of Mar.cd Polo, 
Jewnhwife, in two Parts, ftuck the Pieces by themfelves into 
the° Ground, and wrote upon the one Zingis, and the 
other Umcan, and faid to the King, In the mean Space 
while we read, it fhall come to pals, by the Idol s Power, 
that thefe two Parts of the Reed fhall light together, and 
whofe Part fhall fall on the other, the King lhall obtain 
Vi&ory in the Battle. The Multitude therefore running 
together to behold that Spectacle, the Altrologers began 
to° mumble their Prayers, and read their Inchantments, 
when prefently the Parts of the Reed being moved, 
fought together, until the Part of Z ingis afcended upon 
the Part of Umcan> which being feen by the Tartars , allu- 
red of the future Vi&ory, they were encouraged to the Battle, 
and Umcan being Gain, the Victory and Kingdom, and 
{/mean’s Daughter remained to Z ingis. 
Zirigis reigned fix Years after this, in which he con- 
quered many Provinces ; and laftly, when he endeavoured 
to win a certain Caftle called Thaigin , and came fomewhat 
too near, being Ihot in the Knee by an Arrow, he died, and 
was buried in die Mountain Altai. The firft King of the 
Tartars was called Zingis, the fecond Khen-Khan , the 
third Batbyn-Khan, the fourth Efu-Khan, the fifth Mangu- 
Khan, the fixth Kublai-Khan , whofe Power is greater than 
all his Predeceffors, having inherited theirs, and adding 
by Conqueft in a manner the reft of the World •, for he liv- 
ed near fixty Years in his Goverment. The Name Khan 
fignifieth Emperor. All the Great Khans and Princes of 
the Blood of Zingis, are carried to the Mountain of Al- 
tai to be buried, wherefoever they die, altho’ one hun- 
dred Days Journey from it ; and they which carry the 
Corps to the Burial, kill all thofe that they meet in the 
Way, faying, go and ferve our Lord the King in another 
Life 7 ; they kill alfo the belt Horfes. When the Body of 
the Great Kban-Mangu, the Predeceflbr of Khan-Cublai 
was brought unto the Mountain Altai to be buried, the 
Soldiers accompanying the Funeral, are reported to have 
{lain above ten thoul'and Men upon the aforefaid Qc- 
The Tartarian Women are moft faithful to their Huf- 
bands. Adultery is the greateft Shame amongft them, 
yet it is accounted lawful and honeft that every one may 
marry as many Wives as he is able to maintain, altho’ the 
firft be looked upon as principal and more honourable than the 
reft. Thefe live together in one Houfe, without one ill W ord, 
in admirable Concord, make their Merchandizes, buy and 
fell, and procure all things neceffary to their Hulbands and 
Houflhold, the Men meddling with nothing but their Hunt- 
ing, Hawking, and things pertaining to Arms. They 
have the beft Falcons in the World, and alfo Dogs ; they 
live only on Flefh and Milk, and what they take in Hunt- 
ing. They eat Horfes, Camels, Dogs, if fat, and drink 
Mares Milk, called Cofmos, fo managed, that it is like 
white Wine. If the Father dies, the Son may have all 
his Wives, except his own Mother and Sifters ; fo the 
Brother being dead, it is lawful for the Brother who remain- 
eth alive, to marry the Widow of his deceafed Brother. The 
Hulbands receive no Dowry of the Wives, but they them- 
felves afiign Dowry to the Wives and their Mothers. 
Through the Multitude of their Wives, the TartarsYuevz ma- 
ny Children, nor is this Multitude of Wives very burthen- 
fome, feeing they gain much through their Labour ; be- 
fides, they are very careful for the Government of the 
Family, and Preparation of their Food, and with no lefs 
Care execute the other Duties of the Houfe ; but the Men 
apply themfelves wholly to Hunting, Fowling, and the 
Exercife of Arms. 
The Tartars feed many Herds of Oxen, Flocks of 
Sheep, and other Beafts and Cattle, and remain with them 
in Places of Pafture, in the Summer Time, in the Moun- 
tains, and colder Places, where they find Pafture and 
Wood but in the Winter, they remove to the hotter 
Countries, where they find Pafture for their Cattle, marching 
forwards two or three Months together. Their Houles are 
covered with Sticks and Felts, and are commonly round, 
which they carry with them in Carts, or Vv aggons, with 
four Wheels, for they can fold and extend them, Yet 
them up and take them down, and they turn, wherefoe- 
ver they go, the Door of thefe moveable Houfes al ways to 
the South. They have alfo neat Carts of two Wheels, co- 
vered with Felt fo clofe, that the Rain cannot pierce thro 1 * * * 5 ’ 
them, drawn by Oxen and Camels, wherein they carry 
their Wives, Children, and neceffary houfhold-Stuff with 
them, and defend them from the Injury of foul Weather 
and Rain. 
The Tartars , if they be rich, are cloathed in Sables, 
Ermins, and Cloth of Gold, and all their Furniture is 
coftly. Their Arms are Bows, Swords, Pole- axes, and 
fome Lances ; but they can beft ufe their Bows, to which 
they are ufed from their Childhood : They are hardy, active, 
brave, but fomewhat cruel, will continue two Days and 
Nights on Horfeback armed, exceeding patient and obedi- 
ent to their Lords ; their Cattle alfo areftrongand hardy. The 
Law and Faith of the Tartars is this, they fay, that there 
is one Great God, Supreme in Heaven, of whom with 
daily Incenfe they defire good Underftariding and Health. 
They have another which they call Natigay\ which is a 
little Image covered with Felt, orfome other thing, which 
every one hath in his Houfe. To this God they make a 
Wife and Children, placing the Wife’s Image at the 
Left-hand, and the Reprefentations of the Children before 
his Face. This they call the God of earthly things, which 
keeps their Children and their Beafts, and Corn, and 
give it great Reverence. Before they eat themfelves, they 
anoint the Mouths of the Images with the Fat of the fod- 
den Flefh, and they call the Broth out of Doors, in Ho- 
nour of other Spirits, faying, that now their God with his 
Family, has had their Part, and after they eat and drink at 
Pkafure. 
If the Son of a Tartar die before he has been married, 
and the Daughter of another die alfo unmarried, the Parents 
of the deceafed meet together, and celebrate a Marri- 
age between the Dead, and making a Draught in Writing 
of that Contrad, they paint Men and Women for Ser- 
vants, Horfes, and other Creatures with Cloaths of all 
Sorts, and Monies in Paper, and burn them together with 
the Contract, by the Smoak whereof they fay, that all 
thefe things are carried to their Children in another World* 
where they are married, and the Fathers and Mothers 
conceive, they are joined together in fuen a Bond of Af- 
finity, as if thefe Marriages had been celebrated while the 
married Couple were ftill living. 
When the Tartars go to War, their Prince conduds 
about a hundred thoufand Horfe, appointing Heads over 
Tens, Hundreds, Thoufands, and ten Thoufands, by 
which Subordination, Commands are eafily maintained ; eve- 
ry Hundred is called a Tuc^ every Ten a Toman : When 
they begin their March, they fend out Men every Way 
as Scouts, that no Enemy affault them unprovided. Of 
Horfes and Mares, every Man has about eighteen. They 
carry alfo their Felt-houfes, Under which they fheltcr them- 
felves in times of Rain. When there falls out fome im- 
portant Employment, they will ride ten Days together 
without Viduals dry or boiled, and live on the Blood of their 
Horfes, cutting a Vein, and fucking it. They have Milk 
dried like Pafte, which they make by boiling the Milk, 
andikimrning the Cream, which fwims on the Top, into 
another Veflel, and make Butter ; afterwards they fet the 
Milk in the Sun, and dry it, and when they go into the Ar- 
my, carry with them about ten Pounds thereof, and every 
Morning a Man takes about half a Pound, and puts it in a 
1 Our Author has been charg’d with many Miftakes in this Lift of the Princ'es who fucceeded Zingh-Kban, but he has been charg’d by thofe who 
knew much lefs of the Matter than he did ; and therefore to fet this Matter right, we will give a fliort Account of that Succeffion, from the authentiek 
Work of Abulgaji-Bayadur- Khan. Two Years after the Death of 7 Angu-Khan , the Tartar Princes, in Compliance with the Emperor’s Will, would 
have exalted Ugadai-Kban to that Dignity, which he abfolutely refufed, becaufehe had an Uncle and two elder Brothers living. This Difpute laited 
forty Days, when at a great Council his eider and younger Brother rofe up and faid, You have heard our Father’s Will, your iVjodefty {hall not render 
us guilty of Impiety, we will execute his Will, if you will not ; and fo taking him, one by one Arm, and the other by the other, they forded him into 
the Imperial Chair againft his Confent, A.D. 1230. This Prince died fuddenly in 1245. He was fucceeded by his Son Kajuk-Khan, whom our Au- 
thor ftiles Khen-Khan , who died in the Y ear 1 247 , and was fucceeded by Mangu-Khan, who held the Empire to the Year 1257, when he was fuc- 
eeeded by by Koplai-Khan , the lame with whom our Author liv’d, and whom he calls Kublai-Khan. Fie reign’d in all thirty-live Years, and died in 
the Year s 292, which agrees very well with. Mane Polo's Relation. 
Flaik* 
