WILLIAM DE RUBRUQUIS ad. 



1253- 

 I would bestow all those things upon his Lord or no ? 

 Which saying made me to tremble, and grieved me full 

 sore. Howbeit, dissembling our griefe as well as we 

 could, we shaped him this answere : Sir, our humble 

 request is, that our Lorde your master would vouch- 

 safe to accept our bread, wine, and fruits, not as a 

 present, because it is too meane, but as a benediction, 

 least we should come with an emptie hand before him. 

 And he shall see the letters of my sovereigne Lord the 

 king, and by them he shall understand for what cause 

 we are come unto him, and then both our selves, and 

 all that we have, shall stand to his curtesie : for our 

 vestiments be holy, and it is unlawfull for any but 

 Priests to touch them. Then he commaunded us to 

 invest our selves in the saide garments, that we might 

 goe before his Lord : and wee did so. Then I my 

 selfe putting on our most precious ornaments, tooke in 

 mine armes a very faire cushion, and the Bible which 

 your Majesty gave me, and a most beautifull Psalter, 

 which the Queenes Grace bestowed upon me, wherein 

 there were goodly pictures. Mine associate tooke a 

 missal and a crosse : and the clearke having put on his 

 surplesse, tooke a censer in his hand. And so wee 

 came unto the presence of his Lord : and they lifted 

 up the felt hanging before his doore, that hee might 

 behold us. Then they caused the clearke and the [l. io6.] 

 interpreter thrise to bow the knee : but of us they 

 required no such submission. And they diligently 

 admonished us to take heed, that in going in, and in 

 comming out, we touched not the threshold of the house, 

 and requested us to sing a benediction for him. Then we 

 entred in, singing Salve Regina. And within the entrance 

 of the doore, stood a bench with cosmos, and drinking 

 cups thereupon. And all his wives were there assembled. 

 Also the Moals or rich Tartars thrusting in with us 

 pressed us sore. Then Coiat caried unto his lord the 

 censer with incense, which he beheld very diligently, 

 holding it in his hand. Afterward hee caried the Psalter 



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