Chap II. of M a R c o P o L 0. 
Chermain, is a fertile Plain, but the Bread made there 
cannot be eaten, but by fuch as are accuftomed thereto,/ 
it is fo bitter by reafon of the Water put therein : Here 
are excellent hot Baths, which cure many Difeafes. 
From Chermain , in three Days riding, you come to 
a Defart, which extends to Cobinham , Even Days Journey 
from thence. In the firft three Days, you have no Water 
fave a few Ponds, and thofe fait and bitter, of a green 
Colour in fhew, as if it were the Juice of Herbs •, and 
whoever tafteth but a little thereof, cannot efcape a Loofe- 
nefs ; the like alfo happeneth if any tafte the Salt made 
of the Water : It is therefore neceffary, that Travellers 
carry fome Water with them, if they would efcape the 
Inconvenience of Thirft ; the Beafts alfo which are com- 
pelled to drink that Water, efcape not without fcounng : 
In the fourth Day they find a frefh River under-ground ; 
the three laft Days are as the firft. Cobinhant is a great 
City, inhabited by Mohammedans , where great Lootdng- 
glaflfes of Steel are made. Tutia, or Tutty alfo, which 
cureth the Eyes and Spodio, and that after this Manner. 
That Country hath Mines, out of which they dig Earth, 
which they boil, cafting it into a Furnace, an iron Grate 
receiving the afcending Vapour from above, in which the 
conglutinated and clammy Vapour becometh Tutia, but 
the grofter Matter remaining in the Fire, is called Spodio. 
Leaving the City Cobinham , you meet with another De- 
fert, eight Days journey in Length, and grievoufly bar- 
ren ; it hath not either Trees or Fruits, or Water, except 
what is very bitter, fo that the very Beafts refufe to drink 
it,, except they mix Meal therewith, and Travellers car- 
ry Water with them. 
But having palled over this Defart, you come to the 
Kingdom of Timochaim, in the North Confines of Perjia , 
where are many Cities and ftrong Caftles. There is a 
great Plain, in which a great Tree grows, called the Tree 
of the Sun, which the Chriftians call the dry Tree. This 
Tree is very thick, and hath Leaves which on the one 
Side are white, and on the other Side green. It pro- 
duceth prickly bulky Shells, like thofe of Chefnuts, but 
nothing in them. The Wood is folid and ftrong, in Co- 
lour yellow, like Box. There is no Tree within one hun- 
dred Miles, except on one fide, on which are Trees, within 
ten Miles. In this Place the Inhabitants lay, that Alexan- 
der the Great fought with Darius . The Cities are plenti- 
fully furnifhed with good things ; the Air is temperate, the 
People are handfome, but especially Women, the moft 
beautiful in my Judgment in the World. 
10. Mulehet, in the Saracen Language, is as much as 
to fay, a Place of Hereticks, and of this Place they call 
the Men Mulehetici, that is, Hereticks in their Law, as 
with us Patarines. As I have lpoken of the Country, the 
Prince of it, who is called the old Man of the Mountain, fhall 
be next fpoken of, concerning whom Marco heard much 
from many. His Name was Aloadine, and he was a Moham- 
medan . He had, in a lovely Valley, betwixt two Moun- 
tains, which were very high and inacceffible, caufed a plea- 
lant Garden to be laid out, furnifhed with the beft Trees 
and Fruits he could find, adorned with drverfe Palaces and 
Houfes of Pleafure, beautified with gilded Bowers, Pic- 
tures and Tapeftries of Silk. Through this Place, by 
Pipes, to different Parts of thefe Palaces, run Wine, 
Milk, Honey and clear Water in them he had placed 
beautiful Damfels, fkilful in Songs and Inftruments of 
Mufick and Dancing, and to make Sports and Delights 
unto Men whatfoever they could imagine. They were al- 
fo richly dreffed in Gold and Silk, and were feen continu- 
ally fporting in the Garden and Palaces. He made this 
Palace, becaufe Mohammed had promifed fuch a fenfual 
Paradife to his devout Followers. No Man could enter 
it, fot at the Mouth of the Valley was a ftrong Caftle, and 
the Entrance was by a fecret PafTage. Aloadine had cer- 
tain Youths, from twelve to twenty Years of Age, fuch 
as feemecl of a bold and dauntlefs Difpofition, whom he 
inftruefted daily as to the Delights in Mohammdd s Para- 
dife, and how he could bring Men thither, and when lie 
thought proper, lie caufed a certain Drink to be given, 
to ten or twelve of them, which caft them into a dead 
Sleep, and then he caufed them to be carried into feverai 
Chambers of the faid Palaces, where they faw things as 
aforefaid •, as foon as they awaked, each of them having 
thofe Damfels to fupply them with Meats and excellent 
Wines, and yield all Varieties of Pleafures to them ; infomuch 
that the Fools thought themfelves in Paradife indeed. 
When they had enjoyed thefe Pleafures four or five Days, 
they were caft into a Sleep, and carried forth again, after 
which he caufed them to be brought into his Prefence, 
and queffiioned them where they had been ? Who anfwer- 
ed, by your Grace, in Paradife, and recounted before all 
what hath been before-mentioned. Then the old Man an- 
iwered, this is the Commandment of our Prophet, that 
whofoever defends his Lord, he allows him to enter Para- 
dife, and if thou wilt be obedient to me, thou fhalt have 
this Grace-, and having thus animated them, he was 
thought happy whom the old Man would command, 
though it coft him his Life ; fo that other Lords, and his 
Enemies, were (lain by thefe Aflafiines, who expofed 
themfelves to all Dangers, and contemned their Lives, 
Plereupon he was efteemed a Tyrant, feared in all thofe 
Parts, and had two Vicars, one in the Parts of Damn feus , 
and another in Curdiftan , which obferved the fame Order 
with young Men. He ufed alfo to rob all which paffed 
that Way. Ulan, in the Year 1262, fent and befieged 
his Caftle, which, after three Years Siege they took, flew 
him, and undermined his Paradife, not being able for want 
of Provifions to hold out longer f . 
Departing from the aforefaid Place, you come unto a 
Country pleafant enough, diverfified by Hills, Plains, and 
excellent Pafture, in which are Fruits in great Plenty, the 
Soil being very fruitful: This continues fix Days, and 
then you enter a Defart of forty or fifty Miles, without 
Water ; after this you come to the City Sapurgan , where 
Plenty of Provifions are found, but efpecialiy Melons* 
the beft in the World, fweet like Honey. Paffing from 
hence we came to a certain City called Batach , which for- 
merly was large and famous, having fumptuous marble 
Palaces, but now overthrown by the Tartars . 
In this City they report, that Alexander took the Daugh- 
ter of King Darius to Wife. To this City on the Eaft 
and North- Eaft continue the Confines of Perjia \ but if 
you go from hence and proceed between the Eaft and the 
North-Eaft, you cannot find any Habitation for two Days 
Journey, becaufe the Inhabitants of the Place having en- 
dured many great Grievances by Thieves, are compelled to 
■ fly unto the Mountains, to Places of more Safety. Many 
Rivers are found there, and much Game. Lions alfo are 
found there •, and becaufe Travellers find no Food in that 
Journey, they carry as much Vibtuals with them as is ne- 
ceffary for two Days. The two Days Journey ended, 
we met with a Caftle called Thaican, where is great 
Plenty of Corn, ar)d very pleafant Fields ; the Mountains 
alfo on the South are high, fome of which are of white 
and hard Salt ; and the Inhabitants for thirty Days Journey 
about fetch it from thence, being the beft in the World* 
and fo hard that they muft break it with Iron Inftruments, 
fo much that the whole World might have a fufficient 
Quantity of Salt from thence. The other Mountains 
have Store of Almonds and Piftaches. 
Going between the Eaft and North-Eaft from hence, 
' the Country is fruitful *, but the Inhabitants are Murderers* 
perfidious Mohammedans , and Drunkards. Their Wine 
is boiled and truly excellent. They go bare-headed, fave 
that the Men bind up their Heads with a certain String 
of ten Handfuls long, but they make Cloathing of the 
Skins of the wild Beafts, fuch as Breeches and Shoes, and 
ufe no other Garments. After three Days Journey is the 
City Seaffom , feated in a Plain, and there are many 
f It is neceffary toobferve, that thofe People inhabited feverai mountainous Countries in the Eaft, and had much the fame Cuftoms in all the Countries 
where they were fettled. At the Clofe of the former Section, I gave fome Account of this Nation, and fhall only add here, that their Prince was called, 
the old Man of the Mountains, becaufe they generally made choice of the oldeft Man amongft them for their Chief, who had his Refidence on a Moun- 
tain,- the ftrongeft and beft fortified in the 'Country. They pretended to be the Defendants of the Royal Family of Jrfaces, and from thence affect- 
ed to be called Arfaiides , from whence came the Word AJfaJjines* The laft of their Princes was called Moadin , and ne and his Sgbje&s were entirely 
wdlroyed by the before-mentioned Kalaku-Khun . 
2 €aftl«& 
