AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1253- 



governors themselves were gone to pay tribute unto 

 Baatu, & were not as yet returned. We heard of your 

 lord Sartach (quoth I) in the holy land, that he was 

 become a Christian : and the Christians were exceeding 

 glad therof, & especially the most Christian king of 

 France, who is there now in pilgrimage, & fighteth against 

 the Saracens to redeeme the holy places out of their 

 handes : wherfore I am determined to go unto Sartach, 

 & to deliver unto him ye letters of my lord the king, 

 wherein he admonisheth him concerning the good and 

 commoditie of all Christendome. And they received us 

 with gladnes, and gave us enterteinement in the cathedrall 

 Church. The bishop of which Church was with Sartach, 

 who told me many good things concerning the saide 

 Sartach, which afterward I found to be nothing so. Then 

 put they us to our choyce, whither we woulde have cartes 

 and oxen, or packe horses to transport our cariages. And 

 the marchants of Constantinople advised me, not to take 

 cartes of the citizens of Soldaia, but to buy covered cartes 

 of mine owne, (such as the Russians carrie their skins in) 

 and to put all our carriages, which I would daylie take 

 out, into them : because, if I should use horses, I must 

 be constrained at every baite to take downe my carriages, 

 and to lift them up againe on sundry horses backs : and 

 besides, that I should ride a more gentle pace by the oxen 

 drawing the cartes. Wherfore, contenting my selfe with 

 their evil counsel, I was traveiling unto Sartach 2. 

 moneths which I could have done in one, if I had gone 

 by horse. I brought with me from Constantinople (being 

 by the marchants advised so to doe) pleasant fruits, 

 muscadel wine, and delicate bisket bread to present unto 

 the governours of Soldaia, to the end I might obtaine free 

 passage : because they looke favourablie upon no man 

 which commeth with an emptie hand. All which thinges 

 I bestowed in one of my cartes, (not finding the gover- 

 nours of the citie at home) for they told me, if I could 

 carrie them to Sartach, that they would be most acceptable 

 unto him. Wee tooke our journey therefore about the 



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