JOHN DE PLANO CARPINI ad. 



1246. j 



saide Cuyne being Emperor new elect, together with \ 



al his princes, erected a flag of defiance against the Church \ 



of God, & the Romane empire, and against al Christian W^rre in- \ 



kingdomes and nations of the West, unlesse peradventure ^^I'^^.i agmmt ■ 



(which God forbid) they will condescend unto those ry ^ i ; 



things, which he hath injoined unto our lord the Pope, '■ ' '^ j 



& to all potentates and people of the Christians, namely, j 



that they wil become obedient unto him. For, except | 



Christendom, there is no land under heaven, which they ! 



stand in feare of, and for that cause they prepare them- ! 



selves to battel against us. This Emperors father, namely j 



Occoday was poisoned to death, which is the cause why ' 



they have for a short space absteined from warre. But ^ 



their intent and purpose is (as I have above said) to subdue \ 



the whole world unto themselves, as they were commanded ' 



by Chingis Can. Hence it is that the Emperor in his ' 

 letters writeth after this maner : The power of God, & 

 Emperour of all men. Also, upon his seale, there is this 



posie ingraven : God in heaven, and Cuyne Can upon earth, j 



the power of God : the seale of the Emperour of all men. \ 



Of the admission of the Friers and Ambassadours \ 

 unto the Emperour. Chap. 29. 



IN the same place where the Emperour was established Cuyne heareth 



into his throne, we were summoned before him. And ^he Legates. 

 Chingay his chiefe secretary having written downe our 



names, and the names of them that sent us, with the I 

 name of the Duke of Solangi, & of others, cried out with 



a loude voice, rehearsing the said names before the 1 



Emperour, and the assembly of his Dukes. Which \ 

 beeing done, ech one of us bowed his left knee foure 



times, & they gave us warning not to touch the threshold. j 



And after they had searched us most diligently for knives, j 



and could not find any about us, we entred in at the ; 



doore upon the East side : because no man dare presume ; 

 to enter at the West doore, but the Emperour onely. 



In like maner, every Tartarian Duke entreth on the West \ 



side into his tent. Howbeit the inferiour sort doe not \ 



173 



