I 
Ghap. II, c/ William 
We therefore gathered together at our Oratory, and Mangu- 
Khan fent three Writers to be Judges, one ChriJHan , one 
Saracen , and one Tuinian , and it was firft proclaimed, 
“ This is the Commandment of Mangu-Khan , and none 
dare fay that the Commandment of God is otherwife. 
46 He commandeth that none fpeak contentious or injuri- 
44 ous Words to another, or make any Tumult, whereby 
44 this Bufinefs may be hindered, upon Pain of his Head,” 
Then all were filent, and there was a great Aflfembly there, 
for every Party invited the wifeft of their Nation, and many 
others came flocking thither. Then the Chriftians fet me 
in the Middle of them, willing the Tuinians to fpeak with 
me. Then they began to murmur againft Mangu-Khan , 
becaufe never any Khan attempted thus to fearch into their 
Secrets. Then they oppofed one to me, who came from 
Cathay a, having his Interpreter, and I ha&Mafter 'Vtfillidrn'% 
Son. And he firft faid to me, Friend, if thou be brought 
to a Nonplus, who muft feek a wifer than yourfelf ? But I 
held my Peace. 
Then he demanded whereof I would difpute, either how 
the World was made , or what becomes of the Souls after 
Death ? To whom I anfwered, “ Friend, thisl fhould not 
44 be the beginning of our Speech. All things are of God, 
44 and he is the Fountain and Head of all, and therefore 
44 we ought to fpeak firft of God, of whom ye think other- 
44 wife than ye ought to do, and Mangu defires to know 
44 who believes better?” Then the Arbitrators allowed 
this to be reafonable, they would willingly have begun with 
the following Queftions ; becaufe they hold them for the 
ftrongeft, for they are all of the Herefy of the Manichees , 
believing two Principles, the one bad, and the other good ; 
and concerning Souls they all think they pafs from Body 
to Body, infomuch that one of the wifeft of the Neftorian 
Priefts demanded of me concerning the Souls of brute 
Beafts, whether they could fly to any Place where they 
fhould not be compelled to labour after Death ? For Con- 
firmation alfo thereof, as the Goldfmith told me a certain 
Child was brought from Cathay a, who by the Size of his Body 
appeared to be three Years old, yet was capable of any Rea- 
fon, who affirmed of himfelf, that he had been three times 
in feveral Bodies, and knew Letters, and how to write. 
I faid to the aforefaid ’Tuinian , We firmly believe with the 
Heart , and confefs with the Mouthy that there is a God , and 
there is but one God , and one in perfect Unity , what believe 
you ? He faid, Fools fay there is but one God, but wife 
Men fay there are many. Are mot there great Lords in 
your Country, and here is a greater Lord, Mangu-Khan ? 
fo it is of the Gods, becaufe in divers Countries there are 
diverfe. To whom I faid, you make a bad Comparifon 
of Men with God ; for fo every mighty Man in his own 
Country may be called a God. And when I would have 
diffolved the Similitude, he prevented me, enquiring what 
Manner of God is yours, whereof you fpeak ? that he is but 
one. I anfwered, 44 Our God, befide whom there is no 
44 other, is Omnipotent, and therefore needeth not the 
“ Help of another. Nay, all we have need of his Help, it 
44 is not fo with Men ; no Man can do all things, and 
44 therefore there muft be many Lords in the Earth, becaufe 
44 no one can fupport all. Again, he knows all things, 
44 therefore he meeds not aCounfellor: Nay, all Wifdom 
44 is from him ; moreover he is perfectly good, and needeth 
44 not our Good. Nay, in him we live, move, and have 
44 our Being : Such is our God, and therefore you muft 
44 not hold that there is any other.” It is not fo, faith he. 
Nay, there is one higheft in the Heavens, whofe Genera- 
tion we know not yet, and ten are under him, and under 
them there is one inferior, and in the Earth there are infi- 
nite. Then he would have added other Fables : So I alked 
him of that higheft God, whether he thought him Omnipo- 
tent ? or of any other God ? and fearing to anfwer, he de- 
manded, if your God be fiich as you fay, why made he the 
half of things evil ? It is falfe, faid I, whofo maketh any 
Evil is no God, and all things whatfoever are good. At 
this Word all the Tuinians marvelled, and fet it down in 
Writing, as falfe, or impoffible. Then he began to afk, 
Whence therefore cometh Evil ? You afk amifs, faid I ; 
for firft you fhould demand what Evil is before you afk 
whence it is. But to return unto the firft Queftion, whether 
do you believe that any God is omnipotent ? and after I will 
4 
D E 
R U B R U Q U I S, 
anfwer you to whatfoever you demand. Then he fat a Idfig 
time and would not anfwer, infomuch that the Writers on 
the Behalf of the Khan wdre forced to command him to 
anfwer. At length he anfwered, that no God was Omnipo- 
tent. Then all the Saracens break out into a great Laughter, 
Silence being made, I faid therefore none of your Gods can 
fiave you in all Dangers, becaufe fuch a Chance may hap- 
pen wherein he hath no Power. Again, no Man can ferve 
two Mafters. How then can you ferve fo many Lords in 
Lleaven and in Earth ? The Auditory decreed him to an- 
fwer, but he held his Peace. 
Then when I was about to alledge Reafons to prove the 
Truth of the Divine Effence, and the Trinity, in every 
Man’s Hearing, the Ne/iorians of the Country faid, that 
it was enough, becaufe they meant to fpeak, fo I gave 
them place ; and when they would have clifputed with the 
Saracens, they anfwered, we grant that your Law is true,, 
and whafifoever is in the Gofpel is Truth, wherefore we 
will not difpute with you in any thing, and they confeflfedj, 
that they beg at the Hands of God in their Prayers, that 
they may die the Death of the Chriftians. There was 
there a certain old Prieft of the Seft of Jugures , who con- 
fefs One God, yet they make Idols, with whom they 
talk’d much, fhewing all till the Coming of Chrift to 
Judgment, declaring the Trinity to him, and the Sara- 
cens by Similitudes ; all of them hearkened without any 
Con tradition, yet none of them laid, I believe, and will 
become a Chriftian : The Conference ended, the Nefiori- 
ans and Saracens fang together with a loud Voice, the Tu- 
inians holding their Peace, and after that, they all drank 
molt plentifully. 
5 1 . On Whitfiunday , Mangu-Khan called mebefore him, and 
the Tuinian , with whom I difputed ; and before I went in, 
Mafter William's Son, my Interpreter, faid to me, that 
we muft return to our Country, and that I fhould fpeak 
nothing againft it, becaufe he underftood it for a thing de- 
termined. When I came before him, I kneel’d, and the 
Tuinian by me, with his Interpreter, Then he faid unto 
me, tell me the Truth, whether you faid, when I fent my 
Writers unto you, that I was a Tuinian ? Then I anfwer- 
ed, My Lord, I faid not fo ; but if it pleafe Your High- 
nefs, I will tell you the Words I fpake ; then I recited 
what I had fpoken, and he anfwered, I thought well. you 
faid not fo, for it was a Word which you fhould not fpeak, 
but your Interpreter hath ill interpreted it. So he reached 
forth his Staff towards me whereon he leaned, faying, 
fear not. I finding, faid foftly, if I had feared, I had 
not come hither; then he demanded of the Interpreter 
what I faid ? So he repeated my Words unto him : After- 
wards he began to confefs his Faith unto me. 
44 We, Moalians , faid he, believe that there is but 
44 One God, through whom we live and die, and we have 
44 an upright Heart towards him ; ” then faid I, God 
grant you this, for without this Gift it cannot be, and he 
demanded what I faid, fo the Interpreter told him ; then 
he added further, that God whohath given to the Hand diverfe 
Fingers , fo he hath given many Ways to Men : God hath 
given the Scriptures to you , and the Chriftians keep them 
not ; ye find it not in the Scriptures , that one of you fhall 
difpraife another : Do you find it, faid he ? No, faid I ; 
but I fignifi'ed unto you from the Beginning, that I would 
not contend with any ; I fpeak it not, faid he, touching 
you. In like manner ye find it not that for Money a Man 
ought to decline from Juftice. No, Sir, faid I, and tru- 
ly neither came I into thefe Parts to get Money, nay, I 
refufed that which was given me ; and there was a Scribe 
prefent there, who gave Teftimony that I had refufed a 
Jafeot, and certain Pieces of Silk. I fpeak it not, faid he, 
for that, God hath given you the Scriptures, and ye keep 
them not; but he hath given us Soothfayers, and we do 
that which they bid us, and we live in Peace. He drank 
four times, as I think, before he difclofed thefe things , 
and while I hearkened attentively, whether he would con- 
fefs any thing elfe concerning this Faith, he began to fpeak 
of my Return, faying, you have ftaid a long time here, 
my Pleafure is therefore that you return : You faid, you 
durft not carry my Ambafifadors with yon, will you carry 
my Meflenger, or my Letters? And from that time I could 
neither have Place nor Time to fhew him the Catholick 
Faiths 
