§80 LheFO PAGES 
enough and fair, and all the Ceiling above was covered 
with Silk wrought , with Gold : The next Day he depart- 
ed, defiring the Priefts to excufe him, that he durft not 
come to the Church, becaufe he underftood the Dead were 
carried thither : But we and die Monk remained at Cara- 
carum and the other Priefts of the Court, that we might 
celebrate Eafier there. 
47. The Feaft of Eafier was now drawing near, and 
we had not our Veftments ; and I likewife confidered the 
Manner how th zNeftcrians made the Sacramental Bread, and 
was much troubled what I fhould do, whether I fhould re- 
ceive the Sacrament from them, or ftiould celebrate in 
their Veftments and Chalice, and upon their Altar, or 
ftiould altogether abftain from the Sacrament. There was 
a great Multitude of Chriftians ; Hungarians , Alans , Ru- 
tenians , Georgians , and Armenians , all which had not feen 
the Sacrament fince they were taken Prifoners, becaufe the 
Neficrians would not admit them into their Church, unlefs 
they were baptized by them, as they laid ; yet they made 
no mention of that to us, and they offered their Sacra- 
ment freely to us, and made me ftand in the Door of the 
Choir, that I might fee their Manner of Confecration. On 
the Vigil of Eafier I flood by the Fount, that I might 
fee their Manner of baptizing. They fay they have of 
the Ointment wherewith Mary Magdelane anointed the 
Feet of our Lord ; and they pour in as much as they 
think fit of that Oil, with which they knead their Bread ; 
for all the People of the Fail put fat in their Bread inftead 
of Leaven, which Fat is Butter, or Suet out of a Sheep’s 
Tail, or Oik 
They fay alfo, they have of the. Flour of which the 
Bread was made, which the Lord confecrated, and al- 
ways add as much frefh as the Quantity of the Flour they 
lay afide ; and they have a Chamber, hard by their Choir, 
and an Oven, where they bake the Bread, which they next 
confecrate with great Reverence. They therefore make 
one Loaf of an Fland’s-breadth, with the before-mentioned 
Oil, which they firft break into twelve Pieces, according 
to the Number of the Apoftles, and after divide thofe 
Pieces according to the Multitude of the People, and the 
Priefts give the Body of Christ to every one in his 
Hand and then every one taketh it out of the Palm of 
his Hand with Reverence, and ftretcheth his Hand to the 
Top of his Head. The Chriftians I mentioned before, 
and the Monks, very earneftly entreated us, for God’s 
Sake, that we would celebrate. Then I made them be 
confeffed by an Interpreter as I could, reckoning the ten 
Commandments, and the feven deadly Sins, and other 
Things, for which every Man ought to be penitent and 
confeffed ; all of them publicldy excufed themfelves, con- 
cerning Theft, faying, that without Theft they could not 
live, becaufe their Mailers provided them neither Food 
nor Rayment. Then confidering that they had taken 
away their Perfons and their Subftance without juft Caufe, 
I faid unto them, that they might lawfully take Neceffa- 
ries of the Goods of their Mailers, and I was ready to 
maintain it to the Face of Mangu-Kban. 
Some of them alfo were Soldiers, who excufed them- 
felves, that they muft go to the Wars, or elfe they fhould be 
{Lain : I forbad them to go againft the Chriftians, and that 
they fhould not hurt them, and that they fhould rather fuffer 
themfelves to be fiain, for fo they fhould become Martyrs. 
And I laid, that if any would accufe me of this Doftrine 
before Mangu-Khan , I would be ready to preach the fame 
in his hearing; for the Nefiorians themfelves of the Court 
were prefent when I taught this, of whom I was fufpici- 
ous they might report ill of us. Then Mafter William the 
Goldfmith, caufed an Iron to be made for us to make 
Hofts ; and he had certain Veftments which he had made 
for himfelf, for he had fome Knowledge in Learning, and 
officiated as a Clerk. He caufed the Image of the Bleffed 
Virgin Mary to be graven after the French Fafhion, and 
engraved the Hiftory of the Gofpel very fair ; and made 
a filver Box to lay up the Body of Christ, and the 
Relicks in certain little Holes curioufly wrought in the 
Side of the Box. 
He made alfo a certain Oratory upon a Chariot, very 
fairly painted with Scripture Hiftories ; I therefore took his 
Veftments and bleffed them ; and we made Hofts after 
and LRAFELS Book L 
our manner very fair : And the Nefiorians affigned me 
their Fount for Baptifm. And their Patriarch lent them 
fmmBaldach a fquare Hide like a portable Altar, made with 
Chrifm, which they life inftead of confecrated Stone; 
therefore I celebrated on the Day of the Lord’s- Supper, 
in their filver Chalice and Difh, which were very great 
Veffels. I did the like alfo on Eafier -day , and we com- 
municated the People with the Bleffing of God, as I hope; 
but they baptized in the Vigil of Eafier more than three- 
fcore Perfons very orderly. There was great Joy for this 
generally among all Chriftians, 
48. After this, it happened that Mafter William the 
Goldfmith was grievoufly fick, and when he was upon re- 
covery, the Monk vifiting him, gave him Rhubarb to 
drink, fo that he had almoft killed him. Then vifiting 
him when I found him fo ill, I afked him what he had eat 
or drank ? And he told me the Monk had given him the 
Potion, and he drunk two little Diffies full, thinking it had 
been Holy Water. Then I went to the Monk, and faid 
to him, either go as an Apoftle, doing Miracles indeed 
by Virtue of Prayer and the Holy Ghoft, or as a Phyfician, 
according to the Art of Medicine ; you give a flrong 
Potion of Phyfick to drink to Men not prepared, as if it 
were an innocent Thing ; for which you will incur a foul 
Scandal, if it come to the Knowledge of Men. From that 
Time he began to fear and to be weary of him. 
It happened at that Time, that the Prieft too was fick, 
who was as it were the Archdeacon of the reft, and his 
Friends fent for a certain Saracen , who was a Soothfayer, 
who faid unto them, a certain lean Man, who neither eat- 
eth or drinketh, nor fleeps in a Bed, is angry with him , 
if he can obtain his Bleffing, he may recover ; then they 
underftood it was the Monk, and about Midnight, the 
Prieft’s Wife, his Sifter, and his Son came, intreating 
that he would come and blefs him ; they alfo raifed us up 
to interceed with the Monk, who anfwered us upon this 
Occafion, Let him alone,, becaufe he, with three others, 
who likewife took evil Courfes, confuked to go to the 
Court, to procure Mangu-Khan, that I and you, fhould 
be expell’d from thefe Parts ; for there arole a Contention 
among them, becaufe Mangu and his Wives fent four Jaff 
cots, and Pieces of Silk, upon Eafier Eve, to the Monk 
and Priefts, to diftribute among them, and the Monk 
had kept unto himfelf one Jafcot for his Part, and of the 
other three one was counterfeit, for it was Copper. The 
Priefts thought therefore that the Monk had kept too 
great a Share to himfelf, whence (it might be) that they 
had fome Words among themfelves, which were reported 
to the Monk. 
When Day came, I went to the Prieft, who had ex- 
tream Pain in his Side, and fpit Blood, whence I 
thought it was an Impoftume ; then I advifed him, that 
if he had any-thing that was another’s to reftore it ; he faid 
he had nothing. I fpoke unto him alfo of the Sacrament 
of Extream Uniflion ; who anfwered, we have no fuch 
Cuftom, neither do our Priefts know how to do it ; I in- 
treat you, that you would do it for me, as you know belt. 
1 advifed him alfo, concerning Confeffion, which they 
frequent not ; and he fpake a little in the Ear of a certain 
Prieft, one of his Companions. After this, he grew bet- 
ter, and intreated me to go for the Monk, fo I went, but 
the Monk would not come at firft ; but when he heard he 
was fomewhat better, he went with his Crofs, and I alfo 
went, and carried the Body of Chrift, which I had referv- 
ed upon Eafier Hay , at the In treaty of Mafter William y 
then the Monk began to kick him with his Feet, and he 
moft humbly embraced his Feet ; then I faid unto him, 
it is the Cuftom of the Church of Rome , that the Sick 
ftiould receive the Body of Chrift, as it is the beft Provi- 
fion for their Journey, and a Defence againft all the De- 
ceits of the Enemy ; turning next to the fick Man, I 
faid, Behold the Body of Chrifi , which 1 confecrated on Eaff 
ter Day, you muft be confeffed , and defined it. Then faid 
he, with a great Faith, I defire it with all my Heart ; 
which when I had offered to him, he with great Affection, 
faid, I believe that this is my Creator, and my Saviour , who 
gave me Life , and will reftore it again unto me after Heath 
in the general Refurrebhon ; and fo took the Body of 
Chrift (from my Hand) made after the Manner of the 
2 Church 
