GENEVIEVE GENGIS-KHAN. 



335 



GENEVIEVE ; 1. St Genevieve ; born at Nan- 

 terre, about five miles from Paris, in the year 423, 

 a bout the time of Pharamond, the first king of France. 

 St Germain, bishop of Auxerre, observing in her, 

 when yet very young, a particular disposition to sanc- 

 tity, advised her to take a vow of perpetual virginity, 

 which she accordingly did in the presence of the 

 bishop of Paris. After the death of her parents, she 

 went to Paris. The city was about to be deserted, 

 when Attila, with his Huns, broke into France ; but 

 Genevieve assured the inhabitants of complete securi- 

 ty, if they would seek it by fervent prayers. Attila 

 took his course from Champagne to Orleans, returned 

 thence into Champagne, without touching Paris, and 

 was defeated in 451. By this event, Genevieve's 

 reputation was established. In a time of famine, 

 she went along the river Seine, from city to city, and 

 soon returned with twelve large vessels loaded with 

 grain, which she distributed gratuitously among the 

 sufferers. This increased her authority, and she was 

 highly honoured by Merovasus and Chilperic. No- 

 thing, however, contributed more to her reputation 

 for sanctity, than the circumstance, that, from her 

 fifteenth to her fiftieth year, she ate nothing but bar- 

 ley-bread, except that she took some beans every two 

 or three weeks, and, after her fiftieth year, some fish 

 and milk. In 460, she built a church over the graves 

 of St Dionysius Rusticus and Eleutherius, near the 

 village of Chasteville, where Dagobert afterwards 

 founded the abbey of St Denys. She died in 499 or 

 501, and her body was placed in the subterraneous 

 chapel which St Denys had consecrated to the apos- 

 tles Paul and Peter. Clovis, by her request, built a 

 church over it, which was afterwards called by her 

 name, as was also the abbey that was founded there. 

 Another church, consecrated to this saint, was built 

 adjoining to the church of Notre Dame. Her reliques 

 are preserved in the former. The church celebrates 

 the 3d of January, the day on which she died, in honour 

 of her. With this saint must not be confounded, 



2. Another St Genevieve, countess palatine, by birth 

 duchess of Brabant, who, having been accused of 

 adultery, was condemned to die, by her husband, 

 Siegefried. Being saved, however, by the protection 

 of Heaven, she lived six years in a cavern, upon no- 

 thing but herbs. She was finally found, and carried 

 home by her husband, who, in the mean time, had 

 become reconciled to her. Among the old German 

 national tales (Folksbucher), there is one entitled 

 Erne schone anmuthige und lesenswurdige Historic 

 von der unschuldig betrengten heil. Pfalzgrafin Ge- 

 noveva.wie es ihr in Abioesenheit ihres herzlieben Ehe- 

 gemahls ergangen A fine and interesting Story of 

 St Genevieve, the countess Palatine, in which is re- 

 lated what happened to the innocent dame, who had 

 been persecuted during her Absence from her belov- 

 ed Husband (Cologne and Nuremberg). " Of all 

 the books belonging to this class," says Gorres, " the 

 history of Genevieve is undoubtedly the most elabor- 

 ate and complete ; in some parts perfect, and, in its 

 unassuming simplicity, not surpassed by any other 

 work of the kind. It is written in a moving, inno- 

 cent style, simple, unadorned, and spreading, as it 

 were, around itself a shade of sacred feeling. 



GENGIS-KHAN. This renowned conqueror was 

 the son of a Mongol chieftain, by the name of Yezon- 

 kai, or Yzonkai, whose jurisdiction extended over thirty 

 or forty clans, but who, at the same time, paid tri- 

 bute to the Tartar Khans, or Kins, then bearing sway 

 over Eastern Tartary, and the north of China. Gen- 

 gis-Khan was born in the year of the Hegira 559, or 

 A. D. 1163 64, and received the name or Temudjyn. 

 The talents of the youth were so well cultivated by 

 bis teacher, Karakhar, that, at the early age of thir- 

 teen, he was able to govern the little domain which, 

 HI. 



as the first born son, he inherited from his father. 

 The heads of the tribes and families under his 

 jurisdiction imagined it would be an easy matter 

 to dispossess the stripling of his territory, or to with- 

 draw themselves from his dominion. But he im- 

 mediately led an army of 30,000 men, in person, 

 against the rebels, and, after one undecisive bat- 

 tle, entirely vanquished them in a second, and 

 rewarded his soldiers with the spoils, of which the 

 prisoners, who were treated as slaves, made a part. 

 Many of these, however, who were distinguished for 

 their rank and influence, were plunged, by the con- 

 queror's orders, into seventy vessels of boiling water, 

 a fit prelude to the numberless cruelties by which 

 he was afterwards to spread terror through Asia. 

 A great number of tribes now combined their forces 

 against him. But he found a powerful protector in 

 the great Khan of the Karaite Mongols, Oung, who 

 gave him his daughter in marriage. This occasioned 

 a war with a discarded rival. The parties met at the 

 foot of the Altai mountains, and a great battle was 

 on the point of being fought, when the father-in-law, 

 terrified by the approaching danger, retreated from 

 the field. Gengis observed this desertion in time, 

 and immediately intrenched himself between Onon 

 and Tula, whence he could render aid to the Karaite 

 troops, who were exposed to the vengeance of the 

 enemy. 



This noble conduct restored peace between the fa- 

 ther and son, but only for a short time. In 1202, they 

 formally declared war against each other, and Oung 

 lost in battle more than 40,000 men, and was killed in 

 his flight. The victor, however, found a new and 

 more formidable adversary in Tayank, the chieftain 

 of the Naiman Tartars. A battle was fought on the 

 banks of the Altai. Tayank was wounded, and died 

 in the flight, after seeing his soldiers cut down to the 

 last man. This signal victory secured to the con- 

 queror the dominion of a great part of the Mongol 

 territory, and the possession of the capita., Kara-Kor- 

 om. In the sprung of the following year, he held a 

 sort of diet in Bloun Youldouk, the land of his birth, 

 where deputies assembled from all the hordes subject 

 to him. This body conferred on him the crown, and 

 proclaimed him Khakan, or great Khan, in presence 

 of the army. At the same time, a devout Khaman, 

 who was highly venerated by the Mongols, prophe- 

 sied that he would reign over the whole earth, and 

 commanded him to be called henceforth, not Temud> 

 jyn, but Gengis-Khan. In the same assembly, the 

 emperor promulgated a military and civil code ot 

 laws, which is still known in Asia by the name of Yza 

 GengisKhany. This code is grounded on monotheism, 

 though Gengis did not profess any particular religious 

 creed. He did not give the slightest preference to any 

 one over another. All men of merit, whatever their 

 faith might be, were welcome at his court. Gengis 

 also caused many books in various languages, such 

 as the Thibetan, the Persian, and the Arabian, to be 

 translated into the Mongol language, an example 

 which was imitated by his successors, so that the Mon- 

 gols soon took rank among the refined nations of Asia. 

 The prophecy at the coronation of the great Khan 

 so animated the spirit of his soldiers, that they were. 

 easily led on to new wars. The beautiful and exten- 

 sive country of the Oigurs, in the centre of Tartary, 

 had long excited his desires. This nation, more dis- 

 tinguished for its literary refinement than its martial 

 prowess, was easily subdued, and Gengis-Khan was 

 now master of the greatest part of Tartary. Soon 

 after, several Tartar tribes put themselves under his 

 dominion; and, in 1209, he passed the great wall, 

 and sent troops to Leatong and Petscheli. The con- 

 quest of China occupied the Mongols more than three 

 ye;vrs. The capital, then called Yeneking, now /'<?. 



