Chap IL of W I L L 1 A M D E R U B R U Q tJ 1 s* 5 77 
fhipped it very devoutly, becaufe Hie had been taught fo it honourably by her, upon a Cloth of Silk, and drank of 
to do, and flie fet it in a high Place, upon a Piece ot Silk, the Bleffed Water with Rhubarb, and wafhed her Breaft* 
and all thofe Cloths whereon the Crofs was fat, were gi- and the Monk requefted me to readaGofpel over her ; fol 
ven to the Monks, read the Paffion of ourLord according to John\ at length the 
A certain Armenian brought his Crofs, who came with was cheated, and felt herfelf better, and the caufed four 
the Monk, as he faid, from Jerusalem , and it was of Sil- Jafcots to be brought, which die firft laid at the Feet of 
ver, weighing about fome four Marks, and it had four the Crofs, and after gave them to the Monk, and reached 
precious Stones in the Corners, and one in the Middle. It me one, which I would not receive ; then the Monk 
had not the Image of our Saviour, and he had prefented ftretched forth his Hand, took it* and gave each of the 
it to Mangu-Khan , and Mangu demanded of him what he Priefts one ; fo that at that Time fhe gave forty Marks, 
defired? To whom he anfwered, that he was the Son of Then fhe caufed Wine to be brought, and gave it the 
an Armenian Prieft, whofe Church the Saracens had de- 
ftroyed, and craved his Help for the Building again that 
Church. Then he afked him for how much it might be 
built again? He anfwered, for two hundred Jafcots, that 
is, for two thoufand Marks ; and he commanded Let- 
ters to be given him, to him, who received the Tribute in 
Perfia and Armenia the Greater, that they lliould pay him 
the faid Sum in Silver. This Crofs the Monk carried 
with him every where, and the Priefts feeing the Gain he 
made thereof, began to envy him. We were therefore in the 
Houfe of the young Lady, and fhe gave the Priefts much 
Drink; from hence we went up into the fourth Houfe, 
which was the laft, for he ufed not to come often unto 
that Lady, and her Houfe was very old, and herfelf not 
over gracious ; but after Eajier , the Khan made her a new 
Houfe, and new Chariots. She likewife, as well as the Second, 
knew little or nothing of Chriftianity, but followed Sooth- 
fayers and Idolaters ; yet at our coming in, fhe worfhip- 
ped the Crofs as the Monk and the Prieft taught her. There 
alfo the Priefts drank again, and from this Place we re- 
turned to our Oratory, which was not far from thence, 
the Priefts accompanying us with great Howling and Out- 
cries in their Drunkennefs, which is not confidered there as 
blameable, either in Man or Woman. A little after, my 
Companion was brought home, and the Monk fharply re- 
buked him, becaufe he touched the Threfhold. The next 
Day Bulgai came (who was a Juftice) and diligently en- 
quired whether any had warned us to take Heed of touch- 
ing the Threfhold ; and! anfwered. Sir, We had notour 
Interpreter with us, and if they did, how could we under- 
ftand ? Then he pardoned him, but would never after fuffer 
him to come into any of the Houfes of Mangu-Khan. 
43. Sometime afterwards, it happened that the Lady 
Cota was fick, almoft to Death, and the Divination by 
Lot of the Idolaters, did her no good at all ; then Mangu 
fent unto the Monk, demanding of him what might be 
done for her, and the Monk indifcreetly anfwered, that 
if fhe were not cured, he fhould cut off his Head. Having 
made that Anfwer, the Monk called us, declaring the Mat- 
ter unto us with Tears, intreating us to watch with him 
that Night in Prayer, which we did ;. and he had a cer- 
tain Root, which is called Rhubarb, and he beat it almoft to 
Powder, and put it in Water, with a little Crucifix which 
he had, whereon the Image of our Saviour was advanced, 
whereof he reported, that by it he knew whether the Sick 
would recover or die ; for if they fhould efcape, it ftuck 
to the Breaft of the Sick, as if it were glewed ; if other- 
wife, it ftuck not at ail ; and I ftill thought that Rhubarb 
had been fome holy Relick, which he had brought from 
the Holy Land of Jerufalem. And he gave all lick Per- 
fons of that Water to drink, fo that it could not be, but 
their Bowels fhould be griped with fo bitter a Potion ; 
which Alteration in their Bowels they accounted a Mira- 
cle. Then I told him, he fhould prepare fome of that 
Holy Water which is made in the Church of Rome , which 
hath great Virtue to expel Devils, becaufe I underftood fhe 
was vexed of a Devil; and at his Requeft, we made him 
fome Holy Water, and he mingled Rhubarb, and put his 
Crucifix all the Night long in the Water to temper it. 
I faid, moreover, that if he were a Prieft, that the Order 
of Priefthood had great Power to expel Devils ; and he 
faid, it was very true, and yet he lied, becaufe he had no 
Order, nor knew any one Letter ; but was a Weaver, as 
I underftood after, in his Country, when I returned. 
The next Morning therefore, I and the Monk, and two 
Neftorian Priefts, went unto the Lady, and fhe was in a 
little Houfe, behind her greater Houfe. When we came 
in, fhe fat in her Bed, and worfhipped the Crofs, and fat 
Nkmb. XL. 
Priefts to drink, and I was forced to drink thrice from her 
Hand, in Honour of the Trinity : She began alfo to teacli 
me the Language, jefting with me, becaufe I was filent, 
as not having any Interpreter. 
The next Day again Mangu-Khan , hearing that W6 
came that Way, made us come into him, becaufe he un- 
derftood, that the Lady was fomewhat better ; and we 
found him with a few Servants, taking a fort of Meat 
made of Pafte, for comforting the Plead, and the burnt 
Shoulder-blades of a Ram lay before him, and he took 
the Crofs in his Pland, but that he worfhipped it, I law 
not ; he looked upon it indeed, and afked fome Queftri 
ons, but I know not what. Then the Monk craved 
Leave to carry the Crofs aloft, upon a Lance, becaufe I 
had fpokentothe Monk before concerning this, and Mangu 
fwered, carry it as you think beft ; then paying our Duty 
to him, we went unto the Lady, and we found her ftrong 
and chearful, and fhe ftill drank of the Holy Water, and 
we read the Paffion over her, and thofe miferable Priefts 
never taught her the Faith, nor advifed her to be bap* 
tized ; butlfat there mute, not able to fpeak any thing, yet 
fhe ftill taught me the Language, the Priefts found no fault 
with any kind of Sorcery ; for there I faw four Swords 
half drawn out of the Sheath, one at the Head of the La* 
dy’s Bed, another at the Feet, and two other, on either 
Side of the Door one. I faw alfo there one filver Cha- 
lice, of our Chalices, which very probably was taken 
out of fome Church in Hungary , and it hung againft the 
Walls full of Afhes, and upon thofe Allies there was a black 
Stone, and concerning fuch things, the Priefts never teach 
them that they are evil ; nay, they themfelves do teach 
fuch things. We vifited her three Days, fo that fhe was 
reftored to perfeift Health ; after that, the Monk made a 
Banner full of Croffes, and got a Cane as long as a Lance s 
and we carried the Crofs aloft. 
I honoured him as my Bifhop, becaufe he could fpeak 
the Language, yet he did many things that did not pleafe 
me ; for he caufed a Chair, which may be folded, to be 
made for him, fuch as Bifhops ufed to have, and Gloves, 
and a Cap of Peacocks Feathers, and upon it a little Crofs 
of Gold ; I was well pleafed with the Crofs. He had 
fcabbed Feet, which he endeavoured to palliate with Oint- 
ments, and was very prefumptuous in Speech ; the Nef- 
torians alfo repeated certain Verfes pf the Pfalter upon two 
Rods, which were joined together, being held by two 
Men. The Monk was prefent at fuch Things, and ma- 
ny other Vanities appeared in him, which difpleafed me, 
yet we joined ourfelves to his Society for the Honour of 
the Crofs, for we carried the Crofs advanced through all 
the Tents finging, Vexilla Regis pro deunt y &c. Where- 
upon the Mohammedans were much deje&ed. 
44. From the Time we came to the Court of Mangu- 
Khan he rode but two Journeys towards the South, and 
from that time he began to return towards the North, which 
was towards Caracarum ; whereon I noted all the Way a 
thing of which Matter Baldwin of Hannonia had fjpoken to 
me at Conjlantinopk , that he had feen this only wonderful, 
that he always afcended in going, and never defcended * 
for all Rivers came from the Eaft to the Weft, either di- 
rectly or indirectly, bending towards the South, or the 
North, and I enquired of the Priefts which came from Ca- 
thay a^ who teftified the fame. From the Place where I found 
Mangu-Khan to Cathay a were twenty Days Journey, 
going towards the South and Eaft to Oman Kerule , which 
is the proper Country of Mo all , where the Court of Zing is 
is, were ten Days Journey right Eaft ; and in thofe Parts of 
the Eaft there was no City, yet there were People which 
are cslkdSu-Moalh that is to fay, Moall q -f the Waters, 
7 H fori 
