572 The VOYAGES 
a City called Begin •, but if you proceed further, they are 
meet Idolaters : The Priefts of the Idols of thofe Nations 
have all broad yellow Hoods. There are alfo among them 
certain Hermits, living in the Woods and Mountains, of 
an auftere and ftrange Life. The Nefiorians there know 
nothing, for they fay their Service, and have Holy Books 
in the Syrian Tongue, which they know not; fo that they 
ling, as our Monks do, who are ignorant of Grammar ; 
and hence it cometh that they are wholly corrupted. They 
are great Ufurers and Drunkards, and fome of them alfo 
who live amongft the Tartars, have many Wives in the 
fame manner as the Tartars have. 
When they enter into the Church, they wafh their lower 
Parts, as the Saracens do *, they eat no Flefh on Friday , 
and hold their Feafts on that Day, after the manner of the 
Saracens. The Biihops come feldom into the Countries, 
perhaps once in fifty Years *, then they caufe all their little 
Children to be made Priefts, even in the Cradle, fo that 
all their Men almoft are Priefts, and after this, they mar- 
ry Wives, which is diredtly againft the Decrees of the Fa- 
thers. They are alfo Bigamifts, for their Priefts them- 
felves, when their Wife is dead, marry another. They 
are all Simonijt's , for they give no Floly Thing freely. They 
are very careful of their Wives and Children, wherefore 
they apply themfelves to Gain, and not to the fpreading of 
the Faith ; whence it comes to pafs, while fome of them 
bring up the Nobilities Children of Moal, altho* they teach 
them the Gofpel, and the Articles of the Faith, yet by 
their evil Life and Covetoufnefs, they drive them further 
from Chriftianity, becaufe the Life of the Mo als, or Mo- 
guls, and Tuinians , who are down-right Idolaters, is more 
juft and upright than theirs. 
34. We departed from the City Cailac on Saint Andrew’s 
Day, and within three Leagues found a Village of Nejlo- 
rians. Entring into the Church, we fang Salve Regina, &c. 
with Joy, becaufe it was long fince we had feen a Church. 
Departing thence, in three Days we came to the Entrance 
of that Province, not far from the Sea beforementioned, 
which feemed to us as tempeftuous as the Ocean, and there- 
in we faw a great Ifland. My Companions drew near the 
Shore, and wet a linnen Cloth therein, to tafte the Water, 
which was fomewhat fait, but however might be drank. 
There was a Valley over-againft it, between the great 
Mountains South and Eaft, and between the Hills was an- 
other fait Lake or Sea ; and there ran a River through 
that Valley from the other Sea into this, and there came 
fuch a continual Wind through the Valley, that Men pafs 
through the Road with great Danger, fearing the Wind 
Ihould carry them into the Sea. 
Therefore we left the Valley, and went towards the 
North, to the hilly Countries, cover’d with deep Snow, 
which then lay upon the Earth, fo that upon Saint Nicho- 
las’s Day we began to haften our Journey, and becaufe we 
found no People but the Jani , or Men appointed from 
Day’s Journey to Day’s Journey, to eondudt the Meffen- 
gers ; for in many Places in the hilly Countries, the Way 
is narrow, and there are but few Fields ; fo that between 
Day and Night we met with two Jani, and therefore of 
two Days Journey we made one, and travelled more by 
Night than by Day : It was extreamly cold there, fo that 
they lent us their Goat-Skins, turning the Hair outward. 
On the feventh of December in the Evening, we paffed by 
a certain Place, between very terrible Rocks, and our 
Guide fent unto me, intreating me to pray to God, which 
I did. Then we fang with loud Voice, Credo in Deum, &c. 
and by the Grace of God, we paffed theough unhurt. 
After that, they began to intreat me that I would write 
them Papers, and I told them I would teach them Words 
which they fhould carry in their Hearts, whereby their 
Souls and Bodies Ihould be faved; but when I fought to 
teach them, I wanted an Interpreter, yet I wrote them the 
Creed and Lord’s- Prayer, faying, 46 Here is written 
« whatfoever a Man ought to believe concerning God ; 
* c here alfo is that Prayer wherein we beg of God whatfo- 
« ever is needful for a Man; now therefore believe firmly 
« what is written here, although you cannot underftand it, 
« and alkGodto do that for you which is contained in this 
« written Prayer, becaufe with his own Mouth he taught 
« it his Friends, and I hope he will fave you. ” I could 
4 
and TRAVELS Book I. 
not do any thing elfe, becaufe it was dangerous to fpeak by 
fuch an Interpreter, nay, almoft impoffible, becaufe he was 
ignorant. 
3 5. After this, we entred into the Country where the Court 
of Ken Khan was, which was formerly called the Country 
of Naymans , who were the peculiar Subjedls of Prejlre , 
that is, Prejbyter John, but I faw not that Court till my 
Return ; yet here I fhall briefly mention what befel his Son 
and Wives. Kon Khan being dead, Baatu defired that 
Mangu Ihould be Khan , but I could not well underftand in 
what manner happened the Death of Khan: Friar Andrew 
faid, that he died by a certain Medicine given him, 
and it was fufpe&ed that Baatu caufed it to be adminiftred : 
Yet I heard otherwife, for he fummoned Baatu to come 
and do him Homage, and Baatu took his Journey with 
great Pomp and Splendor, but he and his Servants were 
much afraid, and he fent one of his Brothers before, call- 
ed Stichin, who, when he came to Kon , and ought to 
have prefented him with his Cup, high Words arofe between 
them, infomuch that they flew one another. The Wi- 
dow of Stichin kept 11s a whole Day, that we might go to 
her Houfe, and blefs her, or pray for her. 
Kon being dead, Mangu was chofen by the Confent of 
Baatu , and was then chofen while Friar Andrew was there. 
Kon had among others a Brother called Siremon , who by 
the Counfel of Kon’ s Wife, and her Vaffals, went with a 
great Train towards Mangu , as if he went to do him Ho- 
mage, and yet in reality he purpofed to kill him, and 
deftroy his whole Court ; and when he was near Mangu , 
and within one or two Days Journey, one of his Waggons 
happened to break in the Way ; while the Waggoner en- 
deavoured to mend it, came one of the Servants of Mangu 
who helped him ; he was fo inquifitive of their Journey, 
that the Waggoner revealed unto him what Siremon pur- 
pofed to do. Then aiming out of the Way, as if he 
lightly regarded it, he went unto the Herd of Horfes, and 
took the beft Horfe he could, and polling Night and Day, 
came fpeedily to the Court of Mangu, reporting what he 
had heard. 
The Plot being thus difcovered, Mangu quickly affem- 
bled all his Forces, caufed four Lines of armed Men to en- 
compafs his Court, that none might go in or out, and fent 
the reft againft Siremon , who took him, and brought him 
to the Court, with all his Followers, who, when Mangu 
laid the Matter to his Charge, confeffed it immediately. 
Then he and his eldell Son Kon Khan were llain, and three 
hundred of the Nobility of the Tartars with them. The 
noble Women alfo were fent for, who were all beaten with 
burning Firebrands, to make them confefs, and having 
confeffed, were put to Death. His youngeft Son Kon, 
who was not capable of entring into the Confpiracy, was 
left alive, and his Father’s Palace was left him with all be- 
longing unto it, and we pafs’d by it in our Return, nor 
durft my Guide turn in unto it, either going nor coming 
For, the Lady of the Nations fat there in Heavinefs , and 
there was none to comfort her. 
36. We now went up again into the high Countries, fleer- 
ing always towards the North. At length, on Saint Ste- 
phen’s Day, we entred into a great Plain, where there was 
not fo much as a Mole-hill ; and the next Day, on the Feaft 
of Saint John the Evangelift, we came unto the Palace of 
that great Lord : But when we were near it, that is to 
fay, within five Days Journey, our Holt where we lay, 
would have directed us much about, fo that we Ihould 
have travelled more than fifteen Days ; and this was the 
Reafon, as I underftood, that we might go by Onam Ke- 
rule , their proper Country where the Court of Zingis Khan 
is. Others faid, that he did it for this Purpofe, that he 
might make the Way longer, and might fhew their Power 
the more, for fo they are wont to deal with Men coming 
from Countries not fubjedt to them and our Guide ob- 
tained with great Difficulty, that we might go the right 
Way, for they held us debating this from the Morning 
till Three o’Clock. 
By the Way alfo the Secretary told me, that it was 
contained in the Letters which Baatu fent to Mangu-Khan , 
that we required an Army and Aid of Sartach againft the 
Saracens. Then I began to wonder much, and to be 
greatly troubled, for I knew the Contents of the Letters, 
