Chap. II. 
of William d e Rubruquis. 579 
that we had nothing but brown Bread and Pafte, boiled in 
Water, tho ? we had no Water but of diffolved Snow, or 
Ice, which was exceeding bad. My Companion began to 
be much grieved, fo I acquainted Davids the Schoolmafter 
of the Khan’s eldeft Son, with our Neceffity, who made 
Report thereof to the Khan, and he commanded to give us 
Wine, Flower, and Oil. 
Neither the Neftorians or Armenians eat Fifh by any 
means in Lent ; but the Monk had a Cheft by him under 
the Altar, with Almonds and Raifins, and dried Prunes, 
and many other Fruits, which he eat all the Day, when- 
ever he was alone. We eat once a Day, and that in great 
Affliction ; for as foon as they knew that Mangu had given 
us Wine, molt impudently they came in upon us like Dogs, 
both the Neftorian Priefts, who were drunk all the Day in 
the Court, and the Moats alfo, and the Servants of the 
Monk. The Monk alfo, when any came unto him to 
whom he would give Drink, he fent to us for Wine ; fo that 
the Wine caufed us more Trouble than Comfort, becaufe 
we could not deny it without Offence. If we gave, we 
wanted ourfelves ; nor durft we, that being fpent, defire 
any more from the Court. 
46. About the Middle of Lent the French Goldfmith’s 
Son came;, bringing with him a Silver Crofs made after the 
French Fafliion, having the Image of Chriji all of Silver 
fattened upon it at the Top, which the Monks and Priefts 
feeing, put it away. This Crofs he was to prefent in the 
Behalf of his Matter to Bulgai , who was the chief Secre- 
tary of the Court, which when I heard I was offended. 
The fame young Man alfo declared to Mangu-Khan, that 
the Work, which he had commanded to be made, was 
finittied, which Work I deferibed unto you. Mangu hath 
at Caracarum a great Court hard by the Walls of the City, 
enc-lofed with a Brick Wall, as the Priories of Monks are 
enclofed with us. In that Court there is a great Palace, 
Wherein he held his Feafts twice a Year, once in Eajier , 
when he paffeth that Way, and once in Summer, when he 
returneth ; but the latter is the greater, becaufe then all the 
Nobles meet together at his Court, and then he gives unto 
them Garments, and fhews all his Magnificence. There 
are many other Houfes there as large as our Farms, 
wherein his Vidtuals and Treafures are ftored. In the En- 
trance of that great Place, becaufe it was indecent to have 
Flaggons going about, as in a Tavern; William the Gold- 
fmith made him a great Silver Tree, at the Root whereof 
were four Silver Lions, having one Pipe fending forth pure 
Cow’s Milk •, and the four Pipes were conveyed within the 
Tree unto the Top thereof, whofe Top fpread back again 
downward, and upon every one of them was a Golden 
Serpent, whofe Tails twine about the Tree ; and one of 
thefe Pipes run with Wine ; another with Caracofmos, that 
Is, clarified Whey; another with Ball, that is, Drink made 
■of Honey •, another with Drink made of Rice, called Lera- 
tind ; and every Drink had a Veffel prepared of Silver at 
-the Foot of the Tree to receive it. Between thefe four 
Pipes, at the Top he made an Angel holding a Trumpet; 
and under the Tree he made an hollow Vault, wherein a 
Man might be hid, and a Pipe attending up the Heart of 
the Tree unto the Angel. He firft made Bellows, but they 
gave not Wind enough. Without the Palace there is a 
Chamber, wherein the Liquors were laid, and there were 
Servants ready to pour it out when they heard the Angel 
Founding the Trumpet; and the Boughs of the Tree are of 
Silver, and fo are the Leaves and Pears that are on it ; 
when therefore they want Drink, the Butler commands the 
Angel to found the Trumpet ; he who is hid in the Vault, 
hearing, blows the Pipe ftrongly, which attending to the 
Angel, he lets his Trumpet to his Mouth, and the Trumpet 
foundeth very Ihriil ; then the Servants hearing, which are 
in the Chamber, pour Liquor into the proper Pipe, and the 
Pipes pour it from above, and they are received below into 
Veffeis prepared for that Purpofe. Then the Butlers draw 
them, and carry them through the Palace to Men and 
Women. 
The Palace is like a Church, having the middle Ifle and 
the twq Sides beyond two Rows of Pillars, and three 
Gates on the South ; before the middle Gate ftands the 
Tree, and the Khan himfelf fits in the North Front on an 
high Place, -that he may be feen of all ; and there are two 
Flights of Steps attending to him ; by one he that carries 
the Cup goes unto him , and by the other, he comes 
down. The Space which is in the Middle, between the 
Tree and the Steps by which they attend, is void; for there 
ftands he that waits on his Cup, and the Mettfengers which 
bring Prefents, the Khan fitting there above like a God. 
On the right Side, towards the Weft, are the Men, on 
the left Women ; for the Palace ftretched out in Length 
from North to South : on the Right-fide are Places full of 
Seats, on which his Sons and Bretheren fit 1 on the Left- 
fide are the like, where his Wives and Daughters fit, one W o- 
man only fits above by him, but not fo high as he. When 
therefore he had heard that the Work was finittied, he 
commanded the chief Workman to fet it up in its 
Place and make it fit. 
About Paflon Sunday , he went before with his fmall 
Houfes, leaving his greater Houles behind , and the 
Monk and we followed him ; and he fent us another 
Bottle of Wine. The Khan , in his March, patted be- 
tween the hilly Countries, where there was great Wind, 
and extreme cold, and there fell a great Snow ; whereupon 
he fent about Midnight to the Monk and us, entreating 
us to pray unto God, that he would mitigate the Wind and 
Cold, becaufe all the Beafts which were in the Train were 
in Jeopardy ; efpecially becaufe all that Time they were 
with Young, and ready to bring forth. Then the Monk 
fent him Incenfe, requiring him to put it upon the Coals, 
and offer it to God, which whether he did, I know not 5 
but the Tempeft ceafed, which had continued two Days. 
On Palm- Sunday we were near Caracarum , in the Dawn- 
ing of the Day, we bleffed the Willow-boughs, whereon, 
as yet, there appeared no Budd ; and about Nine we en- 
tered the City, carrying the Crofs aloft, with the Banner, 
palling through the Middle of the Street of the Saracens , 
where the Market and Fair are, to the Church, and the 
Nejlorians met us in Proceflion ; and entering into the 
Church, we found them prepared to celebrate the Mafs ; 
which being celebrated, they all communicated ; and they 
alked we whether I would communicate ? I anfwered, that 
I had drank before, and the Sacrament fhould not be re- 
ceived but falling. Mafs being laid, it was Evening, 
and Matter William the Goldlmith, brought us with Joy 
to his Inn to fup with him. He had a Wife who was the 
Daughter of Mohammeden Parents, though born in Hungary 
herfelf, who could lpeak French , and the Language of Co- 
mania. We found alfo there one other Man, called Bajfilius^ 
the Son of an Englijhman , born in Hungary , who alfo was 
fkilful in the fame Languages. Supper being ended, they 
brought us to our Cottage, which the Partars had ap- 
pointed in a certain Plat of Ground near the Church, with 
the Oratory of the Monk. 
On the next Morning the Khan himfelf entered into his 
Palace, and the Monk, and I, and the Priefts, went to 
him ; they buffered not my Companion to go, becaufe he 
Humbled on the Threlhold. I much deliberated with 
myfelf what I Ihould do, whether I fhould go or no ; and,, 
fearing Offence, if I fhould depart from other Chriftians, 
and becaufe it pleafed him, and fearing left that Good 
might be hindered, which I hoped to obtain, I chofe ra- 
ther to go, though I faw their A&ions full of Idolatry 
and Sorcery ; nor did I any other Thing there but pray for 
the whole Church with a loud Voice, and alfo for the 
Khan himfelf, that GOD would diredl him to the Way of 
eternal Salvation. We therefore went into the Court, 
which was very neat, for in the Summer Rivers are 
conveyed into every Place, whereby it is watered. Af- 
ter this we entered into the Palace full of Men and Wo- 
men, and flood before the Khan, having the aforefaid 
Tree at our Backs, which, with the Veffeis thereof, took up 
a great Part of the Palace. The Priefts brought two little 
Loaves and Fruit in an earthen Difb, which they prefented 
unto him, bleffing them, and the Butler brought them to 
him, fitting above on a very high Place, and he presently 
began to eat one of the Loaves, and fent the other to his 
Son and a younger Brother of his, who was brought up by a 
Nejlorian , and knew the Gofpel, who alfo fent for my Bible 
that he might fee it. After the Priefts, the Monk faid his 
Prayer, and I after the Monk ; then he promifed that the 
tiex£ Day he would come, unto the Church, which is great 
enough 
