The VOYAGES and ’TRAVELS 
Book I. 
574 
«* fer Priefts to bow their Knees before them for the Ho- 
se noiir of GOD : Neverthelefs we will humble ourfelves 
«« to all Men for the Lord’s fake. We came from a far 
Country, if ye pleafe we will firft ling Praifes unto GOD, 
85 who hath brought us fafe hither from afar, and after- 
« wards we will do whatfoever pleafeth this Lord, with 
« this Exception, that he command us nothing which may 
« be againft the Worfhip and Honour of GOD/® Then 
they entering into the Houfe, delivered what we had faid ; 
fo their Lord was contented, and they fet us before the 
Entrance of the Houfe, lifting up the Felt which hung 
before the Gate, and becaufe it was Ghrijlmas we began to 
fing, A Solis ortus car dine , &c. 
38. When we had fung this Hymn, they fearched our 
Bofoms to fee we had no Knives about us. They made 
our Interpreter ungird himfelf, and leave his Girdle and his 
Knife without, in the Cuftody of a Door-keeper. When 
we came in, there flood in the Entrance a Bench with Cofmos, 
by which they made our Interpreter Hand, and caufed us 
to fit upon a Form before the Ladies ; the whole Houfe was 
hung with Cloth of Gold, and on a Hearth, in the Middle of 
the Houfe, there was a Fire made of Thorns and Wormwood 
Roots (which grow there very big) and Ox Dung. The 
Khan fat upon a Bed covered with a fpotted Skin, or Fur, 
bright and ihining like a Seal’s Skin : He was a flat nofed 
Man, of a middle Stature, about the Age of five and forty, 
and a little pretty young Woman his Wife fat by him, and 
one of his Daughters, whofe Name was Cerina , a hard- 
favoured young Woman, with other Children that were 
younger, fat next unto them upon a Bed ; for that was the 
Houfe of a certain Chriftian Lady he loved, by whom he 
had this Daughter, and he married the young Wife after- 
wards; yet the Daughter was Miftrefs of all that Court 
which was her Mother’s. 
Then he made them afk us what we would drink, whe- 
ther Wine, or Caracina, that is. Drink made of Rice, or 
Caracofmus, that is, clear Cow’s Milk, or Ball, that is, Mead 
made of Honey ; for they ufe thefe four kinds of Liquor 
in the Winter ? Then I anfwered, Sir, we are not Men 
v/ho take Pleafure in Drink, what pleafeth you fhall con- 
tent us. Then he commanded Drink of Rice to be given 
us, clear and good as White-wine •, whereof I tailed a little 
for -Reverence of him, and our Interpreter, to our Misfor- 
tune, flood by the Butlers who gave him much Drink, fo 
that he was quickly drunk ; then the Khan caufed Falcons 
and other Birds to be brought unto him, which he took 
upon his Fill, and looked upon them, and after a long time 
he commanded us to fpeak. We were then to bow the 
Knee; and he had his Interpreter, a certain Nejlorian , 
whom I knew not to be a Chriftian ; and we had our Inter- 
preter, fuch a one as he was, v/ho by this Time was drunk. 
Then I faid, 44 We firft give Thanks and Praife to G OD, 
« who hath brought us from fo remote Parts of the World 
44 to fee Mangu-Khan , to whom GOD hath given fo great 
« Power upon Earth ; and we befeech our Lord, by whofe 
44 Command we live and die, that he would grant him a 
44 long and a profperous Life,” (for this they defire, that 
Men pray for their Lives) then I told him, 44 Sir, We have 
« heard of Sartach , that he was a Chriftian, and the Chri- 
84 ftians who heard it, but efpecially the French King, re- 
44 joiced ; wherefore we come unto him, and our Lord and 
44 King hath fent him Letters by us, wherein were Words 
44 of Peace, and amongft other things he teftifieth of us 
44 whofe Servants we are, and entreated him to buffer us to 
44 abide in his Country ; for it is our Office to teach Men 
44 to live according to the Law of GOD, and he fent us to 
44 Baatu his Father, and Baatu hath fent us hither unto 
44 you ; you are they to whom GOD hath given great 
64 Dominions upon Earth, we therefore intreat your High- 
44 nefs to give us leave to- continue in your Country to do 
“ the Service of GOD for you, your Wives, and Chil- 
44 dren. We have neither Gold, nor Silver, nor Precious 
44 Stones, to prefent unto you, but ourfelves, whom we 
44 prefent to ferve and pray unto GOD for you : At leaft 
44 give us leave to continue while the Cold be paft. My 
44 Companion is fo weak, that he cannot by any means 
44 travel on Horfeback without Hazard of his Life ;” for 
my Companion begged me and adjured me to crave leave to 
flay. Then he began to anfwer, Even as the Sun fpreads 
his Beams every where, fo our Power and Baatu 3 s fhews 
itfelf every where, fo that we have no need of your Silver 
and Gold. 
Hitherto I underflood my Interpreter, but further I could 
not perceive any perfect Sentence, whereby I eafily found 
he was drunk, and Mangu-Khan himfelf was drunk too, at 
leaft I thought fo ; yet he was difpleafed that we came firft 
to Sartach , before we came to him. Then feeing the De- 
feat of my Interpreter, I held my Peace, this only except- 
ed ; I intreated his Highnefs not to be difpleafed for that 
which I fpake of Gold and Silver, becaufe I fpoke it, not 
that he had need of fuch things, or defired them, but be- 
caufe we would willingly honour him with fpiritual things. 
Then he made us rife, and fit down again, and after fome 
few Words, and paying our Duty to him, we went out, 
and his Secretaries, and that Interpreter of his (who had the 
bringing up of one of his Daughters) went with us. They 
began to be very inquifitive concerning the Kingdom of 
France , whether there were many Rams, Oxen, and 
Horfes there, as if prefently they fhould enter and take all ? 
And oftentimes I was fane to bridle myfelf much in diflem- 
bling Anger and Indignation. I anfwered, however, there 
are many good things there which ye fhall fee if you hap- 
pen to come thither. Then they appointed us one who 
fhould have Care of us, and we went to the Monk ; and 
when we came out again ready to go to our Lodging, the 
Interpreter came to us, faying, Mangu-Khan hath Com- 
panion on you, and gives you two Months Time to flay, 
then the extream Cold will be paft ; and he offers to fend 
you ten Days Journey, where is a good City called Cara - 
carum-, if you will go thither he will caufe neceffary Things 
to be given you, but if ye will flay here ye may have Ne- 
ceffaries ; yet it will be a troublefome thing for you to fol- 
low the Court. 
I faid the Lord preferve Mangu-Khan , and grant him a 
good and long Life. We have found this Monk here, 
who we think to be a holy Man, and that by the good 
Pleafure of GOD he came into thefe Parts ; wherefore we 
would willingly flay with him, and we will pray toge- 
ther for the Life of Khan. Then he held his Peace, and 
departed, and we went to our Houfe, which we found very 
cold, and without any Fuel, as yet falling, though it was 
Night. Then he to whom we were recommended, provi- 
ded us Fuel, and a little Meat. Our Guide was now to 
return to Baatu, who defired a Carpet of us, which we left 
in the Court of Baatu, which we gave him, and he peace- 
ably departed ; fo killing our right Hand, and confeffing 
his Fault, if he buffered us to endure Hunger and Thirft 
upon the Way, we pardoned him, craving Pardon of him 
and his whole Family, if we had given them any evil 
Example. 
39. A certain Woman of Metz in Lorraine , called Pafcbct , 
found us, who made us good Cheer, according to her 
Power, who belonged to the Court of that Lady who was a 
Chriftian, of whom I fpoke before, who told us of her 
ftrange Poverty which fhe endured before Ihe came to the 
Court ; but now fhe was well to live, for fhe had a young 
Hufband, a Rutenian (by whom fhe had three very fair 
Children) who was fkilful in Building, which amongft them 
is an excellent Art. She told us farther, that at Caracarum 
there was a certain Goldfmith called William , born at Paris , 
whofe Surname was Bouchier , and his Father’s Name Law- 
rence Bouchier, and fhe believed he hath a Brother yet living 
upon the Great Bridge, called Roger Bouchier ; and fhe told 
me that he had a certain young Man which he brought lip, 
whom he accounted as his Son, who was an excellent In- 
terpreter; but Mangu-Khan delivered to the aforefaid Gold- 
fmith three hundred Jafeots, that is, three thoufand Marks, 
and fifty Workmen, to make a Piece of Work, fo that fhe 
feared he could not fend his Son to me ; for fhe heard fome 
fay in that Court, the Men which came from your Coun- 
try are good Men, and Mangu-Khan would willingly fpeak 
unto them, but their Interpreter is good for nothing ; there* 
fore fhe was careful for an Interpreter. 
Then I wrote unto the Goldfmith, certifying him of my 
coming hither, and reauefting him, that if he could he 
would fend me his Son, and he wrote me Anfwer, that he 
could not that Moon ; but the next his Work fhould be 
perfected, and then he would fend him unto me. Wo 
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