Chap. II. of Willi a m 
flayed therefore with other Embaffadors, and it is other- 
wife with Embaffadors in Baatu' s Court than in the Court 
of Mangu-Khan •, for in the Court of Baatu there is one 
j an i on the Eaft Side, who receiveth all fuch as come from 
the Weft, and fo of other Countries of the World ; but in 
the Court of Mangu they are all together under one Jani, 
and they may fee and vifit one another. In Baatu s Court 
they know not one another, or whether a Man be a Mef- 
fenger or no, becaufe they know not one another’s Lodg- 
ing, nor fee one another, but in the Court ; and when one 
is called by Accident, another is not, for they go not to 
Court unlefs they be fent for. We found there a certain 
Chriftian in Damafcus , who faid he came in the Behalf of the 
Soldan of Mons Regalis , and of Crax, who defired to be- 
come Friend and Tributary to the Tartars. 
40. The Year before I came thither there was a certain 
Clerk of Jeon, or Ptolemais in Syria , who called himfelf 
Raimund , but his true Name was Theodolus , and he topic 
his journey from Cyprus with Friar Andrew , and went with 
him into Perfia, and procured certain Inftruments of Amo- 
ricus then in Perfia, who remained after Friar Andrew. 
Friar Andrew returning, he went forward with his Inftru- 
ments, and came to Mangu-Khan, and being demanded upon 
what Account he came, faid, “ That he was with a certain 
«t holy Bilhop, to whom the Lord fent Letters from Hea- 
« ven;( written in Golden Charadters, and commanded him 
«« to fend them to the Emperor of the Tartars , becaufe 
“ he Ihould be Lord of the whole Earth, and that he ftiould 
<e perfuade Men to make Peace with him.” Then Mangu 
faid unto him, if thou hadfc brought thefe Letters, which 
come from Heaven, and the Letters of thy Lord, thou 
hadft been welcome. He anfwered, that he brought Let- 
ters, but they were with other things of his on a wild and 
pampered Gelding, which efcaping, fled from him through 
the Woods and Mountains, fo that he had loft all. 
Then Mangu demanded the Name of the Bilhop 5 he 
faid he was called Odo of Damafcus , and informed him alfo 
of Matter William, who was Clerk of the Lord Legat. The 
Khan demanded, in whofe Kingdom it was ? To whom he 
made Anfwer, that it was under a certain King of the 
Franks , called Moles ; for he had heard of that that hap- 
pened at Majfora , and he would have faid, that they were 
of your Servants. He alfo told the Khan, that the Saracens 
were between the Franks and him, who hindered his way ; 
but if the way had been open, he would have fent Embaf- 
fadors, and willingly have made Peace with him. Then 
Mangu-Khan afleed him, if he would bring his Meffengers 
to that King, and that Bilhop ? He told him he would, 
and alfo to the Pope. 
Then Mangu caufed an exceeding ftrong Bow to be 
made, which two Men could fcarce bend, and two Ar- 
rows of Silver, whofe Heads were full of Holes, which 
fung, when they are fhot, like a Whittle ; and he chofe a 
Moal, whom he Ihould fend with the faid Theodolus, and 
to whom he faid, 44 Thou Ihall go to the King of the 
“ Franks, to whom this Man Ihall bring thee, and pre- 
«« fent him with thefe on my Behalf ; and if he will have 
Peace with us, we will win the Country from the Saracens , 
« even home to him, and will grant him the reft of the 
46 Country unto the Weft •, if otherwife, bring back the 
44 Bow and Arrow unto us, and tell him we Ihoot far and 
« ftrongly with fuch Bows.” Then he caufed Theodolus 
to go forth, whofe Interpreter Matter William's Son was, 
and in his Hearing, he faid unto the Moal, 44 Thou Ihalt 
44 go with this Man, mark well the Ways, the Countries, 
44 and their Cattles, Men and Mountains”. For this 
Reafon the young Man blamed Theodolus, faying, he had 
done ill in conducting the Meffengers of the Tartars with 
him, for they went for no other Caufe but to fpy. 
He anfwered, that he would fet them on the Sea, that 
they ihould not know which Way to return. Mangu gave 
alfo unto Moal his golden Bull or Tablet, to wit, a Plate of 
Gold of an Hand Breadth and half a Cubit long, wherein 
his Orders are engraven : Whofo carrieth that, may com- 
mand what he will, and it is done without Delay. So then 
Theodolus came to Vejiacius, determining to pafs over to the 
Pope, that he might deceive the Pope, as he had de- 
ceived Mangu-Khan. Then Vejiacius demanded of him, 
'whether he had Letters to the Pope, becaufe he was a 
d e Rubruquis. 575 
Meffenger, and fhduld conduct the Meffengers of the Tar- 
tars ; but not being able to ihew the Letters, he took him 
and fpoiled him of all that he had got, and call him in 
Prifon, and the Moal fell flek and died there. 
But Vejiacius fent back the golden Tablet to Mangu- 
Khan by the Servants of the Moal , whom I met at Affrou 
in the Entrance into Turkey , who told me what had hap- 
pened to Theodolus. Such Sharpers run through the 
World, whom the Tartars kill when they can take them. 
Now the Epiphany was at hand ; and that Armenian Monk, 
Sergius by Name, told me that he Ihould baptize Mangu- 
Khan upon that Holy Day. I entreated him to labour, by 
all means, that I might be prefent, that I might bear W it- 
nefs that I faw it ; and he promifed me he would. 
41. When this feftival Day came, the Monk called me, 
not, but at fix of the Clock I was fent for to Court, and I 
law the Monk with the Priefts returning from the Court 
with his Crofs,and the Priefts with theCenfor, and the Gof- 
pel for that Day. Mangu-Khan made a Feaft, and his 
Cuftom is, that on fuch Days as his Soothfayers appoint 
him, or the JSfejlorian Priefts make Holy Days, he held 
his Court •, and on thefe Days the Chriftians come fir®, 
with their Furniture, and pray for him and blefs his Cup , 
then they departing, the Saracen Priefts come and do the 
like : Next after them come the idolatrous Priefts, and do 
the fame. The Monk told me, that he only believes the 
Chriftians, yet will have all to pray for him *, but in this 
he lied, for he believes none ; yet all follow his Court as 
Flies do Honey. He giveth to all, and all Men think 
they are his Familiars, and all prophefy Profperity to him. 
Then we fat before the Court a long Space, and they 
brought us Flefh to eat *, to whom I made anfwer, that 
we would not eat there, but if they would provide us 
Meat, they Ihould provide it for us at our Houfe ; to 
which they anfwered, Get Home to your Houfe, you 
were invited here for nothing elfe but to eat : Therefore 
we returned to the Monk, who blulhed at the Lie he 
had told me, and therefore would not fpeak a Word of 
the Matter •, yet l'ome of the Nejlorians affirmed, that he 
was baptized •, to whom I faid, that I would never believe 
it, nor report it to others, feeing I faw it not. 
We came at laft to our old and empty Houfe, where 
they provided us Bedding and Coverlids -, they brought us 
alfo Fuel, and gave us three the Carcafs of one little lean 
Ram, as Meat for fix Days, and every Day a little Platter- 
full of Millet, and lent us a Caldron, and a Trivet to boil 
our Flefh, which being boiled, we boiled our Millet in 
the Broth of the Flefh. This was our Meat, and it had 
well fufficed us, if they had fuffered us to eat in Peace ; 
but there were fo many ftarved Fellows, who were not 
provided with Meat, that as foon as they faw us drefs ours, 
they thruft in upon us, and would eat with us. The Cold 
began then to prevail, and Mangu-Khan fent us three 
Fur -coats with the Hair outwards, which we thank- 
fully received : They demanded alfo how we were pro- 
vided with neceflary Food ; to whom I anfwered, that lit- 
tle Meat fufficed us, but we have not an Houfe wherein to 
pray for Mangu-Khan ; for our Cottage was fo little, that 
we could fcarce ftand upright in it, nor open our Books 
for Smoak after the Fire was lighted. Of this they gave 
him an Account, and he fent to the Monk, to know if he 
would be pleafed with our Company, who gladly anfwered 
that he would. From that Time we were provided with 
a better Houfe, and we went down with the Monk before 
the Court, where none lodged but we and their Sooth- 
fayers ; but they lodged nearer before the Palace of the 
greateft Lady, and we at the fartheft End towards the 
Eaft, before the Palace of the laft Lady ; and that was on 
the Thirteenth of January : 
On the next Morning, all the Nejlcrian Priefts came to- 
gether before Day at the Chapel, and fmote upon a Broad 
inftead of ringing a Beil, and fang Matins folemnly, and 
put on their Ornaments, preparing the Cenfor and the In- 
cence and while they were waiting thus, behold, in the 
Morning the .principal Wife Cotata-Caten by Name [Ca-* 
ten is of the fame Import as Lady, and Cotata is her pro^ 
per Name) came into the Chapel with many other Ladies, 
and with her eldeft Son called Baltu, and other Children, 
and they caftThemfelves down upon the Earth, ducking 
