588 The VOYAGES 
56. We proceeded thence, till travelling up the Araxes, 
of which it is faid, Pontem, indignatus Araxis ; Araxes , dif- 
tains a Bridge, leaving Perfia and the Cafpian Mountains 
on the left Hand towards the South, having on the right 
Hand Curgia and the Great Sea towards the Weft. Go- 
ing all the Way Southward, we pafifed through the Mea- 
dows of Bacchu , who is General of that Army which is 
there within the River. Araxes ; he has like wife made the 
Curgi, and Turks, and Perfians , fubjeft to him. There is 
likewife another Governor in Perfia at Tauris over the 
Tribute called Argon , both which Mangu-Khan hath 
called Home to give Place to his Brother, who is going 
into thofe Countries. The Country which I have de- 
feribed to you is not properly Perfia , but was fometimes 
called Hyrcania. I was in Bacchu 1 s Houle, and he gave 
us Wine to drink, and he himfelf drank Cofmos, which 
I would willingly have drank if he had given it me ; yet 
it was the beft new Wine, but Cofmos is more wholefom 
for a half ftarved Man as I was. We went up therefore 
by the River Araxes from the Eve of Si. Clement until 
the fecond Sunday in Lent , till we came to the Head of 
the River, and beyond the Mountains where it rifeth there 
is a good City called Ar forum , which belongs to the Sol- 
dan of Turky, and near thereabouts Euphrates rifes towards 
the North, at the Foot of the Mountains of Curgia ,. to 
whole Spring I had gone, but the Snow was fo great that 
no Man could go out of the common Path, and on the 
other Side of the Mountains of Caucafus towards the 
South rifeth the Tygris. 
When we departed from Bacchu my Guide went to 
Tauris to fpeak with Argon , carrying my Interpreter with 
him ; but Bacchu caufed me to be brought to a certain 
City called Naxuan , which heretofore was the Plead or Ca- 
pita! of a great Kingdom, and the greateft and faireft 
City in thofe Parts, but the Tartars have made it a Wil- 
dernefs ; and there were anciently eight hundred Churches 
of the Armenians there ; now there are but two little ones, 
for the Saracens have deftroyed them ; in one of which 
I held the Feaft of Chriftmas as I could with our Clerk, 
and the next Day following the Prieft of the Church died, 
to whofe Burial came a certain Bilhop with twelve Monks 
from the high Countries, for all the Bifhops of the Arme- 
nians, are Monks, and of the Greeks likewife for the molt 
Part. The Bilhop told me that there was a Church near 
this Place where St. Bartholomew , and likewife St. Judas 
Thaddfus were martyred, but there was no Way open for 
Snow. He told me alfo that they had two Prophets, 
the firft or chief Methodius the Martyr, who was of their 
Country, and plainly prophelied of the Ifmaelites , which 
Prophecy is fulfilled in the Saracens. The other Prophet 
is called Acacron , who when he died, prophefied of a Na- 
tion of Archers that Ihould come from the North, faying, 
46 That they Ihould conquer all the Countries of the Eaft, 
44 and Ihould fpare the Kingdoms of the Eaft, to affift 
44 them in obtaining the Kingdoms 1 of the Weft; and 
44 they fhall poffefs the Countries from North to South, 
44 and lhall come to Conftantinople , and Ihall take the Gate 
44 of Conftantinople , and one of them who lhall be called 
44 a wife Man, lhall enter the City, and feeing the Churches 
44 and Rites of the Franks , lhall caufe himfelf to be 
46 baptized, and lhall counfel the Franks how they may 
44 kill the Emperor of the Tartars , and there they fhall 
44 be confounded. Hearing this, the Franks which fhall 
« be in the Middle of the Land, viz. at Jerufalem , fhall 
44 fet upon the Tartars who fhall border upon them, and 
' <4 with the Help of our Nation, that is, the Armenians , 
64 fhall purfue them ; fo that the French King fhall place 
«* his Royal Throne at Taurinum in Perfta , and then all the 
44 Eaft Countries and all the unbelieving Nations fhall be 
44 converted to the Faith of Chrift ; and there fhall be fo 
« ^reat Peace in the World, that the Living fhall fay to 
« the Dead, Wo be unto you Wretches ! that lived not 
« 4 until thefe Times.’* And I read this Prophecy brought 
to Conftantinople by the Armenians which remain there, 
but I made light of it. Yet when I fpake with the Bi- 
fhop, calling it to Mind, I regarded it fomewhat the more. 
But throughout all Armenia they as firmly believe this 
Prophecy as they do the Gofpel. - 
He faid to us alfo, even as the Souls in Limbo exped 
ST R A. V* E L S Book I, 
the Coming of Chrift for their Delivery, fo do we look 
for your Coming, that we may be freed from this Slavery 
wherein we have fo long lived. Near the City Naauam 
there are Mountains on which they fay the Ark of Noah 
refted ; and there are two, one greater than the other 
and Araxes running at the Foot of them ; and there is a 
little Town there called Comanium , which is in their Lan- 
guage Eight, for they fay it was fo called of the eight 
Perfons which came forth of the Ark and built it. Many 
have attempted to climb the great Hills and could not, 
and the Bilhop told me that a certain Monk being very 
much troubled thereat, an Angel appeared to him and 
brought him a Piece of the Wood of the Ark, bidding 
him to trouble himfelf no more. That Piece of Wood 
they had in their Church as he told me, neither is the Hill 
fo high in Appearance but the Men might well get up it. 
A certain old Man gave me however this worthy Reafon 
why no one Ihould climb it. They call that Mountain 
Majfts , and as this Word is of the Femenine Gender in 
their Tongue, no Man, faid he, muft climb up Majfts, be- 
caufe it is the Mother of the World. 
In the City of Naxuam , Friar Barnard a Catalan, of 
the Order of the Preaching Friars, found me, who lives 
in Georgia , with a certain Friar of the Sepulchre, who pof- 
feffeth great Lands there, and he had learned fomewhat 
of the Tartar Language ; he formerly went with a certain 
Hungarian Friar, who returned with me to Teffiis , with one 
Servant ; but Friar Barnard remained at Tauris , with a 
certain Lay Friar, whofe Language he underftood not. 
We went out of the City of Nexuam , about the Epiphany , 
for we had ftayed long there, by reafon df the Snow-; we 
came therefore in four Days to the Country of Sabenfa, a 
Curdifto Prince, heretofore mighty, but now Tributary to 
the Tartars , who deftroy’d ai! his Ammunition, whofe 
Father Zacharias poflfeffed himfelf of the Country of Ar- 
menians, having delivered them from the Hands of the 
Saracens , and there are many fair Villages of true Chrif- 
tians, having Churches like the Franks ; and every Arme- 
mian hath in his Houle, in an honourable Place, a woe 
Hand, holding a Crofs, and fets a burning Lamp be# 
it ; and that which we do with holy Water, fprinkling ' 
to drive away wicked Spirits, they do with Frankincenfe 5 
for every Evening they burn Frankincenfe, carrying it 
through all the Corners of the Houfe, to rid them of all 
kind of Enemies. I eat with Sabenfa , and he did me 
great Reverence, both he and his Wife, and his Son Za- 
chary, a very comely and wife young Man, who demand- 
ed of me, whether if he Ihould come to you, you would 
entertain him ; for he is fo uneafy under the Dominion of 
the Tartars , that tho’ he hath a Plenty of all things, he 
had rather travel into a ftrange Country, than endure their 
violent Exadions. They faid further, that they were 
true £ons of the Church of Rome , and if the Pope would 
fend them any Aid, they would bring all the bordering 
Nations unto the Subjedion of the Church of Rome. 
From that Town of his, in fifteen Days, we entered the 
Country of the Soldan of Turky. On the firft Sunday in 
Lent, and the firft Caftle we found, is called Marfeugen ; 
all in the Caftle were Chriftians, Armenians , Curgines and 
Greeks : The Saracens only have the Dominion. There 
the Captain of the Caftle faid, he had received Command- 
ment, that no Victuals ihould be given to any Franks , 
or to the Ambaffador of the King of Armenia , or of Vef- 
tacius ; fo that from the Place where we were the firft 
Sunday in Lent , quite to Cyprus , whither I came, eight 
Days before the Feaft of Saint John the Baptift, we were 
forced to buy our own Provifion. He who was my Guide, 
procured me Horfes, and took Money for the Viduals, 
and put it in his Purfe. When he came into the Fields, 
feeing a Flock, away he went, and without more to do, 
took one Sheep, and gave it to his Family to eat, and 
wondered I would not take part of his Robbery. In the Puri- 
fication, I was in a certain City called Ayni, which was 
Sabenfa 5 s, whofe Situation is ftrong ; and there are ^n hun- 
dred Armenian Churches, and two Mofques of the Sa- 
racens : The Tartars place an Officer there. 
At this Place five Preaching Friars met me, whereof 
four came from Provence in France , and the fifth joined 
himfelf to them in Syria. They had but one fick Boy, 
2 who 
