Chap. II. of William 
Beyond thefe Mountains towards the North, there is a 
oioft beautiful Wood growing on a plain pleafant Country, 
full of Springs and Rivulets. Beyond the Wood, there 
is a mighty Plain five Day’s Journey, unto the very Ex- 
tremity of the Province Northward ; and there is a narrow 
Ifthmus, a Neck of Land, having the Seas on the Eaft and 
Weft Sides, which enter the Land fo far, that there is a 
Canal made from one Sea unto the other. On this Plain 
before the T artars the Comanians inhabited, who compelled 
the abovementioned Cities and Caftles to pay Tribute unto 
them : But when the T artars came upon them, the Mul- 
titude of Comanians fled all of them to the Sea-fhore, be- 
ing in fuch extream Famine, that they which were alive 
were conftrained to eat up thefe which were dead, and, as 
a Merchant reported to me who faw it with his own Eyes, 
living Men devoured and tore with their Teeth the raw 
Flefh of the Dead, as Dogs would gnaw Carrion. 
Towards the Borders of the faid Province there are a 
great many Lakes, upon the Banks whereof are Salt-Pits, 
the Water of which fo foon as it entereth into the Lake 
becomes hard Salt like Ice •, and out of thefe Salt-Pits 
Baatu and Sartach have great Revenues, for they repair 
thither out of all Rujfia for Salt, and for each Cart Load 
they give two Webs of Cotton, amounting ta the Value 
of half an Yperpera. There come alfo many Ships for 
Salt, which pay Tribute every one according to their Bur- 
then. The third Day after we were departed out of thefe 
Precindls of Soldaia , we found the Tartars , amongft 
whom being entered, methought I was come into a new 
World, whofe Life and Manners I will defcribe unto your 
Highnels as well as I can. 
7. They have no fettled Habitation, neither know they 
to Day where they fhall lodge to Morrow. They have 
all Scythia to themfelves, which ftretcheth from the River 
Danube , to the utmoft extent of the Eaft. Each of their 
Captains, according to the Number of his People, knows 
the Bounds of his Paftures, and where he ought to feed 
his Cattle Winter and Summer, Spring and Autumn ; for 
in the Winter they remove into warm Regions Southward, 
and in the Summer they go up into the cold Regions North- 
ward. In Winter when Snow lies upon the Ground, 
they feed their Cattle in Paftures where there is no Water, 
becaufe then they ufe Snow inftead of Water. Their 
Houfes in, which they fieep, they raife upon a round Foun- 
dation of Wickers, artificially wrought and compared 
together ; the Roof confiding of Wickers alfo meeting 
above in one little Roundell, out of which there rifes up- 
wards a Neck like a Chimney, which they cover with 
white Felt, and often they lay Mortar or white Earth upon 
the Felt with the Powder of Bones, that it may fhine and 
look white : Sometimes alfo they cover their Houfes with 
black Felt. This Cupola of their Houfe they adorn with 
Variety of Pictures. 
Before the Door they hang a Felt curioufly painted 
over, for they fpend all their coloured Felt in painting 
Vines, Trees, Birds, and Beads thereupon. Thefe 
Houfes they make fo large, that they contain thirty Foot 
in Breadth ; for meafuring once the Breadth between the 
Wheel-ruts of one of their Carts or Wains, I found it to 
be twenty Feet over, and when the Houfe was upon the 
Cart, it ftretched over the Wheels on each Side five Feet 
at lead. I told two and twenty Oxen in one Draught 
drawing an Houfe upon a Cart, eleven in one Row ac- 
cording to the Breadth of the Cart, and eleven more on 
the other Side. The Axle-tree of the Cart was of an 
huge Bignefs, like the Mall of a Ship, and a Fellow flood 
in the Door of the Houfe upon the Foreftall of the Cart 
driving the Oxen. They likewife make certain four fquare 
Balkets of fiender Twigs as big as great Chefts, and after- 
wards from one Side to another they frame an hollow Lid 
or Cover of fuch like Twigs, and make a Door in it be- 
fore. Then they cover the faid Cheft or Houfe with 
black Felt rubbed over with Tallow or Sheep’s Milk, to 
keep the Rain from foaking through, which they like- 
wife adorn with Painting or white Feathers. Into thefe 
Chefts they put their whole Houfhold Stuff, orTreafure, 
and bind them upon other Carts, which ate drawn by 
Camels, that they may pafs through Rivers, neither do they 
ever take down thefe Chefts from theft Carts, When they 
d e Rubruquis. ' 559 
take down their Dwelling-Houfes, they turn the Doors al- 
ways to the South, and next they place the Carts laden 
with the Chefts here and there within a Stone’s Caft of the 
Houfe, infomuch that the Houfe ftandeth between two 
Ranks of Carts, as it were between two Walls. 
The Women make themfelves mod beautiful Carts, 
which I am notable to defcribe unto your Majefty but by 
Pidlures Only ; I would willingly have painted all Things 
for you, had my Skill been great enough in that Art*. 
A rich T artar hath a hundred or two fuch Carts with. 
Chefts. Baatu hath fixteen Wives, every one of which 
hath one great Houfe, befides other little Houfes, which 
they place behind the great one, being as it were Cham- 
bers for their Women to dwell in, and to each of the 
Houfes belong two hundred Carts. When they take their 
Houfes off the Carts, the principal Wife placeth her Court 
on the Weft, and fo all the reft in Order ; fo that the laft 
Wife’s Houfe is on the Eaft Frontier, and the Court of 
each Wife is diftant from another about a Stone’s Caft. 
Hence it is, that the Court of a rich Tartar will appear 
like a very large Village, few Men being to be feen there- 
in ; one Woman will guide twenty or thirty Carts at once, 
for their Country is very flat, and they fallen the Carts 
with Camels or Oxen one behind another j a Wench fits in 
the foremoft Cart driving the Oxen, and all the reft of 
themfelves follow a like Pace : When they come to a 
Place which is a bad Paffage, they loofe them and guide 
them one by one, for they go a flow Pace, and not much 
fafter than an Ox can walk. 
8. When they have taken down their Houfes from their 
Carts, and turned the Doors Southward, they place the 
Bed of the Matter of the Houfe at the North Part thereof ; 
the Womens Place is always on the Eaft, that is, on the left 
Hand of the Matter of the Houfe, when fitting upon his Bed 
with his Face to the South ; but the Mens Place is to the 
Weft, that is, at the right Hand of their Matter. Men, 
when they enter into the Houfe, never hang their Quivers on 
the Womens Side. Over the Matter’s Head there is an Image 
made of Felt, which they call the Matter’s Brother, and an- 
other over the Head of theMiftrefs, which they call her Bro- 
ther, fattened to the Wall, and a Bow between both of them. 
There is a little lean Idol, which is, as it were, the Guardian 
of the whole Houfe. The Miftrefs of the Ploufe places at 
the Feet of her Bed, on the right Hand, the Skin of a Kid, 
fluffed with Wool, and near that a little Image, looking 
towards the Apartment of the Woman. Next the Door, 
on the Womens Side, there is another Image, with a 
Cow’s Udder, which is the Guardian of the Women that 
milk the Cattle, for that is the conftant Employment of 
their Women. On the other Side of the Door next the 
Men, is another Image, with the Udder of a Mare, for 
the Guardian of thofe who milk the Mares. 
When they meet to make merry they fprinkle part of 
their Drink upon the Image which is over the Matter’s 
Head, and afterwards upon the other Images in their* 
Order ; then a Servant goes out of the Houfe with a Cup 
full of Drink, fprinkling it thrice towards the South, and 
bowing his Knee every time 3 and this is done in Honour 
of the Fire. He performs the fame Ceremony towards the 
Eaft in Honour of the Air •, and then to the Weft in Ho- 
nour of the Water ; and laftly, to the North in Behalf of 
the Dead. When the Matter holds a Cup in his Hand to 
drink, before he taftes he pours a Part of it upon the 
Ground : If he drinks fitting on Horfe-back, he pours out 
part upon the Neck or Mane of the Horfe before he drinks. 
After the Servant has paid his Reverence to the four Quar- 
ters of the World, he returns to the Houfe, and two other 
Servants ftand ready with two Cups, and two Bafons, to 
carry Drink to their Matter and his Wife, who fit together 
upon a Bed. If he has more Wives than one, flie with 
whom he flept the Night before, fits by his Side the next 
Day, and all his other Wives muft that Day refort to her 
Houfe to drink, and there the Court is for that Day * the 
Gifts alfo which are prefented thac Day are laid up in the 
Chefts of that Wife. Gne Piece of Ceremony is conftant 
in all Houfes, viz. a Bench, on which {lands a Veffel of 
Milk, or of other Drink, and Cups for drinking it. 
9, They make in Winter an excellent Drink of Rice, 
and of Honey, ftrong, well-tafted, apd high coloured, like 
Wine 3, 
