WILLIAM DE RUBRUQUIS 



A.D. 

 1253. 



another of them also pretily wel instructed in his Gram- 

 mer : for hee could understand the meaning of any thing 

 that wee spake, but could not answere us. These 

 Hungarians were a great comfort unto us, bringing us 

 Cosmos to drinke, yea, and sometimes flesh for to eate 

 also : who, when they requested to have some bookes of 

 us, and I had not any to give them (for indeede we had 

 none but onely a Bible, and a breviarie) it grieved mee 

 exceedingly. And I saide unto them : Bring mee some 

 inke and paper, and I will write for you so long as we 

 shall remaine here : and they did so. And I copied out 

 for them Horas beatae Virginis, and Officium defunctorum. 

 Moreover, upon a certaine day, there was a Comanian A Comaman. 

 that accompanied us, saluting us in Latine, and saying : 

 Salvete Domini. Wondering thereat and saluting him 

 againe, I demaunded of him, who had taught him that 

 kinde of salutation ? Hee saide that hee was baptized in 

 Hungaria by our Friers, and that of them hee learned it. 

 He saide moreover, that Baatu had enquired many things 

 of him concerning us, and that hee tolde him the estate of 

 our order. Afterwarde I sawe Baatu riding with his 

 companie, and all his subjects that were housholders or 

 masters of families riding with him, and (in mine estima- 

 tion) they were not five hundred persons in all. At 

 length about the ende of Holy roode, there came a 

 certaine rich Moal unto us (whose father was a Millenarie, 

 which is a great office among them) saying : I am the man 

 that must conduct you unto Mangu-Can, and wee have 

 thither a journey of foure moneths long to travell, and A journey of 

 there is such extreame colde in those parts, that stones and +• ^'^^^^-^ 

 trees doe even rive asunder in regarde thereof. Therefore - '^^^ ^^^' 

 I would wish you throughly to advise your selves, whether 

 you be able to indure it or no. Unto whome I answered : 

 I hope by Gods helpe that we shalbe able to brooke that 

 which other men can indure. Then he saide : if you 

 cannot indure it, I wil forsake you by the way. And I 

 answered him : it were not just dealing for you so to doe : 

 for wee goe not thither upon anie businesse of our owne, 



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