VOYAGES 
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would ftay there, if fo he pleafed, or if we muft return, it 
were eafier for us to return in Summer, than in the Winter. 
He prefently fent to me, commanding that I Ihould 
not go far oft, becaufe his Pleafure was to fpeak with me 
the next Day : To which I anfwered, if he would fpeak 
with me, he fhould fend for Matter William’ s Son, for my 
Interpreter was not fufficient, and he that brought thisMef- 
fage to me was a Saracen , who had been a Mefienger to 
Vaftacius , and blinded with Rewards, counfellecl Vaftacius 
to fend Embafiadors to Mangu-Khan , and the mean while 
the Time patted, for Vaftacius thought he would prefently 
enter their Country, fo he fent, and after he knew them, he 
little regarded them, nor made a Peace with them ; neither 
did they yet enter his Country, nor will they be able fo 
long as they dare defend themfelves ; nor did they ever 
take any Country by Force, but by Deceit ; and becaufe 
Men make Peace with them, under Colour of that Peace 
they circumvent them, and overthrow them. Then he 
began to be very inquifidve of the Pope, and of the King 
of the Franks , and of the Way to go to them ; but the 
Monks hearing this, advifed me fecretly not to anfwer him, 
becaufe he would procure that an Embafiador fhould be 
fent. I therefore held my Peace, not willing to anfwer 
him •, and he fpake to me I know not what injurious 
Words, for which the Neftorian Priefts would have accufed 
him, fo that he had either been (lain or beaten, but I would 
not agree to it. 
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50. The very next Day they brought me to the Court, 
and the chief Secretaries of the Court came to me, one of 
them a Moal, who waiteth upon the Khan’s, Cup, and the reft 
Saracens , enquiring on the Behalf of the Khan , wherefore I 
came ? Then I told him in the very fame Words I did before, 
how I came to Sartach , and from Sartach to Baatu , and 
how Baatu fent me thither. Whereupon I faid unto him, I 
have nothing to fpeak on the Behalf of any Man, unlefs I 
fhould fpeak the Words of God unto him, if he would hear 
them, for the Khan fhould beft know what Baatu hath 
written unto him. They (tuck upon this, demanding what 
Words of God I would fpeak unto him ; thinking I would 
prophefy unto him fome profperous thing as many ufe 
to do. 
To whom I anfwered, if ye will that I fpeak the Words 
of God unto him, get me an Interpreter, who faid we have 
fent for him, yet fpeak by this Interpreter as you may, we 
they urged me much to 
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fhall uH^rftand you well, and the; 
fpeak. When I faid, “ This is the Word of God. To 
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whom more is committed more is required at his Hands. 
« Another alfo, to whom more is forgiven, he ought to 
« love more. Out of thefe true Words of God ; I faid to 
the Mangu himfelf, that God hath given him much : 
< For the Power and Riches which he hath, the Idols of 
the Fuenians hath not given him, but the Omnipotent 
God, who hath made Heaven and Earth, in whofe 
;t Hands all Kingdoms are, and he tranflateth them from 
s« Nation to Nation for the Sins of Men, wherefore if he 
;t love him, it fhall go well with him ; if otherwife, let him 
< know that God will require all thefe things at his Hands, 
6 even to the uttermoft Fatthing.” Then faid one of the 
Saracens, Is there any Man that loveth not God ? I an- 
wered, “ God faith, if any Man love me, he will keep 
■ £ my Commandments ; therefore he that keepeth not the 
£ Commandments of God, loveth not God.’* Then faid 
ie, have ye been in Heaven, that ye might know the 
Commandments of God ? “ No, faid I, but he hath given 
c them from Heaven to holy Men, and at the laft himfelf 
4 defcended from Heaven, teaching us, and we have thefe 
4 things in the Scriptures, and we fee by the Works of 
e Men whether they keep them or no.” 
Whereupon he replied, Will ye then fay that Mangu - 
r ihan keeps not the Commandments of God, to whom I 
aid your Interpreter will come as ye fay ? Then before 
Mangu-Khan , if it pleafe him, I will recite the Command- 
nents of God, and he fhall be his own Judge, whether he 
teep them or not; fo they departed and told him, that I 
aid he was an Idolater, or a Fuinian , and kept not the 
Commandments of God. The next Day he fent his Secre- 
aries unto me, faying, our Lord fends us unto you, fay- 
ig, ye are here Chriftian Saracens , and Fuinians , and every 
f you faith his Law is better, and his Books are true : 
Wherefore he would that ye all come together, and make 
Companion that every one write his Words, that he mav 
know the Truth. Then I faid, “ Blefled be God, than 
“ hath put this in the Heart of Khan ; but our Scripture 
££ faith, the Servant of God muft not be contentious, but 
££ meek unto all. Wherefore I am ready without Strife 
££ and Contention to render an Account of the Faith and 
“ Hope of Chriftians to every one that fhall require it . 25 
Then they wrote my Words, and brought them unto 
him. 
Then the Neftorians were commanded to provide tliem- 
felves, and write what they would fpeak, and the Saracens 
likewife, and the Fuinians alfo. On the next Mornino- hf» 
fent the Secretaries again, faying, Mangu-Khan would 
know wherefore ye came to thefe Parts ? To whom I faid, 
he may know by the Letters of Baatu ; to this they an- 
fwered, Baatids Letters are loft, and he hath forgotten 
what Baatu hath wrote to him. Wherefore he would 
know of you. 
At this fomewhat emboldened, I faid, ££ The Duty or 
££ Office of our Religion is to preach the Gofpel unto all. 
£t Whereupon when I heard of the Fame of the People of 
££ Moal^ I had a Defire to come unto them, and while I was 
££ thus minded we heard of Sartach , that he was a Chriftian ; 
££ then I direded my Journey unto him, and my Sovereign 
“ Lord the King of the Franks fent him Letters containing 
good Words, and other Words beftdes which teftify of us 
unto him what Men we are, when he made Requeft that he 
would fufter us to remain with the People of Moal ; then 
“ he fent us to Baatu , and Baatu to Mangu-Khan ; where- 
“ upon we intreated, and yet intreat him to fuffer us to ftay. 531 
They wrote all, and made Relation thereof unto him. On 
the Morrow he fent to me again, faying, the Khan knows 
well enough that ye have no Meflage unto him, but ye 
came to pray for him as many other Priefts do ; but he 
demandeth whether ever any of your Embafiadors were 
with him, or ours with you. Then I declared all unto them 
concerning David and Friar Andrew , fo they putting all in 
Writing, reported the fame to him. 
Then he fent again unto me, faying, our Lord Khan 
faith ye have ftaid long here ; his Pleafure is, that ye return 
unto your own Country, and he further demands, whether 
ye would conduct his Embafiadors with you ? To whom I 
made anfwer, that I durft net carry his Embafiadors beyond 
his own Country, becaufe there is a warlike Nation between 
us and you, and the Sea and Mountains, and I am a poor 
Monk, and therefore dare not take upon me to be his Guide ; 
fo they having fet down all in Writing, returned, and re- 
ported. it to the Khan. When Whitfon-Eve came the Nefto- 
rians wrote Chronicles from the Creation of the World to 
the Pafiion of Chrift , and palling over the Paffion, they 
fpake of the Refurredionof the Dead, and of the Afcenfion 
and of the coming of Judgment, wherein many things were 
to be reprehended, which I told them ; and we likewife 
wrote the Symbol or Creed, Credo unum Deum . Then I 
demanded of them how they would proceed ? They laid 
they would firft difpute with the Saracens ; I fhewed them 
this was not the proper Method, for the Saracens in this 
agree with us, that they affirm there is but one God, and 
therefore you may have them to help you againft the Fui- 
nians , fo they were contented. Then I afked them, if 
they knew how Idolatry had its firft Original in the World, 
and they could not tell ? I told them, and they faid you 
fhall clear thefe things to them, and then let us fpeak, for 
it is hard to fpeak by an Interpreter ; to whom 1 faid, try 
how you can behave yourfelves againft them, I will take 
the Fuinian 9 s Part, and you the Chriftians. 
Suppofe I am of that Sed that fay there is no God, 
prove ye there is a God ; for there is a Sed there which 
faith, that every Virtue, in what thing foever, is the God 
thereof, and that otherwife there is no God. Then the 
Neftorians knew not how to prove any tning, but only that 
which their Writing declareth : I faid they believe not the 
Scriptures, if ye fhew one, they will fhew another. I hen, 
I direded them to let me firft talk with them, becaufe if I 
fhould be overcome, they might flill have Liberty of Speech; 
whereas if they fhould be overcome, I fhould have no 
hearing : They agreed unto it. 
We 
