I 
.Chap. II. 
of William de Rubruquis. 
Caufe why I brought no Prefent to him, or to his Lord ; 
for having abandoned my own Goods, it could not be ex- 
pected I fliould become a Carrier for other Men. To all 
which he anfwered very courteoufly, that being a Monk, 
in fo doing I did well, for fo I fhould obferve my Vow ; 
neither flood he in need of ought we had, but rather was 
ready to bellow on us fuch things as we flood in need of ; 
and having fo faid, he caufed us to fit down, and to drink 
of his Milk, and prefently after he requefted us to fay our 
Devotions for him, and we did fo. 
He enquired alfo who was the greateft Prince among the 
Franks , i. e. the Weftern Chriftians ? and I faid the Em- 
peror, if he could enjoy his own Dominions in Quiet. 
No, replied he, but the King of France , for he had heard 
of your Highnefs by Lord Baldwin of Renault. I found 
there alfo one of the Knights Templars, who had been in 
Cyprus, and had made Report of all things which he faw 
there. Then we returned to our Lodging, and the next 
Morning we fent him a Flaggon of Mufcadel Wine (which 
had kept very well in fo long a Journey) and a Box full 
of Bifcuit, which was moil acceptable unto him, and he 
detained our Servants for that Evening, and they were well 
entertained at his Tents. The next Morning he commanded 
me to come to Court, and to bring the King’s Letters, and 
my Veftments and Books with me, becaufe his Lord was 
defirous to fee them, which we did accordingly, lading one 
Cart with our Books and Veftments, and another with 
Bifcuit, Wine, and Fruits $ then "he caufed all our Books 
and Veftments to be fpread abroad, and there flood round 
about us many Far tars, Chriftians , and Saracens , on 
Horfeback ♦, at the Sight of which he demanded, whether 
I would bellow all thofe things upon his Lord or no ? 
Which faying made me tremble, and threw me into an ex- 
ceffive Fright. DifTembling our Grief as well as we could, 
we gave him the following Anfwer : Sir, Our humble Re- 
queft is, that our Lord, your Mafter, would vouchfafe to 
accept our Bread, Wine, and Fruits, not as a Prefent, be- 
caufe it is too mean, but as a Benediction, left we fhould 
come with an empty Hand before him, and he fhall fee the 
Letters of my Sovereign Lord the King, and by them he 
fhall underftand for what Caufe we are come unto him, and 
then both ourfelves and all that we have are at his Pleafure, 
but for our Veftments they are holy, and it is unlawful for 
any but Pr lefts to touch them. 
Then he commanded us to drefs ourfelves in the Gar- 
ments, that we might go before his Lord, and we did fo. 
Then putting on our moft precious Ornaments, I took in 
my Arms a very fair Cufhion, and the Bible which your 
Majefty gave me, and a moft beautiful Pfalter, which the 
Queen was pleafed to bellow upon me, wherein there were 
very fine Pictures. My Affpciate took a Miffal and a Crofs, 
and the Clerk having put on his Surplice, took a Cenfor in 
his Hand, and fo we came to the Prefence of his Lord, and 
they lifted up the Felt hanging before his Door, that he 
might behold us. 
Then they caufed the Clerk and the Interpreter thrice to 
bow the Knee ; but of us they required no fuch Submiffion, 
and they diligently admonifhed us to take care that in going 
in, and in coming out, we touched not the Threlhold of the 
Houfe, and requefted us to fing a Benediction for him. 
At length we entered finging Salve Regina \ and in the 
Entrance of the Door flood a Bench with Cofmos, and 
Drinking-cups thereon, and all his Wives were there af- 
fembled ; alfo the Moguls, or, as they pronounce, Floats , 
or rich Tartars , thruft in, and preffed hard on us. 
Then Coiat carried to his Lord the Cenfor, with Incenfe, 
which he beheld very diligently, holding it in his Hand ; 
■ afterwards he carried the Pfalter unto him, which he looked 
earneftly upon, and his Wife alfo that fat by him ; after 
; that he carried the Bible ^ then Sartach afked, if the Gofpel 
were contained therein ? Yes, faid I, and all the Holy 
* Scriptures befides. 
Fie took the Crofs alfo in his Hand, and alked, as to the 
Image, whether it were the Image of Chrift or no ? I faid 
it was. The Nefiorians and the Armenians never make 
: the Figure of Chrift upon their Croffes. Wherefore, either 
they feem not to think well of this Paffion, or elfe they are 
alhamed of it. Then he caufed them that Hood about us to 
11 Hand alide, that he might more fully behold our Ornaments. 
N it M b 8 XXXIX 
Afterwards I delivered unto him your Majeftyfs Letters* 
with the Tranflation thereof in the Arabick and Syr tack 
Languages, for I caufed them to be tranflated at Aeon into 
the CharaCler and Dialed of both the faid Tongues. There 
were certain Armenian Priefts, who were verfed in the T urkifh 
and Arabian Languages, and the Knight before men- 
tioned alfo of the Order of the Temple had Knowledge 
in the Syriac , Furkijh , and Arabian Tongues. Then we 
departed, and put off our Veftments, and there came unto 
us fome Secretaries of the Court, together with the Coiat , 
and caufed our Letters to be interpreted, which Letters 
being heard, he caufed our Bread, Wine, and Fruits, to 
be received ; and he permitted us alfo to carry our Veft- 
ments and Books unto our own Lodging. 
23. We had the next Morning betimes a Vifit from a 
certain Prieft, who was Brother to Coiat , requefting to 
have our Box of Chrifm, becaufe Sartach , as he faid, was 
defirous to fee it, and fo we gave it him. In the Evening 
Coiat fent for us, faying, my Lord, your King, wrote kind 
Words unto my Lord and Mafter Sartach. There are, 
however, certain Matters of Difficulty in them, concern- 
ing which he dare not determine without the Advice of 
his Father, and therefore you mull depart unto him, leav- 
ing behind you the two Carts which you brought hither 
yefterday with Veftments and Books in my Cuftody, becaufe 
my Lord is defirous to take a more diligent View of them* 
I prefently fufpeCting what Mifchief might enfue from his 
Covetoufnefs, made him Anfwer ; Sir, We will not only 
leave thofe with you, but the two other Carts alfo, which we 
have in your Polfeffion. You fhall not, faid he, leave thofe 
behind you •, but for the two Carts firft named, we will 
fatisfy your Requeft : I faid, that this could not conveniently 
be done, but we muft leave all with him. Then he afked, 
whether we meant to remain in the Land ? I anfwered, if 
you have read, and underftand the Letters of my Lord the 
King, you know that we are fo determined ; then he re- 
plied, that he ought to be patient, and fo we departed from 
him that Evening. 
The next Morning he fent a Ncjlorian Prieft for the 
Carts, and we caufed all the four Carts to be delivered ; 
then came the beforementioned Brother of Coiat to meet us, 
and feparated thofe things, which we had brought the Day 
before to the Court from the reft, viz-, the Books and Veft- 
ments, and took them away with him. Coiat had, how- 
ever, commanded, that we fhould carry thefe Veftments 
with us, which we wore in the Prefence of Sartach , that 
we might put them on before Baatu , if he fhould require 
it *, but the Prieft took them from us by Violence, ufing 
thefe Words : You brought them to Sartach , and would - 
you carry them to Baatu ? And when I would have ffiewn 
him the Reafon, he anfwered, Come, don’t be too talka- 
tive, but go your way. Then I faw there was no Remedy 
but Patience, for we could have no Accefs unto Sartach 
himfelf, neither was there any that would do us Juftice. I 
was afraid alfo of the Interpreter, that he had fpoken other 
things than I direded him ; for his Will was good, that 
we fliould have given away all that we had. There was 
yet one Comfort left to me, for when I once perceived their 
covetous Intent, I conveyed from among our Books the 
Bible, and the Sentences, and other Books, which I valued 
moft. I durft not, however, take away the Pfalter of my 
fovereign Lady the Queen, becaufe it was too well known, 
on account of the golden Pictures therein : So we returned 
with the two other Carts to our Lodging ; then came he 
that was appointed to be our Guide to the Court of Baatu, 
bidding us provide for our Journey in all hafte ; to whom 
I faid, that I would in no cafe have the Carts go with me, 
which he declared unto Coiat. 
Then Coiat commanded that we fliould leave them, and 
our Servant with him, and we did as he direded, and fo 
travelled diredly Eaftwards towards Baatu % the third Day 
we came to Etilia , or Volga , the Stream of which when I 
beheld I wondered from what Region of the North fuch 
huge and mighty Waters fliould defeend. Before we were 
departed from Sartach , Coiat , with many other Scribes of 
the Court, faid unto us, Do not make Report that our Lord 
is a Chriftian, but a Moal, becaufe the Name of a Chriftian 
feemeth to them to be the Name of fome Nation ^ and fo 
great is their Pride, that though they believe, perhaps, 
7 E. fome 
