WILLIAM DE RUBRUQUIS ad 



1253- 

 many bodily images to represent him ? Sithence also you 

 beleeve not that hee was made man : why doe you 

 resemble him rather unto the image of a man then of any 

 other creature ? Then they answered saying : we frame 

 not those images whereby to represent God. But when 

 any rich man amongst us, or his sonne, or his wife, or any 

 of his friends deceaseth, hee causeth the image of the dead 

 party to be made, and to be placed here : and we in 

 remembrance of him doe reverence thereunto. Then I 

 replyed : you doe these things onely for the friendship 

 and flatterie of men. Noe (said they) but for their 

 memory. Then they demanded of me, as it were in 

 scoffing wise : Where is God ? To whom I answered : 

 where is your soule ? They said, in our bodies. Then 

 saide I, is it not in every part of your bodie, ruling and 

 guiding the whole bodie, and yet notwithstanding is not 

 seene or perceived ? Even so God is every where and 

 ruleth all things, and yet is he invisible, being under- 

 standing and wisedome it selfe. Then being desirous to 

 have had some more conference with them, by reason, 

 that mine interpreter was weary, and not able to expresse 

 my meaning, I was constrained to keepe silence. The 

 Moals or Tartars are in this regard of their sect : namely 

 they beleeve that there is but one God : howbeit they 

 make images of felt, in remembrance of their deceased 

 friends, covering them with five most rich and costly 

 garments, and putting them into one or two carts, which 

 carts no man dare once touch : and they are in the 

 custody of their soothsayers, who are their priests, con- 

 cerning whom I will give your Highnesse more at large 

 to understand hereafter. These soothsayers or diviners 

 do alwaies attend upon the court of Mangu and of other 

 great personages. As for the poorer or meaner sorte, 

 they have them not, but such onely as are of the stocke 

 and kindred of Chingis. And when they are to remove 

 or to take any journey, the said diviners goe before them, 

 even as the cloudie piller went before the children of 

 Israel. And they appoint ground where the tents must 

 I 289 T 



