WILLIAM DE RUBRUQUIS ad. | 



1253. 



will, according to the conveniencie of places, so that they 



place not their houses directly opposite against the court. j 

 At our arrival we were conducted unto a Saracen, who 



provided not for us any victuals at all. The day follow- .; 



ing, we were brought unto the court : and Baatu had , 

 caused a large tent to be erected, because his house or 



ordinarie tent could not containe so many men and ] 



women as were assembled. Our guide admonished us ] 



not to speake, till Baatu had given us commandement so j 



to doe, and that then we should speake our mindes j 



briefly. Then Baatu demanded whether your Majestie l 



had sent Ambassadours unto him or no ? I answered, • 



that your Majestie had sent messengers to Ken-Can : ! 



and that you would not have sent messengers unto him, \ 



or letters unto Sartach, had not your Highnes bene ■ 

 perswaded that they were become Christians : because 



you sent not unto them for any feare, but onely for i 



congratulation, and curtesies sake, in regard that you : 



heard they were converted to Christianitie. Then led I 



he us unto his pavilion : and wee were charged not to : 



touch the cordes of the tent, which they account in stead j 



of the threshold of the house. There we stoode in our ! 



habite bare-footed, and bare-headed, and were a great ■ 

 and strange spectacle in their eyes. For indeed Frier Jo/in de Pkm 



John de Piano Carpini had byn there before my comming: ^^^P^^- \ 

 howbeit, because he was the Popes messenger, he changed 



his habit that he might not be contemned. Then we j 



were brought into the very midst of the tent, neither i 



required they of us to do any reverence by bowing our 1 

 knees, as they use to doe of other messengers. Wee 



stood therefore before him for the space wherein a man j 



might have rehearsed the Psalme, Miserere mei Deus : \ 



and there was great silence kept of all men. Baatu ■ 



himselfe sate upon a seate long and broad like unto a i 



bed, guilt all over, with three staires to ascend thereunto, j 



and one of his ladies sate beside him. The men there ^ 



assembled, sate downe scattering, some on the right hand \ 

 of the saide Lady, and some on the left. Those places 



I 273 s 1 



