■Chap. II. of W ILHAM DE RUBRUQUIS. 573 
and that no mention of any Army was made therein, on- 
ly you advifed him to be a Friend to all Chriftians, and 
that he fhould exalt the Crofs, and bear Enmity to all the 
Enemies of the Crofs 5 and becaufe alfo die Interpreters 
were Armenians , of the greater Armenia , who greatly 
hated the Saracens , left perhaps they had interpreted any 
thing in evil Part, to make the Saracens more odious and 
hateful at their Pleafure. I therefore held my Peace, not 
fpeakinga Word for them, or againft them ; for I feared to 
4gainfay the Words of Baatu , left I fhould incur fom® 
falfe Accufation, and without reafonable Caufe. 
We came therefore the Day after into the faid Court. 
-Our Guide had a great Houfe appointed him, and we three 
a little Cottage, wherein we could fcarce lay our Baggage, 
tnake our Beds, and have a little Fire. Many came to 
vifit our Guide, and brought him drink made of Rice, in 
long ftrait-mouthed Bottles, in which I could difcern no Dif- 
ference from the beft Wine, except that it had not the 
Scent of Wine. We were called foon after, and moft 
flriftly examined upon what Bufinefs we came; 44 I an- 
*« fwered, that we having heard Sartach was a Chriftian, 
44 we came therefore unto him. The King our Mafter 
66 fent him a Packet by us, he fent us to Baatu his Fa- 
44 ther, and his Father fent us hither, he fhould have writ- 
44 ten the Caufe. ” Whereupon they demanded, whether 
we would make Peace with them ? I anfwered, 44 He had 
fent Letters unto Sartach as a Chriftian ; and if he had 
44 known he were not a Chriftian, he would never have 
44 fent him Letters. That as to a Treaty of Peace, there 
was no Ground for it, fince he has done you no wrong ; 
* & if he had not done any, why fhould you war upon him 
44 or his People? He willingly (as a juft; Man) would re- 
44 form himfelf and defire Peace. If ye without Caufe 
* c will make War with him or his Nation, we hope that 
« God (who is juft) will help them.” At this they 
wondered, always repeating, why came ye not to make Peace . 
For they are now fo puffed-up with Pride, that they think 
the whole World fhould defire to make Peace with them ; 
whereas, if I might be buffered, I would preach War a- 
gainft them to the utmoft of my Power. But I would not 
plainly deliver the Caufe of my Coming, left I fhould 
fpeak any thing againft that which Baatu commanded : I 
told them therefore the foie Caufe of my coming thither 
was, becaufe he fent me. 
The Day following we were brought to the Court, and 
I thought I could go barefoot, as I did in our Country, 
and therefore I laid afide my Shoes ; but fuch as come to 
the Court, flight far from the Houfe, where the great 
Khan .is, ds it were a Bow-fhot off, where the Horfes re- 
main, and a Boy to keep them. When we alighted there, 
and our Guide went with us to the Houfe, a Hungarian 
Boy was prefent there, who knew our Order ; and when 
the Men came about us, and flared at us as Monfters, ef- 
pecially becaufe we were barefooted, and demanded whe- 
ther we did not need our Feet, becaufe they fuppofed we 
ihould by Cold have loft: them, that Hungarian told them 
the Reafbn, fhewing them the Rules and Pradlice of our 
Order. Then the chief Secretary, who was a Nejlorian, and a 
Chriftian, by whofe Council and advice almoft all is done, 
came to us to fee us, looked earneftly upon us, and calk 
td the Hungarian , of whom he afked many Queftions. 
Then we were diredted to return to our Lodging. 
37. When we returned, at the End of the Court, to- 
wards the Eaft, as far from the Court as a Crofs-bow could 
ihoot at twice, I faw a Houfe, upon which there was a 
little Crofs, at which I rejoiced much, fuppofing there was 
Lome Chriftian there, and I went in boldly, and found an 
Altar there, very well furnifhed ; for there, in a golden 
Cloth, were the Images of Chrifi , the Blefled Virgin, and 
Saint John Bdptijl , and two Angels ; the Lineaments of 
their Bodies and Garments diftinguifhed with Pearl, and a 
great lilver Crofs with precious Stones in the Corners, and 
the Middle thereof, and many other Embroiderings, and 
a Lamp burning with Oil before the Altar, having eight 
Lights ; and there fat an Armenian Monk, fomewhat 
black and lean, clad with a rough hairy Coat to the 
Mid-leg having upon it a black Cloak of Briftles, furred 
with fpotted Skins, girt with Iron under his Hair-cloth, 
Numb. 39, 
Prefently after we entred in ; before we faluted the 
Monk, falling flat upon the Ground, we fang Abe Regina 
Coslorum , &c. and he rifing, prayed with, us ; then faint- 
ing him, we fat by him, having a little Fire before him 
in a Pan ; therefore we told him the Caufe of our com- 
ing, and he began to comfort us, faying, that we fhould 
boldly fpeak, becaufe we were the Meffengers of God, 
who is greater than all Men. Afterwards he told us of his 
Coming, faying, he came thither a Month before us, and 
that he was a Hermit of the Territories of Jerufalem , and 
that the Lord appeared unto him three Times, command- 
ing him to go to the Prince of the Tartars ; and when he 
deferred to go the third Time, God threatned him, and 
over-threw him upon the Ground,- faying, he fhould die, 
unlefs he went ; and that he told Ma.ngu-Khan , that if he 
would become a Chriftian, the whole World fhould be o- 
bedient to him. Then I anfwered, 44 Brother, I will wil- 
44 Jingly perfuade him to become a Chriftian ; I will pro- 
44 mife him alfo that the French and the Pope will much 
44 rejoice thereat, and account him a Brother and a Friend ; 
44 but I will never promife that they fhall become his Ser- 
44 vants, and pay him Tribute, as thefe other Nations, 
44 becaufe in fo doing, I fhould fpeak againft my Confci- 
44 ence, **.. On which he held his Peace. We afterwards 
went together to our Lodging, which I found a cold Ha- 
bitation. ' 
We had eaten nothing that Day ; fo we boiled a little 
Flefh and Millet, of which we made Broth for our Sup- 
pers. Our Guide and his Companions were drunk at the 
Court, and little Care was had of us. At that Time the 
Meffengers of Vefiace were there, hard by us, which we 
knew not, and the Men of the Court made us rife in great 
Hafte at the Dawning of the Day. I went barefoot with 
them a little way unto the Houfe of the faid Meffengers, 
and they demanded of them whether they knew us. Then 
that Grecian Soldier calling our Order, and my Compa- 
nion to remembrance, becaufe he had feen him in the 
Court of V eji ace , with Friar Thomas , our Minifter, and all 
his Fellows, gave great Teftimony of us. Then they de- 
manded whether we had Peace or War with Vejtace ? We 
have, faid I, neither War nor Peace ; and they demanded 
how that might be? Becaufe, faid I, their Countries are 
far from each other, and meddle not together. Then the 
Ambaffador of Vajiace faid, we had Peace, giving me a 
Caution ; fo I held my Tongue. That Morning my Toes 
Ends were frozen fo, that I could no longer go barefoot ; 
for in thefe Countries, the Cold is extream fharp, and from 
the Time when it beginneth to freeze, it never ceafes till 
May ? Nay, in the Month of May , it froze every Morn- 
ing, but in the Day-time it thawed, thro’ the Heat of the 
Sun ; but in Winter it never thaws, but the Ice continues 
with every Wind. And if there were any Wind there 
in Winter, as there is with us, nothing could live there ; 
but it is always mild Weather till Aprils and then, the 
Winds rife ; and at that Time when we were there (about 
Eajter ) the Cold rifing with the Wind, killed Multitudes 
of living Creatures. 
In the Winter little Snow fell there ; . but about Safer , 
which was in the latter End of April, there fell fo great 
a Snow, that all the Streets of Caracarum were full ; fo 
that they were forced to carry it out with their Carts. Then 
they firft brought us (from the Court) Ram-fkin Coats, and 
Breeches of the fame, and Shoes, which my Companion 
and Interpreter received ; but I thought I had no need of 
them, becaufe I fuppofed my furr’d Garment, which I 
brought from Baatu , was fufficient for me. On the 5th 
of January , we were brought to the Court, and there came 
Nejiorian Priefts to me, whom I knew not to be Chrifti- 
ans, demanding which Way we worshipped ? I faid, to 
the Eaft ; and this they demanded, becaufe we had (haven 
our Beards, by the Advice of our Guide, that we might 
appear before the Khan, according to the Faihion of our 
Country, whereupon they thought we had been Tuinians , 
or Idolaters: They made us alfo expound out of the Bible. 
Then they demanded what Reverence we would pay to 
the Khan, whether after our own Fafhion or theirs? To 
whom I made anfwer, 44 We are Priefts dedicated to the 
44 Service of God , Noblemen in our Country will not fuff 
y G 44 fe,t 
