6-02. The VO TA GE S and TRAVELS Book I. 
the Khar^ aftdearneflly entreated that he would revoke fo 
grievous an Ed iff, and not abolifh that ancient Cuftom 
which they had received from %heir Anceftors. The Khan 
anfwered, Since you defire yoitr Reproach and Shame, let 
it be granted you, go and do herein after your Wont. The 
Meffengers returning with this Anfwer, brought great Joy 
to all the People ; and this Cuftom is obferved by the whole 
Nation to this -Day. 
After the Province of Camul , a Traveller entered the 
Province of Chinchintalas , which on the North is bounded 
by the Delart, and is fixteen Days Journey in Length, 
iubjedt to the Great Khan. It hath large Cities, and many 
Caftles ; the People are divided into three Se&s ; fome few 
acknowledge Chrift, and thefe are Nejlorians •, others won* 
ihip Mohdmmed \ and the third fort adore Idols. In this 
Province there is a Mountain, wherein are Mines of Steel, 
and Andanicum, and alfo, as was reported. Salamanders 
of the Wool of which Cloth was made, which if call into 
the Fire, cannot be burned *, but that Cloth is in reality 
made of Stone, in this manner, as one of my Companions, 
•a Turk , named Curifar , a Man indued with Angular In- 
duftry, informed me, who had the Charge of the Minerals 
in that Province. A certain Mineral is found in that 
Mountain, which yields Thread not unlike to Wool, and 
thefe being dried in the Sun, are bruifed in a brazen Mor- 
tar, and afterwards walked, and whatfoeVer earthy Sub- 
ftance fticks to them, is taken away. Laftly, thefe Threads 
fo cleanfed, are fpun like other Wool, and woven into 
Cloth, and when they would whiten thofe Cloths, they caft 
them into the Fire for an Hour, and then take them out 
unhurt whiter than Snow, after the fame manner they 
cleanfe them when they have taken any Spots ; for no other 
wafhing is ufed to them, beftdes the Fire. But With re- 
gard to the Salamander, or the Serpent, which is reported 
to live in the Fire, I could find nothing of fuch a Creature 
in the Eaft Countries. They fay there is a certain Napkin 
at Rome woven of Salamander- Wool, wherein the Hand- 
kerchief of the Lord is kept wrapped up, which a certain 
King of the Tartars fent to the Bifhop of Rome h . 
After you are paft this Province, you travel on betwixt 
the Eaft and North-Eaft, ten Days Journey, in which few 
Habitations or Things remarkable are found, and then you 
come to the Province Succir , in which are many Villages 
and Towns •, the chief City is called Succir. In this Pro- 
vince, among many Idolaters,a fewChriftians are found ; they 
are fubjedl to the Great Khan. They do not addift them- 
felves to Merchandize, but live on the Fruits of the Earth. 
The belt Rhubarb is found in this Province in great Quan- 
tities, which is carried thence by Merchants to divers Parts 
of the World. Strangers dare not go to the Mountains 
where it grows, by reafon of venomous Herbs, which if 
their Beafts fhould eat them, would lofe their Hoofs ; but 
thofe of that Country know and avoid them. 
The general Name of this Province, and of the two fol- 
lowing, is Tangut : Campion is a great City, the Principal 
in the Country of Tangut. In it are Chriftians, which have 
three great and fair Churches, Mohammedans and- Idolaters. 
The Idolaters have many Monafteries, where they worfhip 
their Idols. Thofe Idols are made either of Stone, Wood, 
or Clay, fome of which are inlaid with Gold, and very arti- 
ficially wrought. Some are fo great, that they contain ten 
Paces in Length, faftened to the Earth, as if they lay up- 
right, near which little Idols are placed, which feem to give 
Reverence to the greater, and both are much worfhipped. 
The religious Men feem to live more honeftly than other 
Idolaters, abftaining from Whoredom, and other bafe 
things *, yet Wantonnefs is not held there any grievous Sin, 
for they fay, if a Woman fues to a Man, he may ufe her 
without Sin, but not if he fues firft to her. They reckon 
the whole Compafs of the Year by Moons. In the Moons 
they obferve in fome five, in others four or three Days, 
wherein they kill no Beaft, or Bird, nor eat Flefti. The 
Laymen marry twenty or thirty Wives, or as many as they 
are able to maintain 5 yet the firft is accounted more wor- 
thy? and more legitimate. The Hufband receives no 
Dowry from the Wife, but he himfelf affigns fufficient 
Dowry in Cattle, Servants, or Money, according to his 
Ability. If the Wife becomes hateful to the Hufband, it 
is lawful for him to divorce her from him when he pleafes. 
They take for Wives, without Scruple, their Kinfwomen* 
or Mothers-in-Law. Our Author, together with his Fa^ 
ther and Uncle, remained a Year in this City for the Dif- 
patch of certain Affairs. From the City Campion you pro- 
ceed twelve Days Journey to the City Ezina , bordering on 
a fandy Defart towards the North, being ftill in the Pro-, 
vince or Kingdom of Tangut. Many Camels are there 
and many other Beafts and Animals of feverai kinds. The 
Inhabitants are Idolaters, living on the Fruits of the Earth, 
negleffing Merchandize, or manual Labour, other than 
Hufoandry. All the Provinces and Cities aforefaid, Sa- 
chi on , Camul , Chinchintalas , Succair , Camion , and Ezina 
are comprehended in Tangut. 
13. Having paffed over the aforefaid Defart, you com© 
unto the City Cateoran , or Caracarum , a large Place, 
which is in Compafs three Miles, ftrongly fortified with 
Earth, for Stone they have none. Near it is a great Caftle, 
and in it the Governor’s fair Palace. This was a Place, 
near which in old Times the Tartars affembled themfelves* 
and here therefore we will declare how they began to reign. 
They dwelt in the North Parts, viz. in Curza and Bargu 9 
where are many vaft Plains, without Cities and Towns,, 
but abounding in Paftures, Rivers, and Lakes. They had 
not a Prince of their Nation, but paid Tribute to a certain 
great King, named, as I have heard in their Language, 
Umcan , which, in fome Mens Opinion, in our Language 
fignifieth Prejbyter , or Prieji John. To him the Tartars 
gave yearly the Tenths of all their Beafts. In Procefs of 
Time the Tartars fo increafed in Multi cudes, that Umcan 
was afraid of them, and thought to diiperfe them into feve- 
rai Parts of the World, and therefore when any of them 
rebelled, he fent three or four hundred Tartars into thofe 
Parts, fo diminifhing their Power, and the like he did on 
other Occafions, deputing fome of their Nobility for that 
Purpofe* They feeing their Ruin intended, and loth to be 
feparated one from another, went from the Places where 
they dwelt to the Defart towards the North, where they 
might be fafe, and denied Umcan their accuftomed Tribute. 
It happened, that about the Year A. D. 1162, the Tar- 
tars having continued for fome time in thofe Parts, chofe 
a King among themfeives, a wife and valiant Man, named 
Zingis-Khan ; he began to reign with fuch Juftice, that he 
was beloved and feared of all as a God rather than a Prince, 
infomuch that his Fame brought all the Tartars in all Parts 
to his Subjection, and he feeing himfelf Lord over fo many 
valiant Men, determined to leave thefe Defarts, and com- 
manding them to provide Bows and other Weapons, be- 
gan to fubdue Cities and Provinces, in which Conquefts he 
placed fuch juft Governors, that the People were not dif- 
pleafed. The chief of them he carried along with him be- 
llowed on them Provifions and Gifts. Seeing therefore that he 
was advanced to fo great Glory and Power, he lentEmbaffa- 
dors politickly to Umcan , to entreat that he would bellow his 
Daughter upon him to be his Wife, which he taking in 
very evii Part, anlwered with Indignation, and rejeCling the 
Embaffadors of Zingis , faid, 44 Doth my Servant demand 
46 my Daughter? Get ye out of my Sight, and tell your 
44 Mailer, if he ever make fuch Demand again, I will 
46 make him die a miferable Death.” 
But King Zingis levying a great Army, marched 
boldly and encamped in a certain great Plain named 
Tanduc , fending unto the King, and fignifying unto him, 
that he fhould defend himfelf; but he commanding a : 
mighty Army, defeended to the Plains, and pitched his : 
Tent within ten Miles of the Camp of the Tartars. Then 
Zingis commanded his Aftrologers to fhew him what Event 
and Succefs the Battle fhould have. They cutting a Reed : 
81 It appears from hence, that our Author was not quite fo credulous as fome other Writers, who have told us very ftrange Stories of the Salaman- 
der : But notwithstanding what is afterted of that Creature’s living in the Fire, is equally falfe and fabulous ; yet as it is a f able generally known in all 
' parts of the World, we need not wonder that in the Eaft, where the People are fo fond of figurative Exprefilons, they fhould beiiow the Name or Sa- 
lamander’s Wool on Cloth capable of refitting the Fire. This is plainly the fame kind of Manufacture with what the freezes called Arbeflos , of which 1 
there are final! Quantities ftill found in feverai Countries, and of late Years, particularly in the Eland of Anglefey , as I have been informed by a very j 
curious and intelligent Gentleman, who has made feverai Experiments on it. 
o length wi fe* , s 
