Chao. II. of William de Rubruquis, 589 
who could fpeak the Turkijh Language, and a little 
French % and they had the Pope’s Letters to Sartach , and 
to Mangu-Khan , and to Buri , fuch as your Highnefs gave 
me Letters of Requ^ft, that they would fuller them to 
continue in their Country, and preach the Word of God, 
(fie. But when 1 told them what I had feen, and how 
they fent me back again, they diredted their Journey 
to Tefflis, where there are Friars of their Order, to confult 
what they fhould do •, I anfwered them, they might well 
pafs by thofe Letters, if they would ; but they ffiould be 
well allured, to endure much Labour, and render an Ac- 
count of their coming *, for feeing they had no other Mef- 
fage but the Office of Preaching, they would care but 
little for them, and chiefly becaufe they had no Interpre- 
ter : What they did after, I know not, and cannot there- 
fore report. 
58. On the fecond Sunday in Lent we came to the Head 
of Jr axes , and palling beyond the Top of the Mountain, 
we came to Euphrates , by which we defcended eight 
Days going to the Weft to a certain Caftle called Camath 
where Euphrates bends to the South towards Halapia. But 
we palling the River went through very high, mountain- 
ous Countries, and through the deepeft Snow to the 
Weft. There was fo great an Earthquake there that Year, 
shat in one City called Arfengan , ten thoufand Perfons, ac- 
cording to their Regifter, perifhed, befide poor Men, of 
whom there was no Notice taken. Riding three Days to- 
gether, we faw the gaping of the Earth, as it was cleft 
by the Earthquake, and the Heaps of Earth that came 
from the Mountains, and filled the Vallies, fo that if but 
a little more of the Earth had been moved, that which 
Ifaiah fpeaketh had been literally fulfilled, Every Valley 
Jhall be filled , and every Mountain and little Hill /ball be 
humbled. We palled through the Valley where the Soldan 
of Turky was vanquiffied by the Tartars. It were too 
long to write how he was overcome but a certain Ser- 
vant of my Guide’s who was with the Tartars Laid, that 
the Tartars were not above ten thoufand in the whole ; 
and a certain Curd of the Soldans , faid that there were 
two hundred thoufand with the Soldan, all Horfe-men. 
In that Plain where the Battle was, there broke out a great 
Lake at the Time of the Earthquake ; and it came into 
my Mind, that all the Earth opened her Mouth to re- 
ceive yet more Blood of the Saracens. We were in Se- 
lafia a Town of the LeJ/er Armenia in Eafier Week ; 
here we vifited the Tombs of forty Martyrs ; there the 
Church of St. Blafe ftandeth, but I could not go thither, 
becaufe it was above in the Caftle. 
On the fucceeding Sunday , we came to Ccefaria of Cap- 
padocia, where there is a Church of St.Bafil the Great. 
About fifteen Days after, we came to Iconium , making 
imall Journies, and refting in many Places, becaufe we 
could not readily procure Horfes, and my Guide did this 
on purpofe, taking upon him to follicit his own Bufinefs 
three Days in every Town, at which I was much diflatis- 
fted, but durft not fpeak, becaufe he might have fold or flain 
me and our Servants, and there was none to hinder it. 
I found many Franks at Iconium , and a certain Merchant 
called Nicholas de Sanblo Syria, who with a Companion of 
his, a Venetian, called Boniface de Molandino , carried all 
the Ahum out of T urky, fo that the Soldan could not fell 
any but to thofe two ; and they made it fo dear, that 
what was worth but fifteen Bizantines, is nowjold for forty. 
■ My Guide prefen ted me to Soldan the Soldan faid he 
would willingly caule me to be conveyed to the Sea of 
Armenia , or Cilecia , though the above-mentioned Mer- 
* chant, knowing that the Saracens made little account of 
me, and that I was much burthened with the Company 
1 of my Guide, caufed me to be conveyed to Curruma, a 
Port belonging to the King of Armenia. • I came thither 
i before the Ajcenfion, and flayed till the Day after Pente- 
1 coji ; then I heard that Embaffadors came from the 
! King to his Father^ then I went fpeedily to the King’s 
Father, to demand whether he had heard any News from 
! his Son, and I found him let with all his Sons, one ex- 
’ cepted, called Barum UJin , who refided in a certain Caftle, 
■ an d he received News from his Son that he was returned, 
* that Mangu-Khan had much eafed his Tribute, and 
i had given him a Privilege that no Embaftador ffiould 
, E, 40, : * 
come into his County $ whereupon the old Man himfelf* 
with all his Sons, made a Banquet, and he caufed me to 
be conveyed to the Sea, to the Haven called Aijax ; and 
thence I palled over into Cyprus ; and at Nicojia I found 
our Provincial, who the lame Day carried me with him to 
Antiochia , which is in a very weak State. We were there 
on the Feaft of St. Peter and Paul , and from thence we 
came to Tripolis , where our Chapter was held on the AG 
fumption of the Bleffed Virgin. 
59. Our Provincial being determined that I ffiould have 
my Refidence in our Convent at Aeon, would not fuffer 
me to come to you ; but commanding me to write unto 
you what I would by the Bearer of thefe Prefents ; and 
not daring to refill contrary to my Obedience, I did, ac- 
cording to my Power, and Underftanding, craving Par- 
don of your Clemency, for my Superfluities, or Wants, or 
for any thing that ffiall be indifcreetly or fooliffily fpoken, 
as for a Man of little Underftanding, not accuftomed to 
write long Hiftories. The Peace of God which paffeth 
all Underftanding preferve your Heart and foritfy your 
Mind. I would willingly fee your Plighnefs, and certain, 
fpiritual Friends, which I have in your Kingdom. Where- 
fore if it ffiould not be contrary to your Majefty’s liking, 
I would befeech you to write to our Provincial, that he 
would let me come unto you and return ffiortly again into 
the Holy Land. Concerning Turky, your Majefty fhaii 
underftand, that the tenth Man there is not a Mohamme- 
dan, nay, they are all Armenians and Greeks, and Children 
rule over them ; for the Soldan, who was conquered by 
the Tartars , had a lawful Wife of Iberia, by whom he 
had one feeble Son, concerning whom he charged that he 
ffiould be the Soldan. He had another of a Greek Concu- 
bine, Whom he committed to a certain great Admiral. The 
third he had by a Turk, to whom many Turks and 
Turcomans being gathered together, they purpofed to 
have flain all the Sons of the Chriftians, They had de- 
termined alfo, as I underftood, that after they had got 
the Vitftory, they would deftroy all the Churches, and kill 
as many as would not become Mohammedans ; but he was 
overcome in Battle, and many of his Men flain. He re- 
cruited his Army however, a fecond Time, and tften was 
taken, and is ftill in Prifon. Pacefter the Son of the 
Greek Concubine, procured foon after that he might be 
Soldan, becaufe the other was weak whom they fent to the 
Tartars ; whereupon his Kindred on the Mother’s Side, 
fuch as the Iberians and the Curds, were angry •, fothat, at 
prefent, a Child ruleth in Turky , having no Treafure, few 
Soldiers, and many Enemies. The Son of Vejlacius is 
weak, and at war with the Son of AJJdu, who likewife 
was a Child, and worn out with the Servitude of the Tar- 
tars. If therefore an Army of the Church fhould come 
to the Holy Land, it were a very eafy Thing to fubdue 
all thefe Countries, or to pafs through them. 
The King of Hungary hath not above thirty thoufand 
Soldiers. From Cologne to Conjlantinople, are not above three- 
fcore Days Journey by Waggons j from Conjlantinople are 
not fo many Days Journey to the Country of the King of 
Armenia. In old Time, valiant Men palled through thofe 
Countries and profpered ; yet they had moft valiant Op- 
ponents, whom God hath now deftroyed out of the Earth, 
and we need not be in Danger of the Sea, or the Mercy 
of Sailors ; and the Price which we ffiould give for Freight 
were fufficient for Expences by Land. I fpeak it confi- 
dently, if our Countrymen would go as the Kings of the 
Tartars go, and be contented with fuch Victuals, they 
might win the whole World. It feemeth not expedient, as 
I think, that any Friar ffiould go to the Tartars any more, 
as I did, or as the Preaching Friars do ; but if our Lord 
the Pope would fend aBiffiop in an honourable manner and 
anfwer their Follies, about whi£h they have thrice writ 
to the Franks, once to Pope Innocent the Fourth, of fa- 
cred Memory, and twice to your Majefty, once by David , , 
who deceived you, and now by me, he might fpeak unto 
them what he would, and alfo caufe them to put thefe 
Things in Writing, for they hear whatfoever an Embaft 
fador will fpeak, and always demand if he will fay any 
more, but he mull have a good Interpreter j nay, many 
Interpreters, and be at large Expences,* 
J L • " ; c ,j§ucl| 
