Chap II. 
of w 1LLIAM DE RuBRUQUIS. 
they retained the old Simplicity of living much longer 
than any other People, and were therefore celebrated by Ho- 
mer and Hippocrates , as the jufteft and moil innocent of 
Mankind. But, in Procefs of Time, even thefe vaffc Coun- 
tries became over-peopled ; and then being prcffed by each 
other, thefe barbarous Nations, as they were ftiled by the 
Greeks and Romans , broke out like an Inundation, and 
fwept all before them. 
At prefent our Concern is with thofe who broke out 
laft ; I mean the Tartars, who are generally faid to have 
derived their Name from a River fo called ; but that is a 
Miftake. The original Name of this numerous Nation 
was Turks, which they derived from Turk , the eldeft 
Son of Japhet. But Alanza-Khan , one of their ancient 
Princes, leaving his Dominions to his Sons, which were 
Twins, the one called Tatar, and the other Mogul ', this 
gave Rife to the Diftindlion of thofe two Nations, which 
hath ever fmce prevailed. 
The great Conqueror Jengbiz - Kban , who in our 
old Writers is generally called Zengis , united both under 
his Dominion. He was bom, A. Z). 1164, and was 
raifed to the Command of his own fmall Tribe, at the 
Age of thirteen. He by Degrees firft eftablifhed his 
Power in his own Country, then attacked and conquered 
the northern Parts of China, but was never heard of in 
Europe till about the Year 1218, when he entered the 
Great Bucharia j he extended his Conquefts afterwards 
over a great Part of Afia, and died in the Year 1227, at 
the Age of fixty-five, and after having held the Dignity 
of Khan twenty-five Years. His eldeft Son Zuzi died fix 
Months after him, and was fucceeded by his eldeft Son 
Batu or Baatu, as our Author calls him, who had a great 
Part of Tartary for his Share. Zagatai, Son to Jenghiz- 
Khan had that Country which the Ancients call Tranfoxiana , 
which has been fince called Turkejian, or the Country of 
the XJsbeks but by the Tartars to this Day Zagatai ; 
Tuli, another Son of this Conqueror, had for his Share 
Chorajfian, Perfia, and the Indies, and Odiai, all the reft 
with the Title of Khan. This Prince began his Reign in 
1228, and died in 1241. So much as to the State of 
Tart ary. 
2. The Chriftian Princes had been very often put upon 
the Recovery of the Holy-Land by the Popes and Louis 
IX. King of France , called from thence St. Louis, took 
the Crofs, and engaged himfelf by a Yow, to endeavour 
the Recovery of the City and Kingdom of Jerufalem 
from the Infidels. It was with this View that he embarked 
at Marfeilles,Augiifi 23d, 1248, accompanied by his Queen 
and two Brothers. He failed from thence to the Ifland of 
.Cyprus, where he fpent the Winter in preparing for the 
War. There he received Embaffadors from the Khan of 
thzTartars, with an Account that he had embraced Chri- 
ftianity, and was difpofed to attack the Infidels on one 
Side, while his Majefty carried on the War on the other. 
This was an Affair of very great Importance to the King 
of France , who treated the Embaffadors with great Re- 
fpeff, and promifed 40 fend an Embaffador, to conclude 
an Alliance with the Emperor their Matter. 
He was hindered however in the Profecution of this De- 
fign, by the unlucky Accidents of the War ; for having 
Invaded Egypt at firft with great Succefs, he was after- 
wards, in the Year 1250, taken Prifoner in the Battle of 
Mafifora, and remained for a long time in the Hands of the 
Infidels, who treated him very ill, but at laft fet him at Li- 
berty, upon his furrendering the City of Damietta , and pay- 
ing them a Ranfom of 400,000 Livres, This cruel 
Reverie of Fortune did not hinder the King from parki- 
ng his Defign : He paffed immediately over into Syria, 
where he put the Affairs of the Chriftians into as good a 
Condition as it was poffible, and would very probably 
have accomplished all that he propofed, if the Death of 
his Mother, whom he had left Regent of France, had not 
obliged him to return home, which he did in the Year 
1254, and reigned very gloriouily for many Years, and 
then undertook a fecond Expedition in the fame Caufe, of 
which we fhall hereafter give fome Account. 
( 3. At prefent our Buftneis is to obferve, that while this 
Monarch was in Syria , and there concerted Meafures for 
reducing the Power of the Mohammedans , he made Choice 
Num b. 38. 
of our Author Friar William Rubruquis for his Embafia- 
dor to the Khan of the Tartars, and that for thefe three 
Reafons ; firft, becaufe he had engaged himfelf, while in 
Cyprus , to fend fuch an Embaffy. Secondly, becaufe the 
Affiftance of fo powerful a Prince, was a Matter of great 
Confequence to all Chriftendom. And, thirdly, that he 
might obtain a diftind and authentick Account of the 
Policy, Strength, and Intereft of a Nation which, in the 
Space of fifty Years, had obtained an Empire of fuch an 
Extent as hitherto the World had never feen. 
The Reafons which induced him to make Choice of our 
Author, were many *, but we fhall content ourfelves with 
mentioning only a few. His Condition, as a religious 
Man, made him a fit Minifter to a Prince lately converted 
to the Chriftian Faith : It difpenfed likewife with his hav- 
ing any Train of Attendance with which fuch an Embaffy 
could not be incumbered *, and it put it more into his 
Power to enquire into all Things that his Mafter defined to 
know, than if he had gone with all that Pomp which is 
ufually annexed to a publick Character. But, above, all^ 
he depended on the Abilities of the Man, who was looked 
upon as a Perfon of admirable Parts, and great Diligence, 
and whofe unaffeded Piety and Probity were not to be 
difputed. After his Return from this Embaffy, he com- 
piled this Account, which we now prefent to the Reader, 
and fent it to the King. It has been always efteemed the 
fulleft and cleared:, as well as the moft faithful and exad 
Defcription of the Tartars that ever was publifhed, and 
therefore we have given it entire, and in the Author’s 
own Words, together with his Dedication, which fol- 
lows. 
4. To the tnoft Excellent and mofi Chriftian Lord Louis, 
by the Grace of God, King of France ; Brother Wil- 
liam de Rubruquis, of the Order of Friars Minors, 
wifihes Health, and that he may ever triumph in 
Jesus Christ. 
££ It is written in the Book of Ecclefiafiicus , that the 
“ wife Man fhall pafs through Countries inhabited by 
££ foreign Nations, and that he fhall have his Share in all 
“ Things Good and Evil : I have done all this. Sire, 
££ and God grant that I have done it as a wife Man, 
££ and not as a Fool ; for many there are which do 
££ thofe Things which wife Men do, but not wifely, 
tc and much I fear that I am of that Number. How- 
cc ever that Matter may be, you were pleafed to com- 
46 mand me, at the Time of my Departure, that I 
££ fhould write to you all I faw, and whatever I could 
<£ difeover among the Tartars. You were likewife 
££ pleafed to add, that I fhould not be afraid of writ- 
“ ing long Letters. I am now about to perform what 
££ your Majefty then gave me in Charge ; yet not with- 
£C out great Fear and Apprehenfton that the Simplenefe 
££ of my Thoughts, and the Homelinefs of my Stile, 
££ may feem unworthy of being addreffed unto your 
££ Sovereign Majefty.” 
5. May it pleafe you then. Sire, to underftand, that, 
departing from Conftantinople, on the feventh of May, A. I), 
1253, we entered into the Sea of Pontus, now the Black- 
Sea, which the Bulgarians call the Great-Sea, and which, 
as I was informed by Merchants who have long traded 
there, extends in Length from Eaft to Weft one thoufand 
Miles ; and is, as it were, divided into two Parts. About 
the Middle there are two Provinces, the one on the South, 
which is called Sinople, from a Fortrefs and Port of the 
fame Name, which belongs , to the Sultan of the Turks : 
The other towards the North, which the weftern Chrifti- 
ans call Gazaria , now Crimea or Crim Tartary ; but the 
Greeks who dwell therein Caffaria, which I take to be the 
fame as Cafiaria. In this Province there are two Promon- 
tories, or Capes, which run out into the Sea towards the 
South, and the Country of Sinople ■, the Diftance may be 
about three hundred Miles between Sinople and Cajfaria 5 
fo that thefe Points may be about feven hundred Miles 
from Conftantinople , as well towards the South as towards 
the Eaft, in which Quarter lies Iberia , which is a Province 
of the Country of Georgia or Georgiana . 
7 C , > 
