566 The V or AGES 
fome things concerning Chrift, yet they will not be called 
Chriftians, being defirous that their own Name, that is to 
fay, Mogul Mod , fhould be exalted above all other Names : 
Neither will they be called by the Name of Tartars , for 
the Tartars were another Nation, as I was informed by 
them. 
24. At the Time that the Franks made themfelves 
Mailers of the City of Antioch , which was about the Year 
1097, there reigned in thefe Northern Parts a Prince whofe 
Name was Kon-Khan , or Ken-Khan. Kon or Ken was his 
proper Name, and Khan his Stile of Power or Dignity ; 
for it is to be underftood, that the Word Khan ftridtly 
taken, fignifies a Diviner, a Man fkilled in fublime Sciences, 
or one who can foretel future Events ; and from thence it 
is transferred to their Princes, as if they held them to be 
endowed with all thefe great Qualities. The Turks, at the 
Time of that Siege, demanded Succours of Kon-Khan 
againft the Chriftians, as coming themfelves originally out 
of thefe Countries. This Kon-Khan was ftiled likewile 
Khan , or Prince of Cara-Cathay, which is as much as to 
fay, the Black Cathay *, for Cara in their Language figni- 
fies black, and Cathay is the Name of a certain Country, 
which, however, is to be diftinguilhed from that Cathay 
which lies farther towards the Eaft, and is a maritime Coun- 
try, of which I fhall fpeak hereafter. 
As for this Cara-Cathay , it lies behind certain Moun- 
tains, over which I paffed, as alfo through a plain Coun- 
try, in which dwelt formerly a certain great Nejlorian 
Prieft, who was the Sovereign of a Nation called Naymans , 
and who were all Chriftians of the Nefiorian Sedt. This 
Kon-Khan being dead, the Nejlorian Prieft before mentioned 
took upon him the Stile and Office of a King, and thence 
the Nejlorians called him the King Prejlre John, i. e. John 
the Prieft, and publiftied mighty things concerning him, 
and much beyond the Truth ; for it is the Cuftom of the 
Nejlorians coming from this Country to magnify every 
little thing into a great Matter, juft as they fpread a Re- 
port that Sartach was become a Chriftian, and that Mangu- 
Khan, and Ken-Khan , had alfo embraced our Religion only 
becaufe they were indulgent to thofe of our Profeffion, tho* 
nothing is more certain than that none of them are Chri- 
ftians. So likewife there went abroad a great Report con- 
cerning this King and Prieft John ; notwithstanding which, 
when I travelled through his Territories, there was no body 
that knew any thing of him, but a few Nejlorians. In his 
Paftures or Territories dwelt Ken-Khan, at whofe Court 
Friar Andrew was, and I myfelf paffed by at my Return. 
This John had a Brother who was powerful alfo, and a 
Shepherd like himfelf called Unc , and he inhabited beyond 
the Mountains of Cara-Cathay , diftant from his Brother 
John the Space of three Weeks Journey. He was Lord 
of a certain Village called Cara-Carum , having People alfo 
for his Subjects named Frit, or Merkit , who were Chri- 
ftians of the Sedl of Neftorius but their Lord abandoning 
the Worlhip of Chrift, embraced Idolatry, retaining with 
him Priefts of the faid Idols, who all of them are Worfliip- 
ers of Devils and are Sorcerers themfelves. 
Beyond his Paftures, about ten or fifteen Days Journey, 
are the Paftures of Moal, who were a poor and beggarly 
Nation, without Governor, and without Law, except their 
Soothfayings, and their Divinations, unto which deteftable 
Studies all in thofe Parts apply their Minds. Near unto 
Moal were other poor People called Tartars. The afore- 
faid King John died without Iffue Male, his Brother 
Unc thereby was greatly inriched, and took himfelf the Stile 
of Khan, and his Cattle and Herds ranged to the Borders 
of Moal. About the fame time there was one Zingis a 
Farrier among the People of Moal ; this Zingis ftole as 
many Cattle from the Khan as he could poffibly, fo that the 
Shepherds of Unc complained unto their Lord upon which 
he raffed an Army, and marched up into the Country of 
Moal to feek for Zingis : But Zingis fled amongft the Tar- 
tars, and hid himfelf among them ; and Unc having taken 
Tome Spoils both from Moal, and alfo from the Tartars , 
returned home ; then Zingis addreffed himfelf to the Tar- 
tars, and to the People of Moal , <s Behold, Brethren, faid 
66 he, becaufe we are deftitute of a Governor and Captain, 
you fee how our Neighbour oppreffes us on which the 
Tartars and Mods appointed him to be their Captain, 
and T R A VETS Book!. 
Then having fecretly gathered together an Army, 
he broke in fuddenly upon Unc, and overcame him, 
and Unc fled into Cathay a. At the fame Time his 
Daughter was taken, which Zingis married unto one of 
his Sons, by whom Ihe conceived and brought forth the 
Great Khan, which now reigneth, called Mangu-Khan. 
Then Zingis fent the Tartars before him in all Places 
where he came ; and thereupon was their Name publiftied 
and fpread abroad ; for in all Places the People call out. 
The Tartars come, the Tartars come . Yet through con- 
tinual Wars, they are now all of them in a manner con- 
fumed and brought to nought. Whereupon the Mods 
endeavour what they can to extinguffh the Name of the 
Tartars, that they may exalt their own. The Country 
wherein they firft inhabited, and where the Court of Zin- 
gis-Khan yet remaineth, is called Mancherule . But be- 
caufe T artaria is the Region out of which they have ob- 
tained their conquefts, they efteem that the Seat of their 
Kingdom ; and there alfo, for the moft part, do they eledt 
their Great Khan. 
25. In refpedl to this Sartach , whether he believes in 
Christ or no, I know not ; this I am fure of, that he 
will not be called a Chriftian : On the contrary, he feems 
to me to deride and feoff at Chriftians. His Country is in 
the Way of the Chrijlians , viz. of the Ruffians, the Wala- 
chians, the Bulgarians , the Soldaians , the Kerchis, and 
the Alans, who all of them pafs by him as they are going 
to the Court of his Father Baatu to cany Gifts ; and 
therefore he is more in Friendfhip with them. If the Sa- 
racens hower come and bring greater Gifts than they, they 
are difpatched fooner. He hath about him certain Nej- 
torian Priefts, who tell their Beads and ling their Devo- 
tions. There is alfo another under Baatu , called Berta , 
who feeds his Cattle towards the Iron-gate or Derbent , 
where lieth the Paffage of all the Saracens which come 
out of PerJia and out of Turky, to go unto Baatu, and 
palling by they make him Prefents , and he profeffeth 
himfelf to be a Saracen , and will not permit Swines Flelh 
to be eaten in his Dominions. At the Time of our Re- 
turn, Baatu commanded him to remove himfelf from that 
Place, and to inhabit upon the Eaft Side of Volga, for he 
was not willing that the Saracens Embaffadors fhould pals 
by the faid Berta , becaufe he faw it was not for his Profit. 
For, the Space of four Days, while we remained in the 
Court of Sartach , we had not any Victuals allowed us, 
except once a little Cofmos ; and in our Journey between 
him and his Father, we travelled in great Fear ; for cer- 
tain Ruffians , Hungarians, and Alans, being Servants to 
the Tartars (of whom they have great Multitudes among 
them) affemble themfelves twenty or thirty in a Company; 
and fecretly in the Night conveying themfelves fromHome, 
they take Bows and Arrows with them, and whofoever 
they find in the Night Seafon, they put him to Death, 
hiding themfelves in the Day-time ; and having tired their 
Florfes, they go in the Night to a Company of other 
Horfes feeding in fome Pafture, and change them for new, 
taking with them alfo one or two Horfes befides, to eat 
them when they Hand in Need. Our Guide therefore 
was much afraid, left we Ihould have met with fuch Com- 
panions. 
In this Journey we had perilhed through Famine, had . 
we not carried fome of our Bifcuit with us : At length we 
came to the vaft River at Etilia , or the Volga, which is ; 
four Times greater than the River of Sein, and of a wonder- ■ 
ful Depth, falling into that which of late they call the Hir- • 
canian-Sea , according to the Name of a certain Country ■ 
in PerJia, lying on the Shore thereof. Ifidore calleth it : 
however the Cafpian-Sea, for it hath the Cafpian-Moun - 
tains and the Land of PerJia fituate on the South t 
Side thereof, and the Mountains of Majihet ; that : 
is to fay, of the People called Affiaffimi, towards the i 
Eaft, which Mountains are joined unto the Cafpian Moun- 
tains ; but on the North Side thereof, lieth the fame | 
Defart, wherein th ^Tartars now inhabit ; in which hereto- k 
fore there dwelt a Nation called Changle ; and on that Side $ 
it receives the Etilia , which River rifes in Summer-time r 
like the River Nile in Egypt. On the Weft Part thereof f 
it hath the Mountains of Alan, and Lefgi, and Herb ant, 5 : 
or the Iron-gate, and the Mountains of Georgia, This I 
Sea i 
