A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1253- 



that wee had. There was yet one comfort remaining unto 

 me : for when I once perceived their covetous intent, I 

 conveyed from among our bookes the Bible, and the 

 sentences, and certaine other bookes which I made speciall 

 account of. Howbeit I durst not take away the Psalter 

 of my soveraigne Lady the Queene, because it was too 

 wel known, by reason of the golden pictures therein. 

 And so we returned with the two other carts unto our 

 lodging. Then came he that was appointed to be our 

 guide unto the court of Baatu, willing us to take 

 our journey in all poste-haste : unto whom I said, that I 

 would in no case have the carts to goe with me. Which 

 thing he declared unto Coiat. Then Coiat commaunded, 

 [I. 107.] that we should leave them and our servant with him : 

 And we did as he commanded. And so traveling 

 directly Eastward towards Baatu, the third day we came 

 They are come to Etilia or Volga : the streams whereof when I beheld, 

 ayaiie as j ^Q^^^gj-ed from what regions of the North such huge 

 and mighty waters should descend. Before we were 

 departed from Sartach, the foresaid Coiat, with many 

 other Scribes of the court said unto us : doe not make 

 The Tartars report that our Lord is a Christian, but a Moal. 

 wu be called Because the name of a Christian seemeth unto them to 

 be the name of some nation. So great is their pride, 

 that albeit they beleeve perhaps some things concerning 

 Christ, yet will they not bee called Christians, being 

 desirous that their owne name, that is to say, Moal 

 should be exalted above all other names. Neither wil 

 This history of ^^J be called by the name of Tartars. For the 

 PresbiterJohn Tartars were another nation, as I was informed by them. 

 in the 'North- 

 east, is allead- Hov^ Sartach, and Mangu-Can, and Ken-Can 

 ged at large ^^^ revcrence unto Christians. Chap. lo. 



by Gerardus ^ ^ ^ 



Mercator in \ T the same time when the French-men tooke 



his generall £\^ Antioch, a certaine man named Con Can had 



mappe. dominion over the Northren regions, lying thereabouts. 



Con is a proper name : Can is a name of authority or 



dignitie, which signifieth a diviner or soothsayer. All 



266 



