Chap IX ^Marco Polo, 605 
Spe&acle, he takes much Delight. In the midft of a fair 
Wood, he hath built a Royal Houfe on Pillars gilded 
and varnifhed, on every one of which is a Dragon all gilt, 
which winds his Tail about the Pillar, with his Head bear- 
ing up the Roof, as alfo with his Wings difplayed on both 
Sides ; the Cover alfo is of Reeds gilt and varn hired, fo 
that the Rain can do it no Injury, the Reeds being three 
Handfuls thick, and ten Yards long, fplit from Knot to 
Knot *, the Houfe itfelf alfo may be pulled in Pieces, and 
taken down like a Tent, and erefted again ; for it is fuf- 
tained, when it is fet up, with two hundred filken Cords. 
The Great Khan ufeth to dwell there three Months in the 
Year, viz. June , July, and Auguft. On the twenty-eighth 
Day of Auguft he departeth to make a folemn Sacrifice. 
He hath an Herd of white Horfes, and white Mares, about 
ten thoufand, of the Milk whereof none may drink, except 
he be of the Imperial Race of Zingis-Khan , and except one 
Family called Bor i at, who had this granted by Zingis for 
their Valour ; and thefe Beads, as they go up and down 
feeding, are much reverenced, nor dare any go before 
them, or hinder them in their Way. 
The Aftrologers or Sorcerers tell the Khan, that on the 
twentieth of the Moon of Auguft , he lhall difperfe that Milk 
here and there for the Honour of all Spirits, and his Idols, 
that they may be careful Prefervcrs of all things which he 
poffeffes. There are two forts of Idolaters called Chebeth 
and Chefmu , which in the midft of Storms afeend the 
Palace, and fuffer no Rain to fall thereon, which they make 
the People believe comes to pafs by their Sandlity, and 
therefore they go fiovenly and negligent of their Perfons, 
never walhing nor combing themfelves. They alfo have a 
horrible Cuftom to drefs and eat fuch as are condemned to 
Death, but not thofe which die naturally. They are called 
alfo Bacbft, which is the Name of their Order, as Friars, 
Predicants, or Minors with us •, they feem by Magick to 
do what they lift. When the Great Khan in- his Hail fits 
at his Table, it is raifed eighty Yards high, and in the midft 
of the Hall, a good Diftance from the Table, is a great 
Cupboard of Plate, from whence thefe Sorcerers caufe Wine 
or Milk to fill the Goblets, without any Hand touching 
them •, this they do in the Prefence of any Man, whenever 
their Lord commands it. Thefe Bachfi alfo, when they have a 
mind to make Feafts to their Idols, go to the Khan, and ad» 
drefs him thus, “ Sir, You are to know that if our Idols be 
«« not honoured with Sacrifices, they will bring Plagues on 
« Corn and Beafts, and therefore we intreat you to give us the 
Flefti of fo many Sheep, with black Heads, and fo many 
Pounds of Incenfe, and Lignum Aloes, that we may 
* l make them due Sacrifice and Honour.” This they 
fpake not to him themfelves, but by certain Lords deputed 
to that Office, who fpeak to the Khan, and obtain it. On 
the Feaft-day they facrifice thefe Beafts, and fprinkle the 
Broth before the Idols. 
They have great Monafteries, fome of the Bignefs of a 
City, in feveral of which are about two thoufand Monks, 
who ferve an Idol, fequeftrated from the Laity, as appears 
by their Shaving and Garments •, for they fhave their Heads 
and Beards, and wear a religious Garment. Thefe, in the 
Solemnities of their Idols, fing with folemn Songs, and 
Lights ; fome of them may marry. There are fome who 
obferve ftrift Abftinence, called Senjim , leading an auftere 
Life ; for they eat nothing but Meal mingled with Water, 
till all the Flour be gone, and eat the Bran without any 
Savour. Thefe worfhip the Fire, and the Men of other 
Rules fay, that thefe, which are fo auftere, are Hereticks 
againft their Law, becaufe they worfhip not Idols as they 
do 5 and there are great Differences between them, and 
thefe marry not at all. They fhave their Head and Beard, 
Wear black hempen Garments, or of a bright yellow. They 
fleep on thick Mats, and live the fevereit Life In the World- 
15. In this Book I purpofe to write all the great and 
marvellous Ads of the prefent Khan called Cublai- Khan, 
which is, if expreffed in our Tongue, Lord of Lords, the 
greateft Prince in People, Cities, and Treafures, that ever 
was in the World, he being defeended from the Progeny 
of Zingis , the firft Prince of the ’Tartars , the fixth Em- 
peror of that Country, beginning to reign in the Year of. 
our Lord 1256, being twenty-feven Tears old and ruling 
the People with great Wifdom and Gravity. He is a va^ 
liant Man, exercifed in Arms, ftrong of Body, and of a 
lofty Mind, for the Performance of Matters before he at- 
tained to the Dignity of the Empire, which by his WiF 
dom he did, againft the Will of his Brethren. He often 
fhewed himfelf a valiant Soldier in the Wars, and carried 
himlelf like a wifer and bolder Captain than ever the Tar- 
tars had ; yet fince he fwayed the Kingdom, he went but 
once into the Field, and fends his Sons and other Cap- 
tains on Expeditions. 
In the Year of our Lord 1286, his Uncle, whofeName was 
Naiam , being thirty Years of Age, and having the Command 
of many People arid Countries, fo that he was able eafily to 
bring together four hundred thoufand Florfe, being puffed- 
up through youthful Vanity, would no longer be fubject, 
but would needs take away the Kingdom from his Lord 
Cublai , and fent to another great Lord named Gaydu , 
Lord of the Parts toward great Turky , who was Nephew 
of the Emperor Cublai , yet hated him, who yielding to 
his Motion for Rebellion, promifed to come in Perfon 
with an hundred thoufand Horfe. 
Both of them began to gather Forces, which could not 
be done fo fecretly, but Cublai heard of it, and prefen tly 
took order to fet Guards on the Ways, that no Intelli- 
gence might pafs, and then affembled all the Forces, 
within ten Days Journey of Cambalu , with great Speed, 
fo that in twenty Days were gathered together three hun- 
dred and fixty thoufand Horfe, and one hundred thoufand 
Foot, a great Part of them Falconers, and Men of his 
Houfhold •, with thefe he made Hafte Day and Night to- 
wards Naiam’ s Country, where, at the End of twenty- five 
Days he arrived, altogether unlooked for, and refted his 
Men two Days ; then he called his Aftrologers, and caufed 
them, before all the Army, to divine Who Ihould have 
Viflory-, a thing they ufe to encourage their Men, and 
they promifed it to Cublai. One Morning whilft Naiam 
was fieeping negligently in his Tent, having not fo much 
as fent out any Scouts to gain Intelligence, Cublai made 
fhew of his Army upon a Hill, himfelf fat in a certain 
Caftle of Wood, full of Archers and Crofs-bow Men, 
born by four Elephants, on the Top whereof was the 
royal Standard, with the Images of the Sun and Moon. 
He divided his Army into three Bodies, of which he fent 
that on the Right-hand, and the other on the Left againft 
Naiam’ s Army. To every ten thoufand Horfe were aF 
figned five hundred Foot, with Lances, taught to leap up 
behind the Horfemen, if any Occafion of Flight happen- 
ed, and fuddenly, on Advantage, to light and kill the Ene- 
mies Horfes with their Lances : Caidu was not yet come. 
The Battles joined, and made a cruel Fight, which 
continued from Morning till Noon, and then was Naiam 
taken and brought before Cublai , who commanded that 
he fhould be fewed betwixt two Carpets, which jfhould be 
tofs’d up and down, till the Breath was out of his Body, 
that fo the Imperial Blood might not be expofed to the 
Sun or to the Air. The Remainder of his People fvvare 
Obedience to Cublai , which were four Nations, Ciazza , 
Carli, Barfcol and Sitinqui. - Naiam was fecretly baptized* 
and by Profeffion a Chriftian, but no Follower of the 
Works of Faith, yet he figned his principal Enfign with the 
m The Year of this Emperor’s Age, at the Time of his Acceffion, is put la a different Character, becaufe none of the MSS. have it at all, and 
it is alfo omitted in feveral of the printed Editions we cannot therefore fairly charge the Author with the Miftake in it, which confute of ten Years, 
that Prince at the Time of his Acceffion being thirty -feven Years old, or rather in the thirty-eighth Year of his Age. There feems alfo to be an Er- 
ror in the Year of his Reign, but that is eafily corre&ed, fince, as that Prince was rais’d to the Imperial Dignity in the Month of January , March 
Polo , who reckons according to the “Tartar Year, places it in 1256, whereas we computing from the beginning of the Month of January,, make it 
12^7. The genealogical Hillory of the Tartars informs us of the breaking-out of a civil War upon the Election of th^s Emperor, tho’ it gives us 
fomewhat a different Account of the Conclufion of it, in which our Author might be eafily mitlaken, fince he owns what he delivers was from Hear- 
fay. However, the Exadtnefs as to Dates is truly wonderful, fince in the Com pafs of one hundred Years after thefe Travels were publifh’d, we had 
no authentick Hillory of the Tartars in Europe, and consequently neither Marco Polo, nor his Editors, could have any Opportunity of correcting 
their Accounts, fo as to make them correfpond with the genealogical Hillory before-mention’d. This Remark is an invincible Prsof ©f our Author’s 
Veracity, and of 'the Value of his Work. 
Numb, 41* 7 ft Sign 
