A.D. 



1246. 



The maner of 

 saluting the 

 Tartarian 

 princes. 



[1. 65.] 



Duke Bathy 

 y his pozcer. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



duke is governour of all them, which lie in guard against 

 the nations of the West, least some enemy might on the 

 sudden and at unawares breake in upon them. And hee 

 is said to have 60000. men under him. 



How they were received at the court of 

 Corrensa. Chap. 21. 



BEing come therefore unto his court, hee caused our tent 

 to bee placed farre from him, and sent his agents to 

 demaund of us with what we would incline unto him, that 

 is to say, what giftes we would offer, in doing our obeisance 

 unto him. Unto whome wee answered, that our lord the 

 Pope had not sent any giftes at all, because he was not 

 certaine that wee should ever bee able to come at them : 

 for we passed through most dangerous places. Notwith- 

 standing, to our abilitie, we will honour him with some part 

 of those things, which have bene, by the goodnes of God, 

 & the favour of the Pope, bestowed upon us for our sus- 

 tenance. Having received our gifts, they conducted us 

 unto the Orda or tent of the duke, & we were instructed 

 to bow thrise with our left knee before the doore of the 

 tente, and in any case to beware, lest wee set our foote 

 upon the threshold of the sayd doore. And that after we 

 were entred, wee should rehearse before the duke and all 

 his nobles, the same wordes, which wee had before sayde, 

 kneeling upon our knees. Then presented wee the letters 

 of our lord the Pope : but our interpreter whome we had 

 hired and brought with us from Kiow was not sufficiently 

 able to interpret them, neither was there any other esteemed 

 to bee meete for the same purpose. Here certaine poste 

 horses and three Tartars were appoynted for us to conduct 

 us from hence with al speede unto duke Bathy. This 

 Bathy is the mightiest prince among them except the Em- 

 perour, & they are bound to obey him before all other 

 princes. We began our journey towards his court the 

 first tuesday in Lent, and riding as fast as our horses could 

 trot (for we had fresh horses almost thrise or foure times a 

 day) we posted from morning till night, yea very often in 



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