Book I. 
586 The VOYAGES 
e< we can do ♦, he that made that which was hard eafy, and 
“ that which was liar off near, the Eternal GOD himfelf 
“ knows that alone/ 5 And as they called us your Embaffa- 
dors in the Letters, I faid unto them, cal! us not Embafla- 
dors, for I faid to the Khan that we were not the Embaf- 
fadors of the King Louis: Then they went unto him and 
told him j but when they returned, they faid unto me, 
that he held it much for our good, and that he com- 
manded them to write as I fhould direft them : Then I 
told them they fhould leave out the Name of Embaffa- 
dors, and call us Monks and Priefts. In the mean time, 
while thofe Things were doing, my Companion hearing 
that we rnuft return by the Wildernefs to Baatu , and that 
a Man of Mod fhould be our Guide, he ran, without my 
Knowledge to Bulgai , the chief Scribe, fignifying to him 
by Signs, that he fhould die if he went that Way ; and 
when the Day came wherein we fhould have our Pafs, viz. 
a Fortnight after the Feaft of St. John, when we were 
called to the Court, the Scribe faid unto my Companion, 
'Manga's Pleafure is, that your Companion return by 
Baatu ; and you fay you are lick, and it appeareth fo : 
Mangu therefore grants, if you will go with your Com- 
panion go, but let it be your own Fault, becaufe, it is 
pofiible, you may remain with fome Jani that will not 
provide for you, and it will be a Hindrance to your Com- 
panion ; but if you will flay here, we will provide Ne- 
eeffaries for you, till fome Embaffadors come, with whom 
you may return more eafily, and by a Way where there 
are Villages. 
The Friar anfwered, GOD grant the Khan a profpe- 
prous Life, I will flay: Then I faid to my Companions, 
Brother, be advifed what you do, I will not leave you. You 
leave not me, faid he, but I leave you, becaufe, if I go 
with you, I fee the Death of my Body and Soul, becaufe 
I have no Patience under intolerable Labour. Then they 
brought us three Garments, or Coats, and faid unto tis, ye 
will not receive Gold or Silver, and yet ye have flayed long 
here, and prayed for the Khan j he entreats you, that, at 
the lead, every one of you will receive a fingle Gar- 
mant, that ye depart not empty from him. Then we 
were forced to receive them for Reverence of him, for 
they account it a very evil Thing when their Gifts are con- 
temned. Firft he caufed us to be afked what we would 
have ? and we always anfwered the fame thing ; fo that 
the Chriftians infulted over the Idolaters, who feek no- 
thing but Gifts ; and they anfwered that we were Fools, 
becaufe, if he would give them his whole Court, they 
would willingly take it, and would do wifely too ; receiv- 
ing therefore the Garments, they entreated us to make our 
Prayers for the Khan, which we did, and afterwards we 
went to Caracarum. 
But it happened, while we were with the Monks, far 
from the Court with other EmbafTadors, that the Monk 
caufed the Table to be (truck fo hard, that Mangu-Khan 
heard it, and demanded what it was ; then they told him. 
Upon which he afked why he was removed fo far from the 
Court ; they told him, becaufe it was troublefome to 
bring him Horfes and Oxen every Day to the Court ; and 
laid further, that it were better that he fhould flay at Ca- 
racarum. Then the Khan fent unto him, faying, if he 
would go to Caracarum- , and flay there near about the 
Church, he would give him all Things neceffary : But the 
Monk anfwered, I came from the Holy Land of Jerufa- 
Jem hither by the Command of GOD, and left that City, 
wherein are a thoufand better Churches than that of Cara- 
carum j if he pleafe that I flay here and pray for him as 
GOD commanded me, I will flay, if not I will return 
to the Place from whence I came. So that every Even- 
ing Oxen were brought him yoaked to the Carts, and in 
the Morning he was brought to the Place where he ufed 
to be before the Court and a little before we departed 
t lienee, a certain Nejlorian came, who feemed to be a 
wife Man : Bulgai the chief Secretary, placed him before 
the Court, to whom the Khan fent his Children that he 
fhould blefs-them. 
54, We came therefore to Caracarum, and while we 
were in Matter William the Goldfmith’s Houfe, my Guide 
came to me and brought me ten Jafcots, five of which he 
left in Matter William's Hands, commanding him to fpend 
and TRAVELS 
them on the Behalf of the Khan, for the Friar’s Ufe while 
he remained there , he alio left the other five in the Hands 
of my Interpreter, commanding him to fpend them in the 
Way, for my Subfiftence for Matter William had given 
them fuch Inftruciions without our Knowledge. I presently 
changed one into fmall Money, and diftributed it to the 
poor Chriftians which were there, for all their Eyes were 
fixed upon us. We fpent another in buying things necef- 
fary for us, as Garments and other things, which we 
wanted. With the third my Interpreter himfelf bought 
fome things, by which he gained fomewhat. We fpent the 
reft, becaufe after we came into Berfia fufficient Neceffaries 
were no where given us, nor yet among the Tartar ^ 
amongft whom we feldom found any thing to be fold. 
Matter William, Your Majefty’s Citizen and Subje<tt 5 
fends you a certain Girdle fet with a precious Stone, which 
they ufed to wear againfl Thunder and Lightening, and 
moft humbly falutes you, always commending you to God 
in his Prayers. We baptized there in all fix Souls. When 
we departed from each other, it was with Tears, my Com- 
panion remaining with Matter William, and I returning 
with my Interpreter, my Guide, and one Servant, who 
had Directions to take one Mutton in four Days for us four. 
We came therefore in two Months and ten Days from Ca- 
racarum to Baatu, and never faw a Town, nor fo much as 
the Appearance of any Houfe, but Graves, except one Vil- 
lage, wherein we did not fo much as eat Bread, nor did we 
ever reft in thefe two Months and ten Days, fave one Day*, 
becaufe we could not get Horfes. We returned for the moft 
part by the fame kind of People, and yet through other* 
Countries, for we went in the Winter, and returned in the 
Summer, and by the higher Parts of the North, except 
that fifteen Days Journey we were obliged to go, and return 
by a certain River between the Mountains, where there is 
no Lodging but by the River Side. We went two Days, 
and fometimes three, without taking any other Food but 
Cofmos. Once we were in great Danger, not being able 
to find any People, our Provifion failing us, and our 
Horfes tired. 
When I had travelled twenty Days, I heard that the 
King of Armenia had patted by. In the End of Auguji I 
met with Sartach, who went to Mangu-Khan with Flocks 
and Herds, and with his Wives and Children, yet the Bulk 
of his Families remained between Tanais and Etilia. I fent 
my Duty to him, laying, I would willingly flay in his 
Country, but Mangu-Khan would have me return and carry 
his Letters. He anfwered, that I mutt perform the Will of 
Mangu-Khan. Then I afked Coiac for the Children ? He 
anfwered, they were in the Court of Baatu , carefully pro- 
vided for. I alfo afked him for our Cloaths and Books 
a crain ? He anfwered, did ye not bring them to Sartach ? 
I°faid I brought them unto Sartach, but I did not give 
them to him as you know ; and I put him in mind what 
Anfwer I made when he demanded whether I would give 
them to Sartach ? Then he anfwered, you fay Truth, and 
none can refift Truth. I left your Goods with my Father,' 
who remaineth near Sarai, which is a new Town Baatu 
hath made upon Etilia on the Eaft Shore •, but our Priefts 
have fome of the Veftments. If any thing pleafe you, faid 
I, keep it, fo my Books be reftored. 
Then he told me he would report my Words to Sartach < 
I mutt have Letters, faid, I to your Father, to reftore me 
all. But he was ready to be gone, and faid unto me, the 
Train of the Ladies followeth us near at Hand, ye fhall 
alight there, and I will fend you Sartach's Anfwer oy this 
Man. I was very careful he fhould not deceive me, yet I 
dare not contend with him : Late in the Evening the Man 
came unto me, and brought two Coats with him, which T I 
thought had been all of Silk, and he faith unto me, behold ! 
two Garments, the one Sartach hatn fent unto you, ^ and 
the other, if fo it pleafe you, you fhall prefont to the King 1 
on his Behalf-, to whom I anfwered, I wear no fuch Gar- 
ments, I will prefont them both to my King in honour of j 
your Lord, Then faid he, do with them what you pleafe-, ; 
now it pleafed me to fond them both unto you, and I fond . 
them to you by the Bearer of thefe Prefents. He delivered : 
me Letters alfo. to the Father of Coiac to reftore me all 
which appertained unto me, becaufe he had no need or any , 
thing which was mine, fo we came to the Court of Baatu , : 
