trees either in the Indies or in China, but they have many other sorts of trees and fruits which we have not. The Indians have no grapes, and the Chinese have not many, but both abound in other fruits, though the pomegranate thrives better in India than in China. The Chinese have no sciences, and their religion and most of their laws are derived from the Indians. They even be- lieve that the Indians taught them the worship of idols. Both nations believe the Metempsycosis, though they differ in many of the precepts and ceremonies of their religion. Physic and philosophy are cultivated among the Indians, and the Chinese have some skill in medicine ; but that almost entire- ly consists in the art of applying hot irons or cauteries. They have some smattering of astronomy ; but in this likewise the Indians surpass the Chinese. I know not that even so much as one man of either nation has embraced Mahomedism, or has learned to speak the Arabic language. The Indians have few horses, and there arc more in China ; but the Chinese have no elephants, and cannot endure to have them in their countr}'. The Indian dominions furnish a great number of soldiers. A< count of India and China, <5r. PART 1/ i^ loldicrfl, who arc tot pud by their kiiign, hut, when chIIcxI out til war, have to tiike the fiiltl and serve entirely at their ov n exfcncc } but tiie C'hineite allow their Kokiiers much the buiue pay a« is done by ihe Arabs. China ie a nlea^sanf and fruitful country, having nunieroiu* extensive ami well fortified cities, with a more wliolesi^me rlimate and Icsh fenny country than India, in wlii( h inoMt of tlio provinces have no cities. The air in Clnnu iikewi>'C is mucli better than in India, and there are seiirceiy any bjii^d persons, or who are sulnect to diseases of tlie eyc8 ; and irimilar ttdvantaj^cs arc cnjoyctf by si veral of the provinces of India. The rivers of botlt countries are large, and Kurpash our greatest rivers, and much rain falls in both countries. In the Indies there are many desert tracks, but China is inhabited and cul- tivated through its whole extent. The Chinese are liand- somer than the Indians, and come nearer to the Arabs in countenance and dress, in their manners, in the wj«y of riding, and in tlieir ecrenionics, wearing long garments ., iid girdles in the nnmner of belts ; while the Indians wear ;, wo short vc4s, and both men and women wear golden bracck/w , adorn- ed with precious stones. Beyond the kingdom of China, there is a country ralk-d Tagasiraz, taking its name from a nation of Turks by which it is inhabited, aind also the country of Kakhan wliich borders on the Turks, 'llie ishuids of Sila are inhabited by white people, wlio send presents to the Emperor of China, and who are persuaded that if they were to neglect this the rain of heaven would not fall upon their coinitry. In that country there are white falcons ; but none of our jieople have bcvn there to give us any particular information concerninj^ tliem. Section II. : hlii: CoHancntaty tipon the foregoing Account, by Abu Zeid al Hasan. o/Siraff. ^ Having very carefully examined the book I was desired to peruse, that I might confirm what the author relates so far as he agrees with wnat I have learnt concerning the affairs of navigation, the kingdoms on tlie coast, and the state of the countries of which he treats, and that I might add what I havo »> IV. SECT. II. CornmetUeay upoH the decounU J^c $9 iMVf ^iaewhere collected concerning theno matters : I find that thw book waft composed in the year of the Hcgini f 37, and that the accounts given by the author are contbrmable with what I have lieard from merchants who have sailed from Irak er PerHw, through these seas. I fiiid also all that the author has writtfT) to be agreeable to truth, except ^onie lew passages) in which he ha« been mihinfonned. Speaking of the custom of tho Chineso in netting meat before their dcud, and believina that the dead had eaten, we had been told the tiame thing, ana once believed it ; but have since learnt, irom a pcr&ou of un« doubted credit, that thin notion is entirely groundless, as well tm that the idolators believe their idols speak to them. From that creditable pers(;n wc have likewise been informed, that the aifairti of Cnina w( ar quite a different aspect since those days : and since much has been related to explain why our voyatfpB to China have been interrupted, and how the country has bee') ruined, inanv customs abolished, and the empire divided, I shall here declare what I know of that revolu- tion. The great troubles which have embroiled the affairs of thia empire, putting a stop to the justice and righteousness there formerly practised, and interrupting the ordinary navigation from feiffiff to China, was occasioned by the revolt of an officer named Buichu, in high employment, though not of the royni f/in)ily. He began by gathering together a num- ber of vugubo/Hln, and disorderly peopk, whom he won to his party by hii^ lih< raiities, and formed into a considerable body of troops. With these he committed hostilities in many parts of the country, to tlie great loss of the inhabitants ; and having greatly increased his army, and put himself into a condition to attempt greater things, he began to entertain a design of subf the hegira 264, or of Christ 877. He also cut down the mulberry treo8, which are care- fully cultivated by the Chinese for their leaves, on which the «ilk worms are fed } and owing to this, the trade of silk has tailed, and that manufacture, which used to be much prose- cuted in all the countries under the Arabian government, is quite at a stand. Having sacked and destroyed Canfu, he possessed himself of many other cities, which he demolished, having first slain most ot the inhabitants, in the hope that he might involve all the members of the royal family in this general massacre, that no one might remain to dispute with him tor the em- pire. Ho then advanced to Cumdan ', the capital city, whence the emperor v/as obliged to make a precipitate retreat to the city of Hamdu, on the frontiers towards lliibet. Puffed up with these great successes, Baichu made himself master oi almost the whole country, tlicre being no one able to dispute his authority. At length the emperor wrote to the king of the Taga7-giu^ In Turkestan, with whom he was in some degree alliefi 'ty m rriage, imploring his assistance to subdue the rel;c'li' <». The king of the Tagazgjiz dis- patched his 80.^, at il\c hc?.d of a very numerous army, into China, and ai^er a long mi arduous contest, and many bat- tles, Baichu was utterly defeated, and it was never known af- terwards what became of him ; some believing that he fell in the last battle, while others supposed that he ended his days in a different manner. The emperor of China novr returned to his capital, much weakened and dispirited in con-^ sequence of the embezzlement of his treasures, and the loss of the best of his officers and troops, and the horrible devas- tations, calamities, and losses which his c;npire had sustain- ed ; yet he made himself master of all the provinces which had revolted from his authority. He would not, however, lay his hands upon the goods of his subjects, notwithstanding the exhausted state of his finances, but satisfied himself with what was still left in his coifers, and the small remains of the public money that was to be found, requiring nothing from his subjects, but what they were willing to give, ana ' ..,;.„,- ...only 1 From the description of tliis place afterwards, in the travels of Ebn Wahab, in this article, it appears to have been Nankin. — £• tfUAF. XV. SSCT. II. (if India and China. 71 only <]oiniinding obedience to the lawH mid to hi; authority. CODitidering thai thiy had been already hcverely opprcsneu in consequence of the rebellion. TIiuh, China beciinie like the empire of Alexaiuler, after the defeat and death of Da- rius, wlien h( diviiled the provinces ujnong his chiefu, who became ao many kings. Vor )io)v, each of the Chinese princes, or viceroys, joined themselves into petty alliances, jnidcing wars among themselves without the authority <>'' 'e enu)eror ; and when the stronger had subdued the And acquired possession of bis province, the subjec .vanquished J uince were unmercifully wasted and pi and even burburouaiv devoured : a cruel practice ulli the laws of their rpuffipn, wiiich even permit huinan iicsh to be exposed to public t»ale in the markets. There arose from all these confusions many unjust dealings with the merchants ; and there was no grievance so intolerable, or treatment so bad, but what was exercised upon the Arab merchants, and captains of ships, extorting from them what was altogether uncustomary, seizing upon their eiiects, uni) behaving towards them quite contrary to all the ancient usages ; so that our mercliants were forjced to return in crowdii |o Siraif and Ojnun *, Tlie punishment of married persons, convicted of adultery, 48 well as for the crimes of homicide a|id theft, is lis follows : The hands are bound fast together, and forced backwards over the head, till they rest on the neck. The right foot is then fastened to the right hand, and the left foot to the left hand, and uil drawn tignt together behind the back, so that the criminal is incapable to stirj and by this torture the neck is dislocated, the joints of the arms start from their sockets, and the thigh bones are disjointed j — in short, the tortured wretch would soon expire without any fiuther 1^x0- J :■! iV' '•-•' r,-t\ ^h. cess; 2 The chronology of the Chinese history is attended with extreme difficulty. According to Du Halde : In the reign of the emperor Hi Tion^t the IBth of the Tiong dynasty, the empire fell into great confusion, in consequence of heavy taxations, and a great famine occasioned by the in- undation of the riven, and the ravages of locusts. These things caused many insurrections, and a rebel, named HoanTj/a' put himself at the head of the malcontent », and drove the emperor from the imperial city. But he was afterwards defeated, and the emperor restored. It must be owned that there are about fwenty years difference between the time of the rebellion mentioned in the text, and the date of the great revolt, as assigned by Du Ilalde; but whether the mistake lies in the Arabian manuscript, or in tlie difficulties of Chinese chronolog)-, I cannot take upon me to determine ; y^t both stories probably relate to the same event.— Harris. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ** ./ V^^^ 1.0 1.1 Ui Ui2 12.2 u lii us u 14.0 L25 IIIU 1^ 6" ^ VQ ^;i l^.-^^ <% .# ^.^* ■^ '/ /A ffiotDgraiiiic Sdences Corporalion m [\ ,v <^ 4 ;\ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716)872-4503 t2 Commentofy upon tTu forgoing Jccoimt wamx f. ceM: yet^ in that itate, he is beaten by bamboos till at t)ie last gasp, and is then abandoned to the people, who devour ihe body. There are women in China who refuse to many, and pre^ €er to live a dissolute life of perpetual ddtMuichei^. A womazi who has made this election, presents hersekf in fiiH audience before the conunandinff officer of a dty, deelares her aversion to marriage, and desires to be enroBed among the public women. Her name is then inserted in the resister j with the name of her family, die place of her abode, the nuniiiMr and description of her jewels, and the particidars of her dress, ^e has then a string pot round her neck, to which is^ pended a copper ring, marked with the kingfs siffnet, and •he receives a writing, certifying that she is received into the list of prostitutes, and by which she is entitled to a.pensiai| from the public treasury of so many ,^fM yearty, and in, which the punishment of death is denounfsed agtdnst any man who should take her to wife. Every year, regulations are published respecting these women, and sudi at have; ^[rown old in the service are struck off the list. In ^ evoi^ mg, these women walk abroad in dresses of diJBfepmt cokwrt^ unveiled, and prostitute themselves to all straiu[ers who love debauchery j but the Chinese themselves send fer them tq their houses, whence they do not dqiart tiU next mom- Thb Chinese coin no mon^, except the smaH pieces of c<^per like those we call JahtSf nor will they allow goid and silver to be coined into specie, like our dinars and drams j for they allege that a thief may carry off ten thousand pieces of gold from the house of an Arab, and almost as many of silver, without being much burthen^, and so ruin the mani who suffers the loss; but in the house of a Chinese, he can bnly cany off ten thousand Jhltis at the most, which do not make above ten meticals or gold dinars in value. These pieces of copper are alloyed vnth some other metal, ajqd are about the size of a dram, or the piece of silver called baglif Jiiaving a large hole in die nud lected from this class. It ia customary for them, and for the viceroys or governors of the pities, to appear abroad firom time to time in solemn procession. On these occasions, they are preceded hymen who carry great pieces of wood, like those Used in the Levant instead of beOs by the Christians, on which ther make a noise which is heard at a great distance, upon which every person gets out of the way of tlie prince or eunuch. Even if a man is at his door, he goes in, and keeps his door shut till the great personage has gone by. Thus, liot a soul is in the way, and this is enjoined that they may strike a dread into the people, and be hdd in veneration; and the peqple are not albwed to see them often, lest they should grow so fiuniliar as to speak to them. All these officers wear Very magnificent dresses of silk, so fine that none such is brought mto the country of the Arabs, as the Chinese hold it at a very high price. One of our chief merchants, a man of perfect crembility, waited upon an eunuch who had been Sent to Canfu, to purchase some goods from the country of the Arabs. The eunuch had upon his breast a short and beautiftil silk vest, which was under another silk vest, and seemed to have two other vests over that again j and perceiv* ing that the Arab eyed him very steadfosuy, he asked him the cause; and bdng told thirt: he admired the beauty of the little vest under his other garments, the eunuch laughed, an^ holding out his sleeve to him, desired him to count how many • ests he had above that which he so much admired. He di4 so, and found five, one over the other, and the little" rich vest undermost. Tliese garments are ull wove of raw silk, .1 wmcii f» ! ii it! f" ^ \ 7* \, Comnuniimf'ii^ton the foregoing Aceount kakt %^\ ■■i which l^M never been washed or fuDed ; and those worn by. the princes or governors are still richer, and more exquisitely wrought. ' Hie Chinese' surpass all nations in all arts, and particularly in painting, and they perform such perfect work, as othera can but faintly imitate. When an artificer has finished a piece, he carries it to the prince's palace to demand the re- ward which he thinks he deserves, for the beauty ^f his per- formance ; and the custom is for the prince to order the work to be lef^ at the gate of the palace for a whole year, and if in that time no person finds a just fault in the piece, the arti- ficer is rewarded, and admitted into the body of artists ; but if any fault is discovered, the piece is rejected, and the workw. man sent off without reward. It happened once, that one of these artists painted an ear of com, with a bird perchedupoa it, and his performance was very much admired. This piece stood exposed to public view as usual, and one day a crooked fellow going past, found fault with the picture, and was imme- diately conducted to the piince or governor, who sent for the painter thjit he might hear hu piece criticized. Being asked what fault he had to find, he answered, that every one knew that a bird never settles on an ear of com, but it must bend under the weicht ; whereas this painter had represented the ear of c(»ti bolt upright, though loaded with a bird. Hie objection was held just, and the painter was dismissed without reward. By such means, they excite their workmen to aim at perfection, and to be exceedingly nice and circumspect in what they undertake, and to ^ply their whole genius to any thing that has to go through their hands. There dwelt at Basra one £bn Wahab, of the tribe of Koreish, descended from Hebar, the son of Al Asud* wlia quitted Basra when it was sacked, and caine to Siraff, wbcr<^ he saw a ship preparing to sail for China^. The humtitiur took him to embark in this ship for China, and he had the curiosi^ to visit the emperor's court. Leaving Canfii, he went to Cumdan, afier a journey of two months, and remained a long while at the court, where he presented several petitions to the emperor, setting forth, that he was of the family of tlie prophet of the Arabs. After a considerable interval, the emperoif S According to Abulphang'ius, one Abu Said revolted against the Khaliff Al Mohated, in the year of the hegira, 'i85, A. D. 89a, and lai^ waste Bassora. This date agrees with the story of Ebn Wahab in the text,'— Jfsuris. KAKT ly worn by. cquiutdy. W 75 M ii»AP. TV. net. ir. of India andChilUi', '" <• '^^ , emperor ordered him to be lodeed in a house appointed for the piupo8e» and to be supplied with every thing he might need. The «nperor then wrote to the goyemor of Canfu^ to inquire carefully among the Arabian merchants respecting this man's pretensions ; and receiving a full confirmation of his extracti(m, received him to an audience, and made him rich presents, with which he returned to Irak. ' ' > When, we saw him^ this man was much advanced in year»^ but bad his senses perfectly. He told us that the emperor asked him many questions respecting the Arabs, and partiou- larly how they nad destroyed the Inngdom of the Persians. Ebu Wahab answered, that they haa done it by the assist- ance of Oodj and because the Persians were immersed in idolatry', adoring the sun, moon, and stars, instead 6f the Al^ mi^ty. The emperor said, that they had conquered the most UlustriouB kingdom of the earth, the best cultivated, thd most populous, the most pregnant of'fine witS) and of the highest rame. The emperor then asked Ebn Wahab what account the Arabs made of the other kings of the earth ; to which he answ^ied that he knew them not. Tlien the empe^ ror caused the interpreter to say^ we admit but five great kings. He who is master of Irak has the kingdom of widest extent, which is surrounded by the territorieis of other kings^ and we find him called King of Kings. Aner him is uie emperor of China, who is styled King of Mankind, tat no King has more absolute autlioritv over his subjects, and no people can be more dutiful and submissive than his subjects. Next is the king of the Tuvks, whose kingdom borders on China, and who is styled the King of Lions. Next is the king of the Elephants, who is king of the Indies, whom w6 call King of Wisdom. Last of all is the King of Greece, whom we call King of Men, as there are no men of better manners, or comlier fq)p«urance, on the face of the earth, than his sulgects. Ebn Wahab was then asked if he knew his lord and ma»* ter the prophet Mohammed, and if he had seen him ? How could that be, said Wahab, seeing that he is with God? Being then asked what manner of person he was; he answer* ed that he vras very handsome. Then a great box was brought, out of which another box was taken, and the inter- preter was desired to shew him his lord and master. Ebn Wahab, upon looking in, saw the images of the prophets »nd the emperor observing him to move his lips, desired him ■ ■ • • to 1! i I ki I T« Commeniaiy upon the Jbregoing decmni 9Ajn, t» ■i: w \i tp be asked the reaaon i on which he said he was pnnriag in« wftrdly bi honour of the prophets. Besitt asked Vow h« iHnew them, he said by the representation « greats antiquity. Being asked why he had deserted his own lung, to whom he was so near in bkiod i he gave informatioii of uie revolutions which had happened at fissra, which had forced him to fly to Siri^; where, hearing of tl^ ak>ry of the tmperor of Chma, and t3ae abundance ofev&ty thing in his •inpire, he had been impelled by curiosity to visit it j but that he intended soon to return to the kii]^>dom of hia com- vln, where he should make a fiuthful report of the nMSniftt cenoe. of China, the vast extent of its provinces, and w the ^d usage he had met with. This seemed to please the em? pcror, who made him rich presents, and ordered him to be conducted to Canfu on post horses \ He wrote alsp to the governor of that city, commanding him to be treated with honour; and to the governors of the provinces through which he had to pass, to shew him every civility. He was treated handsomely diving the remainder of his stay in Chi* na, plentifully supplied with all necessaries, and honoured with many presents '. From 4 From this circumstance, it appears probable that the great canal of Chi* oa was not then constructed. — E. 5 Some circupnstances in this very interesting detail h^ve been a little '■'■'?"*-%..,., cttA>. nr. Iter, tt* rf India and C^ina* ^^ Vf From the information of Ebn Wahab, we learn that Cum- ' dan, where the en^ror <^ China keepg his court, is a very lai^ and extremelj populous ci^, divided into two parts by a veiy long and broad street. That the emperor, nis chief ministers, the supreme judge, the eunuchs, tne sol- diery, and all belonging to the impmal household, dwelt in tliat part of the cky which is on the right hand eastward i and that the people were not admitted into that part of the dtf , which is watered by r^anak from difibrent rivers, the borders of which are planted with trees, and adorned hj magnificent palaces. That portion of the city on the left hand, westwards from the sreat street, is inhabited by the ordinary kind of people, and the merchants, where also are great squares and markets for all the necessaries of life. At ay-break every morning, the officers of the royal household, with the inferior servants, purveyors, and the domestics of the grandees of the court, come into that division of the city, some on horseback, and others on foot, to the public mar- kets, and the shops of those who deal in all sorts of goods* where they buy whatever iAiev want, and do not return again till their occasions call them back next morning. The ci^ is very pleasantly situate in the midst of a most fertile ' soily watered by several rivers, and hardly deficient in ai^ ihin^ except pahn trees, which grow not there. In our time a discovery nas been made, of a circumstance quite new and unknown to our ancestors. No one ever imagined that the great sea which extends from the Indiea to China had any communication with the sea of Syria. Yet we have heard, that in the sea of Rum, or the Mediter- ranean, there was found the wreck of an Arabian ship, which had been shattered by a tempest, in which all her men had. perished. Her remains were driven by the wind and wea- ther into the sea of the Chozars, and thence by the canal of the Mediterranean sea, and were at last thrown upon the coast oi Syria. Hence it is evident, that the sea surrounds all the country of China and Sila or Cila, the uttermost parts of Turkestan, and the country of the Chozars, and that it communicates by the strait with that which washes j«'- the ,■-«».*; curtaiied. If Abu Zud had been a man of talents, he might turdy hsve acquired and transmitted more useful information from this traveller j wbo, indeed seems to have beea a poor drivelliog zelotfr— E. J ^ mm 7B Commeittarji upon the foregoing Acamni tAMXt* ;* the coMt of Syria. This is proved by the structure of the wreck} of which the planks were not nailed or bolted, like ■n those built in the Mediterranean, or on the coa«t of Sy^ rim biit joined together in an extraordinary manner, as if sewed, and none but the ships of Siraif are so fiutened. We/, have also heard it reported, that ambergris has been found on the coast of Syria, which seems hard to believe, and was imknown to former times. If this be true, it is im* pcissible that amber should liave been thrown up on the sea of Syria, but by ^ sea of Aden and Kolsiim, which has communication with the seas where amber is found. And as God has put a separation between these seas, it must have nccessanly been, that this amber was driven from the Indian Seas into the others, in the same direction with the vessel ofSiraff*. . The province of Zapage is of^osite to China, and distant from thence a month^s soil or less, if the wind be fair. The king of this country is styled Mehraoe, and his dominions ^e said to be 900 leagues in drcumterence, besides which, he commands over many islands wliich lie around i so diat, altogether, this kingdom" is above 1000 leagues in extent. One of these islands is called Serbeza, whioi is said to be 400 leagues in compass; another is called Rhamiy which is 800 leagues round, and produces red-wood, camphor, and many otner commodities. In the same kingdom is the isl- and of Cala, which is the mid passage between China and the country of the Arabs. This i^and is 80 leagues in circumference, and to it they bring all sorts of merchandize^ as 6 There is a vast deal of error in tliii long paragraph. It certainly was impossible to ascertain the route or voyage of the wreck which wa* wJ to have heen cast away on the coast of Syri^. It' it could have b^n ascertain- ed to have come from the sea of the Chozars, or the Euxine, by the canal of Constantifiople, and the Egean, into the gulf of Syria, and actually wa* ut- terly different from the build of the Mediterranean,! it nuy or ihust have been Russian. If it certainly was built at Sirafil some adventurous Arabian crew must have doubled the south of Africa from the east, and perished when they had well nigh immortalized their fame, by Opening up the pas- sage by sea froiti Europe to India: And as the Arabian Moslems very soon navigated to Zanguebar, Hinzuan, and Madagascar, where their colonies still remain, this last is not impossible, though very unlikely. The amber- Sis may have proceeded from a sick cachalot that had wandered into the editerranean. : ■ • - ^ , The north-east passage around the north of Asia and Europe, which u. adduced by the commentator, in Harris's Collection, is now thoroughly known to be impracticable. — C. _{*v:*f^ii?^» 1 J* ^Av^* tnA9.rr. Viet, It. qf India and China. ^ 41 tafl aloes vood of several kinds, camphor, sandal wood, irorf, the wood onlled cabahif doony, red-wood, all sorts of spice, «nd manj others} and at present the trade is carried on between this island and that of Oman. The Mehraoe is •overeign oyer all these islands ; and that of Za|Mige, in umich he resides, is extremely fertile, and so populous, that the townit almost touch each other, no part ai the knd being uncultivated. The palace of the king or Mehrage, stands on a river as broad as the Tigris at Ba^at or Bassora, but the sea intercepts its course, and drives its waters back with the tide { yet during the ebb the fresh water flows out a good way into the sea. The river water is let into a small pond, close to the king's palace, and every morning the master of the household brings an ingot of gold, wrought in a parti- cular manner, tind throws it into the pond, in presence of the king. When the king dies, his successor causes all these ingots, which have been accumulating during the reign of his predecessor, to be taken out ; and the sums arising from tills great quantity of gofld are distributed among the royal hous^okl, in certain proportions, according to their respective ranks, and th6 surplus is given to the poor. Komar is the country whence the aloes wood, whidi we call Hud al Komari, is brought; and it is a very populous kingdom, of which the inhabitants are very courageous. In this country, the boundless commerce with women is forbidden, and indeed it has no wine. • The kingdoms of Zapage and Ko- inar are about ten or twenty days easy sail from each other, and the kingdoms were in peace with other when die fdlowing event is said, in their ancient histories, to have occurred. The young and higli-spiritcd king of Komar was one day in his palace, which looks upon a river much like the Eu- phrates, at the entrance, and is only a day's journey from the sea. One, day, in a discourse with his prime minister, the conversation turned upon the glory and population of the kingdom of the Mehrage, and the multitude of its depend- ent islands, when the king of Komar expressed a wish to see the head (^ the Mehrage of Zapage on a dish before him. The minister endeavoured to dissuade him irom so unjust and rash an attempt ; but the king afterwards proposed the same exploit to the other officers of his court. Intelligence of this prefect was conveyed to the Mehrage, who was a wise and active prince, of consummate experience, and in the floWer of his age j ^and who, immediately ordered a thousand ^small .—1. #5 CmmeHtmy upoHi^Jbr^ing Actctml WAntt k ! onaU ships to be fitted out, with all neccnary araM and prorisions, and manned with ai many of Ma best traops at thcj were able to transport, carefhUv oonoeaKng the pur po sa df this armament, but ffiving out tnot he meant to Tiiit the difibient islands under his authority, and 0?en oause^ lettem to be written to the tributary kings of these islands to pf»^ pare for his reception. When eveiy Uiing was in readiliesey ne sailed oTer to the kingdom 6f Komar, the king of whidiy and all his courtiers, were a set (tf effeminate creatures, wh» did nothing all day long but view their faces in mhrrorty and pick their teeth. The Mehrage landed his troops with- out delay, and immediatelv invested the palace, in which the king was made prison , aH his attenoants having fled without fiffhting. Ijien the Mehrage caused proclamati— Harris. Such is tht opinion of the editor of Harris's Collection. But I am disposed, Mpedaliy from the rivers mentioned, to consider Zapage as Pegtt ; and tliat Mabcca, Sumatra, and Java, were the dependent islands ; and particidariyi that Afalacca, as the great mart of early trade, though actuaUy no ishmd, was the Cala of Abu Zeid. Sum, or CaofMUa, may have ben the king- 4oiii of Koidar^E. CM At, rr, SECT. II. tfliuUa and Gtitm, 81 ^^^AU the king* of China and the Indies bt^eve in the me^ tegqi syd hosis, or tnuuasignition of soola, as an artide of dwb nAgion, of vi^hich the foOowtng story, rdated \f a per- sdn of credjbiUw, is a sitiaular imtanoe. One of these niteess having vMwed hfaniMlr ki a mirror, after reeorering tram- the snudWpoK, and notidi^ how dreadfully his iace ivas disfigured, observed, that no penon had ever renudned in his body after sudi a change, and as the sold passes instandyh^o another bodv, he was determined to separate his sou fiom its present frigditftil body, that he nagjkt pass into aMther. Wherefiore Be oonmianded his nepnew to mount die Uirone, and calKng for a sharp and keen scymitar, ordered his own head to be cut off, that his soul m^ht be set free^ to inhabit a now body. His orders were complied with, and his body was burnt, according to the custom of the country. IJhtil tlK» late revolution had reduced them to thdr pre- sent strite of anarchy, the Chinese were wonderftilty regidar axid exact in evcnrv thiiu; relative to govemm^t; of which the feUowinff incident am>rds a striking example. A mer- chant of Chorossan, who had dealt largely in Irak, and who embarited from thence for China, with a quantfty of goods, had a dii^ute at Caniu with an eimueh, who was sent to purchase some ivory, and other soods for the empe- ror, sind at length the dispute ran so high, that the mer- diant refused to sett him his goods. This eunuch in» keeper of the imperial treasury, and presumed so much on' the fitvour and confidence which he enjc^red with his master, that he took his choice of all the goods he wanted fkmi the merchant by force, regardless of every thing that the mer- chant could say. The merchant went privatdy from C^nfii to Cumdan, the residence of the emperor, which is two months journey ; and immediatd|y went to the string of the bell, mentioned in the fbrmer secticta, which he putted. Accordii^; to the custom of the ooimtry, he was conveyed to a place at the distance <^ ten days journey, Wiiere he was committed to prison for two months ; after which he was brought before the viceroy of the province, yrho repre- sented to him« that he had involved himself in a situation which would tend to his utter ruin, sind even the loss of his life, if he did not qieak out the real truth : Because diere were ministers and governors nipOinted to distribute justice to aU strangers, who were ready to see him rioted } and if VOL. I. F the #. i i Saaww i- ■■'i <->i i . " I -""1 1 •'■>i-»>'» i iiii»,tilMH i )i ii i i[ iil' i (i 82 Cummentary t^pon the foregoing Account tAvr u the nature of the wnnn» which he- had to yeprcMnl, did not appear tuch a* to entitle hfan to thk appHcatiott to the en-' peror, he would aiMirediy be put (to death, as a wamhig t& othen not to follow hii examplek The Ticero^, tfaeiem^ odviiod him to withdraw hit appeal* and to return kunediatefy to Caafa. The rule on luehMoaslont was* that if «he pffrtr lihould endeavour to recede after this exhOTtation» be trottliir iMve received fl(br Uefwi of a bamboo, and have been hnine^ diatdy sent out of the countiy t but if he pertistod hi his ap* peal, he was immediate^ admitted to «n audience of the em- peror. The merchant strenuoudy persisted in hfa demand: for justice, and was at length admitted to the presence of the or, to whom lie rriated dw ii^ustioe of tiie cUnuch, in away his goods by force. Upon this, the merchant was tnrown into prison, and the enmeror oidcrcd his prime minister to write to the governor of Confu, to moke strict inw quiry into die complaints which he had exhibited agahist die eunuch, and to miake a faithful report of all the circumstan- ces i and he, at the some time, gave similar orders to three other princjpid offieen, to Make the same inquiry, aU. separate: ami unknown to each other. Tlieee officers, who are called of the ri^, of the left* and of the centre, according to thdr ranks^ have the obmniand of die imperial forces, muk* the prime minister % they are entrusted with the guord •fdiC' emperor^ person : and whea he takes the field, on any military, enterprise, or on any other account, these officess are stationed near him, each accoeding* to his rank. All of these made accordingly the strictest- inquiries into the allegBUons of the mttchimt, and all sepa- rately gave in their reports, assuriiw the emperor tLat these complfunts were hisfc and well-founmd r and these were fol- Iow«xI and connrmed fay manv other informations. The. . eunuch was in consequence deprived of hu office of treasurer, And all his eflfects were confiscated ; on which occasion thp emperor addressed him as follows :■ ** Death ought to have ' been your doom, for giving occasion of complaint against me* to this man, who hath come from Chorassan, which is on the borders of my empire. He hath been in the country of the ' Arabs, whence he came into the kingdomaof the Ihdies, and dience into my empire, seekinji; his Mvantage by trade ; and you would have occasioned him to return across all th^ae re- gions, saying to all the petmie in his vray, that he had beink abused and ttrii^ied of hb substance in Chino. In consider-i U3J -, atton ' i>-| ; 'S*s_.v'--^.,i.'»(^,, « ciiir. IV. siCT. II. ^ India and China. H ■Uon of your fimner Knrioct, and the nuik you have held in myhouamoldt I grant your life) but ostou have not die- charged your duty in rward to the living, I will confer upon you the diarge oftheaMd." The eunuch waa aoooedingly lent to uke tte cuitody of the imperial tombs, and to iwnain there for the remainder of hit life. Before the hOe commotion*, the good order obierved in the adminLitration of justice, and the miyesty of their tribunals, were very admirable. To fill these, the Chineae chose men who were perfectly veriant in the htws ) men of sinosri^, and zealous in the cause of justice, who were not to be biassed by the interference of the great* and who always administered the laws with impartiality, neither oppressing the poor, nor accepting bribes from tms rich. When any one was to be promoted to the office <^ principal judge, he was previously sent to all the chief cities of the empire, to remain a month or two in each, inquiring minutely into Uie various customs and affiurs of the people, and informing himself of all such persons OS were wortnv of being credited m their testimony, that his judffment might be regulated in the fiiture dischai^e of his hign office by this prelimmaryknowledoe. After going through all the cities in tnis manner, andnuddng some stay in those which are most considerable, he repaired to the imperial court, and was invested with the dignity of supreme judge. To him the npmination of all the other judges was confided, after ac- quainting the emperor with the names of all who, in his esti- mation, were most worthy of exercising jurisdiction in the various cities and provinces. Every day, the supreme judge causes proclamation to be made, that if any man has been wronged by the viceroy or governor, or by any of his rda» tions or officers, or any other person, he UiaU receive anqile justice. A viceroy or governor is never d^raded, except by letters issued from the council, or divan of kings, and ^s is done only for some flagrant malversation, or mr the refosal or delay wjustice. The posts of judicature being conferred up- on none but men of probity and justice, good order is e£&cti(« ally maintained. >. The province of Chorassan is almost on the borders of China. From China to Sogd is about two months journey, throu^ in^racticable deserts of sand, where there is no . water I for pAiicfa reason the Chorossanians can make no ir- ruptions into China. The most westerly province of China is MedUf irfnch borders on Thibet, and the two nations are often at war. A person who had been in China, informed us, that 1/ |Ni Commeniat'y upon the foregoing Account WAWt w iheit he had leoi a man af Canfu, wlto had travelled from SamAre, aU the way da foot, through all the cities in China, with a ressel of musk on his back for sale ; which he mi^t easily do, as the part of Thibet, which produces musk» is con- tiguous to China. The Chinese carry oS as many of the animals which produce musk as they can procure ; but the ; mudc of Thibet is fiu: better than that t>f China, because the animal feeds on aromatic plants in thie mountains of Thibet, ' while in China it has to subsist upon the ordinary pastures ; and because the inhabitants of Thibet preserve then: cods of < musk in its natural state (^purity, while the Chinese adulter' ^^te all thiA gets into their hands ; for t«^ich reason the musk 'of Thibet is in great I'equest among the Arabs. The most exquisite of all the sorts of musk, is that which the musk animals leave behind than, in rdbbing themselves on the Todcs of thdr native mountains. The hUmour whence the inusk is generated, foils down towards the navel of the animal, where it gathers into tumoria like gnunous blood ; ond when this tumor is ripp, it produces a painful itching, on which the animal rubs LtmseU* against rocks or stones m\ he bursts the tumor, and the contents run out and coagulate on the stone ; after which, the wound heals, and the humour galiiers again as before. There are men in Thibet who make it their business to collect diis ^lecies of musk, which they preserve in bladders, and which, having ripened, natural^ surpasses all othen in goodness, just as ripe fruit exceeds in flavour that which is pulled green. There is another way of procur- ing musk, either by ensnaring the animals, or shooting them with arrows ; but the hunters often out out the bags before the mudc is ripe or fully elaborated, in which cose, tne musk at first has a bad scent, till the humour thickens, afler which it turns to good musk, though this sometimes takes a k>ng while. The nmsk animal is Tike our roebuck, his skin and colodr the same^ with slender legs, and smooth slightly bent horns ; having on each side two small white teeth, about half a iinger-lengtb, which rise about his muzzle, not much unlike the form of the teeth of the elephant, and by which he is dis- tinguished from other roiebucks. The letters from the emperor of China, to the viceroys, •Governors, eunuchs, and lieutenants, are conveyed on post- horses, which are distinguished by cut tails, and these are (Ksposed at regular stations, all over the empire, almost like the posts among the Arabs. In China, every maU) from the 1* emperor i-Hi- ■_ '-*/^.^rfV -■ jtiliUP. IT. SECT. II. of India and China, '^%\\m.miy 8fi emperor to the nieanest of the people, makes water standitiff ^; ^ juid for thi> purpose, penons ot dignity hyie gilded holW canes, a cubit long, to copivey their water to a distance. .They are of opmion, that pains rn the kidneys, strangury, and even the stone, are occasioned by urining in a sitting posr* ture, as the reins cannot free themselves absolutely frmn evil humours, except by evacuating in an erect position. Thi^ do not mould the heads of new bom infants into a round form as we do, as they allege that this practice injures the brain, and impairs the senses. They suifer their hair to grow, which is carefully combed. Hie nation is divided into tribes, like those of the Arabs and some others, and fio man ever marries in nis own tribe : jiist as the children of Thwn- mim among the Arabs never twe a wifo from that tribe. Or, for exampte, a man ofthe tribe of Bobayat marries a daughter of the tnbe Modzar, and a Modzar marries a Robayat and thev are of opinioii, that such alliances a^ to the -iM^nity and power of their children. , iii^' In the kingdom of the Balhara, and all the other kin^ adorns of the Indies, there are men who burn themselves m consequence of their belief in the doctrine of transmigration. When a man has come to this resolution, he asks leave ofthe king, which being obtained, he goes in rn'ocession round all the public squares of the city, and proceeis to the place ap- pointed, wher^ a pile of axy wood is ready for the purpose^, having many persons all round to feed !;he. fire, which blazes prodigiously. At last die person comes forward, preceded py a number of instruments, and moves round the pile in the midst of his fri(»ids and relations. During this ceremony, seme person places on his head a garland of straw, or dry Iierbs, filled with burning coals, on which they pour saiu/rocA, which takes fire as strongly as naphtha ; notwithstanding ol' which, he continues his progress without betraying any sense of pain, or change of countenance, though the crown of his head be all on fire, and the stench of his burning flesh is felt all round. At length, he comes up to the pile, and throws him- self in, where he is soon reduced to ashes. A credible person flays, he once saw an Indian bum himself; and when he came near the pile, he drew out a cangiar, or sharp knife, with cangiar, and which he nj^ped himself open, and pulling out the lap of liver with lus left hand, cut off a piece of it with his cang "fi.UHUi ''■Hi '.«■?)< 8 Thio alludes to the cuitom of the Arabs, and other orientals, to squat upon this occasion — E. ,w Commentary upon iheforegfm^ Account vabt i. and gave it to ono of his brothers, talking all tlie time with the most invincible contempt of death and torture, and at length leaped into the fire, in hii passage to heU. " At the accession of some kings of tlie Indies, the followuiff ceremony is observed : A large quantity of rice is dressed and qaread out iqpon leaves of mousa, m presence of the king. Then three or four hundred persons come, of their own accord, widiout any constraint wnatever { and after the king has eaten of the rice, he gives some of it to all that come forwards in succession, which they eat in his. presence} and by this ceremony, they enga^ to burn themselves on tlie.da^ when this king dies or is suun, and they punctually fulfil their promise. T In the mountainous parts of India, there are tribes who di£Per little firom those we ciSi Kanisians vaA JelidianSi and who are addicted tx> all manner of superstition and vice ; be< tween whom, and the inhabitants of Uie people on the coast, there subsists great emulation, each daring tne others to imi- tate them in the performance of strange superstitious tortures. There once came a man ilx>m the mountains on this errand, ' who gathered a multitude of the inhabitants of the coast to the foUowing strange exhibition, daring them to imitate him, or otherwise to acknowledge themselves overcome. He sat down in a place planted with canes, and caused a strong one to be forcibly bent down, to which he strongly fitsten^ the hair of his head. " Now," said he, " I am going to cut off my own head with this cangiar { and as soon as it is severed from my body, let go the cane, and when my head flies up into the air, I will hugb, and you shall hear me." But the people of the coast had not courage to imitate him ^ The person who related this, did it without emotion or wonder; and in our times, these fiicts are generally known, as this part of the Indies is in the neighbourhood of the country ot the Arabs, and we liear from thence every day. In the Indies, they bum their dead { and it is customary for men and women to desire their families to throw them into the fire or to drown theni, when they are grown old, or perceive themselves to sink under the pressure of disease, firmty a: 1 #^A^!f -l-T' d It it presumable, tlut this wat a mere bravado, in tbe full confidence that no one would be found lufficiently foolhardy to engage to follow the example. It is needless to say, that the promise of laughing aloud could not have been performed ; so that any one might have safely accepted the rhallencie, conditioning for the full performance of the vaunt.— E 'ABTI. fUowilUr dressed of the of their fterthe lit come 'Cj and )e.day >i their. CHAF. IV. SECT. iC oj Atdia and China. ""^^ firmly believing that they are to return into other bodies. It has often himpened, in the isle of Serenity .where there is a mine of precious stone* iti a mountain, a pearl-fbherj, and o^r extraordinary things, (hat an Indian would come iMo the bacar or market-place, armed with a krist and seize upon tlie most wealthy merchant there present, leading him -out of the market, through a throng ot pet^le, holding the kris to his throat, while no one dared to attempt his rescue, as the Indian was sure, in sudi a case, to kill the merchant, and make away with himself; and when he had got the merchant out of the city, the Indian obliged fakn to redeem his life witli A sum of money. To put an end to such outrages, an order was issued to seize such trespassers ; but on attempting to exe- cute this order, several merchants were kllcd, both Arabs and Indians, and the order was obliged to be repealed. In the mountains of Serendib, precious stones are round of va^ xiouG colours, red, green, and yelk>w '**, most <^ which are washed Irom caverns or crevices, by rains and torrents. Iti these placet, the kin^ has officers to watch over the people wiio gather the precious stcmes. In some places, these ore dug out of mines, like the ores of metola, and the rock has often to be broken to come at the precious stones which it contains. The king of Serendib makes laws concwning the religion and government of the country ; and there are assem- blies held of doctors and learned men, lUce those of the /£nf/- this among the Arabs, to whidi the Indians repair, and write down what they hear of the lives of thdr prophets, and the expositions of their laws. In this idand, there are temples in vdiich great sums of mon^ are expended on incoise; and in dne of these temfdes, there is a great idol all of pure gold j but coneeming the weight of which travellers are not agreed^ in the same isumd, there are great numbers of Jews, and per- sons of many other sects, even TanouiSf and Manichees, the kings permitting the free exercise of every religion. At the end ol the island are vallies of great extent, extendhig quite to the sea, called Gab Serendib, of extreme beau^, and che- quered with groves and plains, water and meads, and blessed with a wholesome air. A sheep may be there bought for half a dram, and for the same as much of their drink, made of palm-honey, boiled and prepared with tari, or tod<^, as will suffice for many persons. The inhabitants are much a- '<^'. ; , -V.-- . ., . „ , ,., , , ' dieted 1 1 10 Ruble*) emeralds, and topazes.— E. ii ^\A^t^ ii; 'f f ? i Commenttttyupontkf/hnngiHngAetount parti. dieted to ^tjmag, particulfurly dr^u^U. Tbelr other prin- cipal diveruqn is cock-^hiiiqgi thdr oocks being very uuroe* and better pjrovided vitn qp«rs thwi ordinary j and beaioM thii» the Iimiapa arm them with blades of iron* in the Ibmi of cangiars or daggers. On diese combotSt they betgodd and silver, lands or wins s and they flame with such nuy» that debauchees, and desperate pe(^» onoi stake the ,ends of their fiiyg^y when their other prop^ty is exhausted. While at play for this extraordinary stake* they have a fire by than, on which a small pot <^ wahiut oU, or oil of sesamum, is kqA boiliiWj and when one has won a game, he chops oft' the end of theloser's finger, who immediately d^s the stump into the boiling oil, to stem the blood i and .some will persist so obsti- nately, as to have all their fingers thus mutilated. Some even will take a burning wick, and «pply it to some member, till the scent of the burnt fle«^ is 1^ all around, while the stoic continues to play, without betraying ^e least sense of pain^ floth men and wom&n are so exoeeaiogty addicted to debauchr ery, that a forei^ merchuit hn* been known to send even fi>r a king's dau^ter, to attend him at ^e fishing grounds, in cniality of mistress ; wherefore the Mahomedan doctort at Sirafij strictly warn young people not.to go there. In the indies there axe heavy rains, calledj4»ara, wfaidt hist incessantly day and night, lor three months eveiy year. The Indians prepare against these to the best of dieir power, as they shut themselves iqi in their houses duriag the whole time, all work being then performed within doors ) and during this time, they are subject to ulcers in the soles of tl^cir feet, occasioned by the damps. Yet, these rains are of ihdis- pensable necessity ; as* when they fittl, the Indians are reduced to the utmost want, as their rice fields are watered onlv by the rains. It never rains during summer. The Indians have doctors, qr devout men, named Bromins. They have poets also, who compose poems filled with the grossest flat- tery to their kings and great men. Tliey have also astrolo- gers, philosophy's, soothsayers, men who observe the flight of biids, and others who pretend to the calculotion of nati- vities, particularly at Kaduge, a great city in the kingdom of Gozar ' '. There are certain men caHed Biear^ who go all their lives naked, and saS&t their hair to grow till it hides their hinder parts. They also allow their nails to grow, till . 7»i* they < 1 1 Obviously Canoge, ia Bengal.«r£. PAM i. oiiAP. iv« MCT. li. 1^ India and China* fihj thcgr bBCome pointed and shiurp like sirords. Eacli has a «triiig round his neek, to wkioi hings ah earthen dish, and vHien httngry, thej^ go to any home, whence the inhabitants cheerfully iiupi^y them with Doiled rice. Th^^ have nuuiy laws and rdigioui preceiMs, by which they imaffine that they pkasc God. Part of dieir devotion consists in Duilding ham, or inns, on the hi^waj^, for the aocommo^ation of travellen ; where also certain pedlars, or small dealers, are established, from whom the passengers may p. hambane, Sabia,SofaIa, Moraranga«Mo«unlMmie, andQuerimba,to the south ; all known to, and frequented by the Arab8.-HE. ■4 This incredible story may have originated from an Ul-told account of the war bulls of the Caffres, exaggerated into fable, after the usual manner of. the Arabs, always fond of the marvellous. — ^E. . ^ ^,. „:„,;j .*■: PARTI. CHAP. IV. 6ECT. II. n^ India aud China. n cd flloesf and ndthqnt wluck th^ fionout medicine Hiera " could not be compoHnded j desiriog hib likewine to remove the natives and to plant Uiere a colony of Greeks, who mi^it supply l^jfria* Greece, and ISg^^t with aloes. This was done acoordina^y i and when God sent JesuB Christ into the world, the.Gredcs of this ioAe emlwaced the Christian fiiith, lUie the rest 4)f thdr nation, and have persev«ed in it to this day, like all die other inhalntants of the islands ^'. In the first bode, no mention is made of the sea which stretches away to the right, as ship depart from Cknan and the coast of Arabia, to launch out into the great sea : and the author describes only the sea on die left Imnd, in which are comprehended the seas of India and China. In this sea, to the righ^ as you leave Oman, is the country <^ Sihar or Shihr, where fcankincense |nows, and <^er countries posses- sod by the nations of Ad, Homyar, Jorham,' an4 Thabatcha, M(ho have the Sonna, in Arabic of very ancient date, biU dif- fering in many diings from what is in the hands o£ the Arabs, and containing many tradititms unknown to us. They have no viUa^pes, and live a very hard and miserably wandering life ; but their country extends almost as &r as Aden and Judda on ik» coast of Yaman, or Arabia the happy. From Judda, it stretches iqp into the continent, as fiir as the coast of Syria, and ends at Kolzum. The sea at this place is divided by a slip of land, which God hath fixed as a hnc of separation be- tween the two seas '7. From Kolzum the sea stretehes along the coast of the Barbarians, to the west coast, which is oppo- site to Yaman, and then along the coast of Ethiopia, from whence, we have the leopard suns (^Barbary '^, which are the best of all, and the most skilfiilly dressed; and lasdy, along the coast of Zeilah, whence come excellent amber and tortoiseshel]. ■» it w vM . iri- When ; 15 k ia somewfaat tloj^lar to find this ancient Arabian author mentioning the fimt word of the famous ISera Piera, or Holy Powder ; a compound stomachic purge of aloes and spices, probably combined by the ancients with many other ingredients, as it is b]r die modems with rhubarb, though now only given in tincture or sdution with wine or sjurits. The story of Alex- ander rests only on its own Arabian basis. — ^E. 16 Meaning, doubtless, the isles of the Mediterranean. — ^E. ^ / .- 17 Referring, dbviously, to the Isthmus of Suez. — E. 18 This doa not refer to the coast of Barbary in the Mediterranean, but must mean the coast of the barbarian Arabs or Pe^ouins. — £. } i ii Commentary upon thejbregoing Account taut r. mi m fi ( f AM i If 1 7 i ' J f 'i 1 When the SirafF shipii arrive in the Red Sea, they go no fiirther than Judtla, whence their caroo is transported to Cairo, or KaAirat by ships of Kolsum, the pildta of which are acf|uaintcd with the navigation of the upper end of this xw, which isi full of rocks up to the water's eage i because, also, along the coast there are no kings ", and scarcely anv Infafr* bitants) and because, every night ships are obBgeatoput into some place for safety, for Tear of striking on the rocks, or miMt ride all night at anchor, sailing only in the day-time. This sea is likewise subject to very thick fogs, and to violent gales of wind, and is therefore of very dangerous navigation, and devmd of any safe or pleasant anchorage. It is not, like the seas of India and China, whose bottom is rich with pearls and ambergris } whose mountains are stored with gold^ prek ciows stones, and vmry i whose coasts produce ebony, red- wood, aloes, camphm*, nutmegs, cloves, sandal, and ill odier spices and aromatics ; where parrots and peacocks are iMrds of the forest, and in which musk and civet are collected in abundance : so productive, in short, are these shores of articles of infinite variety, and inestimable value, that it were vain to endeavour to make any enumeration. Ambergris is thrown upon this coast by the dvx of the sea, but its origin is unknown. It is found on the coast' df the Indies, but the best, which is of a bluish white, and in round lumps, is got upon the Barbarian coast : or on the omifines of the kund of the Negroes, towards Sihar and that neighbour- hood. The inhabitants of that country have camels trained for the purpose, on which they ride along the shore in moon- shine nights, and when the camels perceive a piece of amber, he bcmis his knees, on which the rider dismounts, and se- cures his prize. There is another kind which swims on the surface of the sea in great lumps, sometimes as big as the body of an ox, or somewhat less. When a certom fish, named 7b/, of the whale tribe, sees these floating lumps, he swallows them, and is thereby killed ; and when the people, who are accustomed to this fisheiy, see a whale floating on the surface, they know that this whale has swallowed ambergris, and going out in their boats, they dart their harpoons mto its body, and tow it on shore, and split the animid down the the back, to get out the ambergris. What is found about the * .... I 19 This singular expreision probably signifies that the inhabitants atf without la^^' or regular government.— E, otiAr. IV. 8KCT. If. of India and China. §1 (he; l)e% of the whale m commonly spoiled by the wet, imd has op unplewant scent; but the amberffrit wmch is not con- tafaiinatad by the ordure in the belly of Uie whale, ia perfiectly |ood". \ It is not unysual to employ the vertebne of this species of whale «s stools ) and it is suid, there are many houses in tlie village <^ Tain, ten leagues from Siraff, in which the lintels of the doors are made of whale ribs. An eye-witness told me that he went to see a whale which had been cast ashore, near Siraff, and found the people mounting on its back by means of ladders {. that they dug pits in different parts of his body, and ixrhen tlie sun had melted the grease into oil, they collected this, and sold it to the masters of ships, who mixed it up with some otlier matter, used by seamen for the purpose of serv- ing the bottoms of their vessels, and securing the seams of the planks, to prevent or to stem leaks. This whale-oil sdls fur a great deal of money ; ana the bones of tlie whale aire sold by the druggists of B<^at and Bassoro. ^ The peanoyster is at first a small thin tender substance, re- sembling the leaves of the plant called Anjedana^ and swims on the surface of tlie sea, where it sticks to the sides of ships .under wa()er« It there hardens, grows larger, and becomes '; covered by a shell ; after which, it becomes heavy, and falls to the bottom of the sea, where it subsists, and grows in a way of which we are ignorant. The included animal resem- bles a piece of red fl^, or like the tongue of an animal to- wards the root, having no bones, veins, or sinews. One opi- , nion of the production of pearls in this shell-fish is, that the oyster rises to die surfiu:e when it rains, and, by gaping, catches the dr^s of rain, which harden into pearls. The : more likely opinion is, that die pearls are generated widiin the body of the oyster, for most of them ore fixed, and not moveoUe. Such as arc loose are called seed pearls. An Arab came once to Bassora with a pearl of great value, which he shewed to a merchant, and was astonished when he got so large a sum lor it as an hundred drams of silver; with ' which ■ ■.I ■•^'r ■k ■'.3!ii: sO Tfais curtmM account of the origin of amber^i, waa revived agaia j(bout twenty-five years ago, and publiKhed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, as a new discovery. The only difference ia ^e modem account of the matter isi that the ambergris originates within tlie alimentary canal of .the whale, in consequence, probably, of some disease; and that the lumps which are found afloat, or cast on ^ore^ had been ex- truded by these animals, — E. ■«i a ,i*ii«i» ^ - ' tti'»«i»,i>ii-*-'K.ao..^ -*.. »♦ Cummenfmy up&n thejitregiring jttcouHt VAier f» It-' » ■'■* (.. \ vrhich he purchased corn Co oany back to hh omi co u n tr j. But the merdiamt carried hie ooqubition to Bugdad, where he uM it lor a Uvgo mim of money, by which be was after' wards enabled to extend his dealings to a great amount The . Anb ffsire the following account of the way iif whiich he had found this fan^ pear) : Going one day akmg the shore, near Soman, in Itie district of Bahrein * ', he saw a fisx lying dead, with something hanging at his muzzle, whidi hdd him fast, which he diwoterea to be a white hieid sheH, in which he found this pearl. He cAicluded that the oyster had been thrown ashtwc by a tempest, and lay with its shdlopen on the beach, when the fox, attracted by the smell, hod thrust in hi* muzzle to get (It the meat, on which the oyster closed its' sheli, and held him fast till he died : for it is a properQr of the oyster never to let so its hold, except fbrcioly opened, 1^ thrusting in an iron instrument between the shells, carcfiil|y^ guarding its inchided pearl, as a mother preserve* her child. The Kings of the Indies wear ear-rmgs of gold, set with prcciom stones, and they wear coflars of great vahie, adorned with gems of various colours, chie0y green and red; yet' peari» are most esteemed, and their value surpasses that of all other jewels, and these they hoard up in their treasuries, with their most precious things. The grandees of their courts, their great officers, md the military commanders, wear similar jewels in their collars Their dress is a kind ' of half vest, and they carry parasols made of peacocks feothr . crs to shade them from the sun, and are surrounded by great trains <^ servants. / Among tlie Indians, there are certain people who nev^' eat two out of the same dish or even at the same taUe, on account of some reUgious opinion. When these come to 8iraf, and arc invited by our cMisiderable merchants, were tliere a hundred of them more or less, they must each have a separate dish, without the least communication with the rest. . Their kings and principal persons have fresh tables made for them every day, with little dishes and plates wove of the cocco nut leaf, out of which they eat their victuals. And vAuat their meal is over, the table dishes and plates are all thrown into the water, together with the fragments of their food; so that they must have a fresh service for every meal. . SI Bahrein wan island in the Persian gulf, on the Arabian shore, still celebrated for its fear] fishery. — E. --■-••■: ^^Ut:-* PAinrr, cHAf. IV. WCT. II. 1^ India and China. 95 To the Indies the mcrchanti umhI formerly to carry the dinar*, called lindlat, or mid cxAnt ot' the Sind^ which paued there for three of our dinare, or even more. Thither olao were carried emeralds from Egypt, v»hiehw and the other half towarda the continent) it stMds on two arms of the sea, into one of which the sea flows fton Russia, and into the lOtharkfravif Spain I and ita port ia ftomiented hy many tradMrs* fi«m dis Qountrica and provinces or Babykn» 8anaar» Madh^ PMiia# Egjrnt* Canaan, Russia, Hungary, PsioiiM ^ AtrM, Lorn- bardr, and Spam. Ttte city is extronefy popukms, and hath none to coKopara with it, except Bagdat, the mis^ «ity of the Ismaelites '. Jn it is the mamifkient temple m Si Sophia, whore iH:^ the patriarch of the Oredm, who do not a^p-ee in drci rine ,witb the pope of Rome. This tem|da contains as manv alters aa there are days in the year, and it ha* a revenue beyond all estimation gm'^ fron the o£feringa and riches bcoHcht con- tinually ftom dWers countries, islands, forts, castas, a^d pkicesr so that the wealth of no othor temple on earth can be compared to the riches, which it contains. In the middle of this temple there are pilkrs of gold and ailver., hugf eandle- sticks, lanterntt h^' », and other ornaments of these fKvdous metals, more than can be reckoned. Clbae to this temple there is a place set opart for the divcnion of the emperor, called the I^ipodiome, where great spectacles are represented yearly, 2 So named at daceaded from J^van : the Jewith writers afiacUsg to employ icrtpture name* for modem countries and natioM.'->»£. \) ' 3 Manuel Comnenee, who i c«((ned from 1 1 4S to II 80.— £» 4 These names are corrupt «t hopaphiea «f the Greek fitlcs \n the He- brew. Manuel being an empero ^ .jcnjsnun names all hi^ ^reat officers kings.— E. 5 Piianki may, pcrhiqps, be P ^bx>^ 'A'^. Bu' '■ > Bavari: — E. <> The Arabs, to called from thtir suj)^;,-! ancettor? IsiDael.-^£. CHAP. V. thm^k Ettiroptt Atiat and jf/rica. 97 vetrly, on the birth^Uy of Jem* of Naianth, in which men in the liabitt of all the variont people of th* aerdi, am. nr be^ tare the emp«ror and empraai, with Mom, bean, leopards, and wild tma, which nw made to flght tdgether i and hi no country on earth pre auch princely itoorti to be seen. Besides the palace left him by his ancestors, Manud has buth one for himself, cpllcd Bilberme 7, die pillars and walk of which are overhUd > th (faten gold and silver, cm which aU the wars of hiii ^r. j"\u^ "*«) repreittited. In this mdace there is a thrni ■ if jr^ld a*; t preoous stones, over which a golden crown, e; tree. They htLVfi mercenary soldiers, hired from all natrons, whom the)r coll Barbarians, to fight against the soldan, king of the chit- Jren qif Togorma, lio are cotaimonly called Turks; for the '''reciany iiselves, through sloth and luxury, have become quite effe^nate and unfit for wars, and cnturcly devoted to plmui^. \ No Jews are permitted to dwdl in the city, but ore obliged to reside in Pera, on the other side of the sea of Sophia, and arc not even allowed to come to the ci^, except in boatd, for yoi, I. G the ), ..■ 7 Perbapi BUchwate.— £. i I % t r p ■ ■ f 98 Tfuveh-i^' U^tfjamin ^ Tttdola^ .^art i« dM} foke of o0in|tieFce< In Fer« ^re apxe aijout 2000 Jewish Babbinist^, dlifio^jleg of the wise in09 j aoiong whttm are Ab> ^aJion the Gr-eat, llabbi Ahdias, AfWPii Cu^im, Joecph Star- gkiuif, . wt^ £Ut(kim the governort who have tlie chief author rity. B^sid^ diese, there are SOO Karaites "*, who ave scfpar rated from the Habbiaidts by a wall. Among the Jews there fire ecHae manu&cCorers ^ ffllkcn garments^ and many vergf iiiofa merchants. No Jew is permitted to ride on horsehack* exo^ Solomon, the Egyptian) who is pl\yaician to the Eippe- ror, aud through whose interest 'i|ie «^W8 are comforted va^ eased in their ci^ivity, which is v^'y grievtvisj for th^ ain^ much hated W the Grecit^tUy who make no dJBtincti<« be- tween the good and the evil tfmong them, and insult and heat than in the sfareets. Th^ are worst used by the taimen, who .pour out the ^fi3thy wftter in^hioh ^y havic dressed their ^kins into the streets helGsire their doers. Yet, among ^e Jews there are some vei^ -ridb men, as I have ^ajd b^re ; good and merciful moti, whodiseniee tibe oommandmenitsyaiid who patiently endure the miseries pf the captivity. From Cof Persia, and near it stands the city of the same name, in 'which there ore 1500 Jews. Here is the sepulchre of Esdras, ■the scribe and priest, who .died in this place on his return jBrom Jerusalem to the court of Artaxerxes. Our people have mm^^i'm-i'mmt \•'^^nm^■■■m%$. ^x^mv^i^'m >^:is»taaa**w^i*ni..i'jhuilt i . 8 The Kanutes were a sect among the Jews, who confined their obseri vances and religious belief .to the precepts of Moses, while th^ Rahbinists followed all the wild fancies of the Talmud. An excellent account of these ,'iects is to.be found in the Lett'res Juives, or Jewish Spy, by the Marquis d'Argens. — E, 9 Perhaps only an exaggerated account of some Jewish independent, tribe in Arabia, of which there were once a considerable number, as particularly mentioned in the History of Mahomet. — E. 10 Probably the Ahwaz, as he seems to have gone from Bassora. — E. , /, \ CHAP. V. through Eta-ope^ Aiia, and Africa. 99 built a great synacoguc beside his tomb^ and the Ismaclite^, Arabians, or Mabomctans, have built a mosque close by» as tbey have a great respect for Esdras and the Jews. It is four miles from hence to Chuzestan, which is the same with the ancient city of Elom, now almost ruined and uninhabited. ; At <>ne end, surrounded by ruins, is the casde of Susa, for- Kiedy the palace of Ahasuerus, of which there are still some remains. In this place there are 7000 Jews and fourteen sy- nagogues, before one of which stands the tomb of Daniel. the river Tigris' ' runs through this city, over which l^erc is a bridge. AU the Jews on one side of the river are very rich, having wdl filled shops, and carry on great trade, while those (Ni the oth(^ side are very poor, having neither market, shops, gardens, or orchards. This caused them once to make an insurrection, from a notion that the gloiy and riches of those on the otlier side of the river was occasioned by their liaving the sepulchre of the prophet Daniel on their side. The :' i- sUrgents, ther^orc, demanded to have his tomb transferred to uieir side, which was vehemently opposed by the others, and war ensued lietwcen them : But both parties growing weary of the war, it was agreed that the coiBn oi Daniel 'should remain one year on one side of the river, and next year on the other. This treaty was observed for some time, W was cancelled in the sequel by Sanigar-Shah, son to the great shah of Persia, who rules over forty-five princes. This great king is called in Arabic Sultan Phars Al-Chabir. His empire extends from the river Samoura to Samarcand, the river Gozan, die province of Gisbor, including the cities of the Medes, the mountains of Haphton, and td the province of Thibet, in the forests of which country are found the ani- nuUs which produce musk ; and the empire is four months and foiir days journey in length. > Sangiar being at Llam, saw the elders of the people trans- pcNting the comh of Daniel from one side of the river to the other, attended by an immense crowd of Jews and Ismaelites ; and, being informed of the cause, gave orders that the cofBn ihould be su^ended in a glass case, by chains of iron, from the middle of the bridge, and thAt a spacious synagogue should be erected in the same place, open to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who might incline to pray there ; and he command- U This must be an error in the author, as the Tigris docs not come near th*t city.~£. 100 TVavels of Benjamin of Thdelay PART I. ed, from reverence for Daniel, that no fish should be taken in the river for a mile above or below the bridge. ''^' From Elam . to Robat-bar are three days journey, where dwell 20,000 Israelites, among whom are many disciples of the wise men, some of them being very rich ; but they live , under the authori^ of a strange pnnce. In two days journey more is the river Vanth, near which dwell 4000 Jews. Four days journey farther is the country of Mo'hat, full of strong mountains, the inhabitants of which obey an elder whore- sides in the country of Alchesisin, and they do not believie the doctrine of Mahomet. Among this people there are four colleges of Jews, who go forth to war with the inhabitants, invadine the neighbouring countries, and drive awa}r great spoil { for they are not under the dominion of the king of Persia. Tlie Jews in this coimtry are disciples of the wise men, and obey the head of the captivity of Babylon. In five days journey you reach Omaria, where are 25,000 Israelites, and here begin the synagogues of the mountains of Haphton, which exceed one hundred in number, and in this place the country of Media b^ins. These Jews are of the first capti- vity, carried away by Salmanazar j but they speak the Chal- dean l^nsuagc, and among them are the disciples of the wise men. Tne gjiief city is Omaria, and all this country is under the dominion of Pcrsio, to which the inhabitants pay tribute. The tribute for males above fifteen years old, in all the country of tlie IsmaelitciSjis onegokl amir yor half-a-crown of our money. About twelve yciu-s ago there arose, in the city of Omaria, a man named David Elroi, who was the disciple of Chafdai, . the head of the emotivity, and of Jacob the chief of the Le- . vites at Bagdnt. Davia was very learned in the law of Mo- ses, and in the books of doctrine, and in all wisdom, even in the languages of the Ismaelites, and jn the books of the Magi and tl\o enchanters ; and he took it into his head to gather to- gether the Jews who dwelt in the mountains of Hapnton, and to make war against the king of Persia, and to go to Jerusa- lem and win it by assault. For tliis purpose he endeavoured to draw the Jews to his party by many deceitful signs, aflRrm- ing that he was sent from God to frfee them from the yoke ofthe nations, and to restore them to the holy city ; and lie succeeded in persuading many that he was the Messiah'*. Hearing 1 2 This stgry is told by other Jewish UTiters, but with some unimportant variations ; and there have been many such pretended Messiahs, >vho per- suaded .9 ft* PART I. taken CHAP. V. through Europe, Asia, and Africa. 101 Hearing of this insurrection, , the king of Persia sent for Dft- vid, who went to him without fear, and even avowed himself to be king of the Jews, on which he was thrown into pri- son in the city of Dabrestan, near the great river Gozan. ^fter this the king held a great council of his princes and ministers, to consult how to put an end to this insurrection of the Jews, and David made his appearance there, unseen of any but the king. The king asked, ** Who hath delivered thee from prison and brought thee here?" To whom David answered, *' Mine own wisdom, for I fear not thee or any of thy servants." Then the king commanded' his servants to seize him ; but they said the voice was heard by all, but they saw not David. Then David cried out with a loud voice, ** Im the head of the captivity, and the chief rulers of the assembly of the Jews ; otherAvise threatening total destruction to all the Jews in his dominions. All the synagogues in Persia, being in great fear, wrote to the head of the captivity, and the assem- bly of elders at Bagdat, to the same purpose ; and they wrote to David, commanding him to desist from his enterprise, under pain of being excommunicated and cut off from among the people of Israel. But all was in vain, for David persisted in his wicked course j till at length Zinaldin, a king of the Togarmim, . i • • ns suaded the Jews of the east into revolts, for which consult Basnage, Histmre dcs Jiiifs. — ^Harris. 13 The whole secret of this miracle may be easily explained. David escaped from prison, and told all the rest of the story to the ignorant and credulous Jews of Omaria, from whom the fable has been handed down to Benjamin and other believinc relafers.-— E. ,/"• =aa«K' IM Jhgd^ (if Bet^min of T\ulelai.^\ ' farti. Tog&nriinii or Tiii>k#t In sulMectioni to the king of Fergia» (tenunied the fitt^ter-iii-lsw of Darid, bv a bribe of ten tho^- 8«bd piec^ of gold, to kiH hun Brivatenrf and he thrust ]%i» vid tihi^gh wim a swoM in his oed, #bile asleep. Yet was not the an^ger of die kins of Persia pacified towards the Jews of the inonntains^ until me head of tne captivity went and ap- peased him with miki tuid wise speeches, and by the gift of ati httiidted talents of goM; since which time there 1ms been pisaee and qtitet ih the land. Frcrni these mountains it is twelve da^s journey to Hamap dan, the chief city of Media, in which there are 50,000 Jews, and i^ear ofie of their synagt^iies are the sepuldircs of Mordecai and Esther. Dabresfan, near the river Gozan, is fom^ dmrir jonmev from Hamadoli, and 4000 Jews dwell tfad«. !^roin utoee it u seven days journey to l«)ahan, which is a Very gr^t ci^ and the capital df the vAame country^ being twdve miles m drcumferehce. In this city there «tt about 12,000 Jews, over whmn, and all the rest of our nation who dwdl in thfe kinadom of Persia, Sfaallum is appointed to rule by the head of tne captivi^. Four days journey from Ispsh ban is Siaphaz'^, the most ancient city of this country, for> nJerly Pbrsidis, whence the whole provmce is nomed^ in which there are almost 10,000 Jews. Ftatn jSiaphaz yoi^ come, in sevto din^joumeyj to the city of Oinah^ near the riv^ Oo^ zkhi where diere are about 8000 Jews, and to this place inerchants resort of all nations and languages. Five df^rs jourhnr from Oinah is the famous Samarcaiid, the farthest city 6f this kingddm, where there are 50,000 Israelites, many of #honi ore wise find rich men, and over whom Obedias h mleh Four days journey from Uience is the city of Thibet'^, the capital of tn6 province of that name, in the forests of which the atiimals are found that produce musk, The mouhtains of Nisbor, which are situated near the ri- ver Ciozan^ are about twenty-eight days journey front Thibet; ^d some of the Jews in Pcirsia affirm, that the four tribes of Israel, carried kway in the first c^tivity by Salmanazar, still inhabit the cities of Nisbor. Their country' extends twehty days journey in length, all full of mountains, and having tlie river Gozan running on one side, with many inhabited cities, townsj and c&tles ; ahd (he inhfibitaftts are emirely fteo^ be- ing 14 S^t*Xf about forty miles fronv which are the ruins of Pentfpolis.-^E. 15 The distance here is eztremiy cpmipti and perhajps four inont|is arc meant. — E. - mi li um m . i 1. ^ 'ARTl. €HA». t. thrdngk Europe, Asm, and J^tu. 103 mf^ gweneH ky Josenb AiMneli a Le?ite» Mid axuorm tliem are mtmy dfaeiples or the whe men. They sow and mp* Bud are at war with the duktren <^ Chus, w)m» dwell u^ the ■ desevtB'*. These Jews are in league with the Coj^ieral Turks, i*m pee|rfe who dwelt in the deserts, and eat no Mead^ i^either do th«y drkih any win^ but feed r thirteen days more, in pro- ir: digious distress, during which they had to eat up aD the bensts that carried their baggage, they arrived at the mo}m- tains oi NisbcH*, inhabited by the Jews, iand ineamped i^^iong gardens and orchards, watered by camds drawn from the ri- ver Gozan ; and being then the season of ripe fruits, th^ eat what they pleased, no one appearing to oppose them« At a ' > distance among the mountains, they observed soqie hamlets ^si and forts, and two scouts were sent to discover what mariner jr of people inhalHted the mountains. After proceeding a short J* way, they found a well built bridge, with a strong barrier, an4 iJsa very large city at the farther end of the bridge. They hen? i - . . learned, 16 The ridiculous impressing of ancient scriptural names for the geogra- . ,]>hical features of the country, and the nations which inhabited it in his time, and his rambling itinerary, by days journeys, without pomtiae out the pre- 'i cise direction of the routs, render it next to impossible to investmte the real objects of his observatioas with any decent ehance of success.— '£. 17 This description suits the Cumuks.-^£. 18 Once a great city in the N.W. of Irac-agemi, not far from Cadhbin. See Chardin's Tcavels in Persia, to be found aftcrwardsin this collection. — £. II- Ylini^iH.Jili-itiiiiiiiiir m>T -T l ||)| < TIW* « ^.:,v;:- lOi Travels of Bienjamin ofDtdela, VAKTU liamed, by tin ioteipret^r, that the cit^ belonged to an ind»< pendent nation of Jetws, who had ,aj)nncc of their owii,„^n4 were in fmianc« iivith th$ Copheral Turk*. , ),ti>. The ^uts returned to the camp with this intelligence, aiul the Jews, having collected their forces, offered ba^ on the day follqiwinff to the Persians, The king declined this, de-r during that^ coily ol^ect wa^ against the Copheral Turks, and that if the Jews attached him he would revenge himself by puttine all their brethren in Persia to the swords but he demanded free passage for bis army, and to be supplied with provisions for ready money. Out of r^;ard for their brethren in Persia, the Jews agreed to this proposal, and the Persian army ren^ained fifteen days in the count: y of the Jews, where they wer^ honourably entertained. In the mean time the Jews- sent intelligenop of the situation of the Persians to their confederates, and the Turks, gathering their forces, assailed the^ Persians at certain passes in the mountains, and gave them a terrible overthrow ; so that d\e king escaped with great difficulty into Persia, with a small remnant of his host. On thi^ occasion, one of the Persian horsemen seduced a iJew« named Moses, to accompany him into Persia, and then made him a slave. On a public exhibition of archery iu the kinc's priesence, this man appeared to be the most expeit arch*, er ip all Persia, and being called before the king, declared how he had been trepanned and made a slave. The king restored him to liberty j clothed him in purple and silken gar- ments, and enriched him with liberal gifts ; offering hhn great riches, and the government of the royd household, if he would embrace the religion of the country} and when he courteously declined this, he was placed by the king with Babbi Shallum, tlje prince of the synagogue at Ispahan, whose dauffhter he afterwards married { and tliis Moses relat-p cd to me the whole story I have here related. D^arting from these countries, I returned to Khosistan, through which the Tigris runs into Hodu^ the Indian sea, or Persian Gulf, and in its passage encompasses the island of Nekrdkis'^ near its mouth, which is six days journey in ex- r-^ .,vvi';^t ..^:)-From thb country I sailed, in twenty-two doyti, to^ the islands of Cinrog, the inhabitants of which are edited Dog- biim, and are worshifqpers of fire, among whom 23,000 Jews are settled. The Dogbiim have many priests to officiate in their temples, who are the most skilful sorcerers and enchant- ers in the world. Before every temple there is a large pit, in which a great fire is kindled every day, called Alhuta, through which thehr children are made to* pass as a purification i into it hkewise they cast the bodies of their dead, and even some of their nobles occasionally are so superstitious as to devote themselves to be consumed alive in honour of the deity, in which they are encouraged by their relations, as ensuring their eternal welfare. Chi the day appointed for the perform- ance S9 This nust have been some secret mechanical cootrivanre, alt wonders vnkoown to (be ignonuit being attributed by them to magic art. — £. TAWtt, cTiAf. T. Ihrottgk Europe, Asia, and Africa, 107 once of tliM vow^ ihe devoUd penon tint given ati enterteun- ment, and k thm carried to the appointed (mot i if rich, on honeback, but on foot if poor, aooompaniea by n multitude tif U« Iri^ndg and othnv, and immediately leapt into the midst of the burning pit, all his friends and kindred celebrat- ing the festival wkn momo and dancing, until he is entire- ly consumed. Three davs aflenvards two of the priests go to the house of the devoted person, and comittand his faminr to prepare for a visit from the deceased on the same day. Hie priests then take certain persons abng with them, as witness of the transaction, and carry with them^ to the house, a flgu^ rcaemUing the deceosed, which they aiffinn to he himself. The widow and children, as instructed by the priests, then' demand how it fares with him in the other woirfd : to whidi he answers, ** I came to my companions, who will not r^ ceive me until I have discharged my duty to my friends and kindr^." He then makes a aistribution of his effects among; his children, orders all his debts to be paid, and whatever is owing to him to be demanded. The witnesses set down alt this m writing, and then he vanishes. By thete arts of jug-> gUng iatid eolnision, the priests govern eveiy thing as they In the spac^ of forty doys^ one may travel to the frontiers of Tzin^ which is the very extremis of the east. Sotiie hok! that this country is washed by the Nikpha, or coagtilKted sea, which is liable to prodigious storms ; by which, when mari- ners are surprised, they are reduced to iueh extremity, that, not being able to get out, they fii'e maserably stained to death, after expending aU their provisions *\ ' Frimi Cinrog, it is three days journey to OitigAIa, where there are above a thousand Jews. From thence, in seven days, one may sail to Goulan, where therd are none of our natioA. It is twelve days iourndy to Zabid, where there are some Jews } and in ei^t days more, you get to the c^posite coast, wher6 there are very h4;h mountains, inhalnted by mul- titudes of Israelites, who are not under the yoke of the Gen- tiles, byt have great cities and strong fortresses of their own. They 34 Tz'in is obvloutly Chins. By lite l^ikjiha, «r etisguhited S6a, tlie sea of Tartary may be intended y concernIn|; wbieh, sotM ill-told storite nday have reached Benjamini of mariners having been iVozett op. TliA situation of Cinrog it is impossible to ascertain ; but it must have been some part of India, where voluntarily burning alive is still practised* biit dniy by th« widows of the higher casts.— E. /I ■«*^ff,-..'."*'*-r* -*<;;<' ^:^^ -v ~<.«f4r^ 108 TVavds qf Benjamin of Tudela, rKKt r< fl '■ f i: I I A They deticcnd from thence in parties into the flat countries of Abybsinin, whence they return with their plunder into the mountaina, where they are secure against pursuit. Many of these Jews travel for the purposes of trade into Persia and E|n^pt*'. ' : ?y the river side, and prof^a* gate with their sisters and nearest relations, vithout shame or scniplu. When the pcot^ nf Asvnn mnke expeditions into these parts for tlie soke o^ plunder, they constantly take with them bread, rice, raisins, and figs, which they titrow among the holt-famished nc^oes, and while they scramble for the provisions, like a parcel of dogs, the Asvanians seize them, and carry them as prisoners into Egypt, where they ore sold ns slaves. It is twelve days journey from Asvon to Chelvan^ in which tlierc are about three hundred Jews. From Cbel- van th^ go, in fifty days journey, through the desert Al Taach- ra, or Zora, to Zuila or Havilah, in the land of Gana'?. Jht these deserts, there are vast mountains of sand, which, being sometimes carried by the force of violent winds, overwhelnt whole caravans. The merchants who escape this perilous journey, bring with them from that country, iron, copper, salt, and all sorts of fruits and pulse, and likewise gold and precious stones* This country is part of the land of Chus,, and is to the west of Abyssinia. It is thirteen days journey from Chelvon to the city of Kous, which is the first in the land of Egypt, and where 30,000 Jews are settled. At the distance of five days journey is Phium, anciently Pithom, in the neighbour- hood of which cky the ruins of the structures built by our ancestors, during their captivity in Egypt, are still to be seen*^. Four 25 Benjamin here obviously speaks of the Jews in themountams of Abys- sinia, still known there under the name of Falassa. It would appear, tnat the previously indicated courses led across the peninsula of Arabia and the Red Sea ; but hix nanies^of ptaces are unintelligibte.— £. 26 Perhaps A$owan in upper Egypt, which is rendered probable by the journey through the desert .^-£. 27 Harris considered Gana to mean Guinea; but it is probably Nigritia» •r the inland country of Africa, on the Niger or Joliba. — £. 28 Perhaps Memphis, as he evidently uludes to the pyramids.— £. tttrntfrnum irr r< ^'HAp. V. thrmgh Europe^ Asia, and Africa, IW or >un- Kon leor into with Four d»y« journey from tbcnce i« t!»e grent city of Miwaim *', on the banks of tlie Nile, in which above 2000 JewM are acttlefl. Tliese have two fair Bynngt>gue«, one of which belongs to the Jews of PaloMtino ami Syria, and the other to those of Babylon ; the only (liflference between which sects is in the way of dividinf; the law into portions. The Babylo- niann, every week, read one Parascha^ alU'r the manner usu- al in Sf^in, so as to go throup;li the whole law once in every year \ but the others divide each parascho into three sedarim^ or smaller sections, so that they reail over the whole law only once in three years. Yet both of these join in their solemn prayers twice every year. Over the whole Nathaniel pre- sides, being head d the Sanhedrim, and ruler of all the synagogues in Egypt, to which he appoints masters and eld- i rs. lie is likewise minister of the great king, who resides in the palace of Zoan, a city in Egwt, where Ali, the son ot A^italeb, was once commander of the faithful, and whose sub- jects are considered as relxfls by (he other Arabs, because they refuse obedience to the Abassidian khaliff of Bagdat. f 'Flic royal city is surrounded with walls, but Misraim is en- tirely open, Imving the river Nile on one side. This is n very large city, having many large mailicts and public buildings, and contain^ many rich Jews. Tlie country is never troubled "with rain, ice, or snow, but is oflen afflicted with insuifcroble htfA. It is watered by the Nile, which begins to swell cveiy year in the month Elul, and continues swelling during that month and Tisri *°, making the earth fruitfiil. The old E- gyptians erected a fine marble pillur of excellent workman- ship in an island at this place, rising twelve cUbits above the oitiinary surface of the river ; and when the water overflows that column, the inhabitants arc satisfied that their whole country is overspread for Meen days journey. If the water rise only half the height of the pillar, they then conclude that only half the country is overflowed. A person is stationed by the pillar, who pro la'ms the I>cight of the water every day at noon. When the water rises to a sufficient height, it indi- cates a year of fertility and plenty in Egypt; but when it does «ot overflow, nothing is sown, and sterilitv and famine are '*'- 29 ICahira, or Cairo, called also Messir. — ^E. 30 Elul contains from the middle of August to tlie middle of Septemi}cr« and Tisri fron» that to the middle of October. But the Nile begins to riite in the middle of June, and returns to its usual level in Octoher, — E. ,iHiB"ii'""'",ijjggrrTjia,.a ... IIU TWriWf qfBeiifamin h| whicli wc coll Havmh or Auywunio. The fields ore usually sowed in the month of September, as t\tu Nik has tlien retired into its channeL Barley is retyped in February, and wheat in Maroh{ and in that montli, gropes, cherries, and almonds ure ripe » and oucundiav. gouixw, pease, bconi, and lentils ; and vari- ouspoi-berba, os iwntlain, asparagus, lettuoc, coriunders, suc- cory, Qoleworts, &c. The oordena and orchards arc watered by means .«f trenohcs filled from the NjUe. After {lossiug Cairo, this great river divides into four lu'anches, one of which runs by Domietto, sometimes called Caphtor. The second runs near the city of Kosir or Roset- ta, not far from Alexandria. The third passes by Asmon, a very large ci^y on the eastern bordiers of Egypt. Near these great bronchos, tliere ore many cities, casdes, and towns, to which people travel partly by land, and partly by watei'> No country in the world can be compared to this for tlie multitude of inhabitants) and the whole land k f)lain, fruitful, and stored with good things. Old Misroim is two leagues distant from New Misraim, or Cairo { but the old city is now desokte, having many ruins of walk and houses, and not a few remains of tiie granaries and storeliousos, built by Joseph, ore still to be seen. In die same place, there is an artificial Eillor, built by ort of magic, the iike of which is not in all the md. On' the outside of the city, there are tlie remains of on oncimt synagogue, which bears the .name of our teacher Moses, ami to preserve its ruins, on old minuter of the dis- ciples of the wise men ^',18 maintained ot tlik pkce, who is styled Schcch Albounetzar, or father of the watch. The ruins of Old Misraim extend about four miles. The land of Goshen k eight leagues from Qld Misraim, and in it is Bokir-salbis, a great city, in which there are SOOO Jews. From hence you travel, in half a day's jour- ney, to Iskaiil-Lein-Al-sames, anciently called Ramesos, now iu f :'"'' ai OftheUabbini8tsorTalmudi9t5.~E. •' 11 h^Mr /. CHAP, w, throng Mtttxf*t AuBf itnd 4/^0* 111 in jwkm i wWr* aw to 4m imo uuuiy works of our l»- thon, «nd notmf thmt oMrtain Imgu vUiiioc* l)k« towcn, built of'briclci. I* ram thence, in one day'it iourney, you come to M-ihffft v4irre «ure 900 lew*i \mSi in Another half doyv ^onnmgr, to Man^im, where ihcre aw 900 Jew9| Kamira in :fiair leaguwi iiliftant, haiviiag 700 Jevn} ami tkeaoo, in ^ve daaa jousncy, you oome to Lamkhala, wbare tlMte are 8B0 Jews. In two 4Rye joumev more, yo« utrpfc nt Alexandaia, whiofti wai Muagntuuuitly built, aod utran^ inrtifial, at <^ eommand ot' Awnuuiiicr tiie A|m*- ikmian. On ilhe outaMe «£ tlic cit^« thijro ia atill to be aeen a flreat ami 'bcnnliiU edifioe, wliioo id itaid to have been tha ooHege of Arigtatie, the itutor of Akouinder, wherein were twenty edhooli , f*ei|uented in fiinuer timen by Ihe loaflood men -of 4he wliole woiid, who auenibled to htani the philoio- fihy of Aviatotlu { and thisiacademy was adorned fWith statelj marble oorticoi. 'Vkc -city itself iit exoellentfy built, and weU f)a\'sd, 'Having many vault« and archcit underneath, aonie of whioh are a whole anilo in length, kadimgr from the gate of ^oaetta to the gate leading to the tea. Ine Iiavcn extend* u whole ratio m length, unid at thisipkice, a very hiffh tower waslauilt, coUad Hcmogarnli I;k^ the iulmbitouitaf anuMagar- lacandor by tiic ArabH, which sigaifiei) the tttuurot of Alexan- der, it in reported that Alexander iixcd a curious uurvor on ihe top ofllus towor, by moam of which, all warlike shmv sailing from Greeoe, or out ofithc west into Kgypt, mifliit Be seen ut the idistanee of Ave ihuiulred leagues, but a Greek c'uptoin, who had great knowleilge of the sciences, cametliilher with his ship, and ingratiated himself in the nc broke the mivror topieces, and then yuiled away in the inight. Since then, the Cliristians have infested the coasts of Egy})t with tlicir sh!p8 of war, iiad have taken tlic tw'> large islands ofCrete and Cyprus, which remain at this day under the power of the CJreks. Tlic Pliaros is still used as a beacon for the strivicc of ships bound to Alexandria, and can bo dis- cerned // HiP llf Travels 6f Benjamin qfJ^tddttt '»V ^-^^vkKTU i ! 1 i \\\ '} II' I. r «. r '•a cemed by day or night, from the distance of an hnndred miles, as a vast fire is Kept burning there aU* night for the pur- pose. £g}'pt enjoys a hrge share of trade, and is freqneilited bV ahnost all nations ; and the port of Alexandria swtarms with vessels from every part of Chsntendom, as from Valencia j Tuscany, Lombaurdy, Apulia, Malfi^ and Sicily, C^hers come from the most northern parts of Euri:^, and even from inland places i as from Cracow, Cordova, Spain, Russiai Germany, Sweden, Denmark, En^and, Flanders, Artois, Normandy, France, Poitou, Anglers, Oaseony, Arr^on, and Navarre* There come many also friom the western em- pire of the Ishmaelites or Arabs, as from Andalusia, Akarve, Afidca, and even Arabia, besides what come by die Indian ocean from Havilah or Abyssinia, and the: rest of Ethiobia^ not omitting the Greeks and Turk&: .To tliis country like- wise are brought the richest merchandizes of the Indies, and all sorts of perflimcs and spices, which are boi^ht by the Christian merchants. The city is extremely populous, on ac- count of its extensive commerce ; and for the greater conve- niency in the canrying on of their dealhigs, every nation has its separate factory. There is, near die sea side, a marble tomb, on which are engraven the figures of all sorts of birds and beasts, vnth an inscription in such old characters, that ' no one can now read them; whence.it is believed that it had bek>nged to some king who governed that country before the deluge. The length of this sepulchre is fifteen spans, and it is six spans broad ^*. To conclude, there are about - 3000 Jews inAlexandria.^^*^^? u>!}i J i;u?..^<^i !:. Leaving Egypt, Benjamin made an expedition from Dj|t> ■ mietta to Mount Siniu, and returned to Daraietta, wh«icse he sailed to Messina in Sicily, and travelled to Palermo^ Cros- sing into Italy, he went by land to Rome and Lucca. He afterwards crossed the Alps, and passed through a great parj; of Germany, mentioning, in his remarks, the great multitudes .■ of Jews who were setded in the numerous cities of that ex- tensive empire, insisting at large on their wealth, and gene- rosity, and hospitality to their distressed brethren, and gives -j^^_ .-.\;'a,-;» ' 33 This may posslbl/ have been the Scarcophagus brought lately Arom ■'■. Alexandria, and deposited in the British museum, under the strange idea ' of having been the tomb of Alexander. Benjamin seems to have known ■'. nothin}^ about the hieroglyphics, with which his tomb was ohvionslv cover* ed.— £. I CHAP. IT. SECT. II. tkroi^h Ewopc, Asia, and Africa, 118 a particular detail of the manner in which th^ were received. He informs us, that at the entortainments of the Jews they encourage each other to persist in hoping for the coming of ^eir Messiah, when the tribes of Israel shall be gathered un- der his command, and conducted back into their own coun- try. Until this k>ng expected event shall arrive, they hold it their duty to persevere m their obedience to the law of Mo- ses, to lament with tears the destruction of Jerusalem and Zion, and to beseech the Almi^ty to pity them in thdr af- fliction, and restore them at his appointed time. He asserts that his countrymen are not only settled in all the provinces and cities of the German empire, but through all tnc coun- tries of the north, to the very extremities of Russia ; and de- scribe that country as so cold in winter that the inhabitants could not stir out of doors. He tells us that France, which the Habbins call Tzorphat, is full of the disciples of the wise men, who study the law day and night, and are extremely charitable to their diBtressed brethren ; and concludes with an earnest prayer to God, to rememb^ his promise > to the children or Israel, to return unto them, and to reassemble them from among all the nations, through which, in bis wrath, he has dispersed them. Towards tlie end of his travels '^ Benjamin mentions that Prague in Bohemia is the beginning of Sclavonia. In speak- ing of the Russian empire, he says it extends from the gates ot Plrague to the gates of ys Phin, a laroe town at the bcmnning of the kingdom. In that country Uie animals cal- lea tem:>TKi Wairegres, and yttybaa Neblinatz are found. Interpreters disagree about the meaning of these words. But it clearly appears that Phin is no other than £totu, t^ien the capital of the Russian empire' ; and we should therefore read y^ Chito : and indeed the interpreters might easily have supposed that the word was wrong written, from its wanting the final nun. Russia has always oeen famous for its gray foxes or gray squirrels, which, in the Russian langui^e, are !•■'' i;v' 3S This short commentary upon three words In that part of the travels jf Benjamin, which has been omitted in Harris, is extracted from Forster, Hist. M V07. and Disc, in the North, p. 92, and shews the extreme diffi- tulty of any attempt to give an accurate edition of the whole work, if that •hotthl be thought of, as it would require critical skill not only in Hebrew, kut in the languages of the different countries to which trie travels re< fcr^E. VOL. I. r\ H U H -t r~ *»— •»*L»* ■;♦- -»r-.^' iPW mmm !;:■■ n- ■ ft i'\ \ 1 i \ <7 '-4 1 1 J i It ^U •^'^^'^^ Travels of Benjamin of Tudela. T.Kt^s. u are called Wjexterica -. in the Hebrew tbj!t, feefc*e, df TBHrti iafliin, we should read ttfinVKi WaiwergeiSt i*-hich '-m nearly reaemble^ the Russian word^ M a Spanish Jew botild pd^sibly write it. 1110 iiahie of the other animal should be written y»5•!?^^ Z^findtt, bjr which are meant Sables. Jbraanis hod before this caUed ^cse i\axa Saj^Uiinas peltes. ^Forst. >Qa:.i»i iii . , ' ... .... ....... -.». . r.-.. . .i. .lii mmx-timm^t dAi^ai^' • '' CHAP.VI."«^^^'' ''^'^«^'''^ '■ ■^' 't'tavcls of an Englishman into Tartdry^ and thence into * Polandf HungatTfj and Oermam/f in 1243 ' f *^* '^ THIS earliest remaining direct account of the Tartars, of Monguls receiving that name, which h extremely short and inconclusive) is recorded by Matthew Paris, in a letter from Yvb de Narbonne to the archbishop of Bourdeaux, and is here given as. a literary curiosity. Piwoked by the sins of the Cliristwri^, the L6fd haA'bei come as it were a destroying enemy, and a drcadfiil avenger ; having sent among us a prodigiously numerous, most barba- rous, and inhuman people, whose law is lawless^ and whose wrath is ftiripus, even as the rod of God's anger, overrunning and utterly ruining infinite countries, and cruelly destroying every thing where they come with fire and sword. Hiis . present summer, that nation which is called Tartars, leaving Hungary, which th^ had suiprised by treason^ laid siege, with inmiy thousand soldiers, to the town of Newstadt, in which I tnen dwelt, in which there were not above fifty men at arms, and twenty cros»-bow-men, left in garrison. Ait these observing from certain high places the vast army of the enemy, and al^orring the beastly cruelty of the accomplices 6f Antichrist, signified to the governor tne hideous lainentar tions of his Christian subjects^ who, in all the adjoining prpt vinces, were surprised and cruelly destroyed, without any re- spect of rank, fortune, age, or sex. The Tartarian chief" f 1 ji tiaUii^t,L aa. _9 CHAP, iu Travels of an EnglUkmcny 4'C' ^ ^ tains* and their brutishly savofle fofiowers, glutted themselves trith the carcasses of the infaaSitants, leaving nothing for the vultuics but the biu« bones ; and strange to tell, the greedv and ravenous vultures diA:kumed to prey on the reofuuDS fere by the Tartars. Old and deformed women they gave for daily susteilailce to theff cannibals: Theyoun^ and beaati&I they devotti"^ hot, but smothered them shrieking and hn mcnting under their forced and unnaturd ravishments ; and cutting off the hifetsts of tender virgins to present as dainties to their leaderb. they fe^ thenlselves upon their bodies. Ilieir 4)ies naVing desbried from me top of a hidh moun* tain die Duke of Austria, ^e King of Bohemia, theTatriorcb of A^nileia, the Diike of Carinthia, aiid as some say, the Earl of Baden, approaching with a mighty power towards tliem< the accursed ctew immediately retired into the distressed and vanquished land of Hun^y, departing as suddenly as they had invaded, and astonishing all menliy the. celerity ot their motions. Tlie prince of Dalmatia took eight of the fugitives, xme of whom was recognized, by the Duke of Au8# tna as an Enghshman, who hs^ been perpetually banished . from England for certain crimes^ llus man had been sent twice as a messenger and interpreter from the most tyranni<* col king of the Tartars to the king of Hungary, pienacmg and fortelling those mischiefe which afterwards happened, unless he would submit himself and his kingdom to the yoke of the Tartars. Being urged by our princes to confess, the trudi, ; this man made such oaths and protestations, as I think might have served to make even the devil be trusted. He reported of himself, that presently after his baniBh> ment, being then about thirty -years of age, and having lost all he possessed at dice in the city of Aeon *, he set off' from thence, in the niiddle of winter, wear'iig nothing but a shirt of sacking, a pair of shoes, and a hairy cap j and, beinc shaven like a fool, he uttered an uncouth noise, as if he had been dumb, and wandered about through many countries in search of food. At length, through fatigue, and change of air and diet, he fell grievousl;^ sick m ChaSiea, insomuch that he was weary of his life. Beine compelled to remain, there a long time to recover his strength, and having some learnings he began to write down the words he heard spoken, and in a !short time made himself so much master of toe language, as ,:^. 5 Acre, in Palestine.— E, tp, A ''<¥*'•■*••*■ " '■^ ^t Mi n Tt' WD t t^i^i^; . ■ ^^;^^-^^■.T< u$ Travels qfan Englishman 9AWS.U to be reputed a native ; and in this manner he attained ex- ^rtness in many languages. The Tartars got notice of this man by means of their spicsi and drew him by force a>n(mg Uien^ ; and,hay|n^ been admoniAed by an oracle or vision to extend their dommion ever t&e whole earth, they ^iired him by many oflfers of reward, to serve them as an interpreter. He gave the fi>Oowing account' of the manners and simetiti'- tlons of the Tartars, of the dispodtibn* and statare oi their bodies, and of their country and manner of ^ghting. The Tartars are covetous, irascible, dieeatful, and merci- lesSf beyond all men ; yet, through die ngour of discipline whicl>. is exerdsed by their suneriors, they are restoained mmi brawls and mutual strife. They, esteem the ^loient founders and firtiherft of their tribes as Gods, in whose honour they cele- brate scdemn ^aMs at certain fixed times ; and these deities aire S numerous, tholu^ imly four are ioonsidered as ^neral of die nation. They consider all things as created for " sole use, and do not therefore think themselves crud or unjust in wasting and destroying the surrounding nations, whom they esteem rfebfels- against their legitimate authority. Their bodies, though lean, are hardy and strong, with broad chests, and square nigh shoulders, strong, well knit jmnts and firm sinews^ mick and large thighs, with short legs, so that, being cmral to us in stature, what thoy w^uit in their k^ is suppued in the upper part of their bodies.. Tlieir feces arc pale, with short nat noses, their eyes black and inconstant, having large eyebrows, extending dowir to the nose { long sharp chins, their upper jaws low and declining, their teeth lonff and thin, their countenances distorted^ fierce and terrible. In ancient times their counfij, which is situated far beyond Chaldea, was utterly waste and barren, from whence they have expeHed the lions, bears, and other wild beasts. Qf t^ tanned hides of beasts they make ibr themselves lij^t but im- jpenetrable armour, and their backs are only sb'duly aimed, that they may not flee in battle. They use small but strong horses, whichare maintained with little provender. In fight ihey use javelins, maces, battle-axes, and swords, but arepartiicuiBr- ly expert in the use ofbows and arrows^ Whoi engaged ih battle thejr never retire tiff they see the chief standanf of their ^neral give bock. When vanquished they ask no quarter, and m victory thev shew no compassion ; and tnough many miUion* in number, mey all persist as one man, ih resolving to sub- due the whole worul under their dominion. Th^ have 60,000 " ' "■■ t dHll 1^ ii««»kW-.-- .,-»i«i.. .. . -. 9AtLTU .% %' into Tartartfi ^c. Ill CIIAP. VI, 'i .•,..',{», li* di> If;.. 60,000 coiinent who ar^ aent before upon light hones to pre- pare ft place for the army to encamp, and these will gallop in one njght as for as our troops can marra in three days. When th^ inviuie a country, thi^ suddenly diffuse themselves over tlie whole land, surprising the pe<^ie unarmed^ unprovided, and di^rsed, and make such hombb sbuf^ter and devastadon, that the king or prince of the invaded land cannot cdlect a sufficient forcd to give them battle. Sometimes the^ say, thev intend to go to Cologne to bring home the three wise kings mto their own country ; sometimes they peoposc to punish the avarice and pride «it^e Somans, who lovmeHy oppressed diem ; sometimes to conquer the bar^ barons nations ot the north i sometimes to moderate the iuiy of the -(jrermans with their own mildness) sometimes in deri- sion they say that they intend going in pilgrimage to Gooi^ts, t|ie Greeks became acquainted widi Western $cytliia, eictending frpm the Danube, alonff the northern £rof Thrape, to mount Caucasus^ 'Hie great extent (^ the ancient Persian Empire^ wliich reached at one period ^ip the Panube to the Indus, esq^osed its whole northern 0XM)tii^ to the l^ythion nations, as i&r to the east as the mountains of Imaus or Caf, now called the Belur-tog. The still inore eastern ports of jScythia or Tartary were known of old to the Chinese, and stretch to the utmost north<^astcrn bou|]»ds oi A^ Th*^ itoxa. the Danube and Carpathian mount^ifis, in long. 26°. E^ to the promontory of Ischuts- ](oi-no0t or the Eosjt Cupe of Asia, in long. 190^ E. ^hls vast region extends ifi length 160 degrees of longitude, or not less than 8000 miles. Its soulhtirn boundaries are more difficultly vscertoiiiuble : but, except whore they are pressed northwards by the aucicnUy civilized empire of China, these may be a&r sumed at a medium on the uijirty-fii'th degree of nortli lati- tude i from whepcc Scytliia or Tartary expends in breadth tp the extreniity of the frozen north. Next to the nomadic nations of Western Sc^thia, who cn-> countered and baffled the ams of Darius, King of Persia, under the general name of Scythians, who were perhaps con- generic, or the same with those afterwards known by the name of Goths, the dreaded name of the ^uns became known to the declining Roman Empire. But our object docs not require us to attempt to trace the history of these nations, un- der their various appcll/iitions of Huns, Topa, Gcougen, Turks, Chozars, and others, tiU the establishment of the vast empire of Zingis connected the history (md devastating ccwiquests of the Tartars with tlie ^irs of modern Eun^ \ \ In thQ beginningpf die thirteenth, Temiigin, thespri;of$ |d(»ul chief, laid tlie foundations of avast empjre in the norm east of Tartary or Mon£[a]ia. His father had reimied over thirtecp hordes or tribes ot Uie Moffuls, MoeJs, or loon- guls : and as it was not customanr for Uiese warlike tribes to ^ubmit to be ruled over by a boy, remugen, who at the dea^ of his father was o^y thirteen years of age, had to contend with ^^ reyolted 8uli|e)Bt8, and bad to ot^y i^ conqueror of his own nation. In a new (ittqppt to recover the co|nmand oyer 2 Decl. and Fall, XI. 4p2. PART f, colonies Vestem orthem extent perioci orthem as the The own of 47HA^. VII. S&clch of the 'Reooluiims in Tartarji* 1.^9 der the new appcllatjop pi^ngisi wbich signiiles mist great, he became the conqucrorof an empire of prodigious extent. In person, or by meoiur of Ibis lieutenants, lie successfully rft^ duced th6 nations, tri^, or h(xrdes of'f'ar^Ty or Scythia, from Ch^na to tjie Vo|ga, and ctaablished his undisputed au- thority over the whole pastqi^l world. He afterwards subju- , |;ntcd the 6ve northern provinces of China, which were^ng unperfectly known under the name of Kathay ; and succes- sively reduced Carisme or Transoxiano, now great Bucharia, Chorossan, and Persia : and he died in 1227, otlcr Having exhorted and instructed his sons to persevere in the career of conquest, and more particularly to complete the conquest of China. Tlicvast empire establish^ by Zingis, .was apportioned ouiMiig His four principal sons, Toushi, Zasatai, Octai, and Tuli^who had been respectively his great nuntsman, chief judge, prime minister, and grand general FL.'^'y united among themselves, and loithful to their own and the public interest, three of these brothers, and thdr families and de- scendants, were satisfied with subordinate command; and Octai, by general consent of the maols, or nobles, was pro- claimed Khatit or empe^xn* of the Moguls.and Tartars. Octai was succeeded by his son Oayuk ; after whose death, the em- pire devolved successively on his cousins Mangou or Mongu, and Cublai, the sons of Tuli, and the grandsons of Zingis. During the sixty-eight y earls of the reigns of these four suc- cessors of Zingis, the Moguls subdued aln^ost all Asia, and a considerable portion of Europe. The great Khan at first es- tablished his royal court at Kara-kiun m the desert, and fol- lowed the Tartar custom of moving about with the golden horde, attended by numerous flocks and herds, accormng to the changes of the season: but Mangu^'Khan, and Cublai- Khaii, (established their principal seat of empire in the hew cit^r of Pe-kin^, or Khon-baiu, and perfected the conquei|t of China, reducmg Corea, Tonkin, Cochin-china, Pegu, Ben- gal, and Thibet, to different degrees of subjection, or tribute, under the direct influence of the great Klian, and his peculiar lieutenants. The conquest of Persia was completed by Holagu, the son of Tuli and grandson of Zingis, who of course wasf brother to the two successive emperors, Mangu and C'Vblai. From Persia, the Moguls spread tlieir ravaged imd conquests over Syria, Armenia, and Anatolia, or what is now called i.: ,'©j'%^l' 180 Sketch tffthe Bevolutiotis in Tartary. part i. fi I? Turkey in Asia % but Arabia was protected by its burning de- serts, and Egjipt was successfuUy defended b^ the arms of the Mamahikes, wno even repelled the Moguk from Syria. BatD, another won. of Tuli, ocmquered Turkeijtan and KIpsak ', Astracan and Caxan, and reduced Oeoivia and Circassia to dependence. Advancing from the Black Sea U» LiTonia on the Bdhtic, Moscow ana Kiow were reduced to ashes, and Russia submitted to pay tribute. Their victori- ous arms penetrated into Poland, in which thev destroyed the cities of LuMin and Cracow i and they even defeated the confederate army of the dukes of Silesia, the Polish palatines, . and the great master of the Teutonic knights, at Lignitx, the i most western extremity of their dl)sti^<''tivc march. From Lignitz they turned aude into Huiiflary, and reduced tlie wlroie of that country to the north of the Danube. During the winter, they crossied die Danube on the ice. Oran, the capital of Hungarv, was taken by storm, and Bcla, the un- fortunate king of Hungary, had to take shelter in one of the islands at the nead of the Adriatic. So terrible was the akurm in Europe, that the inhabitahts of Sweden and the north of Germany neglected, in 1238, to send their ships, as usual, to the hemnff-nshery on the coast of £^gland { and, as observ- ed by Gibbon, it is whimsical enough to learn, that the price of herrings in the Endish market was lowered in consequence of the orders of a barrarous Mogul khan, who resided on the borders of China *. The tide of ruin was stemmed at New- stadt in Austria, by the bravery of fifty knights and twenty crow4x>w-men ; and the Tartars, awed by the fame of the valour and arms of the Franks, or inhabitants of western EUr* rope, raised the siege on the approach of a German army, commanded by the emperor Freaeric the Second. Aflcr lay- ing waste the kingdoms of Servia, Bosnia, and Buloaria, the a^entrous Batu slowly retreated from the Danupe to the Vo^;a, and established nis scat of commapd in the city and palace S Dashte Kipzak, or the plain of Kipzakt extended en b«th sides of the Volga, towards the Jaik pr Ural, and the Bor\'8thenct or Dnieper, and i« siippowd to have a^na name to the CoMC8.^Gibb. 4 Ap reiM>rte4 mr |D3if>«i, from Matthew Paris, p.S96, forty or fifly herrings were sold (at a shiDfais. This must be an error, perhaps for 40 or 50 thousand i as a shillmg oF these days was worth at least from fifteen to twenty modem shQUngs in efTective value ; and within memory herriags have often sold, in a ytrj plentiful fishery, for a shilfing the cart-load, when salt could not be had in sufficient quantity. — ^£. ^^, ' . ■i (.» ■fii at ■tip' Xtf CHAP. Til. ISIrett^ of the Revolutions in Tatiary. 12^ palace of Siraii both* of which he had csuwd to be buUt - ^ jn **' the eastern ami of that noble river. Another of the sons of Tuli, Sheibani-khan, led A horde of 15,000 Tartar families in- to the wilds of Siberia i and hb descendants reigned above three centuries at Tobolsk, in that secluded re|^Qn, and even reduced the miserable Samoyedes in the neighbourhood of tho polar cirde. Such was the establishment and extent of the first Tartar or Mogul empire. The descendants of Cublai ^ve them- ^^ Helves up to luxury in the paloce of Peking, omidst a mis- chievous crowd of eunuchs, concubines, and astrologers, and their Mogul army, dissolved and dispersed in a vast and p(^u- ,, lous country, forgot the di.MapIine and teavery of their ances- tors* The secondary Momif sovereigns of the west, assumed entire independemie j oncf the great khan was satisfied with a. the enmire of China and eastern Monsalia. In 1S67, one hundred and forty years after the death of Zingps, roused to rebellion by a dreadful iuminc, in which thirteen millions of the inhabitants of Chinai perished, the native Chinese expelled their degenerate Mogul oppressors, and the ereat khan be- came a wanderer in Mie desert The vast empire established by Zingfs and his immediate successors was now broken down into four vast fragments, each a powerful empire, Mongolia^ Kipzak, Zogtai or Transoxiana, and Persia; and these ibur khans of^eh contended with each other. On their ruins in . lesser ^sia, arose the formidable, more permanent, and still subsisting empire of the Ottoman Turks, whose youthful energies threatened the subversion of the last remains of the Gredc empire, which they at last effected, and might per- haps have conquered the whole of Western Europe, if their progress had not been arh^ted by the power of a new Mogul dynosty,'-'' •■■■'"■»■"' •'•■•■■ In the distribution of the vast empire of Zingis, we have already seoi that Zagathai, one of his sons, received the sub- ordinate rule of Transoxiana, or the rich countiy on the rivers Jihon or Amu, and the SirovSihon, the Oxwi and Jaxartes of the ancients. Hiis extensive and fertile country* now ^ed Western Turkestan, Great Bucharia, Kharism*^'- Choro^san, and Balk, with some other smaii^r territories, b bounded' on the west by the Caspian, on the east by the Be- lur-tag or Imaus, on the north by the deserts of western Tar- - tary, iuad on the south b^ the mountains of the Hindoo-koh, and the desert of Margiana. The descendants of Zagi^ ■«^A; ■ •^^•^!SSi>tt''^^HP^^^^ - ■ .-*Wff^fc^^f'jto^iM'Hifi:^p- ^liijj^ f fc. f - -T -^ - 122 Sketch qfthe BevohUions in Tartafy. PART i. ', i-^* were long coniitlered as the klions or 8ovcrciffnf.of tUiBfuJr cmpire> which fcU into ciyii wur and anarchy, thirou^h the di- . visions and subdivisions of the hpi'tU^* the uncertoia laws of . succession, and the ambition o( the ministers of state, who re- duced their degenerate masters to mere state puppets, ond eic~ vated or deposed successive khans at their pleasure } and thodi' vided and distracted country was subjected or oppr^^se^ by the invasions of the khans of Koshgar, who ruled over Uie Cal- nmcks or Getes in eastern Turkcstim, or little Buchariat on the east of Imaus or the Bclur-tag. In this state of misery and dc|)i*ession, a new hero arosc^ in 1361, to vindicate and rc-cstuoiish the fame and empire of the M^pds ^. Tunour, usually culled Ttmierlane, was the son of the hereditary chief of Ciuih, a small but fruitful territo- ry about forty miles to the south of Sam^rcand* He was the fifth in descent from Carashar-Neviiui, who had been vizir or prime minister to Zogothai, of which sovereign Timour was descended in the female line. After various fortunes, he in 1370, rendered himself absolute sovereign of Transoxiana, then colled Zagatai, after its first Mogiil ruler ; but for some time, he affected to govern as prime minister, or general, to a nominal khan of the house of Zingis, who served us a private oflicer at the head of his family horde in the army of nis ser- ^ Tunt. After establishing his authority in Zngatoi, and coi>- ?uering B^harism, and Candahar, he turned his arms ogainst *ersia or Iran, which had fallen into disorganization by the '- extinction of the descendants of the great Holacou, and which country he reduced under subjection. He successively reduced Cashgar, or easier Turkestan, and Kipssak or wcsten) Turtu- ly, and invaded Syria and Anatolia. In tliis invasion, in 140Sf, was fought the great battle of Angora» in which Bifya- zet, the great sultan of the Turks, was defeated and talien prisoner. By this great victory, the progress of the Tui^kish arms was checked ror a time, and perhaps Europe was saved on that day from beinff subjected to the law of Maliomet. Yet the vast empire which Timour established, fell into frag- ments after his death, in 1405, ai^d his descendants have sunk into oblivion ; while the race of Otlmian and Bajazet still rule over a large empire in Europe and Asia, nearly commen- sinrate with the eastern Roman empire, still called Rumi in the east. Having * i«!i<^^ Vy-^iip" 5D8cI.andFail, XII.1.;^- '' -^^ j'- - 4 t.' I i PAW I. this fair the di. Inwft of whore- i the^Ii- by the thecal- CHAP. VII. Sketch qfAe Bew^yiiom in Tartaty . 193 Havii^ thus traced an outUne of the rtvolutioni'of empire In Tortary, dowfi to what may be considered as modem ni** tory, it is only necessary further to mwtion» that aU easterly Tartury and Mongalia s now mbgect to China, and Kipzac and all the northern to Bussia. Hardly any port of it now remains independent, except Zagatai, or Transoxiana, Kha> Condanar, und the deserts of Western Tartary: the nsm. former of which is subject to the Usboks, and |;he latter to the ^rgU8Cf(. 'I 'h CJHAP. VJII. V 'JThe TVavels of John de Piano Carpini and otlufr Fr tars ^ sent about the year 1246, as anUmssadors Jrom Pope Innocent IV, to the great Khan qfihx Moguls or Tartars % jt IMTHODUCTIOSr. ,, ttm IN the collection of early Voyages, Travds, and Disooveriei, by Hakluyt, publishea originally in 1599, and rqirinted fit London in 1809 with additions, there are two sqMurate re- ^tions of these travels. The^rstf in p. 24, is the journal of John dc piano Carpini, an Italian minorite, who, accompanied by friar Benedict, a Polander, went in 1246 by the north of the Caspian sea, to the residence of Batu-ikhan, and thence to Ki^uk-khan, whom he cajls Cuyne, the chief or Emperor of all the Mongols. The second^ in p. 42, is a relation takei| jfipom the Speculum Histpriale of Vincentius E|e}uacensis, lib. xxxii. ch. 2^ of the mission of certain friars, predicants and roinorites in the saipe year, 1246, to the samie countiy i an<} in p. 59. of the same coUectipn, there is a translation by Hakr luyt into antiquated English of this second account. From tius second narrative it appears, that Vincentius had received an account of the journey of the second mission from Simon de St Quintin, a minorite friar belonginff to the partv ; and that he bad worked up along with this, the whole of the nar- rative I Hakluyt. I. 24. and 43. for the Latin of the two relations ; and p. 59. for the old English translation of the second. .»■ \y tlf^ Ti'avelt qfCarimi I'ABT r. '\ u I •«• tRtlve Which htA 1)ecn Mporatcly publwhod by Giruini of hiy journey { wMch indeed fomu bv fur the liirffcr and more in- terestinff ^rtion of the work puoKihcd by Vincentiufi. This latter editioH, therefore liat Dccn considered an suflioicnt for the present collection, bccatue to have given both would have been an unnecessary repetition { and it is here tronslatc^ irom the Latin of Hakluyt, i. 42. The object of this missio \ or embassy seems to have been as follows : A protligious alarm was excited in £urop«i by the victorious and destructive progress of the Monguls or Tartars ; who, under the coniniund of Tuschi-khan, and of Batu-khon, the son of Tuschi, advancing through Kipzhak, Russia, Poland, and Hungary, nil of whicli they had most horw- riblv ravaged and laid wostc,nad penetrated even int,o Silesia { while 1^ the eastern side of the Caspian, penetrating through TnuMoxtana and Persia, under the command of S^^gatni- ktian, likewise a son of Zinsis, and Holagu-khan, a nephew oC ZaffBtat, they hod made their qipcnrancc on the banlis of the Miphrates and Tigris. In this alarming conjuncture, it was thought advisable oy Pope Innocent IV. in a convoca- tion of the clergy at Lyons, in 1245, to send ambassadors to these formidable conquerors, to endeavour to pacify them, and induce them to turn the destructive tide of their conqqests in some other direction, and perhaps partly in the hone of endeavouring, if possible, Co convert them to the Christian faith, and inducing them to direct thdr arms against the TVirky and Saracens, who (pressed the Holy Land. For this purpose, six monks were selected fi*om the new and severe orders of predicants and minorites. John dc Piano CaipinI and Benemct, travdled through Bohemia and Poland to Kiow in Russia, and thence hs; the mouth of the Dnieper to the camp ci Korrensa, or (Jorrensa, a general of the Mongakf whence, crossing the Don and Wolga or VoJ^, they came to the cncnn^Mnrat of Batn-khan, aSed also Baty and Baatu, virfao sent them to Kajuk-khan, the emperor of the Mongols, whom they call Cuync. The other ambassadors were Asoe- ^Kne, with Friars Atexander, Albert, and Simon de St Quin* tin : who went by the soadi of the Caspian, through Syria, Persia, and Chorassan, to the court or Baiju-Ncjan, or at they call him Bajothnoy: but <^theparticidarsof thisjawr- ney very Httle has been preserved by Vinccntius, so that m fsct, the travels here published belong almost exdasiyely to ^% . jt • ■ ■ - * ■►■I' •,''♦•' . ^ •■■>.{ ' * . Cai|jfau. a' The CHAP. fill. 8KCT. I. into TartoT^, US • The full title given by Hakluyt to thii ruJation i« worth pn>- torvintr ai a literary curioti^, and is m foDowi: ** Tiie long and wonderrol voyuo of FH«r John de Pia- no Cafpini, sent amboauulor, by rape Innocent tV. A. D. 1346, to the great Can of Tortariaj wherein he poMed « through Bohemia, Polonia, HuMia, and so to the city or Kiow /f tmon BoriHthenes, and from thence rode continualnr port for me space of sixe moncths through Comaino, over toe mighty and ramous rivers, Taiuus, Volga, and Jaic, ond tlirouflh the countries of the people calletl Kangittse, Bisermini, lCara> kitoy, Nuimani, and so to the native country of tlio Mohooli or Tartars, situate in the extreme north-eastern nartci oFoU Asia I and thence back again the same way to Ru^ia^ and Polonia, and so to Rome; spending in the whole voyage among the sayd Tartars, one whole venT, and above four monetns : Taken out of the 32 booke of Viitccutius Bcluaccn- si« his Speculum Historiule." SECTiojr I. Introductory Epistle by John de Platio Carpuu'm h To all the fiiithful in CHirist, to whom this writing may tome, I friar John de Piano Carpini, of the order of miuo* rites, lei^to and messenger from the Apostolic M«e to the Tu>. tars and other nations of tltc east, wish the Grace of Ood in this life, and glory in the next, and {Kirpetual triumph over all the enemies of the Lord» Having Icai^iit the will of our lord the Pope, and the venerable Cardinals, and received the commands of the hofy see, that we should go to the Tar* tails and otlier nations of the east, we dctemun^ to go in the first place to the Tartars ; because we dreaded that the most Imminent and nearest danger to the Church of God aros^ from them. And although we personally dreaded from these Tartars and other nations, that we might be slain or reduced to perpetual slavery, or should suffer hunger and thirst, the extremes of heat and cold, reproach, and excessive fatisue beyond our strength, all of which, except death and captivity, we have endured, even beyond our nrst fears, yet did we not 8(Mre ourselves, that we might obey the will of Uod, according to thef orders of our lord the Pope, that we might be uscml in any thing to the Christians, or at least, that the vriH^ and intention tl 1 ^J '-'•r-^r**!*. 1^ Travds oJCarpim. 'bkHx u I •>i kitention of these p^Ie might be afiturediy known, and made manifest to Christendom, lest sudldenly invac^nff us, they m^t flnicf itt mlprcpared, and m^t mi^e incredlue slaii^hta: of Uie Christian people. H^pncp, what we now writd is for your ad^^uitage, that yon may be On your guard, and more secure ; being what we saw wi^'our' 6wn eyes, while we so- journed with and among thesief |)«6ple, during more tfiian g year and lour numths, Of which we have leatntfrom Christian datives residing among them, and whom w6 believe to be worthy of credh< We were likewise ei^oiifed by the supreme pOkitiSi that we should examine and ihquif« into every Ihin^ i«ry di%ently; aC of which, both m3r8elf' and friar Benedict of the same wdef, Trnf companion in sfHiction fttid intexpr«f ter, have cfffeAdly pdrfonu.ea. ■•l-U Section II. Of tie first Mission of Friars Predicants and Minorites to the Tartars. At the sanie peribd, Pope Innocent IV. sent iViar Ascc-; line of the ordc*^ of 1x1*^X8 predicants, with three other friara from different (iomvents, with apostolical letters to the army of the' Tartars, ekhorting them to desist from slaughtering man- kind, and to adopt the true Christian jGiith ; and from one of these -lately r^umed. Friar Simon de St Quintin, of the mi- noirite order, Ihave received the relations concerning the trans- actions of the Tartars, which are here set down. At the same period, Friar John de Piano Carpini of the order of mino- rites, with some others. Was sent to the Tartars, and remained travelling among them for sixteen months. This Friar John hath written a little history, which is come to Our hands, of what lie saw among the Tartars, or learnt from divers persons fivingmc^tivity. From which I have inserted such things, in the following relation, as were wanting in the accounts ^ven me by Fnar Simon. t'H !■ >• ■: 'Jup h0enxr ■iind princes, and all others, warm themselves and oook their v victUMS with fiits of horse and cow dung. The climate is venr intemperate, as in the middle of lOimmorllierc are tern' ribre storms of thunder and figfathing, by which many people ^^ are kiHed, and even thieh there are great falls of snow, and there blow such tempest of cold winds, that sometimes people can hardly sit on horseback. In one of these, when nearthe'^ Syra Horde, by which name they signify die station of the em- peror^ or of any of thdr princes, we had to throw ourselves pros- trate on the ground, and could not see by reason of die pro- digious pie, or !||jli^uin. Their gowns are made^ of skins, dhessefl m the hairjr and open behind. Th^ never wash their dotha, neither do they allow others to \rash, eqMcially in time i£ titunder, till that be over. Their houses are round, and ar^ fidally made like tents, of rods and twigs interwoven, havii^ A round hole in the middle of the roof for the admisuon ^ Jof li^t and the possaoe of smoke, the whole being. co> \'erea,with felt, of wmch likewise the doors are made. Sonjie of these are easily taken to pieces or put together, and are canied on sumpter-cattle; while others are not durable of being taken to pieces, and are owned on carts. Wherever they go, whether to war, or only traveiliiu; to firesh pastures, these are carried with them. They UHre vast numbers of camels, oxen, sheep, and goats, and siich prodkious multitudes of horses and mares, as are not to be round in all the rest <^ the wprid^ but th^ have no swine. ^Thdr emperor, dukesy and odier nobles^ are extremely rich in !gold and silver, silks, and gems. They eat of everything ttat is eatable, and we have even seen them eat vermin. Thqr * * drink - t i ^r ^Mt ** tm m^ iHrilWWir' k T I AftT I. 'tbese. abo' on S 'tA0 •A- ! 'jri-l «-. «f4» lvS;JsM{A>; «,■.% ■ iK^tW.V'lu'n ««)-'< :A . '■-■¥< mi -AVP- -W** -ii M W \*i ■** n- «MM«««i«>.« ►- «a-'!t«lt«MWIiW«WW»^-« » M«M < l> M »>«' ' «l»' t«« ' W »^ . i w »iWMK>-j .*, i*: a--.. ■M '1i 3b. ^'■**??-"T¥W^-i --.: .*,*•: ■'r'J(w«)»f' ■'i -I? (i I •■ III (. m I ■ Ml; It ! J (/ t'< t um n tmf.M>mim$.V9l.\. ^•Ll. ■ ,0t4m1ii^^'^-"-^*'>* in 4* mnMImmmMi AP. ^1*1. «i;cT. IV. into Tariary. IS^ irink milk in great quantity, and particularly prefer that JifA I (nares. J^t as in winter, none but the nch ctui have marea^ ^ nilk* th^ make a drink of millet boOed .in water ; ev'ery one w ^■brinking one or two caps in the moraing,'i arid qonietinv^hav- ^ ^ ng no other food all day j but in the evening, every one hat -f I I small quantity of flesh, and th^ driuk ^e broth in which it< '^/i "^ urt^ b^il^' In summ'jr, when they have abundance of nuurea '^ nilk, they eat little i!esh, unless it is given thom, or when they ^ Mtdi venison or birds. Section V. j,"', /, * ■ '• • • •■ /'"'S-- Of their Good and Bad CuAom^y -' :\ V - .-A •' V^ Some of their customs are commendable* and others exe« crable. They are more obedient to their lords th^nTany bther pe(^le, giving them vast reverence, and never deceiving |hem in word or action. > Thcv seldom quarrel ; and brawky tirounds, or man^ught^r har<^y ever occur. XSiieves ;imd obbers are nowhere foun^^, so that their houses and carts, in irhich all their treasure ifjbept^ai^eipcjv^r^pckedo)^ barred.^: f any animal go a^ay, the^ finder either leaves it', or drives it those who an» appointed to se^ejt-lw sl!ray9)'JqnJcl't]^ owner ts > it back wittuoutdifHculty. They ore ve{|^ cpitft^tis, and ough victuai:^ a^e scarce among thenii^th«y.eainmunlcate reely to each other. They are ^ery patient 'trnderparivationsy *id though the}^ may have fasted for a <|$^-Qi> Jtwo, wi^l sing id tnakc merry as if they were well satisfied* V In journeying, ley bear Qold. or, hfat with ffiseat fortitude. ,' They never fSl ^ut, and though often drunk, never, quajprel in their cupa. ^o one despises another, bnt every one asaikts his neighbour lo the utmost. Their women^ are chaste, yet their conversation 1^ frequently iipmodest. Towards other people they are ex- ieedingly proud and overbearing^ lodking upon all other men rith contempt, however nphle. For we saw, in the eifmerorVi ourt^ the great duke of Russia, the soik of the king of Oeor- Cia, and m^y sultap^ (uid other great men, who received no |ionour.or respectj so that even the Tartars ^^iiited to at- tend them, however loW their, condition, always went before diem, and took the upper places,! and even often obliged them to sit behind' ih&rt. backs. They are irritable and £sdainful to other men, p.ad beyond belief deceitful; speaking always lK.^ '''"'' J i»» .ii » i <«' tfuffc *'^ <4i*JW » » g M wi t< l» K m» M |»i # >» »f Vligniii;** mi4»«««U. N?«. "a a{S Bart LonjQltudr 4joftomtirefo«irk 41& A'" AlA ' - ■ ifiMKiT-iminrmiL, i — — rUbluheuaryiau.bjW>nUu:kwDoAS4 N?«. B«t»r»dJuuta(7iau.b^wriUM:kw»od1UH|ibiirgli. It. f.izars Aulp! J^' V ,!•-'>». gjb^J^ ' i ISO Travels qfCarpini fkWtta- 4l«!fidr iat Ant, but afterwards stingins Kke scorpions. They are crafty and fimidulenty and cheat Si men if th^ tah^' What- ^ ever' mischief they intend they careftiBy conceal, that lio one ' may provide or find a remedy for their wickedniew. They are *^ ftltny in their meat and drink, and in all their actions. Dnih- kertntm is honourable among them ; so that, when one has' drank to excess and throws up, he b^ins again to drink. They are most importunate beggars, and covetous possessors,, and most niggardly givers ; and they consider the slaughter oP other people as nothing. Section VI. C^fthe Ltm$ and Customs of the Tartars, , ' Men and women guilty of adultery, or even of fornication,, are punished with death. Those detected in robbery or theft; are likewise slain. If any one divulges their councils, espe- cially with regard to an intended war, he receives an hundred blows on his buttocks with a great cudgel, as hard as a strong man can lay on. When any of the meaner sort commit ot- fences, they are severely punished by their superiors. In mar- riage, they pay no attention to nearness of kindred, except? their mothers, daughters, or sisters by the same mother; for they will even marry their sisters fi'om other mothers, andf their fathers wives after his death. The younger brother dso, or some other of the kindred, is bound to marry the wivei of a deceased brother. While I remained in the country, a Russian duke, named Andrew' , being accused before didce Baatu, of conveying Tartar horses out of the country and selling them to other nations, was put to death, although the fiict was not proved against him. After this, ^e widow and younger brother of Andrew came to Baatu, supplicating that they might not be deprived of the dukedom, upon which Baatu commanded them to be married* according to the Tartar custom ; arid though both reftised, as contranr to the religion and laws of Russia, they were compdled to this incestuous union. After the KM 1 In the pre^nota* account of the travek of Carjutu, H«kL 1. 87. thU Andrew is (aid to have been duke of Sarvog^, or Seirvogle, perhaps meaninf Veroslave.-— E. V I i !i « ( W | »it i a.iai«lw t?-i itm<^i>>- But to iilay incii, to invade the torritoncit of otben, to taker away the gooda of otlier pooi)k>t and to uct contrary to the conunaudi) of God, in no cnmc lunong tlteui i and \\wy know^ noihinff of the lite to come, or of eternal dainnution. But they believe in u future liic, in which they hhull tend f^ockftt eat luid drink, and do tluwe very thiugu which they do in tin's lilc>. At new moon, or when tlie moon in full, thity begin ony new enternrixu { they call the nioon the great emperor, and tlie^' worHnip that Imuinary on their kneeit. All who dwell in tlu'ir houHctt muHt imdcrgo i)urificittion by fire, which iti pvr- foriuud in thi» mamier. Having kindled two iires at a con- venient diMtunce, tlicy fix two spearH in the earth, one near each fire, stretching a cord between the tops of Uicho itpears, and about tho com tlicy hang Nome rag« uf buckriun, luider which cord, and l)etwecn which ftrcH, ull the men, and beutit!i» tuul houses must pass} and oil tlte while, a wonum titunds on etich side, sprinkling water on the piuwengcrs, and reciting certain verses. If any one is killi>d by lightning, all thot dwcTl in the some house witli the dead person nuist bu thuM purjfiixl ; otherwise, the house, beds, carts, telts, ganr ents, and every thing else would be abandoncil as unclean. When any mes- sengi>i*s, princes, or other persons arrive, tliey and their gills must pas between two fires for purification, lest they shoukt bring witdicraft, poison, or luiy otlier mischief. Section VIII. Cff'the Beginning of their Emjnre. til '.fa . The Itwd of Mongolia was formerly divided among four different U'ilies or nations. One of these was the Yekop-^^ngal, or tlie great MongtUs. The second Su-Mongal, or the Water Mongtus, who cfuled themselves Tartars, from a: river of that litmie m their territories, flie third was named Merkat, and tlic fourtli Metrit. AH these tril)es resembled each otlier in fornij and complexion, and spoke the same language, though thoy were divided into distinct provinces, under separate prin< es. In the land of the Yeka-Mongal, Uved one named Zii^is, a great hmiter, who used to rob and take much prey, going into the neighbouring districts, where he seized all that came in his way, and associated many under his command, till at length the people of his nation attached themselves to him, «iunp. VIII. SECT. vin. into Tariury. 199 liim, and followed him ni their leader to do evil. After some time, Zingivwent to war with the ^u-Munga) or TarturH,Mlew their (liilce, niul HubjugiitiHl the nation i and hu hucceitiiively re- duced tltc Merl(utii and Metrites to hiit growing dominion. The Nayniani, to whom «li tlie Hurroundiiig tribat tlien puld tribute, were much indignant ut the elevation ot Zingisi but their great emperor hrni lately died, leaving the authority di- vided among his hoiis, wlio were young and loolioii, und knew not how to rule the people j yet they invaded the territories ol' the MongolH, slaying tne inhabitants and currying aft mucli prey. On ttuH Zingiti colleotMi the whole vtrength of his sub- jects, and the Nuyuiuni, united witli the Cara-Cathuyans, .gathered n mighty uriiiy in a certain nornuw valley to ojiixMie him, in which a great battle was tbught, and the Mongols ob> tuined the victory, the coiilbdet'uteB being mostly slain, and those who escupe Section IX. f Of the Mutual Victor Us of the Mongols and CMhayans, r After, their return frpm conquering the Naymani and Cani-Cathayans, the Monguls prepared to go to war with the Kythaos, or Cathayans *; but the Monguls were defeated in .a great battle, and all their nobles were slain except seveti. . Zingis and the rest who hud cftcuptd irom this deteut, soon afterwards attacked and conquered the {people colled iluyri ^, who were Nestorian Christians, from whom they learned the art 1 Called Chamil or Hami in the maps, in lat. 43" N. and long. 98» £ It stands in a province of the same name, on the north side of the great de« sert of Gobi, and to the N.£. of the land of the Kalmuks, or little bucharia. —E. S The inhabitants of Northern China, then a lepanite kingdom froip JMangi, or Southern China. — £. . < 3 The Huirs or Uigurs.— £, ' 114 'IVaulu^ Carpint fAUT I. •rt of writing. Alter thii they conquered the land of Sorutfur, and the oountrv of the KanuUtcit and the land of Hud&at, and returning into their own countryi took a short roi^itc from war. htuin aueBibiing a great army, thev invaded Cathajr, and after a long etruggle, they conquered the greater J part of that country, and betted the emperor in hiijpeatMt city. The siitge lasted so lonjj, that the ormjr of the Mongols came to be in want of provukions, and Zingis is said to have commanded that every tenth man of his own army should be ilain as food for the rest. At length, bv great exertions, the Mongols dug a mine underneath the woOh of the city, through which a party entered and opened the gates for the rent of tnc an^y, so thot the city was carried, ond the emperor and many of ue citizens put to the sword. Having appointed doputieM to rule over his conquests, Zingis returned into Mongnlia with immense qunntitius of gold and silver and other prccioua spoil. But the southern parts of this empire, as it lies within the itea, has not been conquered by the Mongols to this day \ The {)cople of Cothav ore Pagans, having a peculiar kind of writing of their own, \\\ which they nre reported to possess the scriptures of the Old and New Testament. They have also lives ot the fathers, and houses in which they pray at stated times, built like churches ; they are even said to have saints, to worship one God, to venerate the Lord Jesus Christ, and to believe eternal life ; but they are not baptised '. They have no beards, and they partly resemble the Mongals in their fea- tures. Their country is exceeding fruitflil in corn, and abounds in gold and silver, wine and silk, and all manner of rich commotnties, and the whole world has not more expert artificers in all kinds of works and manu&ctures. 4 Thi* probably alludei to the difficulty experienced by the Mongals in forcinff a pauage across the great rivers Hoang-ho and Kian>ku.— £. 5 These absurd notions must have been picked up by the credulous mpal messengers, from ignorant or designing Nestorians m Mongalia.— yj£ iarf^***^!ii^— <;HAP. VIII. ■CCT. X. into Tartarjf. 185 SecTioM X. O/'tA* Wars ((/'the Mongalu against the Greater andlMier India. Whin Zingia uml his people had retted lomo time after itlicir conquett of Cuthay, no divided hi» army, und ie.nt uno ut' hia ■oiii* luuned Tlioaut-khan ', agoimt the Convuiiiuuiy ivhoiD he vunquiahed in many battles, and then returned into hiu own country. Another of his sons was sent with an army againHt the Indians, wlio subdued the lesser India. These Indians are the Uluck Saracens, who are also named Etbio- piuuH. PVom thence the Mongol army marclied to fight uguinst the ChriHtioJis dwelling in the greater India, and the king of tliut country, known by the lumie of Prester John, coniu forth with his army against them. This prince caused u number of hollow copper figures to be made, resembling men, which were stuffed with combustibles, and set upon hoi-ses, each having a man behind on the horse, with a pair of bellows to stir up the fire. When approochina to oive battle, tlicsc mounted images were first sent forworos against the enemy, and the men who rode behind set fire by some means to the combustibles, and blew stronj^y witJIi their bel- lowH ; and the Mongol men and horses were burnt with wild- fire, und the air was darkened with smoke. , Then the Indiana charged the Mongals, many of whom were wounded and sluiii, and they were expelled from the country in great con- fusion, and we have not heard that they ever ventured to re> turn *. 1 IVobably Tuichi-Khan.p— E. 8 Itii needkw to remark upon the confused and i(|norantMagrq;>hy, and the idle tale of a ChrUtian empire in India in thit lection. Tne «nnge< 1y iU'toId itory of the copper images, by which the Mongals were scorched with wild-fire, may refer to the actual employment either of cannon or rockets against the Mongus in this invasion.— £. ■i.l •.j^.' II % 136 IVmxlsqfCarpini ^ ■'- ' - paut i, Section XI. Of Monstrous Men like Dogs, and of the Conquest ofBuritka- beth. In returning through the desert, we were told by some Russian priests at the emperor's court, that the Mongols found certain women, who, being asked where their men were, said that all the women of that country had human shapes, but that the males had the shape of great dogs. After some time, they met the dugs on the other side of a river. It being in winter, the dogs plunged into the water, and then rolled them- selves in the dubt on the land, till the dust and water was frozen on their backs; and having done this repeatedly till the ice was thick and strong, they attacked the Mon^s with ffreat fury ; but when the Mongals threw their darts, or shot tneir arrows at them, they rebounded as if they had fallen on stones, neither could their weapons in any way hurt them. But the dogs killed some of the Tartars, and wounded many with their teeth, and finally drove them out of the coun- try'. ' ; On their return home, the Mongals come into the country of Burithabeth, of which the inhabitants are pagans, and con- quered the people in battle. These people nave a strange custom of eating their kindred when they die. They have no beard, for we saw some of them coinc about with certain iron instruments in their hands, with which they pluck out any hairs they find on their faces *. * -v.. ^^ . 1 It is surely unnecessary to remark on this ridiculous story of the canine men, which no coir.mentar)' could reduce to sense. — £. 2 These people may possibly have been the Burats. The same practice of eradicating the beaid is still followed by the native tribes of America.— j^. tl tl . -ii !»;;«> >- '»»/■»>. ^ ()f the Election of the Emperor Occoday^ and of the Expedi" ti<9n of Duke Bothy, On the death of Zingis-chnn, the dukes assembled and elected his son Occoday, Ugadai, or Oktai'khan, emperor in his place ; who immediately, in a council of the nobles, divided the army, and sent Bathy, or Baatu-khan, who was next in authority, ngainst the land of Altissodan and the country of the Bissermini ', who were Saracens, though they spoke the language of the Comanians. Bathy defeateid these people in battle ; but the city of Barchin, which was surrounded with strong walls, resisted for a long while, until the Tartars filled up the ditches and won the place, which they destroyed. &irgat surrendered without resistance, for which the city wa# not destroyetl, but many of the citizens were slain and made captives, and much spoil was taken, and the city was fiiled with new inhabitants. The Tartars marched next against the rich and populous city of Oma, in which were many Chris- tian Gassarians, Russians, and Alanians, and many Saracens, the lord of the city being of that nation. This town stands on a large river, and is a kind of port, exercising great trade. Being unable to reduce this pkice by force, the Tartars dam- med up the river, and drowned the whole city, with the inhabi- tants and dieir coods. Hence they invaded Russia, and be- seiged Kiow a long while, which they at length took, and massacred the inhabitants. This was a large and populous city, but is now reduced to nothing, and scarcely has two hun- dred houses : and when we passed through Russia, we found immense numbers of human skulls and bones scattered about. From Russia and Comania they proceeded against the Hun- •utu^ garians I The Busurmen, Musurmen, or Mahometan iohabitants of Turk- estan.—E. "^fi.Vi^'ll*^' jiilnWi '- rJfr»itT'i-i 'ii ■- --^l-TJ-. J.. A'. A .. 140 Travels qfCarpini r'^ '• PART I. farians and Polonians, where many of them were sluin: and ad the Hungarians withstood tlium muntitliy, the Tartars had been utterly defeated. In their return li .;i tliencc, they invaded and defeated the pagan Morduans: whr^ncc they march- ed against the Byleri of greater Bulgaria, whic^i th-^ y almost en- tirely destroyed. Thence they proceeded to ' he north against the Bastarci of greater Hungary, whom they conquered ; and going farther north, they came to the Parossitie, mid thence to the Samogetffi, reaching even to the ocean ^ and from tlicnce Returned into Comaniu. ■, -U»v. l;^^. V8WE> Section XVI. '^'I'vJ^'- aO ■KX- Ofthe Expedition of Duke Cyrpodan. •Wif; 'L:f;:..:; At the same time Occoday-khan sent duke Cyrpodan with an army to the south, against the pagan K.ergis, who have no beards, whom he subdued. Aflcr whicli he marched against the Armenians, whom he conquere?i'*;t^' Hcfw the Tartars ought to be resisted. ««»v t^ iiiti No single kingilom nr province cun resist the Tartir i, a)t they gather men tor v ,',r firom every land tbat is siubjected to their dominion j aix^ it' any nei|i:hlKnuing pt ovince retuses to ^join them, they invade aiul lay m ^Aaste, slaughtering tlie in- habitants or carrying them into ;\p(ivi>A and then proceed against another nation. They place tUtir tiap rives in tne ' may have learnt from the Scythians. The La- tin of Vincentius BeluacensU appears to have been translated from the French original of Carpini, fitnn the foOowing circumstance: What Jl here translated their other Aaggojge is, in the Latin, alitu ret duriores ; almost with certainty mistakenly rendered item the French iimri aittres hardes^—E, 2 The word here used in the Latin, ialutaij, is probably rnrr-upted itt transcripUon for ^a/M/ariu; and may either mean cross-bow-men, or men for working balistae, the ancient artillery, if the expression be allowable. Arcubalistarii is the appropriate middle agie Latin for men arme^ with cro^r r3-i r. n 1 CHAP. Tin. SECT. XVIII, into Tartary. 143 easy iDfttter } and ought to have good helmets and armour of proof tor ih«.ms)A>3 and horses: And those who are not so m < n.t.'il oug>it to koop in the rear of those who are, to ditoharge thoit nrrovs arl i mrrels over the heads of their companions^ O*'." tcrr, ies ^v.'.r' i to be marshalled after the order of the Tartars, alrea«ly fi uscribed, and under the same rigorous laws if war. "WTioever betakes himself to plunder beiore victory is perfectly asccrtaiiied, should suffer death. The field cS battle ought to bo <-hoscn, if possible, in a plain, where every thing may \ '•. se< i around. Tlie army should by no means be drawn vp in one body, but in many divisions, not too dis- t'dv.t. One band ought to be dispatched against those who f.rst ac 'i.nce, while another remains prepareu to assist in time oi' need. Scouts ought to be sent out on every side, to give notice of the approach of the enemy ; that bund may alwara be sent to meet band as they come on, as the Tartars are al- ways anxious to surround their enemies. Each band ought however to be cautious not to pursue too far when their enemies fly. lest they fall into a snare or ambush, as the Tartars fight more by stratagem than by main force ; and this the rather, that our people may not fatigue their horses, in which we do not abound, while the Tartars always have such numbers that they seldom remoimt one horse, till after three or four days rest. Should even the Tartars retire towards their own country, our army ought by no means to retreat or s^>arate ; as they often practise this stratagem to delude their enemiest and induce them to divide, and then return suddenly to de- stroy the country at their pleasure. Our generals ought to keep their troops day ond night on the alert, and alwaj-s arm- ed, ready for battle ; as the Tartars are always vi^iRint lik« the devils, and are ever devising how to commit ailRv^ieft Finally, when a Tartar falls from his horse in battks hi^ vm^»t immediately to be taken or slain ; as when on loot o^ \^i tWy are excellent archers, and destructive to B»ct4 ami Hv>«>v\^ V ■"-j^v-- •:■.-'-:■■ ^• * Our good minorite seems in this chapter to1»*ve !Au<¥ed the old pro* verbj^j ejt ab hoste doceri ; but except in the lea- Alexander.— P/'.~E. 9 GJiAP. VIII. SECT. XIX. into Tartary, lU After this Wasilico %v\\i us Ibrward to Kiow, the chief city of Russia, uiuler the conduct of one of his senronts \ in which journey we were in great danger of our lives from the Li> tliMiUiinns, who often invaded the borders of Russia in the viwy places through which we had to pass ; but by means of this lervant we were secured aguinot any injury from the HussianH, of whoni Indui'd the greater part had been slain, or cariitKl into caplivitv by fh< |'iii|»rB. In this journey w« hod uiniost ptrioiieu of cold nt liuniiou ^ f/)rnugh the pro- (jlgioiis depth ()f tile fjnow, ulllioiigh we travcllca in a waggon. On our uriivuj /It Kiow, nw\ (.onsijlting with the millenary^, and oflinr nobles, respecting our mUmt joi|infy, we were adviseu not io UHriy liie hor(>es we then jiud into '[nrtpry, r\n they would all certainly die uy (ht> wtiy, ns they were not uued to dig under the snow in search of grass IJlte (he lartar Jiorses, und no food could be procured for them, as the 'fttr- tars make no provision of hay or straw, or any other proven* der, against winter. We determined therefore to leave them behinu, under the care of two servants, till our return, and by means of presents, wc prevailed on the millenary to allow us posl-liornrs niKJ a tfiij(|e. We began our ioumey ori the se* condday after (he PurificatJori ', aijd arrived ot Canow, which was under the imniediute domhiion of the Tartars. . I'h^ guverinu' allewed us horses, and a guide to another town, of w jik h one Michcas, a mo ^t malicious person, was governor t «vho, gained liy our presently, conducted us to the first station ofllio rnrtnrH. Section XX. Of his ^ first Reception by the Tartars. .%/■<' On the first Saturday after Ash- Wednesday, while wc were takina; up our quarters for the night, near sunset, a number or nrined Tartars came suddenly upon us, in a tlircatening manner, demanding who we were. Haying told them 3 There is a town named Danilovska, near the S. E. frontiers of Euro* pean Russia. ~E. 4 From this circumstance, It may be presumed that Kiow was then oc- Tupied by a guard of Tartars, under a commander of a thousand men. — E. 5 This was the 4th February, probably of 1247. — E. vor.. I. K. \1 '' :' ' 1' 1^ i, ii' ''I ) Its TVovrli rf Carpini fAWiU Acm liMt we were meiMnfen firom the IP^ttpe, kA ghing than fome Tictuob, thej iinniedi>)itely went ■w«t. "Wmi we proceeded on our journey next momingi the chie» of thu gaud met us, Mid demanded to know the pu^ioee of our joumeyw We MMwered ** That we were mesiensen twn our Lord the Fk^e, the father tfnd lord of the Chnstiant, going to their emperor and prince«, and the whdA Tartar nation^ t» deiire peace and friendehip between the Torlart and the Chriatiant: And aa the Pbpc wished the Tartars to becnne greal< aiMl to acquire the mvour of Ood, he admohished them vy iM) aMi b^ hia letters, to embrace the faith of Christ) without whidi they conldnot be sated t That the Pope was astomihed Ut hear, fif their monstrous slaughter of mankind^ more eiq>eeh^ ly of the Hungarians, Mountaineers^ and Polandere, who were his subjects, and who had neither injured, or attempted to injure the Tartars ; and as God is sore oifcnded by such proceedings, the Pope admonished them to reAaki in ftrture, and to repent of what they had done, and requeMed an an- swer as to their future intentions." On which ihtj promised «s horses and a guide to Corrensot but fbr which mvour they demanded presents. Some of them rode swifl}y on before« to inform Covrensa of our messaoe) and we followed, "iniit Corrensa is genera) or duke of all the Tartars who are placed as a guard against the people of the West, lest some enemy might suddenly invade them ; and is said to have 60)000 men mder hie command* •*.w(?}^-«fa ■:^.- ' ■• ! ' • p-< ,5*1:1 /»>■ Section XXL f - - '<":•'■ '•i*.l'\^ '■' (I i •>,> His Reception at the Court of Corrensa. On our arrival at the residence of Corrensa, our tent was ordered to be pitched at a considerable distance, and his i^nts came to demand what gifts we would offer in paying our obei- sance to him. We answered that our lord the Pope had sent no gifls, as he was uncertain if we should ever arrive ot their country, considering the dangerous places we harl to pass through ; but that we should honour him with pa of those things which had been given us to defray the charges of our journey. Having received our gifis, we were conducted to the orda or tent of the duke Corrensa, and instructed to bow our Icfl knee hrice before his door, taking great care not to set !» ^fc-r •Siir. mu 8KCT. XXI. MH Tkr/oty* nfr aet our feet on the threshold { and wh«n entered, we were to repeat on our knee* thd irtitdn which we had said before. Tnis done, we presented the letters of the Pope ) but the in- terpretfli* whom #e had hired at Kiow, was not abid to ex- plain them sufikiently, nor could any one be found equal to From tMs nhet MMt h oti es were appiMnted to condwd u« «il iril qpced ter dvkie Bnotu, under the ly^uidancc dfthre* TntMnk Thk Baata is the diost powerral prince amonjg tfMn, ntet to their emperor. We be|;an our joornejr to hta •onrt on A»fmt Tuettday in Lent, and riding as fast as wa flould trot, though we cnanged oar horse* twice or thriee tferf daf , «rul often traveUed in the ni^ht, i* was If aundi^ Thursday )MK>twwe aeoomplished our joarney. The whow 9f ihii ittdmev was thronaii die land of G>nnHua, which is all «n lamatm puun, watered by four large rivers. The first of thew i» the Dnieper or Boristhenes j on the Russian side of ^ieb the ddces Corrensa and Montij mardi up and dow»» dn lattar, whb marches on the other side of the pkins^ being themore^owerftitof thetwo '. Hw second river is the DoB| vr Taaaif ef the ancients, on the banks of which a certain ■ prince, named Tirixm, scgoums, who is married to the diangb- ter of BaatOt The third and kuroest is the Volga or Rba, oh which Baatu resides. The four^ is the Jaik or Rhvmnas, on each bank of which a millenary commands. All these descend southwards in winter to the sea, and travel in summer up these rivers, towanls the northern mountains. All these rivers, especially the Volga, abound in fish, and run into the great sea, from which the wm of St George esctends past Constantinople *. While on the Dnieper, we travelled many days upon the ice ; and on the shore of the sea we iuund the ice three leagues brood. Before our arrival at the residdnee of Baatu, two of our Tartars rode on before, to give him ati ■cconnt of idiat we hud said to Corrensa. nii< '. ii,i iutii S&cnoK i-'i?.' 1 k is dKenk to uodttrataad the amlMguk]^ here wsd, unless we sup* pose that the station of Montij was oo the right batdc of the nnieper ; whiteciertjdnly ;that of Corrensa was on the lefk or north-east baiik.— E. 2 Tht Euxlhe and Caspiiin are here confounded as one wa. It is scarcely necessary to observe, that the Dnieper and Don nin into the Eigc- i&e, while die Vslga and Jaiii, or lin^ are discharged into the Ca^»an.-^£- .'JJ' .Of' -TajSfUj^: rf'Vh; V^^, fjifc 'f'tir: )ri?:ii'««U#»,' « TKn rKKSi.^ .V- •I' Section XXII. I . .;I'af/KT '>'lf Thi Reception ofCarpini at the Court tfBitatu. When we arrived at the residence of Baatu, in the lr.nd of Comania, we were ordered to pitch our tent a full league from his station, and when we were to be introduced at nit court, we were informed that it was previously necessary for us to pass between two fires. We refused tnis at first, but were told there was no danger, and that it was only precau- tionary, in case we intended any mischief to their lord, or should have brought poison along with us, as the fire would remove all evil. On which we complied, that we might rev move all suspicion of any such sinister intentions. After thisy when we came to the ordn, we were questioned by Eldegay, the agent of the prince, respecting the gifts we meant to oner) and making the same reply we hod given at the court of Cor- rensa, our gifts were oftcred and accepted ; and having declar- ed the object of our journey, we were introduced nito the presence, making our obeisances, and were admonished re« specting the threshold, as formerly mentioned. We then re> hearsed our former oration on our knees, and produced our letters, and requested the aid of interpreters to translate them. These were sent us on Good Friday, and, with their assistance, our letters were carefully translated into the Russian, Tarta- rian, and Saracen languages, and presented to Baatu, who read them with attention. We were then conducted back to our lodging, but no food was given us, except a little millet in a disn, on the first evening of our arrival. Baatu carries himself with great magnificence, having porters, and all other officers, after the manner of tlie emperor, and sits in an elevated place, like a throne, along with one of his wives. Some of his brothers, and sons, and nobles, sit below him, on benches, and all others on the ground, behind the rest, the men being on his right, and the women on his left. He uses some beautiful and large linen tents, which formerly belonged to the king of Hungarj' j and no person, however great, pre- sumes to enter his tent without leave, except his own fami- ly. At this interview we were seated on iiis left hand, but on our return from the emperor, we were placed on the right. A table stands near the door of the tent or house, on which there is abundance of drink, in golden and silver vessel". iKtl. 4UAr, viji. SECT. XXII. itito Tartmy, J4» ndof vessel!. Neither Baatu, nor any of the Tartar princes, drink in public, without havinff sinacn and harpera playing be- fore them. When he rides, there is a small tent, canopy, or umbrella, carried over his head, on the point of a ^leari and the same is done to all the Tartar princes and their wives. Baatu is extremely courteous to iiis people, yet is held in great awei he is exceedingly sagacious, crony in war, and inexorably cruel in battle, and has been long expc* rienced in the conduct of warlike enterprises. Section XXIII. T^e J&umejf through the Land of Comaniaf and of the < Kattgitta. .* ro ',t^ . •> On Easter eve wc were aguin called to the court, and Eldcgay, whom wc have mentioned before as the agent of Baatu, came out to us from the tent, saying that we must go forwards to the court of their emperor : but they detain- ed a part of our company, under pretence of senduig them back to the Pope. We accordingly gave letters to these persons, reciting all that had hitherto occurred { but they got no farther than the residence of duke Moutij, where we joined them on our return homewards. Next day, being £a8ter, after prayers and a slight breakfast, we depaited from the court of Baatu in much dejection of spirits, accompanied by two guides. We were so feeble that we could nardly support tne fatigue of riding, our only food during Lent having been millet boiled with water, and our only drink meltea snow. Passing eastwards through Comonia, wc tra- velled conthmally with great expedition, changing our horses five times a-day, and sometimes oftener ; except when we had to pass through deserts, on which occasions we hod stronger horses allowed, that were able to undergo the whole labour. In this manner we travelled, almost without ceasing, from the beginning of Lent, until eis^t days after Easter, including our journey to the court of Baatu. On me north of Comania, immediately beyond Russia, }ie the people called Morduyni-Byleri ' in great Bulgaria, , and } Tb. yitniayeii Morduas o r MerdMt wen probabijr tlie ume peopb wtth '*'^T II >— r 'I' i rf fc« |^ r- n, nfii 111 ii iiiwiifY ;^ #10 T^endi ^Carpini '■: .-i: »AIKrfc and the Baatorci k grmt Hungaiy $ bcgrcttd thf ^»atf\m 999 ihe Parout^ an4 Bamo^tn i ma jtejond th(9ae» (mii» dttr attft, iborfiB of dbe ooean, a people wi>o are mm) to fcuMTA 4k^ IBoea. On the aouth, ConaMiia hae ihe Alam, Cliritliiijftiiiif JSaiwiiflnB, Oteace, and Coiutatitinople, the land «f^ Ib^irir 1018, idle Qaiatss, the Biiitacheg, who ajre aaid to be jfew^, wh» lAiwre llie yirhi^e of their heads, and thtf lands of the Sk^J^laiift Georgians, AraneuiaBs, and Turks. Oiji lihe v^st gRc-Hiwr gary and Russia. Cmnania is a oountry of great Wtigth 90d readth, the inhabitants of which ^ere m >stly extirpated by the Tartars, though many of them were reduced to bondage and some fled, bi^t the fiigijtives haye in general returned, and now serve the Tartars. We next entered the land of the Kangittae, which has few iohahitatitst owing tp a <^t scar- city of water. From this circumstance, several < i'v i servants pf Jeroslaus, duke of Russia, perished in the desert, when jlaravelliog to join him in the land of the Tartars, ftoth here luid in ComanJa, we found oiaoy human hones a )./ S«cTOo» XXIV, "^ie arnisel qf Carpini at tli;J£rst Stt^ien ^tfye nfiff ^i^afir^r^ 1 ZAi.il.: ;: '-[iii '.<:(! Fkom the land of the Kandttee we entered the coimtry of the Bisermini, who speak the Comanian languagte and oh^ery^ the law of Mahomet, in this country we saw inni^miBraUie ruined cities and castles, and many towns left desolate, '^'u^ former sovereign of this country, which is fuJU of high inouur* tains, was called Alti ^dan, who, with all his lineage, wa^ d|3>- ^troyed by the TWtai's. On the south side lie Jferifsalem aia4 in iaemory of victory^— ^. euAP. VIII. SECT. XXIV. into Tartary, 151 Baldach, or Bagdat ; and on its nearest borders dwell two Tartar dukes, Burin and Cadan, sons of Thiaday the son of Zingis-chan. To the north is the land of the black Kitayans and the ocean '. Syban, the brother of Baatu, dwells in the land of the Bisermini. We travelled in this country from Ascension-day until ei^t days before the feast of 1^ John the Baptist, 16th June, when we loitered the land of thi» black Kitayans, in which the emperor has built a ho'ise* where we were invited to drink, and the reindent diere for the emperor* caused the principal petite vfi the city, mA. even his own two sons, to dance before us * Going from thence we came to a certain eea, having a small mountain on its banks, in which there h said to be a hole, whence such vefa^aoent tempests of wind issue in winter, tliat travellers can hardhr pass with- out imminent danger. In summer the noise of the wind is he^rd proceeding ^om this hole, but it is tlien qmte gentle. We travelled along the shore of this 8e» for several days, leav- ing it upon our leU ; and though this sea is not of very large dimensions^ it contains a considerable number of islands ^ Ordu, whom we have already nueotioned as the senior of all the Tartar dukes, dwells in this country, in the orda or court of his father, where one 0& his wives bears rule. For, accord- ing to the Tartar cifstoms, the courts of princes and nobles are never di8S<4ved at their deaths, but are kept up under the government of one of his wives, to whom the gifts are con- tinued which used to be given to their lords. In this place, the: jfore, we arrived at the first court under the immediate jurisdiction of the emperor, in which one of his wives dwelt ; but as we had not yet been presented to the emperor, we were not invif:ed, or even permitted to enter the station, but were exceedingly well entertained in our tent, afler the Tartar fashion, and were allowed to remain there one day for rest and refreshment. Section 1 The confused gengraphical notices of this traveller are so uninstruc- tive, as not to merit any commentary. A good account of the present state of these immense regions will be found in Pinkerton's Modem Geo- graphy, articles Independent ITartary, Chinese Tartanr, and Asiatic Russia* The ancient .and perpetually changing distribution of^ rations in Scythia or Tartary, in its mast extended sense, almost elude research, and would require lengthened dissertations instead of illustrative Qotes.— £. 2 From che subsequent travels of Rubruquis, it will appear, that this cere- mony was in honour of the Tartar messengers going from Baatu to the emperor, not from respect to the papal envoys. — E. 3 This sea is obviously the lake Balkash, o> Palkati-nor, at the south end itf which our maps represent a group of islands. — £. \^ K i< i wi ^ ^A ^i. v«« ■»»><«- k< ^]. ^~4^»«ili^t:^tltiSLk^, . f'^'vmmm'immimm-'m 152 Travels of Carpini '' ''- ''^"■-'^^ t*v vhvui i. "• ~ Section XXV. i«.ttV''?U**«- ' ' '""i . . . ■•'' ' '■'''. . . .-■.",, ii 2%^ Arrival of Carpini at-tke Court of the Emperor electi-^^^ «i'u.' , i,; .i,^3ji : .... iu.',n. ■ ■ ■'.■:. Lbavino this placie on the eve of St Peter and Patil, 28th r June, we enterecif the country of the pagan Naymani ', and • next doy was excessively cold, attended by a great fall of snow.- Indeed this country is very mountainous and excessively cold, and has very little plain ground, wherefore these naticMis had no tillage, but dwelt in tents, which were destroyed by the Tartars. We travelled through this country for many days, and at length entered the land of the Mongals, whom we call Taitars. Through this latter country we continued our journey for about three weeks, continually riding with great expedition, and at length arrived at the residence of the em- peror elect, on the feast of Mary Magdalen, 22d July. In the whole of this journey we used extraordinary exertion, as our' Tartar guides were ordered to bring ns'^itn all expedition to attend the solemn court which had been long appointed for the election of the emperor : on which account we always travel- led from early morning till night, without stopping to take food J and we often came to our quarters so late, as not to get any food that night, but were forced to eat in the morn- ing what we ought to have had for supper. We changed horses frequently every day, and travelled constantly as hard as our horses could trot. .,•'•: i ■ r- ^•' ;'..■• ' '''■ ' > ''■ .'■ ji ' •-, iT-'d'. t .. -ft _>,s<« y.- ,ws m' Section XXVL ;' i-luu ;•■*•;:*<. .'...'^}A%}ll\i^: Of the Reception of the papal Nuncios at the court of Kujah^ or Cuyne-Khan. ■ '■i.j::!^ . ." ., _ .-'. . :• On our arrival at the court of Cuyne, he ordered us to be provided with a tent, and all necessary expences, after the Tartar customs, and his people ti'eated us with more attention and ri spect than they shewed to any other messengers. We were not admitted into his presence, as he had not been for- ^nally elected and invested in the empire j but the translation of \ The Soongaria of modern Geography. — £, ••••"'• .^. A cHAr« VIII. SECT. XXVI. into lartary.iSi 153 of the Pope's letters, and of our speech, had been transmitted to him by Baatu. After remaining in this place tor five or six days, we were sent to his mother, who kept a solemn court. In this place we beheld an immense tent, so vast, in our opinion, that it could have contained two thousand men ; around which there was an enclosure of planks, painted with various figures. All the Taitar dukes were assembled in this neighbourhood, with their attendants, and amused themselves in riding about the hills and vallies. The first day these were idl clothed in white robes. The second day, on which Cu^e came to the great tent, they were dressed in scarlet, 'fhe third day they were dressed in blue, and on the fourth in rich robes of Baldakin '. In the wall of boards, encircling the great tent, there were two gates, through one of which the emperor alone was allowed to enter ; and though it stood continually open, there were no guards, as no one dared to enter or come out by that way. All who were admitted entered by the other gate, at which there were guards, armed with bows, ar- rows, and swords. If any one presumed to approach the tent beyond the assigned limits, he was severely beaten if caught ; or if he attempted to run away, he was shot at with arrows. Many of the people whom we saw here, had upon their saddles, bridles, and other trappings of their horses, to the value of twenty marks in pure gold, according to our estimation *, iThe dukes assembled in the great tent, and consulted to^ gether, as we thought, about the election of the emperor. The rest of the people were collected all round the wooden walls, and at a considerable distance ; and in this manner they continued till almost noon. Then they began to drink mares milk, or cosmos, and continued to drink amazing quan- tities till evening. We were invited among them, and they treated us with ale, as we did not drink cosmos. They intend- ed this as a great honour, but they made us drink so much, in comparison with our ordinary diet, as we were not able to endure ; but on making them understand that it was hurtful to us, they desisted from insisting on our compUance. On the outside of the door stood Jeroslaus, duke of Susdal in Rus- sia, a great many dukes of the Kithayans and Solangi, the •ffil :S-v?»sJM ';'iji..i,VH)/"'U'^ -,?rK. i?,fi|lX«t>»1l t»3!i*i«' ^Ai two 1 This term probably signifies the manufacture of Baldach or Bagdat, and may refer to silken stuffs damasced, or woven with gold flowers. — £. 2 Taking the mark of gold at 8,oz. and valuing the ounce at4l. 178. 6di the sum of 20 marks amounti to L. 7S0 Sterling.-^E. I 1 I. • I Trm<*iimmmwiifmi''-*' Ia4 Travels of Carpini rAA PAMIr 1 two tons oi the king of Georsia, the «ivoy of the caliph oC Bagdat, hinuelf a euitan, and moK than tan other Saracen sultans. We were informed by the agents, that there were above four thousand measengers present, partly from those who paid tribute or sent presents, and from odier suitans and dukes who came to jfMBkc their submissions, or who had been sent £or, and from the various governors of countriea and places ur'^er their authority. AU these were plaoed on the outside of the wooden wall of the great tent, and were sup- plied with <^.'nk; and diey almost all gave to us and the duke Jeroiiiaus the place of honour, when in their compnay. • ■ ■ ■■ M ■■.v.- .tf: , U Section XXVII. fj'u. ■ Of' the Exaltation of Cuyne as Emperm . •*!,,( ...[ -'■ We remained in this place, called Syra Orda, about four irecks. In our opinion the election was m**'^^'^ here, though 1^ was not published, because always when ^^uyne came out of the tent he was greeted with a noise of music, and was saluted with beautiful rods tipt with scarlet wool, which was not done to any of the other dukes. Leaving this place, we all rode three or four miles to a fine plain, near a river among the mountains, v^iore wc found another tent erected, called the Orolden Orda, in which Cuyno was to have been installed in the imperial seat on tlie festival of the Assumption, l.'kh Au- gust ; but on account of a vast fall of hail, foxmerly mention- ed, the ceremony was deferred. This tent was erected upon pillars, covered over with plates of gold, and other beams were fixed to the pillars by gold nails. The whoL was superbly eovered over with Baiducin, having other cloth on tlve out- side. We remained here till the least of St Bartholomew, ^4th August * on which day an immense multitude conven- ed, standing witii their faces to the south. Certain persons, at about a stone's throw distance fr■■';«*•— *-*-*»tf«fl«*' .f;i||9f VIII. SECT. xxvKi. intii Tartarjf, I5t oljuiMi uppn the umperiai tbronc. On which all the dukei fcewjl; bfflore huOf and the same was done by all the peoptei iPK^tcipl bg^ Nf » who were not his subjects. "•'i»»^j-»^- »!,>!}}» 'j, Section XXVIIL '.^ *•«i;-^"fl'4"'*iM• (y/Ae Age and Demeanour ofCuyne, and of his Seal, When exalted to the imperial dignity, Cuyne seemed to be about forty or forty-five years old. He was of middle staturei exceedingly prudent, pontic, serious, and grave in his demean- our, and was hardly ever seen to laugh or to behave lightly in any respect, as was reported to us by certain Christians who were continually about him, These Christians of his family assured us likewise, that he would certainly become a Christ- ian, because he always kept some Christian priests about his person, and had at all times a chapel of Christians established near his gre3,t tent, in which the clergy sang their devotion^ publickly and openly, and struck the regular hours on bells, according to the custom of the Greek church, whatever num-* ber of Tartars or others might be in the presence ; while no o^her of the Tartar dukes did any thing like this. It is the custom of this emperor never to converse himself with any stranger, however high his rank, but always to heftr, »is it were, and to answer through an intermediate person : Whoever proposes any matter to his consideration, or listens to his reply, however great his quality, must remain on hia knees the whole time j and no one ipust presume to sp'^ak on any subject after the determination of the emperor is expres- sed. For the dispatch of afiairs, both pul^c and private, he has agents, secretaries, scribes, and officers of all kinds, exi> vepting pleaders ; as every thing is concluded according tQ his win and pleasure, without strife or judicial uoise : and the other princes of the Tartars act exactly in the same manner, Wliile we remained at his court, the emperor and all his princes erected a standard of defiance against the cliurch of God, the Roman empire, and all the Christian kingdoms and nations pf the west, unless they should become obedient to his commands. Their avowea intention is to subdue the whole earth under their authority, as they were commanded |)y TMg^i^^ikmj and they have only abstained from this in- . . I , teution 1* 156 JVavels qfCarplni ifJt .Tt)a4 ,i i p^akt i. 1^ 5 f: i tention of late, on account of the death of Occaday-khan, the emperor's father^ who was poisoned. Of all the nations under heaven, they are in some fear of the Christians only, and on tliis account they are now preparing to make war on us. In all his letters their emperor styles himself the Power of God imd the Emperor uf Mankind ; and the seul of the present emperor is thus inscribed : o^nK^t God in IIeavicn; anu CuYNE-KHANtiN Eautu, the Power op God : Tiiu sol of tue Emi'SUoh uf aI'L Men. ■i\i fi)h •(<.> -cju ..;u .rj fiiii fl.i .*i:'ij Section XXIX. ' t'i J ,t 1 1.' < 7;-4i no 'mot Hhnit jrut Qf'(h>- Adviimbn of the Papal anS. other Enikn}s to' iJie Em- •JKllll-.,^ jpcroi\ .111 ilMj , tnnfr-jiMti <|i. iW^U'-'ffi Wf were c "'^'rrl into the presence of the emperor j in the same place v\m.^ .x had been inaugurated ; mid Chingay, his chief secretary, hr.ving written down our names, and the names of those who sent us, and the name of the duke of Solaiigi and others, he read over all these names in a loud voice to the emperor and the assembled dukes. Then every one of us bowed the knee four times before him, and having warned us to beware of touching the threshold, we were cnrefiilly search- ed lest we might have any concealed weapons ; after which, we enteral within the precinct of the imperial tent at the cast gate ; not even the Tartar dukes dare presume to enter at the •west gate, which is reserved for the emperor alone j yet the lower people do not pay much regard to this ceremonious in- junction. At this time, likewise, all the other envoys now at the imperial residence were presented, but very few of them were admitted within the tent. On this occasion, infinite quantities of rich gifts of all kinds were presented to the em- peror, by the various envoys and messengers, in samites, pur- ple robes, baldakins, silken girdles wrought with gold, rich jiu's, and other things innumerable. Amotig these there wa a splendid umbrella, or small canopy, to be carried over th^ head of the emperor, all covered over with gems. The gover- nor of one of the provinces brought a great number of camels, having housings of baldakin, and carrying richly ornamented saddles, on which were placed cenain machines, within each of which a man might sit. Many horses and mules likewise %ere presented to him, richly caparisoned and armed, some with ■■» UllHi^jltj^iixiW. --?». o^^^t ^iW0i MMK^'^pi fAHT I. \n, the [under id on . In God iresent k'B op •••J £m' CHAP. Tin. SECT. XXIX. iuto Tartofi/. 157 with leather, ftnd some with iron. We were likewise qucs- tioned as to what gifts we had to offer, but we were unable to present any thing, as almost our whole substance was already consumed. At a considerable distance from the court, there stood in sight on a hill, above five hundred cartn all filled with gold and silver and silken garments. All these things were ivided between the emperor and his dukes, and the dukes divided their portions among their followers, each according to his pleasure. X; ••'i«V^»Vy\-j\.ui Section XXX. ■■•A t'.U.Vv^ ivX J.W Of the Separation between the Emperor and his Motkctt and .■ -i , of the Death qfjcroslaus Duke of llmsia. „ ,,m. Leaving this place wc came to another, where a wonderfully grand tent, all of retl cloth, was pitched, the gift of the C»- tnayans. At this place likewise, we were introduced into tlie presence ; and always on these occasions we were offered beer and wine to drink, and boiled flesh to eat when we were in- clined. In this tent there Avas a lofty gallery made of boards^ on whidv the imperial throne was placed, most exquisitely carved in ivory, and richly decorated with gold and precious stones ; and, if we rightly remember, there were several step* by which to ascend the throne. This throne was round abovew There were benches all, around, where the ladies sat on the lefl hand, upon stools, and no one sat aloft on the right hand« but the dukes sat below on Ixnches, in the middle of the tent. Others sat beliind them, and every day there came gi*eat num> bcrs of ladies to the court. These three tents whicli we liave mentioned, were of wonderful magnitude ; and the wives of the emperor had other tents, sufficiently large and beautiful made of white felt. At this place, the emperor took leave df his mother, who went to one part of tlie land, and he to an- other, to distribute justice. Alx)ut this time, a concubine belonging to the emperor was liutcctcd, who had poisoned his father, at the time when the Tartar army was in Hungary, and owing to wlxich incident, they had been orderetl to return. She, and a considerable number of her accomplices, were tried and put to death. Soon afterwards, Jeroslaus, the gi'eat duke of Soldal' in Russia, being invited, as if to do him honour, by >\ \ CalledSusdal in » former passage. — E. Ill TrmeU, *(■ the ewptwi^i inoeher, to receive meat and driidc froib her hand, grew sick kifmeiUotely fllOlev returning to hi« lodgmg:^ and diM in seven dayi illflcM^ his whole body becoming Btrangdy of a bkie colour j eihii it was currently reported that he had been pdieoftedy tlial the Tartaiv might ffMly and to* taOy poiaeae his knd. Section XXXI. \h:A' JF/oio /Aff Priars, in ike presence of the EmperOt, inierenangei Letters. SoOK al^rwards, the emperor sent ua to his mother, as hd intended to set up a flag of ddiance against all the nations of rhe west, ns has been mentioned before; and he was desirous to keep Htm circumstance from our knowledge. Having remained some days with his mother, we returned to his court, where We continued a whole month, in such extreme distresH for victuals and drink, that we could hardly keep ourselves alive j for the provisions allowed us for four days, were scarcely suf- ficient to serve us for one day, neither could we go to pur- chase at the public market, as it was too far firom us. But God sent to our aid a Russian goldsmith, named Cosnuw^ «^o was considerably favoured by the emperor, and who pro- cured us some food. This man shewed us the imperial throne and seal, both of which he had been employed to make. A^T some time, the emperor sent for us, and inlnnated, 1^ Chingay, his secretary, that we should write down our mes* sages and affairs, and dieliver th^i to him, which we did ao- cordingiy. Many days afterwards, we were again caUed to Che presence, and were asked if th^e were any persons tbtmt i^ Pope who understood the Russian, Arabic, or Tartarian languages. To this we answered that we were ignorant of ^i«e lang u ag es , and though there were Saracens in our Iaad» tJj^ inhabited at a great distance from our lord the Pope ; and we pvopoeeok that when they had written in the Tartar kn- guage, th^ mi^ht explain the meaning to us, which we would carefully write down in our language, and would tiien deliver both the originals and the translation to his holiness. On this they went from us to the emperor. We were again cal- led upon at Martinmas, when Kadac, the chi^ nunister of the empire, with Chingay and Bala, and several scribes, came to us and explained the emperor's letter, word hr word ; and when img that id to* cnAT. VIII. SECT. XXXI. Mto Tartaiy, 15» whtn «w had wwHtcD it in Latin^ they made m iiitctpfel «vcrf scKteoee to idierr' to aep if i«ie had uij way en-ed. Andwhen both Jatters were «titten, they made u read diem over twiea nuMM* IflBt any thir'<^ were mistaken : Swying« ** Take heed diat eveary thinff be wril undervtoody oM^^at^ inoenvcnieiiM' might ariiif' from wrong conception." Iney gave us UkewiM' a copy of the emp^^ror^s letters in Arabic, in case any on^ might be fowid who could explain them in our country. ranged > f\ ! w'A C.i filCTlON XXXII. ■vV\». 'dX . . ; , T/ie Papal Envois receive a Ucenci (4>- dt'pmi, "■ • ■ ^ Tttf/SE Tartar ministers indfrinef] us, ^tit the ampeftv pHh posed to send envoys along with us ) and it seemed to uS) thafi they wJslied we should ask this from the e act as spies, to examine the ap- proaches to our land : W^* dreaded that they mi^t be dain by the way : for when the i't-rvants which attendeu us* by de- sire of die cardinal legate of Germany, were on their return to him, they were well nigh stoned to death by the Germans, and forced to put off that natefol dress : And it is the custom of the Tartars, never to make peace with those who have shun their messengersy till they have taken a severe revenge. Fourthly, we feared tludr messengers might be taken ftam as by main force. And lastly, because no good could ariiie fiyxn uiem« as they vf&e to have no otlier commission or authority, except merely to deliver the k^ttcr of the emperor to the and princes of Christendom, which letter we already The third day after this, being the feast of St Brice, iStfi November, we recdved our passport, and a letter sealed with the emperor's awo seal ; and going to die eo^ror's mother, ehe ■'^'^n, '■''^^'m'mmf'^^f^mim'mv.mf'^f,., ^^^ ■ 1«Q Travfis qfCarpinii/r.x .tub aryAOT I* ■he gave each of us a gown mtide . fox-tkins, having tlw hair oatwards, and a linen robe ; firom every one of which our Tartar attendants stole a yard, and from those that were oiveii* to our servants, they stole a full half. We were peractlys' aware of this knavery, but did not think it convenient to taker any notice. J ju \o»HriA ill tt'i-i^tji -fiu'wqruo arft in vq *• Section XXXIII. i ■'A The return of the Papal Envoys to Europe. At length we took our depnrture, and travelled the whole winter through tlic (Icscrt, otten sleeping all night on the snow, unless when we cleared n piece ol ground with oar feet, and frequently in tlic morning we found oursrives entirely covered by the snow, which had drilled over us during the night. On Ascension dny, we arrived at the court of naatu, of whom we inquired what message we should deliver in his name to the Pope ? To this he answered, that he had ao mes- sage to give us in charge, but only that we should carefully douver what we had received from the emperor. Having re* ccived additiontU passports from him, wo continued our jour- ney, and arrived at the sttition of M«;i jj on the Sabbath af- ter the Whitson week, where oiu- rinv mnions and servants, who had been kept so long frorr 's ; wt- e returned at our de- sire. From thence we tKivellcti io iiV«e station of Corrensa, who again required presents from \u^^ but we now had none to give. He however appointed two Comanians, of the lowest order of the Tartar subjects, to accompany us to Kiow in .^.ussiaj but our Tartar guide did not quit us till we were beyond the Tartar bounds ; after which the Comanians, who had been ordered by Corrensa to attoid us, brought us in six days from the last guard of the Tartars, to the city of Kiow, where we arrived fifteen days before the festival of John the B&ptist, 9th June 124<8. On receiving notice of our approach, the whole inhabitants of Kiow came out joyfully to receive us, congratulating us as men returned from death to life ; and we were received in a similar manner in our whole progress through Russia, Poland, and Bohemia. Daniel, and his brother Wasilico, feasted us splendidly, and detained us, con- trary to our desire, lor eight days. In the meantime, they and their bishops and nobles, having consulted on tliose mat- *f',:- s ■ ^ ters. ^ *v> CHAP. Tin. BE r. XXXIII. into Tartaty. 161 \i ten, which we had propounded to them, when on our ionrncy towards the Taitars, nuidc an unonimouH declaration, that thry would hencefurwards hold the Pope a* their spcciaJ lord and holy father, and would adhere to the Roman church as their lady and mistress, confirming all things which they had pre- viously uent on this subject, l)v their own abbot, to the rope before our return ; and in ratihcation of all this, they sent en> voys and letters along with us to tlie Pope '. ^ <, ,j|^ , lf« *,f(>- \: iff il . •. . CHAP. IX. Travels of William de Rubruquis into Tartary^ abotit the year 1253 *, IMTRODl/CTION. THESE travels were undertaken by order of Louis IX. of France, usually called St Louis. In the original, or at least in the printed copies which have come down to our times, Rubruquis is said to have commenced his journey in the year 1253 ; out this date is attended with some difficulties, as we are certain that king Louis was a prisoner from 1249 to 1254. It is possible, indeed, that he muy have dispatched this mis- sion while a prisoner ; yet it is more probable, that the date may have been vitiatcil in transcription. The real name of this early traveller, who was a friar of the minoritc order, is said to have been Van Ruysbroek ^, from a village of that name near Brussels, Latinized, or Frenchified rather, into Dc Rubruquis. By Hakluyt he is named Rubruk. The version here oftered to the public, is a translation from the Latin copy in Hakluyt, as addressed by the adventurous traveller to his VOL. I. L royal 1 In Section XIX. of this journey, Wasilko, or Wasiley, is mentioned at duke of Russia ; but who must only have been duke of some subordinate pro- vince. This submission of Russia, or 'of his particular dukedom, produced no fruit to the Romish see, as the Russian empire still remains what are called Greek schismatics. — ^£. 2 Hakluyt, I. 80. for the Latin, and I. lOI. for the English. Secjiktwttc Harris, I. 556. 3 Pinkerton, Mod, Geogr. II. xvi. ■ "^wewBwiRwsf 'as^asgifi m ^ \ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ .^. 7/ # f V ^•«^ f^ ^.% v^^ ^ '^ i^ 1.0 1.1 us IM |25 20 L25 III 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WiST MAIN STRUT WeBSTIR,N.Y. MStO (716) 872-4503 ; Mad moi* Iwioai odkdai't brabg fiur too antiqutted fot mMcm reatef« To the Meet Excellent and Moet Christian Lord Loidsy by the Grace of God the iUustrioug King of the French $ iiiar WiSiam de Rubruqms, the meanest of the Minorite Order, wisheth heahh and ^continual triim^h in CHBttr Jesus. It is ivritten in the book of Ecdefflasticus, *< That the tmhr wise man shall travel through strange countries ; for he hath . tried the good and evil among men.'' All this, Ske, I hhre- performed; and I wish I mirjrhave done so as a wise man, and not as a fooL For many do foolishty those thii^ which have beoi done by wise men, and I fear I may be reckoned among that number. But as you were pleased to command me at my departurb, that I should write down eveiy thiitt I law amoi^ the Tartars, and should not fear to write longfet* tors, I now therefore obey your orders, yet with aw« and re* Terence, as wanting fit language in whi» to address so gveat sking. SECTfOV I. Commencement of the JottfTuy, Ab it known, th^efore, to yotur sacred nugesly, lliat in ^e ^ar 125S, on the 7th of May, we entered into d»e sea of Fontus, which the Bulgarians call the Great Sea '; whkh I Was informed, by certain merchants, is 1006 miles in hrngthy and is in a manner divided, about its middle, into two puts, by means of two provinces which project into it, one on the north, and the other on the south. That which is on the south is called Svn(q>e, and contains the castle and port of the Sidtaa of the Iiiriu. Ihe dwthem provin«6 is called Guar - • - ■ - ritt I The Euxine or Black Sea. Thou^ Hot eiquretsed in the text, he jpra- hably took hit departura from Comuntiaople.—^^ v»,:^,^f CHAP. n. net* 1* into Tuia$^ iM lift fay the Litins*, and CuMriA fay th« Ortek inhabitMiti of itt ooMtfiriiiohiidMiaiiM with CiBMurwi $ad Snm iheaot «atHB hi— Hhndi flxtcnd wutfawwds into ilM nm, towaMb l^jnope* from dM iMOfert part of whidathflyaM SOO m^ tant } ao that the diatanca from theie pointi to Conatanti- nofdeia 700 miks in kasth and breadth, and 700 miles to Hi- bmi in the east, which la a province of O«otgia» We armed in the province of Gaaarw* or Caaariay which ia of a triangpibr fonn, having a ckv nMned Kenova on its we^prii eitr«mit^» in whida St GlenuBit naffked martyt^ dom. While aaumg past diafe city, we saw an isknd oon- tainkig- a church, whkh is said to hare beoi bvfit by the angds. Im the middle of this province, and on a cape to the south, stands the c^ of Sowaia, directhr foadag Sfynafe* And here dl mordiafits land who come from Turkey, in their way to the north, and embark here aguxk on their return fiom Rusria and the north for Torkejr i these 'hitter bring ermines and martins, and other vahiabJe fius, and the lomMT carry doths made of obttcm, or bombasina, and silk wdM» and aromatic mices. On the east <^this province is the city of Matrica', where the Tanais flows into me Fcm* tus, by a mouth of twdve miles wide *> Befinte this rivor alters the Euxine, it forms itsdf into a sea towards the north, ai seven hundred miles in Imgth and brcadthi but in no place above six paces deep, so that it is not navi* gHe for larffe vessels : For whidi reason, the merchants of mstantinople, when they arrive at the city of Matrisa, aead their barks to the Tanais, where they purchase dried fish^ stiu^reons, thosas, barbels, and many other sorts of fish. l%is province of Casaria has the sea <-^T:W.- ¥- T" 1^ travels of VnUiam de Bubruqviis tAkt h tmd the countries of the Suevi and Hiberi itill fturther eMt, dl of ' whidi are Hot und«r the dominUm of>the Tartars. To lihe Kmth is TViebiiond} which has its own prince, learned Chiido, who, ahhough of the imperial race of tSMi8lantinq>le, is under the Tartar dominion} and next to it h ShiMpet which bekmgs to tihft sultan of the Turks, who is likewiie subjected to the Tartars. Beyond this is the counuy-of Va»^ tacms, whose son is named Astar, after his matemal grand- father, and this country is not under the dominion of tlie Tartars. From the mouth of th«<'e4^--| 166 Travels of Iffttiam de Rubruqms VAVtl. Tond iSum monntaiiMf towards Ae nordi, extendi a movt DtevBtiftil ivpod, in a pkdn, which is ftiD of springs and rivulets ; and beyond thhi wood ii an extenslre plaiii, continuinff-lbr five days journey to t^e nqrtliem extremi^ of t^ promce, where It contracts into a narrow f|)aoet haymg the sea on the eait and west, and a great ditch is dirawn between tlieqe two ■eas. In tlyis plain the Cpnuni dwelt be^sre tlie coming of the Tartars, and compelled the before-mentioned dtiei and casdes to ppgr tribute; and upop the ccniing of the Tartars, w vast a mtiratude of the Cknuaoi to<^ refy|;e in this province, flying to the sea shore, that the living were forced to feed np? and the itk about the nedc of the dime is deqOM rated with a mriely of picturea* Before tha dorar, fikewise* they hang a fidt» omamanted with jpainttngi and they an»> idojr mucn oc^Diired felt* [painted with ^dnes, trees, lurai, and beasts, ibr decontfing thar dwellings, Sonae of these houses jare so lame as to meaaure thirty featin breadth. I onee measured the distance between ilie whed mts of one of thdr waggons to be twen^ feel,^ and whw the house was upon the WBpgon* k noiead bqrond the whe^ at least fi^rai W en cadb sid^ I nave eouoled twenty^^two buDoeks drsggpng ;4viBne waggon, aurnuiunted by a hoiwet ckfren ui mm fow, 4<; aocordaag to the breadth ot die wmgen, and other eletfoi '" ^hefbre these. The axle of tins waggon was v&cy Isxge, like the mast of a ship j and one man stood in the door <^ the house, upon the wa£n;on, urging on the oxen. Tliey like- wise make quadrangmar structures of small n>lit wicker, like large chests, and frame jfor then an arched ud or cover of siimlar twigs, having a small .door at the front end j and they cover this chest or small honse with bksk fdt, smeared over with suet or sharps' milk ', to prevent the rain from penetrating ; sad these are .hkewise decorated with paintings or fealh«:s. In these thciy P^^ ^ ^^^/^ hmmdiold ffoods ai^ Ireasure : and ijliey bind theee uppo ifif^ieie carts, drawn bgr cmmIb, thai they may be able to cross rurers without injpiriqg tlheir oontNits. These chesta a^ot never tak^ dount froin thie carta to ^diich they bekmg. AVhen their d;iraUing4iouses are unloaded from the waggons, their doors are always tum« ad to tho south } and the oavts, with the chests which bek^ to ^ iwh ji llie iMrttsr fre» e«e4DUk.ii probably here nqntif--£. i % •'~*-**-"-'*i»v'-« : 161' Irtnett tf WiOum de Rubruquis part f tl|e f^wdling, «l about the distance of a itone's throw. ''The married women get most beautiful carts made for themidvci,- which I am unable to describe without the aid. of paintfa^, and whidfi I would have drawn for your mi^esQTt if I had possessed sufficient talents. One rich Moal, or Tar* tar, will nstre firom a hundred to two hundred such carts with chests. Baatu has sbcteen wives, each of whom has one krge house, besides several small ones, serving as chambers ibr her female attendants, and which are pla» haTinff one on bia right band* and ana* ther on hie Ictl, and A«ae Wfte advanoe towardi Idm who ia lo reoeiTe the cup, tinging and danbiig before htaa i bat when he readiee out hii iMtnd to receiya tlw a^ they laAr jdenty draw back, and come Ibrwarda i^pan ia the auae manner, and they thas dehide him three or feipr idmei^ tIB be aeema very eager, whm they give hna the cap, and kei» dancing, linpng, and stanqpiing with their feet^ till he haa ^ nished his draught. -*- SacTioM V. OftMrFood. Thsy cat iudlflerently of aU dead animal^ even saeh aa have died of disease } and anuMSg such nundbera of catfJe and flocks, many animals muat die ahaoat oaatiBnaIlD^ Bat in summer, when thev haye plenty of cosmos, or mares, milk, they care little ror ai^y other food. When an ox or horse happens to die, Ht^vf cut its flesh u^to thin slioea, which thev dry in the sun and air^ which preserves it from corruption, {and free from all bad smeli. From the Jatartima of their honea they inokc sausages, better than those which are made of pork, and which they eat when neiriy madev bnl tha raift of the flesh is reserved for winter use. Of tiaie bddki «# oobw they form large brat, which they dry in a woadeiM BUMMr in the smoke. Or the hinder part of their huae skim dngr fobricate excellent sandok. Th^ witt make a meal for iftjs pr even an hundred men, of the carcase of one ram. Twa Ihey mince in a bowl, mixed with sak and watCTi whidk is r:^.yu - ■ »t ' ,' -■ their Hit ^cifiK n. lion v. Mfo TWtery, ITI ^hdr on)f MMonfaig, Mid tkia, with Um point of • kniis^ 0r « Itde firk nuid* mi puiptit, like tiww wi|h wkidi \ree$i pmn tad upfUm uttm^i In wine, thajr iwch to etcnr one of Ihe eompiny a morMl or two» oco onnn a to tlio munMr } tbo ouHler of the homo kaTing flnt ttnnd niaiMlf to hii mind, {before any of the rest, and if he gitei a panicnkr portion to any one. that penon mint eat it np, wilnoiit gitina any of it to another* or if he ia unabk) to eat Uie whole, he take* it kdne with him, or gives k to hie eervant to take care of, if he has auchery: and for procuring it they travel to the Tartar districts of the empire. — £. ' S Whether the author here means the dissolved sour curd, mentioned at ng tails like cats, having black and white hairs at the extremity of their tails. They have many o/thcr small animals fit for eating, with which they are well acquainted. I have seen no deer, and very few hares, but many antelopes. I saw vast numbers of wikl asses, which resemble mules. Like* wise an animal resembling a ram, called artak, with crooked hrniM of such amazing size, that I was hardly able to lift a pair of them with one hand. Of these horns they make large drinkino-cups. They have fidcons, oyrfolcons, and •other hawks m great abundance, aU of whidi they carry on their right hands. Every hawk has a small thong of leather fiutened round his neck, the ends of which hang aowm to the middle of his breast } and before casting oiF after game, they bow down the hawk's head towards his breast, by means ufthis thong, with their left hand, lest he be tossed by the wind, or shoukl soar too hig^ '. The Tartars are most expert hunters, and procure a great port of their sustenance by tne chase. when the Tartars intend to hunt wild beasts, a vast mul- titude of people is coUected together, by whom the country is surrounded to a large extent m a sreat circle ; and by gra- dually contracting tnis circle towards its centre, they at length collect all the inclufled game into a small space, into which the sportsmen enter and dispatch the gome with their arrows. From Cataya, und other regions of the east, and from Per- sia, and other countries of the south they procure sillc stuffs, cloth of gold, and cotton cloth, of which they make ^eir summer garments. From Russia, Moxel, Greater Bulgaria, Pascatir, which is the greater Hunsary, and Kersis, aU of which are northern countries and nill of woods,- and from other countries towards the north which are subject to their authority, they procure valuable furs of ^lany kinds, which I have not seen in our parts. With these they make their winter garments j and they have always at least two fur gowns, one of which has the fur mwards, and the other has the fur outwards to ^ 8 Our falconers lue the left hand for carrying their hawks. I leave the inexpilcahle use of the thongs to be understood by professional falconen. — Hakluyt, ad loc. 174 Travels qf HWiam de Subntfims *AMlt*U to the wind and snowi which outer gannents are vaUatiOff made of the skins of wolvesy ibxcs, or bean. Biit whik th Women* ■••■*■ The men have a square tonsure on thdr crowns, fi^om the two front corners of which they shave two seams down to their temples. The temples also, i!?nd hinder part of the head» to the nape of the neck, are shaved, and the ibrehead, exc^t one small lock which fidls down to the eyes. On eadi axiffe of the hind head, they leave a long lock of hair, which they braid and knot together mider each ear. The dress of un> married women dmers little ftom that of the men, except in being somewhat longer. But on the day after marriage, the head is shaVed, from the middle down to the forehead, and the woman puts on a wide gown, like that of a monk, but wider and k)nger. This opens before, and is tied under the right side. In this the Tartars and Turks diSsi', as the Turks tie their garmmts always on the left side. They have an or* nament for their heads which they call Botta* which is made of 4 Probably this concluding sentence means, that as the king of France had seen some Twtars in Syria, the author did not deem it neccMSry to dcKnbe' their form and fashions.— >£. Mt. t. rkk la to ti OUK n. SECT. flu. »i«o Tortefy. 17$ of Ae bade of ft toce or any other rery light subttance, made lft« rannd fann, ao thick aa aaay be g^raipedi with both haoda, baaonlag wapan at liie upper extrenu^, and in all about two §mt kag, eomtwhat reaemUing the capital of a piUar. This Mf> ii hoJlow within, and ia covered over with rich silk. On lim top of this they erect « bundi of <{uilb, or slender rods, ftbo«t« cdliit long, or even more, which thejr omanient with peacocks feathers on the top, and all around widi the feathors of a wild dirake, and even with precious stones. The rich liiiica wear this ornament on the top of thdr heads, binding it on strong^ with a kind <^ iiat or ooif, which has a hole in lla txwm adapted for this purpose, and under this they ool- iaet iMr hair fixmi the back df the head, lapped iq> in a kind of knot or bondfe within the botta; and the whaie w fixed on fay means of a ligature under their diroat. Hence, when ft number of these ladies are seen together on horsebadc, diey ai^pear at a distance like soldiers armed with helmets and luices. The women -all sit astride on horsebadc like men, bindiiv dieir mantles round thdr waists with silken scarfs of a sb^-Gtue odour, and they bind another scarf round their breaMa. Thc^ likewise have a white veil tied onjust bdow their eyes, which reaches down to their breasts. Tne women are amazingly ftt, arid the smaller their noses, they are es> teotiied the more beautiful. Hiey daub over their faces most nastily with erease; and they never keep their beds on ao- coimt of diil£4}earing. ,<»* Skctiok IX. Q^ffttf Duties and Labotm oftht Women^ and. ^ their -v NuptuUs. •'; TflS employments of the women are, to lead the waggons, to load and unload the horses^ to milk the cows, (o make batter and grjnit, to dress skins, and to sew them together, which di^ generally do with sinews finely split and twisted hMo tong ttireads. They likewise make sandals, and socks, and other garments, and fehs for covering their houses, lliey never wash their garments, alleging mat it would oflfend Gk)d, and that hanging than up to wy would occasion thun- der ; and they even beat any person who pretends to wash their i.l 'J Hit ■I 176 Travels of WUUa: dt Rubrujuis their garments, and take their clothes from them. Thisy are astonishingly afraid of thunder, during which they ttim «11 stranffers from their dwellings, and wrapping themseivea in black felt, remain covered up till it is over. Theynerver wash their bowls or dishes; or if they do wash the platters into which the boiled meat is to be put, they do it merd^ with the scalding broth, which they throw back into the pot. ' The men make bows and arrows, saddles, bridles, and stirrups, construct houses and carts, takes care of the horses, and milk the mares, agitate the cosmos or mares milk, make leather sacks, in which these are kept, take care of, and load the camels, tend the cows, sheep, and goats, and these are sometimes milked by the men, sometimes by the women. They dress hides with sheeps milk, thickened and salted. When they mean to wash their head and hands, they fill their mouths with water, which they squirt out gradually on their hands, and moisten their hair or wash their neads. No man can have a wife unless by purchase ; so that many maids are rather old before marriage, as their parents always keep them till they can get a good market. They keep the first and second degrees of consanguinity inviolate,' but pay -no regard to affinity, as one man may have either at once, or successively two sisters. Widows never marrv, as their belief is, that all who have served a man in this lite, shall do so in the next ; so that wido>\'S believe that they shall return after death to their husbands. Hence arises an abominable custom among them, that the son sometimes marries all his father's wives except his own mother ; for the court or household of the father and mother always devolves to the younger son, and he has to provide for all his father's wives, which fall to his share along with the inheritance ; and he considers, that if he takes his father's wives, it will be no injury or disgrace to him though they went to his father in the next world. When sny one has made a bargain with another for his daugh- ter, the father of the maid gives a feast to the bridegroom, and the bride runs away and hides herself in the house of one of her relations. Then the father says to .the bridegroom, " My daughter is now yours, take her wherever you can find her." On which he seeks for her, with the assistance of his friends, till he discovers her conceahnent, and then leads her as if by violence to his house* ' : . ', "^ Section ,' '*••' .•*-•• ■>v- ,' ^. V- , >/.■ \>>. ■^'■. "if-" >>■*• t* «• \ , 1' % « ; » • \ K't-^ H^l ^'^ 4 'Ti *' .. ^r- ■■'■^ .f--"- ' * J-^- i «>■ \ *.: « ..'.' •-» , V '.tA ♦»• f M 4 I',-:. «*K.- ^?^. Skcnbii X*. vftf fxr 'I IJlr^Xovf « * Ip^t and whoever shall offer him any violence a^r this ap- - pfM^ i* put to death. He who is appealed against, must go without delay, and the mpellant leaos him as a prisoner.^ NtfV <^ is punished capitaUy, unless taken in the act, or unlesa^ he, confesses } but when witnessed against by many, he is se-., verely tortured to extort confession. Homicide, adidtery, and , 'femi^^tion, are punished with death ; but a man may use hi% own slave as he pleases. Great thefts are punished capitally j but for small ones, as for stealing a sheep, when the party is , ^ not cauffht in the &ct, but otherwise detected, the thief is . . cri|elly beaten. And when an hundred strokes are to be •given by orde^ of the court, an hundred separate rods are * * req.'urea, one for each blow. Pretended messengers are pu- M)i^y<^ with death, as are likewise sacrilesious jiersons, * 'wijfpm they mteem witches, of which more wm be said here- after..,- ^ When any one dies, he is mourned for with violent bowl- ings, and' the mourners are free from, tribute during a whole year. Any one who happens to enter a house, in which a ;, ;grown up person lies dead, must not enter the house of Mangu- khan during a whole year; if the dead person is a child, he is .-, only debarred for one lunation. One house is always left near _ ' the grave of the deceased; but the burial place of any of the princes of the race of Jenffhis-khan is always kept secret ; yet there is always a family Im in charge of the sepulchres of their nobles, though I do not find that they deposit any treasure in these tombs. The Comanians raise a large barrow or tomb ove^ their dead, and erect a statue of the person, with hiis face tunned towards the east, holding a drinking cup in bis hand $ ' tliey erect likewise, over the tombs of the rich, certain pynn .,.. mios or sharp pinnacles. In «ome places, I observed large towers, built of burnt bricks, and others of stone, though no stones were to be found about the place. I saw the grave of a person newly buried, in honour of whom there were hung up sixteen horses hides, four of which towards each quarter of VOL. I. • H '.»■ '•<4 the r^ ^j^^^jjkfiuf', ifraw* I iritnn*' k J. !■ i >. .• ^ ?4 iir..-^;*"^ •'.'♦ '*>"-47t w « 4* • k die frorki, between'high poles i and beiide the snve they had aet ooniUM, that the deoeaaed nul§^ drink, Md flesh for hJm ^to eat,^ ahhough the pencm was said to hate heen iNutiied. ^Flvthir ^MHtf J saw other kinds of i^ttldhM%fiOMiitlng^» bQ^ areas, paved with stone» some round and othera sqiiuuft, liATiik four lam stones pkced upriffht aroiuid the pavonenti •ad Anting -&e four oacdinal porats. Whta any «iwiiifef akk in bed, amarkiaailfaBedtoChehettse^ihatnQOMliiy enter, as no one ever visits the siek, exeept hisewna«r«fiit'| •ad nJMn any one hAmgrnff to the gnreat courts is si(&, %al;clif ' Jtaen are pkced at a great distance, ul round, that no one may enter me precincts { as thev dread lest evil spirits, or baa winds, might enter aloQg with visitors. Hiey consider dieir •oothsajsn, or people who practise divmation, as priests. 4. 'I Sumoni XI. '^M- (Ifmrjktt Entmng among the Tartars, and ^tMr H^p^^ tude. ,>••«• Whxm weflrst entered among these Tartars, afterhavingaiade; us wait iforUkem a long time, under the shade of certain black carts, a considerable number of them on horseback surrounded us. Their first question was, wiiether we had ever before been ' amouff them i and being answered in the negative, th^ b^n ' impudently to beg some of our victuals ; and we gave them eoBie of the biscuits and wine, whic^ we had bronghi ' wUh .us from Constantinople. Havbg drank one flag- nm of our wine they demanded more, saying, that a ma|i does not enter a house with one foot onty. But we tti^ cused ourselves, as not being weN provided. They next in* oiured, whence we came, and whither we were gomg P To uiis I anssrered, that hearing Sartach was become a Christian, we wished to go (o him, that we mix^t present your nuye* stys letters to mm. Hiey then wkedif we came of our own accord, or were sent upon this errand. To tins I said, dial no one had compelled me, md that I had come vdhmtarily, and by ^e desire of my superiors ; beins cautious not to si^ iSiot I was the ambassador from your majes^. jhey then reqjinr- cd to know if our carts contained gold and silver, or preaous vestments, as presents for Sarta^. To whidi I answered, that Sartach eboukl see what we carried wlien we came to his ' • • *• , presence. V » < Sfettaar" . '''-ciTj\: "*% g. ■■'■ ^ y# N ••^*.- A Mt^ M' «* ^%'^^ A .'M)»vf i <^ /» .^" presence, and that they had nothing to do irftfa luch qaeeti<«i, Dttt ought to conduct me tatheir ci^Main { that he, if hethougjit ^proper, nUdit direct me to be earned to Sartach, otherwiae I lifted tk&L *EWedMniMi in t|iia pn^iviktoe one ScicaMi, '' or Zagathai, rdated to Baatu, to whom the emperor of Cpn- atodtinoplB had written requiaitorial lettertithatl'mightbe pe t uitt ed to proceed on my journey. On jbiing inlbn^ of 'ihii, dMfjr snpptted us with hpnea and oxen^ iSid apnoiRtid ^t^o men to tfonduot ui on our journey, and thoie whicb we ; "fuA brotok with m from Soldaia Mtnradd Yirt they mMe ^ .*«» wait a rang while, continual]^ ^Mggtog oiir bread to gite tb ^^ktk cfaiUhrenf and they admired and c6vflted tmty thing thev MW alhottt e«r terrants, as their knim, gknm, punas, ondpohiti; But-irtienwe eowused oiuBdves Grain their hp- ' p<»tim%, iSiB^ng that we had a long journey befinre as, laid inuiBt not mve away ^se things wuch were necessaiy fat ourselves, raiey reviled me e* a niggard i and fhoujpa "t^ey took nodiing by force, they were exoeedinig^. impudent, /^"^and fanportunate in begsfaig, to have vnrf tlnna they saw. '; Ifa mail gives them any thing, it may beconaidereaasthiwim ' I, 'j *w^y, for th«rf hare no gratitude ) and as they lot^ upcm them- ' fscim asthefords of the world, they think thatnothingahonid "^ V i^ refilsect to than fay any one j yet, if one gives tbem no- \,: "■! « *tthii^, and afterwards stands in need of their assistance, th^ ^ i»£i fiot h^ him. They gave us some of their batter milk, • ' :;CiS1ibA Apraittt whidi is extreme^jr tour. After this we left ' *' Jlhem, thin^ong that we had escaped out of the handa of the ^ * ^deitaons, and me next day we arrived nt the ^piarters of idieir Jt * ^ ci^tidn. From die time when we kft SoMaia, till we got to } * wtaoh, whidi took us two months, we nearer lay under a ^T. '^house or a tent, but ahvaiyi in the open air, or under our ' « earts t neMier did we see any town, or thevestii^ of any 4iiiflduiffs where a vUlase had been i thouf^ we saw vast man* bers ofthetOTibsofffieComanian^. (m the same evening, our conductfHT gave us some cosmos, which was very pleasant to drick, bat not havii^ been accustomed ||»'that faq^,it occaripiped me to sweat most profotely. '> ' it -f y ^li sM \\>'t^s\ ,-31 U3U'n;jiV't^,t . ^. .- lMJ'«m•i,4i.■ V^i 4 * * ;.. -^^ 4: *1I0 Travelt tj WSUiam ik BtArujitu SEorion XII. ^ ' ' (If ike Comt qfZagathai, and hmtVu CkrUHant drink mOo^, mos» :'! 'm t (Igsp morning, we met the carts of Zi^pith»i» laden with ' houses, and I diouffht that a great dtv was traWngtowHidf usr I was astoniuied at the prodioious drofes of oxen, and '- hones, and the immense flocks of sheep, though I saw veiy 'few men to guide them; which made me inquire hcMr many men he had under his command, and I wa* told he had not 4 above 500 in all, half of whom we had already passed at an- odier station^ llien the servant who conducted us^ informed me that it was requisite for us to make a present to Zagathai, and desired us to stop while he went forwardsr to announce 'OUT arrivd. It was then past three o'clock^ anid the Tartan . unkded their houses near a certain water. After this, the ;] inteipreter of Zagathai came to us, and learning that we had not been before among them, he demanded se^me of our vic- tuals, which we gave him j he also required to have some gar* . ments, as a reward for his trouble in interpreting for us to, . his master j but we excused ourselves on account of our pover- ty. He then asked us what We intended to present to his. lord, when we shewed him a flaggon of wine,' and filled a has- < ket with biscuit, and a pbtter with i^ples and otlwr fruits H' ' but he wais not satisfied, a» we had not brought him some rich stufis. However, we entered kito the presence of Zag«i- < thai with fear and bashf^ness ) he was sitting on a bed, hav- ing a small citem or lute in his hand, and his wile sat beside him, who, I really believe, had amputated her nose, between tlic eyes, that it might be the flatter^ for she had no nose in that part of her face, which was smeared over with black oint- ment, as were also her eyebrows, which seemed very filthy in our eyes. I thc» repeated to him the exact same words which I had used beibre, respectuig the object of our journey, as we had been admonished by some who had been among them for- merly, never to vary in our words. I requested that he wduld deign to accept our small gift ; for, being monks, it was con- trar}' to the rules of our oi'der to possess gold or silver or rich garments ; on which account, we had no such things to offer, and hopeil he would accept some portion of our victuals as a blessing. He received those things, and immediately distri- ., f-v - ,i*t« buted ■%i ♦t «.«■' with * wd many "not " Btan* irmed. ^RtllAi, ounce 'artan . ,' M,the t^'^5, f I V* -» 'V(, •"' •)li*'«l. ■*,# * *\W CHAP. IS.IBCT. v£ *j ^ ' ^^ ^^""^ among his mea^, who were met in hit house to ^*-_f^fks drink* 1 1 likewiie presented tQ him the letters from theempe- ,»/• t * ''«' ^M Constantinople. He then sent these to Soldaia to be tTBiialatedi because* peing in Ghredk, therewas no person about him who understood tmit lapguwe. He asked if we would drink.i»smos? For the Russian, GnpHc, and Alaniah Christ- 'ianf, who happen to ,be among, the Tartars, and conform stHctly to thor own laws, do not drink that liouor, and even ^ilnk ,th^ are not Christians who do so ; ana their priests, .|dW such conduct, forma% recondle them again to the flbuKch, as if jdiey had thereby renounced the Christian faith. I answered that yte had st^ ^ sufficiency of o^ur own drink, but whqoi thft was done, we sl^ould be under the necessity of, using whiM; might be given us. He next asked us, what the letters contained which we carried to Sartach I I answer- ed that these were sealed, and contained only the words of ■>, .5' be would, willingly hear them ? I then expounded to him the apostles <;iieed, as well asl was able, by means of our inter- preter, who was bjr no means clever or eloquent^ Qn hearing tl^ he shook his head, but made no reply. He then appoint- i* ,"■ '#',fd6xen and horses for our use, and two men to attend upon **■ if*'4%y ^ i ^^^ ^ desired us to abide with him, until the messienger ) * J i.y ' should return with tlie translation of the emperors letters from /' w '4 ilM^^ ^e arrived at the horde of Z^auiai, in the Ascen- \ * Ay.sibn week, and we remained with him until the day after '*« f «<^efitecosp,. or Whit^un Tuesday, being ten days in all. . v" tr 'V .■ >■ i Section XIII. v^ tiHow some Alanians visited them on the JSve qfPentecoatn On the eve of Pentecost or Whitsunday, there came to us ; eertain Alanians, called there Adas or Akas, who are Christ-* : ^ians after the Greek form, using Oreek books, and having : Qrecian priests, but they are not schismatics like the Greeks, as they honour all Christians without exception. These men / brought us some sodden flesh, which they oflPered us to eat, \ ai)d requested us to pray for one of their company who had .. «died. ^ut I explained to U^em the solemnly of the festival, m f ''.f ^*% ■ -^»**t»-««|. J vi.r. \ 1 lt 182 L5^,. Timeelt rf fhttkdii BttbhtfiOi, > $'/'• and that w« tdUld eitt ilo ilHb ftlUUi tlnife. HMNflNM dnlcli pleawd with bUr ^Mtitidil, lii toejf W«f6l|B«htatofe^ thihg riMi^ tb thb OhHrtUM i^hA) the tiMttM of dnriit HkUM otctlUtfed. m^ iald nUihT Othbf GhtlitiMi^ iMth RtHiiiiM ahd Hqhgfariatit, delhftnddf oTtit itfhUi^ Mi|tht b^ itevtsd^ hi«w ing been eonathOned to dHAk tkMittdi, «hd to eat thi» flwh df anlm^ that had be^ tHAn bjr ih^ SaiMelift Httd olhtt irifl^ dtii } mrhich the Cbe«k tod Rliik&H pHeita tmtliAet M thitigi BtrAhttled or diibr^ to idoli. Th^ V^rv Uk«#iM igtioiluil oS U Sfrf( 4/ ened thdn Ih tne fai^. We i^sdf^ed the fledi ^hieh Uifljr hkd brotU|ht ilk tihtil the fbait di^, fbr ther« was nothitig to be bbu^t AitoOhtt the Tfdrti^ fbr gold and feihr^lf, but dnlt for dtilli aiid jpd^ndttH, iArhiih tire hMd tlot tb ditobMI dT^ Vl^en our terVahts oiTei^d any of the ^blii vrhieh am aSk yp^rp^ *, they rtibb^ it with theiir finoieH, and Mtit ilL to Mii whether it imb cobper. All the nod they snp^Ued us idth ^as sour, ahd filthy cows milk i and (he Water wis so fbUl ahd ihiidiiy, by neiison of their nuinerdui horses^ thi^ , f we could hot d|ink it If it had nbt bteh fol- thd grMrof ^^ '4 Ood, ihd thp biscuit Wc bibuffht i«rith us, we had sUi^y hb^ ^ ■ a. ' SBeriotf XlV. ,< » Q^aiSbrffeMteto'f£r«<^«illb&pJ%mltt«ri«fNrb^^^ ^* eaLepers^ * >t^ Upow the day of Pentecost, a BUAcen came to visit us, to « *J whom we explained the articles of Uie Christian fiuth j ptfti- * « cuWIy the salviition of sihners^ Aroug^ the inCArnation of . Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, and judgment to come, • v^* ' and how through baptism all sin was washed out Hb seetn^ ed hiudi affected with these doMHnesj and evtXk c ii p rei sed la * desire to be baptized ; but whto we W^ hMpUrihg ib» liut cbremony, he suddehFjr mounted on hbirseb^, sayi& tSkat he > « must first consuh his wifes and he r(tun\ed h^rt as»| de- • I »* '«■ "> •♦ »**'v rut Vfffirpyrxat, a ieoia Mid to be of the vUttir' or «ix ai)d ^ghtpei^ce Sterlii)|.— £. * ♦ I f « i" * r4i H'^.. >.->• ir >?: Irta '.i**! I it hak .^•t' .■^r*^ *5rf> f»^' to 1- tif ki it e W. « CVARJl. tlOT. Z|f. /a^^ iWtofy. IIS I . r \\\- a* * ^ cBaiM to rtoiif» bipliim, becMie he wonld tutk than be al- lewedTlo drink eomiM,, wHhoiA wkJlcb^ h« ooold not live in thtt-couBtoy. IVom tfau opirioni I ixuld not more 1^ My «)pBMnt»i lo thpt tbeie peoph ivre muck e«tnuig[ firom beconing Chriitiam, br tike tMertioii of thM opiniott ro8y ; and certainbasepeqple ireplaoedhereto reeeire the tribute n^ dlwfao come tor sah from the sah pits formerly mentioned. We were tcAd that we * V^ idiould have to travel fifteen days farther before meeting with . Wly other inhabitants. With these people we drank cosmos, and we presented them in return >ith a basket of fruits and iNscnit } and thtgr gave us eight oxen and a ooat, and a vast number i^fUaddersrall of milk, to serve as provision during our A '"'' long journey, But by changing our oxoi, wewere enabled ? :^ in ten days to attain the next station, and through the whole ■, ' ,, way we c«ily founfl watw in some ditches, dug on purpose, hi Ae Tallies,, and in two small rivers. From leaving tne pro- # Tinoe oi Gasaria, we travelled direcdy eastwards, haying the «% . aea of Azqph on our lig^t hand, and a vast desert on the %-^' iiioiih, which, in some places, is twenty days journey in C Jbr^di, without mountain, tree, or even stone; but it is aft ex- * ^4- ■ , ceOent gt'f I" .« t 1 From thU drcunutance it b abviotu, that the journey had been hi- ^ i|t«to C(Aiflnid «<> Canria ve theCriiae^ sod that he had now reach«l V,, ^:#. r K * ' , t ' * ' JM'UBes « iithnM «f Pfscop^E. ■> ■V 4 '^^.- m rfv «» V m TVaveh ^ IViUi^m it Mubruguit itAMTVt cctUcnt pasture. In this waste the Comani, called CSapchat *# used to feed their cattle. The Qennans called these people . Valani, and |he proTince Valania i bi4 Isidore terms uit whole couqU^i from the Tanaisi along the Pauhis Mseatist Alapia. This great extent n^oidd require a journey of tivo months, from one end to the other, even if a man were to travel post as fast as the Tartars usually ride, and waa cntir»> ]y inhabited by the Capchat CoBuvnians i who likewise pos- . •essed the countnr between the Xanais, which divides Europe from Asia, and the river Edil or Vojiga, which is a long toi days journey, To the north of this province of Comania Ru^a is. situate, which is all over full of wood, and reachea from ^e north of Poland and Hungary, all the way to the Tamus or Don. Thiit country has b^ all wasted by the Tar*- tars, and is even yet often plundered by them. .^The Tartarsprefer the Saracen* to the Russiai^, because the latter are Cnristians) and when the Russians are unable to satisfy their demands for gold and silver, they drive them and their children in multitudes into the desert, where they constrain them to ^nd their flocks and herds. Bcytmd Rua* siais the country of Prussia, which the Teutonic ki^hts have lately subdued, and th^ ™^^ easily win Russia l£ewise, if they so inclined ; for if the Tartars were to learn that the sovereign Pontiff had proclaimed a crusade against themj they . would all flee into their solitudes, ilii , '. , i ■ ■■ . ■ •Si. . '' SwryioM XV. , ^{.v, ^ our Distresses, and qf tk* Comaman Funerals, ^V In our journey eastwards we saw nothing but the earth, and sky, having sometimes the sea of Tanais within sight on our right hand, and sometimes we saw tlie sepulchres in which the Comanians used to bury their dead, at the distance of a league or two from the line of our journey. So long as we traveUed in the desert, matters Were tolerably well with us, but I cannot sufiiciently express the irksome and tedious plagues and troubles we had to encounter in the dwellings of • the. " , ' ■' S In the English tnuulation of Hakluyt, this word u changed to Cap- thak, and in the collection of Haixis to Capthsi ; it is probsbijr the Kipt»> < ehak o£tl)ie Riusiaus.'— £. . . ^ ' < *... .« * ♦. V * k « P t^' /^ •V»A ♦.» '-^- ♦ >,v • • • » 5[)i'?-t» ¥ V4 :^'. «-'^' •I ft CHAH IX. net. aVi init TlarttM/, , •AM-!'ft(ir;' (14 ■ » J* /•. ■'VC the IWuvi ) for our caid^ inritte<) u|K>n tm making pireunii lo 0f€rji oM of the Tartar aqptaini, irhidi wc w^re uttcrlV unable) to afford, and we were eight penon* in all, continua(>' ly vtiaa our proviaioni, as the th|te Tartan who accbnmaF nied UB iiiisiited that we ithould feed them; and the fleah ijfhioh had been given us was by no means sufficient, and we oonld not get any to buy. While we sat wider the shadow , v«f oar carts to shelter us froln' the dctr^me heat of the «un, * th^ would intrude into our company, and eren tread upon us, that tlkey might see what we had i and when they had to .; ease nature, would hardly withdraw a few yards distance, duundessly talking to us the whole time. What distressed me most of all, was when I wished to address them upon reli- gious subjects, m^ foolish inteipreter used to say, ** xou shall ^ not make me a preacher, and i neither will nor can rehearse . these words." Nay, siter I begnn to acqui|% some little knowledge of their language, I found, when I spoke one 4 thing, he would say quite different^, whatever chanced to come uppermost in his senseless mmd. Thus, seeinji^ the danger I might incur in sp^iking by so fiiithlcss an inteipre- k ta% 1 resolved rather to fa« silent. We thus journeyed on from station to station, till at length a few days before the festival of Mary Magdalen, 22d Jwy, we arrived on the banks of the mighty river Tanais or Don, which divides Europe from Asia. At this place Baatu and Sartach had established a station of Russians on the eastern bank of the river, on purpose to transport merchants and messengers across. Th^ ferried us over in the first place, and then bur carts } and their boats were so smaU that they ." were obliged to use two boats tied together fer one cart, put* tinff a wheel into each. In this place our guides acted most fixMJshly { for believing that the Russians would provide us with liorses and mcen, they sent back those we had from the " western side of the river, to their masters. But when relaya ^ were demanded from the Russians, they alleged that they had a privilege from Baatu, exempting them from all services except those belonging to the fernr, and for which they were ^* even accustomed to receive considerable rewards from such merchants as passed that way. We were, therefore, oon- ^ strained to remain three days in this place. The first dav ^ ^ th^ gave us a large fresh fish '. The second day the magi- . ' strate t Injttie latin tjiit fish t| iiimed fiatbatiu, whkl) both ti[akluyt and Hir. * ff S'J^/' ■^'. * • 'I \ \ IM Dravett of WtUiam dt Bttbruqui* »am i. ftrata of the Tillage girthered fron every .luuie for m^ mni praientod ui with rjre-brMMl and mom A^ And )»' thiid - cUy they gave ua dried flab» of n^ich thuy htve great abun* df f«^ . Hie river Tanaia, at thii place, ia aa broad as ti^e Seine at Paris I and before arriving on its banks, we had passed many floodly waters full of fish! but the rude Tartars know not now to catch ihrtA, neither do tbiy bold fiik in any eali«»i tion, unless \i^i enough to laed m oamMUj, Thia riv«r is the east4«' i jvit A Ruiaia, «ad arises from certain manhaa . whirl ^cteri J to tiie northern ocean i and it dischaisna itsdf in the ,wi^ into » large sea of 700 miles extent, bwire fid- > ^ia.7 into li ts Euxinei and all the rivers we had passed ran i< ' a fun stream in die same direction. Beyond this piece • the Tartars advance no fiurther to the north, fuid they were now, about the first of August, beginning to return into th4^' south i and they have another vilb^ somewhat lower dow^ ^ the river, where passengers are femed over in winter. At> *^ this time the people were reuing Uieir rye. Wheat does nol succeed in their soil, but tn^ have abundance of rrSMt The Russian women attire toeur heads like those in out. countoy t and thev ornament their gowns with furs of dlffer^^, - ent kinds, from aoout the knees downwards. Hie men wear * dress like the Oormans, having high crowned conical hate made of frit, like si^r loaves, with sharp points. At length, after represcntinff that our journey was intends* > cd for the common benefit of ful Christians, they provided uK, ,. with oxen and men to proceed upcm our journey } but aa wf *'* ' got no horses, we were ourselves under the necessi^ of tran..'^' veiling on foot In this manner we ioumied for three day%. * without meeting any peqple } and when both our oxen mi. oursehres were weaiy and fiunt with fiitigue, two horses came^ ^ running towards us, to our great joy : Our guide and inter« "' preter mounted upon these, and set out to see if they oonl^ * fall in with any inhabitanta. At length, on the fourth day^ • having foir d some people, we rejoiced Uke seafiuing men^' ^ > had escaped from » tonpest into a safe harbour. The^ *{ getting fresh horses and count we passed on from station Ut ^ 1 i 8 t -• t ••■ I 1 .; •r ^ ^ rii have tnuulat«d Turbot» a fi*h nevtr found in rivtn» It wu nms probably a Barbel, in I^in called Barbu- ; or it mielU be of the SturMoo ' ' . tribes which likewiis hai beard-like appcad«gci,^aaQ it found.ia the DiMii. ^ f ^ . • ■ . .■ .' i ■ ■•■:■ A 0iUF. Ik. OCT. ». into Tartarjf, tff stirtion. till «• •* knolk rM^ked iSbi htAAU^doa of duk« Bum tmkaaiim mmd of tlw liaWiidi «f Augiut*. itMif B&i. « 1 rm plMt ' wmre » th^. ■Im At • nal ^ilUi« OUf J^ iffeiy '1r wear iM« ..»'.. : •ftdi* - dulfc. .*T > Wf •- tta^r- \ » 2J- me * i , toiw ■■ oia*' »» •3^ V . r »» • «^ > ► tir , i#. "•/- •;* n f.* « '> !»• ^ J • ' 4 » ♦ flr ' c ^w, * * '* , 1- SccTfoir XVJ. (y «Ar Don, mms mnd Subjtcts iff Sartach, Thb region bv^ond i *»• Tiufiau x* very beautiful, etpeclally towtrdi the north whei thire are fine risers and extensive foreiti. In tbetie t. vfU t diif< . ent nations. One of theMf named the Moxd, who dwell in rottag Their lord, ; ad the to the confines of Oi > akin by the Oerniam, v the nationi who are thraugh their means, When a metchuit co , ibn with whom he ot u|, nectMiories durintf his st little jealouii of their wt aiuv ■atei lO an mt pagfliis, without any laws, the wofHiii, and have no cities, part of thd nadbn were carried V the Tartars, and were thcro held in great estimation by to the Tartan, as they hoDe» irmmA. from the Tartar yolce, ig these people, the first per- ooiiged to provide him with all in the district ; nnd they lure so that husbands pay little ^eflard tbthdr infidelity, unless itrectly under their eyes, l^eie peopk have abundance ^wn■e, honey, and wax, preciou« ran, and falooMs. Beyo)^ < \\tm dwell the Merdas ' or Mer« dui, who are Saracens or tshometans. Beyond them is thfl Stilia at Volga, the larges -iver I ever beheld, which comea OHt of the nortii, from the ountry of the Greater Bul^jaria, '«ml ruaa southwtirds, into << vast lake of four months jour* ney id fl Ttiih sciBMndinr to the Komaa mMkod of nckoning^ ought to be tha Uut 4*7 <^ July. i«t Rubrnqoit hsd prtvioiulx menUoned tiue lit of Au«. guit a ooasiikitfile time Wbre«-nB. 1 Itt the EfttUth 6ir Hakhivt and Hairri% tlMe.psimle sre called Mart * cla> and tthX^bi.— £. \ j^-ip -' i,. -.(^i,^ "i'-^-i' ^'>^' -■•*-•«'• ' »»t i ♦ /.' •.. % * \ , . . «*■• ■f /! ^ ;( • ' \ \ r"* «,f «fi • J r ^"^<5 - ./ '* . !;>*•■ V* ■4 .* l-»>^. ♦ ■♦• 188 Travels of tl^Uiam de Bubrtquis and itill carry on war with the Tartars. Beyond these, near the sea or kke of Etiiia, or the Ca^ian, are certain Maho* ; inetans named Lesgis, who are suDJected to the Tartars. Beyond these again ore the Irongatest which were constructed' by Alexander, to exclude the barbarians from Persia, of which I shall speak hereafter, as I passed that way in my re^ turn. In the country through which we traveled between these great rivers, the Comanians dwelt before it was occupied by the Tartayr, iffitr^ Section XVIt "li.*.. Of the Magnificence of the Court of Sartach. We found Sartach encamped within tliree days journey of the river Volga or Etilia, and his court or h^rda appeared to us very large and magnificent ) as he had six wives, and his eldbst son three, and each of these ladies had a great house, like those already ^described, besides that each had several smaller houses, and SOO of the chest-carts already mentioned. Our guide went immediately to a certain Nesto- rian named Coiat, who has great influence at the court of Sartach j and this man carried us in the evening a consider*^* able distance, to an ofiicer called, in the Tartar language, tlie Lords Gate, to whom belongs the duty of receiving mes- sengers or ambassadors. Our guide inquired what we had jeody to present to this person, and seemed much offended when he found we had nothing to offer. When we came in* to his presence, he sat majestically, having music and dahcing performed before him, 1 then spoke to him the words for-, merly mentioned, giving an account of the cause of our mis:> sion, and requesting that he would bring us and our letters into the presence of his lord. I excused myself also, t^at as I was a monk, neither giving, receiving, or using ray gold, silver, or other costly things, except our books, and the vestments in which we served God, that I could bring no present to him o^ his lord} and having abandoned my own goods, I could not transport such things for other inen. He courteously answered, that being a monk, I acted well in observing my vow : and diat he stood iii no need of any of •our things, but on the contrary, was ready to give us what we miffht need. He then caused us to sit down and drink of bit miSc, and afterwards desired that we ihpuld recite a be<« »t ,' 14: l- ■ ''«. ^v' 1 ,T'- m- ■ »»f 1 '* •v». I*-;' ?'.■ 1 i # *f •« t" :« * *<, 'i 0<*n- ^* .r .< .^■■'•' WSU-, ^dlAP. IS* SBCl'ry^f* into Tartmry* ■■^, « 18» ^^^- ■,.| 'T »■•«. I ticmir -^ • ^ iV fi)I? ; ' '- .« * mJSr ,■ f }tten ,' that \ any ( and ^ '¥. ring*> > < my , / jen. ,, , 1 in V ** of • « hat , ^- of «^ ^.\ "* be, , . " « •J • < ^ _ ^ % '■«'•»" * 1 hedicdon for hinii which vre did. He inquired who waa the greatest (overeign among the Franca i To which I aoswer- ^ the emperor, if he coidd enjoy hi» dominion* in peace. " Not so, said he, but the kiiur of France." For he had hefurd of your maiesty from the I.ord Baldwin of Hainault. I foimd also at this court, one of the Knight Templars, who had been at Cyprus, and had nuide a report of tul that he , had seen there concerning your majesty. We theii return- ed to our lodgings, whence we sent a naggon of our Muscar del wine, which had kept well during the journey, and a box of our biscuit to this officer, who received the present .very grociouidy, and retained our servants all night in his dweliitu;* In the morning he ordered us to come to court, and to bring the kings letters, and our books and vestments along with us, as his lord desired to see these thin^ This we did accordingly, lading one cart with our books and vest- ments, and another with wine, biscuit, and fruits. Then he ^ caused all our books and vestments to be spread out, and asked if we meant to bestow all these things upon his lord. A multitude of Tartars, Christians, and Mahometans were around us, on horseback, at this time, and I was sore griev- ed and afrtiid at this question j but cMssembling as welf as I could, I said, " That we humbly requested his lord and master to accept our bread, wine, and fruits, not as a pre- sent, for it was too mean, but as a benevolence, lest we should t alipear to come empty handed. That his lord would see the letters of the king my master, which would explain the > reason of our journey { alter which we, and all we hoid, would remain at his command : But that our vestments were holy, Wid were unlawful to be touched or used by any except priests." We were then commanded to array ourselves in our sacred vestments, that we might appear in them before liis lord. Then putting on our most precious ornaments, I tpok a rich cushion in my arms, together with the bible I had • from your majesty, and the beautiful psalter, ornamented with fine paintings, which the queen bestowed upon me. My companion carried the missal and a crucifix ; and the clerk, clothed in his surplice, carried a censer in his hand. In this order we presented ourselves, and the felt hanging before the lords door being withdrawn, we appeared in his presence. Then the clerk and intei-pretcr were ordered to niake three genuflexions, from which humiliation we were exempted ; and they admonished us to be exceedingly care- . '' .. J. "^ ■ * ■* *'..■'■ »«? \t< ff ■* * 'i' h:> M, in i&^ in and opt of tibe lordi dwd]ki|, nbl to titf^ the tbrdum of hit door, and we were denredto lihg a bena- dictioQ or prayer for their brd| and we Bco^rdSxigly entered in singUiff the adve r(»iiM* Inumimatd^ within the door Ibere stood a bench planted with cownoi and drinking cupi. AQ Sartachs wivee were assembled in the house i and the Moals, or ridi Tartan^ pmsing in along with tts» inconunoded us exceedingly, 'thtn Coiat carried the censer with incense to Sartachs who to^ ' it in his hand, examining it narrowly. ' He next carried bim the psidter, which he and the vnik who sat next hin . minutely inspected. After which the bible was carried to him, on which he asked if it contained ourOospd? To which I answered, that it contained that, and afi our odiejr Holy jScripCbres^ I next delivered to him your mi^estys > let^ , ter, with its trandati ffuages, whidi I had procured to be done at Ae ' They are ordered to proceed to BaaHh the Father of > Sartach, Next morning early a certain priest, who was the brother of Coiat, came to our lodgine, and desired to have our box of c^rirni to carry, as he said, to Sartach. About evening Coiat sent for us, and said that the king our master fasid written acceptabty to his lord and master Sirtach ; but there were certain dimcult matters, respecting which he did not dace to determine without the orders and advice of his &•. ther, and that it was, therefore, necessaiy that we should go. to ■' ' * 1 N and ^^ jgW- «tted ft V ■, ox re •-. o dbtob f«» tier.lrrtft. ^ *iiao Tartar^, i^-^^ l#i Al4liii irifter, l^iviigf M Mro ei]rt#ii)diiiid ut in iHuch W bfonl^t Ae booki and vestments, because his lord was de- lirtMa t0 MdUBfaie diese thfaigs more cavefidly. Suspectilitt ^ efil diat miriit arise from this man's coretonsness, I im^ fBudMilfyuid tnat we would not oidy leave tlwse carts, but dM other two also under hii custody. You shall not, sud he» lesvethese two carts behind, but as for the other two. we wiH ■atis^ yonr desire. But I insisted tgpon leaving them ail. He tneU'desired to know whether we intended to remain in the countiyl To whic& I answered, diat if he had thorough Ijr understood the letters of my lord and master, he w^mild have seen that we were so inclined. And he then ecdiorted us to demean ourselves with patience and humility t after which we parted for that evening. . .'Ifext day Coiat sent a Nestorian priest fi>r the carts, to whom we caused all the four to be delivered. After whom the brother of Coiat came to our lo tience, as we comd not have access to Sartach, and we could not expect to procure justice from any other person. I was even stfraid to employ our interpreter on this occasion, lest he n^dit have represented matters m a quite difforent sense fr:Y>m what X should direct, as he seemed much inclined for us to give away all r t|i0jug|».: |1||W hfi^4^^(fm thyiM concerninffChrMt^ they are , yay. u^wilvvg A^ Jlt'iOR^ Jed Chrutians, im^h, they consider; ^,^nafiqm^ifml^t^^i§t land th^y loo^ unoi^ their own nftinsi of HqflUu .wov^ ^tprjt^ exalted above all others. Neither ^-^o ^Pf <^w thopplv^ to be calwd, Tartars: iwtb^ is ^enun^.-^f Aiiothier.vf^ acocMrding to the infannf(ti((m 1 recieiir«4 f^t thw ■fj^c^f.ji^l^^vFr ing the statin of Sartach, we txa^elle^.chrecitkj^^^ three 4ays, 6n the last of which we .came to t^e^tlha.a|i^yo%p^ and I ^ondeired nuch from lyhat oegiaDs of the north. fucK inighty streanisi^shoidd descend. , Vd SIection Aitx. , ;v.ba'«m iifrj , ^ the- Meverdtce shipm fy Stuiack, Mai^u-Jchan, aw^h: * JCenrted than is true, according to " the usual custom of the Nestorians, for they are e^t to raise great stories on hq. foundations. Thiii they gave out, that ' Sartach ' i 1 Abotit the y«ar 109r. ''* ^ f rt/^/-^-amik% ::iii-«^^p?»i:ci 1 .■*.*- ^iii^rix.atcf.»Db iVA#»9Wlaryv i9f nl|Me*^iiMweef MMt fciq)^* to the CtmkHiam. The Bteiy el Ktmf Johi' kiaiio bettW fewn At li oifc » Ibr mhtm I tntvdM tfMMdi Mi ttniliMiM, «o«M tltwe knew awf> thing at ril dbMt«iln, exoepd onljr » few' >liM(eti«|ii. 1r time te^km Wk eyvi t K, dwek Con-klMui, Jbnneify neatieiied, tHwhiMt ee^irt Fritar Andrew once mM-f and I p awed tlM>«^h tkht re^enin iHf' retain. T^ Jbhn had a hretheiPy apo^oiM prince ami adicpheKl Mk« hhMttdfr who wai named t^i^-ldiMi, or V^ lAtikf who dwdt be^fHiud^ the meuntaine of lUra-Kkay, atl the diitanee of tbree weelor jottntej' fton ^ wiiclenee of John. ThM Vut-khan wae kwd ^a mimB' v M a ge named Chracarmn, ttd hit sttfa^eets wero called Ci^ or If evhi(» being C9vrifltinf» of the Nestorian sect. But Vut-khan abandoned the Christ- ian worship and followed idolatry, retaining priests to his idols, who are all sorcerers and worshippers of the devils. Ten or fifteen days journey beyond the territory of Vut- khan, lay the pastures of the Moal, a poor nation without laws er Mvemment, excepCthirt they were much give»t»soroery and divmations ; and near them was another poor nation called TtatMOh On the death of John, the khan of the CararKita- ' yane, without mide issue, hie brother Vut succeeded to all hki great ridlles, and- got himsetf to be proclaimed khan. The nodis md herds of . this Vut-khan pastured to the bordon oi the Moel, funong whom was one ^nms, a IMachsmith, who used to steal as mtmy cattle as he posmUy could from tite ilock ofVut-Khan. At length the herds con^hdned to their lor^ of the reitorated robberies which were emnmitted by Zin^^s, < and Vut-kheo went with an army to seiae him. But Zingis fled and hid himself among the Tartars, and the tro<^s of Vut- khan returned to th^r own country, after having made con- sideralrfe sptM both firom the Moal and ^e Tartars. Then Zin- ^ remonstrated wkh the Moal and Tartars, upon their want of a sii^M^me ruler to defend them from the oppressiOTis of their ndghbours, and they were inchiced W his sugMstions' ' to t^point him to be their khan or ruler. hnmediatSy after his elevation, 2Sngis gathered an army secretly together, and made a sudden invasion c£ the territories belonging to Vut, whom he defeated in battle, and ft>rced to fly for refuge into Katay. During this invasion, one of the daughters of Vut was made prisoner, whom Zinds gave in marriage to one of his sons, and to whom she bore Mangu-khan, the presently ^ VOL. I. N t reigning 184 li^aveh of WUIiam de Rubruqmi . »M«li«, tejgning great khan of the Moal and Tavtan. In all hiia soMequent wan, Zingis used continually to wnd the Taftank before him in the van of hit annv : by which meana their name came to be qpread abroad m the worldii a*» whertKi ever they made their appeanince, the aitoniahed p^i^le weitir : in uie to run away, crying out, the Tartars ! the Tartan 1lh In ooniequenee of almost continual war, this nation of thai Tartan is now ahnost utterly extirpated^ yet the nam* n^o mains{ although the Moals use every e£R)rt to abdish thal( name and to exalt their own. The country whore these Tartars formerly inhabited, and whoe the court of Zinms still r»nains, is now called Manchenile } and as this, waa me, centre of all their conquests, they stiU esteem it as theii; ro^^al residoioe, and there the great khan is for the most paztk^ elected^ .,> Section XX. ;i v ■ * C^the Russiantt HungarianSf AianianSf and of ihe Casj^iathii I KNOW not whether Sartach really believes in Christ, but am certain that he refuses to be culed a Christian, and I t rather think that he soofis at Christianity. His residencftt lies in the way throu^ which the Russians, Walachians, QuW^ : «urians of the lesser Bulgaria, the Soldaians, or Christians of Casaria, the Kerkis, Alanians, and other Christians have to pass in their way with gifbs or tribute to the court of his fa- ther Baatu-khan i and oy this means Sartach is more con-r « nected with the Christians than any of the rest, yet when the ■ Saracens or Mahometans bring their gifts, they are sooner dispatched. Sartach has always about him some Nestorian priests, who count their beads and waa their d^otions. There is another commander xmaer Baatu-khan, called t Bertaor Berca, who pastures his flocks towards the Iron-gate» C or Derbent, throi^h which lies the passage of aH the Saracens -; or Mahometans who come from Persia and Turkey, to pay f their gills and tributes to Baatu, and who make presents tO) i Berta in their way. This person professes himself to be of [ the Mahometan faith, and will not permit svines flesh to be eateu in his dominions. But it i^pearing to Baatu, that his i uffiiirs 8u£Pered detriment by this intercourse with the Maho- ^ metans, we learnt on our return, that he had commanded -:■ £ V-. - - ■ Berta :»*:' €iiA». IX. sxcT. XX. into Dtrtaf^,^ i-.venX- ^ 19S Barta to remore iram .the IroiKgate to the MM tide of the «> fvr the ipeoe of four davi which we ipent in the court of JEhurtaeh, we had no victuab allowed ut, except once a little cdamoa i and during' our journey to the reudoioe of hit fiuher Baatii, we travelled in neat fear, on account of c^rlain Ru»^ sian, Hungarian, and Alanian servants of the Tartars^ who often assonble secretly in the night, in troops of twenty or thirty together, and bleing armed widi bows and arrows, mur- der and rob whoever they meet with,' hiding themselves dur- ing the day. These men are always on horseback, and when their horses tire, th^ steal others nom the ordhiary pastures of the Tartars, and each man has senerally one or two spare horses to serve as food in case <» need. Our guide there- fore was in great tear lest we might fidl in with some of these stragfflers. Besides this danger, we must have perished dujv ing uiis joum^, if we had not fortunately carried some of our biscuit along with us. We at length reached thrirgreat river £tilia or \^l(ga, which is four times the size of the Seine, and of jgr^ dtoth. This river rises in the north of Greater Bulgaria, and mscharges itself into the Hircanian Sea, called the Uaw^ by Isidore, having the Caspian moimtaihs and the land of Persia on the sou^, the mountaina of Musihet^ or of the Assassins on the east, which join the Caspian nioun- tains, and on the nwth is the great desert now occiqpied by the Tartars, where formerly there dwelt certain petmfe called . Canghe, or Cangitse, and on that side it receives the Etilia^ or A^^a, wbi it in four months j and it is by no means true, as reported by Jf Isidore, that it is a bay of the ocean, with which it nowhere I joins, but is environed on all sides by the land. AU the region from the west shore of the Caspian, wh^re ' the Iron-gate of Alexander is situated, now called Derbent,- r and from the mountains of the Alani, and along the Palusi<^ Mtcotis, or sea of Azoph, into which the Tanais falls, to the -h-,..£;v--.- ,„i,- ~^r-~-n" ->- '--'■• — "— northrepi,'. ■ ■*■'! t^V«^u*#m Perbent, «& the extreme borders pf Persb, ^ 14 thir^ days Journey to pass the desert and asoend along^ ^ Vols^. ^^ BMl0uria» and in the whole track there are no toiirps, and on\y a few villages where the Vol|a|a frlls into the (^pian i yet these Bulgarians * are ^e moat bigotedly attach* ed to the rdigion of Mahomet, of any of the nationa thak hjB.ve been perverted to Uiat diabolical sii^perstition* 1 The court of Baatu having already gone towards the southt we passed down the stream i^ the V^;a in a bark htan the before mentioned village, to where his court then was } and we 1 It is astonuhing bow eatily a small naggcration convnt* truth to fable. Here the ilUold story ot the light sledgM of the TahtttU, dnwn by dogs of a very ordinary size, is innocently iqugoified tato carta dragged by pgantic mastiffs. — ^E. S The Greater Bulgaria of our author seems to comprehend. the pro- vinces of Astracan and Casan in Russia. — £. ?' ■*;«#>*. .,^. Id- Iwkich tnvHp liie ^^. IX. ncft, lUih into Tarittfy. • tf7 we iMVt MttMiiihjed at tke magnifieeiit •ppetfanee of hb fliu camiaBeBtt as his howet and fcnti ware m numeroas* at to ap/ptm Ifta Mine large city, itretcliiiig out to a va«t lengdi i and Aerevere great numben of people ranging about Am eentateyt to tlwM or km leagnta all areond. Enn aa the diildren of Israel knear enry one on which ildeof theTaber« nade to pitch hia tent, lo etety Tartar know* on to i^t side of the court of his prince he ouS^^ ^ place hi* houae, when he unlades it from his cait. The princes conrt it caXkd in their language Hordm, which ilgnifiet the ndddle, beeauie the chieftain or ruler always dwells in the nddat of his peoplef only that no suljeet or inferior person nttut pkee his diweU ling towards the south, aa the court gates are aiwaya open to that quarter* But thqr extend Chcmtelret to tik; rigfai and left, according at thev find it convenient On our arrival we were condueted to a Mahometail, Who did not provide u* with any provitions t and we were brou^ next day to the court, wheie Baatu had oannd a large tent to be erected, at Ms hoiiae was two tauOl to contain the inttlUttt meriy tent ambaaaadon to Ken-khan } and weald Hot have aent any on th^ nrcaent occasion, df any lattert to Sertadi, had k not been tbat von had been advised l%iey were becoiM . Ghriiliant | on wiuch account odf I had beM i6nt in eon- llpRatulatMB and not thrtni^h any fear. We were then led into the paviHon, being ttnetly amrgti net to touch any of the tent ropea, whidi digr eonsider as equivalent to the threah* b)A of A house, wluch muat not be. toadied. We entered th# teht barefooted and with our heads imoovered, fonmng a atunneapectiqle in their eyes-; for thaaigh Friar JoAmdePuno Gatpuii nad been there before n%e, yet being a messolger . firoB the P and 'John CHAP. IX. net «!. ««0 Tmrtairjf^ 199 look up) eitlit'i ling > observe me more distinctly, or out of some superstitious fiuncy : finr these people look upon it as a sign of ill-fortune, when any one sits in their pre- aenoe holoinff down his head in a melancholy |Mature, and more eqpccially when he leans hia cheek or tfi'n upon his luoid. WethflDdepavtedfrom the tent of andienoe, andimmiadiately afterwards onr guide came and told us, that, aa our Idng had de- aired that we miffht remain in this country, Baatu could not conaent to thia wiuiout the knowledge and authority of Ifangu- khim I and it was necessary, therefore, that 1 should oo with the interoreter to Mongu, while my companion ana the cleric should return to the court of Sartach, and remain there tiO my return. On this the interpreter b^gan to lament himaelf as a dead man } and my conmanion declared, that rather aa separate from me, he would allow them to take off his head. I a4ded, that I oould not possftly go without my interpreter, and that we ^odd need two senrants, that we might be sure of one in case of the other being sick. Upon this the guide returned into the presence ana reported to Baatu what we had said, who now gave orders that the two priests and the interpreter should go forwards to Bfangu, but that the cleric must immediately return to Sartach j and with thia answer the guide came to us. When I now endeavoured to plead for the company of our clerk, he desired me to be suent ; hr as Baatu had already given the orders, they must be obeyed,^ and he dared not go again into the court Ooset, our cleric, still had twenty-aix yperperas remaining of the ahna we had finrmerly receivea, ten of which he retained for him- self and the servant, and gave us die remaming sixteen. We then sorrowfiilly parted, the cleric returning to the court of Sartach, while we remained following the court of Baatu. On Assumption eve, 14th August, our clerk arrived at the court of Sartach, and the next day the Nestorian priests were seen adorned in the vestments of which they had deprived' US. Sxcnov ,v,a.../ ,.•: >■■■ v-^"::/!:" ■ ♦ ► V-'-s >"■! iSWT^"" IT "» 200 TVavelt ff Wmiiam 4t Rubrwfpmt •am i. Vke Mttrm^ to Air Cumi fffMaigm^ktm, From tho «adience we were conducted to the dwdlnw ofa|NnMi>»howw^NliiW toprovMcuiii Mgiiig» Ihod, I « but M «« Ikad M f fsMRti to |[hf a «ntckd in the Lad* anuiiMu-, ao ^Mt ha uAderatBod whatever we iaoka to him del3Mrat%, Imt Waa ttlmble to mkke ahawer. Ttteie men were * gnat txmaok- tion to 1% «» illMy vuppUed m with flesh and comtMM. Thejr VBfueBted aome hooks fnmi us^iaiid 4t gxiavod me naieh thrt; we could ftot oomplKt ha«>ii^ oftijr «ne bible and a breahuy. tint I made tiicm wing aome ink and jpaper, and I oopied oat Stt them tho Homv of the Messed viinin, ohd the Of- ioe iot the Daad. It hanpaned one ^ Uiat « Comanian IMMihg by aahited as in Latiitt saying Sakoett dtmmi. Sur- prised aC «h« nnuanal ■nhtotion, I <|iiestioned hhn bow he hod kamt It, and he toU me he hnd bam ^i^^liaad in Hun- gary hy our priesta, who had tau ftht him. He said) Ukawne* that BaatH had inured many things at him rcapeeting as, and that he had grven Um an aoooant of the natmreand mlea df*■ *i<-JfS£^r- our. n. ucT. aui, . into Tatiaty, •01 At iMgtk, alMii iIm lkhroo4, I4di SiptaiibeivVw fcitkal «f dM«aUtMi0n«flke Ho$r€raM. liMm «in««o « » ortttn xkib BiwMt wh<»e fallMwr waa • ■■ahiMii «r wylrin rf • th»i»» ni4 Wi^ wte inforaMd w thai ke Mbriro iM^^ lOUGtw* HbiiifofmedMliuiCllMJouiaaywmmUik^ Ijoatli^ aiid that the oold waaatt cslNnein vinlait, aaenenla faaraiimdartryaaand atenea witiika feiw. ** Adnriaa waUiritli voundkaa, itwrafbre^'' aaid lw» ** wiMtlMr jra* be ahie to anduM It, fcr otiMrwiae 1 d^tt fonaka you bgr the way." T« tUa I aaamvcd, that Iheped ivaahouUbe afaia,'with the Jielp of God, to andure harihhipa ttta oAer meni but aa ive 'wera pent 1^ hii brd under hia cherfe, and did not g» «n aajr bf»> aiaaaaofour own* heoH"'^ »^ frraaloe iia. Hethanaaid th|Kt •& ihoidd be wdU, . .g examined our garmanta^ he directed ua what wc a» eve befaaid in the cmlody of our boat, aa not luefiil for tiie joumay i aaid iMOit di^ he amt each ^ua a fiirred gown, maoe of aMep akina, with the wool oit^ juid breeohea of the aaane, lifcewiae dioea or iiMtsooka made of felt, and boots of their faahioa, and hoods of skins. Ilae second d|y aflter the hohr cross day, 16th SqUaaaber, #e hegm our jDun^y« ntiendiid.by three gnidea, anci we rode coatinuaHy eaatwaiDds during ^or^y-six days, titt the ftast of AH- Saints, 1st November. Ine whole of Oiat eegion, and «ven beyond it, is inhabited by the people named Changle ec Kangzttie, who are descended from the Romans. Upon ^m north -side we had the country of the Greater Bnlgarin, and to ike south the Ca^ian sea. > t SfiCTHMI XXIU. (^the Binfer Juic ar Ural^ and tf timdty Eegieni and Kations. .) At the end of twelt e days joum^ from the Etilia or Volga* we eame to a groat rivter named the ^Bgag { the military force of his dominiem, thongh mbordH nate to MangH> khan, certainly exccwded SOO)OOS%hting men.— E. 'yi»iiiai*-^t,i'«^''_i^t**'^^'S*L*'^-^ --r.«s»»a¥^i5t*****"'~**~^'^'*^*»'®»^^ «»»"> 902 \ ». 11 D'avels of fViUiam de Buhruptt's 'vW m ^e Greater Bulgaria. The people named Sac or Viae, who inhabit b^ond the Jhi-^ nube from Constantinc^e, not far from Pascatir, are the same people, being prc^rly named Blac or Blacians, but as the Tartars cannot pronounce the letter B, they are called Ilac, Viae, or Wallachians. From them, likewise, the inha- bitants of the land of the Assani are descended, both having the same najne in the Russian, Polish, and Bohemian lan- guages. The Sclavonians and the Vandals speak the same language ; and all of these joined themselves fcmnerly with the Huns, as they now do with the Tartars. All this that I have written concerning the land of Pascatir, I was informed by certain friars predicants, who had travdkd there before the irruption of the Tartars ; and as they had beoi subdued by their neighbours, the Bukrarians, who were Mahometans, many of them adopted that iaith. Other matters respecting these people may be known from various chronicles. But it is obvious, that those provinces beyond Constantinople^ which are now called Bulgaria, Wallachta, and ScUvoiua ', formerly belpnged to the Greek onpire ; and Hungary wa^ formerly nalhed Pannonia. V^e continued riding through the land of the Changles or Kangittae, as before mentioned, from Hdy Cross-day till All- Saints, travelling every day, as well as I could guess, about as far as from Paris to Orleans, and sometimes farther', accord- aij*-* 1 J- .vil J-V' '> 1 Probably intended for what !■ now called Serria. — £. ;.i»'»f> «ili-it) S This may be taken at a medium of thirty miles a-day, which, in, forty- ^ix daysi would amount to 1380 miles ; no doubt a very fatiguing journey for a corptilcnt heayy m^ as he describes himself. — £• >: -ir- ' ' *i '« n > i »» i>iiiniii» -.-j \^Tf, -^Miss 209 QHAP. IX. SECT, jtxiii. " ihfo Tatiaty. ing as we happened to be provided with relays ; for some- times we would change horsen two or three times Opday, and then we travelled quicker j while sometimes we had to travel two or three days without finding any inhalHtants to sup- ply us^ and then we were forced to travel more deliberate^. Out of thirty or forty horses, we were always sure to have the worst, being strangers, as every one took their choice be- fore it came to our turn. Hiey always, however, provided me with a strong horse, because I was corpulent and heavy ; but whether his pace happened to be hard or gentle, was all one to them, and I dared not to make any complaints. Our horses often tired before we could fall in widi any of the in- habitants, and we were then obliged to beat and whip them up, being obliged to lay our garments upon spare horses, and sometimes two of us obliged to ride on one horse. <,»»;■• Section XXIV. j.ir Of the Hunger^ Thirsty and other Miseries we endured. f TV There was no end of hunger and thirst, and cold and weari- ness. In the morning they gave us something to drink, or some boiled millet ; but anerwards we had nothing to eat until the evening, when they bestowed some flesh upon us, being ge- nerally the shoulder and breast of a ram, and every one was allowed a proportion of the broth to drink; and we consider- ed ourselves fortunate when we had enough of broth, as it was exceedingly refreshing, pleasant, and nutritive. Sometimes we were constrained to eat our meat half boiled, or even al- most raw, for want of fuel, especially when we were benight- ed and obliged to pass the night in the fields, because we could not conveniently gather horse or cow-dung to make a fire, and we seldom tbund any other fiiel, except a few thorns here and there, and a few rare woods on the banks of some rivers* Every Saturday I remained fasting until night, and was then constrained, to my great grief, to eat flesh, as I could not pro- cure any other food in the desert. In the beginning of our journey our guide disdained us exceedingly, and seemed quite indignant at oeing obliged to take charge of such base fellows as he seemed to esteem us ; but heaflerwards behaved better, and often took us purposely to the courts of rich Moals, who requested w 204 Travels of William de BiuSbvuqui^ 9kKx i. requested us to prav ix thcnii j and if I had beoi so fortunate as to have a good interpreter, I might hai^e been able to do some good among these ignorant people. S^ngis, the firit great uum w emperor of the Tartars, left four sons, from whom descended many grandsons, who are daily multiplying and dispersing ovot that immense waste de- sert, which is boundless uke Uie ocean. Hiese Moab idbom we visited and prayed for, were astonislicd when we refused their pro£fef ed gins of gpld aod silver and fine gaiinenta. They often e^uired whether the great Pope was adualljr 500 years old, as they had heard from report. They likewiae enquired into the nature and productions of our country, es- pecially whether we had abundance of ci^e, sheep, and horses. When we spoke to them about the ocean, they could tbrm ho adequate conoepticw of its immense expanse, without banks or limits. On the feast of All-Saints, 1st November, as the people had now descended very much to Uie southwards, we now discon- tinued our eastern route, and journied directly south for eight days, along certain high mountains. Iti the desert we saw many wild asses resembling mules, called colan or coulan by the Tartars, which o^r guide and his companioos often chased with great en^rerness, but without success, owing to the great swiibiess of these animals, Upon the seventh day of our southern route, we saw directly before us some exceedingly hi^ mountains, and we entered xs^oa. a fine cultivated plaiii, iwoht was irrigated liJ(c a garden. Next dt^, 7tii November^ we arrived at a town belonging to the Mahometans juoned Ken- chat, the fl;overiK>r of wnich came out to pieet our guide witli ale and ower refresliments \ ifx\^\% the custom of all the sid>- jected cities, to welcome die messengers of Baatu and Manet with meat and drink on their arrival. At this season, the loe was fully bearijQg, and we found frost in the dssot b^bre die least of St Aiichael, 2ddi Septraoiber. I ifUfuired the Bone of the province, but b^g in a strange hmd they ccnild not iuform me, and oouJdiUify tdl me the aane of this dQr, ^Huch )s very snialL Into this district a brge river deacoids from 0ie mountains, which the iidiabttantB lend off to wirier ( krigate the whole r^ion ; so that tlus river does not .dis- chaive itself into any «ea, bttt after forming many ipods or inarwes, is absorbed into the earth. In mi% t^gim. we sa^ vines growhig, and drank twite of |fadr wines* ,itmmM>imifiiiivo entered a most beautiful plain, having^ high mountains upon our right hand, and a sea or lake on our left, which is fifteen days journey in circumference^. This plain is watered or irrigated at wiU, by means of streams descending from those mountains, all of which &11 into the before mentioned lake. In tlic subseiqucnt summer we return- ed by the north side of this lake, whera likewise there are great mountains '. In tliis plain there used to be many towns t but most of thi>sc have been destroyed by tlie Tartars, that the excellent lands around them might be converted into posturf^ for their cattle. We still found one large town nam- ed Cailac, in which was a market frequented by many mer* chants ; und wc remained fitecn days at this place, waitmg for one 4 r if? di ,*5? J V" S Probably near the north side < f the Arvuin or Alak mountain*.— E. 4 Tht!) position oFRubruqui* is sufficiently distinct : Having ferHed over the river Tshui« and crossed the ^rabai mountains, the route now Irr between the Alak mouutains on liis right, or to the south, and the lake of Balkuh or P^lkati Nor, to the lett or north.— E. 5 The Kisik-tagi which he had before puted indssccnding into Weitera Turkestan. — E. rv . -->• . -- . , , *,,; ,■ , ,.i,-.^-, -v WTI. CHAP. IX. 8XCT. XXV. into Tartary. ^.^ 307 iour- Med I ■■ft" one of Baatu*! icribes, who was to aunt our guide in the nm- nagement of certain affairs at the court of Mongii. This coun- try uaed to be called Oi'guuum ', and the people Organa, w I was told, because the pcoolu were excellent performers on the organ ^ or lute ; and thev had a distinct language and peculiar manner of writing. It was now entirely inhabited by the Contomanni, wliose language and writing are used by the Nestorians of these ports. I here first saw ictolatcrs, of whom there ore many sects in the cast. •Hi' Section XXVL ■'■';; Horn the Nestorians and Mahometans are mixed m'th Ido^ i^ later s. r, ■ \i. :j/if.. In the first place arc the Jugurs, whose country borders upon tlie land of Organum among the mountains towards the east} and in oil their towns Nestorians and Mahometans are mixed among the natives. And they are diffused likewise in all tiie towns <^ the Maliometans towards Persia. In the city of Cailac, or Cealac, there are three idol temples, two of which I went into to observe their folly. In one ^of these I fo^nd a person having a cross marked with ink upon his hand, whence I supposed him a Christian, and to ail my questions he answered like a Christian. ' I asl:ed him wWefore he had not the cross and image of Christ, and he answered, that it was not their custom ; wherefore I conclud- ed the people were actually Christians, but omitted these thingR for want of instruction. Behind a certain chest, which served for an altar, and on which theypkced candles and oblations, I saw an image with wings like that of St Michael ; ond other images holding out their fingers, as if blessing the spectators. That evening I could make no farther discovery ; for though the Saracens invite one into tlieir temples, thev "liflQ WL 6 This absurd derivation of the name of the country and people, is un- wcntliy of credit. Organum was probably the country called Irgonekah or Irganakon by Abuleari ; and the word signifies a valley surrounded by steep mountains, exactly correfwndent with Die description in the text. — Forst. 7 The Contomanni or Kontomanians, were probably a Mongal tribe, originally inhabiting the banks of the Konta or Khonda, who had after- wards settled on the banks of the river Hi and lake of Balkash. — Forst. li. k i m < "Mu i if w w v». Traveh fenced. Next dav being the Kalends, Ist December, was the pas- lOver of the Saracens, and I chan^ my lodging to the nei|^boiirhood of another temple of idols; for the people oS this place shew ho^itolity to all messengers, everv ono ac eorcKiGig to his ahilhies. In this other tonple I wand tlio priests of the idols, who open and adorn the tcnpks at th« Kalends, and the people make offerings of bread and fruits* jr I shall first describe the general rites of idolatry, and then those of the Jugurs, who are a kind of seot different from the others. They all worship towards the north, with joined hands, prostrating themseWes upon thar knesa to the earth, and resting their foreheads on their hands. For which reason the Ncstorians never join their hands in prayer, but spread their hands on tlieir breasts. Their temples are built fitimeast to west, having a chamber or vestry &r the priests on the . north ; or if the building is square, they have a similar chamn. her OB the middle of the norui sklc in nlace of a dseir. Mid before it is pkced a long broad chest like ^ table, behind which, &cing the south, stands tiic principal, idoL That which I saw at Caracorum was as large as tne picture of St Christopher. A Nestorian priest, who came from Catay, told me there was an idol in that country so laige, that it coukl be seen at the distance of two days journey *. Other idols are placed around the principal one, and all are beautifa% gilt< AU the gates (^ their temples open to the south, cootrary to t^ customs of the Mahometans ; and ther havelai^ bdli, aa is the case with us, wherefore the oriental Christians will not use them, though they ar^ customary among the Russiana and the Greeks m Casaria. SBCnoH ri^ 1 Ths SsFBcens are hem much sbuaed by the miet&he of our traveHerr a«, however erroneous their religious opinions, they worship the true God onlyi and abhor even the least semblance of idolatry.-^£. 2 The Nestorian probauly said an idol-house ; meaning qne of the high towers usually erected near Chinese temples : and even this rouct have stood upon a'very elevated situation, in an extenuve plain, to.beceen from aagrcst a distance, perhaps of sixty miles.— £. '^ : .S:-.* tf Hl/ftb'-ff'frV, v';.'^! .M-l-!) Kwofi m, SECT. Tdmt, iMi IMa^. 200 t;> ;■' i qfOeh- TtH^fkt and lidt, kni HU Wora^ qftJMr tiait. fxAuL tlMir priests dwre iSaUt hefcdi vA fateaiids, aid u* daflifld i& jrdwMri and diejr Mve la cotapanks of one or two htedred toaediMf^ obsiiTin^ strict odibacy. Oh hefy iugWi tlMj^ sit iri Uii tennte oh loog benchei^ plaelsd ffirHofly of^ s|te eadt othcr^ koUiaig books in titieir Ijands* wliich dssy soas»» tink«8 Ihy on the benuliebi aild afl tiie tiale tliejr renudn in tiie tteqpfcs^ tliey ha^ oMir liedds bare, and tfaey read to them* wfAvUti hentfoc praniand dknee : Insoanocb, lliat wheat i went into IheleRmie^ and endeavoured all I couU to protojke thenk to' speaks 1 coUd not succeed. liVhereve^ tMy dfi^ ^heycatn a siring With an Irandred or t^ hundred nut-abtihiy Vke oar roedtica, and thev are continnalfy uttering the ^cnids^ Ok num HattaaUi wludi ^as ei^faiined to iiie as ngfiifyiligy O Qod f than knamist. And ai oikeb as they penounce theaia words ih remanUmnce of God, they exj^ept a proportionsl re- ward* ' Bound ihi temple^ there is ai#ays tk htodsome poiirt# emmmkA by a Ugh Knill^ on Ihd south side of wliidk ii a hr^ p6rtal) in itmbh they sit Xti cinder td^etherf and tnea i- TOOL; I. .'■ <;.! ';... ^j.....„" .j; ., ;Ok:. u-.i.^:; ,.■ - •"/*•"> >■■•-' .r '^^^fasa' '©■ •. V\:- f- 1-<-:i - :1 Tbi foU^Hi|^ more oomplMe yooownt of this n i pei ^ ti d cln» Mi been dninc4 wwrthy of inaenioo* ^. These, suppoijed Nestonih CBristiauui "vtti unddubtVidly professors of aki ir^gio^ of mi h9\!&'%Mii^ Wji(> ijii ttentlk o^getl sinct certmonies r^ s^MMiag e«#AiHt Ghfittiteify. Lik* flM KoMft ciAoIki, Aey Ind rosaries, eoakabdrw les oestb> and .^ir |lnW i^ Htta'thm-Prmf^Hum. This dot* not sMjaifyt as ayiRted 1^ Rubruq\Hs> ,^#irf/ tko^ knowest ti ; nor, as supposed by fifMsetKhtni^, Gp« Iw'^ mercjf m m. $ut its true import is, that Afam, ^6 Holds ffiif fl6«l^^ df th« LMttf, iW ii /^ SeginiOMl and end of the highir ita^t iMy ^r tKtSr pnytni be jfir^HUiu tS Ufett^ and render Stem ^l%ey -luKfil rolls --»e--airi'. ». i ^n«W" *i«' ... y-'S^j 'M 91a Travrh of WtlUawidt Bubmfftis PART U thia portal thoy orcct n lung pole, riaing i'" oaaiblc nbovo the whulo city, thnt every one may know where to find the temple. Those thinga arc connnon to all the idolatera. On going to viait this temple, I (bund the prieata littinff un- der the 6uter porti|l{ and thoae whom I aaw^ aj^arod, by their Hhavcn l)eHrda, like French friura. They wore conical cnpa of paper ipiddk; like thole in Fnmoe; bcaides which^ therjr wear a cloak on their left shoulder, flowing looaelyi before and* behind) but leaving the right arm free, aoinewhot like a deacon carrying tltei pixi in Lent. Their modo of writing ia adopted by the* Toftdra. They begih to ,writ» at the top of. tlie l^Age»! and tixtend their lines downwards, reading ona writing from left to ]right«> They moki g^>iit uae of i written papc«w inthdrtinogi- CMJncantationa, ana tluiir temples ai^ hung! round' with ahort written oentencea. Tlie letters^ aoiit by Maqgii^khan to your m^oaty, are written in thoao dianictera, and in the langiiagei of the Moal. Thi«c people btu'n their dead in theSRanner oH the nncienls, and dc)x>ait die aaliea on tlid top of certaih^ ^ytor^ mida.' After aitting for) some timd beside theae prieata, and hnving enterivi thoir temple to' iQok at their many imdgesy aoinel^ur^e and oithera amali, I asked what was theJr belief oon*' eeniiug C^M^ T^ whidi they anawerddi that they.beli(»ved ill one God only. On usking< them whether he was a.epirit «!• of a corporeal nature, they said he was n spirit. Being aakcd if God had ever assumed the human natures tliey answer- ed never. Since, then, sjiiJ I, you lielicvc Gpd' t6 be a lipi^t, wherefore do you make so many imogps of bim[ and as you .believe that 1h\ never took upon him the human foKui, where* fore do you represent him lunler the image of a man, rather 'than of any other creature? T6 this they austrertstl, we do riot niako imagi'>s of God j but when any of our rich men ^ie\ bt their wives or cliildren, or dear friends, they, cause images to be made of tlie deceased, which arc placra in the temple, which we ven*rat^ in respect to their meJtiofy. 'Hien, said 1, you do these things in flatted of men j but they insiWcd itwas oiily in rcmembrauce. llit^ then aslccd me^ as If in derision, where ia God? To tliis I answered bv another question, where is your soul? and they said, in our bodies. Then, said 'I, is it not in every i^art of your body, ruKng over the A^^hole^ 'yet cannot be seen? Eveiim Ujo some manner Ood is every- where. ART I* vo the cmplor ttHAp. IX. 8ECT;.x]|Vii.. ttUo Tartohf^} iW7'>\V 211 whci«» ruHnj^ all thi^« ^et In invisible, bein^intellioohcc and wifiduin. I would wiliingly liave proceeded in thia conicr- reacOf but my interpreter Deeome weary and unable to cxprt'HS vKf> meanihgi ib tliat I was obliged to aeaist. , /llieiMoals and Tartars InJlow the same religion, in m> fur that tliey ibelieVc iii one only Godf but tlicy nudco inuiges in fidt of tlieir departed firiondi* which they cover with fine costly garments. Theto diey carry about with them in one or two qtppeopriate carts, which no jk'rson must touch, except thnr E nests or soothaayei's who have the care of them. 'Inis is to e undciiatMiod fHuy of the gk-eat men who are of the ruceof Zingisr for the poor or meaner people have none such, llicse soouisaycrs constantly attend upon the court of Maiigu ond other great ;peiMina^{ andiwhen the court moves, these men prcccih} the marcli, nlie the piliur d cloud before tlio chiklmn of Israel. . Tliey determine on the Hite of the new cncaihp- raentf and unloatl their houses firsts after which they arc imi-^ tatcd by , the whole court. On dayH of festival, sucli as the kalends or conmienccmeutH of tluiir months, these images are ^laoed in ovdneK uround tlkiir idol liouses, and the MouU enter Ui.iUid boiw UiemsclvcH before these images, to do them rove* renbe.i Stran^rs arc never permitted to enter, so that once endeavouring. to go into one of these tabernacles, I was sore chidiWn for my prcMunption. '-ii .H'' Section XXVIII. ;•«■ Of sundry NationSfOiid of certain People tr//o used to eat their '„" ,',',' Parents. '"iif.., ' I AM convinced that thcitc Jugurs, who arc mixed with Christians and Mahometans, have arrived at the knowledge and belief of one God, by frequent disputntion^ with them. This natioil dwells in cities, which were brought under subjec- tion to Zingis» who gave his daughter in marriage to tneir king. Kvcn Caracarum is in a manner in their territorifs. The whole country of Preatcr .foliti and of Vut or Unc, his ■brother, lay round the territories of the' Jugurs, only that the subjects ot the tbitner inhabited the pasture lands on the north, while the Jugurs dwelt among the mountains to tho south. Afl the Moi^Jiiaye adopted the writing of the Jugurs, -—***?»*' kn.ff »! • <. 2ia rmof/lf ^ WUkSk in BMkntpU vab* i. tlww hrtt^ we the chief Msrifacb iiinn|^ lli^ IWtm^ and molfc «U tli^ Nestoriam are aoquiinieci liMi tfair letteiw Nnt to the Jti(|«n, anoM the imJu l eii K to die adst* the Tanguts, i powa^ pco<£ iAa oned riHiAe S m battle! hnt haTiiw eenciadad ptaoa, W >*» ait A'UblsHy, and after#u^ •vbAieid tbte< Amobq the TelMfiilii^ tbevb i#e oxcB of ifeat «tra#ii» Unrini «d#i^ IbHr Eka hAraiiv and their backs Md b^)&8 eorWwilh M^r haii^. ThaMae* flfcofter legged dian 6tlier oxea* but maoh ftevetvi hatttv kmy^ Mlender* itraight^ olid rery dbarp poMted bnrMi» ad oiiMf ifV touch uaed fcbr drswina the areat hoMBi «f tM M orf di faftthll cowi ^iU not aUow ^^aiidfeB to ha ^ked uhIm they flM iuiut to «t th^ sane time. Hme oedtnalifc are of the ««l«to of the bnfliilo, for teheB thej see k (iirabn tfelked in tedi dMy run latfbiiilir npfan fiini to |wt Uqi to daMh. Beyovd thefle arfe tbe pBi|)le of Tebet^ who ^re waiit to eat the dead bfadiee of their parentis fnmi a Motive' of |Aety» cdasiderbB that to be the raedit IitaoundMe eepiAbl««i Ml they hafw diseobtinded tUs cuttctai^ which -mm looked t^MM tk f I aboBunable by all other naiilinft l^ey alill, htMfteyiM-j tinnc to inalce handack'ie drinking caps of the dcaili <» thdit parents, that they may cott them to reanembranM «ireii in diett mirth. 1 received tms infeinhatiea from an eye>:#itneMi III their country there is much gold^ so that any one who> ie ^ want, digs till he finds enough for his necessities, and leaves the rest behind for another occasion ; for they have an opinion, that God would conceid aH other gold from them in the earth, if they were to hoard any in their houses. I saw some of tltete peo^ile, wlio ore mu6h deformed. The people of Tang^ are tall lusty men of a brown cam^ilexion. The Jugurs are of middle stature like ourselves, and their language is the root or brwih xJi the Turkish and Coinanian langdages. Beyood Tebet, are tlie people of Lflnga and SoImM,* whose messengers I saw in the court of Mangn^khari, whoiMd dong with them morfe than Men. great carts, ^ach dranrtm by she jDxen. These ore little brown men like the Spaidarde, and are drwt^ !! -I'Forster coniectures that tht original words of Rubruiiuia arehttteaiw "'uptcd, and that this passage ou||[bt to have b«ea « beydnd Taagut," ia- stea'd of beyond Tebet or Thibet ; in which casc> th^ countries of Lufga vAA. Sblinga, may refer tt> that of th6 Latnuts add Soldriiaiu, the ihciMton of Ike Msntschus or Mundechuriain.'— Vdy. and Dik& Idt. -■*««.>_ "*«^ .^^^ , •.i- «M •♦, «HA». n. SECT, mviii. Intft Tln^ary. ttlMl of 81S ki tunici or jadult, like our dMoom, with itraiter •letVM. Iliey wear a Idml cX caps Uke the qnitrci of our bi- ihopai but the fore part is 1cm than the hinder part, and ends Muare, imrtead of being pointed. These are inade of straw, ■oi^ed by great heat, and so well poUihed, that they fflistor fai the uui like a mirror or well pclUned helmet Retina their temples, they have long bands of the same material, fixed to Aeir caps, which stream to the wind like two kmg horns Atmi their temples. "When too much tossed by tlie wind, they fUd these over the top <^ their cmm. When the principal messen- ger entered the odurt, he hdo in his hand a sojooth ivory tablet •bout a foot long and a palm broad i and vhpn spoken to b^ the khaQ, or any otiier great ntan^ he always looked mi hia tablet as if he had seen there what was spoken, qever looking to the right or die left, or to the person who spoke to him. Siven in cominc into tlie presenoe and in retiring, he looked pipirnettiallv at his t^eti Beyond these people, as I have been told for truth, there is H natfon ealkd Muc^ inhabiting towns, in whose country there •re numerous flodu and herds whidi are never tended, as no perton fqspopriates any of these CKchMively} but when any JMie i« in Aeed o^ a beast, he ascends a JbiU and ^^ivesafeud cty, iMi which ai the cattle within hearing flock around him Attd sufl^r tlkemselves to be taken, a» if th^ were domesticat- ed. When a tt^essen^ or any stranger goes into that coun- iiy^ he is immediatdy shiit up in a house, where all neces- saries are provided for him, tifl his business is conchided{ for they affirm, that if any stranger were to travel about their country, the animals would flee away from his scent, and be- come ^Id. a, an- ^yon4 ^fi ffiWliy P^ I^HfiPe pc|op|e, lies Qreot Cathayi who^e jinhafoikwytP t hm»y^ jtp h^ye )1^^ the Slcres* of the ai cients, as iVom thence can^ die most ;qt(aeUent silken stuffi ; and these jpcople were called Serea after the name of cme of l^j^ tpiW^. I ^ye lichen iffld, tl^at in t^at cff^ntry there is a t In thii tuppotkioa RHbraqyii vaa ccrUn^ nuttaken, u the Seres of iht uicimtt sppMT t* have lived in Turicesun, Oete, ^uid Uigur, and to have .then levied o«fr a great trao)c of neitern centnl A*>s» ^nd ibay have extend- 0i their coauntvoe to northon China. Hence the ociginal name of siljc was cettainly dthtr adopted Iron or iqtplicd to the Intcmiediate nation, through whom that precioui commodity wastranimitted to the wMtem nstiona.— Font. 1 1 _l.l Vll Travels qf H'iUiam de Bubruquis PAItT I, n town having woUh of silver and toweri of fjokl. In that land IhtTc arc many provinces, the greater iwrt of which are not yet suhjei-teil to the Moak, nnilthe sea is ijiteryxtiwd Iwtweeti ihcni and India. Theitc Kathayanii arc men o} small Htaturo, with Hmall eyes, and speak much through the nose. They are excellent workmen in all kinds of haiuiicraftt their phyHiciaiM judge exactly of diseases by the pulse, and arc very skiUiil in the use of herbs, but have no knowledge in regard to the urine of sick-persons. Some of these ueople I saw at Caracnruid, where tiiere are always consideruble numbers i and the children nre always brought up to the same employments with their fathers, lliey pay to the MoiUs or Mongals, a tribute of i 500 cassinos or jascots every day ^, besides large quantities of silks and provisions, and they perform many other services. All the nations between mount Caucasus, and from tlie north of these mountains to the east sea, and in all the south of Scy- ihiii, which is inhabited by the Moal sheoherds, are tributary, and are all addicted to idolatry. The rJcstorians and Sara- cens are intermixed with them as strangers, as far as Kathay, in which comitry the Nestorimis inhabit iifleen cities, and havo a bishop in a city called Segan^. Iliese Nestorions are very ignorant, for they say their service in the Syrian tongue, in which all their holy books are written, and ot which language they are entirely ignorant, and singtheir service as our monks do who have not learnt Latin. They ure great usurers and drunkards, and some of them whu live among the Tartars, have adopted their customs, and even have many wives. "When they 3 A jascot is described as a pwce of silver weighing ten marks* lo that the tribute is 1 5,000 marks daily, or about 5\ milhons of marks yearly, and is equal in weight of silver, to L. 3,650,000 Sterling { perhaps equal, m real efficacious value, to ten times that sum, and probably superior to the yearly revenue of all the sovereigns then in Europe.— £. 4 Singan, or Siiigan-tu in the province of Shensee. In the year 1625, a stone was found here, inscribed with Chinese characters, and a Syrian in- scription round the borders, implying, that in the' year 636, the Nestoriaiti had sent Olopuen into China to propagate the gospel; and that the emperor Tai-sum vcn had approved this step, and allowed the Christian religion to be propagated through all C(ina, with many other particulars relative to the liistory of Christianity in China. ' his stone bore to have been erected in 78^, by Mar Isdabuzzid, priest, and i-horepiscopus of Cumdan, tht; royal city of the east, now Nankin. See a dissertation on this monument, following Renaudot's translation of the two Mahometan travellers, London, 1733, p. 76.— E, . . ►ti. CHAP. IX. SECT, xzviii. w/o Tttrtoty, 'X 915 they enter the churches, thcv wash their lower puts like the Swsceni, eat no flesh on Fridays, and hold their fenivals on the same days with them. Their bishops come soldotn into ttie country, perhaps only once in fifty years, and tlien cause all the little children to be made priests, wme oven in the cradle i so that almost every Nestorian man i» a priest, yet all have wives, which is contrary to the decrees of the ththcrs. They are even bigamists, tor their pricHts, when their wives die, marry aoain. They arc all Siinonists, as they ^ve no holy thing without pay. Thoy aro careful of their wives and children, aiiplyinff themselves to gain, and not to propagat- ing the fttitn. Hence, though some of them are employed to educate the children of the MongtU nobility, nnd even teach them the lu'ticles of the ChriMtiun faith, yet by their evil lives they drive them from Christianity, as the mond conduct of the Mongals and Tuinians ', who arc downright idolaters, is far more upright tlian theirs. '<< Section XXIX. Of CailaCf and the Country of the Nayrnant, IM-rwH We departed from the city of Cailac on St Andrew's day, 30th of November, and in three leagues we found a village of Nestorians, where we went into tlieir church, and sang salve reginuy and other hymns, with great joy. In three days afler we came to the entrance of that province, not far from the before mentioned sea, which seemed as tempestuous as the ocean, and ii\ which we saw a large island. The wa- ter was slightly salt, yet might be drank. Opposite to it was a valley with another salt sea, from which a river ran into this one. There was so strong a wind that the passage was dangerous, as we much feared to be blown into the lake ; wherefore we went north into the hilly country, covered with deep snow, and on St Nicholas day, 6th December, we has- tened our journey, as we found no inhabitants except the Janif or men appointed to conduct the messengers from one day's journey to another. On the 7th of December wc pas- sed 5 Mani or Manes is named Thenaoui by the oriental Christians, aid the sect of Manicheans they call Al-Thenaouib, or those who hold the doctrines of the two principles. These Tuinians, therefore, of Rubruquis, fure probably the Manicheans.— Forst. i i' !l I'l ■( II fit JVavek qf WUUm de AfirNfifix VAWit i. •ad bilvMB two totribto rockn wlnoa the mUi9 tonft Mttmtr iiiff lae to praff to Godt p^ nuig MoMrfini^ «it)i • loud vMcet the credo and otJier bjyitilis, and by mt gnu^aS iQod ma got tkrOHgh in iffaf^. ^ker tMa tfao Tuiimn aHlnatad nie U> ih\t» pap«ti ftw thiem I lM|t I ofiforod to taadi (^an wonJ» to aanqr ip thioir liaavfei, wkenby tknr aouli sl^Duia be lavtd. Yat muMkuig an inteipreter fur dih, I wrote them the cBaafi and the uSkA'a mrayery dpairina thJam to oelieve what was wjritiepi ip the qm* Ind that the bmar contained a pvaycr tp God for all that is Qeoaayaiy to raaa, and that thouoh ttiey a)v|d iiut ui^deMtand thawt i hoped Gnod would save Sien. Section XXX. Description of the Coimtrtf ^ the Nag/mamr vtiik en AeeomU of the Death of Ken-^han, and of his W\fe and Eldest Son, , After this we entered into the country where the court of Ken-khan uaed to he held, which was formerly called the country of the Naymans, who were the peculiar subjects of Prester Johji. Though I did not sec that court till my rc- jtum, I shall biiefly mention what befel his son and wives. Ken-khan being dead* Baatu desired tliat Mapm should be whan, but I could not learn exactly the manner <^ Ken'^kfaan's death.. SViar Andrew says he died of the efiects of a medi- cine, whidi Baatu wa» suspected of having procuMd to be snren him. I hean), on th« ottier hand^ that he swamoned Uaotu to do him hoH^iigc, who according^ bcfgan hifi imum^ with much external pomp, but with gnat inward upprehensions, aendinff forward his brother Stiohini who, whoi lie oame to Koi-lwan, and oi;^t to have presented him with the f,u^ high ^wonds arpae betwem them, and they slew one asiodiev. Tne widow of 6tichin k<^t us a whole day at her house, idiat we miflht pray &ar her and bless her. When Kcfi was dead, and Mangtt choaen emperor by the coment of Baotu, ^cfa was yfhen friar Andrew was there, Sivemon, the brother of Ken, at the instigation of the wife and peculiar vassals of Ken, vrcnt with a great train, as if to do homage to Mwgu, but with the intention of putting hiip ai)d att his {cpurt to de«th. When wijthif]i a tew d^ys journey of the co^ of iiangu, i» 'AWU i»f*' ^m* iHAP^ IX. SECT, wnc IN/9 7«r/ VM yieiry ifMyMitilire into the elqQcts of the jowmey, 4fll4 t)MB wAgap^^ levnoMI the «Mb ph>t to faint, fje- ^^Itg to n^e iwry U^ Af dv matter, ha want private^ and took a good hone irom the herd, and cod* widi ^reat i^a4 w$k ^ 'mUtOimmp to t^ twH ai Maagn i who (luii^y aw^nDJbfed hi* jGbr«»> afi< (tbuong * ationa gnvd MOHPd hfB loeppfrt^ iei4 t)io reft agaiiut Siiiainoii, aarf i>ko«||^ hiiji^ aA4 #)1 Kfe feNmire's prinonriw V> (»urt. Ha canfeaiad M« im#|»tj(OM» mihn 9m hi» aUeat ao% jMlh SO0 noUe Tartfii of their fmrtyf Wfsnt put to dbatk The ladies ware aJsQ imt |K>r wht* were coivierjwed lA tiie plot, and being hmJI» im yfkh burning ^nMiwaiide till thmr qpnfewed, were slain jillEeiiiriAC. K,Qn$ the youngeKt son of Sirenion, wlio way ia- C{^)aUe of etujieving i»to t))e conspicacy, firom his youik, mm |pejnnit((e(ii to cxt^y the iiiWitance of his fiitfaar ; but ear ^Ule diir^t iwt enter the houae oitfaw in going or return- )■* SicvdonXXXL Amvui 0t the Court qf ManguMan. We *tiU traydled in the high aountries, trending towank IJfaie nor^ ) and p« /St Stcfwen^s day, 36tk Deccmbw, we jQwne to a great; I^n^ on which not the saiallest inequali^ firas ^ be seen, and Uie next day wo arrived at tiie court m tl)# gr«at iPiilP* While at the distance of five days^ our boat wanted us to havegwie m ian s^ut as would have tdcen ne jM)^ dajy^s joumty, and our ^Ms llia4 much difficuky in being allowed tptajie il^e direct road. Myooinion of t^ Mf^ifSfid^t^ in our heait, urns, that we might have gone by Vmim mi Chende, the original residenee of Zingis '. Oh ^e way^ tl^e ^ecretaty told. n*& that Baatu, in his letten to Ma^, said that we wtanttd tbd assistance of a Tartar amy SiailH^ the 3ai«cW8 i by whieh I was much astonished, as I , a«^ the l^rs Imni your nuyesty requiiwd no army, and onjjy a^yiwd the khan tg he a Ihend to aQ Christians, to erndt «,. ■■ . " i''f-y.i.! 1 Tlie coinyrv oft ti^ IS^n aix4 l^erlsni ia Paouria, or the Ifni oC the Tunguset.— r orst. 318 Tiaveh qf WiHiam da Itubrttquit rART I. exalt the Ci'<)ri^ luid to he an t^itcmy to all the encvnies of the atiM of Chriat. And am lUl tho inter|)ri'ten were from the .Greater AnnoniiH who greatlv hat^ci tho SSarnccno, I fearc^l they mittht have intcrfireted hUsely to Mcrve their own pur- powM. 1 theroibre held my pcuoe* Ibnring to gainiav the wtmlHof Uaatu. .'• • >! .ik.u/ A On our arrival at court, our guide had a large hoitie' ap*- ^MMUt(H;l ibr him, tmd onlv a Nmall cottiigo wan givon to us thi^eev which would hordiy conta,in oiu' Ixi^^e, oui^ bciln, and a muuU Arc. Many came to our guide with drink made of rice, in long necked botllo«, which lind no difference from tlio lH<8t wine, except ihiit it Mncit otherwiHc. We were cid- led aoon after, iuhI exiunincd upon our buNlncM. I answer- ed, ** That hcuring Sartadi had l)econ)c a Christian, the king our maHter had Hont us to him with u letter ; that he iiadaent us to Baatu, who had sent us hither, and that he Clivrctbn> ought tu have assigned' tho' cause of our luring here," They Vov> * ^iniuUHt if we would mako peace with them. To this i .'r»».v mil, •♦ That liiivinff done theni no wnmg, they had .■. cause of going to war with your uuyesty j , that your majesty, us a just king, if you had done any wrong, ; wouKl nuike reparatiiui, and desire peace ; but if warred - against without cause, wc trusted in tlie help of n just God.'* At this they seemed all astonished, constantly exclaiming, •* Ditl you not ciwue to make peace ?'* For they are so puffed up witJi pride, that they think the whole world should make (leacc wiui them { but if I might l)e suffered, I would preach war agiunsi them to tlio utmost of my power. I dared not deliver the true cause of my journey, lest, in so doing, I might cH)ntradict what had been written by Baatu, and ther&» fi>re always stiid we came because he sent us. The day following I went to the court barefooted, at which Uie pe«>ple staretl ; but a Huuffarian boy, who was among tliem, knew our onler, mid told them tlie reason; on which a Nesitorian, who was chief secretary', asketl many questions At tlie Hungarian, and we went back to our lodgings. On our return, at the end of the a)urt, towards tlie east, I saw a small house, witli a little cross at to^), at which I greatly rejoiced, sup|H>8ing there might be st>me Christians there, I wont in Ixtldly, aiul found an altar well turnished, having a 5oklen dotli, adoriuxl with images of Christ, the Virgin, St ohn the Baptist, and two iuigels ; the Unes of tlieir body and giu'nicuts being formed with small pearls. On the altap was cit Wil ^fthe the pur- eho CIUF. IX. SECT. XXXI. ' into Tartiirif, *» < VwfV 219 1 was a 'lorg^ silver trdas, ornamefttbil with precloos itdnei, and manv other ombroid«ringii ( and a' kAip with eitfht lights burned before tho altar, tuttitig beside the aJtarl saw an Armenian monk, Homcwhat black and lean, clod in a rough hairv ooat to the middle of his lug, above which was a coarso blauK cloak, furred with spotted skins^ and he wiih gitrded wiUi iron under lus haircloth. Ueibrc saluting the monk, wo fell flat on the earth, singing Ave regina and oUier hymns, and the monk joined in our prayers. These being finished^ we sat down beside the monk, who had a Hmall fire before him In a pan.; He told us that he had come a month before us, being a hermit in the territories of Jerusalem, who had been warned by God in a vIhIoU) to go to the prince of the Tartars. Alter some converHation, we went to our lodgings. Having cutou; nothing that day, we made a little broth of jSesh and millet i'or our supper. Our guide anti his compa> nions were nuidf drunk at the court, and very Uttle care was |aken of us. Nexi morning the ends of my toes were so frost- bit by the extreme cold of Uiu country, that I could no longer'^ go barefooted. From the time when the frost begins, it never ceases till May, und even then it freezes every night and morning, but thaws with the heat of the sun during tiie day. If tliey liad much wind in that country during winter, as we have, nothing could live there; but they have tilways mild weather tiU April, and then the winds rise ; and at that sea/- ison, while we were there, the cold ritiing with the wind, kil*- lad multitudes of animals. In the winter Uttle snow fell tliere i but about Easter, which was that year in the latter end of April, there fell so great a snow, that the streets of Caracanm^ were so full, it hud to be carried out in carts. /< ;.j;,.;-.uu;. i.iJ •3 >Hn>rn '>:ft -*'» ' 'I'll < 'i-'"* H' 1 ■' '>■.■' ! ; Section XXXII. I'd*'; ♦«i<0^^.> "he. Introduction qfRubruquis to Mangit-Jcfian^ The people brought us from the court ram-skin coats, and breeches ot the same, with shoes, which my companion and interpreter accepted, but I thought the fbr garment wiiich I brought from Baatu was sufficient for me. On the .5th of Ja- nuary, wfc were brought to the court, and some Nestorian priests, whom I did not know to be Christians, came und asked me which way we worshipped; to which I said, that we ,i4 worshipped /I •f y ■ V»- ■T«-y. I I ; ?i 3S0 TVaveUtfJI^IUmndeBubrtifirii wowhipprwi tody auL The rauion of their «miUm 4his i»> auNiiiii ^* 'that'vw liad «lMven «pr hcadi liy th of gold^ and on a jbeardi, ^ the viddle, there was a £re of thorns, wormwoodHceoto, aadoew- ;dung. The f tM^ flMd !#e wentt to the mfltidi i mi when w>e ivleve iih«m «o fcitu#n t& our kdgimg, due ; "^ interpreter t\ ^A '"^'r lri j i' I • i fltir'ti i 'rM iin mn ii it ^ ii ■v ii'i - i t i - nJ I.I-T^'InV- 2S2 Travels <^WilUam de Rt^nttquit J»ARt'I^ it! l! Mi .1 interpreter came to us, saying, that Mangu*4(han gavaiigt two! months to stay, till the extreme cold were past; and' we mi^ either,^. ten day's journey Irom^ thencb to the city of Caracamm, or might remain with the conrt. : Then Iianswer-* fid, V' Ood preserve Mangn-khan, and grair^t himia long and happy life: We have found this monk, whom we thiuka holy 9tanj and we would willingly remain, andpra^ alcmg, with, him for the prospeiity of the khan.". W« tmn went ^ onr dweliing, which we found, very cold, as we hadino fuel,iand we wf'''^ yet fastiiig, though it was then liight i buthewfack had the ^ care -^^ us provided us some fuel and a iitUe £bod f and our guide, who Was now to return to .Baatu, begged a carpet from ua which we had left in: tliat court, which iwegaire biib^ and he di^Murted in peace. ti;M;'ruf^ .IkkJ 1u '^cl iiih rtsvi^ iiu.il liiiU iii(i!i,v f,j ,1.0/ u, ,> ■ jff'K4 dtuil 'i .'Sbction XXXIIL )iitn'»i «si «^»fu{}{ln Of a Woman ofLdruiut and a QoUUmthofJParit^and^ s«w veral other CktistianSf tiohom the^fotmdat t'-i Court ofi^an* 'M \gtir'khafUfA'y\ oVh?: jiiri'f.'iq fs/ j^. .00^ 'lot •frvWE, Ht- had the good fortune to meet with a wonum^ named Pascha, from JVmz in Lorain, who bckinged to the xoiirt^of Gerina, who told us of thd strange poverty she had enduuM before she came to this court, but who now linwd well,i.as,8he had a young Russian husband, who was, 4 skilfiil builder, and much esteemed among them, by whoiii she had three fine children, and this woman contributed att in her powei' to our comfort. Sh6 told us, that diere was a goldsmith at Cara* carum, one William Bouchier from Paris^ the son (^ Law*- rence Bouchier, and who had a brother, Roger Bouchier, Jet living upon the Gieat Bridge. She told me likewisei.that e had a so: who was an excellent interpreter; but that Mangu-khan had delivered to the goldmith SOO jitscots of silver, equal to SOOO marks, and fifty workmen, to make a certain piece of work, so that she feared he would not then be iable to spare his son to ikiierpret for us. I wrote to this goldsmith, requesting him to send his son to me ; he. said in ianawer, that he could not at the time, but would send him next moon, when his work would be finished. At the court of Baatu no intercourse could be had with other ambassadors, as each was under the charge of a particular Jam ; but in - that ■ :>-> ^-i^fsnto-tif 'AR»'I^ CHAP. IX. iccT. xscxQi, ^ itUo Turtarif. 2SS f''l \i! that of Matttttf all were under one Jani, and might aee and ' conmte irmi each other. We found here a certain Christ- ian from Damaacns, who said that he came from the sultan of Mond Regalis and CraXt who desired to become the «Uy and tributary of the great khan. The year before X came thither, there was a certain derk of Aeon or Ptolemais in Syria, who called himself Raimund, but his true name was Ineodolua. lliis man went with friar Andrew from Cyprus into Persia, and procured certain in- struments from Amoricus, who remained in . Persia < after Andrew returned. Theodolus went forwards with these in- struments to the khan, pretending that a certain bishop had received lettert-from heaven in gold characters, saying that the 'khan should be king of the whole earth, but that his horse had fled from him among woo'ls and mountaSns, so that he had lost all. And Theodolus engaged to conduct ambassadors from the khan to the Pope and the !:ingof France. Then^ Mangu caused an exceedingly strcmg bov to be made, which two men could hardly bend, and two arrows m^e of ' silver j full kif holes in their heads, which whisded when they Were shot ; and he chose a Moal to accompany Thiiodotns as his ambassador^ ordering him to present these thingi» to thie king of France, and to say, if he wOuld haVe peilcfe^ with the Tartars, they would conquer the country, of the Savacens, and would grant him all the other countries of the wifst.' 'But if the king refused, the Moal was to briiurback the bbi^ and arrows, and to inform the king that the Tartars shot far and sharp with such bows. The khan then. caused Th(k)d6lus to go out, and the son of William Bouchieir, \dho act^liiM interpreter for Theodolus, heard the khan order the Moal, who was to accompany him, to mark well all the ways, and the castles, and the people, and the mountains, . in the course df his journey. And the young man blamed Theodo- lus for engaging to conduct the Tartar messengers, as they went only to spy the land. But Theodolus said he would take them by sea, so that they should not know the, way. M angu gave to his Moal a golden bull or tablet of an hand breadth, and half a cubit long, inscribed with his orders ; and whoever bears this, may everywhere command what he plea- ses. On their jOumey through the dominions of Vestacius, whence Theodolus meant to puss over to the Pope, that he might deceive him as he had done Mangu, Vestacius demanded of him whether he had lettcj for tlie Popej but having none •■■: -^ . / ., .-. - ,,. ' to m: 98# \H Travels ^ WmUm it Bubrmpm w*.wrh to fhcnr, Veplacite pgkidn» in dm cntmnoQ ia(9 IVirihiyi mid from them I learnt all that hi^fpmeA to Thewidbi. SiMiON 3ilir^¥. R M Q^ « Orand Ftmt givtn hv Mttrtgu-^kfim uiki ^ the C mwi iii' p -! niet <{f the Neit&rktU» b t' £?iniAinr wm itoitr iH hood, and ^t. Ana^niafi motiky Sei-gfaM^ t«U 11M4 that he wai tp haptia^ MatigilJUian oi| thaj| «lay. 1 entrcsted hint to use hia uMi^sl ei^^toun that. I n^^ be ptreacMt on the o^waiitt., vfadch he fiuthA% pKm^^ cd. When the dajr <^toe^. the inotffc did not oall iqe, W | was aedt fi»r to eocirt at six o'^ock^ and I met the m^n^ Nliinniig witit hu croto^ and the Nettpnao prierttf with ti^teii;. oehaeitf find the gospel df the day. It iit tlie cuftom ,<^ Ma^gn to HMke it feast, on such daprs as are pointed out Vy his ttxtkumjfvm or th^ Nestorian pnei^ i mhI on thes0 dfifs the ChiimuM cccine first to court and pr^y iox hiiav aod blei;* Us tapf after which the 8nracen priests do the samef jand fj^ tdrflKHidie idda^ous Ivitets. The BioiDk pretended tbatr he dfd^ faelie honey. He g^es to aU, and al thiifli tkc^ ase his fkroitors^ *nd a)l j^opheey peoqperity to hitB. Then w^ sat down befere the court, , and they br o Mhi us ikih t6 CBt> which I refused^ eayiutfr that if ,they waudS jmirtaim for ds, it ought to b^ at our house. They then ^iaed Us tv §» home, as wie were oafy sent ktt that we ndgfal e0U Ob my retu^iti I CaUed on £he saoak, who was asmmed d!f the lie be had toAd m0, and Wpuid n^, tW^br^ say ao^ move of the Utatter ; yet some of the ]!<9ie^iorifuis a£- ftnned^ fliat the khan haid hem baptAvfd^ but I s«ud t^t i would a^ather bdlieY^ lAi nor f ep^rt it to others, as I bad not bcioi pireaenl. We came to onT ^ ^OBipty kouse^ where they provided us in bedding and coverlida^ and wave us sMoe fiiek Th^ i^s us tbe darcase of a smatt lean n^, as fo^ j!w us tlurfe hi six dap, and lent us a pot and trivet to boil our fleshy and "■' ". • .v-;.rr^ .^. .•'■'/. ■■■ .', • ■ . . ■■ v^ . .gave i»ife-||N>iWiil»l— Mil" III I tl >», h CHO* IX. SECT. xmnr. * int» Tartaiy, •Its ^,m f i*«i .8! «^ ■Ay i if'- -A flvre «i» pktttr of millet everr fhy. W« boUHl our ni«flt Ant in w«t«r, and diarwwrdi bdiled mnr Millet in tke broth i and 4hit waa our whok aUowance> vhidb wwld have aiillkM if we had been tuAnd ta «at in paace* bnt' Aere ware many stanred iattows ahont the oonit thatlhnait tfaemwlm in among us, and insisted to partsdoB. The ooU beoame ve- ry severe, and Mman-kban sent us ^ee fur coats, with tho hair outwards, which we thankfnihr tcoevfed i but we reprc- aented that we had not a house m wUch we coaid pray kr the khan, our oottace iwingr ^o sMall that we could scarcely stand up in it, nei&er oomd we open our books on account of smoks, aifter the fire was Ik^tML On this the khan sent to ask the monk If he woidd be plcaaad with bar odsaBany, who gbdly reoe^ned us| and after this we had m better nouar before the court, vrfiere none lodged but we and the soothe sayers, they in front of the first Iwdy, and #e at the fitftheet «ndi towards tht east, before the palace of tfab last la^y* We made this aheration on the 19th of January. < Next momiag all the Nestorian priests caUeded at the chapel^ and tmote on a board, instead ai rimrinff a bell. : They then sang matins very reverently, put' on iul aeir or- naments, and prepared the cesser ahd incense. After wait- ing some time, Cotata Caien ', the priaicipid wife of the-, khan, came into tive chiqwl, attended by many ladies, and havii^ with her Baltn, her ddcst son, and several other chil- dren. All liieee prostrated tibemselves, ducking after the manner of the tfestorians ; they then toudud all the images and kissed their hands, and afterwards gave the right hand of fellowship to all who stood beside them, whidi is the cus- tom among the Nestorians. The priest sang many hymns, and gave tlie lady some incense in her hand, which she threw in- to the fire, and then the priests perfumed her. After this ' dhe began to put off the ornaments of her head/called Bacca» and I saw her bareheaded ; but as wc were now commanded- to leave the chapel, I know not what fottbwed. As I waa ' going out I saw a silver bason brought, but I am ignorant if < she was tlien baptised, but rather diink not; because at- Easter I saw a fount consecrated with great solemnity, and' some perscms baptized, but no such ceremony was teen on ' t\i6 present occasion, and I know they do not celebrate the > mass in a tent, but only in a standing church. VOL. I. p During : f>: Hi S Caten signifies lady, and CotaU was her particular name. — ^Harris. •t'^q - ' 'iS@ Travelt pf fVilUam it Bubruquii PART I, ?f Is *:■ During our abaence, Maagu-khan himielf c&me to the cha? pel, into which a golden bed was brought, pn which he mH \ridi his queen, opposite the ahar. We were then scttt for, and • door-keeper searched us for concealed weapotxs. ()tl floir.g in with a oible, and breviary in my bosom, I nmt bowed down before the ahar, and then made an obeisance to Mmigu- khan, who caused our books to be brought to hiip, and en- ouircd the signification of the images or pictures with which niey were ornamented, to which the Nestoriaqs answered as the^ thouji^t proper, because we had not our interpreter. Bemg desired to sing Miaabn after our manner, we chanted Feni sanete Spiritus. Then the khan departed, but the lady remained, and distributed gifts to all the Christians present, She gave the monk Sergius a jascot, and another to the arch? deacon of the Nestorians, and she caused a nassic or largo doth like a coveriet, and a buckram, to be spread out before us; and at I declined the dffer, she sent them to our inter- preter, who sold the nassic at Cyprus, for eighteen gold sul- tanies, thouah it was much the worse for the carriage. Then red wine, luce that of Rochelle, and caracina and cosmos were brought, and the lady holding a cupful in her hand, desired a Messing on her knees, ancTshe drank it up, we and »11 the priests singing with a loud voice. Another time, when they were mostly all dnmk, the carcass of a sheep was brought in and prosendy devoured, and then some large fishes, resembling our carp, which they 6tti without bread or salt And when uie lady was drunk, she took her chariot and went away, the priests singing all the while. Next Sunday, the son of the khan, by a Christian mother, came to the chapel and acted in a similar manner, but not with so much solemnity, and only gave the priests to drink, and some narched millet to eat. Before the first Sunday in Lent, the Nestorians fast three days, which they call the fast of Jonas; and the Armenians fast five days in honour of St Lorkis, their tutelary saint. The Nestorians begin their fast on Tuesday and end it on Thursday, and on Friday they bless the flesh, as if it were the Paschal Lamb. The monk sent to Mangu to fast that week, which he did; and on the Armenian Eaister, be went in procession to the house of Mangu, accompanied by iis and the Nestorian priests. While we went in, some ser- vants met us carrying out some shoulder-blades of sheep, burnt as black as coals; and on enquiring, 1 learnt that the khan mat- Jter, performs a divination, before undertaking any important .«K AF. TX. SKCT. 'xxxiv. iwlo ToHaty, iff ter, in this manner. He cauiet three of theie honee to be brought to him unbumt, which ere sought for all over the Leskar or Tartar camp ibr this purpose t and these bones are burnt in « particuUur m«, «id then Drought to him again. If the bones are cracked across, or round pieces fly out of them in burning, it is considered an evil omeni but if they crack lengthways, even one of the three, he then proceeds in his deugn. When we went in before Mangu, the Nestorian priests save him incense, which he put upon the censer, with which tn^ perfumed him. Then they sung and blessed hia oup« which was done next by the monk, and kstly by us. Aiker he had dnmk, the attendants gave drink to the priests, but w» went out| and my companion staying lost, turned round near the door to make his obeisance to the khan, and hastily turn- ■^ ing again to follow us, stumbled en the threshold,, for which he was seized and carried before the Bulgai, who is the chan- ' cellor or chief secretary of the court, and judges those who are arraigned on matters of life and death. But I knew not of all this, as missing him on looking back, I thought he had been detained to receive thinner apparel, for he was very weak, and could hardly walk under his load of garments. He was sent home in the eveninff, and the monk sharply rebuked him for having touched the threshold. Next day, the Bulgai came to me, and demanded to know if any one had warned us against touching the threshold; to which I answered, that as we had not our intertiretcr along with hsj we should not have understood them it the caution had been given. On this my companion was pardoned, but wa# never aUowed a^- ternraras to come into Miy of the houses of Mangu-khan. From the house of the khan, we went to that of Ms (eldest f son, who had two wives, and lodged next on the riglit from his lather. As soon as he saw vs approach, he leapt trom his bed and prostrated himself before the cross, -striking iA\e ground with his forehead, then rising and kissing the cross, he cau^ it to be placed on a new cloth, in a high place, very reverently. He lias a tutor, named David, to instruct him, who is a Nes- torian priest and a great drunkard. The prince gave drink to the priests, and he drank himself, after the priests hud bles- sed his cup. From him we went to the court of Cota, the khans second lady, who is an idolater, and whom we tbund very sick; yet the Armenian monk made her rise from bed {and adore the cross on her knees, with many ceremonies. -"■•?'- -. We > 9i8 TVavels of William dt Rubrufttis TAMT u I Wo Ihott w«nt to tiM thud court, in which » Chriatian Ia«Iy totnmJj rmidtdi IMU on her deiuh, ahe ira» MMKocdtd bgr « yvw^ wonuii« wh witli ureal Rrvcreaca. We went t^n into the kettle of the vouiitf iad^jr Cerina, behind "he third ooiurt, which had fiNwei^ beltongetl to! her inelhcr, who iihewiae wonhipped the croaa wltli great devotioiw We next went into the court of the fourth nnd lost 1ndy» whoee hou4e waa very dd» but the hhon oavc be): a new houae and new ohavkto after Eaiitcr. Thi* lady waa an idolater, yet the wotahipiped the croM« according to the dircctiona of the monh and nneato. Ffwn that pjaoe we returned to our oratory, the ■aonlta accompanying ua with great howlinot and outcrioi in' theiv dmnkebneait at they had oeen |AentituUy mpnlied with drink at every visits bat this is not considered as blameoUe or unseemly, either in man or woman in these parts. ^. SEcmowXXXV. r '^ great Curepetformed hjf the Armenian monk SergiuSf oft one^tke 1five$ ^Mangu-^han. ' SoMETiMX after the lady Cota was sick almost to death, fixnd the divination by k>t of the idobters did her im> good. Mango-khan then sent for the monk, who indiscreetly engoe- ed to cure her on the forfeiture of his head. On this, the monk sent for us, and entreated us, with teats, to watch and pray a)l pight ak)ng with him, which we did. He took of a certain root colled ntuborb, which he beat to powder and put among water, along with a little cracifix, and ne used to ^vc of that water tp all sick persons, which griped them by reut a of its bitterness, and wnich they attributed to a mirade. ? prt^sosed to prepare some holy water, according to the rites of the churcn of R(mie, which hath great power to cost out devils, OS 1 understood the lady Was vexed of a devil ' . At his request, I consecrated some holy water, which he mingled with the rhubarb, and lefl bis crucinx oil night in the mixture. JJext I From the whole of this stsry, it would i^pear that the lady Cota wa« hysterical from coRstipation; and that S«rgiiM had the good fortune to r«* move the caute by a few dotes of rhubarb>-*-£. ^ .: '■■' ' .' -■ '» . -. . ..-,-. ■ ,. ■ ^ kit I. lady by- MVW We |whMe And [ettlie InMMik r*the in' with leobla »« ou ^eath, good. S the h and c of a (Iput I give BU4, .v;; e. 1. rites tout At igled ture, ^ext re* 9UK9. IX. IBCT. XXXTt Mo 11»^tt?y» Mil l^extmomitif I and the monk and two Neitorianpriciti went to the lady, who was then in a nnall hodie behfaid ner great one. She Mt m in her bed and worshipped the aroat, far|fmc it ho' nonraUy vy her imon a rfUcen oothi Ae draak iA the hdy water mixed with niitbarf», and washed her breast, and, at the d«Niire of the monk, I read the passion of oor Lord according t ) . t John, over her. At length she iek hersdf rdfeied, and oiuered four jascots to be bronght, which she first laid at the fbot of the cross, and gave three to the monk, oflbrfaw one to me, which I refused i then the monk took this fikewne, and gave one to each of the prints, keepfaig two to himself, to that she gave awar fortr marks in all at m!s thne*. £be dien orde r e d wine, whnch she gave to tibe priests, and made me Hrink thrice from her hand m honoiu* it die hdty trinit)t. uShe KkcMrise bemm to teach me the language, jesting with me, t. jcaose I was suent for want of on interpreter. Next day Mangu-khan, hearing that we were passing, and havinjr mmed that the \adj Cota was somewhat better, made tts comb in, and took the cross into his hatld, asking several questions, which I did not understand, but I did not see that he worshipped it. The monk, by my suooesdon, craved leave to carry the cross aloft on a lance, and Mangu sate permis- «ion that it might be carried in any way we thoumit fit. Tlien paying our obeisance to the khan, we went to the lady Cota, whom we found strong and cheerful. She still drank the hdy water, and we read the passion over her} but those mi- serabfe priests never taught her the articles of our holy &ith, neither advised her to oe baptized, nor did thev find fault with any kind of sorcery. For I saw Ibur swords half drawn out of their sheaths, one at the head of her bed, one at the fbot, and one on either side of her door. I observed likewise one of our silver chalices, probably taken from some church in Hungary, which hung against the wall, fi£Q of ashes, on ' the top of which lay a black stone; but these priests not only ilo not teach tliem that such things are evil, but even practice similar things. We continued our visits for three days, by which time she was restored to perfect hea:tli. During these visits, she continued to rally me on my silence, and endea- voured to teach me their language. I honoured the monk Sergius as my Libhop, because? he ' could S About L. 30, perhaps equal in efficacy to L.300 of modem days ; no bad fee for administering a dose of rhubarb.— '£. i »«w*«i*«i««*^pi^(«a»tiB4)gws^ ;. '•*CtrfJ«l*«>,{,.4»-A.^„,.. -t^.i 2S0 Draveb ^ fVSUhm dt Bubniqms rA»T 1^^ could speak the language, thou£^ he was totally uneducated^ and I merwards leamt, wh«i I came to his own country on my return, that he was no prieit, but merely an adventurous weao ver. In many things he acted in a way diat much diqpleesed me* fa he caused to be made for himself a folding chair su<^ as bishops use,' and gloves, and a wp of peacocks feathers, with a small gold cross}, but I was well pleased with the. croj^u He had scaibbed£e^ which he endeavoured to pirate with ointments') was very presumptuous in speech, was prevent at many of the vain and idolatrous rites ot the Nestorians, and had many other vanities with which 1 was much displeased. Yet we joined his society for the honour of the cross, as he got a burner. fiiU of crosses on a cane as loiu;, as a lance, an4 we carried the crass aloft through among all the tents df the Tartars, siiuinff Flexittareas prodeanty 4rc^ to the great r^ gret of the Mahometans, wno were envious of our &yeur. I was informed of a certain Armenian who came, as he sud, from Jerusalem along with the monk Sergius, carrying a silver cross of about foiur marks weiaht, adorned with pre-^ cious stones, which he presented to S^ineuKkhan* who asked what was his petition. He represented himself, to be the son of an Armeman priest, whose church had been destroyed by the Saracens, and craved his help for rebuildinff that cnurch. Being asked how much that might cost, he said two hundred jascots, or two thousand marks ; and the khan ordered letters to be given him, ordering those who received the tribute of Persia and the Greater Armenia, to pay him that sum in silver^. The monk continued to carry tms cross about with him wherever he went, and the Nestorian priests bcc{a|ie^/p^ vious ovthe profit which he derived from its use. / ; , . .' ISectiok 3 Thia sufdy wu a sinlew infirmity, and needed not to bave been records ed to bis dishonour. He was probably afflicted with chilblains, in conse- 'quence of the severity of the Tartarian climate. — E. 4 L. 1500 in weight, equal at least to L. 15/XK> of our modem money; i^ atost magnificent present to an itinerant beggar.— £. -:Jj^^^ ■ - i« j\-'\l OH) -'*> •.■ ■ ■ ,, ^4.*:?,b id - f' 'J fm b& i',. •iUOiSi ,vjtj .i>£fi4l|^WCf5i. ■t-.:a ^ )^ iH>f*'}' ^'''•'^ ■■ ■■•-'it V.' A - -.... r^ ■■>- - * '■• •..•• ♦/t ^v** '1 '<.. '•' '-v *. i „ . -s-".'* .' ;. V . ^ ;i.«.. ^ - * .. ^ i '*^ ^ '"'1^ . ^Ajv ..J. ,>i.i,:5./*. .>jMattw«»«j^fiil\ .}.'■' ':'■■- • ' .■ ■■■'■ ■f .'■. ^ ' . 1 / ' ■ V. .A I i':'''h '■ . ■ . . . Section XXXVlifr m-Ji Account of the Country under tht DomihiM qf the Great ' Kkan i of the Manners and Cu^oms of his ^ibjectt i fff a: Wonderful Piece of Mechanitm^ eoniirueted by a French Goldsmith t and of the Palace (yf the Khan at Caracarum* From the tiiqe of onr arrival at the court of MangiiJchaiif Ae leskar or camp' nuide only two days journey towards ibe south ; and it then b^;an its progress northwards, in the di- rection of Caracarum. In the whole of my journey I wa^' convinced of the truth of what I had been informed hy Bald^, win de Hainault at Con8tantino|)le^ diot the whole way east' wards was by a continual ascent, as all the rivers run from the east towards the west, sometimes deviating towards the north or south, more or less directly^ but never running east, but this was fiuther confirmed to me by the priests who came from Kathay '. From the place wnete I found Mangu- khan, it is twenty days journey south-east to Kathay^ and ten days journey rifl^t east to Oman Kerub, the original tountry of the MoaJ and of Zin^s*. In those parts there are no cities, but the country is inhabited by a people caBed Su-Moall, oi" Mongals of the waters, who live upon fish a&d hunting, and have neither flocks nor herds. Farther Aorth, likewise, there is no city, but a i)oor peqple of herdstaen, who are called Kerkis. The Changin are there also, who bind smooth bones under their feet, and thrust themselves with such velocity over the ice and snow, as to overtake beasts ill the chase. There are many other poor nations in those parts, inhabiting as far to the north as the cold will permit, .<■ ■ • ^i,' ''f^" WHO * • ■ ' 1' So &r as was travelled by RuSruquiSi ahd in the route which he pur- 8ue ai Ziiwi» estaUidied a kw that none was to be free irom service tin so oM as to be luuUe for wotk. ., I was inquisitive about the monstrous men of whom Isidore and Sdinni make mention; bat no one had ever seen any snchy and 1 therefore ckmfat whether it be true. Once a I»iest of Kathay ttt by me» dothed in red» of whom 1 ask- ed how that ooloiur was procured. He told me that on cer- tain hig^ ^"fSSf '^'^ ^ ^c c*>*^ ^ Kathay there dwelt cer- tain creaturcsulce waen, not above a cubit long, and aU hairy, who leapt rather than walked, and dwelt in inaccessible caves. That thoae who go to hunt them carry strong drink, which they leave in hdes of the rodcsy and then hide themselves. These little creaAures come out from their holes, and having tasted the dnnk, call out ckin> >>^4 The ordinary moninr of Kathay is of paper made like posteboiird, the broadtn and length of a hand, on which Unes are printed, like the i^ of Mangu. They write widi a pencil like that used by our painters, and in one jRcrure they comprehend many letteirs, forming one word*. The people of Thibet write as we do, and thdr characters are very like our own. Those of Tangut write from right to left, Mke the Arabs, and multiply their lines ascending} while the Jngurs write in descending columns. The com- mon money of the Rutenians or Russians, consists in spot- U>S oi' gri7^ded furs. When our Quinquagesima came, which is the Lent time of all the people (A the east, the lady Cota fasted all that week, and came every day to our oratory, giving meat to the priests and otlier f^hristians, of whom a great company came daify to att^-nd the service. But the porters of the court, scemg such muifitudes come daily to our chapel, which was within the precincts of the court, sent one to tell the monk, that they woukl not alk/w such multitudes to come within their bounds j to this the monk made a sharp reply, and tlireatened to accuse ilum to the khan j but they pre- vented him, and Ifxlged a coni[//flint before Mangu, that the monk was too fiill of words, and gathered too great a multi- tude to hear him speak. ()n this he was called before the khan, who reproved him severely, saying, that as a holy man, he f^onld employ himself in prayers to God, and not m speeches to men. But he was aftei'wards reconciled, by promising to go to the Pope, and to induce all the nations of^ the west tp yield obedience to the khan. On his return to the oratory, the monk asked me if I th(night he might gain admission to the Pope as the messenger of Mangi/ j and whether the f'ope would supply him with l/orses to go to St ./ames in Galicia } and 5 It is difficult to guess as to these people and their islands ; which nay possibly refer to ^pan, or even Corca, which is no island. Such tri- bute could not have been oflered by the rude inhabitants of Saghalien or ye«w.-E. 6 This evidently but obscurely describes the Chinese characters ; the mast ingemons device ever contrived for the monopoly of knowledge and office to the learned dam, and for arresting the progress of knowledge and sciiace at a fixed boundary. — £. ■V'-^W :'?ai».s^y*«Si. I '•wf(M>dMM.«K„ '~~^'- -rva -a* I d] i ii B? i.i ii i i M.'(aw * 1 . I ) d34 Travels (^JViUUm de Rubruqms . i'i»''*i,-fAW;i>' bad ^yhethoi' your m^esty would send your son to the oourt^' of Mangu. But I oounseUed him .to bewwre of making fblse-' , i)romiBcs to Mangu, antl that God needed not the service of* ' iesor deceitful «pw]gpg. Abouithis time a di8|>ute arose ^ between t|ie monk and one of dne Nestorian priest^ mwe- ' leamed. than the rest, as , the monk asserted that man wa*. created before paradise, which the other denied f on reference >. to me, I said that paradise was created en ihe aecond day* r ' when the pther trees were made, whereas man was made eir ^ the sixth. Then the monk said, that the devil brought clar'- on tlic first day« from all the comers of the earth, of whicn'^ he mude the body of man, which God inspired with a soul. On this.t sh'orpfyr reproved him for his heretical ignorance^' and he scorned me tor my ignoi'ance of the lalutUage: 1 de<^r parted, therefore, from him to our own house, out when he ^ and the priests went afterwards in procession to the court^^ without calling me, Mangu earnestly enquired the reason of- my absence ; and the priests being afraid, excused themselves*- - as well as they could, and reported to me the words of the khan, murmuring at the monk< After this the monk was re*' conciled to me, and I entreated him to aid me in acquiring the huiguage, promising to help him to the knowledge of the: Holy Scriptures. "Ti*^ After the first week of fluting, the lady ceased from comlm^ to the oratory, and to ffive meat and drink, so that we had- nothii)^ but brcwn bread, and paste boiled in melted snow orr^ ice, which was exceedingly bad. My companion was much grieved at this diet, on which I acquainted David, the teach- er of the khans eldest son, with our necessities, who made a report to the khan, and we were tlien supplied with winet < Aour, and oil. The Kestorians and Armenians eat no fish i in Lent} but tlie monk had a chest under the altar« with al»- ' monds, and raisins, and dried prunes, and other fruttsy on. which he fed when alone. About the middle of Lent, the goldsmiths son came ftoat'l Caracarum, bringing a silver cross made in the French fa* ^ shion, with an image of Christ, as a present for Bulgai, the chief secretary of the court ; and the young man imbrmed Mangu, that the great work he had commanded to be made by his father, w»t completed. In the neighbourhood of Ca* racarum, Mangu has a large court, inclosed with a brick trail like our priories. Within that court is a great palace, in which the khan holds feasts twice a-year, once in Easter, and the \ *V^Ti#-' ■"'mk- '■^IffS^. ■^. — ■*tn*t^ M ,.i -ft >, i .,.. w «i^it>«>«» npwi^e ^ palace there are many great buildings like ouv bAns, in wnich the victuals and treasures belcmging to the khan are stored. Because it vras indecent to have flagons - going about the hall of the palace, as in a tavern, WiUuun, > the goldsmith, constructed a great silver tree, just Mrithout the " middle entrance of the g^reat hall, at the root of which were ; four silver lions, having pipes discharging pure cows milk^ Four pipes were conveyed up the body of the tree to its top^ '■] whidh spread out into fi>ur great boughs, hanging down^* ^ wards } on each of these boughs was a goUen serpent, all their tails twining about the body of tiic tree, and each of these formed a pipe, one discharging wine, a second caracos- mos^ a third (mII, or mead made of honey, and the fourth ' teracina, or drink made of rice ; each particular drink having a vessel at the foot of the tree to receive it. On the top^ between the four pipes, there stood an image of an anoel with a tnunpet. Under the tree there was a vault, in which a man was hidden, and from him a pipe ascended to the angel ; and when the butler ccMnraands to sound the trumpet, the man below blows strongly, and the trumpet emits a shrill sound. In a chamber without the palace, the liquors are stpred, and servants who are waiting, pour the liquors each in its proper pipe, at the siffnal, when they are conveyed by concealed pipes up the bocfy of the tree, and discharged' inta their appropriate vessels, whence they are distributed by the ui;ideir butlers to tlie visitors. The tree is all ornamented with silver boughs, and leaves and fruit all of silver. The palace is like a. church, having a middle aisle and two side ones, beyond two rows of pilkurt^, and has three gates to the south, and before the middle s^te stands the silver tree. The khan sits at th'? north wafl, on a hiffh place, that he inay be seen of all, and there are two flights of steps as- cending to him, by one of which his cup-beurer eoes up, and comes down by the other. The ntiddie space between the throne and the silver tree is left vacant for the cup>bearers and the messengers who bring presents ; on the right s;de of the khan the men sit, and tlie women on the left. One wo" man only sits beside him, but not so high as he. About Passion Sunday, the khan went before with his small houses only, leaving the great ones behind, and the monk and we foUowt-d, On the journey we had to pass through \ , ..,„„ -<*»ffJ._i,,jiJ^.*''--4M(«».,i«tf''^W»>^-.**ft3t3^ vV ill li : I ; 236 Iravch of tVt'lliam de Utibntquis- v\tn ti 'trough n hilly country ', where we encotintered high winds, (extreme cold, and much onow. About midnight the khan H lit to the monk and us, requesting us to pray to Ood to l&\i )OUt nine orlock wo cnteretl the city of Caracnrum, cnrn'- ing the croitH aloft with the banner, and passing through the Ktrcet of tlie Saracens, in which the market is held, we pro- reeded to the church, where the Ncstorians met us in pro- cession. We' found them prepared to celebrate the moss, and they all communicated ; but I declined this, having al- ready drank, and the sacrament should always be received fiuting. After mass, being now evening, Wilnnm Bouchier, the goldsmith, brought us to sup at his lodging. He had a wife, born in Hungry, of Mahometan parents, who spoke French, and the Iniiguagc of the Comanians. Wc found here also one Basilicus, the son of an Englishmtm, Ukewv»e bom in Hungary, who was likewise skilled ni these languages. Af- ter supper we retired to our cottage, which, with the oraton' of die monk, wore placed near the Nostoriaii church ) which is of considerable size, and very hamlsomely biiih, and all the ceiling is covered with siHc, wro«)£ht with goM. I much deliberated with ni\"self, wKtnov 1 should conti- nue ^in communion with the monk am) the Nestorians, because I saw their actions lull ot' kk^vy And svuvx*y> but I feared to give offence to the kKt^u i>\ Hcparating fix)m the otiier Christians, as I saw timt i»s>k iMx^iience pWsed him, foi which reason I aln-np acct«»pai*k'iJ tK^n to cvnut ; but when there I did not join in their mun^werics, praying always hi a loud voice for the church, and tKat God \sx>ula direct tW klian in the right way of saK-ation. On oik> occasik'*i t^t; khan 7 From thio circumswktx> it wo«iM appear that Rubniquln had found the court of the khan us, hiW allowed me to see their manner of consecrution ; on the vigil of Eas- ter I saw their ceremony' of bMptiMVk They pretend to have the ointment witli which Mary Magdaiou uuoiittcd the teet of Jesus, and they put in «» much << Uiat oil in knca«iing their sacramental brood ; for all the pco^ik of the cost use butter, or oil, or fat from a sluH>p^ fuil, in their br^'ati, in- stead of leavon. They protentl ju»>o to have of the flour of which the breoil was maai rc*\ercnce. In administering this to tnc people, they divide tA\c consecrated loul' first into twelve portions, after tK^ number of the apostles, which they after- wards break iK^wn into smaller ])ieces, in propi».*tion to the number of communicants, giving the body of Christ into the hand of eviry one, who takes it fnm^ his own palm with much revcix^ice, und afterwords lays his hand on the top of his headk I "(Nis much at a loss how to act, as the Nestorians en- tiVHuted me to celebrate the festival, and I had neither veit- ments, chnlice, nor altar. But the goldsmith furnished me with wstments, and made an oratory on a chariot, decently painted with scripture histories ; he mndo also a silver bcoc or pix for the host, and an in^ige of the blessed Virgin, and caused an iron instrument to be made for us to make hosts in our way. Then I mode the before mentioned Christians to confess to me, as well as I could, by means of an inter- preter, explaining to them the ten commandments, the se* ven deadly sins, and other matters, exhorting them to confes- sion and penitence : But all of them publickly excused them- seKes respecting theft, saying that they could not othei'wise live, as their masters neither provided them with Ibod or raiment ; and^Xsaid they might lawfully take ncccssorles from their 238 Travels of William de Rubtvquis FAtT I, thdr mBatera, especially as they had forcibly deprived them of their stibsJHtence and liberty. Some who were soldien ex« cttsed themselves from having gnne to the wars, as otherwise thev would be slain ; these I fon>id to so against QiristiafW, decWing, that if sMn for their rdftisan Ood would account them as martyrs. After this 1 flave the holy communion to these people on Enster day, ana I hope, with the bleiuing of Obd to many, being assisted by the Nestorians, who lent ihe (heir ch»)lce and pnten. They baptized above threescore pprsonn on ^d^jer evt with irrent «o)eroiHty, to the great joy 1)1* dithodirlstians. ^ ' Soon alitor 0ijb William Boitchier was cricvously sick, and vtlidi recovrrjiig, tho inoiik Sergii is visited him, and gave him r) great a cjiiSd of rliiiliitrt) lo \m] almost killod liim. On fhk eKpUHtiilfiif'd w\fh the monk, that Imj ought either to go about as an ^Kistle, dohig iilli ttclt'S \i3/ the virtue of prayer and the Holy Oho^f or OS a |)hyHicidti, accoif-ding to the rules of the medical mt, and not to administer strong potions tq people who were not prepared. About tliiH tkne the fnrin- cipal priest of the Nentorians, who was a kind of archdeacon over the rest, became sick } and when I endeavoured, at tliq request of his family, to prevail upon the monk to visit him, lie aHJd, *< liCt him nlone, for he and three others intend to proi'tire an (ii'ili'r from Maugn-klian to expel you am! t.** And I learnt afterwdrds, that there was a dispute betwednf them, as Itangu-khan had sent four jasoots on Easter eye to tfie monk, to distribute among the priests ; and JScrgiU's', keeping one to himself, had given three to the priests, on«. being a counterfeit, and the priests thought Sergius had kept ton ^reat a share to himself. Finding the archdeacon in a dying way, I administered to him the Eucharist and extreme unction, which he received with great humility and dfevotkm ; but, by the advice of the monk, I quitted him before he di^^; as otherwise I could not have entered the court of Mangu-!' khan for a whole year. When he was dead, the monk said to mc, " Never mind it : This man onfy, among the Nesto-; rians, had any learning, and opposed us; henceforwards Mangu-khan and all the rest will crouch at our feet.f He even prctende that I dared not 16 remove without his ipccial comi'nand. ' ;*' Exclusive of the palace gf the khan, Caracanun is tMf tb good as the town ot St Denis, and the monastery of St Den- nis ia worth more than ten times the velue of the palace itself^ It contains two principal streets: that of the Saracens in which the fiurs are held, unu to which many nKrclmnts resort, a« the court is olwavs near^ the other is tlie street of the Knthayans, which is full of artificers. Besides these streets, thtre are many palace», in which are the courts oi'the secrptaries of thp khan. There arc twelve idol temples belonging to different nations, two Mahometan mosques, and one Nestorinn chdrch at the end of the town. The town itself is incloseu with a lOMd wall, and has four sates. On the east aide, there Is s^ market for millet and other grain, but which is iU supplied } on the west, sheep and goats are sdd ; on the iiort^n side, oxen and waggons \ and on the south side, hort>es. J, Mangu-khan has eight brothers, three by the mother and five by the liither. One of these on the mothers side he sent into the country of the Assassines, called Mulibet by the Tartars, with orders to.kill them all. Another was sent into Persia, ytho is supposed to have orders to send armies into Turkey, and frcMn thence acainst Bagdat and Vestacius. One of his other brothers has oecn sent into Kathay, to reduce certain rebels. His younoest maternal brother, named Arabucha, lives with him, and keeps up his mothers court, who was a Christian. r About this time, on account of a vi«% „ 240 TVavels ^ William ie Eubruquis FAIT I. representing that it would be easier for ut to return in sum* mer than in winter. The khan aent to desire that 1 sbould not ffo far off, as he meant to speak with me next d«f{. to whioi I answered, requestinig him to send for the son of tiM ^Idsmith to interpret oetween us, as ray interpreter was very uicompetent. , ,, ^t- SicnoN XXXVU. t I Qf certain disputes between Rubruquis and the Saracen* and ^Idolaters, at the Court ^f Mangu-Jchan^ rejecting ife/tyow'* V . Next day I was brought to the court, and some of tlM cluef secretaries of the khan came to mo, one c^ whom was * Moal, who is cup-bearer to the khan, and the rest were Sora* '■■ cetis. These men demanded on the part of the khan, where^ > lore I had come there? To this I answered, as I had done « before, that I came to Sartach, who sent me to Baatu, and he had ordered me to the khan, to whom I had nothing to say on the part of any man, unless I shouM speak the words " of God if he would hear them, for the khnn should know best what Baatu had written. Then they dcuumded what words « of God I would speak to the khan, tliinking I meant Do pr«M " phecy prosperous things as others had done. To this I an*^' swered, " If ye would that I i^peek the words of God unto the '^ khan, get me an interpreter." They said they had sent tat '' him, but urged me to speak by the present one, as they would understand me perfectly. I th««fbre said, ** Tliis is me woid of God, to whom mucn is given, much will be required at his hands} and to whom much is forgiven, he ought the moretd love God. To Mangu I would say, that Ood hath given much; for the power and riches which he enjoys, oome not from the idols of die Tuinians, but from the omnipotent GM who hath made heaven and earth, in whose hands are oM kingdoms and dominions, and who transferreth them from n»* tion to nation for the sins of men; wherefore if he love Ood^ it will go well with him, but if otherwise, God will vequire all things at his hands, cvmi to the utmost fertlnng." Then they asked if I hod heea in Heaven, that I should know the > commandments of God? I said no, but that God hath giveii them from Heaven to holy men, and had at length descended from Heaven to earth to teach us, and that we had those things^ CHAP. IX. SECT, xzzvii. into Tartoty. S4i tkinoi in the Scriptures, and could judoe from their worki wheuier men kept the oommandmenta oF Ood or diiobevcd them. They then asked if I meant to say that Mangu>khan did not keep the commandments oi' Ood? To this I answer- . od, *< When I shall have a proper interpreter and am permit- ted, I shall then recite the commandments of Ooa before Mangu, and he shall be his own judge, whether he hath kept or dlMbeyed them." Upon this, they went and told Mangu, that I said he was an idolater and Tuinian, and kept not the commandments of God. Next day Manou sent one of his secretaries, saying, ** Ye are here Christians, Mahometans, and Tuinians, wherefore the khan desires that ye will all come together and make comparison of your opinions, that he may know the truth." To this I answered, " Blessed be Ood that ' hath put this in the heart of the khan; but our Scriptures command the servants of God not to be contentious, but meek unto all. Wherefore I am ready, without strife or contention, to render a true account of the faith and hope of the Christ- ians to every one who may require to be informed." They wrote down my words and brought them to the khan. Next (lay, another message come from the khan, desiring again to know otwwhat account I had come to his court ; to ^lich I answered, that this might be known from the letters of Baalu. But they said that these letters were lost, and th{B khan had forgotten their contents, and would know of me. •Somewhat emboldened by this, I said, " Tlie duty and office of our religion is to preach the gospel unto all. Wherefore, having heai'd of the tame of, the Mongals, I desired to come to them; and hearihg that Sortach had bectmie a Christian, I directed my journey to him, and my sovereign the king of the French sent him letters containing eood words of friend- ship, testifying what men we Were, and requesting we miffht he permitted to remain with the people of MoaL Inat Sartach had sent us to Baatu, and he had ordered us to Mangu*khan, whom we had entreated and still do entreat to suffer us to stay." They wrote all this, and made a report of it to the khan. On the morrow he sent again that he knew we had no message for him, but came to pray for him as other priests did, but desired to know if any of our ambassadors had ever been in their country, or any of theirs in our parts. . Then I declared unto them all I knew respecting David and Friar Andrew, all of which was put down in writing and laid before Mangu. They came back, saying, «♦ Our lord the VOL. I. 8 klmn U9 Tyaoels qf fViUhm de Eubrufutn PAirr i. I" j ' ■I I ii? m • \ 'I khwD thinks you We sUkl long here* md kU ploMim it that you nitum into vour own countnri but h* dciirMto kjio«r wh> DMtadors beyond hit own doniinioi»» t» a wnrlifco nation dwelt betwtcn their gountry and ouri, bctwecti the ici and the mountaint, and being only a poor monk» I oould not take upon me to be their guide. Thu they likefwiae iMst down in writing and carried to the khan. The NcitorianM were commanded to Mt down in writing all that they woukl i^>eak in favour of the Christian religion i and they wrote out a chronicle from the creation of the world to the passion of Christj and paasinff over the passion, they spoke of the resurrection of the deaa» and of the day of judgw ment. Finding many things wrong, I tainted them out, and we wrote out the creed or symbol Asking them how they meant to proceed in the conference, they said they meant to begin with the Saracens} but I dissuaded them irom that, because, as thev agreed with us in the belief of one onlv God, they would assist against the Tuiniuns. I then pointed out to them th« original of idolatry in the world) and they desired me to explain these things before Manou, and then to let them spoaic, because I should find it dimcult and tedious to speak by an interpreter. I then proposed to try them, by taking the dde of the Tuinians, wnile they should defend the opinions of the Christians; but thev knew not how to prove any thing, except merely bv quoting their Scriptures. To this I said, that these men believed not in our Scriptures, and would oppose them by advancing contrary opinions and risitions from those books which they accounted holy. Then desired that they would allow me to speak first; since if I were overcome they would be permitted to speak, whereas if they were confuted, I would be refused a hearing, and to thia they consented. AH things being arranged, we convened at our oratory» and Mangu-khan sent thnie of his secretaries, a Christian, a Saracen, and a Tuinian, to be judges of the controversy. It was first proclaimed, *' This is the order of Man^-khan, and none dare say that the commandment of Ood u otherwise. Let none speak contentioubly, or use injurious words to one another, or make any tumult whereby this business may be hindered, upon pain of death." There was a great assembly^ every party had convened the wisest of weir sect, and 12 many as rAJrri. CHAP* IX. IBCT. '.icvv. into Tartary, f4t ■uraii ItD Iff with hill WB»> Inatlph take m in jaany othen came flocking around to listen i but all were li* l«at 11)6 Christians set mc in the middle, willing that | ihoiild contend with the Tuinians) who murmured ooainst BfangUf as no khan had ever thus endeavour^ to searra into tl^ir •eta'ets. Yet they opposed one from Kathay to me, who had his interpreter, while I had the son of the goldsmith to interpret my words. The Kathayan said to me, ** Friend ( if you be put to a nonplus, wtio must seek a wistr than thou art ?" To this I made no reply. Then he demanued whether I would dispute uh to how the world was made, or as to what bcciime of tne souls after death? For they were de«irous to begin with these questions, as they held them for the strongest in their ddctrines, all the Tuinians following the heresy oi the Municheans, believing in a good and a bad principle, and they all believe that souls pass from body to body. In confirma- tion of this^ the ffoid^mith told me they hod brought a person from Kathay, who, by the size of hU body, appeared to be only three years old, yet was capable of reasoning, and knew Imw to write, and who affirmed that he had poiiNed through three several bodies. Even one of the wisest of the Nestorians demanded of me whether the soiiia of brutes conid fly to any place uflcr death wh^re they should not bQConipclled to labour. To die before-mentioned ouestion of the Kathayan, I an- swered : " Friend, this ought not to be the commencement of oixr conference. All thingH nre of God, who is the fountain and head of ds all ; and tnereibre wc ouffht first to speak concerning God, of whom yOb think otherwise than ypu ought, and Mangu desires to know which of us hath the better be- lief." The arbitrators allowed this to be reasonable, and I proceeded : ** We firmly believe that there is but one God in perfect unity j what believe you ?" He said, " Fools say there li btit one God, but wise men say there are many. There arc great lords in your country, and here is still a greater, even Mangu-khan. So it is of the Gods, as in divers coun- tries there are divers gods." To this I answered : ** You iaiakc a bad comparison between God and men f for in this way every miffhty man might be called a God in his own coun- try." And wien I meant to have dissolved the similitude, he prevented me, by asking, " What manner of God is vours) ivho you say is but onel" I answered : " Our God, oeside whom there is no other, is omnipotent, and therefore needeth not the help of any other ; whereas all have need of his help. It is not so witli men, as no man can do all things ; where- fore ■»*!♦■■ :„3»sCf^T^-..,;.:;v£- > ; \ 1 244 Travels of WiUiam. de Rvbi-uqtUs 'i">''* • PAllt fore there must be n>any lords on earth, as no one can sup- port all. Ood is omniscient, or knoweth all thinss; and therefore hath no need of any counsellor, for all wisdom is from him. God is perfectly good j and needs not therefore anv good from us, In God we live and move and have bur bemg. Such is our God, and you must not hold that there is any other." ** It is not so," said he j " for there is one highest in heaven, whose origin or generation we know not, ^nd there arc ten wider him, and on earth they are infuiite in number," To this he wpuid have added other fables. I asked him respecting the highest God, of whom he had spoken,' whether he were omnipotent, or if any of the inferior Gods were so ? And fearing to answer this, he demanded, " Why, since our God was perfectly good, he had made the half of all things evil ?" To uiis I answered, that this was false ; for whosoever maketh any evil is no G^, and all thinsa whatso- ever are good. At this all the Tuiuians were astonished, and set it down in writing as false or impossible. He then asked me, •* Whence cometh evil?" ♦♦ You ask amiss," said I, "for you ought fipit to inquire what evil is, before*you ask whence it coincs : But let us retui*n to the first question, whether do you believe that any. God is omnipotent -* and when that i^ discussed, I will answer whatever you may demand." On this he sat a long time without speaking, and the judges appointed by the khan commtmded him to make answer. At length he said, that no God was omnipotent ; on which all the Saracens broke out into great laushter. When silence was restored, I said, ** None or your gods, therefore, can save you in all dan<» fers, since chances may happen in which they have no power, (esides, no man can serve two masters ; how, therefore, can you serve so many Gods in heaven and in earth ?" The audi- tory decreed that he should make answer to this, but he held his peace. When I was about to have propounded reasons to prove the truth of the divine essence, and to have explained the doc- trine of the Trinity, the Nestorians alleged that I had said quite enough, and that now they meant to speak ; so I gave place to them. When, therefi)re, thev would ho'o disputed with the Saracens, these men said that they agreed to the truth of the law and the gospel of the Christianh, and would not dispute with them in any thing, and even confessed that they beg from God in their prayers that they may die the and asked "for nee it r do lat i$ nthis •inted thhe acens ed, I dano wer. I can tudi- held ^Jtitd. f ■ - .-'iiAyi" -^ti' l- 'ill. ,..«»» ' ■'\. CHAP. IX. SECT. XXXVII. ttUo Tartttvy. 245 jpriest of the sect of the Jugurs, who believe in one God, and yet mdce idolst With this man the Nestorians talked much, nhewinff all things tiU the coming of Christ to judgment, and plaining the Trinity to him and the Saracens by similitudei. AU of them hearkened to their harangue without attempting to make any contradiction j yet none rf them said that they oe- lieved and would become Christians, like conference wm now broken up. The Nestorians and haracens sang together with a bud voice, and the Tuinians held their peace; and afterwards they all drank together most plentifully. <; mi,.ui^^:-^:f^iiL Sectiow XXXVIIL S The last audience of Rubmquis •with Mangu-khan^ and tlu x^ ' ' ' ' ' " ^■';i!) letter he received for the King of France. ,H On Whitsunday I was called into the presence of the khan, and before I went in, the goldsmiths son, who was my inter- preter, informed me that it was determined I was to return to my own country, and advised me to say nothing against it. When I came before the khan I kneeled, and he asked me whether I said to his secretaries that he was a Tuinian. To this I answered, " My lord, I said not so ; but if it please your highness I will repeat what I then said ;" and I recited what I had spoken, as mentioned before, and he answered : *^ I thought well you said not so, for it was a word you ought not to have spoken ; but your interpreter hath iU rendered {?our wo».ls." Then, reaching forth the staff on which he eaned towards me, he said, *' be not afraid." To which I answered smiling, thut if I had feared I should not have come hither. He then said, as if confessing his faith : *' We Moals believe >.a1; there is but one God, and we have an upright heart towards bim." " Then," aaid I, " may God grant you mis mind, for without his gift it cannot be." He then added, ♦• God hath given to the hand divers fingers, and hath given many ways to man. He hath given the Scriptures to you, yet you keep them not. You certainly find not in the Scrip- tures ihat one of you should dispraise another ?" *' No," said I ; ** and I signified unto your highness from the beginning, that I would not t; tend with any one." " I speak not," said he, ** respecting yoji. In like manner, you find not in your Scrip- tures, that a man ought to swerve from justice for the sake of monev ?" :#i i-i^gpauMJ- ^■'«m>tmmp' 246 Travels of WiUiam de Mtibrnpiis ¥/aff_ u :\\ '(' money ?^' To this I answered, <* That biir Soripturea t«ugh| no such evil doctrine, neither had I come into these i^v^rtii t^ get money, having even refused that which y/m freely oii^e4 to me." A)id one of the secretaries, then present, certifiecU that I had refused a jascot and a piece of silk. *< I «p^^ not of that," said the khan ; ** God hath given you the Seripr tures and you keep them not; but he hath given tiiv» ioovXr sayers, and we do what they hid us, and live in peace*" He drank four times, as I think, before he disclosed these things { and, while I waited attentively in expectation that he might disclose any thing farther respecting his faith, he began ano> ther subject, saying : *' You have stayed a long time here, and it is my pleasure that you return. You have said that you dared not to carry my ambassadors with you ; will you carry my messenger, or my letters?" To this I anaw^ed, " If he would make ipe understand his wordsi, and that they were put in writing, I would willingly carry them, to the best of my power." He then asked if I would have gold or wlver, or costly garments ? I answered, that we receited Qo such things ; but not having wherewith to bear our expences, w^ could not get out of his coimtry without his help. He then said, that he would provide us in all necessaries thrquahb^ country, and demanded how far we would be brought. I said it were sufficient if he gave us a pass into Armenia. To this he answered : *- I wiU cause you to be carried thither, after which look to yourself. There are two eyes in one head, yet they both look to one object. You came here from Baittu^ and therefore you must return by him." Having requested and obtained leave to speak, I addressed him thus: *^ Sir! we are not Jiion of war, and desire that they who would most justly govern according to the will of God may have doiP-J'->!)n in the world. Our office is to teach men to live according to the law of God : For this, puipo^e we came into these parts, and would willingly have remained here if it had been your pleasure j but since you are pleased that we should return, I shall Carry your letters according to my power, in obedience to your commands. I request of your magnificence, that, when I have delivered your letters, it may be lawful for me to come back into your dominions j chiefly because you have servants of our nation at Balac, who want a priest to teach them and their children the law of our reh'gion, and I would willingly stay with them." He then asked whptlier 1 knew that our lords would send me back to him i To this I an^wer- ■ ' '.■t-^-M ed, lOT I, CHAK IX. SECT. XXXVI J!, into TartOfy, f»^' 947 tot ris to red led. |ano- lere. ed, " 1 know not what may be the purpose of my aovereicn ; bnt I have licence to eo wherever 1 wiU, where it is needhil Xxi preach the Word oi God, and it seems to me necessary ih these parts ; wherefore, whether my lords send amloassadors or not, if it is you pleasure, I will return." Theii, after a long pause, as if nrrasing, he said, " You have a long way to go, make yourself strong with food, that you may oe enablecf to endure the journey." So he ordered them to give me drink, and I depart-ed itmrcf his presence, and returned not again. From that ■{«»«» I cuuld have no time nor pkce to expound to him the cathofir- foirh ; for a man must iiot speak before him, unless what he pleaseth to order or allow, except he w^re an ambassador, who may ajpcdk what he will and they rfways demand of such whether he has any thing more to say. The soothsayers are tb<^ priests <> the Mongals, and wiaitever they command to be done is performed without delay. I shall describe their offic*^ as I learnt it from the goMsmith and others. Of these soothsayers there are great mimbers, under the direction of a chief priest, whose house us always ab6ut a stone's throw in frmt of the great house of Mangu- khan, itmd under his charge are all the chariots w&k& carry idols. The other soothsayers dwell behind the court, in places appointed for them ; and such as have confidence in their art come to consult them from various distant parts. Sonte of them are skilful in astronomy, especially their chief, and they foretel eclipses of the sun and moon. When these are to happen, all the people prepare their food, that they may not be Under the necessity of going out of doors, and during the eclipse they play on various instruments of music, and set up loud shouts : when it is over, they indulge in feasting an4 carousincr, to express their joy. These soothaayers pretend to foretell lucky and unlucky days for all affairs ; and the Tartars never levy an army, or undertake a war without their approbation. They bad long since resumed their attack on Hungary, but thtit the sooth- sayers have always opposed it. ITicy make every thing which is sent to cburt pass between two fires, aa a purification, like- wise, all the household stuff belonging to a dead person must be purged in the same manner ; and, if any living creatute drop down, or any thing whatever fall to the ground during the ceremony, it becomes the property of the soothsayers, who, besides, have a certain proportion of every tiling which they their due. There was, therefore, a twofold reason why as 1 Oi ^^•n'lQivx. '■^^•"wiWNWi*r 0mim-m.', •n. 248 7'ravek fff William de jRubruqfiis I PA*? J." ivhy Friar Andrew Carpini was made tp pa^s betwee|i t)ie firqs; both because he broy^t presents, and because Con, .^^ Once on a time, spme very costly furs were presentedl at; vtB court of the Christian lady, whmn Pascha, toe good woinan ofMetz served, and die soothsayers, in passing them between the fires, took more than was their due. Another womioi, who had the custody of the treasures belonging to that l|uly, accused them of the fraud to her mistress, mio reproved th^ severely for their conduct. Sometime aflerwards the liidy fell sick, and the soothsayers accused the servant, who had de> tected their fraud, of having bewitched her. She received tne bastinado for seven days successively, and other tortures, to make her confess ; and on hearing oi her mistress's death, hca- ged to be killed tliat she might follow her, for that, in truth, she had never done her the smallest injury. But, as she con- fessed nothing, Mongu-khan cununtinded that she should live. After this the soothsayers accusei'. the daughters nurse of the deceased lady, which nurse was a Christian, and wife to the chief of the Nestorian priests. She and her servant- maid wore tortured to make a confession, and the moid an- swered, that the nurse had sent her to receive responses from a certain horse. Tlie nurse also confessed that she had used some spells to procure the love of her lady, but had aever done any thing to hurt her. On being demanded to say whether h.er husband knew of her incantations, she excused him, say- ing that he had burnt the characters which sli" had made. Tiien slie wtis put to death, and the husband was sent to bp jud{»ed by his bishop hi Kathay. <„. It happenwl that the principal wife of Mangu brought forth a son, and the soothsayers were brought to foretell the destiny of the infant, when they prophesied that he should live long and prosperously, and become a great lord ; but he died in a few days. On being reproached Tor their falsehood, they said that the nurse of Cerina, who hod been late'y put to death, had killed th a boy, and pretended to have seen her carrying him away. Tliere were then in the camp a son and daughter of the nurse, whom the kdy immediately sent for in a rage, and ordered them to be put to death. Some time afterwards this came to the cat's of Mangu-khan, who was much enraged at the conduct of his wiie. He caused the man to be behead- ed who had slain the nurses son, and made his head to be hung *■ «?;• mgbt .«iHAP. IX. SECT, axxviiil into Tartaty. jmt 349 liung round tlie neck of the womon who had killed her daugh- ter, ordering her to be cudgelled with burning fire>branda, .through among oil the tents, and t()en put to death. He ;W0ula ako have put his wife to death if it hod not be^n for -idle sake of the children he had by her ) but he commanded her to be shut up for seven days without fbod, and' went out tifotn his court for a wholci moon. After the ieast of Pentecost, they began to prepare their letters for your Majesty, and, in the mean time, the khan rc> turned to Caracarum, and held a great feast on the 15th of June, at which all the ambassadors were desired to be present, but I went to church to baptize the three children of a poor Qerman. William the goldsmith was chief butler at tliis feast. ^9 he had the charge of the silver tree which poured out tm' uvink. On this occasion the khan gave, during four mic- ceasive days, a complete suit of apparel each day to all his courtiers, every tidy a i)ew colour ; and he made them a speech, saying, " 1 have sent my brothers afar into daneers5 among fort'ign nations ; it shall be seen how you will conduct yourselves wlien I send 3011 to extend the boundaries of our ■empire." At this time there was an ambassador at the court from the khans of Bagdat, of whom it was reported, when Mangu declared he wouM not grant them peace unless they would destroy all their warlike amnninition, that he answered, *♦ Wc will do this when you pluck oft" all the ^ oofs from your horses." I saw there, also, the ambassadors from a soldan of India, who brought with him eight leopards and ten hare-hounds, who were taught to sit on u horses croup in hunting, like the leopards. When I asked of tliem the way to India, they pointed to the west, and they travelled with me, on our return, always westwards, for nearly three weeks. I also saw there the ambassador of the sultan of Turkey, who brought rich presents to the khan. At length the letters being ready for your majesty, they called for nie and explained them, and the following is their substance, so far as I could understand thsm by my interpreter: iw . " The commandment of the Eternal GOD is this : As there is but one Eternal GOD in lieavf-n, so upon earth let there be but one Lord, Zingis-khan, son of God, and Mangu* tinij '. This is the word which is spoken to you ; wlietlier Moals, I Explained as signifying the sound of Iron* probably in allusion to hit martial power. — E. i H 'M li I '^HilMMraA^' P "^fi^^^v^m^if^^y^^^!^';; £50 Travels of William de Bubruquis PART I. MoalSf Namans, Markets, or Mussolmen } wherever man may hear or horse may go, cause it to be heard and undeiv stood, that such 9» have hcnrd my commaiuls and do not obey, or would levy an army asainst me, shall be as having eyes and not seeing, as having hands and unable to hold Any thing, and as having feet, yet unable to walk. ** This is the commandment of the Eternal GOD, and by the virtue of the Eternal GOD, the commandment of Maiiffu- khan, the great emperor of the Monis, is given to Lodowick the French King, und to all other lords and priests, and to the great world of the Franks, that they understand my words and the commandments of the Eternal GOD^ made to Zingis- khanj neither but from Zingis-khan ever came this com- mandment unto you^. ** A certain man, named David, came unto you as an am- bassador from the Moals, but he was a liar ; and, with him you sent your ambassador to Khcn-khan. After Khen-khan was dead, your ambassador came to this cotlrt, and Charmis his wife sent you a nassick cloth. But how could that wicked woman, more vile than a dog, know matters apper- taining to war and peace, and to settle the great world in quiet f *♦ Those two monks who came from you to Sartach, were sent by Sartach to Baatu ; but us Mangu-khan is the greatest over the world of the Moals, Baatu sent them unto us^ And now tiiiit the great world of the Franks, and the priests, and monks, may live in peace and enjoy their goods, and that the commandment of GOD might be heard among you, we would have sent certain Moals as our ambassadors to you by your priests ; but your messenger answered, that betwixt us and you there was a warlike nation, with many bad men and troublesome ways, so that they were afraitl they could not bring our ambassadors in safety to you ; but if we would de- Kver them our letters, containing our commandments to King Lodowick, they engaged to cai'ry them. For this cause we have not sent our ambassadors along with them ; but we have sent you this, the commandment of the Eternal GOD, by your priests. And this is the commandment of the Eternal GOD, which we have given you to understand, and when you shall hear and believe it, if you will obey, send your ambassadors unto us, so that we may be satisfied whether you wiU have .T:i>'iVf>:-V':, peace 2 The obscurity oif this passage is inexpUcaUe.— £. ''■f>. T^ ' CHAP. IX. SECT, xxxviii. into Torfart/. iH pe^cf or w^. Whcif. by the power of the Eternal GOp. fhe w]iple MTorld shftll b^ in unity, peace, and joy, from mk fuiiiur of the 8\in to ivhere it sets, then sliaJU it u{)pcar what Hf^ 'iii^ 4o« ^tut if ye ahaU see and hear the cqnimondmcnt i)!*^ J)temaJ GOD, and will not hearken to or bcUevf if, eajr IBgi pur country is far off, our hillH are strong, our ^m h gf^at ; and ^n this confidence shfUl lead an ujniy ofninst us to (nqiy wfa^t we can do ; he that matle what is hardea^y, and ilhn% wbi^ is far off' near, the Eternal GOJD hinwelf know* that alon^s." While these things were going forwards, luy conipanioii h^Eurd that we were to return qy the wilderness to Bua^u, un- d&i" the guidance of a Moal, on which he ran to Bu^ai, tho chief seeretajry, signifying to hi;n, by signs, that he should €t a siii^e garment, tliat you may not depart empty hand- ed, ,. ^ _ ^^^ , ,-,, - Section XXXIX. ii. , . Tlie d^pgrture of Rubruquis from the Court of Mangu-khan^ and his journey by, Saray and other places^ to Tripoly in E.fAViNG the Leskar ov Qiovlng camp of Map?u-khan, we (tame to Caracarum, and while we remained in the house of Wijliam Bouchier the goldsmith, my guide brought ten jas- cots, five of which he delivered to William, commanding him, from the khan, io expend theirte for the use of the friar while he remained there, and he left the other five with my inter- preter for my (-"^^olstence by the way ; for William had given them such instructions without my knowledge. I immediate- ly :v'«mmtm'^-'-<,-liim^:' *J5'2 Travels of JVHUam de Rubruquis PAltf i. ly rhanoeH one of the joscoto into imall money, which I di>* tr{burt:<>a among the poor Christian! of Cnracarum. Another was spent in providing garments and other necessaries for oiiir journey. With the third my interpreter bought severid ar- ticlej* of which he afterwards made some profit. The other two we expended on the road, ite, after we came into Persia) STifficient necoMnries were nowhere given us. Williami yotir majcstys ritlzen and subject, sends you a girdle set wiUi a precious stone, yfhich is worn in those parts as a defence against thunder and lightning, and most humbly sahites you, a^nys eomnicnding yon to God in his prayers. My companion and I parted with tears, he remaining witli master Willinm, whilf I, with my interpreter, the guide, and one servant, returned to tln' court of Boatu, our guide hav- ing authority to talcc a sheep once in four days, for the sus- tenance of all four. From Caracarum to the court of Baatu our journey continued four months and ten days, during aU which time we never saw a town, or even the appearance of n single house, except one village, in which we aid not even eat bread j nor in all that time md we ever rest, except one day, when we could not get horses. We returned, tor the piost part, by the same kind of people through whom we had {>assid if) gomg, and yet tlirougn other countries, for we went n the winter, and returned in the summer, by the higher parts of t)iv north, except that for fifteen days journey we nnd to travel niong a certain river among the mountains, where there was no lodging, except by the river side '. Sometimes we hud to go two, or even three days, with no other food than cosmos j and at one time we were in great danger, not being able to fall in with any people, our provi- sions all exhausted, and our horses quite tired. When we had travelled twenty days, I heard tliat the king of Armenia had passed by on his journey to the court of Imn- gu. In the end of August I met with Sartach, who went to Mangu, accompanied by his wives and children, and with flocks and henis ; yet the bulk of the families over whom he ruled, remained between the Tanais and Etilia, or Volga. I sent 1 The reason of the change was, probably, that they might fall m w!t& the travelling Tartar camps, who went northwards in the summer, that they might procure food and change of horses. In going to Mangu, he appean to have travelled through Soongaria, and, in returning, through the country of the Kalmuks. The river here mentioned may have been the Borotala. — E. CHAP. IX. 8CCT. XXXIX. into Tartary. 353 fAUt I. Inothier JirotUr hal ar- other 'erua» |» yotit [witha fefence lent mv duty to him, saying that I would willingly have to* mauMuin. his country, but that Mungu had uri/ered me to return and carry hu letters. His answer was, tlmt I must obey Jthe will of Man^-khan. i then asked Couic to return our clothes and books. <* What," said he, ** did you not bring them to ijartach ?" I. said that I had certainly brought tliem to Surtach, out had not given them, and put him in mind of what I had said ou that tbnner occasion. To this he answered, ** Yuu say truth, and none can resist the truth. I left your ffoods with my father,' who dwcllti in Saray, a new town, which Baatu has built on the eastern shore of the Volga, but our priests have wme of your vestments." *' If any tiling please you," said I, " keep it, so that you restore my books." I reouested let- ters from him to his father to restore my things ; out he was in baste to be gone, and said that we Hhuuid alight at the train of the laiUcs, which wuh near at hand, apd n^ should send me Surtuchs ar^wcr. Though I was fearfi)l he might deceive me, yet I dared not to contend with |iim. Late in the evening his messenger cume with two coats, seemingly oil of silk, saynig that Sarttich had sent me these, one for my- self, and that I might present the other to my king on ms behalf. I answered, that I wore no such garments, but should present both to my king, in honour of nis lord } and \ now send both by the bearer of these letters, ^e deliver-, ed me also a letter for the father of Coiac, to Restore all that belonged to me. We returned to the court of Baatu on the samt day on which I had departed thence the year before, being the second day after the invention of the Holy Crostt, 16th September 1254 ; and I found ouryoung men in health, thougn much afllictcd with poverty. CTosset told me, they had perished for want, if the king of Armenia had not comforted them, and recommended them to Sartach, for the Tartars belieyed t was dead, and <^ven asked them if they could keep oxen and milk mares ; for if I hod not returned, they liad certainly been[ reduced to servitude. After th|s Baatu called me before him, and made tlie letters which Mangu-khan sends you to be interpreted to me. He likewise demanded what way I would go, whether by sea or land ? I said the sea would be frozen, as winter was approaching, and I must, therefore, go by land ; and believing your majesty was still in Syria, I di- rected my journey to rersia, for if I had known you were in France, h I I ■V«-»Wlfl«R5*'0 \" w as* Travett qf WitUam de Buiruquh tAW t4 France, i would have gone fhrough Huiiffnty. W* had to travel a month iwith Bimtu before we coukl obtoin a 8*>>de. At length thoy appointed a Jugur, who undentan&ig I would give him nothing, and that I wlihed to go by AniM> nia, csun(h1 our tcttcre to be made for conducting me t6 the ■bldan of Turkey, hoping be might there receive glfti. We left the moving court of Boatu fifteen dayn before All SaintA, 16th October, and went direct itouthwflrt' ' Saraig tdwnys keeping near the Volga, and tht>rc the ' vldM into three branches or arniH, each almost twi It the brnnch of the Nile at Damietn. Dcnldeii i- vides into four lesser nritif*, so that we had to M branches of the river ia boats: Upon the middle Uraaci-, is n village called Sumcrknnt *, without any wall, but which was besieged by the Tartars for eight years before they eoidd gain possession, and had formcrty cost the Saracens and A- uni nine years ; for though nut fortified, it is surrounded by water. Wc there found a Oermun and his wife, with whom Gossct had lived all the preceding winter, by the order of Baatu. On the east side of this river Boatu always trtrvels^ nnd Sartach on the west, never going farther south than thin place, as there is very good grass in great abundance. Coiacs father, on receiving the letters of Sartach, restoi'ed mv vestments, except a surplice, an albs, an almic trimmed with fine silk, a stole, a girdle, and a tualia adorned with gold embroidery. He gave nic buck, likewise, my sliver plate, except the censer, and a snuill box for holding chriam^ all of whicli were with the priest who attended Sartach ; and he returned niy books, except our lotlys psalter, which he kept with my leoxc, as I could not deny him, for he said Sartach took great delight in it. A bible also, arid an Ara- bian book worth thirty sultanies, were retained, and many other tilings which I never recovered. Saral, and the palace of Baatu arc on the cast side of the riVer, and the valley through which the arms of the river spread abro^^ is more than seven leagues in breadth. After }ea\Tng Sarai, on the feast of All Saints, Ist l^ovom* -..;. b»« • S San!, Saray« or Sarey, seeriis to have been buSIt oA tht Aihtuhit ot eaatern branch of the Votgai near Zarewpod, where many traces of a krgit town still exist. SumvrkeRt is unknown, but may have been near As* tracban, formerly named Hadschi>Aidar-Khan. But there are ruins of a town still existing on both sides of the Volga, wllich are now usetl for the {turpoee of making salt-petre. — Forst. hod to k ffuide. iJng I t6 the re glfti, >r« AJl CHAV. IX. SECT, xxxtx. tHto Tatiaty, .„.-.,S^ 355 M bcr, v/e h-avelled iottth till this feait nf St Martin, 11th No- vember, when Mre ciUnc to the fiidltotain* ot' tho Aloni. In fl{« teen dUMt invel we found no oeopie, rxccpt at one Httlu vil- loge* where one of the torn or 8artach resided, accompanied bv fnany fklconers. and falcons. For the firat five dajra we md not meet a Hingle man, and were a whole day unH nwht in great danger ol' r- v'hing for want of water. The Alani in Home of the tmrar^-y.n). . still hold out against the Tartars, so that two of r - / 'c:r\ o the subjects ot Sartoch are oblige cd to guard cert in ;^ ' i'v in the mountains of Dagistan, lest the Alaiiianii carry avay the cattle in the plain. There are likewise certain Mahometans called Latghis in these moun* tains who are not subjugated, so that the Tartars had to give us a guard of twenty men to hcc us safe beyond the Iron-gate. I was glad of this circumstance, as I had never seen the Tartars armed ) and yet, of all these twenty, only two hod habergions, which they said tliey had procured from the Alani, who ore excellent smiths and armourers. In my opi- nion, the Tartars have smnll store of armour, except bows and arrows, and leather jackets } some have iron plutes, and skull cups from Persia, and I Haw two at the court of Mangu armed with clumsy and unwieldy coats of rough hog^skm. We found one castle of the Alanians, which boa been subdu- ed by the Tartars, about which there were< many vineyards, and there we drank wine tor the first time. On the foUowing day we reached Derbent or the Iron-gate, built by Alexander the Macedonian, on a small plain between the sea and the mountains, one end of the city reaching to the shore, while the other extends a mile in length to the top of the moun- tain, on which is a strong castle. But the oreadth of the city scarcely exceeds a stones throw. It has very strong walls, and turrets of large polished stones, with no trenches ; but the Tartars have demolished the tops of the turrets, and the bulwarks of the walls. Two days journey irom Derbent we came to a city nnned Samaron ^, in which there were many Jews j near which we saw walls descending from the mountains to the sea ; and leaving the way by the sea, because it turns to the east, we went up into the high countries, towards the south. Next day we passed through a valley, in which we could perceive the foundations of walls, stretching quite across between two mountains, S Schabru, or Schabiran.— E. •^-*'.«'' I' i I' ' :;ii ' 1 ■/ i'-iart^*"^- Oi-'ft'^- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 Itt litfl |Z5 2.2 lU lU ■ 40 IL25 II 1.4 U£ iiy^i 1.6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 4^ '^ O ^u:^^ 4^ 33 WBT MAIN STRiiT WIBSTIR.N.Y. 14SI0 (716)S72-4S03 s^ TVavels qf W&lktmde Eubrupiis .fA«^ (,« mottntaiiks, which were dienisdves qmte impiuMUt. Ji^ tbsfee walls w«lre efeeted of tdd by Akxanckr^ K>r irbitr^iMir th«-fi«hMf nadcNM 6f Sejthiap diephertb^ udtttStiiBg theii^'^ dMrneM^from invading the fdum and dtic»t)f theaouUieirnt connldei of Penia and Aiia Minor. Tliete were Hia^itke^'. xnih and inckwuroi inhfll)itad by Jbws. Neil; day wa lauhcf I to^a great dty called Samach^i and after tlni w» enteted^f^' gmm plain df Moan, through Ifdiich rona the xo^. CSv capital Tlie Cur comes direct^ froni the westvfunninff east into the Caqfnan, and in it are excdl* lent aahnon '. In the plains of Moan or Mogan we agaui met «ath Tartars; and through this plain flows the Aruices, which' omnai fiom Armenia me Greater* called likewise thel land of Ararat. To the west of that pliiin is . Curgia % and' in diis idain the Crosniini» KnMmians or KoraamifDs ?» ftiMi meriy dwdt Gbnges or Kanja, a great city in the entiii^Di^' of Uie mountains towwda Greor^a, was their a^ita^ aiid P"^ veatfiA the Georaians from coming doura to plunder ibk pttim. country. We n^t came to a bridge c£ bmis fastened toge^ ther with great iron chains, for crossing the united stream of. the Kur and Araaces. t We proceed thence, travelling up the river called pon^ Urn iftdigiuOtts Araxest leaving Persia and the Cawiui moun«> tains cm our left hand, towanls the south, Cui^ia and the great sea on our risht hand, towards the west ". Going aS. the way southwards', we passed through the mradows of Bacchu-khaU) the general ot the Tartar army on the Araxes,; who has likewise liuljugated the Curgi, the Turks, and the Persians. There is another Tartar governor of Porsia at Tauris, 4 Shtmaki, in Sfairvan.— E. '^i 5 The Karai, on whkh Tefflia er Tibfis ttaodt, nisi frora th« nertll^ V«lt;,'tli0!p|einur,tAraz orAnx^ from the west} aiklbotlt unke^fivn, the Kiir, wKkK runt directlv touth !ato tjie Caspian. — ^E. ■ u'u 4 GBMrgta or Oai^girtni it to the north-wMt of ttle phin of Mi^iaa.— fi. T TStu» wSfe ihe anocaton of the present Turks, who laid the fbwodai* tkm <>f th« Onnaaisii or Othoman empirak Kuijs, called Ckuigca or Oanghe ip the te^t, wastl^fa' upittl.'t-^Font. 8 ThitpMsage is erroneous or corrupted. In travelling westWajW up the ArSttt or Aral, he had Persia on his left, to the south, Gcorg^ on his nghlylo the north, and the CMpIan sea and mountains of the Iron^gatf vere left Miud him, to the eojt and north*eaat. — ^E. 9 Wcstwards.~-£. . ,14 -^^^ i-a ,'a«nUvf ji-: -. •'*S*«N*?^(5J(«V.!Vfc.. . «|iAi. fie SECT, notob tntd^Tt&tarjf, m •»^i «fa2l3Sji^S^ 11^ niMei over the frilratiA; ^ reyied biiih of dioe gebfanb «(y^ i^^ i«l||f#ri««K of U»'l»ottiert» m 1 finmerlt .maatiaiitdk :iilM^|ii i^theoiDBVilMid in Boik' I «rMt6 its hettdy and beyond thir moiiBtiuni^ whve it i^ia«ii i«^ tha good eity oC AinMnun '% whieh beloHgs t» th« tM&atk went tt>i1Fattm to •{>» with Ai^goii» aiid Cook nyii ito^ teit wiiA tib8»| hat Bacdbii|iBMised nlie to be' cttrried.td NaxattH **, fe|ni]ieflh^ tk'cwitiil of « gnreat kiiuidn«i, and the gveatestiaiKl li^rait dijf'faf thme paits/DUt the Tartan have now made it a wilderness.- Hkerd were formei^ ei§^t huiiiAred ehurcheA ' ' of the Atinenians. liere» whidi are iko# reduced to^O viery sn^dl qnei^'in (meof whiDcbr I held iny Christinas as w#'iiil oioltd, with oiir clerk Oeeset Nest day the priest^ tUi cftiindi died, and ahiahop mth twelve ukmUdb oataoe- firoin Ae moimtainst to hb funeral, filr all the bishei^ of'the Armenians are moiiks, aad likewise ikiost of those btk(mging to the Oredcs ^^. ' , ^ .;,•:■ .i; r. - ..;£. Ih the city of Naaniam I met a Catabn firiar, of «he ordi^ of PretH^ts, namiod Barnard, who lives with a friar of the Holy Sepulchre, resident in Qeoif^ aiMl possessing e&teiH siye loncU there. We were detauied in- Naxuam by the snow, Un the 6th January 13^5, and cainein four days t6 the country of Sabeasa, a Cur^sb prince^ heretofore powov fid, but now tributair to the Tartars, vdio destroyed tM his wariflce stores. Zachmrias, the &ther of Sabensa, possessed ■hinrtlf of all the country of the Armenians, from whoice he voi^ I. PART II. K.v drove 16 Ar»raunfi on the Prat or ^aphntfi* perha(M a conuptimi of Annih nunorom ; u the Turks givt the name of Koum to a part of l^spnr. Alia : aad aM ^e caaleni natMiis call the Chmtantinqpolitaa caaiire Spiak to thb dif^-^E.' II Tinkejr, ia thete travels of Ruhnidou, b alw«]f9.to be vaftunBaad as nfeM^s to the Tilrkiih dommion in A^ BSkor, of whidt lunrii or lotajuip wai the cai>M^-E' IS Kdtr«ivan, or N'ag>jowan.— £. IS Tlda mbit be an error for eightyw— £. U'Rubni^uu here tdk a long story of » AnneniSa praphecjr, from ^idiidi they expected to be freed from the iron yoke of the Tartan, by St Louis, not worth inserting.-^E. r^l VjH'"*''-"''-'**-'^*^".--'*!^."" m Travels ofWUiiam tie Rubrsifm MAjntt liippjBpqtiiiii^% lfiim»»,,iiuM|,l)ia^ i»l»iol)>,i»p»,4>(hQi/ Iwn -il ^fi|^; r«Bt fflth MeMHf iii4 h0ak^ W fwA lliiiit& ii)roap9(iM)iif Mlied tmjf.yomm^v^^ ^^4 «i|t«rfMii ^wd«v iliA f «irttfr 4Dlnii>iQa> iimt\ii^my to yteii^ the word df Gbd. Bbt^HnM I had t6M the^ whttt f had seefi, and ho4l #«is sent bfick, they directed their journey to TefiSis, wh to otHiMialt what thOT shoidd dd». I i«iid that they might pass into Tartory wkli thdie te^t«PS, bat thi^ might lay their account with Ditttih labbut'* ^ M^otild have to give on account of the motives of their journegr {for havinii^ no ether object but preachu^) they weidd be liede cifed mm ix. sBcr. mmik im» iii9 WtKMUKf Vr wnKD 'ilVClaBOCIICIBll ^■IIe uotb j\/iuue^} ■ I^IMM^ Mlll^mBM^tleiJm m^13i^^ ^Al^i Ajrf MJr i^til^^n t ^i^t^o ^cuk^u), IfcA^Mit MiiAt^fatAifa^L lyjj^ ▼V* I wm w^^uV ^^6< TciT mKB HKIPPWniWy flEfiv Mk «lift:l»jf' ktirit^th «o revive y«e&oi^''taboiici <3lfM We i^Miftfh^ih 6tjlta^V'Si#titf, pr $hr(tei "& Ib^ ^te^ Lesser Armenia, in the Ea^ w^, aftd 6h'th^ fdcde^i^hg StiriilA^ W6 et^eto CoBKtitt of €i«Md(k^ iib# ditted Kai- ^i^ In iilxMEll flA!6en dajrs, m&Ing f^ort |ot^iie^ we aktae tot Kotti^ ait licoftfiidth ThGB eMay arosig Li part from tftnii l;m^ after IlentMocr, or nearafbrtn^it, I Ittiud thite irare lainengeKf airifed from the Ung to nii fttherr end t weal .to t^ lunot M^ to Imiii the newi. I found 1^ iiirnniiided by an wi tfmf, except Bannn tfiin, who resided u a< certain antler >>nd 1^ ^Id me .thad! his ijon was on bis fiBl«ra«eiBd that IfiengunlKban bad nucb eased hi^ tribaief grentfaii;^ kini a privflcge |l^ no amibaaMd«a' should come into/bis pimipy* Ipii.. tbfa the old lien and ,allhis sons made * biMl^piet i, and l^vcaiiaed me to be conveyed hgit; sea to the haven oaUed^vAjp iflfXi^, iribcBoe t passed over into* Cypnis, and at; Nieo«la> I nwmdt our (^i«nru|iciid» whoy the same day* caitied me iralih iumrlo4l>tio«!l|Mai\< OuT'pnmnqial is determined that I shall reside at Aeon ,*i^ and if^l not ;eafl^r me to come to your: nuges^v but ctm^ mandstmefto wnte.wbat I will by die beairor.of. these piier sents. (I would larillin^ly see your, highnesi^and some i|Ur ritual friends in your kumdom; and beseech your majesty to write our provincial to aU^-meto go to yo^» and to return shortly affiun into the Holy Land. . mj .V .< .^ < i; It'wDura Jiave^ ytnir mi^ty to- understand, that iaTmrke^ eveiy tentb inan, is not a Mahcmetani they are all Ahner nians and Greeks, and are ruled over by .children. The soldan, who was conquered by the Tastprs^ had a lawful wife of Iberia, by whom he had, one feeUe sm, whom he directed tq imcceed him o» soldan. . He had another son by % Qredc concubine, whom he conunitted to the fluaidianih^ of a eei^ tain great admiral. The third he had liy a Turkuh woman, to nwom uumy Turks and Turkomans ,bavW tmtbaed* th^ proposed to have slain all the sohhms sons by uhristian niothers».and,if suocessfiil, to have destroyed all the churchea* and to compel alL to become Mahometans on pain, of death. But he was overcome in battle, and' mai^ of hia men slain. He recruited his army* and ventured a second , batfJet in-. t 15 Kurke or Kurch.— E. _. 1 6 Aiat 18 Ptolomau, or St John d'Aorew— E.- •HA». n. SECT. xniz. into TVrrtery. 161 rtU^ in wfaidi he was defisated and taken prifoner, and atUi r^ jnaJM conftnad. Paceiter, the ion of ue Grade concubine^ iraa lOon afterwards made aoldan, as the other was wedi, whMttthtyhaveanttotheTaMani the kindred bv the aoA^ then. lide, d this son, such as the Iberians and «Piirds, are nraeh dissatisfied at his beibg deprived j so that at this time a ehild ruleth in Turkey, havinff no treasure, few soldiers* and many enemies. Tlie smi x>; . < fftHlfk CHAI^ K. IKIHOOUOTIOK. ,rT TjTAITHO, wt Hitto, wi» Ae ton of Uiiii0ii* or l^non U.. X~i 9Bpliiiri«tttber8y|^^f hiti&jthiBr ifi 185V anymifNuuMi by y» w\S» ano c^klt m «rbiv#Bid tp tW loiut idP BCBQgtt-UMf)^ the ^^reait fovteitoigii io# t)^ Ttint«r« or Kongab) fiw tho pwrpon^ ni pb^UMog as a bat wwwtf of the M? bttte whick baa oaen iniKMcd by theae oonmnEfOfs appo flia country, and ifypeaia la haTif bineo aucceMfid in hit at^ppfda- Uona. JUk ytAmif into idi? icawt jkwk place in the aanie yaar in whidi ttubniqnifl waa ob hia return i and wbijbe attbaicpiutt or leskar of Sartach, he Wm q( vaitUintdfxayifie to two (9f the aCtendaota of Rnbraqyii, who had be^ left at ^at station ; and who but for hia inlter&renoe most have periehcid by fih> minat or wwid bate haen rednced to altvery. For«ter aaiafta ^ut Haitho met with KnbnjMgiiis, who waa^en on his relnm homei but w k»v^ idraady Kctan, in the aicciennt of the traw^eia of Ilabn«{uia» that.^ tvp travellers did not meet. In the year 1905, when he muit have beoomt ^ery old, Haitho haoawc a no«Uc of the Prawnonttratensia^ ord^ at ^iflcopia In CypruB, He afterwaids went to Poitoa in WtMee, wnere hafiiotatoi in French to Nichf^ Salooni, a hiatory oCthe Bvteta wliid» had ioocurred in the aaat from tht'i,.''i.i »:. .... .eKAIb.X*SKCT. II. i^i^tMMJIVmMyj^ S6S The tomb sf H«Mw iitiM {miMjt omtempomry uriih ;tUi0 ^ItiihnioMU, an nol iufltMiithr iiMeratkig to ^ here uiiflrlMi) md tte hiH t ork d part of Mi rdp^t fikv^ pp cffp- MAiiaii vitli tbe fdaa of 4iM woifc, wfiidb it W^nM iwciU b«- yood dne bomuli : But thefoUowinvMetaooountdfltlsK^^ grapUoil dMenptk>aof tlieMit, as jt «xiMtedin th^ t|iirt««Qtfi oeotiirjri and ai abatnctad by J. R. ^Wnter^ in his Vpvji^M and Ditcoveries in tlie North, have bpeq deemoA vorj^^ of ifiaertion, ie^gif^x with die obserrationf or coii|ine|it^«f of that ingenious author. Sbotiom U. hkolVtAiui qfiheEattm ihe Thirteevth Ceniwy, bjf flaitho. ■ ■■■ • , ■ ,4 ^>,, ( U Thb einptre cSKfUhajf is One of the Qiost ezt^sfv«, ^pst ;gptii)»f» and most |>opalous in Hie worid, and is ^tv(^ fitv- 9tjn^ on tha asB coast The inhabitants have a very high no- tioniif. their omn saperior inteUigenoe» ivhich the^ efo^rtm tjy saying) that they only of all the people pn earth havp /wo ewes; to tlw Latiiis.they s^lonr onsf inA eonsidef all otfaer nations Mbjind. The JUthafanshayp small e3fes and no^beards* 'XhnAr TMnaffg cionsi8t»of small square pieces of p{q)er, im{>res8ed widi the seal <^ their eiraperer. To the west, tiMs empire is l)oun4- «d bjr that of the TarMS j to .the norUi 1^ the desert pf Be)- .gt»n I and to the «oath by the sea, in which there are innu- jnemWe iabodB. Tlie inhabitants of iCatbay are excoadii^y i^kJilfttl tmd ingenious an all works of art and in manufacture!, hot ive of a very timorous diapeaidon. In die fi^egoing de- iqr^oB, and in the traits of f^racter, the empire and mW bijtants of northern CSiiqa are di^tin^y {ndicated.-«-For!^ . $ 2. The enipire of Tarsa is divided into three prpv^es, ftitk of whtd^ has a aovereicn who m^umes the title of '$^. The inhabitants are caQed •togur, ^e thinir or Ui|;ur of p^wr Md^bom. They are divided into inatiytiwe?) ten of whpQi^re Chiristians,. and the rest heathens, Thty abstain fi^pm ^vepiy /Mtiide of Cbod which \m^ vfer had fife, and orihk no wine, but raise abundance of com. Their towns are very pleainnt, fmd i^ttttaa gnBat munbers of idol temples. They aire pot incjinipd .to war, but learn all aits and sciences with grtat facilityt aod hftve a particolw manner of writing, which is adopted by all the ■ f <- AiiKUil^-l J^-^tMJ'U ««♦ ZVflMii ef MnMo MMVI. Ihe Qdohbouring lurtioM. To the tint lid* countiy itbottid- •dby KatU^i to tbc w<«t bj Turkcitan, to tho norlk bvan (ntdiiite ck^ieirt* «kl to the loatb hftiyof rich .pravum, ttanw^ fijym or Peim, in which «1ia>nnndi«w te»ad>tu|di>hkh i« situated betw«epKiithay and Ibduw k»pP«>n«thaiHaidk> ^ h^re dncribn the oount^ of the Uigun in jpon^iinetioii < iwith 'thatof dieOete: but how it came to noeive the aaoM-of Tfrae i know iiot.-^JFbri^. i S. 7)triettan i« bounded on the east by th» empire of 'Tarsse, to the west by Khorasmin or Khuarewi, an^ to the south it extends to the def^^^ which forms the northern fron- tier of India. In this aiitry there are few good towns i but many extensiTe plf^^s, which a^rd excellent pasturace to cattle, and the inhabitants are almost .universally shepherds and tendep of cattle. Thve di^ell mostly in tenU» and m huts which caii be tranij[)orted nrom place to. place. Thnr cultivate onfy a small quantity of com, h:>d have no wine. Ineirdrkik is beer and milk, and they lubalM. upon meat with rioe and millet The people are luiovm by the name of Turka, a^ are of the Mahometan relinan. Such of them a* livein toMis use the Arabian letters. Ocerra or Otrar is the c^ikal of thiscouqtiy. $4. Khoratmin or Khuaresm, is a pq;)ulou8, pleasant, and ' fertile country, containing many good uid strong towna, the capital beina Khorasme. The country produces abundance ofcom, ana yeiy little wine. This empire borders on a de- sert of an hundnd days journey in extent To the west is the Caspiiui sea, to the norU) Rumania, and to the east Turkey itan. The inhabitants are heathens, without letters or laws. The Sddini are the most intrepid of warriors i have a parCi- eular language of their own, for wluch they employ the Greek ^characters ^ writing ; and they foUow the usages and rites of ' the Greek church, bonff subject in nsuituals to the Patriarch of AntkHJh, ^-^ * T - According to UIuo-Beg, who was himself rrince of this coohtnr, the capital of Khuaxesm Jl the citjr of Uorkang, ancl no author exc^t Haitho has ever mentioned a place caUad Khorasme. The Soldnii, whom he mentums as Christianii of the Oredc church, are unknown { perhiqpis they may have been the Sdgdians. — Ibrst. j 5, l^umahta is of vast extent j but, owing to the incle- mency of its climate, is very thinly inhabited. In some partfc, i|>e cold is so intense in winter, that neither man nor beast can u remain CIM^ X. UCCT. II. 'kd^'Jkrtary, «f VMMfaiiiillMBi tfidinollMr ptrtaOw.hM ii mmMjiKm ■■4 tlHgr aro ID inliiMMl with iwtfinAorfliM, Mto b#«|i^ pda^hki Th« wltalt owmtiry b flat and kwel, and 'vnkboot ' mowhr WBipt ■OPX <»dMMrcb ntar the totnn* llwinhaliilMili ivt la tanMy and um tb« dung of tkair cattle a» fbeL It it boiiiMled an the eait by a d«aert towarda KhoNdania i to the weal ia the fraat Ma, or Euxine^ and the tea of Tcmie, Tan* na, or Akm f to the north, ii the empire of KaiBa or Kiow y and to the MHith it CKtMMb to tlie great river Etile or Wolga^ which paaraa the o^itaL Thie river b firoaen over every year, «nd men and bcaits walk japon the iiee ae mi dry land i along the bank* oS the river are many email trees } and on the other aide of the river, the country ii inhabited by a peonle, who, thou|^ not Kumaniant, are subject to the Koaii. Some live toward* the high moontain* of Cocas or Caucaaus, in iHiich there are white kites. ThiS' range of mountains extends b&> tween the Kack Sea or Euxine » 4^ Taitan li««i fcroMriy wHhoat wilgloii; or Hie l|iimiiMai «)i« wm fMgMpt W Um Uom ti their d«psrtur«. Thew circumttancet aw ^ilaiUd ifi thetet MoliRn af $ku» chufilw, imt the date wUch has heM uHuOhr •lMflMriiMrtheix>nmflMMiMntafthwfimioiiriM9r» 1810, hi evidanlqr aarrapted, «»«iU eppeur ftvm the ibUoaaiir eo»» ■Nhirtiapiik dmbrei tnm • oamiieriMm of the ehfoooMaf of the - h j ag i md priaaat, who are mentioned in the tt«iwb « leignhig at ihe ifane. Ilie high probability it, thettheo^ ▼faiMa adilakay qf ampiing the year IflAO as the en ef the first journey, arose from a careiess substitution of the Agon 5 iir 6 in transoriptidn. ~ Assnoiing the eomcted date of 1960 as tlie eonMMne»> mem of the first ioumojr of Nicelo and Mofiei Polo, this will appear to be consonant with the cfaronolegy of the pnaces with whose reigns their travels were connected { while the dale «f 1950, adopted by Eomusio and Matter, sstpMy ir* iacooeihiblfv with die tsath of hisleey. They iwnssnid one year at the ieskar or eamp of BeMke>khaa, whence they tsereiad into Bodiara, where they tarried three years. From thanoe they ^sent one year on meir journey to the court of KaUai*-khaii, and were three vears on their journey baek to Venice. Bat as they remained some time at the reudenoe of ¥nhial4rhsn, one year may be allowed for that circuoistance { and this first joumer nucj therefore be flowed to ham oooa» pied nine years in aU. Kublai-khan reigned snrame emperor of the Ifongab Irom ISao to 1^4, in which last year he died at «igfaty years of age, if, therefore, Nicolo and Maffei had set out Mpon (heir first ionmey in 1900, ^ey must have arrived at th*hnp«ria| fcsideneeof Cambalu, or Fddn, in If 55, at the late^ or fiwr yean beftnre KubUi-khaa ascended the thrane. llieir first journey commenced while Baldwin II. was emperor of Constaminople, who nigned from 1994 to IMl. Ilie khan of Kmtsehsk, or ^ western division of the vast empiia of the liongals, at the time of this journey, was Pereiee, who nihd irom 1356 to 1966. Hohgu-ldum, irtio was thai at war with Bercke, did not begin to reign til 1908, Hence it " follows, 36S Tralteh ^Mareo Polo ■FAKT^Ik > t £oiknrk, Ifaot thcjr^oidd notrhiiTe caauBMiieed llwir fint yemn ^ ncj at Uw veiy eariiert; before 1S58, or 1S59 jntherj as it iv not to t^awpoied that Holajg^ would enter iqxm'adaiigttwr. 0118 «rar in we first year of lua reign, l^pon the whcdcv tM«^ fore, the date of tS60, for the commenoement of the ftnt^ jotimey, as akeady observed, is perfectly consistent with the dironology of hisUsy. . ^ < t' ■ ^ ^ > » • The veMT of their return to Venice, 1269, is agreM nqson en aU huids; and as Manco was boon in the ust year of • their absoice, he would then be about nine years mt^agei; > Ramusio, who dates the commencement of the first journey in 1250, supposes Marco to. have bem fifteen years of aoe at the return ik his fiither and uncle, which is aluurd ; as, n the < era assumed b^ Ramusio wore possibiy true, he must then have beetfc in his nineteenth, year^ According to the qpinion of Mr J. R. Forster, the com** mencement of the second journey in which Marco was en* gaged, murt have been in 1271 ; and he founds this opinion on the circumstance, that Greflory IX. had then beat elected pope, from .whom they carried letters for Kut^-^khan. Bui it will wppeu firom the travels themselves, that the three Poioa> had commenced their, journey previously to the election of that sovereign pontifi^, and that uey wore detained some timer in Armenia, in consequence of an express sent after than for the purpose, that they might there wait for his final instmo* tions. They may, therefore, have commoiced this second journey in 1270. We only know, however, that they set out firom Venice for a second journey into Tartary, soon after thdr return firom the first, in 1269 } and that th^ caiw - ried young Marco along with them. On his luppeanmce at the court of Candaalu, Kublai^khan took a wacv to the young Venetian, and caused him to be instructed in four of the principal languages which were spoken in the extaisive dominions of the Mongals. Marco was afterwards onploy- ed by the khan, for a considerable mimbor of years, in seve-i ral important afiairs, as will ^pear in the relation (^hil travels. At length, the three Polos returned to Venice, in 1295/ aftor an absoice of tvrent^-five or twenty-six years, during which lonft period they had never been heard of % their friends ana countrym^, seventeen years of whid^ Marco had been employed in the service of the great khan. On their re* turn to uieir own house in Venice, they were entirely f«rgot- , — . ^ .ten It y.,1 ♦»> •HAV.ZI. into T^rtaiy, (jfc. S6ff lit Mi' Marco Pok> had the misfortu:^ to be amon^ the number of the prisoners. - Hands all^^^ that he remained a prisoner duriiw several J ears, in cpHe of evei^ offer of ransom that was mamt for his biaration. But in chu he must have mistakesn, or been nuK- led fay the authorities which he trusted to, as peace was «oih> ehided in 1299, the year immediately subsequciMt to the naval enngeroent in which he was made prisoner. TlVhile in prison at uenoa, many of the young nobility are flaid to have re- sorted to Marco, to listen to the recital oC hu wonderfiil tco- vds and surprizing adventures ; and thqr are said to have prevailed iq>on him to send to Venice for the nr^j» which he had drawn up during his peregrinations, fay means of which the^Aowing relation is said to have been written m Latin from his dictaticm. From the original Lat^n, theaccoimtof his traveb was afterwards translated into Italian j and from this again, abridganoits wan afterwards made in Latin and di0ttsra over Europe. According to Barctti *, the travds of Marco Polo were dic- tated by him in 1299, while in the prison of Genoa, to one BuBtigido, an inhabitant of Pisa, who was his fellow prisoner. They were dfterwards published in Italian, and subsequently translated into Latin by Pessuri, a Dominican monk of Bo- logna. Copies of the original manuscript, though written in the Vmetian dialect, which is extremely different from the Tuscan or pure Italian, were muitipUed with great rapidity m >»^i > Itai Libr. p. iv. "^;:: rt. ■ ■ ■ A It! ^ Tremh qfMttrco Polo wm¥f. tl i P^» iff «II pirte of Italy, md even nMde 80tti'«A,'iiffi(fn|;*4ffite ebuiiiio(P')»f(fl« ORr-inMUllP- iS6/l/f ictf fwhilteff j ' Am t^th triifitndons ' Hlliy 'HIIV# btwi '|(AI|W'^ iRjjp^t^ iMd' tiNitelH jfobOBhed tbei* fintv^k IM ait' MKan ttttta&tfenf ftoitt' lUhe' Latiny KMdk he' emMMMMaily fi t^ faifar^ V^illi^ iwihtVum- tian SiA^ '««» iMig ^nier^ed/ bf^ the^ StottoM fiinl^ Jlt Veifii(^ fiM ttltether um ' iui# «d«#^ (jv has- fim hi^^pA- lished, is unknown. Mr Pindtertoii>!iifft>fAi»iw'y ihH •'§•• ^MiMe fe^efeM of th«ae thiveK F«robabi<^? fteaad' «hei vrij^nal IitSrJefttt«|f of Mmtoo himself, oifter his idJiArA ftw>i«f OmoM, oi< frt>«t tbit dt ti^ aMamienais Rottigielov ^^ pubiiBl«6d''itt Trevlgi in 1590^ in the dialect of Venicev whibh bMlri^M) escaped tb^ attention- of all editors «nd c«MkiraerttUtoii9. Iliis da)riMi9 ptMeAticMi ia often wor^ad in the nttiniM of aft die tiKree^ thi^ell^i father; *nde, mid son i bwt when the peeiUHtt* thivi^s of Mared asM i«diea«ed^ Huf naiHe ei^ if etMitfei. hi the Abutter «^ai^, the lai^flttia rttnsthus, •<^ ^^, Niedo» MkiM, fl»ld Ma«>co, have heara, seehr ftttA kfww, Sec. :*^ 1$i thefttift-, •* I Marco vraa in tlutt nkee^ abd sa\r, &<;." in iim V^dtilaA «^il^n^ tbe names or places aid persons ite dfbsti ^»iMf diBtietnA from those hi the other editions, anld nrobailjr More gennhke and oiMreotv 9tH that fhibiidaticb beiii^ ati^tisietit inae^iesrible, irei'Mte nnd^the neeeisii^'bf being contented with the edition of Harris i<^ trhfch ktf pt^ lesises to have cav^uttjr collated the e^tion of Raaitisio with most of the other trandafion<;^ and with an origiiio) MSK. in the royal libntry of Pmssia. iliis Iktter tabou^ however, he seems to have taken entirely upon trust front Mutter^ a Ger- man editor and tranriator, probacy diroueh the iiM^mMdia- tiott of Bergeron, an early Frenfdh editor en voyiu^ and trk- vels. The only freedom which has beeti assnmeu in tb^ pie- sent edition is, by dividing it into sectkms Ibr mc^e ready ooh- sultation 3 Mod, Geogfr. II. xvi. -1 \'. ssarm* 'f. CHiftkXl. inlo Tttiiartff ^^ n '(If [i sultation and reference, and by the addition of explanatmy notesi from various sources. Maroo Polo is the chiefi affltttlie earty modem discover^ en { haiong been the first whojcommunicated to Europe anj dltiact idMM of th* imMasto it|poiii of Asiaivirom thtfr EuAr iiliK «iBtv»itnl8v.thilou{|^ the TAst edB^eiijtoC<>TaRtinyto' China fltid Juitaii) atnci die vaty.Bm amt^ w()0 his Jn^da Any mention of that distant insular sovereignty*- £vtik GoJwMbus is' sui^osed, with some considerable probabilitv> to have been pR^jltedt* faiBeiiterpni(}4i#hicI».im]fdr'M^ diadovaifrof ^lierioay b^ the Mndy «f these tnanrials ) ibdiowlbf^,' thal^bj a wmtanvunt tbreo^ the aikex|ihir^ jitlaikfiet be shoWd ibadat eampatatixt^ short passage to)di«ae caitfirtajnegioriaof thtt Indleiif whieh Pbio htfd viiitod* dew»bed». or indimled. I* thii Ttdw he ^ua, hiyvviavtr) ao far iliiskdi in. his estimation of the difettrntev by line •rroaoonsfy epvcbd*«nt kmgittuksl ^ Ptokaa^i blin^mg these . ngieUs nmch fiurthef towdnda the mttf and taMscqaeiMl}^ nearer by tha weat^ (Ian their actiiil aitviitien.i and was autppdd in Inaiibstiera cottr«e» by^thc/io)- penattt md awckpected ' diorotdry of aHanly islaada^ find H viMt iMOfnaedecMa^entf ohichy fnun praoaiicfeivsd theoi^yrlie nintsd' the Wert' IndiMk-. i ..'.:. «^m%f>-(cr.'^^»v\if mi l^ Such iti tho aoeount cf diese tvavda v^dh IriM beeri hukdcd iknm to ua itum vavioaa sonrceiv aod which their ioaportanfle sbd iiktiltbisitt mierit hava induced us to rfeoord at some length. Of these adv«nii»notts traveltravy some aolbeeB yel remain, .whidi nay b« worthy of being preserved Signior Maflip fbloy llw ancle of Mardoy became a taB^sine& c£: W^mct, and ttted for some time in nmdi respect amena faia ocamtij- inM. Mooio FfllDy ihe kxhae of Mnroo, is said to^ faanre mar- iiedl dMriag the damtivity of Imv son at Genoa, and to have fcft thrae* dlildrett by thns second rat Mavoe himself married altar hit vetant to Venhse iram Oenoa^ and 1^ t«ro danthiters, Moretta and Fantina, but had no male issue. He IS said to have received among his countrymen the name bf Marieo Mffioni, because he and his fbmfy had acquired a fonufte of a milKon of duicats in the east He died as he had livfd, universally beloved and rciqiccted by all who knew him } for, with the advantages of birth and fortune, he was hMnible and benefiiee»ty and empfeyed his great riches-, and the interest he possess!!^ in the state, only to do good. SEcrroN I' I' I h Tramib^Mfi^ fiWii* '• .■ . . . . : .i^ ' ■ . . • . ■ ■ f^ >'>■ ■ Sfedfiov I^ - ' I ■ m i^l aikm Mctmmt - iif ike Jbnt Jmamof tff Nkeh iM} MM : Poht 4n li«(V to their Jinal retmt aUn^ wi^^Mi$tS^ vj|. VtHiuimtfBS. . . ' ': % "I" '■■• '•'' • ■ •:" : '■.■•;... ■. • .^i ' If the year- lt6&, when* Baldwin wm cniiMn»r ol* Gmi- tiiu)f>le, ' two hrochen of an iUiutridiw family at Veqio^ Ml- oolo and Maffia Polorembariudin a inemA whidb wat kdfi witb a various aaMWtment of merchandise on their own mlh ■iJKMiat^f anc^t aiUr travoraing the Meditenanean and.Boifihb* MM with a fiur wind, they amved ia safety at GomlaBtiiioplfe. Haidng reauuned for tope tiae in the impnial dty,' tlMjy eroMed^the Great Sea to SoUai^'* frogfnthcoee they want to die court of a Tutarpriaoe, named Baiha*, who litedinithp iDWBtf of Bdgara and Alsara K To this priooe th^ shewed ^ fiiie jewels whidi they had brought for «ale» and prnsentfld fiimwitlisomeofthentaBtTahiable. He^was fiu;irom ungratt- fill for their presents, which he kindfyt accepted, and Sa^ which he made thinn returns of greater-i^e. Havii^i^ mained a whole vtsar at his court, they wexe desirous of returil- log to Venice ; but before they had ^nydportunity of depart- ing, a War broke out between Barha mmI anouior Tartar nam^ Arau^*; the armies <^ these rivals came to |t^ in yAuth Barha was ddisated, a^d obliged to flv. tfy jgiisunforttoate incident, the roads; to tiie westwards became iiguite unsafe for the journ^ of the Fobs, and thqr were.adii^ sed to! make a large drcuit roimd the north and eastfrimtien of the dominions of Barha { and by wl^|di route diey made their escape from the seat of war to Gndiw»in,atown on the .^ . ' :'u-.*a.-Hy. f:> ■ ■ ,-,•., . Tygris.- I Tb* BIsck-Sea, or Euxine, is hert called the Grttrt Sea. Sddadia, SoI> daia, or Sudak, was a city in the Crimea, a little to the west of Cdb.rr Pom. 8 Barha or Barcha, more properly Bereke-khaa, win rrigncd from 1956 to IS66.— 'E. 3 Bolgara is the town of Bolgari, the capital <# Bulgaria, which snhristsd from 1161 to 1578. Alsara is Al-seray. which was buUt by Baatu-khao, on the Achtttba, a branch of the Volga. — ^Forst. 4 nrebahly Holagu-khao, to whom aU Ftttia was in SHbisctioD, ^Sitt t* Syria.— Fotsm :^a»Jl,v.^-J**i»>M.-;,«^»'VH%#,*(Wi«»*^' ■ -»«#»■ ■■*»■^^~-f^ TJl *"*«.S? tf'^'y'.'iiiii iliv^i •*'■ -i I ■I fll(- '! l.'Ti Tf •» H nr '■idl-f i-w- .,.»'. V u A- • tynt,*|M->\^H*"'. '>i«^-», ■-ia««ta»V,«J«lh«»'*V..-j»»ai.-**S'.Ari|l«?i I. ■ 1^ i/ 4 Li I' I H dinbargt'h. MSiaarr Seu^f >•»» ..«T^43 t. «tj r» ' ' ; (w i .»'.'»- »-' ^^h^*?*^' i J1 *0 cim* act* H^/IF" ; , itUo Tartarjf.' ^ ''•(-"^r " '■ --~-y~'- - ■— ■ — .— ••■ . ■ f y'i - rgrit'^'-A Btde fii^|iil> dta, th«)r oftMMd the OihoiT^^Mie f| finir riven of Paiidiae, and Iravelled aftfUrwardsfor levd^ a dm in the deiert, in which thej mw i|d^(iqr town, castle^ ; ' village, and only a few Tartwp dweUiii^itl^hutfl or tents. kvipg the desert, they came to a ih€y Jt«na|ned th|^ for three years. -^ ■ , ;,, c iA irS * » i^ >. Jii thi^t time th^re came to Bochara a'peiriipii/^.distiiicp tim, who wt» goii^ as ambfifMador froim Hokigu to Kvbbu- lwn,;.the greiat emperor of all the Tartars, iira6 resided in the reJmotest countries of the earth, betwixt the north-east and tliB cast. Meetins with tlie brothen, who* had now become vwU versed in the Tartarian huiguaffe, he was much tSaken widi tfaJBir conversation, and persuiulea them to accompany him' tcijthe court of the great khan, knowing that he shoiUdj^ti- fv|him in this circumstance, and promised them^tW they'. Nipuld die received with neat honour, 4pd^ti()ed w^th lanM E^nrainds. 'JSney were wSl aware that it yr^s utt^jiy UnpoBsi3e fcr them to return home at' this period, withwf; the jnost imp minent danffer, and agreed to this OT6 Bereke«Uuuir--Font. 7 This prbbabljr refers to the Constantlnopolitan or Greek empaw} kip J^xoiaioju being called Roum in the eait to the preisal day.— £. f V •■■'#^ ■•-" ^ "^1^ |j|H^jWIII»*iit M i ll Wl I a illMWt i l l ll M lliOl I / I I ' I I I -J- 4 }■ . BngaWHnl pKtWmr'B C>|Miloa vf V«3r«|^a «« ImrcU . ■ InbUahedMercli l8a. b.vW»Blark« mmtiVSTtLl. .— ■'■A " « j >"»ii- p ni w a>,.n» • ■*»«» ■■>■ 1^ CMituui fkith. To all thii Nicqlo a^ qidrad a knowledge of the affidn of the EnropeiiiMi inio- much that he often commanded them to bj^ bronght into hb presence. -^ After some time, Kublai-khan having cofMulted witl^ Irn great lords, informed them, ^t he was desirous ip send uem as his ambassadors to the pope of the Romans, tkccompaf? nied by one of his lords named Chogatal', requesting that he would send an hundred men, learned in the Christian religioiit to his courti that they mlj^t instruct his wise mien, that the fiUth of the Christians w|u preferable to all other sects, being the only irw of salvation i that the gods of the Tartars weire dt» vils, and that thej^ and other people of the east were deceived in the worship of these gods. He likewise commanded them, on their return from Jerusalem, to bring him some of the oil from the lamp which bums before the sepulchre of our Lord( Jesus Christ, to whom the emperor.haa great devotion, be^ lleving him to be the true God. Yielding due reverence to the great khan, they promised faithfully to execute the charge which he had committed to them, and to present to the pope the letters in the Tartarian language, yrhich he gave th^m lor that purpose, Accordins to uie custom of the empire, the great khan caused to be given them a goldep tablet, engraven and signed with the mark or signet of the khan, in virtue of which, instead of a passport, me bearers were entitled to be everjrwhere conveyed in safety through dangerous places, by (be governors of provuice^ i^id cities, thrcHighout the whole empire, avinc their expences eyerywhere defrayed, and should be furnished with wnatever was needful for them and their atten- dants in oil places, and for as long as they inight have occasion to stay. '■ ■ ' ■•.■...■■■■■■ Taking their leave of the great khan, ikey set out upon the journey into the west, carrymg with them the letters to the pope, and the golden tablet.' After travelling twffiu|^ days, the Tartar lord, who was associated in their ^iNUsy to mt pope, fell grievously sick ; on which, havkig' consulted imon Vhat was best to be done, they resolved to leave him, and to continue 8 In different editions this name ii corruptly written Oogoka, Gont:^; Cto|at:J, and ChogatiU.— E. -fi ~<«i#!**)li*wiwi(|j(|j|pll»^-'W"w^ I. 'Mr; zr. ncx. I. into Sftrtery. tli jOpntiaiM their Jouncj; Tbey w«re eyflnywhare aNirteoii% jrbmved, thxpitgh the ratkority of the hnperial tabiet i ytt thagr ^Mto often composed to wait, by the overflowliig of th* rhrera, in the ooune of dieir journey, lo that they iprat thiie jem befiire they reached the port in the countiy of the Ar- 'Aeniani, oallsd Oiatza^ From thence diey proceeded to Acre*% where they arrived in the month of Apru 1269. On ;dieir arrival at Acre, they were informed of .the death of Pope Cwuent ly., by Tibaldo Visconti of Plaiientia, the papd to- gate who then resided in thi^t place;. They related to him what had befidlen thorn, a^d declared what committion they had>eceived from the great khan to the pope, and he adviaed te wait the creation of a new pope, to whom they mwht de- liver their letters. Upon this they took shipping for Venice, by the way of Negropont, intending to visit their friends and icdations, and to remain there ^i^u a new pope should be e- Jiected. On their arrival^ Nicolo found that his wife was dcnd, whom he had left pregnant at his dqMusture { but that she had Jeft a ton, now nineteen" years of age, who is tbi/t very Mar^ so, the author of this book, in ^hich he will moke manifest all those things which he has seen ii;! his trayds. Hie election of the pope was deferred two years, and the Polos became afraid least the great khan migm be displeased at their delay. They went therefore back to Acre, carrying Marco along with them and haying gone to Jerusalem for the holy oil requested by Kublai, they received letters from the legate, testifying their $delity to the great khan, and that a p(^ was not yet ehosen. They theft set out on Uieir jour- ney, and went to Oiazza, in Armenia. }a the mean time let- ters came from the Cardinab to the legate Visconti, declaring that he was elected pope, and he assumed the name of Ore- ^gory. On this the new pope sent messengers to the Polos to call them back, w to delay their departure from Armenia un- ItU he might prepare other le^rs for them, to present to the khan 9 Othsrwiie called Olau and Galzs»l>ut more properly Al-Ajaita, on the jiouth-^att extremity of the Euxine or Black-sea.— Font. 10 Aeon* or more properly Akko. It is not easy to crnceive what ahould lisve taken them so much out of their way as Acre s unless they could not procore shipping at Giazza, and travelled therefore by land tmvtugh Asia Minor and Syria; or that they intended here to procure the holy oil for the ^aar— £. 1 1 This is an error in transcription, and it has been already noticed in the satroductkm to these travels, that Marco could not then hate exceeded the aiath year of hi* age.->£. r^<^ #^' M 3r. TVn^^HareoPoto VAttl. Idtan In his wnne» and to inform them, that he meant to Jola two Man pradloniU in oommiMlon with thmk Nioob of Vin «maa and Ouefano of Tripoli, men of l^anflng an^ditcre- tioa. The Poloa hccordingfy remained at Qiazia, wbMre thcee two monki arrhred with letters and presents of great tahw for the khan» and ftimished with ample powers and pr i v i leges, and authority to ordain priests and bishops, and to grant aitsghiHan in all cases, as folly as if the pope were present. BMiemtir Ing that the saltan of Babylon, Bentiochdns ", was leadii^ 4' gnat army to invade Armenia, and where he committed the most cruel ravages, the two friars became afraid of themselves, and delivered Uie letters and presents of the pope to Nicolo, Mi^ Ai, and Marco i and to avoid the fatigues of the Ways and the ^angen of war, thev remahied with the master of the temple, then at Giasaa, and returned with him to Acre. But the three Venetians proceeded boldly thro^h many dangers and difficulties, and at length, af^er a jpumey of thne - years and a half, tliey arrived at die great city of CleUienistt ". In this lengthened journey tliey had often lo|ig stoppages, on account ofthe deep snow and extreme cold, and on occasion of floods and inundations, When the khan heard of tiieir a{^roach, though vet at a great distance, he sent messengers forty davs journey to meet them, that they miffht be coriuc^ vsd with aU honour, and to provide them with every uceoMr modation during the remainder of their journey. On iheilr arrival at the court, and being introduced into the prescuoe, they prostrated themselves before the khan on their nces, ac> corainff to the customary form of reverence { and being oom- mandra to rise, were most graciously received. The khan then demanded an account of the many dangers through which they had passed by the wav, and of th^r prooeedinos with the pope of the F onians. All this they distinctly rebrted, and delivered to him the letters and presents from the p<^, with which the khan was weU pleased, and g^e them great commendations for their care and fiddi^. Tliey presented to him also the oil which they had brought from the hoiy ser pulchre of the Lord at Jerusiuem, which ne reverently receiv- ed, and gave orders that it should be honourably preserved* The khan inquired who Marco was i On which Nicolo re- plied, 19; Biban d Bentochdari, sultan c' Faliira or Cairo, in Egypt, of^en cal- Ijfd Babylon.1 — ^Font. ) s C^abalu, or Klan>balu, or iht cUy (>( i ;' iihao, now Ftkiog.— For0t^ -' ^J*% ^itk XI. tier. i. ifito Jhrt^ m £«!, <• H« i« yoor nmknay Mnruit* and my son.' iln tiA Msiflfuil^ itcdfW hH with a friendly ooun eiiuMfi and liai him tang^t to inrka among his honoivable courtiani w li ka upwi he was much laspe ct aaby all #b oourt, and in o littla time made himselflaihiliar with the customs of the Tar- kant and learned to read and write taut diflbrent langwiges. > AAar some tioM the ^rent khan, to malte cxperienoe of his a a paf ky , sent Marco ly^ a mission or embMsy^ to a great ei .the khan woukl be delighted with an account of ail the nc>v-eltios in the places through which he had to nus^ he diligently inmiircd into the manners and customs or the people! the conaitinns of the countries, and erery thing wor« thy of being remarked, making a memorial of all he knew or saw, which lie presented to the great khan for his information and An»isunent. By this means he got so much into the fi^ vour of the khan, that during the twenty-six yearn which he (tontinued in hb service, he was continually sent through all liis realms and dependencies, chiefly ml affiiirs of government^ but sometimes on his own private matters, by the khan's orw ders I and this is the true reason that he should have seen and learnt so many particulars relating to the east, as he has de^ dared in tibese his memoirs^ AiUr staying many years in the cou(t of the gtoU khan^ and iiavirig berome very rich in jewels of great vahie, and con^ kidering that if the khan, who was now grown very old, should happen to die, tli^ should never be aim to return homei the Venetians became exceedingly anxious to be permitted to re- turn to their own country, wherefore, one day that he found th^ khan in extraordinary gmod humour, Nicob bened per- mission to return home wim bis liunity. At this theuan was much dippieasr-d, and asked what could induce them to under- take . .ung and dangerous a joumey; adding, that if they were in want of riches, he woum gratify their utmost wishes, by bestowing upon them twice as much as they possessed ; but out of pure afieption, he reused to give them leave to de- part. It happened, however, not long after this, that a king of the Indies named Argon, sent three ^his counsellors, named Ulatai, ApuBca, and Coaa, tu ambassadors to Kublai-khan'on the^ J-r— TT-Ss^ :-'>yi^if«»^<*>***»'i*. il i ^'i"' ! W""" ~T1- ir^ilT 171^ Traveh-^ Jkam> Polto *Kkit,' I*: iSHb foUJDwiif ff occasion. Bolgana, the wife of Aiffon, Was latt»^ ly dead, and on- )ter death^bed fated jrequested other husband that he^mtU^chooae a wife firom iudnotigherfek^ns in KlP thav. ' KuUai ykAded to this request, «id chose a fidr ;jroul^ maiden of s^enteen yeairs of age, named Cogalui '^, who wim of the family of the late queen Bbfgana, and determined 't<( send her to Argon.* The attibaiMdors departed with iStisH charge, and jonnleyed eight months the same way they \mA come to the court of Kublai } but found Moody wars liiffOi^^ among the Tartars, insomuch, that they were constrainra t(^ return and to acquaint the great khan with the impossilrilitjr (^ their proceeding Home in that road. \ti the mean timei Marco lud returned from the Indies, where he had been etft- E loved with certain ships in the service of the khan, to whom 6 had reported the singularities of the places which he had' visited, and the facility of intercourse by sea between Katlu^' and the Indies. This came to the knowledge of the ambasfta^ dors, who conferred with the Venetiaifs on th^. subject ; and it was agreed, that the ambassadors and the young queen should go to the great khan, and beg permission to return b|^ sea, and cdiould request to have the three Eurotieans, ^0 were ^I6iilin sea anairs, to accompany and conauctthem tO the dominions of king Argon. Tlie great khan was much dis- satisfied with this proposal, yet, at the earnest entrea^ of the ambassadors^ he at length gave his consent ; diid calling Ni-' cok), Maffei, and Marco into his presence, after much demon- stration of his favour ^nd affection, he made them promise to return to him after th^ had spent some time in ChristendcSn- among their relations ; and he caused a tablet of gold to be given them, ou which his commands were engraven for their' uberty, security, and free passage throughout all his domi- nions, aAd that all the expences of them aiid their attelldant»' shouM be defrayed, providing them everywhere ^Hth guidear and escorts, where necessary. He authorized tKem also to act^ as his ambassadors to the pope, and the kings of France and* Spain, and all other Christian princes. The khan ordered fourteen ships to be prepared ibr the voyage, each having four masts, and carrying nine sails. Four or five of these were so large as to have from from 250 ta 260 mariners in each,, but the rest were smaller. In this fleet the 14 Called likewls^ KogaMin, GogBtin, and d«gengin, in the tfifliMitt tniucripts of these Mivel8.—£. bKAP. XI. StCT. n into Jjcaiaiiyi 379 to is- the Ni.' Jn-- to Sta' be ar t9' the qoBtn and the aijnbassadon fmbaikedf accompanied fay NiiQM), IfafBui and Marco leaving fint taken .leave of the srei^ khant w^o preaoited tqem, at partiiurt with maay rin- Dww and'other predou^stone^, and a sum q||numey luffident to defray all their expences for tifiro years. Saikting sail from Katdiay or China, they arrivwl in three months at/ a|i island oaUiBd Java, and sailing firom thence they arrived in eighteeti moHtltt in the dominions of king Argon.: Six hmidred of the ioannersand others died during the voyage, and but one woman'} and only Coza of the |hree ambataEulors survived. Oa arriving at ihe doDoinions of Argc»i«.he was found to be .dead, and f person named Ghiacato or Akat% govemrd the kJogdom for his son Casahj who was under age. On making tiher^gient afpquainted wUh their business^ he desired them to c«iKry the yonhg queen to Gasan, who was then on the con- fiiiies of Peraia, towuds Arbor Secco'^* with an army of 60,000. moi, guarding certain passes of the frontiers against the -^n- -iarprises of their enemies; Having executed uaa order, Nir iDob, Mafei, and Marco, returned to the residence of Chiacato, and staid there for nine months; > At the end of this period they took leave of Chiacato, who gave tbiem four tablets of gold, each a cubit long and five fin- gers broad, and weighing dtree or four marks'^. On these were ei^twven to l^e fouowlng purport : << In the power of the eternal God, the n(Mne of the great khan shall be ho- noured and praised for many years } and whosoever disor beyeth, shall he put to death, and all his goods confiscatedi" B^icndes this preamble, they farther commanded, that all diie honour shoi^ be shown to the three ambassadors of the khaa, and service performed to them in all the countries and dis- tricts subject to his authority, as to himself in person ; that all necessary relays of horses and escorts, and their expences, and eveiy thing needful ^ould be suj^lied to them freely and sra- tuitously. All this was duly executed, so that sometimes they had 200 horse for their safeguard. During their journey, they Were informed that the great emperor of the Tartars, Kublai- khan was dead, by which they considered themselves absolved .^, h'om 1 5 Ttfitti the circumstance of this kingdom of Argon being near Arbor Sec« CO, it would appear to have been one of the eight kingdoms of Persia men- tioned in the sequel ; and from the sea voyage, it probably was Mekranj which reaches to the sea and the Indies. — £. 16 These were most princely letters-patent ; ec^ual in weight to 400 gui- heas, perhaps equal in efficacious value to 4000 in our times.'— £, ^KO Thnwlf ^Jfbvi0 /Wo PAHimu Iram all obligations of the promise they had made to retuni to bis court They continued tliefar journey to'Trebisond, on the south side of the Euxine { whence thejr proceeded by the way «f Constantinople and Negropont to Venice, wbons thiy arrived in saft^, and wkh great ridies, in the year 19M«) On their arrival at their own house^ in the street of St Chrysostom in Venice, they found themselves entirely fiugot- ten by all their old acquaintances and coNiitrymen, and even their relations were unable to reoogniie theib^ owing to their long absence, now thirty-five ^ears from settkiff out; on their first journey mto the east ; besides being much ^tered by aoe^ . they had beeome a]t(>gether resembling Tartars in dieir speech, dressr and manners,. and were obliflea to use some ^traoidi- nary expedients to satisfy their fiunuy and countrymen of their -identity, and to recover the reqsect which was their due^ br a puUic admowledgmentof thdur name, fiunily, and rank. For this purpose, they invited all their relations and connectioBs -to a maffnifieent entertvnment, at which all the diree trav^ lers ma& tlieir iqppearance in rich eastern habits of crimaon satin. After theisuests were seated, and bdTore the Poloa«afr down, they put off thieif upper garments, which thejr gate to the attendiants, appearing still magnificently dressed in hi^uts- of tirimson damasks These they threw off at the appearance pf . the last course or service of the caitettainment, wid bestowed likewise oU the attendants > while they themselves still 9fipeK' ed clad in magnificent dresses of crimson velvet. Whe|ir,din« nerwos over, and all the servants had withdrawn, Marco Polo produced to the company the coats of Tartarian doth or tett, which he, and his fiither and uncle had ordinarily worn dUrinff their travels, from the folds of which he took out an j incrcdu)le quantity of rich jewels ; among which were some that were well known to those who were present at theoitw- - tainment, and by which the three travellers inoontestiUy prov- ed themselves members of the Polo family, and the identical penons they represented themselves. Section nvAr Btiin v- :al P _ r '^ ■ r • vWA»< XI. ncT. ii. /n/0 Tof/iaiy. SfECTIOM II. 3»1 *&n&ij^kn (BfJmienUt the Lesser f of the country of the T^ks, of QretHer Armenia, Zorzania, the kingdom of ISxmi, ^ 3l me cities of Baudot and Tauris, and account 6fa strange Mitttde\ '- ''T^BS are two Armenias, the Greater and the Lesser. In ■the Lener Armenia the kuig resides in a city called Sebeste; and in all this country jiistioe and good government are strict- ly enfofeed^ This kingdom has many cities, fortresses, and caitJes { the soil is fertife, and the coontry abounds with game ifuid wU^wl, and every necessary articK of provisiims, but the air is not very good. Formerly tihe Armenian gentlemen iwere brave men and good soldiers, but are now b^me e£fe- mittate, and addicted to drinking and debauchery. The ci^ of Oiam, on the Black Sea^ has an exceflent harbour, to which "merchants resort firom divers countries, even from Venice and 'Genoa, for several sorts of merchandize, especially for the dif- ferent kinds of qsices, and various other valuable goods, which «re bhm^t here from India, as this place is the settled mark- '■et for the commodities of the east Turc(Hnania is inhabited by three different nations, Turco- mans, Greeks, and Armenians. The Turcomans, who are Mahometans, are a rude, illiterate, and savage people, inha- biting the moimtains and inaccessible places, where they can 'ipANNire pasture, as they subsist only on the produce of their flocks and herds. In their country there are excellent horses, , oalled Turiclsh horses, and their mules are in great estimation. ' The Greeks and Armenians possess the cities and towns, and empk^ themselves in msinufactures and merchandize, making, espedally, the best carpets in the world. Their chief cities \ are 1 Marco Polo having spent much the largest portion of his life among the Tartan, necessarily used their names for the countries, places, and people which he dexribed, and these names have been subsequently much disfigured in transcription. This has occasioned great perplexity to commentators in ciideavourug to explain his geography conform^ly with modem maps, and which even u often impossible to be done with any tolerable certainty. The arrangement, likewise, of his descriptions is altogether arbitrary, so that the se- quence does not serve to remove the difficulty ; and the sections appear to have been drawn up in a desultory manner, just as they occurred to his re* collection, or as circumbtances in the conversation or inquiry of others occa^ eionedhim to commit his knowledge to paper. — £. . 1 -' \ "T|feB«ry^ --•=^««7— «.-».! •■- m l lJ ill * y te« iVemelt ^/Hldareo J^oio it^tntm :d' #.-,■■ are Cotfno or icoiuuin» Caesarea, and Sebastd, where St Qaul buffered mar^rdom. This countiy is under sulgection to oat bfthekhansof the Tartan. > 4 /^ :' The Greater Armenia as « ^aige pttmaee, sul^del to ||^ ' TaMari, whidi has man^ cttiM and towns^ ihe {miiBqial of uriiidi is Arsugio, in which the best bttckraftl in^^ wond is inade. In this neighbourhood there are excellent liieif|lltDfl8» which are celebrated as salutary baths in many diseases. , "Hie cities next in consequence are Argiron And Darzib- lii the •ummer season many Tartars resort to this Qbuntry-on •QCa«iOt bf the richness of the pastures, and retire again iii wfeter, h»- ftause of the abundance of snow. The ark <^ Noah rested «ti Arrarat, one of the mountains of Armenia. ,. . > Tliis oonntfy has the province of Mosul and Meridio on Ihe east, or IHarbekir; and on the north i^ZorsaniaS where tiiere is a fountain that discharges a Hqpiid resemWing loilr; irhich, though it cannot be used as a seasohing for meat, is yet usefol for burning in lamps, and for many ower purposeai and it is found in sufficient quantities to load caro^, and to form a material olnect of commerce, hi Zorzaniais a pi^ce iuimed David Mmc or King David } one part of the pro- vince being subject to him, while the other part pays tvilmie to a Tartar khan. The wbods are mostly of box-trees. Zcnt- sania extends between the Euxine and Cawian seas { which latter is likewise called the sea o£ Baccu, and is $800 miles iH drcumferencej but is like a lake, as it has nO communication with any other sea. In it there are many islands, cities, and casdes, some of which are inhabited by the pe<^ile who fled frdm the Tartars out of Persia. ■ 4^ The people of Zorzania are Christians, observing thb aaiae iites widi o^ers, and wear their hair short like the western clergy. There are many cities, and the country abounds in tilk, of which they m^e many fine manufitctures. Moxul or Mosul, is a province containing many sorts of people ; soine are called Arahi, who are Mahometans ; others are Christians of various sects, as Nestorians, Jacobites, and Ar->' inenians; and they have a patriarch stiled Jacolet, who ordains archbishops, bishops, and abbots, whom he sends all over ■India, and to Cairo, and Bagdat, and wherever there are Christians, in the same manner as is done by the pope of Rome. All the stuffs of gold and silk, called tnudeimst are^ ' :<:' wrought -i"<734» 1 1 2 Gurgittan, usually called Georgia.— E. i £«: O^ff^irlltm.^^'^ff I In! « ■,t,L^mt^r,l iu.» ' <" mm t 'M tV Bacil u^ ^eir eoimtry. Near to them is another mpyince called Mus, Iferidin, or Mardin, higher up the llaris thite Mosul, wherein grows great quantities of cotton, of which th^ mdke buckrams^ and other manufactures. Thb province is lilwk wise subject to the Tartars. Baldach, or Bt^at, is a great tSity in which the supreme caliph formerly resided,, who wuf pope of aB the Saracensir From this city it is counted seven* Men days journey to the sea ; but the river Tigris runs peat^ on whidi people sail to Balsora, where the best dates in Ae world grow, but in the passage between these two cities there fies anodier named Chisi. In Bagdat are many manu&cturev of gold and silk, and damasks and velvets with figures of var rious creatures } in that city there is a university^ where th0 haf of Mahoment, physic, astronomy, and geomancy are taught ; and from it come dll the pearls in Christoidoitt.' WheUsthe Tartars began to extend their conquests, there were four brothers who possessed the chief rule; bf whotf 'Mangn, the eldest, reigned in Sedia^. These brethren prv* posed to themselves to subdue the whole, world j for wmckf purpose one went to the east, another to the north j a third t»' the west, and Ulau or Houlagu went fo the south in 1830, with an army of an hundred thousand horse, besides foot.' Employing strataoem, he hid a great part of his force hi am-^ busn, and advancmg with an inconsiderable, number, enticed the caliph to foUow him by a pretended flight ; by this mean» he took the caliph prisoner, and made himseU' master of the dty, in which he found such infinite store of treasure, that he #as quite amazed. Sending for t^e ealiph into his presence,* he 3 This manufacture from Mosul or Moxul, on the Tigris, mutt be carc^ fuUy distinguished from the muslins of Indian which need not be described. — E. 4 These buckrams seem to have been sfme coarse species of cotton cloth, HI ordinary wear among the eastern nations. The word occurs frequently in these early travels iii Tartary, but its proper meaning is unknown.— £. 5 This word is inexplicable, unless by supposing it some corruption of S^ra Horda, the golden court or imperial residence, which was usually in i^Tangut or Mongaha, on the Orchen or Onguin. But in the days of Marco, tiie khans had betaken themselves to the luxurious ease of fixed residences, and he might have niiiuoderstood the information he received of the resi> dence of Mangu.— £. .. .,- ,.. ,^.,. „-,,.,.- , ^- r .t-^t^n,^. .-.- Trtmeit ^ Marco Pdo \m^ he shuply reproved him, that, pomeaung luch riches, he haid iiot onployea them in providW loldien to defoid his domi- nions { and commanded him to be shut up in the tower where Jiii|,treasw« was placed, without any sustehance. >> . This seemed a iust judgment from our Lord Jesus Christ npon tibe caliph ; ror, in the year 12J25, seddng to convert the Qiristians to the Mahometan superstition, and takins advan- tage 6i that passage in the gospel which save, ** He that hi^ .fiutli as a grain of mustard seed, shall be aUe to remove 3iountain8/h& summoned all the Christians, Nestorians, and acofaites, and gave them* their choice, ** In ten days to re^ jngve a certain mountain, to turn Mahometans, or to be dBih;** allying that there was uot one among them who ludihe least grain of faith. The astonished and dismayed Christians continued ten days in prayer ; when, by a revela- tim to a certain bLihop, a certain shoemaker was chosen to perfinrm this compulsatory mii^le. This riioemaker was once tempted to lust iu fitting a ^oe to a young woman, and had Hteraify and zealously pmormed the injunction of the gospel by putting out his right eye< On the day appointed % the :cdqph, heand all the Christians of the city follow'ed the cross towards ihe mountain ; then, lifting up his hands, he prayed to God to have mercy on his afflicted people, and, in a loud voice, commanded the mountain, in the name of the holy andi ever blessed Trinity to remove: which it presently did, to tl»3 great astonishment and terror of the calipn and all his people^ The anniversary of this day, and the evening before, is ever since kqpt holy by fasting and prayer *. V - '^ Seotiok 6 M*reo l^olo U no more answerable for the truth of this ridicuTous legend of the 13th centuryt than the archbishop of Paris of the 19th is lor many, equally absurd, that are narrated in the French national Gate* chism. Both were good catholics, and rehearsed what they had hearAf^ and what nwther of ihem pretended to have ieen.— E. ' ' ' ' ..■*v • (, *k^' S?" .^■,- w iiiii ■ f iii W i ^t ^J Wu i n t ^jw iipt" mWi^ CitaAV. XI. SECT, III. into Tartat^, ^f [hehalj donii> whero the » mid to re^ to b^ who toyed Jvela- en to once hod ospel' r the :ro8s iyed oud anc^ the pie* ' iver tON ouii I is #; ■h- SECTION III. SW ^ Of the Country of Persia^ tite Cities of Jasdi, Certnam and CamandUf and the Province of Beobarle^ . Tauris is a great ci^in the proviuce of Hlrcania ', and ii » very populpiiiB T^kctt. Ttio inhabitants live by the exerciie of maniuacture and trade, fabricating, especially, stufis of ulk and fjplA, The foreign merchants who reside there make very g^t gains, but the inhabitants are generally poor. They lu^ a mixed (people, of Ncstorians, Armenians, Jacobitei» ^Sieorgians, Persians, and Mahometans. These lost are per- fidious and treacherous people, who think all well got which thev can filch or steal from those of other religions } and thii. wickedness of the Saracens has induced mOiny of the Tartars to join their reUgion ; and if a Saracen be killeu by a Christian^ evieh while engaged in the act of robbery, he is esteemed to, have died a martyr. It is twelve days journey from Tauris to, Persia *. In the confines stands the monastery of St Bara- sam, of which the monks resemble Cannelites : they make' giixlfes, which they lay on the altars and give to their mendib who esteem them as holy. Persia is divided into eight king- d6ttia,tnz. Cosbin, Curwstan ^, Larjstan, Susistanor Chonis-> san, Spahan, Ispahan or Pars, Shiras % Soncara ', and lastly Timocha^m, which is near Arboreseco, towards the north '. Persia breeds excellent horses, which are sold to the Indies ; also very good asses, which are sold for a higher price 'than the horses, because they eat little, carry much, and travel far. They have camels also, which, though not swift, are nece^eary in these countries, which, sometimes for a long way, yield no grass or water. The people in these countries are very wicked and covetous, thieves and murderers^ killing the merchants unless they travel , 1 Now Tebriz in Corcan.— E. ... S This must refer to Fan, or Pera MM range to4he south, towards Gambroon or'Ormus. Adgamadbong ^ettroyedt'catlnot now be ascertained, but it must have stood on the fine plafia above tfescribed, and at the bottom of these southern mopntuni, Heobarle is not to be found in otir maps, bi|t must have been z namn fo^ the province cf Orn;iUi.-<- E. I^4i< <<• net, III. Iiilo Jkrtarjff %e. Ht pf|paradMe»pktachio*, and other fhiitB. The oxen are lai^ white, and thin haired^ with ^ek short blunt horm, and jlisring ahunch like a oamd between die shoulden about two . tftxm round. Tliey are accustomed to bear areat burthens,' Old when they are to be loaded, they are taiwnt to bow their knees like camels, and rise again when loader The sheep of this country are as large as small asses, having such long and broad tails, that some of these weioh thir^ pounds, and thii part is most delicate and extremefy rich food. In this plain there are many pities and towns, having high and thick ram- parts of earth to defend them agunst the Caraons, who are ^ mixed race between Tartar fathers and Indiaq. mothers, ten ^usand of whom are commanded bv one Nugodor, the ne- phew of Zagathai, yc\io mice ruled in Tuncestan. This Nugodar havina heard of the weakness of the Malabars sub- ject to soldan Asiden, went, without his uncles knondedge, and took Dely and other cities, in which he erected a new soverdgnty' j and his Tartar soldiers, by mixing with the women of the country, produeed this spurious breed called Caraons, who go up and down, committing depredations in Reobarle, and otlier neighbouring districts. When these people wish to commit robberies,, by means oF incantations addressed to the demons, they have the means of pbscuring the air as if it were midnight darkness, that tljtey. niay not be seen from any distance, This obscurity, whet) once raised, lasts for seven dajrs ; and they are perfectly ac? quainted with all the passes of the mountains, in which they march one after another in sii^le-ffle, so that no one cat^ possibty escape them, but all who fall in their way, must en- counter death or ciqa^ivity, the old being slain, and the ycnaig sold for slaves. I Mdhso, who write this book, was onci^ very near falling into their hands, and in the utmost danee^^ pf being either killied.or taken prisoner by them in midst of this darkness, if I had not been so fortunate as to make my escape in? * 9 There is a leries of corruptions or absurdities here : a Malabar go> yemment, under a Sultan Asiden, or Asi^o-din, situated at Delj/t con> quered by a secret expedition from Turiestan, requires a more correct e-^ oition of the original of Marco Polo to render intelligible. We can sup-^ El tribe of Indians or Blacks, not far from Gombroon, to have beeq the rule of a musselman Sultan, and conouered or subverted bv i; r expedition from Teuran, or the nolrth of Penis : But this remuofi' ; 9 mere hypothetical cxplsoation.—£. ■ w--^e!s«»*'sV' I MS Tratfeb tfMctreo Pdo PART. ^. i'll }! I \ ft ) to a cutje, /called Oanotulmit while many of my oonqwr Qions xfi tl^e journey were either taken or slain'". After travelling in this phun for five dim* towards the south, the road again b^^s, by little and uttle, to descend for tfrenty miles together, the nMid itself faieinff very bad, an^ not without danger from thieves. At the Dottean of this dedivi^ there is another plain of great beauty and fortility, i^hich extend for two days journey iu breadth. Thi& fine country, which is called Corroos or Ormus* ' , abounds in streams of wat«r, and plantations of date palms, and there are abundance of birds of various kinds, particularly of popimays, which arc not Ijke those of Eqri^. After two days journey acrow this plain country, we arrive i^t the sea, in whicn is the island and city of Onnus, which is. the ciqpital of the kingdom, and a great emporium of comT merce, to which' ipapy merchants resort, bringinff niices, pelurls, precious stones, doth of gold and silver, and all the other nch commodities of India, The kinff is called Ruchi« nad Ben A^homach, havipg many cities ana castles under hia authority* imd Jie makes himself the heir of all merchants who happen to die in that place) yet he is himsdf tributaiy to the lung of Chermain or Kermun. In summer the heat of this country is quite outrageous, and the inhabitants be-' take themselves to their summer houses, which are built in the waters. From nine o'clock in the morning till noon, there blows a wind, with such extreme heat, from the sands, that it is quite stifling and insuiierable, and during this time the people sit in the water. The king of Kc»inan once sent an army of 5000 foot and 1600 horse against the king of Ormus, to coppel the payment of tribute, when the whole mtny was stiflea by jthat wind. The inhabitants of Ormus eat no flesh, o^ bread made of corn } but live upon dates, salt fish, and o^ons. The s^ips of this country are pot veiy> sjtout, as they do not io^en tnem with iron naiK because the> timber 10 For this paragraph, the editor it indebtetl to Mr Piakerton, M«d. Geog. n. yxik who has had t^ good fortune to procure what he thinks- an original ^ditjion from the MS. of Marco Polo. — i. \ > 11 By sosne sineular negligence in translating, Mr Pinkerton, in thC' passMe quoted in the preceding note, has ridiculously called this country the plain of formoio, mistaking the mere epithet, desoriptive of iu beautjf in the Italian language, for its name. The district was obviously a distinct «natlkin|(dom, named Ormus from iu capital city; which, from its vptm, lar situation, and great trade with India, I0D|| nutiatuaed a splendid inde« Kt.^f, Is the »cend and idbk XI. nor. uu ktt^Tairtmy^ •M lioiber b too faritUe, «nd would iplit in drnriBff jEhtie homei bot i^ vtt ikitened with wooden pint* aid Mwed with iMne nade from th« hiulu of certain Indian nuts, finpK n i. jn a peculiar manner) Ihis twine or thread ie rery itmng* dmd is aUle to endure the force and Tioknee of the waters, aiid is not easily corrupted '*« These sh^ have onfy one mast, one beam or yard, and one deck, and are not pmrad ^th pitch, but with the oil and fiu of fishes i and when taey crow the sea to India, carrying horses or other cargoes, they lose nuuay shms, because they are not streiu;thened with iron. The people of this country are black, and We embraced the ireligion of Mahomet It is the custom of this country, what the master (rf' a fiunily dies^ that the widow shdl mourn for liim publickly once every day, for four years i but there are wx;)men who profiess the practice of rooucoing, and are hired to mourn dauy for the dead. In returning from Ormus From the mines of this country they dig a certain earth, which is thrown into furnaces, from whicli the vapours, forced downwards, through an iron grate, condense below into tutia or tutty ', and uie grosser matter remaining in the furnace is called spodio. Leaving Cobin-nam, you meet with another desert of eight days journey in extent, and terribly barren, having neither trees or water, except what is eittremely bitter, insomudi, tliat beasts refuse to drink of it, except when miked with meal, and travelers are therefore obliged to carry water along with them. Afler passing this desert, you come to the Idngdoimi pf Timochaim'^ in the north confines of Persia, in which there are many cities and stronff castles. In this country there is an extensive plain, in which one sreat tree grows, which is called the Tree of the Sun, and by Christians Ar- bore-8ecco ', or the dry tree. This tree is very thick, the leaves being green on one side, and white on the other, and A In confirmation of the idea entertained of the present route of Marco, from Ormut by Kerm-shir, to the north-east of Persia, there is, in the niapi, a short river in the desert between Diden and Mastih, which has no outlet, but loses itself in the sands, ch \vhich account he may have calle^ it nibter' raneous, ai'siilkii^ into the earth.^£. 4 More probably of copper, whitened by some admixture of liar, snd other flietali,! of thf qxtst^nce of which in thjs district there are suiScieat in^ dications in the'sequ«l. ' These mirrors may have been similar tp tslcac<^ metal. — E. B What is here called Tu^'yt |* probably the sublimed floculent white oxid, or flowers of xinc.—£. • ' • 6 Timochaim seems obviously Segistan, to which Mechran appears to havelieen then joined, frotaithe circumstance before related of tJie Polos kaving gone from China by seii to this kingdom. The strange application of Timochaim is probably corrupti and may perhaps be explicable on the rch publication of the Trevigi editioir of' thcAe travels; till then, we must re>t tatisfied with probable conjecture.— £. > 7 The native name of this trte« and of the plain in which it grew, ap* fears obviously to have been translated by Marco into Italian. — £. ■-«7«p- kur.f^ «HAF. XI. MOT. IT. inio TaHat^. fl»l k produeet prickly and huaky dheUi, like Htum of cheuiutt, but nothinff in them. The wood ia strong and idid, and of a ydk>w colour like box. Thore nre no other treee within an hundred ini]et» except on one iide» where there are trees At the tliitance of ten milei. In this |riaoe, die inhabitants say that Alexander foughta battle Mjainst Darias*. The ci- ties of thin place are plentifully fumuhed with good thinas i the air is temperate, and the people handsome, especially tne women, who are in my opinion toe handsomest in Uie vork}. fiEOTIOM V. History qfthe AuassirUf and the manner in ishich their Prinet wtt kiued: With, the description qf several other Countries. MuLCHBT ', in the Saracen lanffuage, signifies the place of Heretics, and the people of the ^ace are called Huldlietici, or heretics in regard to the Mahometan bw. The prince of -this country is called the old man of the mountain, concern- ' ing whom I Marco heard much from many persons during my travels. His name was Aloadin, and he was a MiAome* tan. In a lovely valley betjveen two high and inaccespible mountains, he caused a pleasant garden to be laid out, fur- nished with the best trees and fmUs that could be procured, and adorned with many palaces and banquetinff houses, beau- tified with ffilded bowers, pictures, ^d siUcen tapestries. Through this place, by means of pipes, wine, milk, honey, .and water were distributed in profusion $ and it was providra with beautiful damsels, skilled in music, singing and dan- cing, and in all imasinable spqrts and diversions. These damsels were dressed in silk and gold, and were seen con- tinually sporting in the jgarden and its palaces. He made this garden with all its pabces and pleasures, in imitation of thM sensual paradise, wjiich Mahomet had promised to his IfeUowera. iNo man could enter into this garden, as the inouth of the yalley was closed up by a strong castle, firom whidi . 8 It ii pouible that this Arbore-secco may have some refer' -ce to Ar* .h«i«.-E. 1 Called likewise Mulete or Alamut. Marco makes here a sudden return to the north-^irest of Persia : and |rom the abhiptness .of the transitiont It iiar been probably disarranged in transcription. This country has been like- wise called the land of the Assassins : it is near Cashbin in Dilem, en the borders of Mazenderan.^E. Trene9§ ^Mtarf Polo 'Mm' I. :i which there wm a Mcrct mitnaau into the garden, whidi wu calM the TerrcBtrial Paradiie. AkMidin had lieitdn Touth* from tirelve to tirmity yean of aM, choien anmig nioh as Mtemed of a bdd and drantless <£araet^, who ware initiated in aU the ]^etinu«s and ddights of ^s paradise, and ,a^m he employed to entvoe others to join the sdect MOipany of young enthusiasts, by represent- ing the joys and pleasures or the paradise of AhMdin. When he thoi^fht proper, he caused ten or twelve of these youths to be cast into a deep sleep, by means of a potion, ana then had them conyeyed several^ into different chambers of the garden palaces ; where th^ were attended upon at their om waking oy the beautiful damsels, and supplied with all kind of delidous meats and fruits and excellent wines, aiJd in whose OOinpanytht^ enjoyed aU manner of luxurious deKi^ts^ sotha^ tiiey imagineathat thev were actualty transported into paradise, Vfmm t&y had reveUed in delights for a few di^ tney were Main cast into a deep sleep, and removed from the aardea •f l^easare { and being iMrought into the presence ofAHMdin, We9« questioned by hun where they had been. The old man dien represented Inat it was the command of the prophet, diat whoever was faithful and obedient to his lord, shoidd istqoy the dcHghts of paradise i and that if they would fiuthlully obley all his cmmnands, th^ diould be adonitted to reside continually among the joys of which they had been permit- ted to participate for a Aort time. Having thus roused dieir pasrioils fof pleasure, they thought tfaemsmes happy to e*i6- cute Whateyer commands they might receive, even at the ut- most hazard of their lives, hieing assured, whether ttving or dead, that theur obedience would secure them the eternal en- jovment 0f paradise and all its delights* By these means Aloadih used to procure the murder eBcdtoflytothemountainsfor8afe^» Therearemanyriyers in this eountry^andmncli game, and Horn arpalso to be met with. As travellers can find no mod in this part of their journey, l3\ey must carry enough with them for two days* At the end of two 4a3niionmey, we came to a cattle called Thaican, Thalkan, Jbr Thakan, where we saw pleasant fidds and abundance of eom. The mountains to the south of this place are high, some of which contain white salt, so extremely hard that it has to be dug out and broken with iron took ; and die inha- bitants, from thuty days journey all around, come here to procure salt, whidi is of most excellent quali^, and is in pach amazing quantities, that the whole world mi^t be sup^ pHed from these mines. The other mountains produce abun- idance of almonds and pistachio nuts. S The last of these princes was named Mo«din,who, u mentioned in the text, was made prisoner, and put to death by Houlagu-khan. In Ae aequel lol'thk wofk, there will be £ohm other and mere lull account* of this old tiua of ->E. S Tkf transition seems here apia abrupt and unconnecited ; at least the iltim wtSditCe cotmtry' of Maa jproa n Sad dwrassan to the desert, probably of Margiana, is yery sKfhdy passed over^-»E. 4 In this sectioB,Mimo seems totracc his journey along widi his firthte and uncle firom Oitssa towards Tartary ; but the regular connection ab> pMM to have been fhrow»into coiifusion, by ignorant tianscribeni and em- tors.— E. , R Probably Satugar of tht modem maps, en the western border«fBalk.— >E. 394 Travels of Marco Polo rjOLT n i Going between the east and north-east from hence, the coun- iry is fruitful, but the inhabitants are pei^dious Msiiometans^ murderers, thieves, and drunJiards. Their wine is boiled, and truly excellent. They co bareheaded, except that the men bind a struig or fillet, ten handbreadths lon^, about their heads. They miike breeches and shoes of the skins of wild beasts, and use no.other garments. After three days journey is the town of Scasom", seated in a plain, through the middle of which there flows a great river ; and there are many castles in the sur* rounding mountains^ There are mahy porcupines in this country, which are hunted by dogs ; and uiese animals, con- tracting themselves with great fury, cast their sharp quills at the men and dogs, and often wound them. The nation has a peculiar language, and Uie shepherds dwell in^cayes in the mountains. We went three days journey from thence, with- out meeting any inhabitants, to the province of Balaxiam, Balascia or Bafasagan, which is inhabited by Mahometans, who have a peculiar language. Their kings, who succeed each other hereditarily, pretend to derive their lineage from Alexander and the dauffhter of Darius, and are called Dul<' carlen, which signifies Alexandrians. In this country the f»- mous Ballas rubies are found, and other precious stones of great value, particularly in the mountains of Sicinam. No person dares either to dig for these stones, or to siend them out of the countnr, without the consent and licence of the kin^, on pain of death ; and he only sends them to such as he thinks fit, either as presents, or in payment of tribute ; he likewise exchanges many of them for gold and silver, lest they should become too cheap and common. In qthe^ mountains of the same province, the best lapis lazuli in the world is found, from which azure or ultramarine is made. There are mines also of silver, copper, and lead. The climate is very CQid,yet it pro-; duces abundance of large, strong, and swift horses, which have 6 Forster considers this place to beScasse or Al-shash,oii the riyer Sirr or Sihon,^ perhap the Taihkuad of modem maps, in the province of Shash.. The distances given by Marco miut be strangely corrupted by transcribers and editors, or Marco must have forgot when he wrote his tavels, perhaps (wen- ty^six years after he passed this country, vihtia only a boy. The distance he-' tween Balk, on one of the branches dfuie Sihon or Oxus, and Shash onthe Ji- hon or Sirr, is at least 350 miles in a straight line ; which he appears to have travelled in,^ days, but which would more probably occupy fifteen.— E. . 7 This nver is probably the Sirr or Sihon ; and the mountains of Kara- tan and Arjun p^ade the district, the two chains being separated by the' river.— E. . «| ; 12 m iST n blAP. XI. SECT. V. into Tartary. 20« !oun- aas^ and bind eads. and mof liere sur- this have Biiich hard and tough hoofs, that they do not refj^ird" iixm> shoes, although they have to run among rocks, it is' said^ that not many years ago, the king^s uncle was in the ex- clusive possession of. a breed of horses descended from the fa-' mous Buc^halus, aiid marked on the forehead exactb as he was {. and re&sing to let the king have any of his stud, fad was put to deadi, on which his wicfowj in revenge, destroyed the whole race; The mountains of this country produce the sacre falcon, the lanner, the goshawk, and the sparrow- hawk, all excellent in their kind, and much used by the iiiha^ bitahts in the diase^ as they are all much addicted to hiuiting!^ The soil of this oountiy produces cs^cellent wheat, and barle]^ without husks, and oil made of nuts and mustard, which re- sembles the oil from lintseed, but is more savoury than other oiL The men of the country are excellent archers and keen hunters, and are mostly clothed in the skins of beasts ; while the women contrive to put sixty or eighty yards of co^n cl6th into the skirts of their garments, as the bulkier they look they are esteemed the handsomer. The plains df this country are large, and well watered with fine rivers^ but the hills are high and steep, and the passes very difficult of access, by which the inhabitants are secured against invasions j and in these mountains tlic re are flocks of from four hundred to sbc hundred wild sheep, which are very difficult tb batch: If anjK one contracts an ague by living in the moist plaifis, he issur^' to recover his health by a few days residence in the mountains,' which I Marco experienced in my own person afler a whole years sickness; -• The province Bascia, or Vash^ on a river of that name which fidls into the Gihon, is ten days journey to the south of Balaxiam, and the country is very hot, on which account the peo{de are of a brown colour. They have a language of their own; and wear gold and silver ear-rings, artificially omament^i^ ed with pearls and other precious stones ; they eat flesh and rice, and are crafty and cruel idolaters. The province of Chesmur, Khesimns,' Khaschimir, or Cash- mere, is seven days journey from Bascia. The inhabitants have also a peculiar language 6f their own, and are given to idolatry beyond all omers, and addicted to enchantment, forcing their idols to speak, and darkening the day. The people of this country are not wholly black, but of a bro^ complexion, die air being temperate. They are extreme- ly lean, although they use abundance of flesh and rice; yet li'v^-Hmii $»fi Thtvdi qf Marco JPblo jfimt^t* ^ yet dM iMi?e8 will shed no Uood, and enplqjr tbe Siaraoeai nfco live MiMite diem to ilanghter tkdr cattle. IW hvm many, jttroi^ dties and towns, and being wmronmted py da* sots and rugged mountains, they we in no danger of any fin K0|gn enoanieB^ so that the king of diis ooun^ yvslds tn* mSi tmrnglae.: Coral b held in great estimation m this qpm^ tRVf Md asHik c^rer thok in any other part <^ the world; Inere are «eitam homits in this provino^ whvlive wkh mms abstimaice in- cdQs and monasteries, devoting theirii^ole litw to (3i6 sendee eHXnat idoh, and observing the strictest ohaa* tity : Many of d^ese men aie rq^uted as saints^ and «re held in high eidmation among the pe^le.- From this fnrovinee yott may go to the Indies and tb« ocean; bot I shaUnot now, ftUow iOttt 1^ oourae to India, bat retiiming to flakriamy shall tmce Aie way to Kalh&y,. befewixt the east and nerlii** •asU> "ifff JBeyond Bafatfrnin ur a eertaia Tiver, on whkh dieie uv many castles and villages, bdoi^gimj^ to the bfother of the Sung of Balaxium ; and a^ three thurs joum^, we came to Via^an ", whi<^ extends three days journey in lengdk, and as mndb vt breadth. The inhabitants of this country have a ptetduur language, and are Mahometans; they are branre warrior^ and good huntsmen, as their country abounds in wild beasts.- Baparting from thence, in a direcUen between title east and noitn-«ast, we ascended for tfaite whole dsys jom^ i|i^, until we came to an exceeding high mountain, than wluch there is none said to be higher m the world. In this place, between two mountains, is a plain, in which is a great laike, end a fine river runs throu^ the plain, on the banks «f which are such excdlent pastures, that a lesoi harse or -cfft will become quite fat in ten days. It contains also . great quantities of wild beasts, and particularly voy large v^d sheqp, bavinff horns six spans long, out of whidi Imf make various kinds of vessek. This plain continues twelve days journey in length, and is called Pamer, in which >there are no habitations, sothat travelers must carry all their pro- visions abng with them.. This pkon is so lugh and cold». tliat no birds are to be found ; and it is even said, that fire» do not bum so bright in this place, and do not so eflfecUud^ boit a Voohan, Vochui), or VaUun, oa tht rivw Vaih.— Fwit. -»ag, wlwrh runs nocth and south, be* tween Great and Little Bucharia.— £. i I I; i *. ^98 travels qf Marto Polo • .% MOT t.' Section VI. -ty'i ■«" (^thecUjfofSamarcandtthetcvm ofhop^ the Great Di^ sert in its Neighbourhoitd, and other remarkable Passages. Samabcamd ' is a great and famous city, in a fertile plain, and surrounded by fine gardens. It is subject to the nephew of the great khan, and is inhabited by a mixed popu- lation of Christians and Mahometans, among whom there ia little agreement } and in one of their disputes, the following miracle is said to have happened, about an hundred years affo. Zagathai, the brother of the creat khan, then govern* ed this country, and was persuaded to become a Christian; and ihe Christians, througti his fiurour< built a church in hor nour of. St Jphn tlie B^t;«t, which wto constructed with such sl(ill, that the whole ropi asemed to depend for support upon one central pillar, which was founded upon a large stone, which, by the permission of ZagathM, had been taken firom a building belonging to the Mahometfins. After the death of Zagathai, he was succeeded by a son who was not of the Christian faith, and from him the Mahometans ob- tained an order, by which the Christians were compelled to restore that stone ; and though they offered a sum of money as a compensation, the Mahometans absolutely insisted to have the stone itself, hoping, by that means, to reduce the: Christian church to ruins: But the pillar lifted itself up, t^at the Mahometans might remove the contested stone, and still continues suspended in the air. Departing from this city, we came iitto the province of Chdrahan '*, which is about five d^tjrs journey in fength, and Has plenty of provisions. The inhabitants are mostly Maho- metans, intermixed with some Nestorian Christians, and are subject to the nqphew of the great khan. They are diligent artificers in various manufactures, but are much sulgect to thick 1 The text is here obviously transposed. While the editor ebdeavours. to illustrate and explain the descriptions of the author, he does not consi- f ler himself at liberty to alter the text, even in the most obviously faulty places. — E. 8 Charchan, Charcham, Carcam, Hiarkand, Jarkun, Jerket, Jerken, Ur-i kend ; such are the varieties in die editions of these travels, for the Yarkand of tiiodem maps. This paragraph ought obviously to htn followed the aceonat of Carngar.— £. .W* ^nTit ka^m XI. SECT. yi. into Tariaty. 90# ■ f. r lie" •ages. thick leffs, and the goitres or lang;e wens on their throats, oC- fasioned by the bad qualitv orthe waters of the countryt The province of Cotam follows between the east and the north-east '. It is subject to the nephew of the great khan* and has many cities and towns, the chief city wing colled Cotam. This province extends eight days journey in length, and possesses every thing necessary for liie, in sufficient abun- dance j particularly cotton, ^ax, hemp, com^ and wlne^ The people are Mahometans, and not warlike, but are skil* ful in various articles of manufacture. Proceeding through the same country, we come to the province of Peim, extending four days journey in length, and containing many towns anclcastles, the city of Peim l^ingthe chief, near which there is a river in which jaspers and chalce- donies and other valuable stones are found. The inhabitants, who are Mahometans, are expert manufacturers, and are sub- ject to the great khan. There is a custpm ui this province, that when any married man goes to a distance from home, and remainii absent for twenty days, it is lawful for his wife to marry pother husband ; and reciprocally, if th^^ wife absents herself for twenty days, the husband may take anothei rife. The next province, Ciascian^, of which the chief city is named Sartan, is subject to the Tartars, and has many cities and castles. In its rivers abundance of jaspers, chalcedonies, and other,finc stones are found, which arc carried by mer- chants all the way to Ouchach or Kathay, and sold there with great profit. From Peim to Sartem, and quite through this latter province, tlie soil is very sandy, having very little water, and that generally bad. When an army passes through this province, all the inhabitanta take their wives andchildrot, with all their cattle and valuables, iwo days journey into the sands, to places where they know that good water is to be found, and remain there till the army has quitted the country j after harvest also, they uniformly taJce all their corn into the desert, and hide it in pits, and the wind soon obliterates all traces of their footsteps, so that their enemies are unable to discover whpre they have tieposited these precious hoards. After l^avelling for five days through the sands from this pro- vince, 3 Cottn, Cotam, Hotum, Khoten, Khotan, from which the useful mate- rial of manufacture^ cottottt takes its name. But instead of being between the east and northrtea, that many evil spirits reside in the wihWness, which occasion wonderful illusions to travelers who hcMjpen unfor-« tunately to lag behind their companions, calling than even by thdr names, and causing them to stray farther from the r^t course, so that they lose their way and p^ish m thci sandiB. In the night time also they hear noises as of theiif friends, and sometimes the sound of music is heard in thip air^ and people imagine that thev hear the din of drums, as if ar Sachiou, which is subject to the great khan, and 18 '5 The journeil'i(rom Sartem to tl is supposed to inhale the savour of the meat. Afler the religious ceremonies age finished, the meat is carried home to the fop* ther's dwelHl^, where all tlie kindred of the family are con- vents^, and fbut6d with great joy and devotion; but the bones are reUgiousIy kept in certain appriltpriated vessds. The priests receive the head, feet, skin, and intrails, with a portion of the iSesh for their share. When aperson of any estimation dies, his funerals are ce- lebrated with much ceremony. An astroloaer is sent for by the kindred, and informed of the year, monUi, day, and hour when the deceased was bom, when he calculates the aspect of the constellation, and asskpis the day when the burial is to take place, sometimes at the distance of seven days, or per- haps the planet may not have a favourable aspect for (.ix ittonths, during all which time the body is kept in the house. f*br this purpose a fit chest or cofiin is provided, which is so artificially jomted that no noisome smdl can escape, and in this the body is placed, having been previously embalmed with spices. The cofiin {s ornamented with paintinff, Bitd is co- vered over with on embroidered cloth. Every cwy^ iM^-the body remains unburied, a table is spread near tlMjDD(|||ii^imd set out with meat, bread, and wine, whic: remaniWaii IplU[ a time as a living person would require to eat a||id drink, and the soul of the deceased is supposed to feed upon the saVour. The astrologers sometimes forbid ^e body to be carried out for *'.. jsiBiasajNisE . ^♦t»j*BifcTr 902 TVavels of Marco Pcio Hkvri, i! •for interment at the principal door of the house, pretending tp be regulated in this by the stars, and order it to be carried out by some other way ) or will even command a passaffo to be broken out in the opposite wall of the house, to propftiate the adverse planet. And if any one dblect to this, they allege that the spirit of the dead would be omnded, and would oooaaion injury to the family. When the body is carried throu^ the city to be buried, wooden cottages are built at oortain dii^ tances by the wav, having porches covered with silk, in which the coffin is set down, with a table spread ovt with bread and wine and delicate viands, that the spirit of the dead may be re- freshed with the savour. When tlie body is carriea to the Elooe of the funeral, a number of pieces of paper, made of the ark of trees, curiously paintea with figures of men and women servants, horses, camels, money, and garments of all kinds are carried in procession, all the instruments pf music in the city sounding as ihe cavalcade moves along i and a}l these pieces of painted paper are burn^ in th* same funeral pile with the body, unuer the idea that the deceased will havp ns many servants, cattle, and garments in thje pext world, and as much money, as there were pictures of these things burnt along with his body, and shall live perpetually hereafter in thp ^enjoyment of all these things '', Section VIl. Of the Province of dmmilf and several other Countries on the road from thence to the City of Ezi^a-, and of anof her great Desert. The province of Chamil, 3vhich abounds in all the necessa- ries of life, is situated in the wide country of Tanmit, and is subject to the great khan. This province, of which the city of Chamil or Hami is the capital', is bounded by two de- serts ; the great desert of Lop already mentioned, and ano- ther i«du(^ IS only three idays journey across '. The inhabitants ^{EUxi t > : are %,;,:. 7 It is highjir probable that this emblematical representation had been cubstituted by some humane legislator or conqunvr, in place of the actu^ ■acri&ce of the servants, cattle, and goods themselves, which we are well assured was once die practice among muny rude nations, in |ionour of thsar idoceased great men. — £. 1 Called also Kamul, Chamul, Khami, and Came*xu. — ^Forst. a The desert of Noman-Cobi, or Tzokurin of modern maps.—- £. f'*, ■%■ '" •ARTl, CHAP. XI. SECT. yil. 'into Taritny. 109 are idolAten, have a peculiar language, and appear to Uve on^ ly for amutcment, devoting their whole time to iingin^, dan« cine, and nports, playing upon fnHtrumonts of munc, and reading and wriUnff fter their fashion. When anv travdler goes into a house tor entertainment and lodging, tne matter in the family receives him with great joy, and commands hia wife and fiunily to obey the stranger in all things so long .as he may choose to remain, and even departs immediately from hit own house, that he may not be any restraint upon his guest. And while the traveller remains, he may choose a female bed fellow everv night, either the wife, daughter, or servant of the pop )ite host, as he feels inclined. The women of the c&miti^. are very beautiful, and are perfectly ready to obey these singu- lar commands ; and the husbands believe that this strange hospitality is conducive to their own honour and glory, and it an acceptable service to their idols, from whose favour it securet Srospenty and abundance to themselves and their country, f angu-luion having received notice of this detestable custom, issued a peremptory order for its discontinuance, and it wot accordingly laid aside for hree years; but as these years happened to be unusually burcen, and the inhabitants were vexed with some disasters in their domestic concerns, they sent ambassadors to the khan, earnestly entreating him to revoke so grievous a mandate, and to permit them to continue a custom which had been handed down by their ancestors* To this the khan answered, ** Since you glory in your shame, you may go and act according to your customs." The mes- sengers'who brought !jack this favourable answer, were receiv- ed with great rejoicings by the nation ; and the above custom continued when 1 Marco was among them. Afler leaving tlie province of Chamil, we enter into that of Chinchintalas % subject to the great khan, Ayhich is bounded .by the ilesert on the north, and is sixteen days journey in length. It has large cities and many castles, the inhabitants being divided into three sects or religions : The greater num- ber are idolaters,' a considerable number are Mahometans, and a small proportion ore l^estorion Christians. In this pro- vince thef^e ore mountains containing mines of steel, and an- danicun)i or audanicum, and also a mineral substance called salamander > ^-a 3 Called likewise C'ii|chincala8, Sanghin-talgin, Sankin>talai, and Chitalair dalai.~Forst. This appears to be the district stretching to the S. £. of the fiogdo mountains, between the Changai ridge on the north, and the Ungan- aag'^pn the south, now occupied by a tribe of Eluts, and in which there do ^bt Srppear to be any .towns.— £. iH Trentin^ Mono P6U WkVth 1' Mikinander or asbeitot, frrnn Uie wool of which an income butibb doth m manufiMtimd, which, if cMt into tho fire doci pol bum. Thii cloth it Mti«Uy imide of tton* in tho follow* big manner, as I wai informed oy a Turk named Cnrifor, an iolelligent iadnstrious pennn of my acquaintance, who had ihiB H4ierintendence of the minee in this province. A certain mineral it found in these mountains wUoh viehk fibres mcHnbling wooli After being thotooghijr dried in th« eun, this substance is pounded in a brass mortar, and then washed to remore all earthy imporiticf ) and the clean fibraue matter is spun in the same manner as wool, and woTen into>^ doth. Wncn this cloth requircB to be deaned or whitened^ . it is thrown into the fire for nn hour, and is then taken out' mihurt, and as white as snow. It is said, there is a napkin at Rome of this salamander wool, in which the handkerchief of the Lord Jesus is kept wrapped up, which a certain king of the Tartars sent as a present to the Pope. But as for the •alamander or serpent, whidi is reported to live in the fire* I could hear of no such creature in ali the eastern countries. Leaving this province, we travel for ten di^s between the east and north-eosk« during which there arc fow habitations or things worthy of ronark \ after which we come to the pro^ ▼ince of Sucdr% in which there are many towns and villiwes^ the chief dty being called Succir^ In this province, which is aubject to the great khan, there are a fow Christians among ,> a great number of idolaters. The best rhubarb' is found in " great quantities in this province, and i« .canried thence by merchants to various parts of the world, £tarangars dare not go to the mountains where the rhubarb grows, on account of . certain poisonous plants, which occasion any beasts that feed opon them to cast their hoofs ; but the bea«ts of die country know this plant, and avoid feeding vspaa it. Caropioa 4 Sachurt Soccuir, Soul:, or Snck, on die riwr Sudk, wfiidi emptk* it- j •elf into the riTer of Pegu to the north of Thibet.— Font. This I suipect to be Cluonung of bur modem map*, oe « river vrhic^ Tuni north into the Soukook lake.— E. 5 The country of the gcnume rhubarb hu been deecribed by the great Ruuian traveller Palai, at situated en the river Seliogol, not fiu: from the town of Selinga, which fiUk into the Chattungol, Hoang-ho, Choango, or Karamiiren. — Forst. The traveb of Palas will be found in an after portion of this work ; and It need only be remarked m this place, that there are at leut two kinds of true rhubarb, the China and Russia ; and that two species of the genus, the R. Pahnatum and R. Undulatum, certainty produce the drug nearly of the same quality, and are probabty to be found in varioui parti of central Asia or Tartary.--E. •A 4MAP. XI. net, VJi. into Tartary, 50$ CaBipkm' it a ffreat city, and ii the chief place io all Tan- goL In it, betloea idolaters and Mahometan!, there are » tftood imfAy Chriitlani, who h*Te throe fkir churches. Th« Idolilen have many templet and monaiteriet dedicated to their idoli. Theae idob arc very numeroUf , and are made of ttoBf. wood, olr clay, some of therin curiously inUddwithf|;pld, aiM very airtiflcially made; Some are very large, a&ost ten poeeii high, standiiff upright, atod having many trover idola . placed around, wmch seem to give reverence to the great one. 'Hii priests of these idols appear to live more rMuEurl^, ^ and arc less addicted to voluptuousness than other idolaters. Yet wantonness is not looked upon in this country as any Ct sin I for they sav if a woman invites a man, there is no A in compliance, but if the man solicits the woman, it is .quite otherwise. , In this country they divide the year by lunations, and in every moon they keep certain days ax holy, in some five, or four, or three clays, in which they kill no beast or bird, and abstain from animal food. The people of this country marry , twenty or thirty wives, or as ipiany as they arc able to main- tain, DOt th^ mrst wife always has the prec^ence over the . others. The huHband receives no portion with lus wife, but , on the contrary has to assign her a dower in cattl6, scrvanU* , nnd money, according to his ability. If any of the wives does not live in harmony with the rest, or if she becomes dis-.^, liked by her huohnnd, it is lawful for him to put her away. , They marry their own near relations, and even &ke wives of ihehr deceased fathers, excepting alwayi» tlieir own mothers. ^ In tfie manners and cu8to;ms of this country , 1 Marco was suf-^ fidently experienced, having dwelt a whole year in this place, along with my father and uncle, for the dispatch of certain affiurs of business. In twelve days journey from Campion, we come to tlie city of 'EAta ^, which borders on a sandy desert towards th^ north. AU the provinces and cities befisre mentioned, viz. Sachion, Camul, Chinchintalas, Succoir, Campion, and E- zina, are comprehended in the great country of Tongut. The inhabitants of Ezina are idolaters, who live by agriculture, VOL. I. u ami 6 Kaapioii, Kampition, Kampiciou, Kanticheu, or Kaiv4cheoU| in tire CtuBMe province of Shnui, on the Etzine-moren, or Etchint river, which joint Uw Souk.— Fortt. 7 Eziva, or Etzine, on a river of the same name, which runs into the Suck or Souhouk.— Forst. S06 TVavek qfMarto J^do PART i^ and on the produce of their flocks and herds, having grelit quantities dt camels and other cattle, but farry on no trac^ in this countiy there are forests of pine trees, m which ithetei aire wil4' asses, and many other wiM beasts $ tnere fi;re likef wise libundance of ialcoils* par^cularly the laraier and| sacie, whi6h are reckoned exceVent. Such travellers as Jntencl tq pass tbrougli the great desert of Shamo, which is ibr^ da^ff journey bi extient, must provide all their provisions m tms placed as they aftierwfuds meet wi^h no habitations, except a few straggling people here and there pn the mount^s fui4 valleys. Section VIII. Of the City of Caracaruin and of the Tartars, tvith some 0c^. count of their Hiftory^ Monarchs, and Manners. Having passed over the before mentioned desert of forty days, travelling always to the northyirard, we come to the large city of Charabhoran, or Caracarum ', whidi is three mitts in circumference, and strongly fortified with an earth- , en rampart, as there is no intone in these parts. Near the city there is a £7-eat ca<-tle with on elegant palace, in whicl\,. the governor usually resides. Near this place the Tartarsi^ used to assemble in old times, and here therefore I shall ex^^i plain the original of their empire. 1 They dwett at first in the northern parts called Curza an4 I Bargtt *, where there are many vast plains without cities an4 i towns^ but aboun^g in pastures, lakes, an^ rivers. Th^jj 1 Carfcanim, Caracorum» Tancoraq)» Kpraluivm, Kv^arin, Kann , ^lim, called Holia by the cKinese. 'ThLi city was laid dowii by Danvill^ with ackaowledged uncertainty, on the Onguin-pirariver,in Lat. 44'. 50*. N. ^ I<9ng. 107*'. £. : while others asugh its situation on the Orchon, in Lat. ' 46<*. 30. N. Long. 103^ £ : about 150 miles to the N. W.— £. $ 2 The orig^ffiu residence of the Moals or Monguls, whom Miirco abfpaya ' calls Tartars, appears to have bien limited by' the Selinga and lake B^al on the west, or perhaps reaching to the Bogdo Akai and Sayanak mountains ; the Soilki mountains on the east dividing them from the Mandshur*, and the Ungar-daga mountains on the south, dividing them from! the great em« Eire of Tangut» whld) t!'.ey overthrew. Bargu may have been on the Bai- /- alt near which there ilill is a place called Barsuzin. Of Cursa no trace is t to befound in ourmaps. — £. - " _ ui' AHT 1^ CHAP. XI. SECT. Tin. into Tartasy, 907 .f>r-; bad BO prince of their own nnfafuk, but paid tribute to a cer- taiQ great kingf named, as I have been twd, in thar language, Umcmt wA which some people beljeye to Mi0iify,in t^ mx- guages of Europe, P)reater-Jobn ' { and to whom the Xai;tar» gave yearlv a tenth ppot of the increase of their fiod^ and erds, and of their horses. In process of time, the Tartars sp increased ii^ numbers, that Inncan became a^d of thiip, and endeavoured to disperse them into s^eral parts of his o^ipire i and when any of them rebdied* he used po aeftd parties into their territories to reduce Uiem to obe- dience ; for which purpose, he even frequently dqiut^ spme, of their own nobles. At length it became obvious to the whole nation, that their ruin was intended ; and being uup willing to be separated from each other, they retired into the northern deserts, where they might he safe from the power of Umcan, to whom they refused the acqurtomed tribu^. After continuing in the noith |br some time, th^ ^ose a king among themselves, nt^ned Zingisrjkban, who was a wise and vaRant man, and feigned with suph Jnntio^, ^t he was beloved and feared of all as a god ra^er than as a prince, so that by his fame and prowess, he aoon reduced ail the Tartars in these ports under his authori^. Seeing himself at the head of so many valiant men, he determined to leave the northern deserts $ and commanding his people to provide themselves with bows and other weapons, he began jto redu^ the neighbouring cjides and prov^icc^ under ms dominion, in which conquests he placed Aueji j,ns]t governors, that tfa^ pec^e were perfectly reconqiled po hjis auMiority. In all his conquests he carried the c^ef persons along with him, be- stowmg upon them provisions and other ^fts, and by that means attached them to his person, ^d continually apgmen- te4 3 PresteisJdin^ Pnsbyter or Prieat, or, as calkd by the Germuu, Prieat* «r Johaniii frond wj^ch our Eof li^ denomination, was prince of ^t Nay- manni or Karaitei, n tribe resid^g on the river Kallasiui or K«rsiibi, which . ditcharges itself into the Jenisei. His original name is said to have been Togrul, and for some services to ttie Chmese in their wars, he was honour- ed with the title at Ung, Uang, «r Wang i from whence arose hn Tartarian style of Un|^4diaa, likewise erroQeQusIy yrritten Aunte]^, or Avemek-khan. Perhaps this princf may have been converted by the Nestorian CM*tians, and may even have received priests ord^rsv-yForst. It b more prbbaUe that he maiy have belonged to &if; Dalju4ama religion i" '"tdilch some Ignorant traveller, from resemblance in dress, and the use of ro- saries in prayer, may have supposed a Christian sect residing in eastern Scy- tjkia.— E. ■•■* 6i«» is w ft h Dravdi ofJi^reo Polo FART I. Kfd hk power* After Mtme ciim, finding faimsdf advataot^ to -poimat tittdi gloryi hetmti aitdbtuMidon to Uiftcan, to en« tMMt iAm h«i «tno«dd httMw his datightser upon Ithn fdt^ii irihJ- VmtM fttti^ed itiA memsgttfkk the uttnost inicB|(^ iMtfb% Mjrii^ lo the mmttmr^i ** Ptiei My sei^aiit pr^ niMe to dUMaiMittly dffi^ilttev f begone, and tdl you^ master, tlMit if ev«r he dare t»r entering in-' tp war agai^M Umcftn i he therefore immediately levied a gyeat flrmyt with which he marched boldly agninst Umcan, and encamped in a greiit pUun named Tanduc *, sending a message to Umcan to 4e<d himself. Upon this Umcnrj ct^ected a vast afmy, widi which he advanced into the dfig^ a^jtitched his cMtqpi within ten miles of that of the Tart«rs< Zin^s commondra his asCrbli^rs to sheW him w4iat was' to be the event of tlie approaching battle ; on whieh tlyfy s^lit a reed into two pieces, on one ofwhjch they wrote the>Mui;peof 2^gii»y and tne name of Umcan on the other, and tlhMik them sepatatdy into theeround, raying to Zingis r **' While ire tead in our holy boOlurth £su-khan, the 4 Tenduc, Tenduch, Tcuduch.— Forst. Jib ■ ■. * Vj t PV^ff 3U. SECT. VitK . inlo futtqiyt 809 tQ*f; AteJr tiutn Uiat of m his jtrc^teeMon, «8, be^^ .haviiv in' , . fted |eA t|i^ itoqmsitiotMy he has a^d^d alnipyt i^e imple ^fl4 to lim empire, during a long and prosp^rovn re%n of ifixiy years '. All me great khans and princes pf th«,bl|d«d pf Zingis, are carried for burild to the mountains of / Jtai» evoi from the distance of an hundred days journey { and those who attend the body» kill all whom their m^t by thf- VS^t ^'' derhig them to go and serve their lord m the odier WPrM, and a mat number of fitae horses are daiA on the sam^ occasJion ai^ pretence. It is said that the solctiers who aiJcpjnpanied the body of Manau-khan to the mountain of Altai, mw a- I^Ve ton thousand men during their journey. ; The Tartar women are remarkably faithful to their hus- Ibands, considerii^ adultery as the greatest and most unpar- donable of crimes I yet it is accounted lawful an4 honest,, for Uie men to haVe as nianr vriye^ as diey can midntain* but th^ first married is alwo,^. • < ; ted the principal and most hbnpurablet These wives JV :^ Ixi one house, m the utmost harmony land most admiitebie concord j ih which they cariy on various manu&ctures) buy and sell, and procure all things necessary for their husbands and fiundlies, the men 0mpk»y'* ine themselves only in hunting and hawking, aUd in martial afmirs. They have the best kilcohs in the world, i^d great numbers of excellent dogs, and tli^y live upob flesh and milk, and what they procure l)y huntings They eat the flesh of hprses and camels, ahd even of doffs, if fat; abd their chidT drink is cosmos, made of mares miui: in a particular manner, and very much resembling white winci when the &thar of a family dies, the son may marry all hb fathers wives, ex- cept only his own mothei^, neither do they marry their sisters; and on the death of a brother, the surviving brother may vcnttfTy the widow of the deceased. The husbands rec^ve no portions with their wives, but must assign sufficient dowries to their wives and mothers. As the Tartars haVe many wives, they 8 According to the genealogical history of the Tartars by Abulgasi Bayadurwkhan, tJgadai«khan succeeded Zingis in ISSO. Iti 1845 he wU succeeded by his son Kajiik*khan, called Khen-khan fay BAarco in the tejit^ To him ManguJdian succeeded in 1S47, who held the empire till 1857 i when he was succeeded by Koplai or Kublai-khan, who reigned thirty-five years, and died in 1 892. — ^Hams. ICarco probably dated the reign of Kubhu*khant which he extends to sixty years, from his having recnved a great delegated governmenti a long time be- fore ht became great khan, or empetor of the Tartars.— £. 910 TVavds tf Marco Polo tivi U iv th^ ofUn have g/eat numbers of children; neither is the multitude of their wives very burthenatHnet as they gem much by theii^ kbour, and they are ceedingly careful in the man- agement of fimiily concerns, la me preparation of food, and in all other housel^old (duties. The Tarturs feed many l^erds of* cattle, and numerous flocks of ^eep, and great numbers of camek and horses. ,Th^ I'emam with these during the summer in the pastures of tiie fhOitntaihs and colder regions of the nortfi, where they fin^ abim^ance of grass and wood ; but in winter they rp*novc info the tfiarmer resions of lite south, in search of pasture, and they c^ereJly travd forwards for two or diree months toffetheri^ Their houses are made of slerider rods covei^ed with feh, itaoistly of a round form, anc. are carried akng ^th thenji in carts or waggons with four wheels, andt the doors of these movebule houses are always placed fronting the south. Thf^ have also very neat ca^ts on two wheels, covered so closdy with felt, that (he rain cannot penetrate, in which their wives toid Chilian aiid household goods are conveyed from place to JP^e. All these stre drawn by oxen or camels. The rich Tartars are clothed in sables and ermines, and ether rich furs, and in cloth of gold, and all their apparel and furniture is very costly. Their arms are bows, swords, battle-axes, and some have lances ; bu' they are most expert in the use of the bov, in which th^ are trained from tnelr 'in&ilcy. Tiey are hardy, active, and bnivt:, yet somewhat (bruel; a.eexccedirgly patient and obedient to their lords, and ■«;^ill onen reAiaih two days and nights armed on horseback '^^thout rest. They believe in one supreme God of heaven, 'to ^iiom they daily offer incense, ibrayinff to him for healtn and prosperity. But every person has a little imagSe covered with felt, or something else, m his house, called Natigay ; and to this household god they make a wife, wliic^ is placed on his lefl hand, and children, which are set before his face. This 'image or idol is considered as the god of earthly things, to whom they recommend the protection of their wives and children, their cattle, com, and other valuables. This god is held in great reverence, and before eatin|; any thing them- ^selves, they anoint the mouth of the idol with the fat iS. their boiled meat, and' they cast some broth out of doors in honom' '.^ of other spirits j after which they eat and drink their fill, say- :>■'• ing, that now their god and his fiimily have had ihek due por- tion* —,..,__, 4»* I. is the mudi aiui iHAPk XI. SECT. yiii. into tartfifjf. Sll If the ion of one Taiter, and tho daughter of another 4ie Unmarried, the {iarents meet tooethto and cehibrate amar- riagebetwecn 'their deceased children. On this occasion they drMr up a wiritteii conti^t, and paint representations d'men and women for senrants, of horses, camels, cattle, aiid sheep, of jlothes of aD kinds^ and of paper money} aiid isU these thuigs are burhed liljng with the contract, conceiving that these will all follow their children substantially to the other world to serve them, aiid that diey will be there united m af- fihibr, as if th«y ha I been atitually married while living. When the Tartaxv* ^ to war, the prince usually leads an turmy of not less than an hundred thousand men, tul cavabry ; rodi man having usually eight or more horses or mares. Theii^ troops are regularly distributed into bands of tens, hun- dreds, thousands, and ten thousands ; s. troop of an hundred is cabled a TuCf and a body of ten thousand is called a 2b« lliey carry their felt houses along with them, Ibr shel- man. ter in bad weather. When necessity requires, they wiD ride for ten days together without victuals, subsisting upon the blood of theii^ horses, by cutting a vein and sucking the blood. But they likewise prepare dried milk, for takine with thein in their expeditious, in the following manner : Aner taking off the creamy Which is made into butter, they boil the milk and dry it in die sun into a kind of hard curd, of which every man in the army carries about ten pounds along with him. li- very morning they take about half a pound of wis curd, which they put into a leathern bottle with a quantity of water, and as he rides along, the motion of the horse shakes and mixes these together, and this mess suffices for the food of one day. When mey approach towards the enemy, they send out nu- merous scouts oh all sides, that they may not be assaulted unawares, and to bring uitelligehce of the numbers, motions, and posture of the enemy. When they come to battle, they ride about in apparent disorder, shootmg with their arrows ; and sometimes make a show of precipitate flight, discharging their arrows backwards as thev fly; and when by these means they have broken or dispersed die enemy, they suddenly ral- ly their forces, and make an unexpected assault, which ge- herally decides the victory, their horses being all so thorough- ly under command, as to turn any way merely by a sig- nal. If any Tartar 'Steals a thing of small value, he is not put to 4eath, but receives a certain number of blows with a cudgel, aoeordmg a- •*' ?}* TVapels tf JShreo Polo f A*v i^ according to the measure of ihe oflPencei either seveot or wventeen, or tweiityi«eveo» thirty-wTeOf or fiirty-ieven {< thou^ Bome die through toe s^mty of thia aidgelling. But iftmvoneited a horse or other wj^g of ,gi!^ VMier fo' - vrhbai'tie deisehres to die acoor T' 'g tp thdr layrs, he is cut a- BUnder with a sword, unless h edeon his life by restoring the theft nine fold. Such as I .e ^^prses, oxen, or fittpads,, brand them witl^ their particid^: marks, and eend them 'to fieed in the paSBtu^ mthout a keeper. Leavingtbecity of Catacarum, and the mountain Altai, we enter the champakni country of Bargu ^, whidit extends- nortlMrards for about fifty days lounley. The inhabitant^ of this country are cdBed Medites \ and are subject to the neat Idian, and resemble the Tartav»in their manners. They nave no com or wine, and ^amloy themselves chjcdflty, during sum- mar, in the chase of wild beasts, and n qatdiing birds, m the flesh of whi|ch they subsist in winter;^ and they have great abundance of a kind of stags, which ^^ render sp tame that "tiiey allow themselves to be ridden. In the winter iim poaa- "^ tty IS so excessively cold, that fowls, and all other living things, "temove to warmer Vfigions. After forty days journey weiar* rive at the ocean, near which is a mountain frequented'by storks, and fine falcons, as a breeding place, and fii;«im whence falcons are brought for the amusement of the great khadtf Section 6 Bai^-fin, or Bai^uiii, is the lUune of a river on the eart «de of lake BaUul, on which is a town or village named Barguzih, or Barguainskojr Os- trog, lignifyiag the town ol the Bivguzians. But by the detcrijition m the . textt Marco wpetrt to have comprehtnded the whole nordi<«ait of Tattary, '\o,the north pttheChangai mountains, under the general name of BargUi In wluch he now includes Curza, mentioned separatdy at. the commeaceakent of the preceding Section, and where the ntuahon of Bsrgu has been ah^y UMire particularly described in a note. — ^E. 7 Metrites, MecUtes, or MariuetSir— Ferst. N« such appdiadon is to be found in qaoftem geography ; but the discontinuance of toe designations, of temporary and continually channng associations o^e wiandering tribes of Ike desert, is not to be wonderedat, and even if their records were preserred> they would be altogether uniiaportaat<~-B. i* ^f^f>*^?^iij^'K ^p4,^:y--'*%i¥ jaSKEHCC' (flur. XI. SECT. flc. iM0 Tartar^, 813 SecTioM IX. €^the tatt Ccmhriet to the North of Tartaiy, and mat^ other curious Parttculars. We now tetatn to Campion^ or Kantcheou, on the river Eiddn^ Proceediiu; thence five dajrs journey towards die east, we come to me couHtry of Erginul ' in the province of Tflingat, whidt it subject to me great khan. Li this kingdom iJjsite are many idoutters, with some Nestoriapp and Turks. It contains many cities and castles, the chief place being of the same name with the province. • Gdinff fM>ttth-east from this place towards Katha;^, we come to the lamous city of Cinguy *, situated in a province c^the same name, which is tributary to the great khan, and is con- tained in the kingdom of TanguL Some of the people are Chrifltians, some of them Mahometans, and others are idolap tert. In this country there are certe'^ wild cattle, nearly as large as elephants, with black and white hair, which * lort all over the body, except on the shouMers, where it is three spans long, exceedingly fine, pure white, and in many i^ spects more beautiful tnan silk. I brought some of this hair to Venice as a rarity. Many of these oxen are tamed and brc^e in for laboui*, for which they are better adapted, by their strength, than any other creatures, as thcry bear verj heavy bureaus, And when yoked in the plough wul do twice the work of others. The oest musk in the world is found in this province, and is procured from a beautiful animal, die u^ of a goat, having hair like a stag, the feet and tail resem- bUng an antelope, but has no horns j it has two teeth in tSie upper jaw, above three inches lone, as white as the fineK ivory ^ Wh^n the mo n is at the full, a tumor, or impos- ihun^e, grows on the beuy of thisanimd, resembling a bladdcx filled with blood, and at this time people go to hunt this ani- mal 1 Ei^grinul, Eriginul, Erdscbi-aur; and tlu* oiuglit to Iw resd j$% day* aputli-vre.\t, initead of five days eavt. — Font. This may probably be some diitrict in tbe country of the Eluts of Kokonor, not mentioned in our modem inapt.-^£. ^ Sbgui, Sigan» or Singan-fou, in the Chinese jKnvince of Shecaee.— Forst. S In the edition of Harris* it Is sud Ukemse to luve two similar tusks in the lower jaw, but this error must have beeihput in by some ignorant editor. — E. SI« TVaoets ^ iiart$ Polo fAbv U mal for the take of this bag or swdlinff, which they dry .in thai sun, and sell at a high ^rice, as it is Uie best of musk, •'tlw flesh also o^ the animal is ffood for eat'Jig. I, M^rcot b roijgli (he head and feet of one of th«M) animals to Ytmce. The people of this country of Singui live by trade an4 manufacture, and they have abundance of com.' They are idolaters, having fat bodies, small noses, black hair, wnd no beard, except a few scattered hairs oh their chins. The wo- men are exceedihgly fiur, and the men ratner make choice of their wives by their beauty than by their liobility dr ridies i HO, that when a great nobleman marries a poor but, beautiful wife, he has often to assigh a large dowery to obtain the ^on- sent of the mother. This provmce extends twenty-five days joiuruey in length, and is very ^rtile. In it there are expeed- ingly large pheasants, with tails eight or ten handbreadths long, and many other kinds of birds, some of which have very beautiful end finely variegated plumage. After eiffht days fiuther travel to the east, we come to the • eight d ^ district of £!^gai^ % which is litill in the kingdom of Tan^ gut, and subject to the great khan j it contains many cities and castles, Calacia being we principtJ city, which is inhabit- ed by idolaters, though the Nestorian Christians have three churches. In tlus city, excellent camblets are manufactured from white woo), and uie hair of camiels ', which ar|e export- ed by the merchants to all parts of the World, an||,IM|rt^cp|i:ly to Kathay. ' ' ' , ' .][ East from this province of E^rtigaia is that ojf Tandach '» in which there afe ntany citjes and castles. The king of this nation is culleil George, who is a Christian and a priest % and most of the people also are Christians ; he is qescended of Prester John, formerly mentioned under thenomeof Umcan, from whom he is the fourth in descent, and he pays tribute to the great khan ; and ever since the battle in which Umicail was ^tn by Zingis, the great khans have given their dai^h- ters 4 According to Forster, this pSssa^e is corruptei^ and ouglit to be thtis read : ** After eight days journey Teuduch. — Forst. 7 This f« jlish itovy of Freitstr John has been explain'^ in a former note — E. • ■ '_ 1 » OtAK XI. SECT, lit. into SU ten in marriage to the kinn of this country, who do iiot pot« keu alt the dominions whidi were formerly subject to Prester Jdita. There is a mixed race in this country, called Argons, descended of idolaters and Mahometans, wno are the mmd- ftomest people in these parts, apd are most ingenious manu- fecturers and cunning merchants. This province was the chief residence! of Prester John, and there are two neighbour- ing districts, called Una and Monoul by the natives, which (hepeo^le of Eurojie caU Gog and Magog. Trarellinff eastwards for' seven days towards Kaihay, there kr^ many cities, inhabited by idolaters, Mahometans, and Nestorians, who live by commerce and manufactures, and iyho make 8tu£b wrought with sold and flowers, and other silken stufl^ of all kinds, and cototirs hlcp those made among us, and also woollen cloths of various kinds. One of these towns is SindiCin, or Sindacui, where very excellent arms of all kinds fit for war are manufhctured. In the mountains of thii province, called Idifa, or Ydlfu, there are great mines <)f silver. Three days iounicy from Siiididn stands another city, nam- ed ianffamvlr", which signifies t\ie Vif kite Lake. Near this Eljace, tne khan has A pdacc, in which he takes great dc- ght, as he has fine gardens, with many lakes and riven, and multitudes of swans, and the adjacent plains abound in cranes, pheasants, partridges, and other game. Tliere are five sorts of cranes here, some of which nave black wings, others aro white and bright ; their feathers being ornamented with e^'cs like those of a peacock, but of a golden colour, with beautiful black and white necks ; a third kind is not unlike our own, and appearance ; the fourth kind is very small and i m size beautiful, variegated with red and blue; the fifth is very large, and of a grey colour, with black and red heads. In a valley near this city, j)artridgc>s, for there are astonishing numbers of qiiails and ^ Q ' ^^ maintenance of which the khan causes ihiUct and other seeds to be sown, that they may have plenty of food ; and a number of people are appointed to take care that no person may catch any of these birds, which are so tame, that they wiu flock around their keepers at a whistle, to 8 Cianga-nor, Ciangahior, Cyangamor, or Tsahan-nor, in lat. 45*^. 30. N. long. 117*'. E. Marco, in these accounts of the different districts of Tan- gut* seems to have followed no regular order, but goes from one to aaother, as fancy or memory strvjd. — Fbrst. f 01 I . 810 TVaveh qf Marco Polo PAKI I. to r«ceire fopd from their hands. Thero are also a gcfM^ nvimbet' of small huts built, in different parts of the Talley» j^gr aheltct to these birds, during tibe severity of wiptcr, wh^ they a^ regularly fed by the keepen. By thiise in^aiis, wh«p the emperor chooses to come to this part of (be countrykhe )s certain to find abundance of game j and durii^g Winter, he has ffTeat quantities sent to hhn on camels, or other beasts of W* den. Three days journey south-west from langamur is the city of Ciandu ^, which was biiih by the great emperor Kidalai- khan, and in which he hod a palace erected, of marvellous art and beauty, ornamented with marble and other rare stones^ One side of this palace extends to the middle of the city, and the other reaches to the city wall. On this side there is a great inclosed park, extending sixteen miles in circuit, into which none can enter but by the palace. In this indosure there ore pleasant meadows, groves, and rivers, and it u wed stocked with red and fallow deer, and other animals. The khan has here a mew of about two hundred ffer>falcons, which he goes to see once a-week, and he causes them to be fed with the flesh of fawns. When he rides out into this park, he of* ten causes some leopards to be curried on horseback, by people appointed for this purpose, and when he gives command* a leopard is let loose, which immediately seizes a stag or deer i and ne takes sreat delight in this sport. In the middle of a fine wood, the khan has a Very elegant house built all of wood, on pillars, richly gilt and varnished i on every one of the pillars there is a dragon gilt all over, the tail being wound around the pillar, while the head supports the roor^ and the wings are expanded on each side. The roof is composed of large canes, three hand breadths in diame^ ter, and ten yards lon^, split down the middle, all jpit ai:^4^, , .Vurtiished, and so artificiallv laid on that no rain can pen^ ,i fixate. The whole of this house can be easily pulled 4owil and iskan to pieces, like a tent, and readily set up again, as it is all built of^cone, and very liffht; and when it is erected* ^ it is fastened by two hundred ^ilken ropes, after the mannef of tent cords, to prevent it from being thrown down by the l winds. Every thing is arranged in this place for the pleasure 'and convenience ofthe khan, who spenos three months here annually, in June, July, and August ; but on the twenty-eighth M. '■■'. <> Cyandi, Xaodu, or Tihangtu.— Font. .. ,..w.; s c e 3 o i f rwM wftiriT'- OHAP. fx. SECT. IX. into Tartaiy, 317 uax J. ■A ig d^ of AuflUft he i^ayt tettvet llii«, to go to some other place, for the performance of a solemn sacnnce. Ahinm on tfie M^detli day of August, he is d&«cted by the astrofennrs mnd' swtere r s, to spriwle a quantity of white mares mSk^ nHlli hk own handsi ds a saeiifiee to the oods and spirits (rfthe air ifi4 the earth* in order that Mi subjects, wives» c!til(fatn| oattkB, aiid com, and all that he possesses, may flourish anq prosper. The khan has a stud of horses and mares all pure w^ite, nearfy ten thousand in number i of the millc of which none are permitted to drink, unless those who are descended' from Zinffis-khan, excepting one fiunily, named Boriat, to' whom this priril^ was granted by Zmais, on account of their valour. These white horses are held in suc^ ref^tmce, that no one dare go before them, or disturb them ifi their pastures. There arc two sects of idolatrous nriesti, called Chebeth tfnd Chesmu, who ascend the roof or the palace ip the midit. of storms, and persuade the people they aire so bdy, that they can prevent any rain ftom falling on tne roof. Tnese people go about in a very filthy condition, as they never wash or comb themselves. Tliey have also an abominable custom of eating the bodies of malefactors who are condemned to death, but uey do not feed on any who die naturally. These are likewise called Bachsi, which is the name of their order, aH our iriars are named predicants, minors, and the like, lliese fellows are great sorcerers, and seem to be able to do ant thing they please oy magic art When the great khan sits in Iiis hall at a table, wmch is raised several feet above the others '% thc;rc is agrtot sidebottrd of plate at some distance in the midst of the haD^ and irom thence these sorcerers cause wine or milk to^ tfaie goblets on the khans table, whenever he commands. These PacKsi also, when they have a mind to make feasts in hcmour of their idols, s^nd word to the khan, throu^ certain officers deputed fitf the purpose, that if their id^ds are not honoured with the accustomed sacrifices, they will send blights on the fruits of the groimd, and murrains among the beasts^ and entreat, therefore, that he will order a certain number (^blaek-headed sheep, widi incense, and aloes-wood, to be de-i Bvered 10 In Harrii, the elevation it uid to be eighip feet, perhaM a ty|)(^(iliU cal error iv eight, aa, in a subwqsent paiaage, the table of the khan ii mere- ly ni^ to be higher than those of the rett who have the honour to dine $uong with him ; the pauic«|Iar height, thcrefpre, ii left indeteraninate in the; text.— 5. ■ 318 Travels t^Mmco Pol^ 9AM.VU liyerad to themt for the du« and honourable peribnpiaiifte of , t^e regular sacrificet. i Th«M prietts have yait pnopasteriM* MHne of which ore oir large ai unall cities, a^ oevera) of them contain ahout tapo tbouffttd noaki^ or penpni devoted to the tervlee of the idolsy aU of whom ihave their beards and heads, and wear. INurticular garmciitH, to denote that they are set onairt fipom the laity, for the bcrvice of their gods { yet some of them may marry. )n tlieir solemnities, these men sin^ the praisca of their idobf and carry Ikrhts in their procewuons. Some of them, coiled Sra&im, or Sontpm** lead an austere life, eating nothing but meal mingle4 with water* and when all the flour is (expended, they content themselves with the br^ui, without any lavouiy addition. These men worship the fire, an4 thoM who follow other rules, allege that these austere Skintpros are heretics agpoinst the religious law, because they refuse to wor? sh^ idols, and never marry. These Sontoms shave their lieads and beards, wear coarse hempen aarments of a Uadt, Of bright yellow colour, sleep on coarse uiick mats, and live the severest life imaginable, amid every couceivab|b depjrivor lion and austerity, "r Section X. (If the great poner qf Kubtai'lchan^ aud various circumstances respecting his FamH^t Gavemmentf and Dominions, ,.f i MOW propose to relate the great and marvellous acta of Kubbd-khon, the great emperor of the Tartorn. His name, expressed in our li^gua^e, si^ilies lord qf lords, end he Oer«> tainly i» the greatest prince m cities, peiople, and treosurefty that ever reigned in the world. He is hneolly descended from JZingis-khan, the first prince of the Tartar^, being the vixth emperor of that race, and began tp reagp in 1256, being.then • hrtun-; twenty^ 11 Ib tU aeei of the world, except the spcial, vet irrational sndent •upentitbnt of Gre mense empirvi with great gravity aud wisdom. ' He is a ytry valiant man, strona of body and well exercised in amis, and evinced himsdf such, in many actions, U^re he attaiiied to empiie, which he effected bv his superior wi»dom and inar*. m^jement, contrary to the will of liiii brotliren. Befigre bis te**' cession, he shewed himself a more valiant soldier, afdawiscr general than «ver the Tartars had bcture his tim^. Yet, since b^ bas swayed tbo epipiw, b<^ '' and i* laid to have been then eighty years of age. He must therefore have been fortyfivs yeai^ old at his accession, instead of twenty^seven. Harris indeed mentions in a note, that the age of Kublai in the M8S. and even in many of the prime \ edttiona, was left blank.— E. 9 In Hsrris, this date is 1886 ; but as, in a note, this war is said to have occurred on occasion of the election of Kublai to the imperial dignity in 1 857, I have ventured to restore what seems to be the true date. B«ides Naiam* in 1886, thirty years of age* could not possibly have been the uncle of Kublai. —E. 9 Tine new city of Pekio, of which hereafter.— E. %\ iiot Travels qfMqrco Polo tAftttf f k .>- >»■« c wards the encf|itapnlent of Ndam, afid a|^eared wiiih h^^ | whdearmy inK'a nill, over agttins^ the camp of the rebels, Mt^fad^'^ had not ev^s^t out any scouts to procure intelligence. ' ' ' KubUd-khan was seated on the top of a wpodeu ca^le, ckr? ^e4 hy four elephants, and filled with ardiers and cross-bbw men, npm whicn the royal standard vraa displayed, on which the pfcCutes of die sun andmoon wereponrtrayed. Dividing'"^ his army into three bodies, he kept one as d reserve on the ' ^ hill beside himself, and sent the two wjbkigs to attack die air;: ^^ my of Kaiam, who resolved to stand thd issue of a battlc^'''^ .To every ten thousandhorse inthearmyof K^lai, fii^ hutid^^'^^^ li^tiirmed footmen urith lances were assigned; who had bden taiuht to leap up bfehind the horsanen on any occasion irlipi^ flight or retreat became necessary, and were ihsti!Ti<;te(| - to alight, and kill the horses of the c»)emy during battlie. "^ The two armies Joined in a well contested battle, whi3i lasted" frommbmii^ tiU mid- day, >vhen Nainm Was made f^neohei^^' and att his rollowers submitted themselves to thd clemency 6f '^ the victbt; and having renewed their oKths of aK6gidnce^'*f * were pairdohed and dismissed, having anew governed set '^ over uiem, in whose fidelity the great khat'i could confide *. Kaiam was ordered to be sewed up between two carpets, and tolsed up and down' till he died, to'avoid sheddingthte blood of any one belonging to the imperial house of /Sitr- gis. Naiam is said to have been secretly baptized, and to have professed himself a Christian, having his principal ensign maiked with the sign of the cross, and to have had a great' number of Chrisdans in his army who were all slain. Oh thia occasion, the Jews and Mahometans, who served' in the army of Kubliu, upbraided his Christian soldiers with the disaster which had happened to the cross in this batde. The Christians complained to Kubloi of this injurious conduct, who 4 The followers of Naiam in this rebellion are said to have consisted' of foor nations, or tribes of Tartars, named Ciazza, Carii, Barscol, and Sitinqui, but oi whom no other information or notice remains. — £. ./• lH< ■ m CHAF.-xi. SECT. X. thio Tortaty. 921 iftho Bharplj reproved .the Jews and Mahometans for their behaviour j then turning to the Christians, he addressed them as Allows : ** . Surely your Ood and his cross would not ffive oid to. Naiam. .Be not you therefore ashamed of what nas happened ; seeins that Ood, who is good and just, uid not de< fend iniquity and injustice. Naiam was a traitor and a re- lr«], and soi^^t the aid of your Ood. in his mischievous pur-' pose: But your good and upright Ood would not favour his Dad designs." Kublai-khan returned after this great victory to Carabalu ; and on Easter day he called the Christians into his presence, and kissed their gospel with great reverence, mak* ing all his great officers and barons do the same. And he acts in a similar manner on the great festivals of the Mahome- tcnc), Jews', and heatheiis ; that Segoimamber^khan, the great god of the idols* Mahomet, Moses, and Jesus, or whosoever is greatest \tx heaven, may be favourable to him ; yet he made uie best shew of liking to the Christian faith, but allied that the ignorance of the Nestorian priests, and the great interest of the sorcerers among the people, hindered him from making a profession of Christianity. For the better rewarding his brave and faithful soldi^rs^ thfe khan has a railitaiv, councu, composed of twelve Tartar ba> ron»i who give him notice of the meritorious services of all commanders, that they may be promoted to higher stations^ giving to one the command of an hundred^ to another the command of a thousand, and to a third the command of ten thousand, and so on. The captain of an hundred men has a badge or tablet of silver ; the captain of a thousand has a tablet of gold or silver gilt ; and the. commander often thou- sand has a tablet of gold, ornamented with the head of a lion. These tablets differ in size and weighty according to thedigni- tv of the .wearers. On each tablet there is an inscription of the fol! iwing import : ** By the strength and power of the Almiglity Cnid^ and by the grace which He hath given to our empire : Let the name of the great khan be blessed, and let all die or be destroyed who will not obey his commands." Besides these badges of distinction all officers have commis- sions m writing, in which all their duties, privileges^ and au- tliorities are recited. When the generals appear in public, they have a cloth or canopy carried over their heads, und they VOL. I. X giv6 5 Th» 18 the only notice of the Jews in the east by Marro Polo, and serves considerably to confirm the authenticity of Rabbi BanJMnin ; who, as a Jewy fp\t ihoi* interest in attending to his countr\'tnen. — E. \ -».>. u iii m d x !^ M» d22 Travels- qf Maraf Polo *a«;t f^ tn> k give audience utting on chain of silver. The badge or tabled, of a general, wei^s three hundred sagi^ or fifty ounces of gold, Jiaving images of the sun and moon i and such aa have the representation of a aer-'fidcon, may take irith them « whole army for their guard. Kublai-khan is a comdy hjuidsome mail of middle itatiiire) with afresh omiplexion, bright black crjres, a wdlfonned noae« and every way well proportioned^ He has four lawful wive% every one of whom has the tide of empraw, and the eldest bom son of these wives is to sveeeed him in the empire^ Each of these empresses has her owtt mngnifioent palace and peculiar court, and is attended by three hundred women, be- sides many eunuchs,; and the suite of each extends at least to ten thousand persons. The great Khan has also many con- cubines ; and every second year he senijs messengers to a re^ markably fair tribe among the Tartars nameo Virgu^y to moke searcl^ for ^e fairest young Women among them for his These messengers usually orihg with them four or five use. hundred young women, more or less as they see cause. Ek^ aminers are appointed to take a view of all thdr beauties, who fix values upon them in prc^rtion to their various merits, at sixteen^ seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, or move ca» rats ; and oidy those are brought to court whose values reach to a certain appointed rate. On their arrival at Condxdu,- othef" examiners again view them, and choose but twenty or thirty of the handsomest for the chambers of the khan. Those who are t&us selected, are placed for sonie time under the care of some of the wives of the great barons about the court, who are directed to report whether they do not snore in their iileep, and if they are not o£Pensive in smell or behaviour. Sucn as are finally approved, are divided into parties of five ; and one such party attends in the chamber of ttfe khan for three d'ays and nights ini their turn, while another party waits in an adjoining chamber to prepare whatever the Others may command them. '^Those who are 1 ss prized in the course of these rigid exaniination!^ of their quaiities, are employed in cookery or other offices about the palace, or are bestowed by the khan on his favoured officers, with large portions. The men of the country from whence these young women are brought, deem it a great honour when tueir daughters are found worthy of the khans regard, and esteem themselves im- fortunate when they are rejected nt court. Kublai had twenty-two sons by his four legitimate wives, and the first born of his first wife, named Zlingis, would have . tKl? enA>» XI. SECT. Xi into Ji&taiy. 99^ hftve raeoeeded him in the empire if he had not died before hit father. Zinsit left a son named Timur, who is a wise and valiant prince cfgreat military experience, and who is destin-, od to aucceed his erand&ther on the imi>erial throne, mstead of his deceased tethen By hb concubmes he has twenty- five 90M, all of whom are daily exercised in martial kihytoy- ments, and are all promoted to high military posts and go^ verlunenta. Seven of his sons by his lawful wives are kinm of great proviilces, and rule ^e countries committed to their diBirge witli great prttdmce and discretion. Sectioit XL Account of the Imperial City qfCambalut and the Court of the Great Kkant or Emperor of the Tartars. During the three winter months of Decemoer, January, and February, Kublai-khan generally resides in Cambalu ' which is at the north-east border of Kathay. On the north part of the new iaty stands the great palace of the khan. In the first {dace is a great wall surrounding a vast square enclosure, each side being eight miles in length ; the wall is environed on the outside by a dwp ditch^ and has a gpreat gate in the middle of each side, w ithin this outer wall, there is another exatitly a mile distant, each side of the square which it forms being six miles j and in the space between these two walls the sbaligh ; and the Italians to Chanbalig, Chanbalu, Cambalu, and even Gamelccco. The Chinese call this northern part of the imperial city King-tshing, which has the same meaning with the Tartar name, and may be translated Kingstown. Pe-king, the other part ef tiie same citys signifies the northern court or resident!. — Font. .^■jmm 324 TraveU of Marco Palo tkfei f* pings of all kinds in one ; bows and arrows and Iclie palace hath no ceiling ^, but the roof is very hieh. The foundation ofthc pavement or floor is raised ten pahns above the ground, and is surrounded by a marble wall of two paces ' wide, resembling a walk j and at the end of the wall without, there is a fiiir turret ornamented with pillars. In the walls of the halls and chambers, there are numerous figures of dra- gons, soldiers, birds and beasts of various kinds, and reprer sentatiohs of battles, all finely carved and splendidly gilded, and the roof is so richly ornamented, that notlu'ng is to be seen but splendid gold and imtoery. In every square of the palace there is a great hall, capable .of cpntakiing a prodigious midtitude of people, and all the chambers are arranged and disposed in the bdst possible manner ; the roofs being aU rich- ly painted red, green, azure, and all other colours. Eiehind the palace there are many ereat rooms and private storehouses, for the treasure and jeW^ of the khan, for the dwelling of liis women, and for various other private purjioses^ Over ugainst the palace of the khtm, there is another, which was formely inhabited by his deceased' son Zingis, who held a court fi The description of this palace is exceedingly confused and unintelli- gible, most probably from erroneous transcription and mistakes in transla« tion. — ^E. 3 By this obscure expression, it seems to be implied that there arc no' upper rooms.— E. H" ■ "' t*''^ ^ *'^ "''"' "■'■".'<;" H'jjj>T:iOT«ri -vtw ■; j^vis^™ ?.-i<,- tw-a^' Awr fc ^HJHP, XI. SKGT. XI. into Tartmy. 925 RO' court in all thines resembling that of his father. Near the palaoet and to the north, there is a hish artificial mount, a mile in circumference, and an hundred paces high, planted with everoreen trees, which were brought fi'om remote l^aces, wim all their roots, on the backs of elephants : T1)U eminence is called the Green Mountainf and is extremely Jileasant and beautiful. Where the earth was taken away to brm this mount, there are two lakes corresponding with each other, supplied by a small river, and well stored with fish ; and the passages of the water are grated in such a manner that the fish cannot escape. The city of Cambalu is seated on a great river in the pro- vince of Kathay, or Northern China, and its name signifies the city of the prince, having been the royal residence in former times. Afler the conquest, understanding, from his astrQfk)g€;rs, that the inhabitants would rebel, the great khan removed the city to the other side of the river, calling the ^ew city Taidu, which is twenty-four miles in. circumference, every side of the square being six miles, and he commanded all the Kathayans to remove from the old city into the new one. The walls are of earth, ten paces thick at the bottom, and gradually tapering to three paces thick at the top, with white battlements. !&ich side oi the square has three prin- [ cipal gates, or twelve in all, having sumptuous palaces built oyer each ; and there are pavilions in all the angles of die wall, wbere the arms of the garrison are kept, beinff 1000 men for each gate. The wnole buildings of this city are exactly squared, and all the streets are laid out in straight lines; so that a free prospect is preserved from gate to gate, i through the whole city ; and the houses are buHt on each 'side l^e palaces, with courts and gardens, divided according ' to the heads of fa^iilies. In the middle of thp whole, there !s a noble building, in which a great beiji is suspended, afier f^ the tolling of 'wfaich, at a certain hour of the night, no per- ^ son ipust go out of jiis house till the dawn of next morning, h except it be for some urgent cause, as for assistance to a wo- 1 man in labour, and even then they must carry liffhts. On }' the outside of the walls there are twelve large suburbs, ex- i tending three or four miles in length, fi'om each gate, and 4 there are more inhabitants in these suburbs than witliin the : walls. In these, forrign merchants, and other strangers ^ Jive, each nation having several storehouses and baza^, in "which they lodge and keep their goods. No dead body is allowed IP r %«* V'v^!? H ■«*■ » & -.^mm Travels ^ Marco Polo JPAAT^. allowed to be biumt or buried within the city i but the bodies of the idokten are bpr^ed without the suburbs, and the hor dies of all other sectn aio buried In the san^; places. On fus* connt of the vast midtitudc of Mahometans Tbo inhabit beh^ there are above 35,000 harlots in the city aiul subarbss Over eyeiy 100 and every 1000 of (ha^^i, thero are chle& \>l> captains appointed, to keep them in order, ^nd one gcnerr) inspector over the whole. AVhen any apibu^ador or otber person, having business with the khan, comes to Cambtiii-,, his whole chm'f*(sa are defrayed from the imnerifa treasurj^j, and the general inspector of the harbts provides the amba^ sador, and evtiymnn of his family, a change of worsen every night at free cos::, The i^rds ot' the city carry all whom they may fimi v rlking in tJtu streets, ftftcj* the appointed hour, to prison i and if these pei:""s cannot give a vaHd excuse, thoy arc beaten with ciideelp) v th< ^achsi tiQcgo that it is not right to shed mens tuood ; yet uiany per^ous die of diis beating. There are J 2,000 horse-guarJs, called Casitan, who at- tend on the peison of Hie klian, more from state than from auy su^icion of danger. Those have four chief command-^ ers, one to cveiy 3000 men ; and one commander, with his band of 3000, keeps gc-'Td over the khan for three days and nights, ufler which he is succeeded by another, and so on in regular o?!er. When fhot khan holds a solemn court on any particular day of festival, his table is raised higher than s^ the rest, and is set on the .;:;rth side of the haU, having his face to the south, his first qiieen or principal wife being placed on his }e(t hand, and his sons and nephews, and other princes of the blood-royal being arranged on his right ; b\it their ta- ble is placcff so much lower, that their heads are ha;dlv so ;faigh m the khans feet. The princes and other lords of ithe court sit lower still on the right hand ) and the ladies being all placed in similar order on the ]efl, those of the sons and kinsmen of the khan being next to the queen, and after these, the wives of the lords and officers, each accordiniff to their several ranks, in due order. By this means the khan, t as he sits at table, can see all that feast along with hini in the hall. There are not tables for all who are admitted to the feast, but the greatest part of the soldiers and captains sit down on carpets, where they are served with victuals and drink. At all the doors there are two gigantic fellows with cud^ t: ge^» i« bodies the bo- On «s, lit ber^ i: Over »Ie6 \>r general » otJbfir ambas- « everj- I whom d hourji excuse* at it Is of this 0mf» «i. SECT. XI. into Turtary, 327 l^cls^ !vho obMTVe ciurefu% if my vuft \Mit^ tb^ throshoki m g«}Ang ia j and whoever does sOf foTJ^ts bis giirmeittr or r<{;etAvef* 4 ve«tiun number of bW« of . 4 codgeL Thqse •JiO Mr'^'e tbr krtani or who sit at his tables have their mguths /CQ7<»>red wit}^ itlrenyeiis, lest their bre^ should toiicb t^ 'iuctit- oi Jriii'^ Jbich he is to use. When h§ driplcs, the damsel who c^arries the cup kneels dowpi An4 then ^ tbiB ba- ^pons and others present kneel likewise, m^ all the niusidans sound their instruments, till the kh^ has done drididng. If I were to des;.;nbeall the pomp and magnificence otthese §utxvoh, und ali the dainties and dc^cate dishes which are Knrvfd ni)<, I thould become prolix and tiresome^ f.^t >».' binh days of their lords are celel^ated with great ■f^rcnce ^saoon^ the Tartars. That of Kublai-kban, their great emperor, is held yearly, on the twenty-eighth day of September, and is kept with greater solemnity than any other festival, except ihfit of the new year, which is celebrated on the first day of February, wher the Tartar year commences. On his birth day the grei^ khan is dotbed in a most splen- did robe of cloUi of gold, and about 2000 of his barons and soldiers receive, on this occasion, silken garments of a golden colour, and girdles wrought in gold or silver, with each a pair of shoes. Some of those who are next to the khan in dignity, wear pearls and jewels of great value. These splen* did garments ore only worn on thirteen solemn festivals, coi*- resporiding to th^? thirteen moons or lunar months, into which the Tartar year is divided, when all the greajt men of the court are splendidlv habited, like so many kii^ The birth-day of the great khan is celebrated by aU the Tartars throughout his extensive dominions ; uoid on thit> «lay, oil the kings, princes, governors, and nc^Ies, who are $u!%:^ect to his avtmontft send -presents to him in honour of tW dK>\ «ud in token of submission. Such as are desirous of oImaimmk imi^ place of dignity or a oouncil of twelve barons, appointed for that s>\piv«i$ putpose $ and their decision is considered as aqpivoleni to oja answer ftx>ni the khan in person. All the people of the ivttmenae doMii- nions who acknowledge the authority of the great khaii, whether Christicuis, or Jews, MalK>m«tan», Tsitars, or Pa- gans, ore bound, on this anniversary, to pray solcmnfy to iheiryGods for the life, safety* "prospority, and health of the great khan. On the first of Februatrj-, which is the commencement of , . _ . the iij 1.') i •V I* S9B Travels ^Mmto Polo •MMT4, the Tartar year, the great khan, and all the Tartars, whrovince«, and rulers of cities, and all who are in oiHcu or authority, send presents to the klmn, of aolil, silver, pearlu, und precious stones, likewise of many Mlillf HntliB oi various Hinds, nnil other wiiiti! things, and many white norues. It is the custpni of tlinse who bring presents, if they cnn, to present nhiu limi's nine of iiviiij^OHitieuiur ailielu, t^lielliur if lit) ttliill, nr silver, or cloths, or norses } and on this occasion, tUc kliait mma'Umes receives 100,000 liorses. On this grand festival, all the elephants belonging to the great khan, about 5000, are brouolit Into the great court of the piilucu, covered with splendid nousings of tapestry, wrought with the figures of various kinds ofhirds and beasts, each of them bearing on their backs two chests filled with vessels of gold and silver | and many camels are paraded on the some occasion, covered over with fine sillten cloths, and loaded with other uoccsiariea fbr the Court. ' On the morning of this festival of the new year, oil t|io captaiiiB, barons, soldiers "^t pliysicians, astrologers, govei'uors bf provinces, generals of armies, and other officers of the gre: t khan, assemble before the emperor, in tlie great hall of the palate, all placed in due order, acconllng to their rank iuid dignity, and those who have no place or employment, stand without, that they may see the ceremonies. One of the heads of tlieir priests then rises, and cries out with a loud voice, ** Bow down and adore ;" on which all who are presetit bend down their foreheads to the eurth. He then tmlls out aloud, " God^ preserve our khan, and grant him long life and happiness ;" and all the people answer, ** God grant this." Tlien ho says, ** May GmI increase and ad- vance his empire, and preserve all his subjects, in peace, con- cord, and prosperity }" and the people say, ** Goo grant this, our prayer." All this is repeated four times. Then tlie chief pi'iest goes forwaids to a red table or altar, richly a- 'f ' , domed, 4 The loldiers mentioned here and in other placeti as preient in the ■ great hall upon tolemn occasionsi can only mean ilie officers of the military actually on guard over the person of thccnii)er, January, and February, ill the imperial huntbnieti wlui arti fnajiitained in the prf;« viitces contiguous to Knthay, employ thuiimhf^B continually in iiunting, and l)ring all the lurtfer wild bepts, sucl| fiu stags^ deer, roe-buclcs, bears, and wikl-boars, to their governors or masters of tlic gamc| and if within thirty days journey of Cambaiu, all these arc sent in waggons to tiie court, being first end)oWelU>d i l)ut such as are at a grieatcr distance, send only (he skinN, which are used in making liousings and other military articles. 7'he Ichaii has many leopards, wolves, and even lions, trailed for hunting. 'J iiese lions are larger than those which are Ibund near Babyion, and are variegated with small spots of white, hluck, and red. They are bred to catch bears, boars, stags, roe-bucks, wild asses, and wild bulls, and it is wonderfuito st e (lioir dexterity and fierceness in the chase. When these lions are taken out to hunt, they are carried in waggons, two together, accompanied by a dog, with which tliey are familiar. They are managed in this manner, be- cautte of their fierce and unruly disposition, and they must he drawn towards the game agamst the wind, otlierwise the beast would scent them and fly away. There are also many tame eagles, so trained as to take hares, roe-bucks, deers, and foxes ; and some of these will even seize upon wolves, and vex them so grievously, that the men may take them without danger. For the conduct of the imperial hunt, there are two m-eat officers called Ciurco, or masters of the game, who are orothers, named Boyan and Mingan, each of whom have tlie command of 10,000 men ; those who belong to one of these diviBions being clothed in red, and the others in (li ■diMte^'^ •m Traveli ^ Marco Polo VAWK U 1 ij9 skybliMi and the^ lucpvarioui kinds of^gs,ia«b of mastira and otherif for hunting, to th« uumbek* of SOOO or inore. When th^ Uuui goct to^unt^ ona ci' these great companies of hvnt«n itretcnet out on hii rif^fC hand, and the other on hi« left, ocomtying the pbiin country to the brokdth of a whole days journal, so that no beast can escape th^n | ^nd when they have coUected the game into a circle, it is de- liffhtfiil to see the khan going into the middle, with numberi of dogs, which hunt down the harts and bears, and oth«r wild beasts. The UMUrters of the gaino are bound by their commissions to send to court, between the b^^ning of Oor tober and end of ^arch, 1000 head of beasts, besides birds of various kinds, and fish, the best they can procure. Section XII. Of the Magnificence of the Court of the Great Khan, and of the Manners and Customs of his SmX^ects, In the beginning of March the great khan departs from Cambahi, aim proceeds north towarm the ocean ', which is At the distance of two days joumey, accompanied by 10,000 falconers, with falcons, ger^fidcons, hawki^, and other birdti of prey, that are trained to the egart. These falconers disperse themselves in companies of 100 or 200 together, and most of the birds that are taken are brought to me khan ; who, oo ^count of the gout, which has disabled him from riding, sits in a wooden house, covered with lions skins, and hung with- in with cloth of gold, which is carried on the backs of two elephants. For his particular recreation, he is accompanied ))y twelve choice hawks, carried by twelve nobles, many othei: fioblemen and soldiers attending him. When any cranes, or pheasants, or other birds are seen, notice is given to tlie fal- - coners who are near the khan, and by these to the khan himself, who then orders his travelling house to be removed, and tlie hawks to be flown at the game, and he, sitting in his bed, enjoys the sport. Ten thousand men attend the khan, who disperse two and two together, to mark where the falcons fly, that they may assist them when needful, and bring ' ck thom and 1 The dnerU or Tartarian waistei are probably meant in this passagCi-'Ei (^114,^. XI. SECT, xii, into Tartarjf, $$X fuid their aame.to the khan. Tbe«« men are called Tasatatf which ligmfies watchmen or marlumen, and have a peculiar whistle by which they call in the hawlu and falcons, so that Jit is not necessary that the falconers who let fly the hawks idioula follow them, a» these tascoal are busily emploved In taking up the hawks, and are very careful that none of them be hurt or lost, Every hawk has a small plate of silver at* tached to the foot, on which is the peculiar mark of its fnai* ter, thot each may be restored to its right owner. But if the piark be lost, or cannot be known, the hawk is delivered to « certain baron, whose name of office is Bulangazi, to whom all lost things whatever must |be brouaht, otherwise the find" er would be punished as a thief; and to the Bulangad all who have lost any thing make application. This man i^ dis« tinguishe(k by a peculiarly conspicuous ensiffn, that he may be easily found out in so numerous an ossemMage. While thus busiljr employed in hawking, the royal retinue came at Ipngth to a greot plain called Corzannodin, where tlie tents of the khan and all the courtiers arc pitched, to the number of 10,000 or more. The srand pavilion of the khan is so large, that 10,000 men might stand within it, be- fides barons and noblemen. It is placed with its entrance to the south, supported upon curiously carved pillars, and is coveied on the outside with the skins of lions, and other wild beiasts, to keep out the rain ; but the whole inside is lin- ed with sables and ermines, to on immense value. For so precious a^e these skins esteemed, that a sufficient number to inake one garment only will sometimes cost 2000 gold sulta- nies, and Uie Tartars call the sable the queen of lurs. AH the cords of the imperial pavilions are of silk. Around this there are other pavilions for the sons, wives, and concubines of the khan. A( a fartlier distance there are tents for the .'falcons, ger-folcons, hawks, and other birds of game ; and ^he whole encampment seems at a distance like a great city, or the station ot a large army. The khan remoms all the inonth of March in that pl^n, employed in hawking ; and the multitude of bensts and fowls which .are taken in that time is quite incredible. From the begiiming of ^arch to the month of October, no person is permitted to hunt with- in five days journey of this plain of Carzarmodin in one di- rection, ten in another, and fiileen in a third, nor to keep ony hawk or hunting dog, neither to use any device or en- gine whatever, for taking any stag, deer, roe-buck, hare, or -":.. -V '..t'i:--" "' •,-..,^^ .>*.;.. •^111^ if < « ^84 Triavds of Marco Poto I'AitrW upon in Uieir turns. All cities that are adjoiniAg to riven at lakes, are ord««d to liave feny4x)ats inconstant readiness^ for the (KMts ; and those which are on, the. borders of deservsi," must ws^ly horses and provisions fbr sndi as hare to pass through these deseits ; for which service, they are allowed a i-easonable compensation from the state. -'^'• In cases of great consequence, the messen^ has a jgel^- fidcon badge, formerly mennoned, and is so equipped, thttt hiB^ will ride 200, or 250 miles in a day and night, being attend* ed in dark nights 1^ persons who run along widi him on foot, dunging lights. On approaching a post-hduse, the messeU'S ger sounds a horn, that a fresh horse or horses, according td his company, may be brought out, and.ready to unt imme- diately. These speedv messengers have tr-'-v . lUes, loins, and heads firmly swathed, ana they always .r&vcl as fast as their horses can go ; and such as are able to endure diis ex- cessive riding, are held in great estimation, as nothing!? mora admired among the Tartars than good horsemanship. ''•' -r^^ Between the lambs, or large post-houses, there are othef habitations, at three or four miles distance from each other/ where foot-posts are established, every one of whom has his girdle hung round with shrill soundine bells. Tliese are al- ways in readiness ; and when dispatched with the khans let- ters, they convey them with great speed to the next foot-post station, where they hear the sound of the bells from a dis- tance, and some one is always in readiness to take the letters, and to run on to the next station : Thus, by constant change of swift runners, the letters are conveyed with great dispatch to their destinations. By this means, the khan often receives letters or new fruits in two days, from the distance of tcii or-> dinary days journey: As for instance, fruits growing at Cam^ balu in the morning, are conveyed to Xandu by the night of the next day. All the people employed in the posts, besides being exempted firom ail tribute, have an ample recompense! for their labour from the gatherer of the khans rents. There are inspectors employed, who examine the state and conducfof these postii every month, and are empowered to punish those who are guilty of faults. The khan s^nds every year to the different provinces of his empire, to inquire whether any injuries have been sus- tained to the crops oy tempests, locusts, worms, or any othei* calamity ; and when any provincfe or district has suffered da- mage, the tribute is remitted for that year, and he even sends cora :>S«i^- tltAlf. XI. SECT. xii« into f'tttttaji n3 For * m for food and seed frott the iMiblid granaries: |reart of ffreat abundance) he purdiases lunge quantities of gm&it Wmch is carefiilly preserved for three or four years, by offidirs appointed for the purpdec ; by which means, iHbtn a Bcardhr occurs in any province, the defect may be supplied itoU Uite granfudes of the Idian in another province. On these iNiCasions, he orders his ^ain to be sokl at a fourdi part of tile market price, and great cnre is taken to keep hb grana- ries always well supplied. Wlicn any murrain attars the cattle of one of the provinces, the deficiency is supphed from die tenths which he receives in the other provinces. If any beas'. or sheqp happens to be killed by li^tning in a flock or lierd, he draws no tribute from that flock, however greal, for three years, under an idea that God is angry with the owner of the herd. That travellers may discern, and be able to discover the toad in uninhabited places, trees are planted at convenient distances, along idi the principal ro^s; and in the sandy and desert places, where trees will not grow, stones and Pinal's are , ^ected to direct the passengera, and offiicers are appointed to see that all these things arc performed. According to the dpihibn of the astrologers, the planting of trees conduces to lengthen the age of man, and therefore, the khan is the more induced to encourage their propagation by his order and ex- vince of Cathay, the people make exrellent drink ^f rice ana certain spices, which even excels wine in flaVour; and those who drink too much of it become sooner drunk Ihan with wine '. Through this whole province, certain black stones are dug from the mountains, which bum like %ood, and preserve fire a long time, ^d if kindled in the «vening, will keep on fire all nit^ht ^ ; and many people use ^ese stones in preference to wood, because, though the coun- try abounds in trees, there is a great demand for wood for cfther purposes. The great khan is particularly attentive to the care of the poor in the eity of Cambalu. When he hears of any honour- able family that has fallen to decay throug^ misfortune, or of any who canYiot Work, and have no subsistence, he cives orders for issuing a whole years subsistence, together with gannents, both n 3 This must alliide to a species ofeorn-sptrits or brandy, distilfed from iAci, fermented with water, named Arrak. — E. 4 This evidently points out tho use of coal in northern China. — F. ¥:,••/ )^-, ■>*,«••■ I Piii'W i' l "m-mummn^ i hi. it 896 TraoeU of Marco PqIo PARTk both for winter nnd summer, to the heads of tliose distreiW fiunilies. There is an i^ropriate office or tribiutal for thi« imperial bounty, to whicn those who have received the war<- rants or orders of the khan apply for relief. The khan re- ceives the tenths of all wool, silk, and hemp, which he causes to be manu&ctured into stuffs of all kinds, in houses set apart for this purpose; and as all artificers of every description are bound to work for him one day in every week, he has im- mense quantities <^ every kind of useful commodity in his storehouses. By these means, likewise, there are similar imr perial manufactures in every city of tlie empire, in which clothing is made from his tithe wool for his innumerable soldiers. According to their ancient customs, the Tartars gave no alms, and were in use tp upbraid those who were in poverty, as hated of God. But the .priests of the idolaters, especially those who have been formerly mentioiied under the ,. name of Bachsi, have convinced the khan that charity is a L good work, and an acceptable service to God ; so that in his v court food and raiment' a,re never denied to those who ask, . and there is no day in which there is less than the value <^ ,^ 20,000 crowns distributed in acts of charity, particularly in k rice, millet, and panik ; by which extensive benevolence the khw is esteemed as a god among his subjects. There are in Cambalu about nve thousand astrologers and diviners. Christians, Mahometans, and Kathayans, all of whom are provided yearly by the khan in food and raiment. These have an Astrolabe, on which aU the signs of the planets are marked, together with the hours, and most minute subdi- visions of the whole year. By this instrument, these astro- logers, each reUgion apart, observe the course of the year, according to every moon, noting the pi'ognostications of the ^ weather, yet always referring to God, to do as they predict ..' or otherwise, according to his pleasure. They write down upon square tablets, caUed Tacuiniy all those things which are to fall out during the year, which they sell to any who will purchase ; and those who arc most fortunate in their predictions are held in the highest honour. If any one in- tends to conunence an important labour, or to undertake a. distant journey, and is anxious to be certified of the event, he has recourse to the astrologci's to read, as they pretend', his destiny in the heavens j for this purpose, being instructe^l >» in the precise date of birth of the person consulting them,- thry calculate the present aspect of the comtellation which ruled iW* XL SECT. XII. into Tartary, m ruled at his birth, and forctel that good or evil wfll flow from bis intentions. The Tartars compute time by cycles of twelve lunar years ; calling the first of each series the year of the Hon { the second of the ox ; the third of the dragon ; the fourth of the dog } and so on through the whole twelve, and whea these are gone through, they b^in the series anew. Thus, if a man is asked when he was born, he answers that it was on such a division of such an hour, day, and moon, in the year of the Uon, ox, or So forth. All this their fathers set down exactly in a book. It has been already said that the Tartars are idolaters. Each man of any consequence has a table alofl in the wall of ' one of his chambers, on which a name is written, to signify the great God of Heaven, whom he adores once each day, with a censer of burning incense ; and lifting up his hands, and thrice gnashing his teeth, he prays to God to grant him health and understanding ; this being the only petition addres- sed to the Almighty, ofwhom they pretend not to make any similitude. But they have a statue or image on the ground, called Natigatf the god of earthly things, and images of his wife and children. Tnis is likewise worshipped with incense, ffnashing of teeth, and lifting up the hands ; and from this, tney b^ for favourable weather, productive crops, increase of diildren, and all manner of worldly prosperity. They be- lieve the soul to be immortal, and that when a man dies, his soul enters into another body, better or worse, according to the merits or demerits of his former life : As that a poor man becomes a gentleman, then a prince or lord, and so higher, tiU at length the soul is absorbed in God. Or if he have deserved ul, it descends to animate the body of a lower and poorer man, afier that the body of a dog, always descending to the lowest rank of baseness. In their manners, the lan- guage of the Tartars is comely ; they salute one another with grace uid cheerfulness, conductinjg thbniselyes h^Miestly, and they feed in a dcanly manner. Tliey bear great reverence to their parents, and if any one be undutiful or regardless of their necessities, they ai"e liable to the jurisdiction of a public tribunal, especially assigned for the punislunent of ung)rateful or disobedient cnildren. Persons condemned to ino^rison- ment for crimes, are discharged after three years confinement, when they are marked on the cheek, that they may be known as malefactors. VOL. I. T AH i ! ■■,im « ; ' ■■"■^^' w f mm . m^^mlMitHftll*- PM><*Mr?»*i m 39» TVmeli ofMttreo Pblo VMO^ t. All barons or others, who approach within half a mile cf the residence of the great khan, must be stiH and quiet, no or loud speech being permitted in his presence ur noise neighbourhood. Every one who enters the hall of presence, must pull off his boots, lest he soil the carpets, and puts on furred buskins of white leather, giving his other boots to the charge of servants till he quits the hallj and every one car- ries a iiiinall covered vessel to spit in^ as no one dare spit in the halls of the palace. Section xni. Sone Account of the Prmnnces o/Kathay, or Northern China ^ and of other neighbouring Cmmtries subject to the Great Khan\ Ten miles from Cambplu is a great river called Pulisan- gan*, which empties itself into the oc( and by which many vessels ascend with merchandize to a certain handsome bridge, all built of serpentine stone, curiously wrought. This bridge is 300 paces in length, and eight paces broad, so that ten men may ride abreast. It is secured on each side with a wall of marble, ornamented with a row of pillars. The pillar on each side, at the summit of the bridge, has the image of a great lion on the top, and another at its base ; and all the others, which are at intervals of a pace and a half, have figures of lions on tlieir tops orly. Aher passing this bridge, anii proceeding to the westwards for thirty miles, continuaBy passing through vineyards, and fertile fields, with numerous palaces on all sides, you come tq the fair and large city of Gouza, in which there are many idol temples, and in wmch doth of gold and silk, and the purest and finest cam- brics or lawns, are manufactured. It contains many common inns for straiigers apd travellers j and the inhabitants are very industrious 1 Owing to t}ie prodigious revolutions which have taken place in the Ea«t since the time of Marco, and the difference of languages, by which countries, pro^nces, towns, and rivers have received very dissimilar names, it is often difficult or impossible to aKertain, with any precision, the etact geography of the relations and descriptions in the text. ^\'herever this can be done with any tolerable probability of usefulness it sh«tll be attempted. — 2 The Pei-ho, which runa into the gulf of Pekin, near the head of the Yellow «ea.-E. • 1 ;! ?n t. a mile cT quiet, no isence ut presence, d puts on Dts to the one ear'* re spit it^ n ChinOt he Great Pulisan- ty which landsome wrought. ?s broad, on each jfpiUars, , nns the its base ; ce and a ' passing ty miies, Ids, with nd large and m !st cam- common are very ustrious ace in the by which ar names, theetact rthk can mpted.-. ad of (hi ' ^AP. XI. SECT. XIII. into TtofHafy, 9S9 indtistriouB in trade and 'manufiictures. A mile beyond this cHyj the road divides into two ; that to the west leading throuflh the province of Kathay, and that to the south-east towards the province of Mangi, from Gouza to the kingdom of Tain-fu '. In this journey, you ride for ten days t^irough Kathay, always finding many fair and populous citiesj well cultivated fields, and numerous vineyards, fi:om whence all Kathay is supplied with wine; and many plantations of mul- berry trees, for rearing silk worms. Tain-fu is the name of the Kingdom or province, and of the chief city, which is large and handsomely built, carrying on much trade, and contain- ing great magazines of military stores for the khans army. Seven days journey farther to the west, there is a pleasant country, having many cities and castles, ^and carrying on freat trade. We then come to a very large city, called 'ian-fii, in which there is vast abundance of silk and much trade. Westwards from Pian-fii, there is a pleasantly situated castle called Thaigin, containing a spacious palace with a fine hall, in which there aie portraits of all the famous kings who have reigned in this country. This castle and palace are said to have been built by a king named Dor, who was ver}- powerful, and was only attended on by great numbers of young damsels, who used to cany him about the castle in a sin all light cliariot. Confiding in the strength of thfa castle, which he believed impregnable, Dor rebelled against Umcan, to whom he was tributary. But seven of his courtiers or at- tendants, in whom he placed confidence, made hin. prisMier one day while hunting, and delivered him to Umcan, who dresi>ed him in mean clothes, and set him under a strong guard to tend his cattle. At the end of two years> Umcan calljd Dor into his presence, and after a severe reproof and admonition for his future obedience, dressed him in princely robes, and sent him back to his kingdom with a powerful escort. About; twenty miles beyond the castle of Thaigin, ^•, e come to 3 Kathay, or Northeni China, coiitaiiied the six northern provinces, and Mangi or Southern China, the nine provinces to the south of the river Kiang, Yang-tse-Kiang, or Kian-ku. Tain.fu may possibly be Ten-gan-fu : Gouza it is impossible to ascertain, unless it may be Cou-gan, 9 small town, about thirty miles south from Peking or Cambsdu. I suspect in the present itine- rv^ that Marco keej^s oa the north of the Hoani^-ho« — Y,. mSm mm 540 It-avds dfMareo Poh VAIT K to the great river Caramaran *; which is ao broad and dMp thut it nas no bridge between this place and the ocean. Ther« are many citie«, towns, and castles^ on the banks of this rivcTi Which carry on great trade. The country abounds in ginger and silk ; and fowls of all kinds, particularly pheasants^ afre so plentiful, that three of them niav be purchased for a Venetian groat. Along the banks of tnis river, there grow vast quantities of great reeds or hollow canes', some of ii^ick are a foot or eighteen inches round, and are applied to many useful purpno?'^ Two days iourney beyond this river is th^ famous city «. i C irianiu, in which great quantities of silks and cloth of gold are made. This country produces ginger, galingal, cpikt, and many spices ; and the inhabitants are idolatt'tii. liaceeding seven days journey w^estwards, we |M8B Hiiv ■ ;h many cities, and towns, and fine fields, andgar> nens, everywhere there are plantations of mulberries for feeding 5^iMc- excellent example, in conducting his government with great equity and justice, and is much beloved and respected by the people. roceeding 4 Hart>inoran« orHoang-lio. twMty miles east from tbat river* rr ay be the city of Pin>yai)| ; slid Tain-fu, Tay*ueB.— £. 5 Bambooe. — E. m Thaigin may therefore be Tan>giii, about _in Lat._^6j N. In which case, Pian-i^ d o F VI h st o w « p c y « n a t c ■?. 1 1 1 is. teniup. XI. sccf . XIII. into Tariary, 841 -•■# Anoc0eding three di^a to the westward, from the palace of Mangdii, through a very beautiful plain, adorned with many ckies and caitles, which have great abundance of tilk and other manufactures, we come to a mountainous district of the prormce of Chmichian, in the vallies of which there are many ▼iHages and hamlets; the inhabitants being idolaters and Irai^uidmen. In these mountains they hunt lions, bears, stags, roebucks, deer, and wolves. The plain is two days over, and for twenty days journey to the wc»t, the countiy is well inhabited, and finely diversified with mountains, values, and Wv. rls. At the end of these twenty days, there lies, to> wards the west, a populous province called Achbaluch Manai, or the white city on the borders of Mangi. On entering this province, we find a plain of two days journey in extent, and cimtaining a prodigious number of villages; beyond which re it reaches the ocean ; having many cities and castles on its banks, with innumerable trading vessels. Proceeding four days journey farther, we pasfrtiirough a fine plain, containing many cities, castles, and viHttes, and several beautiful green kwnii or pastures, in ryhiCTi there are many wild beasts. :;+ -;,■._ ■.::,;• Beyond S4'i Travelg of Marco Polo fttt Beyond tlus last mentioned plain is the wide country of Theljct, or 'liiibef, which the great kliun vanquished and laid waste { and in it there ore many ruined cities and castles* for the space of twenty davs journey, which has become an uninhabited wilderness, full of lions and other wild beasts. Those who have to travel through this country must carry victuals along with them, and must use precautions to defend themselves against the ferocious animals of the desert. Very large canes grow all over this country, some of which are ten paces long and three palms thick, and as much between the knots or joints. When travellers take up their quarters for the night, they take large bundles of the greener reeds or canes, which they put upon the top of a large fire, and they make such a crackling noise in burning as to be heard for two miles off, by which the wild beasts are terrified and fly from the place; but it hns sometimes happened that th; horses, and other l^east* belonging to the mercnants or travel- lers, have been frightened by this noise, and have run away fronx their masters : for which reason prudent travellers u3o the precaution of fettering or binding their feet together^ to prevent them from running off. I\i Section XIV. An account of Thibet, aiid several other Provinces, with the Observations made by the Author in passing through them. At the end of twenty days journey through the before men- tioned depopulated country, we met witli cities and many vil- lages, inhabited by an idolatrous people, whose manners arc so licentious that no man marries a wife who is a virgin. Hence when travellers and strangers from other countries come amon^ them, the women of4:ne country who have mar- riogeabk daughters bring them to the tents of the strangers, and entreax tnem to enjoy the company of their daugnfecars so long as they remain in the neighbourhood. On these oc- casions the handsomest are chosen, and those who are facet- ed return home sorrowful and disappointed. The stnmgers are not permitted to carry away any of these willing damsels, but must restore them &ithfully to their parents ; and at part- ing the girl requires some toy or small present, which slic may shew aa a token of her condition ; and she who can pro- duce «fum. XI. ««;cT. xfv. mto Taflaty, 3iS duce tlic ^eatest number of such favoun hat the greatest chance o^ beu'^r soon and honourably married, when a voiu^ woman dt'^isaes iierself out to the best advantM[e, she hanp all the favours she may have received from her Afferent loven about her neck, and the more acceptable she may have been to many such transitory lovers, so much the mpre is she honoured among ner countrymen. But nfler marriage they are never suferecl to have intercourse with strangers, ana the men of the country arc very cautious of giving offence to each other in this matter. The people of this country arc idolaters, who live by hunt- ing, yet cultivate the ground, and are much addicted to steal- ing, which they account no crime ; they are clothed in the oiatis of wild beaati), or in conr.49 hempen garments, having no money, not even the pajper money of the khan, but they use pieces of coral instead of money. Their language is peculiar to themselves. The country of which we now speak oelongs to Thibet, which is a country of vast extent, and has been some time divided into eight kingdoms, in which are many cities and towns, with many mountains, lakes, and rivers, in some of which gold is found. Tlie vtonen wear coral neck- laces, which they likewise hang about the necks ()f their idols. In this cou/itry there arc very lurgo dogs, almost as big as asses, which are employed in huntmg the wild beasts, £y>eci- ally wild oxen collwl Bovumini. In this province of Thibet there are many kiiiflw of epices which are never brought into Europe. This, like uli tiii< other provinces formerly mention- ed, is subject to the great luiian. On the west of the province of Thibet lies the province of Caindii, which was formerly governed by kings of its own, but is now ruled by governors appointed by the great khan. ISj the west, it is not to be understood that these countries art actually in the west ; but that, as we travelled to them from those parts which are situate between the east and the north-east, and consequently came thither westwards, we therefore reckon them as being in the west '. The people are idolaters and have many cities, of which the principal is called Caindu, after the name of the province, and is built on the frcmtiers. In this country there is a large salt lake, which produces such extraordiuarv abundance of white pearls, but not >.l^ I The meaning of thi« sentence is obscure, unless it is intended to guard the readers against the stipposition that these countries were to the wrest o£ Europe. — E. 'MiK^uy,- 344 Travtii i^Marto Polo MUf^ m not round, that no person ia aUowe. I. iltT. xiv. tn/o iTartory. 94S #• come westwards to the province of Caraian, which con- tains seven kin^i^ms, and is under the command of Senta- mur, as viceroy for his father theffreat khan. This prince is young, rich, wi^e, mmI just. The country produces excel- knt horses, is well peopled, and has a peculiar and very diffi- evlt language { the inhabitants are idolaters, who live on their tattle and the produce of the earth. After proceeding five days journey tnrou^ diis country, we came to die great and liimous dtv of Jaci *. In this lai^ dty there are many mer- diants and manutitcturers, and many diflferent kinds of po pie, idc^ers, Chri»tianH, Nestorians, and Mahometans | bu the great majoritv are idolaters. It has abundance of cor. and rice, but the inhabitants only use bread made from rice, as they esteem it more wholesome; they make a drink also from rice, mixed with several kinds (^ spices, which is viery plea- sant. They use white porcelain instead of money, and cer- tain sea shdls for ornaments >. Much salt is made in this country from the wator of salt wdls, from which the viceroy derives great profit. There is a lake in tftis country 100 miles in circuit, which has great quantities offish. The peo- ple of this country eat the raw flesh of beef, mutton, buffalo, and poultry, cut mto small pieces, and seasoned with excel- lent spices, but the poorer sort are ccmtented with garlic dired down among tndr meat. The men have no ol^ectiona to permit the intercourse of strangers with their wives, oh condition only of bdng previously asked fm* their consent. We departed from Jaci or Lazi, and travdlinff westwardu for ten days journey, we came to a province calfed Caiaaaa after the ni»ne of its chief city, which is governed bv a son ef the great khan, named O^tin *. The rivers in this pro- vkice yield large quantities of washed gold, and, likewise in the mountains, sohd gold is found in veins ; and the peo{)le exchange gold against silver, at the rate of one pound of gold for six pounds of silver *. The ordinory currency of -»'■ the •«i ■ ■''f"a QMed'Laa.i hy Ptnkerton, from the Trevigi edition of these travels, fiuntioned in the introduction. This place, therefore, may be Lassa, in the kingdom or province of Ou, In Middle Thibet, the residence of the Dalai Lams, situate on a branch of the Sampoo, or ereat Brahma-pootra, or Baram- |K>oter river, which joins the Ganges in the lower part of fiengal< — E. S This sentence most probably is meant to imply the use of cowries, •ometioies called porellsne shells, both for money and ornament. — ^£. 4 KnkcrtOB, mm the TVcvigi edition, names the country Cariain,«nd ths governor Cocaglo. — ^E. 5 The ordinary European price Is about fourteen for one. — E. ! -' t IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) # /. 4^ V ^ 1.0 1.1 |10 ^^ ■■■ ■tt Wk 12.2 ■^ ^ — ■It lU u ■ AO 11.25 H 1.4 IJ4 "^ ^ ^ FholDgFaphJc Sciences Corporalion 23 WIST MAIN STRKT WIBSTH.N.Y. M5t0 (716)S72-4S03 '/.. ^.^% \ ^. ^. :v' «40 Xraods ij^ Marco Polo VhKS 1.' the cduhtry is in porcelain shells brought from India. In' this country there are very large serpents, some of which are ten paces long, and ten spans in thickness, having two little feet before, near the head, with three tabns or claws 19eo lions, and vary large bright eyes '. Their jaws have laroe sharp teeth, and their mouths are so wide, that they arc al3e to swallow a man ; nor is there any man, or living creature^ that can behold diese serpents without terror. Some of these are only eight, six, or five paces in length. In the day-time they lurk in holes to avoid th^ great heat, going out only i|i the night in search of prey, and they devour lions, wolves, or any omer beasts they can find, afler which they go in search of water, leaving such a track in the sands, owing to their weight, as if a piece of timber had been dragged along. Taking advantage of this circumstance, the hunters fasten great iron qsikes under the sand in their usual tracks, by means of which they are often wounded and killed. The> crows or vultures proclaim the serpents late by their cries» on, which the hunters come up and flea the animal, taking out his gall, which is employed as a sovereign remedy for several diseases, given to the quantity of a pennyweight in wine $ particular^ against the oite ot a mad dog, for women in k- bour, for carbuncles, and other distempers. They likewise Set a good price for the flesh, which is considered as very elicate. This province breeds many stout horses, which are carried by the merchants into India. They commonly take out a bone from the tails of their horses, to prevent them firom be- ing able to lash them from side to side, as they esteem it more seemly for the tails to hang down. The natives, who are idolaters, use long stirrups m riding, like the French; whereas the Tartars and other nations use short stimqM, because they rise up when they discharge their arrows. In their wars, wey use targets and other 4etensive armour made of bufialo hides ; and their offensive weapons are lances and crossbows, with poisoned arrows. Some of them, who are great villains, are said always to carry poison with them, that if taken prisoners, they may swallow it to procure sudden death, and to avoid torture. On which occasion, the great iord» 6 The descriptim of this creature seems to indicate an alligator or croc&« dile ; which probably Marco had not seen, and only describes firom an xxoi* perfect account of the natives. — £. j - 2^4 1« m o JL C{ c< si o i t a t X -k ■»•.«' < .^ ~^,nh»'*-.n,-^_^ In lare Iko c«A». XI. 8SCT. XIV. iWo Tartfiiy, Sf7 fe 'Si ' J loads force Ui«m to cwaUow dqgs dimg that they may to- mit. im the poiaon. Before thqr were oonquerra by <^e greait Jdum, when any stranger of good ajppearance h^ MOed to lo4ge with them, they used to kill him In the iui§^t ; oelieviiig th^ the good properties of the murder^ person would afterwards ^olve to the inhabitants of the nou^i a^, this silly notion has occasioned the detdi of maqy per- sons. . Travelling still westwards from the province of Carazaiii» or Cariam, we came, after five days journey, to the proving of Cardandan, of which the diief ci^ is called Vociam^. The inhabitants, who are sulgect to the great khan, use por- celain shells, and gold by weight, instead of money. InitliBt country, and many other surrounding provinces, tnere are ao silver mines, and the pe<^Ie give an ounce of gold for five ounces of silver, by which exoiange the merchants acquire great profits. The men and women cover their teeth wJth thin plates of gold, so exactly fitted, that the teeth seQm as if tney were actually of solid gold. The men make a kind of lists or stripes round their legs and arms, by pricking the ^ylaces with ne^les, and rubbing in a black indelible liquid, fuid these marks are esteemed as great decorations. ThEiy ^ve themselves up entirely to ridine and hunting, and majr- t^d wiiercises, leaving all the hous^old cares to the wom^, who are assisted by slaves, whom they purchase or take i^ tilieir wars. Immediately after delivery, the woman leaves her bed and washes the diild ; after which, the husband lies down in, her bed with the child, where he remains for forty days, during all which time, he receives the visits and compliments of the friends and neighbours. The ^e looks after the Ifouse, carries broth to her husband in bed, and suckles the child. Their wine is made from rice and nuceries; and their ordinary Sood is rice and raw flesh, seasoned with spiceries or gm'lic, as formerly mentioned. There are no idols in this province, except that every family adores the oldest man in the house, from whom they say that they and a)l they have are come. Ilie country consists mostly of wild and nigged mountains $ into which strangers seldom come, because the air, especially in summer, is exceedingly noxious. They have 1)0 letters, hut all their contracts and obligations are recorded ?.-• 7 According to Knkerton, this province is named Cariti,and its principal iown Nociam, m the edition of Trevigi.— E. ■M". i*^v D'oedi iff Mono Polo rait t« bf wood| one CDunteipnt beuw kent by eadi^' par^, and ivhen, die contract is fUfiUed 1»e taffies are tl»t stayed. lliexe ai'e no physicians in iMs provmce or in Caindii» Vbciaini or Caraiam ) but when any «ie is side, ilw ina0> dans or priests of the idds are assemded, to whom the sick p^kvon gives an account of his disease, llten t3ie UM^dans dance to tlie sound of certain instruments, and bellow fiirth songs in honour of their idds, till at length, the devil entera into one of these who are Aippnig about in the dmce. The dance is then discontinued, and the rest of the mafficiana consult with him who is possessed as to the cause of the dis* case, atid what ought to ne done for its remecty. The devil answM^tby this person^ ** because the sick person has done this or that, orha4 olllbnded some paitjoidar idd* Then the ma^ |rfcian8 entreat this idol to pardon 'die sl^ person, engaciiw, n he lecover, that he shaU offer a sacrifice of his Own Uoo9. But ff the devil or ttie priest thinks that the patient cannot recover, he says that the person has so grievoaslyflAGnded the idol, diat he canhot be appeased by loiy sacrifices. W^ on the other hand, he thiidEs the sick person im^ recover, he orders an ofierii^ of a certain number of rams willi liack heads, to be prqsared by so many mamdans and didr wives, and <^red up to appease t)ie idol. On this the kinsmen of the sick person immediately execute the orders of t^ deviL T^ rams are killed, and their blood i^idded in tiie air; The as8end>Ied magicians light up great candles, and per&me the whole house with the smoke of incense and aloes wood, and sprinkle some of the broth made from t^e flesh, mixed with spices, into the air, as the portbn of die idols. Whdi these things are performed, they again skip and dance ih honour of the idol, sin^ng imd making a hbrriUe noise; and then ask the ppsscssed priest whether the idol is now satisfied. 1i be answer in the negative, they prepare to obey my fiudMtr commands ; but if he answer that the idol is satinied, they itt down^ table, atad eat the flesh which was offered to the idol and drink the liquors ; after which, the magidans being paid for their trouble, every one departs to his own home. If the sick person recover through the providence of God, he attri- butes the restoration of nis health to the idol $ but if he die, it is then supposed that the idol had been defrauded, by soma of the assistants having eaten of the sacrifices before all the rites were duly performed. Tliis ceremony is only practised for- ./" V .■vUHNW*-— ; iSlAP. u. siOT. xir*- into Tarkuy. 349 •ick 1 ''^jRrr. rich pttientu* on .whom the devil, or the priests in his * 'namey inqpose their bKnd b^^ In 1£72, the great khan sent anTanny of 12,000 veteran troops, under the command of an experienced officer, naioied Nestardin, to reduce the kingdom of Vodam and Ouarazan*. As soon as the Icings of Mien ' and Qengala heard of this in-; vaskm, th^ assemoled an army of 60,000 horse and foot, besides a thousand elephants, cattylng castles, in each of which there were from twdve to sixteen armed men. With this army, the king of Mien marched towards the ci^ of Vodam, where the Tartar army was encamped. Nestardin, regard- less of the great dispari^ of numbers, marched with invin- dble courage to fight the enemy } but when he drew near, he encanqied under cover of a great wood, knowinff that the dl^hants could notpenetrate into the wood with the towers on their backs. Tne king of Mien drew near-to fi^ht die Tutars ; but the Tartarian horses were so terrified with the sight of the elephants, who were arranged along the front of the battle, that it was impossible to bring them up to the charge. The Tartars, therefore, were compelled to alight from their horses, which they fastened to the trees, and came ^ . boldly forewards on foot agamst the elephants, amonff whom, 4i^> they discharged immense quantities of arrows j so mat the elephants, unable to endure the smart of their wounds, became 'iimraanageable, end fled to the nearest wood, where thqr broke .' castles, and overturned the armed men, with which they ,< filled. On this, the Tartars remounted their horses, find made a furious attack on the enemy. The battle con- tinued for some time undecided, and many men were slain on both sides. At length the army of the king of Mien was defeated and put to mght, leaving the victonr to the Tar- tars; who now hastened into the wood, and made many prisoners, by whese assistance they seized two hundred of the elephants, which were sent to the great khan. Before this time, the Tartars were unaccustomed to the use of ele- phants in war } but the great khan has ever since had elephants m his army. After this victorv, the great khan sul^gected the kingdoms of Mien and Bengala to his empire. Departing 8 Named previously Carazam and Canutn. afterwards Caraian, or Carian. ■ t In tome modorn map** Mien it introduced as a large province on the ^ver of Pegu> immediately to the south-west of Yunnan in China, and di> vided from Bengal by the whole country of Ava. But the distribution of eastern dominicm has been always extremely fluctuating j and Mien may hen have included all the north of Ava.— E. W 1 ' -l^B --'' ^^m 1 -' '■ ! , . 5^9 D-avtb qf MartoPoh >AR1I i; fl a I i Departing from the province of Catian, or Caraiam, thdre i« ft great desert which continues for two days and a h^,: without any inhabitants, at the end of which desert tlietc is s|' • large plain, in which n^t multitudes meet for traffic threo days in everv week. Many people come down from the ^at mountains, bringing gold, wnich they exchange for five tilries its weight of silver; on which account, many merchants come here n>om foreisn countries with silver, and carry aWav gold, bringinff liKewise large quantities of merchandize to sell to these peopfe { for no strainers can co into the high moun- tains where the people dwell who gather gold, on account of the iutricacv and impassable nature of the roads. After pas- aing this plain, and gpii^ to the south for fifteen days jour- ney, through uninhabited and woody places, in which there are innumerable multitudes of elephants, rhinoceroses "*, and other wild beasts, we come to Mien, which borders upon India. At the end of that journey of fifteen days, we come to the ffreat and noble city of Mien, the capital of tiic king- dom, which is subject to the great khan. The inhabitams are idolaters, and have a peculiar language. There was for- merfy a king in this city, who being on the point of death, gave orders to erect two pyramidal monuments, or towers of inarble, near his sepulchre, one at the head and the other at the foot, each of them ten fathoms hlj^, and having a round ball on the top of each. One of these he ordered to be covered with gold, and the other with silver, a fingers breadth in thickness ; and round about the tops of these pyramids ; many littie bells of gold and silver were hung, which gave a pleasing shrill sound, when agitated by the wmd. The mo- nument or sepulchre between these was likewise covered with plates of gold and silver. When the great khan undertook the conquest of this country, he sent a valiant captain at the head of a Wge army, mostiy of cavalry, of which the Tartai> rian airmies prindpiulv consist. After the city was won, tlie -, seneral would not demolish this monument without orders vom the khan ; who, on being informed that the former king . , had erected it in honour of nis soul, would not permit it to V be injured, as the Tartars never violate those things which belong to Uie dead. In the country of Mien there are many elephants ^ 10 In the original text thii aninaal is called th,e uniporn ; a vord of tbe ' tame inport with rhinoceros.->£. ■jn i. way 86U ^CiIAB,xi. SECT. XIV. into tortary. 951 elephants and wild oxen, large stags and ^eefi and van* ous other kinds of wild brasts in great abundance. The province of Bengnla borders on India towards the iouth '*, and was snbdnra by the great khan, while I Mar^ ICO Polo resided in the eastern countries. It had its own pro- per king, and has a peculiar language. The inhabitants ore all idolaters, and have schools in which the masters teach idolatries and enchantments, which are universal among all the great men of the country. Th^ eat flesh, rice, and p)ilk{ and have great abundance of cotton,^ the manufac- ture of which a great trade is carried on. They abound al- so in n>ike, galingal, ginger, sugar, and various other qpices; and they make many eunuchs, whom tbey sell tfl the mer- chants. This province continues for thirty davs journey going eastwards, when we come to the province of Cangigu '^ This country has its own king, who is tributary to the great khan. The inhabitants are idolaters, and have a peculiar language. The king has about three hundred wives. The province has much gold and many spices, but these cannot be easily transported, as it is far distant from the sea. It has a];so many elephants and much game. The inhabitants live cm flesh, rice, and milk, having no wine, but they moke an excellent drink of rice and spices. Both men and women ornament their faces, necks, hands, bellies, and legs, with the figures of Uons, dragons, and birds, and these are so firmlv imprinted, as to be almost indelible. There are in this country professors of this foolish art of skin embroidery, who follow no other trade but this needle work, and dying of fools skins j and the person who has the greatest number and variety 1 1 This either implies that Bengal on the borders of India in to the south of Thibet ; or jouth is here an error for east, Bengal being the eastern frontier province of India proper. — E. la The difficulty> or rather impossibility of tncing the steps of Marco .PoIo, may proceed from various causes. The provinces or kingdoms, most* ly named mm their chief cities, have suffered infinite changes froin perpe- =. tual revolutions. The names he gives, besides being corrupted in the various transcriptions and editions, he probi^ly set down orally, as (^ven to him in the Tartar or Mogul dialect, very different from those which have been adopted into modem geography from various sources. Many of these places may have been destroyed, and new names imposed. Upon the whole, his present course appears to have been from Bengal eastwrards, through the provinces of the farther India, to Mangt or southern China ; and Cangigu may possibly be Chittigong. Yet Cangigu is said in the text to be an inland icountty.— E. / ■"; S* . S52 Traveh qf Marco Polo nyiT.V ill variety of thcM ima^^ it considered the fiaatt and most ga^ lantly ornamented. .^lAjnu or Aaiii» twenty-five day* jovra^ to the eait of the nvince of Caiujiou, is sulgect to the great khan» and its in- itants are i£>uters who have a peculiar language. This country abounds in provisions^ and has great quantities of cattle and many horses i and these last OMng excellenti are carried by the merchants for sale intu India. The country is full of excelknt pastures, rmd therefore abounda in buffidos and oxen. Both men and women wear bracelets of gold and silver of great value on their 1^ and arms, but those of the women are the most valuable. The province of Tholoman, which is likewise suligect to the great knan, is at the distance of eight days journey east from Amu { the inhabitants ture idolatm, and use a peculiar lan- guage ; both men and women are tall, well shaped, and of a Drown complexirovince of Tholoman, the hu^ road leads east- wards by a river, on the buiks of which there are many towns and castles, and at the end of twelve days journey, we come to the great city of Cintigui, the province of the same name being subject to t^e great khan, and the inhabitants are idolaters. They manufacture excellent cloths from the bark of trees, of which their summer clothing is made. There are many lions in this country, so that no person dare sleep out of doors in the ni^t« and the vessels which frequent the river, dare not be made &st to the banks at night from dread of the Kons. The inhabitants have large dogs, so brave and strong, that th^ are not afraid even to attack the lion, and it oflen happens that cne man armed with a bow and arrows, and assistra by two of these dogs, will kill a lion. The dogs, urged on by the man, give the onset, and the lion endeavours to take shelter beside a tree, that ^e dogs may not be abl6 to get behind him, yet he scorns to run away, and holds on his stately slow space, the dogs always fastening on his hindo* parts ; but so cautiously and nimbly do they manage their sugMolte, that whenever th(B liOn turns upon thto), they are ... beyond s< n y J' 1 \ \ «Ut»XI. IBCT.XIT* tnta Ttrtary* im f btgrond Us nach. Then Um magnaniiiiditt beoit k^ «»a hit way towards a tree, the man all the while plying him widi arrows, at erenr oppaitamty, and the dogs comtantlj^ tMMlog him from behind, till at length, with loss of blood, m falls down and dies. I'his country abovnds in silk, whifll ll carried by the merchants to various provinces, by mean4 of the river. Their money is paper, and the inhabitants ari valiant in arms. At the end often days Jottrney iVom Cintigui, we come t^ the city of Sindinfu; twenty di^s from thence is Oingui, and ^r days frt)m thence, towards die south, is Palan-fri in Kathay, returning by the other side of the province. The people are idolaters and bum their dead, but there are also some Christians who have a church. The people use paper money, and are all under the dominion or the great kmxk They make cloths of gold and silk, and rery fine lawns. Past this city d* Palan-fii, which has many cities under its jurisdiction, there runs a fine river, which carries great stove of merchandize to Cambalu, by means of ma^y canals made on purpose. Leaving this j^dace, and travdrang Uu^di^s joomey towards the soutli oi the province c^ ICalhay, subject to the great Idian, is the great oitv of Ciangu. They are idolaters, who bum their £ad, and their money is the mol^ berry paper coin of the khan. The earth, in the territMies of this city, abounds in salt, which is extracted in the following manner: The earth is heaped up like a llill» and large quantities of water are poured on, which ektracta the salt, and nuis by certain conduits into cauldrons, in which it is boiled up into fine white salt ; and this manufacture produces groat profit to the peo{de and the great khan, as laiwe quan^ titles ara exported for sale to other countries. In tms neigh- bonrhood there are large and fine flavoured peadies, one of which weighs two poimds. . ^ive days journey farther south frcan Cianou is tli4 dty of Ciangli, Incewise in Kalliay, between which we pass many cities and castles, all sul^ect to the great khan j ana through the middle of this last city of Ciangh, there runs a kroe river, wfa^ is very ooDvenient for the transport of merdiondiae. SkL days journey finm thence to the south is the noble king> 4dom and j^reatcity of Tudinfii, which was fbrmerty snlject to its own kuig, but was subdued by the arms of the creat khan in 12?2. Under its jurisdiction there are twehre fiunous Vtrading cities. It is most pleasantly situated among gardens i;.i,,i.3|^QIj, J. ^„-;,.-, .-.. .. .,.,; — -||-. — ...- — »-.,...- -. .„,./,. -V-'i V and •fr 9^ IViveU Iff Marco Polo . ^ !.^ VktXU and orcbardtk and is rich in illka. A baroh« named Lucan« aer» who wai Mnt to govern thi« acquiiition by the khan« irith an army of 8000 home, choie to rebel i but was ddeat- ad and slain by an army of 100,000 hono sent against l|im by the khan under two other barons, and the coun- tiy again reduced to obedience. Seveii days journey fiuthcr IMUth is the iamous city of Singuimatu, to which, on tlie south, a great river runs, which is divided by the inhabit^mts into two rivers, one branch of which flows by the east to- wards Kathay, and the other by the wost towards Maiiui '^. By these rivers or canals innumerab' v»»c1b, incredible for their size and wealth, carry vnst quaiitities of merchandize through both of these provinces { and fur sixteen days jourt ney to the south from Singuimutu, we meet with many cides and towns, which carry on immense trade. The iidiubitants of all these countries are idolaters, iind subject to the great khan. You then come to a great river callea Carambran '% which is said to take its rise ui the dominions formerly be> longiqg tp Umcanr ox Prester John, in the north. It is very deep, and caniea ships of great burden, and is well stocked with fishf Within one davs jourpey of the sea are the two pities of Coigan-zu and Quun-zu, on opposite sides of the river, the one a great city apd the odier u small one, where a fleet of 15,000 vessels is kept by the great khan, each littetl for carrying flf^cen horses and twenty men. These are al? wayi in readiness to carry an army to any of the islands, or to any remote region in case of rebclUou '^. On passing tlic great 1 S Kathay and Mangi, as formerly mentioned, are Northern and Southern Choia» so that ths direction of these rivers ought perhaps to have been described jU north and south, instead of east and west. About seventy miles from the mouth (>f the Yellow river, or Hpanj^-ho, there is a town called Tsinm, near which a canal runs to the north, communicating with the river on which Pekin is sltuatedi.and another canal, running far south into Mangi or Southenl Chba. TsbigOi thouch now an inferior town, nay have been formerly Singut>matu, and a place oi great importance.-r-£« 14 CaramoranorHora>-moran. is theHoang-ho, or Ydlpw river { ud it must be allowed, that the distance which is placed in the iViU between Singui- matu and this river, is quite hostile to the idea mentioned in the preceding note, of 1 singo and Singui-matu being the same place. The only other situation ia'all China which accord* with the two canau« or rivers, communicating both ^th Kathay and Mangi, is Yotdieou on the Tong-ting-hou lake, whtfl^ is on t^e Kian-ku fiver, and at a sufBcicnt distance from the Hoang-^o to agree with the text. In the absence of all tolerably certainty, conjecture setims al. IbwaUe. — E. 1 5 There are no Chinese cities, in our maps, that, in the least appearance of sound, correspond with the names of these towns or cities near the mouth of the T ti CHAV* th ncT. XIV. into Ttniaty. 8M ■ } great riTer Caramonm, or Hoong-lio, we enter into tlie noUe kingdom of Muigi : But it miut not be tnppoMd that Vhtin dficribed the whole province of KathajTi as I have not ifwttoi of the twentieth part of it i fisr in paaunff through thfa pnmnoe, I have only mentioned the prjndpu cities on ni|f waj, leavinff those on both sidcst and many intermediate ones to avoid prolixity, and not to set down in writiag wliat I only learned &om hearsay. * SiCTION XV. An account of the Kingdom ofMangi^ and the manner qfits Reduction under the dominion of the Great Khan; to^ gether with some Notices of its variout Provinces and Cities. The kingdom of Mangi is the richest and most famous of oU that are to be found m the east In the year 1269, this kingdom was governed bv a king named Fauur ', who was richer and more powertul than any who hod reigned there for an hundred years. Fanfur maintained justice and in- ternal peace in his dominions, so that no one dared to ofiend his neighbour, or to disturb the peace, from dread of prompt, severe, and impartial justice ; msorauch, that the artificers would often leave their shops, filled with valuable commodi- ties, open in the night, yet no one would presume to enter thetn. Travellers and strangers travelled m safety through his whole dominions by day or niaht. He was merciful to the poor, aiid carefiilly provided ror such as were oppressed by poverty or sickness, and every year took charge of 30,000 infants who were deserted by their mothers from poverty, all of whom he bred up till they were able to work at some trade. But in process of time, betaking himself more to pleasures than was fit, he employed his whole time in delights, in the midst of 1000. concubines. His capitol was encompassed the Hoangwho. Hoaiii'gin is the only hrgc city ntar its mouth, and that b not on its banks. All therefore that can be said, is, that the two cities in the text most have stood on opposite udes of the HoanjpJio ift the days of Marco Pdo. — B. 1 Called Tou-ttong by the Chinese historians, the fifteenth emperor of the nineteenth dynasty, who succeeded to the throne in the year l264.>-i Harris. , .,._,.. .-. k '0 SM trtmU ^Umt9 Polo . f*Allt i« wilhclhchn fiiU of water i but Fanftir wu entinllr addicted to th(» aHi of peace, lUid lo bebved of Mi Mbjeeta Wr bii jtntice Mid charitj^ that^ trusting to their nmhbers and attachmelkt, And to the natural strength and reeouroet of the country, both king and people ne^^ected the use of amu, keeping no cvniry hi pay, because they feared no one, and believed theiiitelfea inVmciMB. ' Cubla^khan was of a different dinpositioti from Fahftir* ahd delighted in war and conquest ; and having resolved upon making a conquest of the kingdom of Mangi, he levied a ffreai army ra horse ahd foot for thatpurpose, over which hepmced a general named Chinsan-Baian *. He accordingly marched With his army, accompanied by a fleet, intd the provhice of Mongi, and summoned the city of Coiganni ' to surrender |iotheauthority of the great khan. On this being refused, ^he departetl without making any assault, to the second, the tliird, and the fourth ^^', all of which he summoned, and on their refusal, marched on without tieae at assault. But ft* ceivilig the same answer from the fimi, he aesaulted it widi |rreat courooe, and having taken it by stormy he masiacred Uie1vholeihnabitant8,witnoutsparingany of either sex, or of my ageor condition. This severe military exectitidn so terrified the ower cities^ that they all immediately surrehdered. On this •uccessful commencement being reborted to the khan, he sent * new army to rbinfbrce Chinsan-Baian, whose army was now much diminished by the oanisons he had to leave ui the con- quered cities. With his army thus reinforced, . Chinsan marched 2 The name of thb geaeral it Mud to have timified an ku*drtd eyts ; doubt- leN a Tartar title, denoting hit vigilance and foresight. By the ChineM his* toriails, this general is named Pe>yen; which may have the same significa* tloh. These hiltorians attribute the conquest of MangI, or Southern China, to the indolence, debauchery, and extreme love of jdeuure of thie emperor, ' whom they name Tou-Tsong.— Harris. 8 The names pf sU places and provinces in the travels of Marco Folo, are «ther so disguked by Tartar appellations, or so corrupted, that they caimot be refehvd wiin aiiy cehaifaty to tne Chihete names upon our )naps. Coiganiu, described afterwards u the first city in the soudi.«ut of Man^ i in f[oing from ; Kathay, may possibly be Hoingan^ou, which answers to that situation. Hie ' ' termination »u is merely city \ a^ other terminations are used by the ChinesI, as tehtin and others^ to denote the rank or class in which they are daced, in re> gard to the subordtttatioit ofthcir governors and tribunals, whicn will be ex-> ' plained in that part of our work which it appropriated to the empire of Chiaa^ — E. m CHAP. XI. 8ICT. XT. info TgriM^* . $8lf BMiclifd fyUfift Qttinial ** the capital city of Um kingdom of Mpjipi, in whicli Fonfiir ro»id«l. He wm much tcrrifled at t|ii« tonitidable invaaion, and having never seen an^ war* he fled with all his wealtli on board agreat fleet which he hud prepwedt rettrinji; to certain impre^able i«UmU in the ocean '» committing the custody of his capital to his yfiSPt whom he dflsiied to Uefiand it as well ai she cojudd* tp being n woman, she need not tear being put to death if jihe were made Krisoner. It may be observed, Uiat Fanfur had been told by b divinmrs, that his kingdom would never be taken from him except by one who had an hundred eyes » and this being known to the ^ueen, she was in hopes of preserving the ci^ in all extremities, thinking it impossible mr any one man to have an hmidred eyes. But learning thot the name of the conunander of the Tartars had that signification, slio sent (or him and delivered up the city, believing him to be the penon indiquted by tlic astrologers, and to whom destiny bad predetermined the conquest of the city and kingdom . She was sent to the court of the great khan, where slie was most honourably received, anid entertained an became her ibrmm dignity. Afler tho surrender of the copital, the citi^ aens ana inhabitants of the whole province yiekled to the obedience of the great khan ''t 4 OrGuiiuaittobeafterw^sdeieribed. — E. 5 It does not tppexr where these iilandi were tituattd i whcthtr Htlntn or Formou, properly Tai>ouai)| or Tai from uteir brethren in Kathay, the uKnificant name of the Tartar genera) i on which foundation^ they constructed the enigma of thehr piophflc^ which, like many othen, contributed toward* ittownsccoinpUih- Jwentw— E. 7 About a year after the lurrender of his capital, Tou-Ts(mg died, Isavw ing thiw MM, wbo all perished in a few year* afterwards* Ifft eldest was niade prisomr, and died m captivity in Tartary. The second died oft con« aumnnon at Csnt*n, where he had taken refuge at eleven years of agt. The tlOrd^osmsd Ti-Ping - • - . .. . _ carried on board the i by a leet which tht Tartar* had tutcd out tor the pu lord, who had the charge of the infant emperor, saw tm vessel in which h^waa embarked suirounded by the Tartar*, he took the young i>rince in his arma aad jumped with him into the sea. One considerable squadron of the Chinese Heet forced a passage through that of th« Tartan, bwt waa afterwards entirp' ly dMi^yfd in a tempest.'— Harris. ♦ ..^t- ^^■ •■■f^i'i, \ 1 358 Travik ofMarcaPoh PAltTSr I sliall Acm speak of the cities in the kingdom of Muufc Coiffanzu is a veiy fair and rich city» situate towards tne Boum-east dhd east, in the very entrance of the province of Mangi *. In this city, which is situated on the river Caraima', there are vast numbers of sh^s employed in trade, and great quantities of salt are made in that neighbourhood. Proceeding from Coigan-zu, we ride one days joumgr to the south-east, on a stone causeway, on both sides of which ar^ great fences with, deep waters, through which people may pass with proper vessels"*, and there is no entrance into Manffibutby this causeway except by shipping. At the end of this days journey is a large and fair city called Paughin, of which the inhabitants are idolaters, and manufacturers of 6tu£^ of silk and ^okl, in which they drive a considerable trade. It is plentifully supplied with all the necessaries of life, and the paper money of tlie khan is current in Ae whole province. One days journey farther sou^-east, is the laive and famous city of Caim. The neighbouring country abounds in fish, beasts, and fowl of all kinds, especi^y with pheasants as large as peacocks, which are so plentiful, that three may be bought for u Venetian groat. Proceeding another days journey through a well cultivated, fertile, and well peopled country, we come to a moderate sized city called Tingui, which is much rcsortetl to by ships and merchants, and abounds in all the. necessaries of Ufe. This place is in ^e south-east, on the left hnnd, three days journey from the ocean, and in the country, l)etween it and the sea, there are many salt pits, in which gi'eat quantities of .salt are made. After this is Cingui ", a gi'cat city, whence the whole coun- try is furnished with salt, of which the khan makes immense profit, almost beyond belief. The inhabitants are, idolaters, and. 'r' ■ ^ -, . #''* e This direction must be understood in reference to Kathay ; as It it *^ perfectly obvious, that the entrance here spoken of must be in the north-eait of Mangi. Supposing the C aspirated, Coigan-zu and Hoaingan-fu, both cci-tainly arbitrarily orthographized from the Chinese prominciation, are not .very dissimilar. — £. 9 Perhaps an error in transcription for Hara-moran, or Kara-moran, th6 Mongul or Tartar, name of the Hoang-ho, or Whang river, near, and com* municating with which, Hoaingan, or Whan-gan-fou is situated.— £. 10 Tbu is an obscure indication of navigable canals on each side of tht paved road of communication to the south.— £. I I Cin.gui, or in the Italian pronunciation, Chin, or Tsin-gui, may possi« bly be Yen-tching. Tin-gui may be Sin-Yang, or Tsin-yang, to the northeast of Yen-tching.— £. ^ ^^: '%■*■ CUAP. XI. SECT. XV. inlo Tartary. sSd and use pnpei mon^. Riding^ farther to the south-east is iiuf nofade city of Jangui '*, which has tweimrHjeven other cities dependent on its government. In this city, one of the twdve barons, who are governors of provinces, usually reudes ; but I, Marco, had the sole government of this place for three years, instead of one of these barons, by a special commissidn from the great khan. The inhabitants are idolaters, living chiefly by merchandize, and they manufacture arms and har- ness for war. Naughin '' is a province to the west '^ pf Tan- gui, one of the greatest and noblest in all Mangi, and fti>lac0 of vast trade, havins abundance of beasts and lowls, wild ^d tame, and plenty of com. The inhabitants are idolaters, and manttiaoture stufl& of silk and gold, using only pi^r money. This ^untry produces large revenues to the khan, especially in the customs which he receives from trade. Sian-ilhis a large and^oble city in the province of Mangi, having twelve great and rich cities under its jurisdiction. 'Phis city is so strong that it was three vears besieged by the army of the Tartars, and could not be vanquished at the time when the rest of the kingdom of Mangi was subdued. It was so environed with lakes and rivers, that ships came continually with plenty of provisions, and it was only accessi- Ue from the north. Tlie long resistance of this city gave much dissatisfaction to the khan ; which coming to the know- ledge of Nicolo and Maffei Polo, then at his court, they offered their services to construct certain engiltfes, afler the manner of those used in Europe, capable of throwing stones of three hundred weight, to lull the men, and iniin uie houses in the besieged city.' The khan assigned them carpenters, who were Nestorian Christians, to work under their direction, and they made three of these engines, which were tried before the khan ^d approved of. These were accordinsly sent by shipping to the army before Sian-fu, and being planted against the city, cost great stones into it, by whicn some of the houses were beaten down and destroyed. The inhabi- tants 13 Obviously Yang-tcheou» the latter syllable being its title w designation *& rank and jMrecedency. Marco certainly mistakes, from distant recollec- tion, the direction of his travelsi which are very nearly southt with a very slight deviation towards the east. South-east would by this tine have led him into the sea. — ^E. 13 Though called a province, this obviously refers to the city of Nan- ^in ; the Nau-ghin of the text being probably a corruption for Nan-ghin.-* E. 14 For we»t, we ought certainly here to read south-west. — ^E. 360 J^ravelt qf Mar€Q W there u a town on the northern shore of this river, named Tsing- KMPff, whidi may possiUy b« the Singui of Marco, and we may perhaps look for the Sian-fu of the Polos at Yang-tcheou, at the southern extremity 4>f a chain of lakes iijainediatelyto t& north of the river Kian-ku. The subject k howtvsr full of perplexity, difficultyi and extreme uncertainty v— cSAKi 3U. SECT. XV. Mb Totiaty, .ft Ul corn and rice are brought, which is canied for the most part to Conbolu. For from the Quiam or Kian< torian Christian to govern this city, who built here t^o Christian churches. From the city of Cin-ghian-fu, in a . journi^ of three days journey to the souUi-eastwards, we jfind many cities and castles, all inhabited by idolaters, and at kngm come to the great and handsome city of Tin-gui-gui, which abounds in m kinds of provisions. When Chinsau Baian conquered the kingdom of Mangi, he sent a large body of Christian Alani '^ against this- city, which had a double inckwure of walls. The inhabitants retired from the outer town, within the inner wall, and the Alanians finding great store of wine, indulged themselves too freely after a severe march. In the night time, the citizens sallied out upon them, while aU were dnink and asleep, and put every man of them to the sword. But Baian sent afteiwards a fresh army against them, which soon mastered the city, and in severe revenge "•massacred the whole inhabitants. The srcut and excellent ^., .,.. City t 16 This must be Tchin^Uan-fou ; the tliree separate syllables in both of these oral orthographies having almost precisely similar sounds ; always re- membering that the soft Italian e has the power of tiht or our hard ch^ as in the Engliih word thiHt and the Italian jA the sound of the hard Englidi j'.— E. 17 This evinces the great policy of the military government of the Tar> tars, in employing the subjugated nations in one comer of their empire to 'make conquests at such enonnous distances from their native countries. The -Alanians came froih the country between the Euxine and Caspian* in Jx>ng. 60'. E. and were here fighting inl^ong. 1:35" £.» above 4Q0O miles^ - from home.— E. , ( U ^1 S0f TVavels (f Marco Pato mirri.' city, of Sin-gui '" is twenty miles in circumference^ and con« toio* a vast population, among whom arc -great .nmnbers of physicians ami magicians, and wise men or philosophers. It ham sixteen other cities under its jurisdiction, in eadi of which there is much trade and many curious arts, and many sorts .of silk arc made in its territories. The neigfabourii^ mountains produce rhubarb and ginger insreat plenty^ . The naii>e Sin-gui signifies the Ci^of the ^uth, and there is" luiother city in the kingdom of Mangi called Quin'Sai, which sigTiifiesthe City of Heaven. From Singui it is one du^sjoumey toVagiu, where alsois abundance of siUc, and able artisans, and mqny merchants, as is universally the case in all the cities of this kingdom. . . j Section XVI. Of the nqble City of Qftinsai, and qfti^ vast Revenues drawn from thence by the Great K/ian. In a journey of three days from Yagiuj'Ave find number* of cities, castles, and villages, all well peopled and rich, tlie inhabitants being all idolaters and subject to the great khan. At the end of these tliree days journey, we come to Quinsay, or Guinsai, its name signifymg the City of Heaven, to denote its excellence above all the other cities of the world, in wliich there are so much riches, and so many pleasures and enjoy- ments, that a person might conceive himself in paradise. In this great city, I, Marco, have often been, and have con- sidered it with diligent attention, observing its whole state and circumstances, and setting down the same in my memo- rials, of which I shall here give a brief abstract. 6v common report, this city is an hundred miles iu circuit'. The.streets and 18 By the language in this place, either Sin>^i and Tin-cui-gul are the same place, or Ae transition is more than ordinarily abrupt ; it the same, the situation of Sin-gui has been attempted to be e xpbined in a former note. If different, Tin-^i.gui was probably obliterated on this occasion, as no name in the least similar appears in the map of China.— E. y There are two Chinese measures called La; of the greater there are 200 to a degree of latitude, and of the smaller 250. It is possible that Marco may have mistaken one or other of these measures for miles ; either of which lupposit ions would reduce the bounds of Quinsju to some decent moderation. t rUAl>. XI. SECT. XVI. into Tartary, 5»3 \ aiid lanes are vary long and wide, and it has many ^rve marled {daces. On one side of the city there is a dear l&b of fresh water, and on the other there is a great river, which enters into the city in many places, and carries away all the iikh into the lake, whence it continues its course into tho ocean. This abundant course of running water causes « healthful circulation of pure air, and gives commodious pa»* sage in many directions both by land and water, trough those numerous canals, as by means of these and the causeways, by which they are bordered, carts and barks have free intercourse for the (»rriage of merchandize and provisions. It is said that there are twelve thousand bridges, great and small, in this city, and those over the principal canals are so high, that a vessel without her masts nfiay go through underneath, while chariots and horses pass above. On the other side of the city, there is a large canal forty miles * long, which incloses it on that side, being deep and full of water, made by the Mident kinss, both to receive the overflowings of the river, and to fortify the dty, and the earth which was dug out from this canal, is laid on the inside as a rampart of derence. There are ten great market places which are square, half a mile in each side'. The principai street is forty paces broind, having a canal in the middle with many bridges, and evenr four miles [iit] there is a market place, two mUes [Z>2 } in circuit. There is also one larce canal behind the great street and the market places, on the opposite bank of wlildt there are many storehouses of stone, where the merehants from India and other places lay up their commodities, being at hand and commodious for me markets. In each of these markets, the people from the country, to the number of forty dr fiffy thousand, meet three days in every week, bringing beasts, game, fowls, and in short every thing that can be de- sired &r subsistence in profusion ; and so cheap, diat two geese being thirty-four miles for the greater, and twenty-seven miles for the ttnal- ler li, yet a large city on even the latter substitution. Koan-sing, which may likewise be written Quan-sing, all Chinese names in alphabetical characters, being quite of arbitrary orthography, is the only place which can be supposed the same with Quinsai. But similarity of sounds is a very uncertain guide. From other circumstances in the text, the moderte Kua-hing may ^ve once been Quinsay. — E. ',, a Calculating by Li, this extent will be reduced to eleven or thirteea miles. — E. 3 By the same reduction, these squares will be reducM to half a quarter ofa mile in the sides. — E. * < 3M TVapels ofMarqo Polo PA|irr If fleese» or lour dw:)f$t may be bought ^n a yenetian grq^ Thea follow th^ butcher markets, |p which bei^ muttpQi yetii, hi<)f liifd lamb, are sqld to the gr^t and rjch, as thfi poor eat of all offiil apd uncleao beastn wUhoiit scruplf^ i^U sorts of herbs aqd fruits arc to b? h<4 continually, amf^itK which ar^hugf) pears, weighing t^n poMfl^* 4]; delicate flavour. Ompes do not grow in this compry* bwl raisins are brought from other places. They likewiiff mippri very good wine j but that is not in sq muph esteem a^ with us, iSe people being contented with their own bevfeif«ge, pre-- oared from rice and spices, ^ver^ day there are hrou^t up irom the.ocia«n> which is at tjw» distance of twenty-five miles» such vast quantities of fish, besides thps^ which ane cauj^t in the lake, that one would conceive they ^uld never be consumed, yet, in a few hours all ifi gone. All these market places are encomp^88ed with high houses, underneath which are shops fi^r all Kinds of artificers, and a}l kinds of merchan- dLie, as spices, pearls, and jewels, and so forth, and in somo the rice wine is sold. Many streets cross each other, liaediog into these markets} in some of which there are many cold baths, accommodated with attendants of both sexes, who ar» used to this employment from their in&ncy. In the same bagnios, there are chambers for hot baths, for such strangers as are not accustomed to bathe in co)d water. The inhabi- tants bathe every day, and always wash before eating. In other streets, there are such numbers of merc«iary prostitutes, that { dare not pretend to say how many. These are found near the market places, and in all quarters of the city, in places appoimied for their residence, where they shew thems^es, pompously adorned and perfumed, attended by many servants, and naying their houses richly fumi^eql, Tlbey are very skilful in sports and dalliances, and in contriv- ing pleasures to rob men of their senses. In other streets there ture physicians and astrologers, and persons who teach to read and write, and an infinity of other trades. At each end of every mai^et place, there is a palace or tribunal where jud{g;es, appointed by the khan, are stationed for determining any disputes which may happen between merchants and others ; also, to syperiutcpd the guards upon the bridges, and other matters iP 4 Probably a mistaken translation or transcription for melons; pumpkinf* or gouids.— E. ti d ii o 8 a t V a ■% t 1 i . \; ^, cnxp, XI. SECT. XVI. " into Tartaiy, W V* ^ 'W' inatten of police, punbhitig aU who are negligent or diior- derlj. Along both sides ^ the t>rincipiU street, diere are great {pdlaoes With gardens ; and between these the houses df artificers ) and anch mnkitiMhes are perpetually going to ahd firo in all the stbeets, thtt one would wonder how so vastapopu- iatSon could be provided in ibod. I wtt* informed by nn offl« cer of th6 cUstoitais, that it appeared, by u very Mcurate cbm* ^ntation, the daily expenditure of pepper in Quinsai, Wtts forty-three soma^ each soma being SSS poundk^ From this some idea may be formed df the immense quantities of victuals, flesh, wine, and ^lices, which are expended In that place. There are twMve principal ooAipanies or ettrpdMttlonst each of which has a thousand shops i and in eaeh lAop or jbctory, there are ten, fifteen, or twen^ men at wbrk, and In some forty under one master *. The rich tradesmen do not work themselves, althdog^ the ancient laws ordained that the smis of all should follow the trades of their fathers, but the rich are permitted not to weirk with their own hands, but to keep shops ttnd factories, m»- perintending the labour df others in their particular trades. These rich people, lUid atpecifldfy their wiVesi stand iA their phops, well dreised, or rather mimptuously airrayed in riehr silks, and adorned with valuable jewels. Their howes *¥e' well built, and ridily furnished, and adidyned With piiftures and other omaments of immense price ) and thev exerdie their trades with great integrity. The whole inhabillHktii are idolaters, of a very €dr complexion, and mostly dressed in silken garments, as silk is produced in great aoundance in thar neighbourhood, or brought from other places. They dwell tocher in great amity, insomuch, that the inhabitants of a street seem only to compose one family, and mt parti^ cularly circumspect in their behaviour to females, as it Would be reputed exceedingly disgraceful to.iise luiy indelsordui lan- S>4^V>;,-\ ' 5 This amoanti to more than one sixth of an ounce daily for a)x>|»ulatii9n of a million, including infants. A thing utterly incrediUe, and which must Itrise from some corruption of the text. It exceeds 9000 tons yearly. Per- haps, instead oipefipert the original had salt. — £. 6 This alone would give a working population exceeding a itiiltion, in- cluding the wom^n, children, and aged, beldnging to these. Btit ^^utotis as the country certainly is, the Chinese, in all ages, from Polo down to Staunton, have imposed those ridiculously exaggerated accounts upon all inquisitive travellers. This subject will be discussed in that division of this work, which particularly relates to China.~£. , , ,,.^ .,„.. VM '•ammmm 966 TravtU o/Mafm Phlo WAtLT. I. ci I, guage to a married woman. The nativeii arc of a mmt peaceable dupoaition, and no way addicted to itrifc or qtiar* rellinff, and altogether mmied to arma, which they do not even keep in tlieir houses. They are extremely hospitable to foreign merdiants, whom they entertain kmdiv in their houses, givir^ them the best advice in r^purd to the cuiduct of their aflUrs : But Uiey are W no means fimd of the sol- diers and ffuards of the great khan, as by their means they have been deprived of their natural kings and rulers. About the lake th^ are many lair buildings and palaces of the principal men, and numerous idol temples, with monasterka of idolatiious priests. There are two islands in the lake, on each of which is a palooe, containing an incredible number of rooms, to which they resort on occasion of marriages and other festivals. In these palaces, abundance of >^'%te, linens, and all other things necessary for sudi purposes, are kept up nt the common expence, and sometiroest lOO separate companies are accommodated at one time in the several apartments. In the lake also there ore vast numbers of pleasure boats and barges, odomed with fair seats and tables under cover, being flat on the tops» whore men stand to push the boats along with poles, as the lake is very shallow. These are all painted withfai, and have windows to open or slmt at pleasure. Nothing in the world can be more pleasant or delightful tlitui this lake, from its .immense variety of rich objects on all sides; particu- larly the city ornamented with so many temples, monasteries, palaces, goKlens, trees, barges, and innumerable people tak- ing their recrcati gin. As their timber houses ore very liable to accidents by re, there are stone towers in every street, to which tlicy car* rv thdr goods for security on suoi occasions. On most of tne bridges there are guard-houses, in which sokliers conti- nuolly watch, five in each by day, and five by night, in case of any alarm or disturbance. In every guord-houso Uiere hangs a great bason ^, on which the wurders strike the sue* cessive hcmrs, beginning one at sunrise, and beginning a new series at sunset. These guards patrole during the night, and if tliey see any light or fire in a house after the appointed time, or meet any person in the streets after legal hours, they cause them to answer before the judges or masistratcs of the district. When a fire happens, the guards coSect firom tlieu' different stations to assist in quenching it, and to carry away the goods to the stone towers, or into the islands in the lake ; for during the night none of the citizens are permitted to go out, cxcq)t such as are in danger from fires. The 7 The contrast between the cleanness and splendour of Quinsay apd the gloomy dirt of European cities in the thirteenth century is verystrik- ing. China then enjoyed hackney coaches, tea gardens, and hilarity ; while the delights of European capitals were processions of oi^ks amopg per* petual dunghills in narrow crooked lanes.— £. 8 IVobably mianing a gong.— E. -a i «4- ;.f.^-»«.-,»- S6» TrmveU iffMmrco Poh i^Awr.fc ( ':■ u ..•■•' \ ( .^' The Uian keeps nlwi^ a lar^e body of hi*, best tnAw/ttki faithful soldiers for the security of the citVf which is thiif ; largest and ridiest in the whole earth i aad Sesides tha small gUMrdrhouses on the bridges already mentiotiedt «there art ; larj^ lodgM buik of wood all over the ci^, for the aoconuno^ . dation of parties of guards to prescnre. peace and order. On the reduouon of Mangi to obedience, the khan divided it' iiv* , to nine great provinces, placing a viceroy in each, to j,adMink^ i stbr die govemmcnt, and to diipense justice. Evory yenr.. eadi of these viceroys gives an account to the tribunals oi tb«if khan at Cambalu, of the revenues, and all other matters co^ ; nected with his government { and every third year, the. vicor' t rov, and all the other officers are changed* Ihe viceroy* i w^ho resides in Quinsai, commands over 140 other cities, aO \ large, noh> and populous j nor is the extent of this govern*. : ment to be wondered at^ as ^cre are in Mai^i 18,000 cidesi<- all inhabited by rich and industrious people, in every one fk which the khan maintains a garrison proportional to ita, greatness and importance, in some 1000 men, and jeven up, to 10 or S0,000 men '* These are not all Tartars^ &r Uie Tartar soldiers are cavalry only, and are kept in plaees wbecp-, there is oonveniency for exercising their horses. The great r majority of the troops in Mangi are Kathayans, and Uie sorrisons in Kathay are composed of people from Mangi. Every third year, such a number of men fit to carry arms as are wanted, are selected for filling up the garriaons,. 'and are sent to serve in places, at least twenty days journey from their homes ; and, after serving four or five years, they are permitted to go home, and are replaced by fresh recruits* Most part of tne revenues of the khan are expended in this way, and on the other necessary expenoes of government •; ana by this distribution of so powerful a military force, an ar> mv can be suddenly called together in the event of any town rebelling. In the cit)r of Qumsai there is a constant garrison of 30,(M0 soUiers, and the smallest city in all Mangi conn tains at least lOOC regular troops. If any parson is not able to work, he is carriea to some hospital, of which there are many in Quinsai, fi>unded by the ancient kings, and endow- ■ cd 9 There must be aeme corruption in the text here ; for even Chtnese txaggeratioti could hardly venture upon this computation, which woui4 ex- tend the garrisons in Mangi alone to n»ny tniUiont.— £. '' ' outb U. ucT. XVI. intl^^Mmy, $99 •i with lUMTttfmtiMi Brit wbtn thby are wdl agaiii* they OMMt Ntum to their labour. I'oonle next to ipeek of the pakto of the late king Fanfiir. Hb predeceMon oanwd • Urge park to be ineloeed with hig^ walk, ten mile* in circuit '*, and divided wMdn into three parti. That hi the nUddle waa entored bj a gate kadfaig to' a ranoe of laive galleries or haUa, whoae roofii i^ere suitauied by pman findy wroufdit and painted, and richly adorned with gdd and asure. ThennalkBitofthefegallerietwasthat neareit the ^;ate of entrance, and they gradual^ became larger and fiurer in racoession, the mott sunptuoui being at the fiutheat end. The walls of all these iqEMurtments were e> legantly pidnied with the portraits and histories of the former kinfls. Every year, on certain holidays dedicated to the idob, Fanfur used to hold open court, on which occasion he feasted his chief lords, the prmcipal merchants, and rich arti- ficers of Quinsai, 10,000 at a time in these halls, the feasts continuing fer ten or twelve successive days, with incredible magnificence, queen, all curiously wrought, carved, gilded, and painted with the utmost mlendour and mogninoenoe. From this cloister, a covered gallery, six paces wiw, extend- ed a great length' all the way to the lake ; and on eadi side of this gallery there were ten courts, answering to each other like' cloisters, each having fifty chambers with their gardens, and in these there were 1000 conctriiincs fiH* the kmgs ser- vice. Sometimes widi the queen, and sometimin with these concubines, the king used to 00 in his barge fi>r recreation oniibe kike, or to visit the iao\ temples, ^e rest oi the ffrisat indosure was divided into groves, lakes, and gardens, m which all sorts of beasts of chase were kept, as stags, roe- bucks, hares, conies, and others, and there the king used to divert himself with his dfunsels, in chariots, or on horseback, no man being oHoivcd to enter there. In this place the Idp dies hunted with dogs, and when wearied with sport they re- tired into the groves, and throwing off their garments, come fortli naked, and fell to swimming in the lakes in the kings ipii. i. A a presence, A> 19 If Li, from 2% to S| inilei.— E. i-;ii thafc arigiaal itala«biit thaehaattbanief thadaaMthaiefclkntanuat thawaBiabo vUck mamipmitd tka wooda aad gardau^ ava all ftlkn iawn, ihm baaHi and tract aie aH g«nio» and att thaathar of Bamanii asa dMinjrad* Twanty-Ave milaa from QufaHai w« aome to Iha acaa a , ba- taraen tha eait and tlw nordb-aait, naar wbkh'ia a city oaUcd Gampu ' \ having an exodlant port fireqacnted b« merakant iUpa from tha Indiaa^ While I Marco waa m Qainuii, an aooount wai taken Ibr tha graat khan, of tha feaeniies» and the munbor of inhabitant*, and I miw that thara ware enrol* led 160 toman of fires, redioning Ibr each fite a fiontty dwelHng in one home. Each toman ia 10,00(H whieh mahaa l,«Oe,000 fimnfiea '* ; and for all thia popukilion then ia oo- ^ one NoBtorktti church, all tlic rest being idoktare. Eviry kouKohdder is oU%ad to hava written over his door^tkie naavfes ai every individual in his fiunily, whether make or !»- raalea, at dao tha number of horses, adding ar cffiwing as tha fiunify increases or dinunishes, and this rdeis oUerved inallthedtiasofMan^MidKathay. Those al^> liho- hasp innsj arwit anrite down m a book the namesofalldiMr guests, with tha di^ and hour of dicir arrival and deMrtura) and thaae books ira sent daily to die raagistratea vmo {awakla at ' the market idaces. The revenues which aecme to tha khan frona Qninsai» and the othei* ities under its authority, are, first fimn sdt cif^t tomank of gold, averv toman baiiw SO^OCX^ aani, and « saasi is |nora d^ *ga«A flaria', whii£ will amount to «x miUionSt and four hun£ed thoumnd du- cats. ■-t «t • 11 Seppotinf Kiu lor aaoi^ die city of Has- f chcoit it nearif at the diMaipet aientieMd b7 Marco, tad atudt at the hot- taita of a iktp b«« of tke bcean,iR a very « z^.-^stimt •knalioa for tnie, eemnaaicaHqg wkk KiNkUsg W the mat sr^V <«& IS Mttltipl^g this number of feiniUM ' v' v.^i - Ive a pe^ /Jttkm hf ei^ht milliom of indiindnala'of eyerv agn >'.n rh, «>« mioi htSon, han l«ik»thoiKiui4 ihaiMiana fdl .- jD) who bring goodi MiWir by mi^ int cmy tmf p> .*y, k ^ ^ukv rate. Thow «^fl«Mrfriin|Q4i«ovotiM;i rmwHe«OL'ntri«,pw ten par cent Alt bftding oin'^', aiUi u. vodaotiona of tha aartb, aa tilkpntfit «Mn> nmH ' ' ika, paji'id Utekhan* Tha fihok c— w f ta li a tt betag nt^^.t. in my rKiemw^ amaonted yearly, badwi the abo"- J montionad piw .ir.a fitom lallftotwo huii- dvad and ten fiomana of gold, vrhioh are aoaial to uxtoen mi]» liana and ai||lit hundred thoutand golden daeate ". A davt journey from Quiniai to the touth-east, we naai At If how way thvou^ tiouiaa, viUagca^ fine ^ardent, and a- hnndantctIlvratMN»,«id then oome to a floe city called Tapin- m.'. Thaaadi^ hanoaia Uguiu, and two daytfiurthar, we ^ ride- pail CMdai, cities, and well cnkiratad fieldi, so near aii|ainng» thai tho whole ■aenia, terttavdlara, like one oonti- tmiptji in dut district are grealcanea, fifteen paces long. MMlvfimrpahna thick. Twodaya fiothct is tha krge and handnwne dty of Conguiy and travelling thence lor jfimr dayi), thaoagh pkoes well nllad with indastviotts pao|^, bavuig plaa^y of baavas, liuffidoca, goats, and aviaa, boi.no iheep, wa foasa te) die city of Zangian, wfaick k built on a hill in thofldddla of a nvaff^wlueh, after moonmaadng it, divides into two faraachas, ana of which runa to the south-cast and the odnr to the aafth-«wst Three days Journey th«ioe, duraugh a nept pleasant country, axeeediM^ well, inhabited, ii#e oomato the lai|pe ai^ of uiea% whici is the bst is^ die ihisai'^^ After this we ooter into another ~j\^'g^' '^-cf Qunisai ;; provinoe '. DB n tke tmt. If tk» (sMr cmtfttiAm hs ii|lUt iJ M a O iOO O - dacsnifcin aio lomsas t tiw 4atjp «a Mil, or a wmmm, ouglt ..vQQiy to hftv* been 940fiOO ducati, which apptar* to be ^ tnith. TV whole revcniMi tMnlion^af *• framnctt wiB bs 17«440tO0O4hRai% equal • toi4.9»91ltS50 Stcriing, at 3a. 7d. lb« ducat*— E. i. uM laiWai tha utter diaenapaiKy of thcM numm to tlwNe of any cities f!(4)0ifi jn GSiiiUi ft appears 9bviou% that the dirsctioa «f the itiamry ia the f-^ll wAmmtmm J i I :i •71 Vt JVaoiti ^ Marco Polo ■'•'^i ' rAty^i; pMvlnee of the kingdom of Mitigi caUad ConohA^ thf prinoii^ pd oit^ of which ii^ffitt, by whioh you tratd aik dayiioiii^ My touth-aMtt through hllb and datafi ahvaya flndiiig mhtt^ bited phiceti and pktntv of beaits, fbwla» and gaiM, aiM lomt Mrotig liona are found in the mountaini and fomti. Qinger» MHngali and other tpioei, grow here in meal plenty, tf^ ttiere it an herb, of which the fhiit has we lame cUmir» mtdl. and elfcct with laffipon, which it ii not, and hi muqh Med in their meats ' '. The inhahitanu are iddalere, and lubw jects of the great khan, and eat mans flesh, if the peison has not died of disease, even considering it as better flavoured titan any other. When thev go into the fields, they shave to die ears, and paint their tam with aiure. All their poW diers serve on toot, except the captains, who are on horse- bade, and their aims are swords and lances. They are verv cruel, and when they kill an enemy, they inmiediite^ dobnlt his bloody and afterwards cat his flesh. * ^hh ^^ m^ />},, After six days journey is Quelinfu, « great dty wkh thlw bridges, each of which is eight pacett broad, and above an hunnred paces long. The men are great merchants and mar> nufncturcrs, nnd the women are fair and delicatdy shapet). The country produces plenty of ginger and galingal, and ^totUt abundance of silk and cotton. 1 was told, but saw them not, that they have hens without feathers, hairy like cats, wldeh yet lay eggs, and are good to eat"'. In this part of the country thinre are many uons, which moke the waye very dan- •gerous. After three days journev, we arrive in a pOjptllons country inhabited by idolaters, who make great quantities of silk stuffs. The chief dtv is Unguem, near whioh abundance of sugar is produced, and sent from thence to Cambalu. Be- fore Ukc reduction of this country by the great Khan, the in- habitants of this country could only manu&cture a bad kind of sugar, by boilina down the juioe of the cane into a bfaiek 'p«stc{ but certain uihabitaiits firom ^afty^ta, taught theih ■■'«■ ■llf rl- ." "■,:,r. 9 r JCtSon of the itinerary mutt have been wcatwardi, probably wuth^weitir- 15 Thii waa probably Turmeric, ao much uaed in the Eaiterfi cookery, though it is the root which ia employediP— £. 16 Obviously what arc now called Friesland, but more properly iirisxlerl kens.— E. - • ■••• •■' , " ■ ' ,■_• • . ■»' V'. • " •; ""^^ -ys*' ■ .^: mm; inoiw IMk Mftwit bf >iMNUM«f.Ac alliM of ft certebi tfie'^ FMWh iMtki.lhrthw ii th» dbr of Gingiu, rtitt in tht pitMrhMe of Con^ «li^«.iiidilMN llMr Xh«i hai ftlwftvt fti» Mrm^ In mAlnrntiH itMptimlim Muntry unctor iu^fcotkii. Thnnigh ihii dty th«i« JMttfiAyivirtf ft'mUe broM!* with hftndfonit iMildihm on both dchf/i 4iM^i Um: rlnrcr it «oritt«ntly covered with veieeif oftrrying •Hgitf imd'Mher goodi. This river diMmbOtfueR itself st the dki- ^i«m$e,rt the productions of diese regiontaredimersed all over Indie. At this port such quantities of pepper are imported, that what iNMneg tnrouffh Alexandria into our western world is not to be oompared toTt, bein(| hardly on hundredth part The concourse of merchants to this famous emporium is incredible, as it is ONe of the most commodious ports in the whole world, and is ^Mdieedtngly productive in revenue to the great Khan, who re^ ceivet ten inthe hundred of all merchandize* The merchants p^'lUcewise so high for freights, that not above a half «>f 'tlMfar' cmrgbea remams to th^Mves for sale, and yet of thftt \fnoiMy they make immense profits. The inhabitants of Zd- liBtan are idditers, and much given to pleasure, and in it th«re 'ftte many artisans employed in embroidery and arraa-work'*. <' Thit river is large, wide, and swift, one arm of it reachinc to Q^b^sfti^ and tl^ other to Zaitum ", and at the parting iWii<^i-^'i'h.s,:.\f')' .... ctm >'M.V^ In the fiMnufacture of ragsr it !• necetMry to ncoMiliM a ctruia fs> dvodaat acid in the juic,e of the cane, bv a fit proportion of wine alkaline ^'ijiigrfdient, to toMe the sugar to cryttaui'ze : The ordinary temfeft at k ia caited, 'for thit purpose, in the Weit Indies, it lime, but any utali will proaiice nearly the tame eflc«t. Thit tubject will be fully eiucioated in that part of our work which it peculiarly appnipriated to the tugar cokmiet in the Weit Indiei^E. 18 There can hardly be a doubt that the Zaitum of Marro it the mo* dern Canton ; yet from the causes already mentioned in several notes, it it ' next tO' an iinpoaitbility to trace the route or itinerary from Quintai to thit place.— £. ^ 19 Tliit it an obviout error, corruption, or interpolatkm ; for on no con* ceivable hypolhesii of the lituationi of Quintai and Zaitum, can any river ' he foiffid til China which antwcrt to thit detcription.— £. eo Thit it the only hint in Marco, of the peculiarly famous manufacture of China, from which all the ))est earthen ware of furope hat acquired thi^ nanne ■■%• i' * im .... „m,<^ Pol9 • t-Sr'-.H^\f3fiiif 't. thirty or foiNy yem idAoat itinkv^ iftK^VkadktWOuAW time. hnxMwt»iUtm,mt^m^iitkmikma^ diafannimrbeboag^&frmey«iiedMi gnMk^'f UraanttA^fHib viiiee«if GoiiQh% ilie great KhndanrniMiirly-ttJiiaits Mb venue a» lie does finDm Qiiiiunl InAne tinn5«dTi4«ti Imirelled* haX in none of die ether pradnotii ef Miit(^ } in iH of wUoh «ne knguaoe is uied, with ooaaidciiible «atM|^fit diikot, and bnt one kind of wiping. . , '«. . SEcmojrXVIL I SHALL aow leare the otnintry of Mangi,and pvooaM todlfF^ jcemne of India the gccater, the middle» and leraer } iii tvldch I have been, both in the serviee df the great; khan» and titnf on 'lour return home along with thie inieen, wbo wat sentfwin |Ca^ idiay to ArgM. The tdiips, idiidi are bnikin the kiiudttiniif MMhi^ are made of fir, hwring only one decAc) on wnlilr ai« 'IwdH twenty cabins, inoce or fess, aocordinff tottieor siae, eaeh lor one metdilant TlMy%Kveeadi a good rudder, and fonr fnM»t with four saik, which th^ raise or let dowlilii: nlea- ^ufe, but some haveonl^ two masts. ^Some Of die kuMWt shipb liaye ithistcen 4>visionB ih the inrade, inade of boanu let into «adb odier, so diat if, by the blow of a whale, or by toMching pno rock, water should get into one of these divisions, it can go no farther, and the leak being found, is soon stojmed. Th^ are afl bnilt doubb, or have two courses of boards, c^e %ithm the other, both of which are well caulked Mih oakuih^ and nailed with iron ; but they are not pitched, as they have no pitch in Mangi, instead of which th^ are payed all over with the oil of a certain tree, mixed up with fame and chop- ped name as far excellenee. Vnm thu circumttance, and fnun Hithme of Nan- Itin for this manufacture, I itrongiv sunpect that this passttelias been ibitted in hy some ignorant or careleu editor in a wrong place.— £. 21 It is singular that Marco should make no mention whatever of die pe- euGkr l^evange of ^hc Chi^^ /m, though particuUriy described both in na^ie and |we by the lAahonoettn Mnaliers in the f^Hth century, 1^ Iwadred years' earlier, as uifd in all ^e eities of Qunav— £. ^-n ' .w ^^ * 9^¥^,¥' ^^' *^'"- V rfm.^k¥mi' \t ^iM i4i^^i||4^&9ter. Q blUM areat miinbctii m tt ifiiA* tofiV jraw uuud ! . I ' "» "v " IF 1 tf ' -I "T "i wTrwMitT 'fa each .oar. 'Zue Im^oct nuunok wMCK two liiiii*^ iiuvio AjMr aMA i »nA ftkin nrnwinrr InAiicicnttmaa in soufl, nlacfli iif tlMBe Met t^«ir mIK th^i)«9 I thfise ihinL Sens mea haing on* by two OK UJJOBe of -A snuwer size* aale lo carry ,a. duMisand Im|M of jDC|)p(^, 4W(4 ltt»viqg)iiz^ pwriawni in each j and (jbiese UDAllAr 9^ps I9)«f<0»^tii^e8 «mpkgi:^ K» 44W tke gnMIt^ Yes- . sell. B^<£ x)f I01f Imn^ shi{w na¥« ten tmi^ b^ito for fish- iHid ««e4hips are aheathed all over, so that ly th^ have 4iree courses of boards : and they proceed in jpf«/)^ tiHJtbey i OB ieti l w* hav? six courses, after whicli axf^brd^NfC * M ft yg^ huwe island on the east, end fifteen hun- Sigl^sAf^i^m. ^e chores of Man^ The peo]^ of ijm |i|ap]4 Wf ^^ white cooyjexion and <^ ffentle mannemb sMudl^TAa'luvofthekoi^^ Tibey have gold in great plm* ty« fMJM^ xperdnanis eeiKut thither, and no flold is allowed to be -ej^iprted. SS^a^h. as have traded to this iwuid ^eak of the ' ]ki||^jat^b(pe aa being covei^ over with flold sa our diurchea are wub l^id, and that the windows and noors are likewise of |»]id> . It abownd» in pearW *^ la axaanya^v rich. Heariqg fif the tiut qpulenoe (W* thif island, KuUai Khan sent two dt 'jp^ barcmSf JU)aca and Vensaasin ', with a fleet and a great ^ ani^ji to attempt the cmquest. Sailing from SEaitum and t j^bsoi^, thi^ anived sa^ on the island, but falling out be- tween theniBelves, they were only able to take one ci^, all the ■-'isrf ■■•■■**« i*.l8» •4 triti*' gwnison I In tlyw passage^ ia the edition of Harrii* the teiue Mems obicurdy to in* iiniiste that thU had been occasioned by the sea having broken down or •overwhelmed ciertain hnds or islaads, producing numbers of smaller idindt and extensive «hoalB.r^. ' . a Slipiumit Zqitagrit «r Cin^pi^tt, is J«Mm without any doubc— £. S Named Abatan and Vontainoin by Piiuwrt(m, Sigm tlw Trevigi cditkm* The latter Ven>sanf^, or Von-sain'Cia, by Us name scenu to have been a Clunese.— ^. 4 Called Caicon, or Jaiton* in the Trevigi el>H"ll*iilJl'.. " iiir II I '"■•••| liTil |1M; Muufeilti. SECT, xvii; ') <» tm&^iittiUti^^^ «7V of ke IM Mdi b^|fa•r:«ttllom *wlueh: ha» %Mn:luUMt0d'd«Nnir the wft we^ anficihtt Miinj^i Aurhitb is ealled CAm or OMiK, in the language of that Mnd. )tidii*i Mft it so large, tliat marinen who have fra^iientecl'lt,' ny it oantwiM temi'idiDUsaiid four hundred and fiwtjr iilandiy moat of them inhflbitiM I and that in all those ishoidi thaw is oo tree which is not odorifierou^ or does not bear fruity or is iHot vme&A in some Ather reipectB* In them lilcewise,..diei« are jgt'eat abundance of spioes of various kinds^ cBpedattv Uack wad white nepper^ and li^um aloes*. The diim of Zaitum :>!«re « whole year on then* voy we to and firom Zipangu, go- t'ing Aere during die winter, ana returning again in sununer^ i 'as there are two particular winds which re^darly prevail in (idiese seasons. Zipaingu is' far distant from fndini Butlwill wjnow leave* Zipai^, because I never was therey '■ as it is Hot vaub^cctto the ichan, 'and shall now return to Zaituni,>and^ -voyage fipom thence to India. t.C'i v?ft$i.. •■ . A aL . Section XVIII. ■'■'hini-y^^^.^^u,'} 3 iAecotuU of Various Countries^ Prodneesi Mandtf and Otia iqx»»bs0 in the Indies, ixl ^Sailing fWrni Zaitiun, 1500 miks to the atnith westwards, pme pass a gulf called Chman % which extendi! two months •sail to the northward, still confining on the soudi-east * of >: Mangi, and elsewhere, with Ania and Toloman, and other provinces mentioned formerly. Within it are infinite i^ahds -^ in a manner inhalnted ^, and in them is found' abtmdance %\i)^-;\' ' ■ • ■ ^ '■ "'of ' f ! : 6 Marro obviously extends this sea and these islands to all those of tfae Chinese sea and the Indian oceant,fro«i Sumatra k the SW. to Japan in the "UE.-E. , . 1 PfobablythegulphofSiam.— E. '• 'B Soulh-westi certainly.— E. yji S The islands in the gulf of Siatn are small, and not numerow ; so that '■< -tite passage is probably corrupted ; and may have been in the original, " that, leaving the gulf of Cheinan on the north, they left infinite islands, &c. on the south." After all, the gulf of Cl^einan may mean the whole sea of China.— E. • .,. 11 ' fTt i t TVowliff Mmm Pobn :ja? 'fAiT4i «Ik1 thflv tmdb «itb oKh «l|Hr. IWt ^ilf i IK •■A^ml MMtoyAf SiMiUrV Tlw ttappburit w W miw% •■Atptyj^yiigtylBaili to lk« orait -Umi of IfMlir i)»- irinMiH, md. fjjWit i|— ririw irf* juom letDd* la Ih* y«ir I9W. li«MM« of dM ffkhei of tlw oouakr^ tb^UiMi Mi««nA (€ adA gHwmli, aaned fiNffiltt* to vnu^ k. AcMntoitta. tk* ditifcn ■■d:»MpiylfeftlwK loKMMHMMMd iubite. Iq SainW dicM •» flHoy wmidi of tda^k ebony, of fraat vaiiMv - ' i.i)h(>l>''.« ;<><; :,.'.«< m yhx <:ii' fibiUag tiboKe for 1500 mifei, Utwixt lS^m»i\kmAmaAn OMt, vie ouoe to Jwit ^» wHch is ooniidcved by nurfoflm to faetbe lavigaitiiland in the «orU« being Afne 9000 mileg in ctrcmnftmner^ Itiec^eaiadbir ftkii^vHbojpflystabiitQlo PMC} as, ovii^ to tbloqidiancl danger m thenoBL ahundanoe of «dd and •{mmmu . Sbnn aad loiiidH iicsfewan)* aii; bun^rea mUcs, are the ialanda of fibndir md Condur, both desolate, of which Sondur is tha laigar''. "Srkf miles south-east from them is a rich and sreat province, or island, called Lochae '. The people are iw>laters, and have both a king and lannnge of theirown. In it there grows great plenty of Brazil wood ; and it has much gold, many fitqifaa»ti» 1^ beasts, and lowl«,. and an exodlent firuit cadJbi bercias, 4 Itb dilMk «»««9r>rMu«l]r ^hat dMsion^faftfier India ViJ^ereneant D^Ziuobu*. 1 500 mim would cany u« to the goait of MaUyA: but 1500 li, or aiboat 500 mUes reach only to the coast of Cochw-Chiiuu or it may be TtiomtMU Ziatnbar, in die editiooa, is wioasly written Ciambau, Ciario^n^ and ZiambtBr— £. 5 The direction of the voyage ii here obviously erroneous* it must have been between the south and iSit south-west, or sonth'south-west. In the Treviffi edition, the Java of this part of our text is Lava, and according to Vauientinet Lava is the name of the principal city and Idngdom in Bor- neo; which at all events must be the island here mentioned bj^Marc6.T-' 6 According to the Trevtgi edition, as reported by Pinkerton, these Islands are only seven miles from Lavs or Borneo. At about seventy miles dutince to the souih-west, there are two islands named Careraata and Soorooto, yiHai^ may be those mentioned in the texbr— £. 7 CaHod Lochach in some of the editions, and said to be SCO miles from Sondnr and Condur. Whether tbii may be Ma-lacca or Ma-Iaya, it is im- possible to detenaine^—E. 12 . 'T-? ■..s^i. cilJA^f. sicr. Xfiii* im Tkrkfr^ ti 4l iMm, M^uck «fe trwapwtei tt> oibatplMei^iiriMve •llveliiiiMired wybtaoiiiA Locha^ MthciileAf Jfwtuk^^ * aayaae place, whicli pvoduwn sweet tren in 4iH jftl WOO^. Vw m^ milee of this wyaa/t, between LockM lljA# Fe^tav^ the seam maay plaoee is oiri^ four fiithcMneideefi. lability aoilet to tfae 90iUb-ea»t from Pentas, is dteiilaiidm JHilig^ona i0f MalwMr *y whiieh has a king and « pecidiavlaar M|e #C' ita iomi^ and hae a nieat trade carried on in ainoaa mun F«p(lwi> One JHindraa flMttf fontli'^aat it Java dbe JMa'^ywIMehiyeboattiwiatlloiiMnd mikfe in oireiiit* and is divided int^ ^gbl Imgjiova*, Mch havingits own knguefps. Iwisiin^ of tbeie kingdoHaai^ of 'which I «b^ givo «oin« ao «oiuit»iiHnjiHing'tho«eIdidnotaee. • :, >'>ji«m Oae of theae Iwigdoms is Felecb or Ferla^* aa •which ^ loraneify idpUuyous inhabitants of the <»ties lunre been eon- fvicvt^ to die Mahovietaa tcMgion, in «onaeqtten<» of nuch ^nade and in^rcourse with the Saraeens j but d«e woHntoiNr ^em are vnry swraoe, eating human flesh, and living ilpon ev«iry kind of undean fbo^ and they wois^p idl day what th^ first ^happen to meet in the morning. The next kintf- dom id calikd Basovi^ which has a huiffuage peciiliar' to itsra^, <^e people tiving without Uw or rd%ion i9ce biMsts: But they sometimes aead hawks to the khan, who lays claim to the sovereignty of the whole islond. Besides wiU elephants, thore are uniooms in this coimtiy, which are much 1ms than elqibants, being haired like the bu£&b, but their feet are like those of the elephant. These animals have one horn in the . -' V middle 8 In jtfteTre^gi edition onlv fiye nules, uidtheulanduca^Peotara. Tm rosy poMlbiy be the ialsad of Biotang in the iou t h«eaits rn eatnaoe «£ the itmiU <{ Mabccair-E. 9 Most probably the ktogdom of Mihccs. FroQi theTravigtsdklon Finkerten caBii this Bfalooir, and curiously id^atifie* FepeUm* Fsit^n, or Pflplan, w the name of the city and kingdoin of Matonir or Miibuur.— B. . 10 If right in our fonner oofJectares, Ae island spoken of in the text must be Sumatra, not that now caUed Java, fodeed, the mention immediatriy afterwards of the islands of Ubcucnn and Angamaifa UK) miles to the north, ' which can only be {the Nicdbar and Andaman islands, establish the identity •f Java-minor, hen called Java the leii, and 8un)atni.<-£. ^ n i i* MMSMIMiiMaaHM V! \* \ I [ ilo \.\ TVaveU itfUarco P■ tack from the sav^ cannibals of me island, with whom we established a trade for provisions. They have excellent yrine, both red and white, made from the imlm tree, which isayery wholesoine beverage, as it is medicmal fercfmsumption, the drbpsr, and for disorders of the spleen. They have likewise ftbunduuie of fine fish, and eat of all sorts of flesh, without makiiu; any difference. Their cocco nuts are as large as a mans head, and the middle ofthem is full of a pleasant uquor, better thdn wine. = Dragoian '^ is another of those kingdoms claimed by tKie *U' 1 1 The animal here desciibed under the nanie of unicorn, is the Rhtnocerot fnonocierosi or one-homed rhinoceros of naturalistt ; but the single 'horn is placed a little above the nose, not on the middle of the forcbcatf^M htMJcr^ roneously described by Marco*— E. IS He had evidently missed the Moiuoon, and had to awut its return From this kingdom or division of the island, it probably acquired the name of Sumatra, by which it is known in modern geography. From the circum> stance in the text of not seeing the great bear, it is probable that Marco was stopped near the south-eastern extremity of the island. What is here trans- ' latedthe great bear^ Pinkerton calls, from the Trevigi edition, ir/Jfobf re. The polar star was invisible of course.— 'E. • .'.- o.yV,' 1 3 Called Deragola by Pinkerton, from the Trevigi edition.— E. •"' 5^» * l*»» — . • t'mm ri . J? ^HAf, XI. SECT, xfnu tWo Tarteiy. 381 khan, wUth liM a 'Idng 'taoA a peculiar lanmi^. I was P0ofka abominable custom in tlus coku^trv { %at when iay pde is lick, his rdatires send to inquire at the sorcerers if he h to recover ? If they answer no, the kindred then send mr a parson, whose office it is to stransle the sick person, wkoffl they immediately cut in pieces and devour, even to the marrow of theur bones , for thev allege, that if any part were to renuin, worms would breed m it, which wboldoe ita want of fi)od, and would therefore die, to the great torture of the s6ul of the dead person. They afterwards cany away the bones, and conceal them carefully in caves in the mountains, ^t no beast may touch them. If th^ can lay their hands oii any stranger, they treat him in the same barbarous man- ner. Lambii is the fiftti kiiiffdom of Java-minor, or Sumatra, in which is great plenty of Brazil wood, some of the seeds of which I brought to Venice, but they would not vegetate, as &e climate was too cold ibr them, in this countrv there are neftt ntimbers of unicorns or rhinoceroses, and plcn^ cf at&^ beasts and birds. Fanfuris the sixth kingdom, having the best camphor, which 4s sold weight for weight with gol£ in that kingdom, they make a kind of meal from great and long trees, as thick as two men are able to fathom. , Having teken off the thiin bark, the wodd within is only about three fingers thick, all the rest being pith, from whick the meal is nuMe. This pith is broken to pieces, and stirred among water, the light dross swimming, luid being thrdtm away, while the finer pjirts settle at the bottom, and is made into paste '*. I brought some of this to Venice, which tastes not much unlike barley breffd. The wood of this tree is so heavy as to sink in water like iron , and of it they make dccellent lances, but being very heavy, they are under the necessity of makihg them short. These are hardened in the fire, and sharpened, land when so prepared, they will pierce through armour easier than if made of iron. About 150 miles to the northward of Lambri, thore are two islands, one called Nocueran aiid the other Angaman ", in the former of which the inhabitants live like beasts, and go entirely naked, but have excellent trees, such as cloves,, red and white sanders, toco-nUts, BraSsil, ''"■ ' and m ;fa4t-He here dliUnctly indicate* the manufacture of Mgot—E. . -JS^Nicobar and Andanun, on the east ride of thsbsy of Bengal j called ^epunera andNamgama in the Trevigi edition.-~£. .' ''!i:iiiSi^J^Mi^f^.ii n i^ \\ TrmA Pch .. •«/ii' IT aB4twkNi» iipifetBi In Ike otlMv kktiri tb* «m«Uy ■»«!§>> wd aie Mid toliMetlMfbddkiadtMakiAf 4'. foCTIIMf XIX. i)atioB on the top <^ this mountain, from whoiceno pleasnrce or penuaiioiis could induce him to withdraw. ASh ter his deadly his firtiher enlsed an image of htm tb be made ^ of aolid gold, and commanded ell his nill^ects to addre him as their god: and hence they say is the origin of idol worship. t*eopIe come here in pilgrimage firom remote r^ons, and there his fave>tcedi^ md a dish n^ich he used, are sobmmly exinbifcd as holy relies. As the Saracen^ petetid thaf tH dMHi : Tbeie the gveel kha* (Seuied tobe received without the city with ffreat reverMce Md Kdemnity, by the whole peo|ple of CamMk, and bniught into hii presence with great nonouF. SijBty miles to the west of Ceylon is MoflbMT '. This is no isluid, but lies on the finn continent, which may be called . the greater India. In it there are four kings, th« pnncipal one of whom is Sinder Candi, in whose klnockim they ndi for pearls, between Ceylon and Moafaar, in a nrf whOTo the IMa does not exceed ten or twekre fiithoms deept Here the divers desc^iid to the bottom, and in bags or nets which are tied about iheir bodies, bring up the oysters which eontaui the pearlsk On account of certain great fish which kill the divers, they hire bramins to charm them from doing hamit and these hiave the twentieth part of the pearls, the kiM get- ting the tenth part *, These oysters are only found mim Jbe beginning <^ April to the end of May in this place i but from the beginning of September to tlie middle m October* they are got in another place, about three hundred ndles distant The ki^ of this country goes naked, like the rcit .of hie sul^iects, except that he wears some honourable nunks of distinction, as a ct^lar of precious stones tboat his neck, fiad a thread of silk hanging down to his breast, on .which are strung 104 large fine pearls, by which he counts his ^l^rayers as with a rosary. These' prayers are merely the word Pacaitpaf repeated 104 times over. He wears a sort of . bracdets on three places of his arms and on his legs, and cii^, --E. ' S.Thefbb ImA attudsd to are sharta; and die now custom of 'em* "pli^g bwhii to Mead the fishermen, hy coloration, afamst this ferroi- wble vntfKft |i,c»ntiaued to the present dayr— £. *. M W s S ill i f l t*IW A f 1 :/' 8S4 Iravelt i^Marn Poh fAWtU threatened to cut oif her own breeite if thej oontinued tbdr enmity, they were reconciled. He haa a nomeroue guard qf honemen, who are under a vow, when he dice, to throw thenuehre* into the Are in which hii body ii consumed, that th^may nerve him in the next world. Thia prince, and the other Idngi of Moabor, buy theif hones from Onnus and other parts, as their cuimtiy produces ' none, or if ianv happen to be bred there, they are ugly an4 usriess'. Condemned persons ofien ofibr themselves to c(i« in honour of a particular idol ; on which the devotee pnta himself to death with twelve knives, givinff himself twelvf deep wounds in various parts of bis body, ciuling out aloud on the infliction of each, that he dees tnis in honour of such or such an idol ; nnd the last of all is through his own heart* after which his body u burned by hit i #1* 9n»!f. XI. 8ECT. XIX. iiiioTartttty, JpHfiOt it keterdy wlniUiutered Sat crimcf ^ and in Mhie ^ WNM, a creditor hu a singular manner of cmnpallin^ pav« i mte^ fa^r drawinff a circle round kia debtor^ ouit of whicn ua m naUt not stir till be hat aatiiAed hit creditor, or given tepuriiy ; far the debt, under the pain of death. I, Maroo, once mw the king on horseback thus encircled, by a merchant whom i he had long put off with delays i and the kiiu would not.^;, come out people who were present hishly u)plauding the kiiios justice, t rhi^ are very scrupulous of orinkuig wine, and tnoM who ,- are addicted to that practice, are held disreputable and un- . worthy of being admitted as witnesses } whidi ia the case Kke^ ' wise with those who go to sea, as they reckon tliemdeiperate persons. They look on letchery as no sin. In the months ' of June, July, and August, they have no rains^^iindjt-is ex- cessively hot, insomuch, that tney could not live if it were . not for the refreshing winds which blow from the sea; « They have many physiognomists and soothsayers, who ob- r. serve omens from oirds and beasts, and other sians. These n people consider one hour in every day of the week as unlucky, w. which thoy name Choiach, ana which is different on all toe «v days, 4ill of which arc carefully recorded in tlieir books, and . they are curious observers of nativities. At thirteen years of age, their boys are put out to gain their livins, who go about . buying and sellinff, by means of a small stock given them to • begin With. In the pearl season, theseboys.willbuy afew pearls, ond sell them again for a small profit to the merchants^ j who are unable to endure the sun. What gain they get they bring to their mothers, to lay out for them, as it is not lawfiu , for tnem to live at their fathers cost. Their daughters are : dedicated to the service of the idols, and appointed by the ' priests to sing and dance in presence of the idols ; and they . frequently set victuals before the idols for some time, as if , they would eat, singing all the while, when they fall to eat themselves, and then return home. The great men have a kind of litters, made of large canes artificially wrought, whidi are fixied in some high situation, to avoid being bitten by tarantulas ^, and other vermin, and for the benefit of fresh air. VOL. I. Bb The 4 Tarantulas U assuredly, a mistake here for centipedes and scorpions, which are conunon all over India.— E. <1 SM Traveff ^Utam J\)h »Aiiri,- TIm umlciiils tf St TlM>mM is in • imdl dtgMUft aMoh frngipplea fagr awrahMito, but v«iy mueh by OxAadmik wd SanieaM, mi aooovat of 4«volion. Hie 3urMenR bold him tt^a ipmt pi)9phet or holy man, mmI obU him Ammias. Hie Ghriitiapi tan of a red earth w|iioh is fonnd in the pla^ where he ma alaiui, which they mis with water, and a^mi* aiitev -to t)|e aidi: inth gra^ reverence. It hafqiened in ^ war IMS, that a |praat prince, w4io had more rice ^aahe Bad room to heq»- it in, d)oie to make bold with diat room in |9t Tbomaa'a ^pureh in which pilgrims are wceiTed, .«o4 convertcd it intp a fff tains of this country there are diamonds, which the people search fior al^er the great rains. They afterwards ascend these mountains in the summer, though with great labour, , on account of the excefvive heat, and find abunmmce df these precious stones among the gravd j and are on these occasiona inuch exposed to dangw from the vast numbers of seip^nta which shelter themselves in the holes and caverns of the ro^, in which the diamonds are found in greatest abundance. A- mong other methods of obtmning the diamonds, they maicf use 1 Muu in the Tmngi edidon, according to Pinkerton, acd which, htttj^^ is 1000 iniln, imtead of the 500 in the text.' This certainly refers t^ - Gofcfloda. The districts of India have been continually changing theirnamn vith change of dominion ; ^d one or other of these names giv^i by Ma^ ^ |0 the £amond country, may at one tine have t>em thf dc^aatioa of lom^ «wn or^irtrici at the mincs«r*-£.. f. t i r MA». tt. tECT. XX. into fkrtary. s*r / iVi ■•'*'L '**^;^: Uite^^flie ibifefwing urtifioet There are grtit liiiMiWrB of idiilveil^, whieh rest in ^inper parts of ]£hlMredDl'fi>r the e4ce of feeding on the serpents, ii^hidi ere ftnlndat th# bottom of die deep rallies and predpices #here the men '' to them. The people afterwards search me eades neits when ' they leave them, and careiuHypidc out all the little stones they can jfhid, and evoi carefuuy examine the eagles dang in qilest of diamonds *. The kings and great men of the oowi- try keep all the largest and llnest ^Uiymonds that are procured from these mines, iand aHow the merchants to sell the rest. Lac is westwards from the shrine of St Thomas, from wheiKe the Bramins have their original, who ax6 the hmiest- est merchants in the world, and wul not lie on any account. ' Th^ faithfuUv keep any thing committed to their diarge, or ■ as brokers, they will sell or barter merchandize fi>r ethers, with great fidelity. They are known by a cotton thread, which they wesa over their shoulders, and tied under diar arms across their breast. Th^ have but one wife, are |^aat astrologers, of great abstinoice, and live to great ages. They constantly chew a certain herb, which keeps their teeth good and he^s digestion. There are certain religious persons among them called 7(Z%u( , who live widi sreat austerity^ go^ ing altogether naked ; their principal wormip is addreaBecT to coWs, of which they wear a small brass unajge on th^ fyre- heads, and they make an ointment of ox bones, with whidi they anoint themselves very devoutly. They neither kill nor eal any living creature, and even abstain from green herbs, or fresh roots tiU dried, esteeming every thinff that lives to hAve a soul. Hiey use no dishes, but lay thieir victuals on drjr leaves. The^ ease themselves in the sands, apd they disperse it, lest it should breed worms, which might die for want of ibbd. Some of these people are said to live to ISO years of age, and when they oie their bodies are burned. V'^'- %•;:■-;■•'-• •-■.:^:rY-'^- '■■'.■ ' Cad 8 Oaf Wpoi0we warehereivadhigsfngauntoftiieadvantiirei efSmbadtfaeMiloivftmntkcAnbunNigfati. Bat«BtlutaBdafcwottwr •jaBikr eccMMMit in tbe namtrre of ll&i^ edition, and he is disposed to cMisider the last as indicating Geriach, because of the pirates. But there seems no necessity for Hiat nicety, as all the north'westem coast of India has always been addicted to maritime plunder or piracy.^E. s ■J ,1 :• ^u,_- •■:. ¥ CttAP. XI. SECT. XX. intoTMitay, M9 AW kingdom of idolaters, who are venr good people, aad greatly oooapied in trade. Rennacoran u a great kmgdom m ido- laters and Saracens, and is- the last province, towards the north in the Greater India. Near this thore are said to be two iskuids, one inhabited by men and the other by women $ ,the men visiting their wives only during the months of March, April, and May, and then returning to their own island i and it is reported, that the air of that country- admits of no other procedure. The women keep their sons till twelve years, old, and then send them to their uthers. These people are. Chris- tians, havinff a bishop, who is subject to the archbishop of Socotora ; they are ^>od fishermen, and have great store, of amber. The archbishop of Socotora * is not subject to the IPope, but to a prelate called Zatulia, who resides at Bagdat. The people of Socotora are said to be great enchanters,, thougn excommunicated for the practice by their prelate, and are reported to raise contrary winds to bring back the ediips of those who have wronged them, that they may obtain aatu&ction. Section XXI. Of Madagascar, Ethiopia, Abyssinia, and several othet . Countries*. A THOUSAND miles south from Socotora is MagaAer * of Madagascar, one of the largest and richest islands in the world^, 3000 miles in circumference, which is inhabited by Saracens, and governed by four old men. The currents of the «ea in those parts are of prodigious force. The people live 8 Socotora ii called Scorsia or Scoria in the Trevigi edition.— E. I This concluding section may be considered as a kind of appendix, in which Marco has placed several unconnected hearsay notices ot countt'ies vvfaere he never had been personally. — ^E. ' 3 Mandeigascar in the Trevigi edition, and certainly meant fur Mada> gasrar. — ^E. I 3 'Madagascar hat no pretensions to riches or trade, and never had ; «o that Marco must have been imposed upon by some &racen or Arab mari- ner. Its uzt, climate, and soil certainly fit it for becoming a place «f vast liches and population ; but it jp one almost conthiued loKst, mhabited by numerous independent and hostile tribes of barbarians. Of thu bland, a minnte account wi(l appear in an after part of ibis work.— £. Traiotb tfMmxo Polo . rsxi .:JP419r>Ci / )■] :f % 'I i i \^ I I \l»9 fav mfrrhmdiMr^ «xd nII TMt quautifie* <}f ckqjihMM* ttiih^. MariiDiBiii raport stnuMn stories of a jModkioiiifar kii|g« Ufil like an ca|^« called Mtek^mA to^be foundln Orit MtuBtI3^' ■ . « 't'Vii 4ifj,; ,j, ■ Zoonbar or 2Saiiguebar» it abo said lo Im of great extentj aiu} il>tiabited by » verj defixrined peo^ f and the otmntry alHuiida in elephants and antdopeo» uid a qpeoite of iheq> nftmdUbeto'onn. :/i-^i vo^^av I ha»r heMrd fh)in BMnners and skilful pilottt mudii t«nn»t in the? Indian seas, arid havr Men in their writings, that' dieif seas contain 19^700 islands, inhabited or desert ^tt ;;^ ,^; III the Greater India, which is between Moabar or the Cbr» lemandel coast on the east, round to Cheamacoran on the notdiNweat, there are thirteen kingdoms. India Minw is &omf Zian^ to Murfiii ', in which are eight kingdoms and nttffv islands. The second or Middle India is called Abascia', of which the qier day, whem for several incnths, the sun never sets.— £. 1 Kakluyf/II. 149, for the LAin ; II. 158, for the old English translation. ^Forst. Voy. and Disc. 147.^ I, i. 1 « CRAV. xn. SECT. I. into China and the East Sd8 ■ ■■■' 1 Stt ft ■ I \. guage, apparently a Cekic dialect, in which jwi ainufim a stage, station, or jresting^lace, and-itav or mum signinci nine r Foftmav, T4tfinig « ri into Portus naonis, and Frenchi^ into Pdrtenau-, implies^ thoeefore, the ninth station, akid is atl pre- sent named Pordanone in the JFriuL The account of lUs tro- Tels, together with his life, are to be found, in BoUmdi Actis Sanetonm', l4do Janmrii j in whidi he is honoured with the ' titleof Samb Odcric died at Udina in 1381. In 1797, Basilio Asquini, an Italian Barnabite of Udina, puUished La Vita e Viaggi.ddi Beato Oderico da XTdiiUf vtt^aeSoiy aa Itaiian translation fiiom the Latin oS Bolandi. The account of these travels in the collection of Hakluyt, is odled '* The Journal of Frier Odericua, conceminffthe strange things which hee sawe amoiu; the Tartars ci the East ;" and was probably trMiscribed and translated from Bolandi, in which these travels are entitled De mirabUibus Mundi^ or the Wonders of the Worid. Hiey have very much the air of an ignorant compi- lation, fiibricatRd in the name of Oderic, perhaps upon "^me di^ht foundation, and stuffed with ill-assort(:d stories and des- criptions from Marco Polo, and other, writers, interspersed witn a few ridiculous imraclM, for the hbnour or disgrace of the minorite order. Mr Pinkerton auserts, that Oderic was> not canonized until 175S. But the Acts of the Saints is a publication of considerable antiquity, and he is called Beatus in the work of Asquini, already mentioned as having been published in 1787. '\i,',!f,.!^i • Section I. ■ 7%e Commencement of the Travels of Oderic. •i ■m Many things are related by various authors, concerning the customs, fiuhions, and conditions of this world : Yet, as I, jGriar Oderic of Portenau in the Friul,have travelled among the remote nations of the unbelievors, where I saw and heard many great and wonderful things, I have thought fit to relate ail these things truly. Having crossed over the ffreat sea * from Pera, close by Constantinople, I came to Trebizond, in thle countnr called Pontus by the ancients.' This land is commodiousfy situated as a medium of inter- course for the Persians and'Medes, and other nations beyond the m:. 1 Perhaps the sea of ,0S8rm^iO|it iQf^iw^sts Euxme.ori|^]|.i^§* ■SrJia, :.^*l'fe ItV.^' IhUbthffiitnio '~ir-^ffm<-- V ! dM Orfoii Sl% wilh GiaritaatiM^ iiid Ih* «miitri« of *» W«t4 itt thiii iilMKl I behM a ilrliiiM i|iwlMd0 1^ Mightf ^ matti #ho M abmtt #it£ liii» lubf fhaa 40M pvtrillgM. This pttaadi Iralkcd on tlN/ gPoOndy while Uk pavtridgte i«w dwat lim in flie flir* and lUcjr fo l aw d Uoi wiMtever h« #eni j and thtfy wen lo tIaaM, Umltwhtm 1«b bgr dofwn ia ilMt^ thcjr afl CMfme flockiiig idbont liiin,\ lik« lo iIhm^ ckickenii.' Vhm » certain caMle milled Ziliienay ibneif di^ j/auttttj ham Trebitond, heled hia pitffridfeg in tUi mahaw to the pahMse oi ihd empero^ in tha(& <%. Arid wheh diA aerraarts of die ompei^ had tdkeii laoh m imbiker of IM pakrtri^es as they dioiu^t proper, he led baek die vist hi tfil« flime manner, to the place from whence he cIudMii 'ohf^mml From thie city of Trebiioad, where die body of Sfe Mb^ nashu i« preserred orrer on6 of the gatda^ I joahieyed into thei Greatw Ann^kia,t9a mty nadMd .&aiOa» whidi #aarisJ»aa^ flooriihing in fornwi^ tinw% but tibe Tartan hate A^uWhUU entirely waste i yet it stril llai abondandt of bread did htAt^ and viotuab of aJl iorts, exoeptiiu; #ine and fhills; Thisidl» ty is remuiubly coU, and it saidta be situated our higher dcvation diat any other dty of the worlds It has abobdainM of exceHtht Irater, which seems td originate from tiie great river EupAdratei ^V whidi is onty at the dist a riee of • d^ joomey. Asaron stands in the direct rood between TVenk wmd and Tavris. in joorneyiiifi^ fiirther on^^ I came to m mountain named Sobiasacdo ; and we passed by thef vdry mountain of Ararat, on which the ark of Noah is sdd to have rested. I was very desirous to have gone to the t(^ of diat mountain, but the coittpHtsf with which I travdled would not wut for me s and the people of the country all^ that no one was ever able to ascend to its top, because, say they, it is eontroiy to the w^ of God; Gmtinoiag ddr umrMy, we came to Tauris \ a greait tend i^yd citjy aiiciently cdwd^ Sosa, whitb is teekohed the chief city in die wo^ld m kiadcif and merchandize} for evelry article ^hatevc^^ both of mer- (Muii8fictdthsfrxt6t'2adb^ . 3 Tebriz in Perm.— E. " '' m ^ '^■i 'vf •»» •ilMh'Xii* SECT. I. MM Ohmd and the East, deouaioiM. Naur diii «i^ thcriA is » hiU ef m1(,i firofti wiMmce etefy one miRy takii al muob •« WpleiMt^ wkhout pnyilte Any thing wbidifttr t» any penon. M«i^ Cbrialiailt from al pans of tha, world ara to ba kmid ai thia |dac^y ^er whom ihd Savacena hard Uia auprane awthority. ifirom Tauris I tnvvalled to> the dky eallad SoUknia \ wbara the Penian emperor resides during the summer ; but in win* tcr he changes his residence to another city upon the sea of Baku '. Soldania is a large city, but very cold, from its si- tuation in the mountains, dnd mm considerable trade, and a- bundance of good water. From thence I set out with a caran^an of itawchants^ for the Upper India, and ikf oiir way, after many days journey, we came to Cassan or Casbin *, the neUe and rieitowed dty tif the thuee wise men^ which abouAds in bread and winCr and many other good things^ but th6 Tartars have n6ttttf destro;^^ it. WtOKh, this diy to Jetrasa* lem^ to whidb ikkt three wise men wAe kd by mifadei tite di8tan<$c( i» &R^ days journey. Fcfr ^e sake of brevity I omif many wonderm things whidi I Saw hi thjs eity« Gomg from thenee. We caffie to the city of GeSto^, whence thts sea of aMbd, a meSt wohderfid and dantferdUs track) b distant only one dbys joumeyii In the city cm Yezd th«« is abundance of all kinds of victnalsy eapetfially of figs, glaties; md faiaim^ w^h are therie moi^> plenttful, in my opinlotiy than in toy oiber part of the world. It is one of the prmcipal citite in att Persia, and its Saracen inhabitants allege that no Christiazs cgB»i live there above A year. Continwng our ioumey for- wards for many daysy I cam6 to' a city ttamed Comum*'^ vU^ was- a great city in old times, near fifty Miles in circuni^ ference^ and c^ken did much dauiage to the Romans. Irt this ykee ^cre ard stetefy pakujes, now destitute of inhabitanti; .ial>eT! ■ . yet ■»'".■ ■ ■ i ■ .4 SuhaalsorSultaiiie.— E« ^ . ■ .. 5, fhe Cwpian ; to called in tUt place, from Baku or Baccoii, a city oa ifirBii^, in die province of Shih^A.—'E. e Oderic must have made a mistake here, as Caibin is not above seventy or dghty miles irom Sultanie, and the joumev of the caravans between these dtics, couti not k»^ esceeded four or fivt aays^'^E. 7 Yccd^ akorot seo milei eiM from? Ispahaa^-^B* \ 8 This is obtnously the city of Kom or Koom, above 400 nulcsta'.tli* fiiMlih'west of Yezdy and much neairer Sultaaie. Our traveller, theMfere, rinist adWr have strangely forgatten his routfey or he cattle bsck agaia kma Yezd, instead of joarDcying fcHTwardsiT-E. 595 Traveh tf Odtric PAITb yetit hith abundance of proviaiona. Travelling from thtnce through many oountriei) I came at length into thejand of Job, Us ^t whioh borders on the north of Chaldea. This land is full of all kinds of provisions, and manna is here found in great abundance. Four partridges are sold here for less than an Italian ntmt j and the mountains have excellent pastures for cattle. In diis country the men card and ^in, and not the women { and the old men ave very comely. . .4. r;( Section II. Of the Manners of the Chaldeans, and concerning India, .^ i (1* FltOBi thence I travelled into Chaldea, which is a great kingdom, having a language peculiar to itself, and I passed beside the Tower ofBaioeL' The men of this country have their hair nicely braided and ^mmed, like the womea of Italy, wearing turbans richlv ornamented with gold and pearls, and are a fine lookmg people: but the women are ugly and deformed, and are dra in coarse shifts, only reach- ing to their knees, with long sleeves hanging down to the ground, and breeches or trowsers which kkewise reach the ground, but their foet are bare. They wear no head-dresses, and their hair hangs neglected and dishevelled about their ears. There are many other strange tb'ngs to be seen in thit country. From thence I travelled into the lower India, which waa overrun and laid waste by the Tartars'. In diis country the peof4e subsist chi^y on dates, forty-two pound weight of which may be purchased for less than a Venetian groat. Travdfing on for many days, I arrived at Ormus on the^ main ocean, which is a well fortified city, having great store of merchandize and treasure. The heat of this country is excessive, and constrains the people to make use of extraor^ dinaiy expedients to preserve their lives*. In this place, th«ir .. ■ A 9 Khiu or Khodttaa, die •outh.wettem proviace of Pimia.'— E. 1 By lower India, our aiidior wems here to indicate the touthem province* or Peiwu— E. 9 Tantua est calor, qood virilia hominum exeunt corpus, et descendant usque at mediam tibiarum; ideo £aciunt unctionum, et ungunt tUa, et in quwusdam sacculiiponunt circs secingentes,etaUter.inorerentur. > i! r ^) JITfc •nee d of Idea, here ifor llent pin. CHAF. XII. SECT. II. into Ckhut ami the Eatt. «iT r. reftt •ed Vfe I of uid are ch- the the esy eir bit ra& fht It. ba re i» r- e. ir e» It a thdr shipf or burlu are called jtfi^, the planks of 4vlkidi tre Mwed U^her with hemp. Embarkinff in one of thefe ▼••- sds* in which I could find no iron wnatever, I arrived in twenty-eiffht daya sail at Thana ', in which place fimr of onr frian gufiered martyrdom for the Chriatian faith. Tkiscoun- tnr is well situated for trade, and has abundance of bread and wine, and of all other articles necessary for the food of man. The kingdom in ancient times was very large and populous, and was under the dominion of Kinff Porus, who fought a n-eat battle with Alexander the Macedonian conqueror. The inhabitantti are idolaters, worshipping tibe fire, and like- wise paying divine honours to scipents, and even to trees. The Saracens have conquered the whole of this land, and are themsdves under subjection to king Dddili \ In this coun- try there are|;rcat numbers of blade lions { apes and monkics are also very numerous, and their bats are as larj^ as our pigeons, lli^ have rats also, as large as the dogs in Italy, which are hunted by means of dogs, as cats are unable to cope with them. Jn this country e> *ry one has a bundle of great boughs of trees, as large as a pillar, standing in a pot of water before the door } and there are many other stranoe and wonderful novelties, a relation of which would be exceed- ingly delightful. ■■V ■|> SCCTION III. Of the MarUfrdomofihe Friars I Four of our frian, Tolentinus de Marchia, James of Pbdua, Demetrius, a lay brother, and Peier de Senis, suff^- cd martvrdom in the city of Thana. These fi-iore had en- ;aged for their passage at Ormus to Pohjmbrum, but w«-e brcibly carried to Thana, where there are fifteen houses of Christians, schismatics of the Nestorian communion, and on their arrival they were hospitably entertained in one of these houses. A strife happened to take place between the man of ^/ • -' , ■ . that .^ 3 This place seems to h^Te been Tstta, in the Delta of tIicIndu(.—£. 4 This unknown king, rex Daldili, is probably ah en^ iii translating from the Venetian or Friul dialect of Oderie into Monkish Latin, and nay have been originally II Re dal Deli, or the King of Delhi< — ^E. 1 The whole of this and the following section is omitted in the old English of Ilakluyt, and 'n here translated mm the Latin.— £. ''-"'w..~» — * l O ' M i.i 'M I I \ \ flis IWmlfV'OiIrr^ 9Af^ti llMt lioqif tii^ Ml mikt ipi whiek die fim ^>Mit Ms wUli Mf ^ ▼fH^. &i» eomplpiMd to die Htdf, iilio inCenMmled her hem die oould pft>^e her uiertion. On irliieh ibe antwer- ecl diet dlfvewere firarprfeits of the Fiwnln wHo wfre pr^> lent. Mid coiod irtteit thebed um^ the JukI reodred. On ddi # jpenpn ^ Alemndria, who wm preient, requeited of the keol diat theee men might be lert for, dnoe they were iet^Biediaen, venMit in thjB leriptvrres, and it would be right to dinrate with them epncerningthe fidth. Our (U«r* ^»^«*^ •eqof^rijr i^nt^, and, leaving ret^ to take charge of theif gooda^ die other three went to die kadi i who l^^i^ ^ ^^ pute with d|em conceminff our fiiidi, Mvhifft ** Inat Chrlit wai a nyere Qian, onid not Ood**' But friar Thomai * irhewed evjl While diey thui detennined upon burning the Mara, the report of thii aftir tpread over the whple dty, and all the people of botn gexee, young and old, floclied to behpfd the •peetacle. Hie frion were accordingly led to the meet puUic eauare of the city, where a great nro was lighted im, Into ii^ich frifur Himnas endeavoured to throw nfanself I but a fioraoen held him back, aaying t ** Yon shall not do so, pld man, as you mav have hcme wpdi or con- trivance about you, for preventing the fire from hurting you, and vou must aUow another of your people to go into the fire. Then four <^ the Sarocois seized upon fiiar James, intending to have thrown him into the fire, but he requested permission to walk in of his own accmrd, to shew his devotion to the fiiith. This, however, they refused, and threw him in headlong. The fire was so large and fierce that he could not be seen ; yet his voice waa heard from the midst ol'the fiames, calHng upon the name of the Glorious Virgin. When the fire was totally consumed, firiar James was aem standing on the onbers, aitnurt and Jo^iil, with his hand* raised to heaven in form of the cross, and himself praising and glorifying Oon, who had thus manifested the greatness of his faith { ondnothingwhotever about his person, not even his dothesor his hair, was found in the lightest degree injured by the fire. Upon this, all the (>eopleb^rwito cry akwd, *< They are holy ! they areholy I it Is sinnd to do them any injury, for we see now that their mih is good imd holy.'' To this the kadi objected, saying that he was not holy, notwithstMiding he remained un> hurt amid the fire } but that his tunic, being fabricated from the wool of the land of Habraa, had protected hkn : That he ought therrfore to be thrown naked into the fire, and they should then see whetfier or npt he would be consumed. After •y'.'?'* ^w* /);ii/» i^t jl>iU MM ~r— --r"rjfljr2aii:rT- rret^r %99 v«^^ M SDrfftucin^ Od$ne, .^•t^iaiiw.i* •1 I I i . AfyffH ^ th« wmM Jhuw«ep«>/ by directfon of Oie Mi, /n«4?>. ft Are tvitko 4*,]lir8«;.«» the. ^rmeri wodt navii^ str^ p^ Jwnes qwte iH^Md, th^ wMbedluBrbodyyiMOf([ anoml Oixfi abundantly witb oil, Mdes pouxina a 0Peat (^putntitv <^ oU upon the tMgpta which compoaed ue fire } , and whei) 4te .nre was fi^. Idndled, they threwi friar James into the JiUdit . Friary 'JTho^ias a^d Dewetrtus, retiring iNp«nK>iu| d^f peopie* remained on their hnees praying to,Oo9,*witti ^ nmuiy t^i:9. Friar Jamei, howerei^ oame a second time un^ hurt from the Qre> and Uie people again cried out that it was- sinful to imure these holy mep^ Upon this the Melioh, or ^, gp^vernor of the city, called friar James to his presence, and "^ causing him to put on his garments, said to the firiars, ** We see, hrothezVt 'w^. by the Grace of Ood ye have suffered nc^ h^m firon^ us.} .wherefore me ure convinced that ye are holy men, and that your fiuth if SSto^ andtrue ; we ac(viae you to» take yourselves .away out qF this land as quickly as possttile^' as the kadi will do his utmost to destroy you, because yo^' have con^un4ed his lurffuments. . At this time, likewue^ the' people w:ere full pf astonishment and admisatidB of what the^- had sqen, and were so filled with wonder, at the miracle, that' they knew not wh^t to be^eye, or how to conduct themselves. The uieUch ordei'ed the three^ friary to be carried across a small arm of t^e, seat into a yiJDege at a moderate distance from the city, where, he ordered them to be lodged' in the house of an idolater. • Afterward^ die .kadi went to the meUc^, and rq>reeented to him that the )aw of Muhomet would be overthrown if tliese-i people were allowed to live. He observed farther, that, by the pi:ecepts of Mahomet in the akoran, it was deckred, that any one who slew a Christian, acquired as much merit by that action as by the pilgrimage to Mecca. Then said the meiid^ ^ unto him, " Go thy way, and do what thou wilt." Whereupon' ' the kadi took four armed men, whom he directed to go ond" slay the friars. These men crossed over thewater while it '^' was ni^t, but were then unable to find the friars. In the meantime, the metich caused all the Christians in the oit^ to^^ be token up and thrown into prison. In the middle ot the night, the three friars rose up to say matins, and being then ^^ discovered by the four, anued Sai^cens, they were dragffed ' out of. the viUaffe to aplace^n^tha.c^taintree, where the^f*^ thus addressed our fiiars : " Know ye that we are ordered' by the kadi and the melich to slay you, which we are very 8 unwUling .cHiiP. ,xii. SECT. III. itoo China and the East, m the that that to fthe then y/KwiUiag to do* a« you are goiacl and holv men i but vre&veis not .retitfet as we and our wives and children would be put to 4m^. .Then luiswered the ifriars, ** Do ye even as you have hgeen oonunanded, that by a temporal death we itiay g^ft fliwmal life i since, for the love of our Lord Jesus C3irllt, who was crucified and died for ua, and in honour of our faith in his holy gospel* we are prepared willingly to suffer every kittd 9f toi^ment, and even death itself." A Christian niait, wb<> had joined company with the friars, reasoned much witii (be tour #rmed Saracens, declaring, if he had a swdrd» he would either deiend these holy men irom death, or would die atong with them. Then the armed men caused tike friairs t6 t«ikeeiF their garments, and friar Thomas, on his knees, and with his arms folded in form of the cross, had his head smit- tm off. . Friar James had his head divided to the eyes by the , first bk>w, and by a second, his head was sisvered from his 1 body*. They wounded friiur Demetrius at first in the breast^ and then cut. off his head. In the moment of the martyrdoni cS these hojiy men, the moon shone out with unusual i^l^> .dew, and the ni^t became so exceedingly li^t, that aU A^" .miied .greatly: After which, it suddenfy became excessiveljr clark* with great thunder and lightnjng, and viotent corusca- .^ns, so that all eiqsected to be destroyed} and the ship^ whidi ought to have carried away the friars, was sunk, with all on boird, so that no tidings of it were ever heard after- wards. In the morningf the kadi sent to takie possession of the goods bekmgmg to Uie friars, and then friar Peter de Senis, ,who hud been left in charge of the goods, was found, and f .carric4 \m§^ the.kadi t who, together with the other Sara^ cens, prommsd him great things, if he would renounce the ' Christian &ith, and conform to the law. of Mahomet. But friar Peter scorned all their affen, and derided them : Where- upon they inflicted every species of torment upon him, fronl morning imtil mid