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BURLINGTON

CONTEMPORARIES

of

MARCO POLO

The

Seal of

Kuyuk Khan

=^iS:^XS;:fe=2!?i;
<L

r^-'>4i

IN THE POWER OF THE ETERNAL

HEAVEN, THE ORDER OF THE
OCEANIC KHAN OF THE PEOPLE OF
THE GREAT MONGOLS. THE CONQUERED PEOPLE MUST RESPECT
IT AND FEAR THEM

CONTEMPORARIES
OF MARCO POLO
(Consisting
to the

of the Travel T^cords

Eastern T^arts of the

World

William of Rubruck [12531255]; The Journey ^John of

<?/"

245-1 247];
The fournal of Friar Odoric
[1318-1330] &' The Oriental
Travels of Rabbi Benjamin

Pian de Carpini

^ Tudela

Edited by

[i

[1160-1173]

Manuel Komroff

LivERiGHT Publishing Corp.,

a^c^^N.

^^

New York

^ w^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^'^

Kb
COPYRIGHT 1928 :: BY
HORACE LIVERIGHT, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED

STATES

LIVERIGHT PUBLISHING CORP.

Published August, 1928
Second printing, February, 1932
Third printing, July, 1937

Printed in the United States of America

rHE TEXTS
The text of Friar John of Pian de Carpini was edited by a comparison of
the old English text of Richard Hakluyt (first printed in London, 1589) with
the various texts edited by Beazley and printed for the Hakluyt Society, London, 1903, as well as the translation by William Rockhill printed for the
Hakluyt Society in looo.
The first part of The Journey of Friar William of Rubruck was done from
Hakluyt's Voyages and the volume by Beazley entitled The Texts and Versions
of John de Piano Carpini and William de Rubruquis, printed for the Hakluyt
But neither of these is complete. The second half of Rubruck
Society, 1903.
was translated from Gidllaume de Rubrouck by Louis de Backer and the
entire text compared with that of WilUam Rockhill: The Journey of William
of Rubruck to the Eastern Parts of the World; Hakluyt Society, 1900.
The Journal of Friar Odoric was edited from the text first published in
Hakluyt's Voyages and compared with the text translated by Sir Henry Yule
and edited by Henri Cordier, as printed in Cathay and the Way Thither, Vol.
n, Hakluyt Society, 191 3-6.
The Travels of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela were prepared from the text
edited by Thomas Wright and published in Early Travels in Palestine, Bohn
Library, 1848.

Other volumes used for reference are listed in the bibliography printed at
the end of this volume.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The works and

notes of the distinguished American scholar and diplomat,

Rockhill, have contributed much to make this volume possible.
Mr. Rockhill was bom in 1854. He undertook two long journeys in the years
1888-1892 through China, Mongolia and Tibet. These he accomplished while
disguised as a native. He also served the Department of State as Minister to
Greece, Roumania, Servia, and in 1900 Minister to China. He was later Ambassador to Russia and Turkey. He died in 1914 while on his way to serve
as adviser to the President of China and with his death America lost one of its
most distinguished Oriental scholars. Some of his books are listed in the
bibliography attached to this volume.
Special thanks are due to the officials of the Vatican for permission to
work in their library, consult the archives and photograph documents. To
Professor Gino Borghezio, of the Vatican Library, for his many kindnesses
and also for his translations from original documents. To Hiram K. Moderwell
and the office of the Chicago Daily News in Rome for their good services,
and to Albert D. Lippman and Miss R. Seeman for aid with translations.
It was at the suggestion of Dr. Dawson Johnston, of the Library of Congress, that I prepared the bibliography contained in this volume.
To this
Harold Lamb suggested several additions. I have also to thank Miss Julie M.
Eidesheim for the very serious task of proofreading and the preparation of a
full index.
And finally Herschel Brickell for his friendly encouragement.

William

W.

M. K.

7^7Jsr

INTROT>UCTIOO^
Marco Polo was

not the

only traveller to journey to

China.

He

was preceded by

several travellers

the

Mongol

brought

back

who

Courts
to

visited

and

Mediaeval

Europe vivid records and detailed pictures of that strange

Eastern civilization.

The conquering Mongols

had already

lost a

of their vitality

good deal

when Marco

Polo visited their last Great

Khan, Kublaij the empire was already breaking up, degeneracy had set in and the silken lap of luxury had softened
the warriors who descended directly from the great Chinghis
Khan.
Between Chinghis and Kublai were three other Great
Khans: Ogotay, Kuyuk and Mangu. It was the courts of
these last two that Friar Carpini and Friar Rubruck visited.
In their records they have left us an intimate and striking
picture of this spectacular civilization which sprung from the
steppes of Mongolia and was destined to conquer almost the
whole of Asia and to sweep across a good part of Europe.
China went to Europe and opened the roads through
which these travellers journeyed. But when the invading
armies returned home and the western lands fell under the
rule of Mongol princes, those roads were soon neglected
and ever since that time have been closed. These roads,
however, established by the invading forces, brought to

Europe the

first

true accounts of the East.

vli

INTROT>UCTIO0^

How

China

Came

to Euro-pe

Chinghis Khan was already master of the greater part

of Asia, the great empire of Turkey, its mosques, palaces,
libraries and storehouses were plundered, its cities laid waste
and ruined, the inhabitants slaughtered and the proud
emperor Muhammad Shah a fugitive. The savage Mongol
army sent out flying flanks with orders to follow Muhammad wherever he went and bring him back dead or alive.
In disguise he fled to the shores of the Caspian and was
about to take refuge on a small island but paused at a
mosque Jong enough to read the prayers and reveal his
identity.
The Mongols were soon close behind, but Muhammad escaped in a boat and took refuge on an island,
in the Caspian, where soon after he died in wretchedness

and poverty.

The invading hordes marched north and around the

Emperor of the Turks. They

Caspian in their search for the

carried fire

and slaughter throughout

entire Persia

length came through the gorges of the Caucasus.

and

at

In these

campaigns Chinghis was aided by his sons, Ogotay, Tuluy

and Chagatai.

The year following, Chinghis decided to return

home lands in Mongolia by way of India and Tibet.
was

in

1223.

He

to his

This

reached his native land two years later

after an absence of seven years.

But while Chinghis himself returned home, a greater

part of his armies, under the leadership of his sons, remained
At the foot of the hills they
in Persia and the Caucasus.
found a vast army of Kipchaks and Russians already assembled for defence. The Mongols at once retreated and
allowed themselves to be pursued for twelve days. This
stratagem scattered the attacking forces,

who

then soon

INTROT>UCTIOO^

he

ambushed Mongols, After a desperate

two days the Mongols defeated the Russian
forces and entered European Russia.
Now the Russian princes assembled at Kiev and agreed to
While the armies
join forces against the common enemy.
gathered on the shores of the Dnieper, the Mongols sent
ten ambassadors to the Russian princes to open peaceful
relations.
The ten ambassadors were killed by the Russians, who at once opened their attack.
The Mongols suffered several slight defeats but when their main army was
brought into action they swept through the entire Russian
forces, completely destroyed them, and followed those who
fell victims to the

battle lasting

escaped as far as the Dnieper.

Here some of

the Russian

were captured and tied to planks upon which the

Mongols sat to eat and drink and celebrate their victory.
Fire, famine and slaughter followed.
princes

Then

for a time the war-like activities of the

Mongols

Chinghis was occupied with the conquest of the Kin empire in Northern China and died in
in the

1227.

west subsided.

His

son, Ogotay, succeeded him.

Ogotay Khan

The Kin dynasty was

ten years later and

it

not fully overthrown until about

was not

until then that

Ogotay Khan

took up the conquests in the western countries begun by his

father.

Russian records

tell

us that the fierce Prince Batu,

grandson of Chinghis and nephew of Ogotay, wintered with

his army near the Volga in 1236-7, not far from the capital
of the Bulgars, which he destroyed in the following autumn.
At the same time the Mongol troops were harried by
bands of robbers on the banks of the river and Mangu, son
of Tuluy, the brother of Ogotay, was ordered to build two

INTROT>UCTIOO^
hundred men, and
The opposite bank of the river
attack the river robbers.
and its adjacent forests were searched. The Mongols re-

hundred

boats, each capable of holding a

turned with

who

much

loot as well as the leader of the bands,

favour that he be killed by Mangu's own

Mangu, however, ordered his brother to cut the

asked as a

hand.

robber chief through the middle.

The

frontiers of Russia, then

Bulgaria, were in turn attacked.

bounded on the east by

were plundered and

Cities

The Mongols cut roads through the forests

destroyed.
wide enough to allow three carts to pass abreast and the
walled cities were attacked with stone-throwing engines. We
learn from Persian records that in order to count the dead
resulting from one of these sieges, instructions were given
to cut off the right ear

found

And

still

amounted

from

all corpses.

The number

thus

two hundred and seventy thousand.

the Mongol horde pushed on, and at length at-

slain

to

tacked the ancient city of Kiev.

"Like dense clouds the Tartars (Mongols) pushed themselves forward towards Kiev, investing the city on all sides.
The rattling of their innumerable carts, the bellowing of
camels and cattle, the neighing of horses, and the wild battlecry, were so ovewhelming as to render inaudible the conversation of the people inside the city." ^
In spite of the
resistance of the Russians, Kiev was captured and almost the
Prince Dmitry was taken
entire population massacred.
prisoner but his life was spared by Batu.
It is also
recorded that Dmitry managed to persuade Batu to leave
Russia and invade the rich country of Hungary.
The Mongols first appeared in Poland in the year 1240.

army marched against them in the following

year but were defeated. They plundered Galicia, the city

The

Polish

^From

the Russian annals of WoskresseAsk.

History of Russia, by Karamsin.

Vol, IVi

INTRO'DUCTIOO^

id

of Krakow, they entered Silesia and crossed the river Oder.

It was during this time that a serious quarrel was said
to have occurred between the

Mongol

chiefs.

Batu sent

an envoy to the emperor Ogotay Khan with the following

"By

letter:

the favour of

O emperor, my uncle!
When

the

which

all

Heaven and an

auspicious fate,

the eleven nations have been subdued.

army had returned, a banquet was arranged, at

Being the
the (Mongol) princes were present.

drank one or two cups of wine before the others.

Buri and Kuyuk were incensed, left the banquet and mounted
eldest, I

their horses, at the

is

not superior to

same time abusing me. Buri said, *Batu

mej why did he drink before I drank?

He

is an old woman with a beard.

By a single kick I could
knock him down and crush him.' Kuyuk said, 'He is an old

woman

with

bow and

thrashed with a
tail to

my

stick.'

body.

Such

arrows.

is

order him to be

shall

Another proposed

to fasten a

wooden

the language that was used by the

war with the different nations, we

had assembled to deliberate on important matters, and we
were obliged to break up without discussing the affairs.
Such is what I have to report, O emperor, my uncle." ^
Ogotay Khan severely rebuked his son Kuyuk for his
conduct and gave orders that Buri should present himself to
his grandfather, who would hear his case and render judgment.
For a short time this quarrel delayed attacks on
European cities. During the summer and autumn of 1241
the Mongols remaining in the plain of Hungary collected
their forces and prepared for a more extensive attack.
In

prince when, after the

the winter following, they sent troops over the frozen

Danube and destroyed

the city of Gran.

But a thaw

set

The account of this quarrel, as well as more detailed descriptions of the expeditions pf
the Mongols to the West, will be found in Medieval Researches, by E. Bretschneider.

introt>uctio:k

xii

in

and the troops returned

could

still

to the

main army while the

ice

hold them.

But now the main army was retreating and the reason
for this was that a courier had arrived bringing the news
of the death of Ogotay Khan. The Mongol princes hurried
home to Mongolia, leaving the western armies in charge of
Batu.

The Popes and Kings of Europe

But

in the

News of

meantime what was happening

the invasion of Russia by the

reach western

the second

Europe for many

Mongol

years.

Europe?

in

Mongols did not

It

was not

until

expedition in 1238 had carried slaughter

and ruin over a good part of eastern Europe that Christendom suddenly awakened to the serious danger.
A mission from eastern Europe to the Kings of France
and England asking for aid was entirely disregarded. The
Bishop of Winchester standing beside Henry III of England, on hearing this mission exclaimed: "Let those dogs
devour each other and be utterly wiped out, and then we
shall see, founded on their ruins, the universal Catholic
Church, and there shall truly be one shepherd and one
flock."

brought to western Europe a terrible

picture of the Mongols, whom they named "the Tartars."
In these words were they described: "That the joys of mortal men be not enduring, nor worldly happiness long last-

But

this mission

ing without

lamentations,

in

this

same year

detestable nation of Satan, to wit, the countless

(1240)

army of the

mountain-environed home, and

piercing the solid rocks (of the Caucasus), poured forth like
devils from the Tartarus, so that they are rightly called

Tartars, broke loose

from

its

INTRO'DUCTIOK
Swarming

Tartar! or Tartarians.

xiii

like locusts

over the face

of the earth, they have brought terrible devastation to the

it waste with fire and

eastern parts (of Europe), laying

After having passed through the land of the Saracens, they have razed cities, cut down forests, killed townspeople and peasants. If, perchance, they have spared any
carnage.

suppliants, they have forced them, reduced to the lowest

condition of slavery, to fight in the foremost ranks against

their

own

Those who have feigned

neighbours.

to fight,

or have hidden in the hope of escaping, have been followed

For they are inup by the Tartars and butchered.

thirsting for
monsters
than
men,
beastly,
rather
human and
and drinking blood, tearing and devouring the flesh of dogs
and men, dressed in ox-hides, armed with plates of iron,
short and stout, thickset, strong, invincible, indefatigable,
.

their backs unprotected (to prevent retreat), their breasts

covered with armour j drinking with delight the pure blood

of their flocks, with big, strong horses, which eat branches

They are without human laws, know

and even trees.
no comforts, are more ferocious than lions or bears, have
They have one-edged swords
boats made of ox-hides.
and daggers, are wonderful archers, spare neither age, nor
They wander about with their
sex, nor condition.
flocks, and their wives who are taught to fight like men."
This was the first real news that western Europe had of the
Mongols.
So great was the fear of the Mongols at this time that
people of Gothland and Friesland did not dare come to
Yarmouth for the herring fishery, and because of this, it is
recorded,* "the herrings were so cheap that forty or fifty
.

sold for a piece of silver."

*

Matthew

William Rockhill

Paris

Chronica Majora.

The Journey of William

of

Rubrucb.

Introduction.

INTRO'DUCTIOO^

^v

Meanwhile the great Mongol

Hungary and swept away

general,

Batu,

entered

the last barrier against an invasion

The princes of European

and the Pope were at this time bound up in petty
wars, jealousies and intrigues. The many years of crusades
had left Europe feeble and indifferent. And now when the
Pope and Church and the princes attempted to unite against
a common foe, they found themselves unable to organize an
effective resistance.
The Mongol horde was already encamped on European soil and it was too late to raise an
of central and western Europe.
countries

opposing army.

Moreover, the Pope was more absorbed in his own quarrels involving Jerusalem and Constantinople than he was in
But he did write a
the invasion of Russia and Hungary.

Queen of Georgia, sympathising with her miswho took up the cross

against the Mongols would have the same indulgences as
This
if they had gone on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
was all that Pope Gregory IX ever did to check the Mongol
letter to the

fortune and promising that those

He

invasion.

died in 1241.

Khan, son of Chinghis,

Mongol

forces returned to

elect their

The

new

same year Ogotay

and the leaders of the
Mongolia to sit in council and
But

in the

also died

ruler.

death of Ogotay suddenly put an end to the invasion

of Europe.

What

the outcome

would have been

if

Ogotay

had lived another year or two is a subject for speculation.

Certainly Paris and Rome could, at this time, offer little
defence.
The religion of Christ and the Christian name
might still have survived and not suffered complete extinction but it would certainly have been submerged for several
centuries.

Innocent

IV was

elected

Pope two years

later

and he

af

introt>uctio:k

xv

once took steps to check the invasion already halted by the

death of Ogotay.

Europe

north-eastern
to

them the

He

sent missions to the

as well as to the

pagan

Mongols

tribes

of

to preach

fear of Divine wrath, as well as other aspects

of Christianity, and

at

same time he hoped

the

to learn

through these missionaries what the Mongols intended to

do

in

Europe.

Encouraged by the

enemy

results

and under the

belief that the

halted for fear of Divine wrath, for he

knew nothing

of the death of Ogotay Khan, he organized two missions to

go

direct to the

who

at that

Mongols.

Friar

John of Pian de Carpini,

time was in the monastery at Cologne, was sent

on one of these missions. His narrative, recorded in this

volume, gives a first-hand account of the manners and customs of this strange race of people. With letters from the

Pope to the Emperor of the Mongols, he left Lyons several

months before the sitting of the General Council, which was
opened

The

in

June, 1245.

Council was called to deliberate on the conflict be-

tween Emperor Frederick II and the Pope, as well as to

find measures against heresy and the invading horde.
It
decided that, "whereas the Tartars are the most bitter ene-

mies of the Christian name, and the Christians are

posed to their attacks

having conquered them

all

to extinguish the religion

of

for, not

yet, as they in their desire

ex-

still

Christ wish to do, they will surely

come

back,

and the horrors

seen in Poland, Russia, Hungary, and other countries will

be renewed."

All Christian people were advised to block

every road or passage by which the enemy could enter.

Church promised
fences.

The

to contribute to the expense of these de-

INTR0T>UCTI03<^

xvi

Kuyuk Khan
The Mongolian prince, Batu, sent Carpini with his letter
from the Pope, across Persia, Tibet and China. By the
time Carpini and his companion, Friar Benedict, arrived in
Mongolia the Eastern princes were already assembled.
Here the friars waited several months and were present at
They prethe enthroning of Kuyuk, the son of Ogotay.
sented their letter to Kuyuk Khan and received from him a
reply which they brought back with them.

to

After a journey lasting about two years Carpini returned

Lyons and related the amazing events and hardships of

his journey.

The
was

letter to the

affixed the

cently been

Pope, written in Persian and to which

seal of the Khan Emperor, has re-

Mongol

found

in the Vatican Archives.^

Oriental documents had been destroyed

moved

to

Avignon (1309) but this one had fortunately been

"By the power of the eternal Heavens,

the oceanic

Khan of

This

our order.
he

of the

the Vatican

It begins:

spared.

we

Many

when

may know

it

is

the entire great people of the earth

an order sent to the great Pope so that

and understand

submission that you sent to us

it.

we have

The

petition of

received through

your ambassadors. If you act according to your own words,

you who are the great Pope, with the kings, will come all
together in person to render us homage and we will then

have you learn our orders."

The

letter

baptized and to the

states that

right

by

Kuyuk be
invasion of territories in Europe. Kuyuk
not understand how things can be made

then refers to the Pope's wish that

he does
being baptized and, regarding the lands, they

his

"This seal, found on a separate page at the front of this volume, is reproduced
mission of the Vatican Library, who also allowed me to photograph the letter.

by

per-

INTRO'DUCTIOO^

xvii

were invaded because the princes showed "themselves arrogant and have killed our envoy-ambassadors." The letter
asks how by the order of God can a person use the force of
God to kill and plunder.
This amazing document concludes with the following:
**And if you say: I am a Christian; I adore God; I scorn
and (hate) the others, then how shall you know whom
God absolves and in whose favour He grants mercy, how
know you when you speak such words? In the face of God,

since the rising of the sun until

its

setting, all the territories

have been granted us. Except by God's order how shall

To-day you ought to say with all your
any one act?
heart: *We will be (your) subjects; we will give you
of our strength.' You in person, at the head of kings, all
together, without exception, come and offer us service and
homage. Then shall we recognise your submission. And if
you do not observe the order of God and disobey our orders,
we will know you as our enemies. That is what we make
known to you. If you disobey, how should we know? God
will know it. In the last days of jumada, the second of the
year 644 (3-1 1 November, 1246)."
Such was the nature of the reply of Kuyuk Khan to the
Pope.
Friar Carpini,

who

Kuyuk Khan, gives

Mongol ruler. His record
Kuyuk Khan ruled but a few

visited the court of

us a first-hand description of this

and trustworthy.
years and was succeeded by his cousin, Mangu Khan, a son
of Tuluy and grandson of the Great Chinghis.
is

accurate

Mangu Khan
The Mongol

chiefs, descendants

of the family of Chin-

was translated by the distinguished French scholar, Paul Pelliot, in collaboThe

It is reproduced, with comments,
ration with Professors Berghezio, Masse and Tisserant.
in Revue de L'Orient Chritien, Vol. HI, 1922-3, Nos. 1 and 2.
letter

INTROTiUCriOOi.

XVI 11

were by this time practically independent of the Great Khan.

They governed their states with
complete sovereignty and made wars without the consent or
support of the ruler of Mongolia. This is the first indicaghis, in western Asia

tion of the decline of the

Mongol

dynasty.

Shortly after the return of Friar Carpini, King Louis

of France, known as Saint Louis,

set out

IX

upon a crusade

Landing on the island of Cyprus, he

received an envoy from Persia who gave him very pleasing
news, to the effect that the name of the Pope was famous
among the Mongols and that the mother of the Great Khan
was a Christian and that the Khan himself was friendly to
against the Saracens.

all Christians.

Louis soon after determined to send a mis-

sion to the Great

Mongol

Khan

for the purpose of advising the

lord regarding the performance of Christian duties.

Friar William of Rubruck,

who accompanied

the king on

his crusade, was, therefore, sent to the Court of

Mangu

Khan. The king provided him with a small amount of

money, letters to the Mongol Khan, as well as a Bible. He
had also as a present from Queen Margaret a beautifully
illuminated Book of Psalms and some church vestments.
These, besides his breviary and a valuable Arabic manuscript, made up the greater portion of his simple outfit.
He
took with him a travelling companion named Bartholomew
of Cremona.
His narrative, which forms the most important section of
It is full of colour and prethis volume, is quite unique.
sents the most intimate picture of the Mongols that has
come down to us. For acuteness of observation and historical importance, it ranks next to Marco Polo as a travel
Rubruck and his companions endured great hardrecord.
ships and after many annoying delays finally returned in
1255.

introt>uctio:k

were rather doubtful and

Mangu Khan did not become a Christian, in fact he suggested that Louis of France and the Pope would do well to

While the

become

results of his mission

his subjects,

tions greatly

still

Friar William's careful observa-

His main
of the sources and direc-

extended the horizon of knowledge.

contributions were the indication

tions of the rivers

Don and

was a lake

gulf, the mention of

not a

tity

of

many

tribes of Asia.

Volga, the fact that the Caspian

He

Korea and the iden-

was the

first to

give us an

accurate description of Chinese writing as well as of the

scripts
tell

of the other eastern races.

He

was

also the first to

about the various Christian communities that he found

Mongol empire as well as the Lamas and their temThe distinguished scholar, William Rockhill, says of
ples.
him: "No one traveller since his day has done half so much

in the

to give a correct

Henry Yule

knowledge of

this part

of Asia."

And

Sir

has said of his character: "These paint for us

an honest, pious, stouthearted, acute and most intelligent

observer, keen in acquisition of knowledge} the author, in
fact,

of one of the best narratives of travel in existence."

With
princes,

the western armies in the hands of Batu and the

Mangu Khan

to the final

felt free to give his

overthrow of the Sung

taken refuge in southern China.

whole attention

rulers,

who had now

In these campaigns

received the full support of his younger, but

brother, Kublai,
all operations

who was

Mangu

more gifted

entrusted with the full charge of

designed to complete the conquest of China.

Two years after Friar Rubruck had returned

Mangu Khan died and Kublai became the

land,

to his

Great

home
Khan

of the Mongols, with domains that stretched from eastern

Europe

to the shores of the Pacific.

introt>uctio:k

XX

Kublai

Khan

and last of the Great Khans, was

he was quite willing to employ
that
could
hold
together so vast an empire. It
any forces
was during his rule that an embassy of sixteen Mongols
arrived in Lyons as delegates from Abaga Khan, nephew of
Kublai and ruler of western Asia. They arrived in time
Kublai Khan, the

fifth

interested in Christianity, for

to attend the second Council of

From

Lyons, held in the summer

some one
England signing himself "Matthew of Westminster,"
we learn that the sixteen Tartars came forward after the
delegation from Greece had left the stage and presented
their papers from their king to the Council.
Then they
declaimed in a most pompous manner and told of the great
Latin texts of their speech
importance of the Mongols.
have, in recent times, been discovered and a careful examinaof 1274.

the unreliable records written by

in

tion

shows that the object of the mission was

alliance with the Christian world.'

their king

was ready

to seek

an

also reported that

to unite forces against the

Christ and recover Jerusalem.

to the

They

enemies of

Also they presented letters

Pope but there remains no record

to

show

that the

Council took any notice of this proposal.

was entertained by Kublai Khan

when he wrote to the Pope to send him a hundred learned
men. This message was delivered by Marco Polo's father
and uncle but again it met with the same fate of the other
tentatives. There were also rumours that some of the wives
of the Khan rulers were Christians and would, no doubt,
But Christianity had spent its
help friendly relations.^
'

similar idea to this

Discovered by Professor G. Borghezio and privately published in Latin by the Vatican

Press,

Rome, 1923.

Mangu

and Kublai had a Christian mother; Halagu, a Christian wife. Abaga married
a bastard daughter of Michael VIII, Palxologos, and his son, King Arghun, also took to
himself a Christian.
See The History oj Yaballaha III, by James A, Montgomery.

INTROT>UCTIOO^
force, lost

its

vitality

now

through years of Crusades and

lay sick and enfeebled, worried by dissenting kings, schem-

ing cardinals and a

wave of

heresy.

In the meantime the Mongols had attached to their courts

certain groups of Christians, selected from some of the

by Friar Rubruck. They took

and the idea of Christ had considerable
fascination for the Mongols.
For a short period trade relations with the Mongol Empire, along the well-established
highways, proceeded in a friendly manner. Natural prodMissionaries, travellers,
ucts of the east came to Europe.
merchants and ambassadors all journeyed safely across vast

Asiatic communities described

part in the services,

stretches of land with comparative safety.

The Mongols were

class religions:

The

at this

Buddhism,

time confronted with four

first-

Christianity, Confucianism

and

was not regarded with very much favour

Islam.
because it was the religion of their enemy, the Turk. Still
They were willing to try each.
it had some consideration.
It seems strange that conquering countries usually assume

many of

last

the outstanding characteristics of those

whom

they

The more smashing the victory the more

do the victors seem to absorb from the conquered. In the
end they become like their enemies.
Fascinated and lured by the religion of the enemy, at the
earliest opportunity the victors are tempted to see if it can
be transplanted and made to work, if it will do more for
them than the religion they have been practising with doubthave vanquished.

ful results.
to

The lower

civilization usually has the vitality

overpower the higher, but that power

the religion of the higher civilization

is

is

at

race.
And so
Rome and Paris

of Christianity has weakened more than one

while the death of Ogotay no doubt saved

when
The kiss

once lost

embraced.

introt>uctio:k

xxii

from the

fate of

Kiev and Moscow,

Mongols under
would not have en-

still

the spiritual influence of Christianity

the

dured long as an arrogant, warring nation.

But it was luxury and sudden riches rather than Christianity that weakened and finally ruined the Mongol
Dynasty. An excellent picture of these last years may be
gathered from Marco Polo's accounts of the Court of
Kublai Khan. The fierce fire and slaughter of the early
Mongol tribes were now spent. They became soft and
effeminate. They built palaces in Peking of gold, jade and
And Kublai, with the hundred most beautiful
lacquer.
maidens that were annually selected for his personal use,
grew lazy and fat with the overabundance and richness of
living.
Silks, perfumes, concubines and imported religions
soon left the Mongol Dynasty an easy victim and paved the
way for the return of the Chinese to power in eastern Asia.
This amazing rise and decline is all within the space o
a single century, and the fruit of conquest turned out, as
it

often does, to resemble the

mango of

the Chinese magician.

Friar Odoric and Rabbi Benjamin

About twenty years after Marco Polo returned from the

Court of Kublai Khan, a Franciscan friar was sent to the
east as part

of an extended missionary movement.

His

record of India, Sumatra, Java and China, where he spent

three years, is faithful and intelligent. He returned over-

land through Tibet and Persia, and was the first traveller
Marco Polo to describe these parts. He saw the shrine
of St. Thomas and described many things that Marco Polo

after

Soon after his death, in 1331, his fame

and traveller spread over the whole of Europe.
Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela may be said to have been the

failed to mention.
as a Saint

ICKTRODUCTIOO^

xxiii

first

of the mediseval travellers, for he journeyed farther

into

the eastern

While he

countries than

travelled

many

any of

his

predecessors.

years before Carpini and Rubruck,

they are, nevertheless, important for they give us a picture

of western Asia before the Mongols swept through leaving
gain through his
their wake of slaughter and ruin.

We

record an

idea of the eastern civilizations

which were almost

by the Mongol invasions. We learn

something of a culture which studied and preserved many of
the Greek and Latin classics while Europe was going through

entirely extinguished

its

Dark Ages.

Rabbi Benjamin was a Jew from Spain. His descriptions

are quite accurate and his love of the marvellous lends

romance and colour to his record. He names the principal

Jews of the congregation in each city that he visited and
makes note of trade and commerce. He tells about the

Hebrew Prince of the Captivity

Tower of Babel. He was much

as well as the ruins of the

interested in the stories he

heard of the discovery of the Tomb of David, locates the

spot where Lot's wife was changed into a pillar of salt.

Many
The

other legends he records.

information he collected agrees in the main with the

writings of contemporary Arabian geographers and through

him we know

the fact that Jews in the east were famous for

the arts of dyeing and glass-making.

His travel

unlike the others contained in this volume,

is

narrative,

one of medise-

val peace and culture rather than of primitive force and

ignorance.

This record completes a picture of these amazing times.

Manuel Komroff.

How

the Qreat

and Lesser Khans Jire

Related,

(T) Oiinghis

'

(g) O^otciii

Tuluif

Kiu|iik(g)Miin9ii@

KubUi
1

Huld^a

zAbd^d

3.

Ahmed

Teraghdi

6.5d(/du

4.Arg lun

ZOhdZdn
Greax

5.Gdukhdtu

aiUljci*itu

CONTENTS
PACK

Contemporaries of Marco Polo:

The

Texts and Acknowledgments

....

Introduction

v
vii

How the Great and Lesser Khans are Related

xxiv

The Journey
piNi.

of Friar John of Pian de Car1245-1247

The Journal

of Friar William of Rubruck.

1253-1255

The Journal
The Travels
1160-1173

51

of Friar Odoric.

13 18-1330

211

of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela.

251

Bibliography

3^3

Index

335

rHE JOURNEY OF
FRIAR JOHN OF TIAN T>E QARPINI
1

245- 1 247

FRIAR JOHN OF PIAN DE CARPINI

Carpini was born in about the year 1182 and at an early age
entered the order of the Franciscan Friars. He soon gained a high
repute in the order and took an active part in its teachings through-

out Northern Europe.

He

held offices in Saxony, Germany, Spain

and Cologne.
Four years after the disastrous battle of Liegnitz in 1241, in
which the Tartars broke loose from the east and seriously threatened
the whole of Christian civilization. Pope Innocent IV dispatched his
first

mission to the Mongols in order to protest against the invasion

of Christian lands

In
was then about sixty-five, he was placed
mission and set out from Lyons on Easter day,

and

also to find out the extent of their power.

spite of his age, for Carpini

at the head of this

1245, on ^ journey of untold hardships, the first noteworthy journey

a European into the vast Mongol empire.

of

Ogotay Khan, the son of Chinghis, died at this time and Carpini
reached the East in time to witness, at first hand, the formal enthronement of Kuyuk the eldest son of Ogotay. His description of
the coronation of a Tartar emperor at the very height of Mongol
power

is

one of the most unique records in

all

medieval travel

litera-

ture.

Carpini asked

Kuyuk Khan

to

become a

Christian, but the

em-

peror replied by dictating a letter to the Pope which closed with

asking the Pope to come to the East and give homage to them;
"And if you do not observe the order of God and disobey our orders,

then we will know you as our enemy." The original of this

has recently been found in the archives of the Vatican.

letter

Carpini delivered this document to the Pope at Lyons in 1247,

Often they slept on the bare

after a journey of great deprivation.

snow and had little or nothing to eat. But Carpini was once a companion and disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, and his account of the
journey contains no personal complaint. Moreover he was a very
heavy man, and so fat that he walked with difficulty and required to
have a donkey carry him over some of the stretches. His record is
the first to reveal the Eastern empires and Tartar manners to the
Western world. He did not long survive his hard journey but died
in August, 1252, soon after he had been made an archbishop.

THE JOURNEY OF
FRIAR JOHN OF PIAN DE CARPINI
TO THE

COURT OF KUYUK KHAN

1

245- 1 247

AS NARRATED BY HIMSELF

Chapter

OF THE SITUATION ^ CLIMATE ^ EMPEROR ^ AND NATURE OP

THE TARTAR'S LAND

towards the east

a land which is called Mongol,

There

is

or Tartary, lying in that part

of the world which

is

thought

to be most north-easterly.

the east part

it

On

has the country

o Cathay: on the south part

the country of the Saracens:
on the south-east the land of
the Huins and on the west the
:

province of Naimans: but on

the north side
the ocean sea.

it is

bounded by

In some parts

and in other places plain and smooth

ground, but everywhere sandy and barren, neither is the
hundredth part of it fruitful. For it cannot bear fruit
unless it be moistened with river waters, which are very

it is

full of mountains,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

mARCO TOLO

Therefore they have neither villages

except one which is called Caracarum [the Karakorum of Marco Polo] and is said to be a
proper town. We ourselves did not see this town, but were
almost within half a day's journey, when we remained at
Syra orda, which is the great court of their emperor, Kuyuk
Khan.
Though this land is unfruitful, yet it is very commodious
rare in this country.

nor

cities

among them,

for the raising of cattle.

In certain places there are some

small groves of trees growing, but otherwise

it is

altogether

Therefore the emperor, and his noble

men and all others warm themselves, and cook their meat,
with fires made of the dung of oxen and horses. The air
also in this country is very intemperate; in the midst of
summer there are great thunders and lightnings, by the which
many men are slain, and at the same time there falls a great
abundance of snow. There are also such mighty tempests
of cold winds, that sometimes men are not able to sit on
horseback.
So great is the great wind that we were often
constrained to lie grovelling on the earth, and could not see
destitute of woods.

by reason of the dust.

There is never any rain in winter, but only in summer,
and so little that sometimes it is scarcely sufficient to down
the dust, or to moisten the roots of the grass. There is often
times great quantities of hail also.

was

to be placed

on

When

his imperial throne,

the emperor-elect

myself being then

present, there fell such abundance of hail, that,

upon

its

sudden melting, more than one hundred and sixty persons

were drowned. Many tents and other things were also carried away. In the summer season there are sudden waves of
extreme heat, and suddenly again waves of intolerable cold.

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

Chapter

OF THEIR FORM ^ HABIT ^ AND MANNER OF LIVING

The Mongols
to all

or Tartars, in outward shape, are unlike

For they are broader between the

other people.

eyes,

and the balls of their cheeks, than men of other nations.

They have flat and small noses, little eyes, and eyelids standthey are shaven on the crowns like
ing straight upright
They wear their hair somewhat longer about their
priests.
ears, than upon their foreheads but behind they let it grow
long like woman's hair, which they braid into two locks,
binding each of them behind either ear. They have short
j

feet also.

The
all

garments, of their

They

of one fashion.

men

as well as of their

women,

are

use neither cloaks, hats, nor capes.

But they wear jackets framed after a strange manner, of

Their gowns are hairy on
buckram, scarlet, or brocade.
the outside, and open behind, with tails hanging down to
They do not wash their garments, neither will
their hams.
they allow them to be washed, especially at the time of thundering.

Their habitations are round and cunningly made with

manner of a tent. But in the middle of
the tops, they have an opening to convey the light in and
the smoke out. For their fire is always in the midst. Their
wickers and staves in

walls are covered with

also.

Some

felt.

Their doors are made of

of these tabernacles

may

felt

quickly be taken apart,

and set together again, and are carried upon beasts' backs.
Others cannot be taken apart, but are moved upon carts.
And wherever they go, be it either to war or to any other
place, they transport their tabernacles with

They
and

them.

are very rich in cattle, such as camels, oxen, sheep,

goats.

And

think they have

more

horses and mares

CONTEMPORARIES OF

than

all

MARCO TOLO

But they have no cows nor

chiefs, and other of their
gold, silver, and precious stones.

the rest of the world.

Their emperors,

other beasts.
nobles have

much

silk,

Their victuals are all things that may be eaten; for we

even saw some of them eat lice. They drink milk in great
quantity, but especially mares' milk, if they have

cook a flour in water, making

drink thereof.

it

it.

so thin, that they

Every one of them drinks

They
may

off a cupful, or

two, in the morning, and sometimes they eat nothing else

all

the day long.

given him to

But

evening each

in the

man

hath a

little

and they drink the broth of the meat.

summertime,
when
In
they have mares' milk enough, they
seldom eat flesh, unless perhaps it be given them, or they
take some beast or bird in hunting.
flesh

eat,

Chapter
OF THEIR MANNERS

Their manners

<

BOTH GOOD AND BAD

and partly detestand masters,

than any other either clergy or lay-people in the whole
world. They highly reverence them, and will deceive them
neither in words nor deeds. They seldom or never fall out

able; for they are

among themselves,

are partly praiseworthy,

more obedient

to their lords

and, as for fighting-s or brawlings,

or manslaughters, they never happen

among them.

wounds
Neither

and
have
any
treasures
that

thieves nor robbers of great riches are to be found,

therefore the tabernacles and carts

are not secured with locks or bars.

If any beast should go astray, the finder either lets

or drives

it

to those

who

it

go,

are put in office for the purpose, at

whose hands the owner of the beast may demand it, and
without any difficulty receive it again. They honour one another greatly, and bestow banquets very liberally, not-

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

withstanding that good victuals are dainty and scarce

They

among

and when they have

fasted a day or two, they sing and are merry as if they had
eaten their bellies full. In riding, they endure much cold
and extreme heat. There are, in a manner, no disputes
among them, and although they often are drunk, yet they
do not quarrel in their drunkenness. No one of them despises another but helps him as much as he conveniently can.
Their women are chaste, neither is there so much as a
them.

are also very hardy,

word uttered concerning

however, speak

filthy

dishonesty.

Some of them

and immodest words.

will,

But towards

other people, the Tartars are most insolent, and they scorn

We

other persons, noble and ignoble.

court the great

Duke

saw

in the

emperor's

of Russia, the king's son of Georgia,

and many great sultans receiving no due honour.

Even
would always go
before them, and take the upper hand of them, and sometimes would even compel them to sit behind their backs.
Moreover they are angry and of a disdainful nature unto
other people, and beyond all measure deceitful, and treacherous towards them. While they speak fair in the beginning, in conclusion, they sting like scorpions.
For crafty
the very Tartars assigned to serve them,

they are, and full of falsehood, circumventing all

they are able, by their sleights.

Whatsoever mischief they

intend to practise against a man, they keep

secret, so that

he

men whom

may by no means

it

wonderfully

provide for himself, nor

remedy against their conspiracies.

They are unmannerly also and unclean in taking their
meat and their drink, and in other actions. Drunkenness is
honourable among them, and when any of them has taken
more drink than his stomach can well bear, he calls it up
find a

and

to drinking again.
They are most intolerable
most covetous possessors, and most niggardly givers.

falls

exactors,

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

The

slaughter of other people

is

accounted a matter of noth-

ing with them.

C h af t er

OF THEIR LAWS ^ AND CUSTOMS

Moreover, they have

man and woman

with death.

this

law or custom, that whatever

are taken in adultery, they are punished

virgin likewise

who

has committed carnal

they slay together with her mate. Whosoever is taken

Also, if
in robbery or theft, is put to death without pity.
time
of
war, he
any man disclose their secrets, especially in
sin,

hundred blows on the back with a bastinado,

on by a tall fellow. In like sort when any inferiors
offend, they find no favour at their superiors' hands, but are
punished with grievous stripes.
They join in matrimony to all in general, even to their
near kinsfolks except their mother, daughter and sister by
receives an

laid

the mother's side.

side only,

and

The younger
bound

to

They marry

their sister

by the

father's

also the wife of their father after his decease.

brother also, or some other of his kindred,

marry the wife of

his elder brother deceased.

is

At

the time of our abode in this country, a certain duke of

Russia, named Andreas, was accused before Chief Batu for

conveying the Tartars' horses out of the land, and for selling
them to others} and although it could not be proved, yet
he was put to death. His younger brother and the wife
this, came and made their petiof Russia might not be
dukedom
tion to the chief, that the
taken from them. But he commanded the youth to marry
his deceased brother's wife, and the woman also to take him

of the party deceased, hearing

as her

husband, according to the custom of the Tartars.

answered that she had rather

die,

She

than to so transgress the

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

However, he delivered her unto him, although they
both refused as much as they could. Carrying them to bed,
they compelled the youth, who was lamenting and weeping,
to lie down and commit incest with his brother's wife. To be
law.

short, after the death of their husbands, the Tartars' wives

very seldom marry the second time, unless perhaps some man
takes his brother's wife, or his step-mother, in marriage.

They make no
and of

difference between the son of their wife

what he pleases
king of Georgia having two sons

their concubine, but the father gives

unto each one.

The

late

one lawfully begotten called Melich j but the other, David,

born in adultery at his death left part of his land to his
unlawful son. Hereupon Melich, unto whom the kingdom
fell by right of his mother because it was governed beforetime by women, went unto the Emperor of the Tartars,
David also having taken his journey unto him. Now both

of them came to the court and brought large

of the harlot

made

suit, that

gifts.

he might have

ing to the custom of the Tartars.

The

son

justice, accord-

Well, sentence passed

against Melich, that David, being his elder brother, should

have superiority over him, and should quietly and peaceably

possess the portion of land granted unto him by his father.
Whensoever a Tartar has many wives, each one of them
has her family and dwelling-place by herself. And sometime the Tartar eats, drinks and lies with one, and sometime
with another.

whom he is

One

is

accounted chief

among

they are many, yet do they seldom fall out

selves.

the rest, with

Though
among them-

oftener conversant than with the other.

CONTEMPORARIES OF MARCO
''
10

C h af t e r

TOLO

OF THEIR SUPERSTITIOUS TRADITIONS

By

reason of certain traditions, which either they or their

predecessors have devised, they believe

One

faults.

touch the

is

fire

some things

to thrust a knife into the fire, or

to be

any way

to

with a knife, or with their knife to take flesh

out of the boiling vessel, or to

hew with

a hatchet near the

For they think by these means one takes away the head
or force from the fire. Another is to lean upon a whip with
which they beat their horses: for they ride not with spurs.
Also to touch arrows with a whip, to take or kill young birds,
to strike a horse with the rein of their bridle, and to break
fire.

one bone against another. Also to pour out milk, meat, or

any kind of drink upon the ground or to make water within
their tabernacle: which whosoever does willingly, he is slain,
but otherwise he must pay a great sum of money to the enchanter to be purified.

Who

likewise

nacle, with all things therein, to pass

fore

it is

in this

way

purified

must cause the taberfires.

Be-

between two

no man dare enter

into

it,

nor

take out anything.

Besides this, if any man has a morsel given him, which

he is not able to swallow, and for that cause casts it out of his
mouth, there is an hole made under his tabernacle, by which
he is drawn forth and slain without compassion. Likewise,
whosoever treads upon the threshold of any of their chief's
tabernacles,

Many

is

put to death.

other things there are like these, which they take

But to slay men, to invade the dominand to rifle their goods, to transgress
prohibitions of God, are with them
commandm^ents
and
the
no offences at all. They know nothing concerning eternal
life and everlasting damnation, and yet they think that after

for heinous offences.

ions of other people,

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

ii

death they shall live in another world j that they shall multiply their cattle, that they shall eat and drink and do other
things which living

At

new moon,

men perform

here upon earth.

or a full moon, they begin all

new

enter-

and they call the moon the Great Emperor, and

worship it upon their knees. All men that abide in their
tabernacles must be purified with fire: which purification is
done in this way. They kindle two fires, and pitch two javelins into the ground near the fires, tying a cord to the tops
of the javelins. About the cord they tie certain bits of buckram. Then under the cord, and between the fires, men,
There stand two women
beasts, and tabernacles do pass.
also, one on the right side, and another on the left, casting
If any man be slain
water, and repeating certain charms.
same
tabernacle with him
lightning,
all
that
dwell
in
the
by
must pass by fire in the manner described. Their tabernacles, beds, and carts, they themselves and their garments,
and whatever things they have, are touched by no man, but
are abandoned by all men as things unclean. In short, they
think that all things are to be purged by fire. Therefore,
when any ambassadors, princes, or other personages whatsoever come to them, they and their gifts must pass between
two fires to be purified, lest they have practised some witchcraft, or have brought some poison or other mischief with
prises

them.

Chafter
OF THE BEGINNING

The

east country,

^ THEIR EMPIRE ^ AND GOVERNMENT

which

is

called

Mongol,

is

reported to

have had of old time four forces of people. One of them

was called Yeka Mongol, that is, the Great Mongols. The
second was called Sumongol, that is, the Water-Mongols,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

12

who

MARCO TOLO

from a certain river running

through their country named Tartar. The third was called
Merldt, and the fourth Metrit. All these people had the
same attire of body and language, but they were divided by
called themselves Tartars,

princes

and provinces.

In the province of Yeka Mongol, there was a certain

called Chinghis. This man became a mighty hunter.
learned to steal men, and to take them for prey.
into other countries taking as

many

He

man

He

ranged

captives as he could,

and joining them unto himself.

Also he allured the men

own country unto him, who followed him as their
captain and ringleader to do mischief.
Then began he to
make war upon the Sumongols, or Tartars, and slew their
captain, and after many conflicts, subdued them and brought
of his

them

Afterward he used their help to

by the Tartars, whom
also he vanquished in battle.
Proceeding from thence, he
fought against the Metrits, and conquered them also.
He was a mighty and puissant emperor, unto whom all
these nations paid tribute.
Whose sons, when he was
dead, succeeded him in his empire.
But being young and
foolish, they knew not how to govern the people, but were
divided, and fell at variance among themselves.
Now
Chinghis being exalted, they nevertheless invaded the forenamed countries, put the inhabitants to the sword, and carWhich Chinghis having heard of,
ried away their goods.
he gathered all his subjects together. The Naimans also and
the people called Kara-Cathay assembled and banded themall

into bondage.

fight against the Merkits, dwelling

selves at a certain strait valley, where, after a battle fought,

And being thus

they were vanquished by the Mongols.
vanquished, they were, the greater part of them, slain j and
others,

which could not escape, were carried into

In the land of the

city

captivity.

of Caracarum, Ogotay Khan, the

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

13

son of Chlnghis Khan, after he was created emperor, built a

which he called Chanyl. Near this city, on the

south side, there is a huge desert, which wild men are certainly reported to inhabit, who cannot speak at all and are
certain city,

destitute of joints in their legs, so that if they fall they

But they are prudent and

make felts of camel's hair, with which they clothe themIf at any
selves, and which they hold against the wind.
them,
chance
wound
pursuing
to
with
Tartars,
them
time the
their arrows, they put herbs into their wounds, and fly
cannot

rise

alone by themselves.

strongly before them.

Chapter

OF THE MANY VICTORIES BETWEEN THEM ^ AND THE PEOPLE

OF CATHAY

But

the Mongols, returning

home

to their

own

country,

prepared themselves to battle against the Cathayans: which

emperor hearing, set forward against them with his

their

army, and they fought a cruel battle, wherein the Mongols

were overcome, and all their nobles in the army, except
seven, were slain. And for this cause, when they, purposing
to invade any region, are threatened by the inhabitants
thereof, they do to this day answer: "In old time also our
whole number besides being slain, we remained but seven of
us alive, and yet we have grown to a great multitude j think
not therefore to daunt us with such threats." But Chinghis
and the residue that remained alive fled home into their
country.

And

having rested a little, he prepared himself to war,

and went forth against the people called Huyri. These men,
were Christians of the sect of Nestorians. And these also
the Mongols overcame, and received letters or learning from

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

14

them

for before that time they had not the art of writing,
and now they call it the hand or letters of the Mongols.
Immediately after, he marched against the country of
Saruyur, and of the Karanites, and against the land of Hudirat: all of which he vanquished.
Then he returned home to
J

own

Afterward, assembling his warlike troops,

they marched with one accord against the Cathayans, and
waging war with them a long time, they conquered a great
his

country.

part of their land, and shut up their emperor in his greatest

city
which city they so long besieged that they began to
want necessary provision for their army. And when they
had no victuals to feed upon, Chinghis Khan commanded
J

his soldiers, that they

They of

company.

should eat every tenth

silver,

of the

the city fought manfully against them,

with engines, darts, and arrows, and

they threw

man

and

especially

when

melted

stones

wanted

silver: for the city

abounded with great riches. Also, when the Mongols had

fought a long time and could not prevail by war, they
made a great trench underneath the ground from the army
unto the midst of the city, and there issuing forth they
fought against the citizens, and the soldiers without the walls
also fought.
At last, breaking open the gates of the city,
they entered, and putting the emperor with many others to
the sword, they took possession and carried away the gold,
silver, and all the riches therein.
And having appointed
certain deputies over the country, they returned

their

own

land.

When

vanquished, Chinghis

home

into

the emperor of the Cathayans was

Khan

part of the country, because

obtained the empire.

it

lies

But some

within the sea, they could

by no means conquer until this day.

The men of Cathay are pagans, having a special kind of
writing by themselves, and, as it is reported, the Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments. They have also recorded

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

15

of their forefathers: and they have

monks, and certain houses made after the manner of our
They say that they have many saints also, and
churches.
in histories the lives

they worship one God.

Jesus our Lord, and
are not baptized.

They adore and

believe the article

reverence Christ

of eternal

life,

but

They do also honourably esteem and

They love Christians, and bestow

reverence our Scriptures.

much alms, and are a very courteous and gentle people.

They have no beards, and they agree partly with the Mongols in the disposition of their countenance.

In

all

occupa-

which men practise, there are not better craftsmen in

the whole world. Their country is exceeding rich, in corn,

tions

wine, gold,

silk,

and other commodities.

Chapter

OP THEIR WAR AGAINST INDIA MAJOR ^ AND MINOR

And when

the

Mongols with

their emperor, Chinghis

Khan, had rested themselves after their victory, they divided

their armies.
For the emperor sent one of his sons, named
Tuluy, whom also they call Khan, that is to say, emperor,
with an army against the people of Comania, whom he vanquished with much war, and afterward returned to his own
country.
He sent his other son [Ogotay] with an army
against the Indians, who also subdued India Minor.
These Indians are the black Saracens, which are also called
Ethiopians.
But here the army marched forward to fight
against Christians dwelling in India Major.
When the

who is commonly called Prester John,

he gathered his soldiers together and came forth
against them. And making men's images of copper, he set
each of them upon a saddle on horseback, and put fire
within them, and placed a man with a pair of bellows on

king of the country,

heard

this,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

^ARCO TOLO

And so with many

the horseback behind every image.
furnished,
such
sort
they marched on
in
and
images
horses
to fight against the

Coming near

Mongols, or Tartars.

to the place of the battle, they first of all

But the men that

sent those horses one after another.

a good deal upon the

sat

within the images,

behind laid
and blew strongly with their bellows. Then it came to
pass, that the men and the horses were burnt with wild fire,
and the air was darkened with smoke. Then the Indians
cast darts at the Tartars, of whom many were wounded and
And so they expelled them out of their dominions
slain.
with great confusion, neither did we hear that ever they
fire

returned.

C h af t er

HOW BEING REPELLED BY MONSTROUS MEN SHAPED

LIKE

DOGS ^ THEY OVERCAME THE PEOPLE OF BURITHABETH

Returning through

the deserts, they came to a certain

was reported to us in the emperor's
court, by certain clergymen of Russia, and others, who were
long time among them they found certain monsters resembling women. Being asked by interpreters, where the men
of that land were, they answered that whatsoever women
were born there, resembled the shape of mankind, but the
males were like dogs. And after a time, in that country
they met with the dogs on the other side of the river. And

country, wherein

as

it

of sharp winter, these cast themselves into the

water; afterward they wallowed in the dust upon the main
land, and so the dust, being mingled with water, was frozen
in the midst

and having oftentimes repeated this, the ice

became strongly frozen upon them. Then with great fury
they came to fight against the Tartars.
When the Tartars threw their darts, or shot their arrows
to their backs,

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

among them, they rebounded back

17

again, as if they

had

And the rest of their weapons could

lighted upon stones.
by no means hurt them. However, the dogs made an assault upon the Tartars, and wounding some of them with
their teeth, and flaying others, at length they drove them
And because of this they have a
out of their countries.
proverb still current among them, and they say in jesting
one to another: "My father or my brother was slain by
dogs."

The women whom they captured they brought into their

own country, and they remained there till their dying day.
And in travelling homewards, the army of the Mongols
came

to the

are pagans,

land of Burithabeth, the inhabitants whereof

and conquered the people

in battle.

These peo-

ple have a strange or rather a miserable kind of custom.

For when any man's father dies, he assembles all his kindred, and they eat him. These men have no beards at all.
We saw them carry a certain iron instrument in their hands,
with which they pluck out any hairs that grow upon their
chin. They are also very deformed. From here the Tartar
army returned to their own home.

Chapter 10
HOW THEY HAD BEEN REPULSED AT THE CASPIAN MOUNTAINS ^
AND WERE DRIVEN BACK BY MEN DWELLING IN CAVES
Moreover, Chinghis Khan,

at the

time

when he

sent

other armies against the east, himself marched with a force

into the land of Kerkis, but

he did not conquer in that expedition, and as it was reported to us.

He went forward
even to the Caspian mountains. But the mountains where
they camped were of lodestone, and therefore they drew
into

them

their arrows,

and weapons of

iron.

And

certain

CONTEMPORARIES OF

men

within these

MARCO TOLO

Caspian mountains, hearing, as

it

was

thought, the noise of the army, made a breach through, so

that when the Tartars returned to the same place ten years

they found the mountain broken. Attempting to go

through, they could notj for there stood a cloud before
them, beyond which they were not able to pass, being de-

after,

prived of their sight as soon as they approached. They on

the other side, thinking that the Tartars dared not come
near them, made the assault, and when they came to the
cloud, they also could not proceed.

Also the Tartars, before they came to the mountains,

passed for the space of a month and more through a vast

They were
wilderness, and departed towards the east.
over a month travelling through another huge desert.
At length, they came into a land wherein they saw roads,
but could not find any people. But at the last, diligently
seeking, they found a man and his wife, whom they presented before Chinghis Khan. Demanding of them where
the people of that country were, they answered, that the
people lived under the ground in mountains. Then Chinghis

Khan

kept the

woman,

sent her husband to them, order-

Going to them, he
declared all things that Chinghis Khan had commanded.
But they answered, that they would upon such a day visit
him, to satisfy his desire. And in the meantime, by blind
and hidden passages under the earth assembling themselves,
they came against the Tartars in warlike manner, and suddenly issuing forth, they slew a great number.
The Tartars were not able to endure the terrible noise,
which the sun made in this place. At the time of the sunrising, they were forced to lay one ear upon the ground,
and to stop the other close, lest they should hear that dreadChinghis Khan, therefore, and his company.
ful sound.
ing them to come

out at his

command.

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

seeing that they could not conquer, but continually lost

of their number, fled and departed out of that land.

the

man and

his

wife they carried along with them,

On

their lifetime lived in the Tartars' country.

why

the

men

some
But

who

all

being asked

of their country live under the ground, they

said, that at a certain

time of the year,

when

the sun riseth,

is such a huge noise that the people cannot endure it.

Moreover, they used to play upon cymbals, drums, and other
musical instruments, so that they might not hear that sound.

there

Chafter

i i

OF THE LAWS OF CHINGHIS KHAN ^ OF HIS DEATH ^ OF HIS

SONS ^ AND OF HIS CHIEFS

As Chinghis Khan came out of that country, his people

wanted food, for they suffered extreme famine. Then by
chance they found the fresh entrails of a beast; this they
took, and casting away the dung thereof, caused it to be
cooked and brought it before Chinghis Khan, who did eat
thereof. And hereupon Chinghis Khan enacted, that neither
the blood, nor the entrails, nor any other part of a beast
which might be eaten, should be cast away, save only the
dung.

When

own land, he ordained laws

which the Tartars do most strictly observe, of
which we have before spoken.
He was afterward slain
by a thunderclap. Chinghis Khan had four sons; the first
was called Ogotay, the second Tuluy Khan, the third Chaand

he returned into his

statutes,

gatai; the

name of

the fourth

is

unknown

[Juji].

these four descended all the chiefs of the Mongols.

first

son of Ogotay

is

Kuyuk, who

brothers are Shiregi and Kashin.

to the

emperor,

is

richer

From
The

his
is now emperor;
Batu [a son of Juji], next

and mightier than

all

the rest.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

20

The mother

of

mARCO TOLO

Mangu was named

others was most honoured

among

Serotan, and of all

the Tartars, except the

emperor's mother, and mightier than any subject except

Batu.

Chapter 12
OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE EMPEROR ^ AND OF HIS CHIEFS

Moreover,

the emperor of the Tartars has a wonderful

man

dare abide in any

has been assigned to him.

Also he himself

control over all his subjects, for no

place, unless

it

appoints where his chiefs should live.

Likewise the chiefs

assign places to every millenary, or conductor of a thousand
soldiers, the millenaries to each captain of a

captains to every corporal of ten.

Whatever

hundred, the
given them

is

whenever, or wherever, be it to fight or to lose

however it be, they obey without any grumbling. For if he demands any man's daughter, or sister, even
if a virgin, they presently deliver her to him without any contradiction.
Yet, oftentimes he makes a collection of virgins
throughout all the Tartars' dominions, and those whom he
means to keep, he retains to himself, and the others he bestows unto his men.
Also, whenever he sends a messenger his subjects must
without delay find them horses and other necessaries. Ambassadors who come to him, from lands that pay tribute,
have horses, carriages, and expenses allowed them.
But
ambassadors coming from other places do suffer great misery,
and are in much want both of food and of apparel; especially when they come to any of the chiefs, and there are
obliged to make some stay. Then ten men are allowed so
little sustenance that scarcely two could live upon it.
Likewise, if any injuries are given them, they cannot without
danger make complaint.
in charge,

their lives, or

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

Many
and

gifts also are

others,

and

esteemed and

if

21

demanded of them, both by

chiefs

they do not bestow them, they are basely

set at

in gifts a great part

nought.

We

were enforced

to

bestow

of those things which were given us

by well-disposed people, to defray our charges. In short,

all things are so in the power and possession of the emperor,
that no man dare say, "This is mine, or this is my neighbour's." But all, goods, cattle and men, are his own. ConThis
cerning these matters he published a code of late.
same authority and jurisdiction the chiefs exercise upon their
subjects.

C h a f t e r 13
OF THE ELECTION OF EMPEROR OGOTAY ^ AND OF THE
EXPEDITION OF CHIEF BATU

After the death of Chinghis Khan, the dukes, or chiefs,

assembled and chose Ogotay, his son, to be their emperor.
And he, entering into consultation with his nobles, divided
his armies, and sent Chief Batu, his nephew, against the
country of the Great Sultan, and also against the people
called Bisermins, who were Saracens, but spake the language

of Comania.

The

Tartars invaded their country, fought with them,

and subdued them in battle. But a certain city called Barchin resisted them a long time.
The citizens had cast up
many ditches and trenches about their city, and because of
this the Tartars could not take it, till they had filled these
ditches.
The citizens of Sarguit, hearing of this, came
forth to meet them, surrendering of their own accord.
Whereupon their city was not destroyed, but many of them
were slain and others carried away captive, and taking
spoils, they filled the city with other inhabitants, and so

CONTEMPORARIES OF

22

MARCO TOLO
This town was

against the city of Orna.

marched forth

very populous and exceeding rich 5 for there were many

Christians therein, Gazars, Russians, and Alans, with others,

and Saracens

The

The government was

also.

in the Saracens'

upon a mighty river [the Syr-daria]

hand.
and is a kind of port town having a great market. And when
city stands

the Tartars could not otherwise capture

river,

running through the

drowned the

city,

out of

it,

they diverted the

its

channel, and so

with the inhabitants and their goods.

city

After this they set forth against Russia, and made foul
havoc there, destroying cities and cattle and murdering the
people. They laid siege a long while upon Kiev, the chief
city of Russia, and at length they took it and slew the citiWhen we were travelling through this country, we
zens.
found an innumerable multitude of dead men's skulls and
bones lying upon the earth. It was once a very large and

populous

city,

but

it is

now

in a

manner brought

to nothing;

for there do scarce remain two hundred houses, and the inhabitants of these are kept in extreme bondage.

Moreover, out of Russia and Comania, the Tartars proceeded against the Hungarians and the people of Poland,
and there many were slain. Had the Hungarians been able
to hold out against them, the Tartars would have been confounded and driven back. Returning, they invaded the
country of the Mordunis, who are pagans, and conquered

them

in

battle.

Then they marched

called Bilers, or Great Bulgaria,

country.

From

against

the people

and utterly wasted the

here they proceeded north against the peo-

ple called Bascarts, or Great Hungary, and conquered

also.

And so going on further north,

who having little stomachs and

Parositas,

not anything at
pot,

all,

them

they came to the

small mouths, eat

but seeing flesh they stand or

sit

over the

and receiving the steam or smoke, are therewith nour-

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

ished.

And if they eat anything at

all,

it is

very

little.

23

From

who live on hunting,

and wear garments made of beasts'
From here they proceeded to a country lying upon
skins.
the ocean sea, where they found certain monsters, who in
all things resembled the shape of men, saving that their
feet were like the feet of an ox, and they had indeed men's
heads but dogs' faces. These spoke, as it were, two words
From
like men, but at the third they barked like dogs.
hence they retired into Comania, and there some of them
here the Tartars came to the Samogetas,

dwell

in

remain to

tabernacles,

this day.

Chapter 14
OF THE EXPEDITION OF CHIEF CYRPODAN

At the same time Ogotay Khan sent Chief Cyrpodan with

an army against Kerkis, and subdued them in battle. These
men are pagans, having no beards at all. They have a custom when any of their fathers die, for grief and in token
of lamentation, to draw, as it were, a leather thong around
their faces, from one ear to the other.
This nation being conquered, Chief Cyrpodan marched
with his forces southward against the Armenians. And
travelling through certain desert places, they found monsters in the shape of men, which had each of them but one
arm and one hand growing out of the middle of their breast,
and but one foot. Two of them used to shoot one bow, and
they ran so swiftly that horses could not overtake them.
They ran also upon that one foot by hopping and leaping,
and when weary of such walking they went upon their hand
and their foot, turning themselves round in a circle. Isidorus of Seville calls them cyclopedes.
It was told us in
court, by the clergymen of Russia who remain with the

CONTEMPORARIES OF

24

emperor, that

MARCO

many ambassadors were

sent

"POLO

from these peo-

ple to the emperor's court, to obtain peace.

From

here the Tartars proceeded forth into Armenia,

and part also of Georgia.

And the other part of Georgia is under their jurisdiction,

which they conquered

in battle,

paying every year a tribute of twenty thousand pieces of coin

From this country they marched into the
called yf erf era.

dominions of the mighty Sultan called Deurum, whom also

they vanquished in fight. And to be short, they went on
farther sacking and conquering, even as far as the dominions
And now they have subdued
of the Sultan of Aleppo.
that land also, determining to invade other countries beyond
Neither have they returned into their own land to this
it.
day.

Likewise the same army marched forward against the

Bagdad and his country, which they subdued also,

Calif of

tribute of four

and exacted the daily

sides baldakins [brocades]

and other

hundred bexantSy be-

gifts.

Also every year

they send messengers to the calif inviting him to come to

He however sends back great gifts together with
them.
his tribute and asks them to look favourably upon him.

But the Tartar emperor receives

all his gifts,

and yet never-

theless sends for him.

C h af t e r 15
HOW THE TARTARS CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN WAR
Chinghis Khan divided his Tartars by captains of
captains of a hundred,

ten,

and captains of a thousand, and over

ten millenaries, or captains of a thousand, he placed one

and over one whole army he authorized two or

three chiefs, but so that all should be under one of the said
chiefs.
When they join battle against any other nation, uncolonel,

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

less

they do

all

put to death.

consent to retreat, every

And

if

man who

25
deserts

is

one or two, or more, of ten proceed

manfully to the battle, but the residue of those ten draw

back and follow not the company, they are in like manner
Also, if one among ten or more be taken, their felslain.
lows, if they fail to rescue them, are punished with death.
Moreover they are required to have these weapons: two
long bows or one good one

at least, three

arrows, and one axe, and ropes to

quivers full of

draw engines of war.

But

the richer have single-edged swords, with sharp points, and

somewhat crooked. They have also armed horses, with

their shoulders and breasts protected; they have helmets
and coats of mail. Some of them have jackets for their
horses,

made of

shaped upon

leather

their bodies.

artificially

The upper

doubled or trebled,
part of their helmet

of iron or steel, but that part which circles about the neck
and the throat is of leather. Some of them have all their
armour of iron made in the following manner: They beat
out many thin plates a finger broad, and a hand long, and
making in every one of them eight little holes, they lace
through three strong and straight leather thongs. So they
join the plates one to another, as it were, ascending by deis

Then they

grees.

tie

the plates to the thongs, with other

small and slender thongs, drawn through the holes, and in

the upper part, on each side, they fasten one small doubled

thong, that the plates

may

firmly be knit together.

These

they make, as well for their horses as for the armour of

their

men; and they scour them so bright that a man may

his face in them.
Some of them upon the neck of

behold

their lance

men

have an hook, with which they attempt to pull

The heads of their arrows are

out of their saddles.

exceedingly

sharp,

cutting

both

ways

like

two-edged

CONTEMPORARIES OF

26

sword, and they always carry a

sharpen their arrowheads.

They

MARCO TOLO
file

in

their

quivers to

are most efficient in wars, having been in conflict

with other nations for the space of these forty-two years.

When they come to any rivers, the chief men of the com-

pany have a round and

rope through the

They put

light piece of leather.

many

draw it
the round form of

loops on the edge of this,

together like a purse, and so bring

it

into

with their garments and other

But upon the
strongly.
most
up
it
necessaries, trussing
midst of the upper part thereof, they lay their saddles and
a ball, which leather they

fill

other hard things j there also do the

This, their boat, they

tie to

a horse's

men

tail,

themselves

causing a

man

sit.

to

before, to guide over the horse, or sometimes they

swim

have two oars to row themselves over.

The

first

horse,

therefore, being driven into the water, all the others' horses

of the company follow him, and so they pass through the

river.
But the common soldiers have each his leather bag
or satchel well sewn together, wherein he packs up all his
trinkets,
tail,

and

and strongly trussing

so he

it

up hangs

it

at his horse's

crosses the river.

Chafteri6
OF THEIR SPIES ^ AND

No

HOW THEY MAY BE

one kingdom or province

is

RESISTED

able to resist the Tartars;

because they use soldiers out of every country of their dominions.

If the neighbouring province to that which they

invade will not aid them, they waste it, and with the inhabitants, whom they take with them, they proceed to fight
against the other province. They place their captives in the
front of the battle, and

if

put them to the sword.

they fight not courageously they

Therefore,

if

Christians

would

rUE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

resist

them,

it

is

expedient that the provinces and governors

of countries should

meet

27

all agree,

and

so

by a united force should

their encounter.

Soldiers also must be furnished with strong hand-bows

and cross-bows, which they greatly dread, with

sufficient

arrows, with maces also of strong iron, or an axe with a long

handle.

When

they make their arrowheads, they must,

according to the Tartars' custom, dip them red-hot into salt

may be strong enough to pierce the enemies'

armour. They that will may have swords also and lances
with hooks at the ends, to pull them from their saddles, out
of which they are easily removed. They must have helmets
and other armour to defend themselves and their horses

water, that they

from the Tartars' weapons and arrows, and they that are
unarmed, must, according to the Tartars' custom, march
behind their fellows, and discharge at the enemy with longbows and cross-bows. And, as it has already been said of
the Tartars, they must dispose their bands and troops in an
orderly manner, and ordain laws for their soldiers. Whosoever runs to the prey or spoil, before the victory is
For
achieved, must undergo a most severe punishment.
such a fellow

is

put to death

among

the Tartars without

pity or mercy.

The

place of battle must be chosen,

if

it

is

possible, in a

where they may see round about neither must

all troops be in one company, but in many, not very far distant one from another. They which give the first encounter
must send one band before, and must have another in readiness to relieve and support the former in time. They must
have spies, also, on every side, to give them notice when
the rest of the enemy's bands approach. They ought always to send forth band against band and troop against

plain field,

troop, because the Tartar always attempts to get his

enemy

CONTEMPORARIES OF

28
in the

MARCO TOLO

midst and so to surround him.

this advice alsoj

if

the

enemy

Let our bands take

retreats, not to

make

any-

long pursuit after him, lest according to his custom he might

draw them into some secret ambush. For the Tartar fights

more by cunning than by main force. And again, a long

pursuit would tire our horses, for we are not so well supplied
with horses as they. Those horses which the Tartars use
one day, they do not ride upon for three or four days after.
Moreover, if the Tartars draw homeward, our men must
not therefore depart and break up their bands, or separate
themselves because they do this also upon policy, namely,
to have our army divided, that they may more securely invade and waste the country. Indeed, our captains ought
both day and night keep their army in readiness; and not
j

to put off their

The
devising how

battle.

armour, but

at all

time to be prepared for

Tartars, like devils, are always watching

and

Furthermore, if in battle
their horses, they must be

to practise mischief.

any of the Tartars be cast off

captured, for being on foot they shoot strongly, wounding
and killing both horses and men.

Chapter

OF OUR JOURNEY TO THE FIRST LINE OF THE TARTARS

We,

therefore, by the

tolic setting

commandment

of the See Apos-

forth towards the nations of the East, chose

to travel to the Tartars, because

we

first

feared that there might

be great danger imminent upon the Church of God, because

of their invasions. Proceeding on, therefore, we came to the
King of Bohemia [Wenceslaw I], who advised us to take our

journey through Poland and Russia. We had kinsfolk in

Poland, by whose assistance we might enter Russia. Having given us his letters, he caused our expenses also to be

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

29

all his chief houses and cities, till we came to

nephew Boleslas, Duke of Silesia, who also was familiar
and well known to us. The like favour he showed us also,
till we came to Conrad, Duke of Lenczy, to whom then, by
God's especial favour towards us. Lord Wasilko, Duke of
Russia, had come, from whose mouth we heard more at

defrayed, in
his

large concerning the deeds of the Tartars j for he had sent

to them, and they had returned to him.
Wherefore, it being given us to understand that we must
bestow gifts upon them, we caused certain skins of beavers
and other beasts to be bought with part of that money which
was given for use on our journey. The Duke Conrad and
the dukes of Cracow, and a bishop, and certain soldiers,
hearing of this, gave us more of the same skins.
And, to be brief, Duke Wasilko being earnestly requested
by the Duke of Cracow, and by the bishop and barons, on
our behalf, conducted us with him, into his own land, and

ambassadors

there for certain days entertained us at his

the end that

we might

own

expense, to

refresh ourselves awhile.

Then

at

our request he had caused his bishops to come to him, and

we read before them the Pope's letters, admonishing them
to return to the unity of the church.
To the same purpose
also,

we

ourselves admonished them, and to our ability per-

suaded the

Duke as well as
Duke Daniel,

ever, because

the bishops and others.

How-

the brother of Wasilko, had at

time taken a journey to Batu and was absent, they could

not give us a final answer.

this

After these things

Duke Wasilko

sent us forward with

one of

his servants as far as Kiev [captured by Batu in

were always in danger
1238], the chief city of Russia.
of our lives on account of the Lithuanians, who did often
invade the borders of Russia, even in those very places by

We

which we were to

pass.

The

greatest part of the Russians

CONTEMPORARIES OF S4ARCO TOLO

30

were either slain or carried into captivity by the Tartars.

Moreover, at Danilon we were feeble even unto the death,
notwithstanding

we caused

ourselves

to

be carried in a

And

wagon through

the

snow and extreme

arrived at Kiev,

we

consulted with the millenary and other

men
if we

cold.

They told us
we then had, into
they knew not how to

noble

there concerning our journey.

that

carried those horses, which

Tartary, they would

all die;

because

having

dig up the grass under the snow, as the Tartarian horses

do, neither could there be aught found for

them

to eat,

the Tartars having neither hay nor straw nor any other foddetermined, therefore, to leave them behind at
der.

We

Kiev with two servants appointed to keep them. And we

were constrained to bestow gifts upon the millenary, that
we might obtain his favour to allow us post horses and a
Wherefore beginning our journey the second day
guide.
after the feast of the Purification of Our Lady [February
4, 1246], we arrived at the town of Kaniew, which was under the dominion of the Tartars. The governor allowed us
horses and a guide to another town, wherein we found one
Micheas to be governor, a man full of malice and spite, who
extorted gifts from us in a deceitful manner before he consented to aid us and conduct us to the first guard of the
Tartars.

Chapter

HOW OUR COMPANY WERE AT

FIRST RECEIVED BY THE

TARTARS ^ AND OUR GIFTS

The

first

Saturday next, after Ash Wednesday, having

rest, at sundown, the armed Tartars

came rushing upon us in uncivil and horrible manner, asking
of us what manner of persons we were. We answered them
that we were the Pope's envoys, and receiving some victuals

taken up our place of

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

31

Again in the
our hands, they immediately departed.
morning, after rising and proceeding on our journey, the
at

camp came to us, demanding why, or for what

and purpose, we camej and what business we had with

chief of their
intent

them.

Pope,

We
who

is

answered,

"We

are the envoys of the

the father and lord of the Christians.

sent us to your emperor, as well as to your princes,

other Tartars for this purpose, because

it

is

Lord

He

has

and

all

his pleasure,

that all Christians should be friends with the Tartars, and

should have peace with them. It is his desire also that they
should be mighty with God in heaven ; therefore, he advises

them through us, as by his own letters, to become Christians,

and to embrace the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, because
Moreover, he gives
they could not otherwise be saved.
them to understand that he is astonished at their monstrous
slaughters and massacres of mankind, and especially of
Christians, but most of all of Hungarians, Moravians, and
Poles, who are all his subjects, and who have not injured
them in aught, nor attempted to do them injury. And because the Lord God is grievously offended by this, he advises them from henceforth to beware of such dealing, and
to repent of that which they had done.
He requested, also,
that they write an answer to him, what they purpose to do
hereafter, and what their intention is." Having heard and
understood, the Tartars said that they would give us post
horses and a guide to Corenza. And immediately they demanded gifts at our hands, and obtained them.
Then receiving the same horses from which they dismounted, together with a guide, we took our journey into
Corenza. But they rode a swift pace, and sent a messenger
before to the chief Corenza, to tell him of the message
which we had delivered to them. This chief is governor
of all the Tartars who are encamped against the nations of

CONTEMPORARIES OF

32

the West, lest

mARCO TOLO

some enemy might on the sudden and

And

unawares break in upon them.

thousand men under him.

Chaffer

he

is

HOW WE WERE RECEIVED AT THE COURT

Having come

to his court,

from him, and sent

wanted to bow to him,
far

is

demand of

to say,

doing our obeisance to him.

offer, in

what

We

our lord the Pope had not sent any gifts

was not

we

certain that

OF CORENZA

he caused our tents to be placed

his agents to

that

at

said to have sixty

we should ever

we
we would

us what

gifts

answered, that

at all,

because he

be able to come to them,

passed through most dangerous places.

Notwithhonour him with some part

of those things which have been, by the goodness of God
and the favour of the Pope, bestowed upon us for our susfor

standing, to our ability,

we

will

tenance.

Having

received our gifts, they conducted us to the orday

or tent, of the chief, and

we were

instructed to

bow

with our left knee before the door of the tent, and
case to

beware

lest

And

said door.

we

set

thrice
in

any

our foot upon the threshold of the

that after

we had

entered,

we should

re-

hearse before the duke and all his nobles the same words

which we had before

we presented

said,

the letters

kneeling upon our knees.

of

Then

our lord the Pope; but our

whom we

had hired and brought with us from

them, neither was
Kiev was
Here certain
there any other person competent to do so.
post horses and three Tartars were appointed for us to conduct us with all speed to the Chief Batu. This Batu is the
mightiest prince among them except the emperor, and they
are bound to obey him before all other princes.
interpreter

not sufficiently able to interpret

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

33

We began

our journey towards his court the first Tuesday

Lent [February 26], and riding as fast as our horses
could trot, for we had fresh horses almost thrice or four
times a day, we posted from morning till night, yea, very
often in the night also, and yet could we not come at him
in

before

Holy Week [April 4].

journey we went through the land of Comania,

Wednesday

All this

in

which is all plain ground, and has four mighty rivers running through it. The first is called Dnieper, on the side of
which towards Russia, chief Corenza rules, but Mauchy of
Abulghazi on the other side upon the plains is greater than
The second river is called Don, upon the bank whereof
he.
rules a certain prince having in marriage the sister of Batuj
his name is Catan.
The third is called Volga, which is an
exceeding great river, upon the banks whereof Batu
marches. The fourth is called Jagac [Ural], upon which
two millenaries do march, one on each side of the river.
All these chiefs, in the wintertime, descend down to the
sea, and in summer ascend back, by the banks of the rivers,
up to the mountains. This sea is the Great Sea, out of which
the arm of St. George goes towards Constantinople.
These rivers do abound with plenty of fishes, but especially
Volga, and they empty into the Grecian Sea, which is called
Great Sea. Along the Dnieper we went many days upon the
Along the shore also of the Grecian Sea we went very
ice.
dangerously upon the ice in many places, and that for many

About the shore the waters are frozen three

leagues into the sea. But before we came to Batu, two of
our Tartars rode ahead, to give him news of all we had
days together.

said in the presence of Corenza.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

34

C h af

e r

mARCO TOLO
20

HOW WE WERE RECEIVED AT THE COURT

OF THE GREAT

PRINCE BATU

When

we came to Batu in the land of the Comans, we

were made to camp a good league distant from his taberAnd before we were taken to his court, we were
nacles.
told that we must pass between two fires. But we could by
no means be induced to do so. But they said to us: "You
may pass through without danger; for we would have you
do

it

for none other reason but only that if

you intend any

mischief against our lord, or bring any poison with you, the

away all evil." We answered them, that to

from all suspicion, we were contented to pass
through. When we came to the orda, being questioned by
his agent Eldegay regarding what present or gift we would
bestow, we gave the same answer which we did at the court
fire

may

take

clear ourselves

of Corenza.

The

gifts

being given and accepted, the reason of our

journey also being heard, they brought us into the taber-

bowing at the door, and being cauupon the threshold. Having

entered, we spoke to him, kneeling upon our knees, and delivered our letters, and requested him to have interpreters

nacle of the prince,

first

tioned, as before, not to tread

translate them.

Accordingly on Good Friday translators were sent to us,

and we together with them diligently translated our letters
This ininto the Russian, Tartar, and Saracen languages.

was presented to Batu, which he read, and attentively noted. At length we were conducted home again
to our own lodging, but no food was given us, except once

terpretation

little

millet in a dish, the night of our arrival.

This Batu

carries himself

very stately and magnificently,

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

having porters and
peror, and
his wives.

sits in

The

rest,

bench, and others

He

men on

sit
sit

namely,

his brethren

underneath him

down upon

the right

and

sons, as other

in the center

upon

the ground, behind him,

hand and the women on the

left.

has very fair and large tents of linen cloth also, which

once belonged to the King of Hungary.

man come
he

manner of the em-

a lofty seat or throne together with one of

great personages,

but the

all officers after the

35

is

into his tent, excepting his

called, be

knows he

is

Neither dare any

own

family, unless

he ever so mighty and great, or unless he

We sat on the left hand, for so do

wanted.

in going, but in returning from the emperor,

placed on the right hand.
In the middle
were
always
we
near the door of the tent stands a table upon which there
Neither does Batu
is drink in golden and silver vessels.
at any time drink, nor do any of the Tartar princes, especially
And
in public, without singing and music before them.
always, when he rides, there is a canopy or small tent carried over his head upon the point of a pole. And so do all
the great princes of the Tartars, and their wives also. This
Batu is courteous enough to his own men, and yet he is
greatly feared by them. He is, however, most cruel in fight
he is exceedingly shrewd and crafty in war, because he has
been a long time waging wars.
all

ambassadors

Chapter 21
HOW DEPARTING FROM BATU ^ WE

PASSED THROUGH THE

LAND OF THE COMANS ^ AND OF THE CANGLE

At

we were

and there
came forth to meet us the agent of Batu, saying on his
master's behalf, that we should go into their land, to the
Emperor Kuyuk, detaining certain of our company with
Easter eve

called into the tent,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

36

MARCO TOLO

the pretence that they might want to send

the Pope.

We

gave them

them back

letters concerning all

to

our affairs

and deliver to the Pope. But when they got

Duke Mauchy, they were there kept until our

to carry back
as far as

return.

Upon

Easter day, having said our prayers, and taken a

company of two Tartars which

were assigned to us, we departed with many tears, not knowing whether we went to death or to life. And we were so
feeble in body that we were scarce able to ride.
For all
that Lent through, our food was only millet with a little
water and salt. And so likewise upon other fasting days.
Neither had we aught to drink, but snow melted in a kettle.
Passing through Comania we rode most earnestly, having
change of horses five times or oftener in a day, except when
we went through deserts, for then we were allowed better
and stronger horses, which could undergo the extra labour.
And thus far had we travelled from the beginning of Lent
slender breakfast, in the

until eight days after Easter.

The

land of Comania on the north side immediately after

Russia hath the people called Mordunisj the Bilers, that

Great Bulgaria j the Bascarts, that

is.

Great Hungary.

and the Samogetae.

the Samogetse are those people which are said to have

to the Bascarts are the Parositse

to

is,

Next
Next

dogs' faces, inhabiting the desert shores of the ocean.

On

Comania are the Alans, the Circassi,

also the land of
the Gazars, Greece and Constantinople
Ibers, the Cachs, the Brutaches (who are said to be Jews),
the south side of

shaving their heads

all over, the

Georgia, of Armenia, of Turkey.

lands also of Scythia, of

On

the west side

it

has

Hungary and Russia. Also Comania is a most large and

long country. The inhabitants of this land the Tartars slew,
some notwithstanding fled from them, and the rest were

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

subdued under

their bondage.

Most of them

37

that fled have

returned again.

After

we

entered the land of the Cangle, which in

places suffers

from

many

great scarcity of waters, wherein there

few inhabitants by reason of this lack of water. It

happened that some of the servants of Jeroslav, Duke of
Russia, as they were travelling towards him into the land
of the Tartars, died for thirst in this desert. As before in
Comania, so likewise in this country, we found many skulls
and bones of dead men lying upon the ground like cattledung. Through this country we travelled from the eighth
day after Easter until Ascension day [over thirty days].
The inhabitants are pagans, and neither they nor the Comans till the ground, but live only upon the produce of their
cattle; neither do they build any houses but dwell in tents.
These people also have the Tartars annihilated, and do
possess and inhabit their country; those who remain are
are but

reduced to slavery.

Chapter 22
HOW WE CAME TO THE
Leaving

FIRST COURT OF THE

the land of the Cangle,

country of the Bisermins,

nia,

who

we

NEW EMPEROR

entered into the

speak the language of

but observe the religion of the Saracens.

Coma-

In this coun-

we found innumerable cities with ruined castles, and

many towns left desolate. The lord of this country was
called the Great Sultan, who with all his progeny was de-

try

stroyed by the Tartars.^

On

This country has huge mountains.

Jerusalem and Bagdad, and the whole

Saracens.
country of the
In the next territories adjoining
are two brothers, chiefs of the Tartars, namely, Buri and
the south side

is

1 Alayeddin Mohammed, according to Mohammedan writers, died in a

Caspian, 1220, a hunted fugitive from the Mongols.

little

island in the

CONTEMPORARIES OF .MARCO TOLO

38

Kadan, the sons of Chagatai, who was the son of Chinghis

Khan. On the north side thereof it has the land of the black
Cathayans, and the ocean.
In the same country is Sitan,
the brother of Batu.

Through

this

country

of the Ascension
Feast of

St.

Then we

[May

we were

travelling

from the Feast

days before the

17], until eight

John the Baptist [June 24].

entered into the land of the black Cathayans, in

which the emperor built a house, where we were called in

to drink.
Also the emperor's deputy in that place caused

men of the city and his two sons to dance before

Departing from there, we found a certain small sea,

the chief
us.

upon the shore of which stands a

mountain

is

mountain.

little

This

reported to have a hole, from whence, in winter-

time issue such violent tempests of winds that travellers can

and with great danger pass by the same way. In

summertime, the noise of the wind is heard there, but it
comes gently out of the hole.
scarcely

Along the shores of

many
many
In

islands,

this

who

we
it

travelled for the space of

not very great, yet has

is

and we passed by, leaving

land dwells Ordu,

Tartar chiefs.

wives

this sea

days, which, although

And

who

is

the orda, or court,

rules over

it.

For

on our

it

left

hand.

older than any of the

is

that of one of his

among the Tarmen are not dissome women are appointed

it is

a custom

tars, that the courts of princes or of noble

solved on their death, but always

and govern them, and the same amount of gifts are

bestowed, as would be given to their lords. And so at length
to keep

we

court of the emperor, wherein one

But because we had not as yet seen the
emperor, they would not invite us nor admit us into the
orda, but gave us good attendance and entertainment, after

arrived at the

of his wives dwelt.

first

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

the Tartars' fashion, in our
stay there,

own

tent.

They

39

caused us to

and refresh ourselves for a whole day.

Chapter 25
HOW WE CAME

TO KU7UK HIMSELF ^

WHO WAS SOON TO BE

CHOSEN EMPEROR

Departing from here on the eve of St. Peter and St.

Paul [June 28], we entered into the land of the Naimans,
who are pagans. But upon the very feast day of the said
apostles, there fell a mighty snow in that place, and we had
extreme cold weather. This land is full of mountains, and
cold beyond measure, and there is little plain ground to be
seen.
These two nations did not till their ground, but, like
the Tartars, dwelt in tents, which the Tartars had destroyed.
Through this country we were travelling many days.
Then we came to the land of the Mongols, whom we call
Tartars. Through the Tartars' land we continued our travel
for the space of about three weeks, riding always hastily
and with speed, and upon the day of Mary Magdalene [July
22],

we

arrived at the court of

Kuyuk

the emperor-elect.^

But we made great haste all the way, because our guides
were commanded to bring us to the imperial court with all
speed, which court had been these many years ordained for
the election of the emperor.
Therefore rising early, we
travelled until night without eating anything, and oftentimes we came so late to our lodging that we had no time to
eat the same night, but that which we should have eaten at
night was given us in the morning.
Often changing our
mounts, for there was no lack of horses, we rode swiftly
and without intermission, as fast as our steeds could trot.
*

While Ogotay Khan died

spring of 1246.

in

1241, the council which elected

Kuyuk

only met in the

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IJRCO TOLO

40

Chapter 24
US AT HIS COURT ^ AND THE
AMBASSADORS

HOW KUYUK ENTERTAINED

When

we had

arrived at the court of Kuyuk, he caused,

after the Tartars' manner, a tent

to be provided for us.

And

his

and

all

expenses necessary

people treated us with more

regard and courtesy than they did any other ambassadors.

However, we were not called before his presence, because

he was not

as yet elected, nor

succession.

The

had they

settled about the

translations of the Pope's letters,

and the

message which we brought, were sent to him by Batu.

After five or six days, he sent us to his mother [the Regent Empress Turakina], under whom there was maintained
a very solemn and royal court. When we came there we
saw a huge tent of fine white cloth, which was, in our judgment, so great that more than two thousand men might
stand within it, and round about it there was set up a wall
of planks, painted with

divers designs.

We,

therefore,

with the Tartars assigned to attend upon us, went to this

and there were all the chiefs assembled, each one of

them riding up and down with his train over the hills and
dales. The first day they were all clad in white, but on the
second they wore scarlet robes. Then came Kuyuk to the
tent.
On the third day they were all dressed in blue robes,
and on the fourth in most rich robes of baldakin [brocade]
tent,

cloth.

In the wall of boards about the tent were two great gates;

by one of

these, the

emperor only was

gate there was no guard of

it

men

to enter,

and

at that

appointed to stand, although

stood continually open, because none dared go in or come

out by
gate, at

All that were admitted, entered by another

which there stood watchmen, with bows, swords,

it.

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

4j,

and arrows. And whosoever approached the tent beyond

the bounds and limit assigned, and, being caught, was beaten,
but if he fled, he was shot at with arrows. There were many
who, in our judgment, had upon their bridles, trappings,
saddles, and such like trimmings, to the value of twenty
marks in pure gold.
The chiefs communed together within the tent, and consulted about the election of their emperor. But all the rest
of the people were placed far away without the board walls,
and in this manner they stayed almost till noon. Then
they began to drink mares' milk, and so continued drinking
till evening, and that in so great quantity that it was a
They called us inside the tent, and gave us
rare sight.
mead, because we could not drink their mares' milk. And
But they
this they did unto us in token of great honour.
compelled us to drink so much that, because of our customary diet, we could by no means endure it. Whereupon,
giving them to understand that it was hurtful to us, they
ceased to compel us to drink any more. Without the door
stood Duke Jeroslav of Susdal, in Russia, and a great many
dukes of the Cathayans, and of the Solangs. The two sons
also of the King of Georgia, an ambassador of the Calif of
Bagdad, who was a sultan and, we think, more than ten
other sultans of the Saracens beside. And, as it was told us
by the agents, there were more than four thousand ambassadors, partly of such as paid tribute and such as presented
gifts, and other sultans and dukes, which came to present
themselves, and such as the Tartars had sent for, and such
All these were placed without
as were governors of lands.
the enclosure, and had drink given to them.
But almost
continually they all of them gave us and Duke Jeroslav a
higher place, when we were in their company.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

42

C h af t er

^ARCO TOLO
2

HOW HE WAS MADE RULER OF

To

HIS EMPIRE

we remained there about the space

we thought, there celeit was not published and proclaimed there. Kuyuk

our remembrance,

of four weeks.
brated, but

The

election was,

came forth out of the tent, he had a noise of music, and was
bowed to, or honoured with inclined staffs, having red wool
upon the tops of them, and that, so long as he remained,
which service was performed to none of the other chiefs.
This tent or court is called by them Syra orda.
Departing,

we

all

with one accord rode three or four

leagues to another place, where, in a fine plain by a river's

between certain mountains, another tent was erected,

which was called the Golden orda. Here Kuyuk was to be
placed on the imperial throne upon the day of the Assumption of Our Lady [August 15]. But, because of the abundance of hail which fell at the same time, the matter was
deferred. There was also a tent erected upon pillars, which
were covered with plates of gold and joined to other timber
with golden nails.
It was covered inside with baldakin
cloth, but there was other cloth spread over it on the outside. We remained there until the feast of St. Bartholomew
[August 24], when there was assembled a huge multitude
standing with their faces towards the south. And a certain
number of them, a stone's cast distant from the rest, were
side,

making continual prayers, and kneeling upon their knees,

went farther and farther towards the south. But we, not
knowing whether they used enchantments, or whether they
bowed their knees to God or to some other, would not kneel
upon the ground with them. And having done so a long
time, they returned to the tent, and placed Kuyuk on his
imperial throne, and his chiefs bowed their knees before

TEE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

43

him. Afterward the whole multitude knelt down in like

manner, except ourselves, for we were not his subjects.

C h af t e r 26
OF HIS AGE AND PERSON ^ AND OF HIS SEAL

This emperor seemed

to be about the age of forty or

He

was of a mean stature, very wise and

politic, and passing serious and grave in all his demeanour.
A rare thing it was for a man to see him laugh or behave
himself lightly, as those Christians report which abode conforty-five years.

tinually with him.

Certain Christians of his family ear-

and strongly assured us that he himself was about to

become a Christian. A token and argument of this was,
that he received many clergymen of the Christians.
He
had likewise at all times a chapel of Christians, near his
great tent, where the priests do sing publicly and openly,
and ring bells at certain hours. Yet none of their chiefs do
nestly

likewise.
It

manner of the emperor never

the

is

to talk himself

with a stranger, though he be ever so great.

for by a speaker.

And when any

He

is

spoken

of his subjects are pro-

pounding any matter of importance

to

him, or hearing his

answer, they continue kneeling to the end of their conference.

Neither

affairs, until

The emperor
an

official,

officials,

is

it

lawful for any

they have been

man

made known

to speak of

any

to the emperor.

has in his affairs, both public and private,

and secretary of

state, with scribes and all other

Without the noise of pleading,
things are done according to the

except advocates.

or sentence giving, all

emperor's will and pleasure.

But, be

it

known unto

men, that while we remained

Emperor Kuyuk, being emperor

all

at the emperor's court, the

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO 'POLO

44

new

elect,

together with all his princes, erected a flag of

Church of God, and the Roman empire,

and against all Christian kingdoms and nations of the West.
Their intent and purpose is to subdue the whole world, as
they had been commanded by Chinghis Khan. Hence it is
that the emperor in his letters writes after this manner:
"The power of God, and emperor of all men." Also upon
his seal, there is engraved: "God in heaven, and Kuyuk
Khan upon earth, the power of God: the seal of the emperor
defiance against the

of all men."

Chafter

2 y

OF OUR ADMISSION TO THE COURT ^ AND OF OTHER

AMBASSADORS
In the same place where the emperor was established on
And Chingay,
his throne, we were summoned before him.
his chief secretary, having written down our names, and
the names of those

who

sent us, with the

name of

the

Duke

of Solangs, and of others, cried out with a loud voice,

repeating the names before the emperor, and the assembly

When this was done, each one of us bowed

knee four times, and they gave us warning not to
touch the threshold. And after they had searched us most
diligently for knives, and could not find any about us, we
entered in at the door upon the east sidej because no man
dare presume to enter at the west door, but the emperor
of his chiefs.

his left

Every Tartar chief enters on the west side to his tent,

but those of low rank do not greatly regard such ceremonies.
This, therefore, was the first time we entered into the emperonly.

he was created emperor.

Likewise all other ambassadors were there received by him,
but very few were admitted into his tent.
There were presented to him such abundance of gifts by
or's

tent in his presence, after

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

45

the ambassadors, that they seemed to be Infinite, namely,

and of baldakin cloth, silk girdles

wrought with gold, and costly skins, with other gifts also.
Likewise there was a certain sun canopy, or small tent, which
was to be carried over the emperor's head, presented to him,
and this was set full of precious stones. A governor of one
province brought to him a company of camels covered with
baldakins.
They had saddles also upon their backs, with
certain other arrangements within which were places for
men to sit. Also they brought many horses and mules to
him furnished with trappings and armour, some being made
of leather, and some of iron. They asked us whether we
would bestow any gifts upon him or not: but we were not
able to do so, having already spent all.
There were also
upon a hill standing a good distance from the tents, more
than five hundred carts, which were all full of silver and
of gold, and silk garments.
And they were all divided
between the emperor and his chiefs, and every chief bestowed
upon his own followers what pleased him.
samites, robes of purple

C h af t er 28
OF THE PLACE WHERE THE EMPEROR ^ AND HIS MOTHER
PARTED

Leaving this place, we came to another, where was pitched

wonderful tent, all of red purple, presented by the Cathayans. We were admitted into that also, and always when we
entered there was given us ale and wine to drink, and cooked
flesh when we desired to eat.
There was also a lofty stage
built of boards, where the emperor's throne was placed,
being very curiously wrought out of ivory, wherein also
there was gold and precious stones, and there were certain
stairs to ascend to it.
And it was round at the back.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

46

MARCO TOLO

Benches were placed about the throne, whereon the ladies

toward the left hand of the emperor, but none sat on
the right hand, and the chiefs sat upon benches below. Certain others sat behind the chiefs, and every day there resorted
sat

thither a great

The

company of

ladies.

we mentioned before were very large,

but the emperor and his wives had other great tents made
of white felt. This was the place where the emperor parted
company with his mother for she went to one part of the
land, and the emperor to another to execute justice.
For
there was taken a certain aunt of this emperor, who had
three tents

poisoned his father to death, at the time

army was

when

the Tartar's

Hungary, and it was for this reason the army

retreated.
This aunt and many others were tried for this
crime, and they were put to death.
At the same time Jeroslav the great Duke of Susdal,
which is a part of Russia, died. Having been, as it were for
honour's sake, invited to eat and drink with the emperor's
mother, immediately after the banquet, on returning to his
lodging, he fell sick, and within seven days he died. After
his death, his body was of a strange blue colour, and it was
commonly reported, that the duke was poisoned, to the end
that the Tartars might freely and totally possess his
dukedom.
in

C h a'p t e r 29
TO THE EMPEROR WHO GAVE ^ AND
RECEIVED LETTERS

HOW WE CAME AT LENGTH

To

be short, the Tartars brought us to their emperor,

who, when he heard that we had come

that

we should

return to his mother.

mined the next day,

as

it

is

above

said,

to him,

commanded

For he was deterto set up a flag of

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

47

defiance against all the countries of the West, which he

wished us not to know. We stayed some few days with
We remained
his mother, and so returned again to him.
with him for the space of one whole month in such extreme
hunger and thirst that we could scarce hold body and soul
The provisions allowed us for four days were
together.
Neither could we buy any
scarcely sufficient for one day.
However,
sustenance, because the market was too far ofF.
the Lord provided for us a Russian goldsmith, named Cosmas, who, being greatly in the emperor's favour, procured

some food. This man showed us the throne of the

emperor, which he had made, before it was set in its proper
place, and his seal, which he also had framed.

us

Afterwards the emperor sent for

us,

giving us to under-

we should
down our messages and affairs, and should deliver
them to him. This we performed accordingly. After
many days he called for us again, demanding whether there
were any with our lord the Pope, who understood the Russtand through Chingay, his chief secretary, that

write

sian,

the Saracen, or the Tartar languages.

that

we used none

We

answered,

of those letters or languages, but that

there were certain Saracens in the land, but they were

great distance

from our lord the Pope.

And we

a.

said that

we thought

it most expedient, that when they had written

minds in the Tartar language, and had interpreted the
meaning thereof to us, we should diligently translate it into
our own tongue, and so deliver both the letter and the trans-

their

lation thereof to our lord the Pope.

and went

On

to the

On

this they

departed

emperor.

the day of St.

called for again.

Martin [November 11], we were

Then Kadac,

principal secretary for the

whole empire, and Chingay, and Bala, with divers other

scribes, came to us, and interpreted the letter word for word.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

48

y y T

And

having written

it

in Latin,

they made us interpret to

them each sentence, to find out if we had erred in any

word. And when both letters were written, they made us
read them over twice more, lest we should have mistaken
And they said to us: "Take heed that you
something.
understand all things thoroughly, for if you should not
understand the whole matter, it might breed some incon-

They wrote

venience."

the letters

also

in

the

Saracen

tongue, that there might be found in our dominions some

who

could read and interpret them,

if

need should require.

C h af t er 30
HOW WE WERE PERMITTED

Our

TO DEPART

emperor proposed sending

However, he wanted that we ourambassadors with us.
And when one
selves should ask that favour at his hands.
of our Tartars, being an elderly man, advised us to make
the petition, we thought it not good for us that the emperor
should send his ambassadors. Therefore, we gave him our
answer, that it was not for us to make any such petition, but
if it pleased the emperor of his own accord to send them,
Tartars

we would
in safety.

told

us

the

by God's assistance, see them conducted

thought it expedient that they should not go,

diligently,

We

and that for

diiferent reasons.

First, because

we

feared lest

they, seeing the dissensions and wars which are among us,
should be the more encouraged to make war against us.
Secondly, we feared that they would be spies and informers
Thirdly, we feared that they would be
in our dominions.
slain on the wayj for our nations are arrogant and proud.
For when those servants, who, at the request of the cardinal,
attended upon us, returned unto him in the Tartar's attire,
they were almost stoned on the way by the Germans and

yy

THE JOURNEY OF FRIAR JOHN

i^y^

49

were compelled to put off those garments. And it is the

Tartars' custom never to make peace with those who have
slain their ambassadors, till they have revenged themselves.
Fourthly, lest they should take us by main force and carry
us off. Fifthly, because no good could come of their mission, for they were to have no other authority, but only
to deliver their emperor's letter to the Pope, which very
same letter we ourselves had, and we knew right well that
much harm might come of it.
Therefore, the third day after this, namely, upon the
feast of St. Brice, they gave us permission to leave and a
letter sealed with the

emperor's

who gave

own

seal,

sending us to the

gown made of
fox skins, with the fur on the outside, and a piece of pur-

emperor's mother,

to each of us a

ple.

And

And

out of that which was given to our servant, they stole

our Tartars stole a yard out of every one of them.

the better half, which false dealing of theirs

enough, but would make no words over

we knew well

it.

Chapter 5/
HOW WE RETURNED HOMEWARD ^ AND

OF THE LETTERS TO

THE POPE

Then
ter long,

taking our journey to return,

we

travelled all win-

lying in the deserts oftentimes upon the snow,

we made a piece of ground bare to lie

For there were no trees, and the plains were open.
And oftentimes in the morning we found ourselves all covered with snow driven over us by the wind. And so travel-

except with our feet

upon.

ling

till

the feast of our Lord's Ascension

arrived at the court of Batu.

When we

had

[May

9], we
Inquired, what

answer he would send to our lord the Pope, he said that he

had nothing to give us in charge, but only that we would

CONTEMPORARIES OF

50

diligently deliver that which the

having received

mARCO TOLO

emperor had written.

And,

our safe conduct, the thirteenth

day after Pentecost [June 2], being Saturday, we reached
Mauchy, where were our associates and servants, which had
been withheld from us, and we caused them to be delivered
letters for

to us.

From

here

we

whom, requiring
we gave none. He gave
among the common people

travelled to Corenza, to

gifts the

second time at our hands,

us two

Comans, who lived

of the Tartars, to be our guides as far as the city of Kiev

in Russia.

One

of our Tartars did not leave us,

till

we

passed the last guard of the Tartars.

But the other guides,

namely the Comans, which were given us by Corenza,
brought us from the last guard to the city of Kiev, in the
space of six days.

And

there

we

arrived fifteen days before

the feast of St.

John the Baptist [June 9].

The citizens of Kiev hearing of our approach, they all
came forth to meet us, with great joy. For they rejoiced
over us, as over men that had risen from death to life. So
likewise they did throughout all Russia, Poland, and Bohemia. Daniel and his brother Wasilko made us a royal feast,
and entertained us against our wills for the space of eight
In the meantime, they with their bishops, and other
days.
men of account, after a consultation on those matters of
which we had spoken to them on our eastward journey
towards the Tartars, answered us with

common

consent,

saying that they would hold the Pope for their special lord

and

father,

and the Church of

Rome

mistress, confirming likewise all things

for their lady and

which they had sent

concerning this matter, before our coming, through their

abbot.
ters

And

after that they sent their ambassadors

with us, to our lord the Pope,

and

let-

THE JOURNAL OF
FRIAR WILLIAM OF RUBRUCK
1253-^255

FRIAR WILLIAM OF RUBRUCK

Rubruck was born in 12 15 and died in 1270. He went to the
East as an envoy of Louis IX (St. Louis) of France, who learning
that Sartach, son of Batu the commander of Tartar troops in Russia,
had become a Christian, desired to open communications with him.
vast conquests of Chinghis Khan were at this time still inthough they were not under a single ruler. When Rubruck
set out on his journey in 1253 Mangu Khan, a grandson of Chinghis
and elder brother of Kublai Khan, was the Great Khan and ruler
on the Mongolian steppes. Rubruck reached the courts of Sartach
and Batu and after some delay was ordered to visit the Great Khan
at his court, near Caracarum.
This involved a journey of five
thousand miles.

The

tact,

The

narrative of this journey

is

certainly one of the

ing and intimate travel records in existence.

life

and gives a splendid first-hand picture

cally

it is

as important a record as

Marco

most

interest-

It is full of colour

of the Tartars.

and

Histori-

Polo's.

After many amazing experiences Rubruck at length returned to

Christian soil in 1255. He had hoped to meet King Louis in Palestine, but the King had already made his pilgrimage and had returned to France. He therefore went to Acre and in the monastery
of his Order wrote the report of his journey.

This he sent to the

King.

Roger Bacon met Rubruck several years later and spoke to him
about his adventures and discoveries. He also examined Rubruck 's
travel record and made detailed notes which we find embodied in
the famous Opus Ma jus. Little is known about the man personally
excepting that he was honest, pious, stout-hearted, a keen observer,
and like Friar Carpini, he, too, was a very heavy man. He has left
us a record and narrative of a journey that has few superiors in the
whole Library of Travel.

THE JOURNAL OF
FRIAR WILLIAM OF RUBRUCK
A Frenchman

of the Order of the Minor FriarSy to the

East Farts of the World, in the Years 1253 to 1255

Chapter

OF THE CITIES ^ AND LANDS WE PASSED IN GOING TO THEH

LAND OF THE TARTARS

To

THE MOST

HIS SOVEREIGN,

Christian

Louis,

by

God's

grace the renowned king of

France, Friar William

of
Rubruck, the meanest of the
order of Minor Friars, wishes
health and continual triumph
in Christ.
It

is

written in the book of

Ecclesiasticus

wise man:

concerning

"He

shall

the

travel

foreign countries, and

good and evil shall he try in
all things." This, my lord and king, have I achieved: however, I hope that I have done it as a wise man, and not as
For many there be, who perform the same action
a fool.
which a wise man does, not wisely but more foolishly: of
which number I fear myself to be one. Nevertheless, in
whatever way, I have done it because you commanded me,
when I departed from your Highness, to write all things
into

\i-^.,/>rUf

unto you, which

wished also that

I
I

should see

among

the Tartars.

should not fear to write long

53

You

letters: I

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

54

have done as your Majesty enjoined me, yet with fear and
reverence, because I want words and eloquence sufficient to
write to so great a majesty.

Be

known then

it

to

your sacred Majesty, that in the year

of our Lord 1253, about the nones of May [7th] , we entered

into the sea of Pontus [Black Sea], which the Bulgarians
call the

Great Sea.

It contains in

learned of certain merchants, and

length 1008 miles, as I

is

divided, as

it

were, into

two parts. About the middle thereof are two provinces,

one towards the north, and another towards the south. The
south province is called Synopolis, and it is the castle and
port of the Sultan of Turkey; but the north province is
called by the Latins, Gasaria [Crimea] but by the Greeks,
:

who

inhabit the shore thereof,

to say Csesarea.

And

it

is

called Cassaria, that

is

there are certain headlands stretching

forth into the sea towards Synopolis.

Also there are three

hundred miles of distance between Synopolis and Cassaria.

distance from those points or places to Constantinople,
in length and breadth, is about seven hundred miles: and
seven hundred miles also from there to the east, namely

The

to the province of Georgia.

We

arrived at the province of Gasaria, or Cassaria, which

province

is

triangular, having a city on the west part called

Clement suffered martyrdom. And

we saw an island on which a
church is said to be built by the hands of angels. About the
middle of the said province toward the south, upon a sharp

Kersona, wherein

St.

sailing before the said city,

point,

is

a city called Soldaia [Sudak], directly over against

Synopolis.
fic in

and

And

there all the Turkish merchants

who

traf-

the north countries, in their journey outward, arrive^

also they

who

return

homeward from

Russia,

northern regions, and wish to pass into Turkey.

and the

The mer-

chants carry ermines and grey furs, with other rich and

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

costly skins.

55

Others carry clothes made of cotton, and silk,

spices.
But upon the east part of the

and various kinds of

said province stands a city called Matrica,

where the

river

Tanais [Don] discharges its streams into the sea of Pontus,

through a mouth twelve miles in breadth. This river, before
it

enters into the sea of Pontus, forms a little sea, in breadth

and length seven hundred

miles,

and

it is

in

no part above

six paces deepj therefore, great vessels cannot sail over

it.

But the merchants of Constantinople, arriving

of

at the city

Matrica, send their barks as far as the river of Tanais to buy

dried

fish,

fishes.

sturgeon, barbel, and an infinite

The

said province of Cassaria

sea on three sides: on the west,

is

is

number of other

encompassed by the

Kersona, the city of

St.

Clement; on the south, the city of Soldaia where we arrived;

on the east, Maricandis, and there also stands the city of
Matrica upon the mouth of the river Tanais.
Beyond the mouth stands Zikia, which is not in subjection
unto the Tartars: also the people called Suevs and Hibers
towards the east, who likewise are not under the Tartars*
rule.
Moreover, towards the south, stands the city of Trebizond, which has its own governor, named Guido, who is
of the lineage of the emperors of Constantinople, and is subject to the Tartars. Next is Synopolis, the city of the Sultan
of Turkey, who likewise is in subjection unto them. All the
land from the mouth of Tanais westward as far as the
Danube is under their subjection. Even beyond the Danube,
towards Constantinople, Wallachia, which is the land of
Assani, and Lesser Bulgaria as far as Solonia, all pay tribute
to them.
And besides the tribute imposed, they have also
of late years exacted of every household one axe, and all such
iron as they found unwrought.

We arrived therefore at Soldaia the twelfth of the calends

of June

[May

21

].

And

merchants of Constantinople,

who

CONTEMPORARIES OF

56

mARCO TOLO

arrived there before us, reported that certain messengers

were coming from the Holy Land, who were desirous to

However, I myself had preached on
travel into Sartach.
Palm Sunday, within the Church of St. Sophia, that I was not
your nor any other man's messenger, but that I was going

among

these unbelievers according to the rule of our order.

After arriving, the merchants cautioned me to take diligent

heed what I spoke because they having reported me to be a
messenger, if I should say the contrary, I would not be
allowed to pass. Then I spoke in this manner to the governors
of the city, or rather to their lieutenants, because the gover:

nors themselves had gone to pay tribute unto Batu, and had
heard of our lord Sartach, I said, in
not as yet returned.

We

the

Holy Land,

that he has

become a

Christians were exceeding glad thereof,

Christian:

and

most Christian King of France, who is there

pilgrimage, and is fighting against the Saracens
the

Holy

and the

especially the

Places out of their hands: therefore, I

now on a
to

redeem

am

deter-

mined to go unto Sartach, and to deliver to him the letters

of my lord the king, wherein he admonishes him concerning
the good and welfare of all Christendom. And they received
us favourably, and gave us lodgings in the cathedral church.
The bishop of this church had been to Sartach, and he told
me many good things concerning him, which later I failed
to discover for myself.

Then they gave

and oxen, or pack-horses

carts

we would have
our effects. The

us our choice, whether

to transport

merchants of Constantinople advised me not to take carts

of the citizens of Soldaia but to buy covered carts of mine
own, such as the Russians carry their skins in, and to put into

them

all

our

effects,

which

would not require daily:

must at every stopping place
them up again on other horses'
I

because, if I should use horses, I

take

down my

things and

lift

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

57

and besides, that I should ride a more gentle pace

by the oxen drawing the carts. By accepting their evil counsel, I was travelling to Sartach two months which I could
have done in one had I gone by horse.
I brought with me from Constantinople, on advice of
the merchants, pleasant fruits, muscadel wine, and delicate
backs:

biscuit

bread to present unto the governors of Soldaia, to the

might obtain free passage: because they look favourably upon no man which comes with an empty hand. All of
which things I bestowed in one of my carts, for they told me,

end

if I

could carry them as far as Sartach, that they would be

most acceptable unto him.

We

took our journey, therefore,

first of June, with four covered carts of our own,

and with two other which we borrowed of them, wherein
we carried our bedding to rest upon in the night, and they
allowed us five horses to ride upon. There were just five
persons in our company: namely, I myself and mine associate. Friar Bartholomew of Cremona, and Goset the bearer
of these presents, the man of God Turgemannus, and Nicolas,
my servant, whom I bought at Constantinople with some
part of the alms bestowed upon me.
Moreover, they
allowed us two men, which drove our carts and looked after
our oxen and horses.
There are high points of land on the shore from Kersona
to the mouth of Tanais. Also there are forty castles between
Kersona and Soldaia, every one of which has its own language: among them there were many Goths, whose language

about the

is

Teutonic.

Beyond
beautiful
rivulets.

these mountains towards the north there

wood growing on

And beyond

the

is

a most

a plain full of fountains

wood

there

is

and

a mighty plain

which stretches out for five days' journey to the very border
of the province northward, and there is a narrow isthmus or

CONTEMPORARIES OF

58

mARCO TOLO

neck land, having sea on the east and west

is

a ditch

made from one

sides, so that there

sea to the other.

In

this plain

who compelled
and castles to pay tribute unto them.
But when the Tartars came a great multitude of the Comans
entered into this province, and all fled to the sea shore, being
in such extreme famine, that they who were alive were
obliged to eat up those who were dead and a merchant who
saw it with his own eyes reported to me that the living men
devoured and tore with their teeth the raw flesh of the dead,
as dogs would gnaw upon corpses.
before the Tartars came were the Comans,
the mentioned

cities

Towards the border of the said province there are many

upon their banks are brine springs, the water of

great lakes 5

which
ice.

as soon as

And

it

enters the lake becomes salt as hard as

out of these salt pits Batu and Sartach have great

revenues: for they come here from all Russia for salt; and
for each cart-load they give two pieces of cotton amounting
to the value of half an yperfera.

many

ships for salt, which

pay

There come

also

by sea

tribute every one of

them

according to the quantity.

The

we

departed out of Soldaia, we found

found myself among them I thought
had arrived into a new century. Their life and manners
will describe to your Highness as well as I can.
third day after

the Tartars.

When

Chapter

OF THE TARTARS ^ AND OF THEIR HOUSES

They have in no place any settled city to live in, neither

do they know where their next will be. They have divided
all Scythia among themselves, which stretches from the
river Danube to the rising of the sun.
And every captain,
according to the great or small number of his people, knows

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

the

bound of

his pastures,

and where he ought

to

59

feed his

winter and summer, spring and autumn. In the winAnd in the

ter they descend into warm regions southward.
summer they ascend to the cold regions northward. In
cattle,

winter
cattle

snow

when snow falls upon the ground, they feed their

upon pastures without water, because then they use

instead of water.

Their houses in which they sleep, they base upon a round

frame of wickers interlaced compactly: the roof consists of
wickers, meeting above into one little roundell, out of which
ascends a neck like a chimney, which they cover with white
felt, and oftentimes they lay mortar or white earth upon
the said felt, with the

powder of bones,

that

it

may

shine

And

sometimes also they cover it with black felt.

on the collar they decorate with various beautiful
pictures. Before the door they hang a felt curiously painted
with vines, trees, birds, and beasts.
These houses they make so large that they are often thirty
Measuring once the breadth between the
feet in breadth.
wheel-ruts of one of their carts, I found it to be twenty
feet over: and when the house was upon the cart, it stretched
over the wheels on each side five feet at least. I counted
twenty-two oxen in one team, drawing a house upon a cart,
eleven in one order according to the breadth of the cart, and
eleven more before them: the axletree of the cart was of
huge size, like the mast of a ship. And a fellow stood in the
door of the house, upon the forestall of the cart, driving

white.

The

felt

the oxen.

Moreover, they make

certain square baskets of small slen-

der wickers as big as great chests: and afterward, from one

side to another, they

wickers,

frame a hollow

and make a door

this chest or little

in the front.

house with black

lid or cover

And
felt

of like

then they cover

rubbed over with

CONTEMPORARIES OF 31ARCO TOLO

6o

milk to keep the rain from soaking

they decorate also with paintings or with
feathers.
In such chests they put their whole household
Also the same chests they strongly bind
stuff and treasure.
tallow or sheep's

through}

this

upon other carts, which are drawn with camels, so that they
may wade through rivers. Neither do they at any time take
down the chests from their carts.

When

they take

down

their dwelling houses, they turn

the doors always to the south: and then they place the carts

with chests, here and there, within half a stone's throw of

the house: so that the house stands between two ranks of
carts, as

it

were, between two walls.

The matrons make

for themselves most beautiful carts, which

am

not able

Majesty but by pictures only: for I

would right willingly have painted all things for you, had

to describe unto your

my

skill

been in that direction.

single rich

Moal [Mon-

gol], or Tartar, has two hundred or one hundred such carts

Chief Batu has sixteen wives, every one of

which has one great house, besides other little houses, which
they place behind the great one, being as it were chambers for
And to every one of the
their serving girls to dwell in.
with chests.

houses belong two hundred

When

carts.

they take their houses off the

carts,

the principal

wife places her court on the west front, and so all the rest
in their order: so that the last wife lives upon the east side:
and one court is distant from another by about a stone's throw.
court of one rich Moal will appear like a great village,
though very few men will be found. One woman will guide
twenty or thirty carts at once, for their country is very flat,
and they bind the carts with camels or oxen, one behind
another. And there sits a wench in the foremost cart driving
the oxen, and all the residue follow on a like pace. When
they chance to come to a bad place, they let them loose, and

The

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

6i

guide them over one by one. They go at a slow pace, as

fast as a lamb or an ox might walk.

Chapter

OF THEIR BEDS ^ AND OF THEIR DRINKING POTS

Having

taken

down

their houses

from

their carts,

and

turned the doors southward, they place the bed of the masThe women's place is
ter of the house at the north side.
namely,
on the left hand of the
always on the east side,
master of the house, sitting upon his bed with his face southwards 5 but the men's place is upon the west side, namely, at
the right hand of their master.

Men, when they

enter the

house, will not in any case hang their bows on the women's
side.

Over the master's head is always an image,

made of felt, which they call the master's

like a puppet,

brother:

and

another over the head of the good wife or mistress, which

they call her brother, is fastened to the wall: and higher up

between both of them, there is a little lean one, which is as
it were the guardian of the whole house.
The mistress of
the house places aloft at her bed's feet, on the right hand,
a goat-skin stuffed with wool or some other material, and
near that a little image or puppet looking towards the
maidens and women. Next to the door, also on the women's
side, there is another image with a cow's udder, for the
women that milk the cows. It is the duty of their women
to milk cows.
On the other side of the door, next to the
men, there is another image with the udder of a mare, for
the men milk the mares.
And when they come together to drink and make merry,
they sprinkle part of their drink upon the image which is
above the master's head: afterward upon other images in

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

62

order: then a servant goes out of the house with a cup full

of drink sprinkling it three times towards the south, and

bowing his knee at every time: and this is done for the
honour of the fire. Then he performs the same towards
the east, for the honour of the air: and then to the west for
the honour of the water: and lastly to the north in behalf of
the dead.

When

the master holds a cup in his hand to drink, before

he drinks he pours part upon the ground. If he drinks situpon the neck or mane

ting on horseback, he pours out part

After the servant has so discharged his cups

of his horse.

to the four quarters of the world, he returns into the house:

and two other servants stand ready with two cups, and two
master and his wife, sitting
together upon the couch. And if he has more wives than
one, she with whom he slept the night before sits by his side
the day following: and all his other wives must that day
resort to her house to drink: and there the court is held for
that day: the gifts also which are presented that day are
laid up in the chests of that wife.
A bench, bearing a vessel of milk or of other drink and drinking cups, stands at the
basins, to carry drink to their

door.

C h af t e r

OF THEIR DRINKS ^ AND HOW THEY PROVOKE ONE ANOTHER

TO DRINKING

In winter they make an excellent drink of rice, of millet,

and of honey, being well and highly coloured like wine.
Also they have wine brought to them from far countries.
In summer they care not for any drink but cosmos [mare's
milk]

And

it

stands always within the entrance of the door,

and next to it stands a minstrel with his guitar. I saw there

no lutes or violins such as we have, but many other musical

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

63

instruments which are not used among us. And when the
master of the house begins to drink, one of his servants cries

"Ha!" and

out with a loud voice,

And when

his guitar.

they

all

the minstrel plays upon

they make any great solemn feast,

of them clap their hands and dance to the noise of

men

music, the

before their master and the

women

before

their mistress.

When

the master has drunk, his servant cries out as

Then they
men and women: and sometimes

before, and the minstrel stops his music.

all

around, both

drink

carouse for the victory very filthily and drunkenly.

when they

they

Also

any man, they pull him by the

ears to the cup, and so lug and draw him, clapping their
hands and dancing before him. Moreover when some of
them will make great feasting and rejoicing, one of the
company takes a full cup, and two others stand, one on his
right hand and another on his left, and so they three come
singing to the man who is to have the cup handed to him,
still singing and dancing before him: and when he stretches
forth his hand to receive the cup, they leap suddenly back,
returning again as they did before, and so having deluded
him three or four times by drawing back the cup until he
is merry, and has a good appetite, then they give him the
cup, singing and dancing and stamping with their feet, until
he has finished drinking.
desire to provoke

Chapter

OF THEIR FOOD ^ AND VICTUALS

Concerning

their

food and

they do, without exception, eat

victuals,

all their

be

it

known

dead animals.

that

And

amongst so many droves, it cannot be but some cattle must

die.
However, in summer, so long as their cosmos lasts,

^ARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

64

they care not for any other food. And if they chance to
have an ox or a horse die, they dry the flesh thereof by cutting

it

into thin slices

the wind.

It is

and hanging

it

up against the sun and

salt, and also with-

presently dried without

out any evil smell.

They make

better sausages of their

The rest
They make of their

horses than of their hogs, which they eat fresh.

of the flesh they reserve until winter.

ox-skins great bladders, or bags, which they dry wonderfully

smoke.

in

Of

make very fine

They give to

the hinder part of their horse hides they

sandals and shoes.

hundred men the flesh of one ram

to eat, for they mince it in a bowl with salt and water, they
have no other sauce, and then with the point of a knife, or
a little fork which they make for this purpose, such as we
fifty or a

use to take roasted pears or apples out of wine, they give to

every one of the company a mouthful or two, according to

number of guests. The master of the house, first of
all, takes what he pleases.
Also, if he gives to any of the
the

company a special part, the person receiving it must eat it

alone, and must not give any part of it. Not being able to
eat it all up he carries it with him, or delivers it to his boy,
if

he

is

present, to keep

it

If not, he puts

for him.

it

into

bag which they carry

such provisions, and
in this bag they also store their bones, when they have not
time to gnaw them thoroughly, that nothing of their food
his saftargaty that

is

to say a square

about with them for the saving of

be

all

lost.

Chapter
HOW THEY MAKE

THEIR DRINK CALLED COSMOS

Their drink called costnos

They fasten a long line to two
ground, and to the line they

tie

is

prepared in

this

manner.

posts standing firmly in the

the

young

colts of the

mares

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

65

which they mean to milk. Then come the mothers who

stand by their foals, and allow themselves to be milked.
And if any of them be too unruly, then one takes her colt
and puts it under her, letting it suck a while, and presently
taking it away again, and the milker takes its place. After
they have got together a good quantity of this milk, being
as sweet as cow's milk, while it is fresh they pour it into a
great bladder or bag, and they beat the said bag with a piece
of wood made for the purpose, having a club at the lower
end shaped like a man's head, and being hollow within: and
as soon as they beat the bag it begins to boil like new wine,
and to become sour and sharp to the taste, and they beat it
in that manner until it turns to butter.
Then they taste it,
and when it is mildly pungent, they drink it. It bites a man's
tongue like the wine of grape, when it is drunk. After a

man

has taken a draught thereof,

like the taste

antly, intoxicating

avoided

it

leaves behind

of almond milk, and goes

in great

weak

brains: also

a taste
pleas-

causes wine to be

measure.

Likewise caracosmosy that

lords to drink.

it

it

down very

is

They make

First they beat the

milk

to say, black cosmos, for great

this in the

following manner.

long as the thickest part of it

bottom like the lees of white
wine, and that which is thin and pure remains above, being
like whey or white must.
The lees or dregs being very
white, are given to slaves, and will cause them to sleep.
That which is thin and clear their masters drink: and indeed
it is agreeably sweet and wholesome liquor.
descends right

down

as

to the

Chief Batu has thirty cottages, or granges, within a day's

journey of his abiding place: every one of which serves him

daily with caracosmos of a hundred mares' milk, and so
all

of them together with the milk of three thousand mares,

besides white milk which other of his subjects bring.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

66

husbandmen of Syria bestow the third part of

and
carry it unto the courts of their lords, so do
their fruits
the Tartars their mares' milk every third day. Out of the
cows' milk they first churn butter; boiling the butter until
it is dry, they put it into rams' skins, which they reserve for
the same purpose. Neither do they salt their butter: and yet
by reason of the long boiling it spoils not: and they keep
it in store for winter.
The churnmilk which remains of the
butter, they let alone till it becomes as sour as possibly it
may be; then they boil it and in boiling, it is turned into
curds, which curds they dry in the sun, making them as
hard as the slag of iron. This kind of food also they store
up in bags for winter. In the winter season when milk fails
them, they put the curds, which they call gryui, into a bladder, and pouring hot water into it, they beat it vigorously
till they have resolved it.
It is thereby made exceedingly
sour, and they drink this instead of milk.
They are very
scrupulous, and take diligent heed not to drink pure water
by itself.
For

as the

Chap t er

OP THE BEASTS WHICH THEY EAT ^ OF THEIR GARMENTS

OF THEIR MANNER OF HUNTING

Great

lords have villages in the south,

their tenants bring

them

millet

AND

from whence

and meal for the winter. The

poor provide themselves with such necessaries, for the

exchange of rams, and of other skins. The slaves fill their
bellies with thick water, and with this are contented.
They
will neither eat mice with long tails, nor any kind of mice
with short tails. They have also certain little beasts called
by them sogur [marmots], which lie in a cave twenty or
thirty of them together, all the whole winter sleeping there
for the space of six months. These they take in great abun-

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

.,

^ ^

^. .,

^ ^ ^ , ^

-r

V w-w w

-r

-r

-r

-r

w-r

-w

-r

-r -r -r -r -r -r -r -r 'r -r

f f

-r

-r

67
-r

-r

w w

-r

-r^

There is also a kind of conies having long tails

cats, and on the outside of their tails grow black and

dance.
like

white

hairs.

They have many other small beasts good to eat, which

I saw no deer
they know very well how to distinguish.
and but a few hares, but a great number of gazelles.
I saw wild asses in great abundance, which are like mules.
Also I saw another kind of beast called artak [Ovis Poli],
having in all resemblance the body of a ram, and crooked
horns, which are of such bigness that I could scarce lift up
there,

a pair of them with one hand.

Of

They have

these horns they

make

and
upon
which
carry
plenty
all
they
hawks
in
great
other
their right hand; and they always put about their falcons'
necks a thong of leather, which hangs down to the middle
of their breasts. When they cast them off the fist at their
game, with their left hand they bow down the heads and
breasts by this thong, lest they should be tossed up and
down, and beaten with the wind, or lest they should soar
too high. They get a great part of their food by hunting
and hawking.
Concerning their garments and attire, you must know
that out of Cathay and other regions of the east, out of
Persia also and other countries of the south, there are
brought to them stuffs of silk, cloth of gold, and cotton
cloth, which they wear in summer.
But out of Russia,
Moxel, Great Bulgaria, and Pascatir, that is Great Hungary,
and out of Kerkis, all which are northern regions and full
of woods, and also out of many other countries of the north,

great drinking cups.

falcons, gerfalcons,

which are subject unto them, the inhabitants bring them

and costly skins of many kinds which I never saw in
our parts, and which they wear in winter. And always in
winter they make themselves two gowns, one with the fur

rich

CONTEMPORARIES OF

68

mARCO TOLO

inward and another with the fur outward, to defend them

from wind and snowj these latter are usually made of
wolves' skins, fox skins, or else of papions [badger, or variety
of fox]. And when they sit within the house, they have a
lighter one to wear.
The poor make their upper gown of
dogs' or of goats' skins.

When

they go to hunt for wild beasts, there meets a

company together, and environing the place round

about, where they are sure to find some game, by little and
great

they approach on all sides, till they have gotten the

wild beasts into the midst, as it were, into a circle, and then
they discharge their arrows at them. Also they make them-

little

selves breeches of skins.

The

rich Tartars

sometimes wad

gowns with silk stuffing, which is exceeding soft, light

and warm. The poor line their clothes with cotton cloth
which is made of the finest wool they can pick, and of the
coarser part of the wool they make felt to cover their houses
and their chests, and use it for their bedding also. The same
wool, being mixed with one-third part of horse hair, they
use to make their ropes. They also make felt covers for their
stools, and caps to protect their heads from the weather as
well as saddle-cloths and rain cloaks; so they use a great
their

quantity of wool.

This much concerning the

attire

of the

men.

Chapter

OP THE FASHION WHICH THE TARTARS USE IN CUTTING THEIR

HAIR ^ AND OF THE ATTIRE OF THEIR WOMEN

The men
heads, and

shave a square plot upon the crowns of their

from the two foremost corners they shave,

were, two seams

down

to their temples.

They shave

as

it

also

and the back part of their head even to the

nape of the neck. Likewise they shave the fore part of

their temples

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

their scalp

down

to their foreheads,

and upon

69

their foreheads

they leave a lock of hair reaching down to their eyebrows.

Upon the two hindermost corners of their heads, they have

two locks also, which they twine and braid into knots and
so bind and knit them, one under each ear.
The women's garments differ not from the men's, saving
But the day after one of
that they are somewhat longer.
their women is married, she shaves her scalp from the middle of her head down to her forehead, and wears a wide
garment like the hood of a nun, but larger and longer in
all parts than a nun's hood, open before and tied under the
For in this the Tartars differ from the Turks,
right side.
because the Turks fasten their garments to their bodies on
the left side, but the Tartars always on the right side.
They have also an ornament for their heads which they
call bottay

being

made of

other light material.

It

the bark of a tree, or of

is

so thick

and round that

be held but in both hands together, and

spire rising

some such

from the top more than a

it

it

cannot

has a square sharp

cubit high

and fash-

This botta they cover all over with a

hollow within, and upon the spire, or
square top, they put a bunch of quills or of slender canes a
cubit long and more. This tuft they beautify with peacocks'
feathers, and round about its length with the feathers of a

ioned like a column.

piece of rich silk:

it is

tail, and with precious stones.

Great ladies wear this kind of ornament upon their
heads, binding it strongly with a certain hat, which has a
hole in the crown fit for the spire to come through it. Under

mallard's

ornament they gather up their hair in a knot, and they

When a great company
it strongly under their throats.
of such gentlewomen riding together are beheld far off, they
seem to be soldiers with helmets on their heads carrying
their lances upright.
All their women sit on horseback like

this

bind

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

70

hoods or gowns about their waists

with a blue silk scarf, and with another scarf they gird it
above their breasts. They also bind a piece of white silk like
a muffler or mask under their eyes, reaching down to the
breast.
These gentlewomen are exceedingly fat, and the
smaller their noses, the fairer are they esteemed. They daub
over their faces with grease, and they never lie down in bed
when having their children.

men, and they bind

their

C h a'p t e r

OF THE DUTIES OF THE TARTAR WOMEN ^ AND OF THEIR

LABOURS ^ AND ALSO OF THEIR MARRIAGES

The

duties of

women

are: to drive carts, to lay their

houses upon the carts and to take them

cows, to

make

butter

and gryuty

down

again, to milk

to dress skins

and

to

sew

them, which they usually do with thread made of tendons.

They divide the tendons into slender threads, and then
twine them into one long thread.

They make

sandals and socks and other garments.

How-

wash any apparel, for they say that God

is thus angered, and that dreadful thunder will come if
washed garments be hanged out to dry. Yes, they beat such
as wash, and take their garments from them. They are terribly afraid of thunder, and when it thunders they put all
strangers out of their houses, and then wrap themselves in
black felt and lie hidden till the thunder is over.
They never wash their -dishes or bowls, but when their
meat is cooked they wash the bowl with scalding hot broth
out of the pot, and then pour the broth into the pot again.
They also make felt and cover their houses with it.
The duties of the men are: to make bows and arrows, stirrups, bridles, and saddles; to build houses and carts; to keep

ever, they never

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

horses J to milk mares j to churn cosmosy and to

71

make bags

which to put itj they keep camels also and lay burdens
upon them. As for sheep and goats, both men and women
tend and milk them.
With sheep's milk thickened and salted they dress and
tan their hides. When they desire to wash their hands or
their heads, they fill their mouths full of water and spout
it into their hands a little at a timej and in this way they wet
into

their hair

and wash

their heads.

you must understand that no man

he has bought her. Sometimes it happens
their girls are very stale before they are married, for their
parents keep them till they can sell them. They keep the
first and second degrees of blood kin inviolable, as we do;
but they have no regard of the degrees of affinity: for they
will marry at one time, or by succession, two sisters. Their
widows marry not at all, for this reason because they believe
that all who have served them in this life, shall do them
service in the life to come.
Therefore, they are persuaded
that every widow after death shall return to her own husband. And hence comes an abominable and filthy custom
among them, namely, that the son marries sometimes all his
father's wives except his own mother.
The court or house
of the father or mother falls by inheritance always to the
younger son. He is to provide for all his father's wives,
because they are part of his inheritance as well as his father's
possessions.
And then if he will he uses them as his own
wives; for he thinks it no injury if they return to his father
after death.
Therefore, when any man has bargained with
another for a maid, the father of the said damosel makes
him a feast; in the meanwhile she flies to some of her kins-

As

to their marriages,

can have a wife

till

folk to hide herself.

groom: "Lo,

my

Then her

daughter

is

father says to the bride-

yours, take her wheresoever

72

CONTEMPORARIES OF

MARCO TOLO

you can find her." He and his friends then seek her till
they find her, and having found her he must take her by
force and carry her off with a semblance of violence to his

own

house.

Chafter

lo

OF THEIR EXECUTION OF JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT ^ AND OF

THEIR DEATHS AND BURIALS

Concerning their laws or their execution of justice, you

should know that when two men fight, no third man dare
intrude to part them. A father may not help his own son.
But he that has the worst of it may appeal to the court of
And if any one touches him after the appeal, he
his lord.
But he must appeal without any delay and
is put to death.
he who has suffered the injury, leads the other as though he
were a captive. They punish no man with sentence of death,
unless he be taken in the act or confesses. But being accused
by the multitude, they put him into extreme torture to make
him confess. They punish murder with death, and carnal
copulation also with any other besides his own. By his own
I mean his wife or his maid-servant, for he may use his
slave as he pleases. Heinous theft or felony they punish also
with death. For a light theft, as for stealing a ram, the
person, if not apprehended in the act, is cruelly beaten. Also
false messengers, because they feign themselves to be messengers, and indeed are none at all, they punish with death.
Sacrilegious persons they use in like manner, because they
j

esteem such to be witches.

When any man dies, they lament and howl most pitifully for him J and the mourners are free from paying any

whole year. Also whosoever is present at

the house where any adult lies dead, he must not enter into
the court of Mangu Khan for one whole year. If it were a

tribute for one

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

73

must not enter into the court till the next

month. Near the grave of the deceased they always leave
one tent. If any one of the nobles of the family of Chinghis,
who was their first lord and father, dies, his grave is not
known. And always about those places where they bury
I
their nobles, there is a camp of men to watch the tombs.
child deceased, he

could not learn

if

they hide treasures

in the

graves of their

dead.

The Comans

build a great

tomb over

their dead,

and

erect

the image with his face towards the east, holding a drinking

cup in his hand,

ments of

rich

at the

men

height of his navel.

Upon

they erect pyramids, that

is

sharp houses or pinnacles 5 and in some places

towers

made

the

monu-

to say, little

saw mighty

of brick, in other places pyramids

made

of

even though there are no stones to be found thereabout.

I saw one newly buried, in whose behalf they hung
stones,

up

sixteen horse hides, four facing each quarter of the world,

between certain high posts j and they set beside his grave
cosmos for him to drink, and flesh to eat: and yet they said
that he was baptized.
I beheld other kinds of tombs also
towards the east, namely, large floors or pavements made
of stone, some round and some square, and then four long
stones pitched upright about the

pavement towards the four

corners of the world.

When

any man is sick, he lies in his bed, and causes a sign

to be set upon his house, to signify that there a sick person
lies, so that no man may enter into the house j therefore,
none at all visit any sick person, but his servant. Moreover,
when any one is sick in their great courts, they appoint watchmen to stand round about the court, and they will not allow
any person to pass within the bounds. For they fear lest
evil spirits or winds should come with the persons that enter.
They, however, call soothsayers and their priests.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

74

mARCO TOLO

Chapter

ii

OF OUR FIRST ENTRANCE AMONG THE TARTARS ^ AND OF

THEIR INGRATITUDE

And

as

we found

ourselves

among these

barbarous people,

new

I thought, as I said before, that I

had entered

They came flocking about

world.
they had made us wait a long time

for them, sitting in the

into a

us on horseback, after

shadow under their black carts. The first question they

asked was whether we had ever been with them before or
Giving them answer that we had not, they began to
not?
beg most impudently for some of our provisions. We gave
them some of our biscuit and wine, which we had brought
with us from the town of Soldaia. Having drunk ojBF one
flagon of our wine they demanded another, saying that a
man does not go into the house with one foot. However,
we gave them no more, excusing ourselves on the ground
that we had but a little.
Then they asked us whence we came, and whither we were
bound? I answered them with the words above-mentioned:
that we had heard concerning Chief Sartach that he had
become a Christian, and that our determination was to travel

They were
very inquisitive to know whether I came of mine own
accord, or whether I had been sent?
I answered that no
man compelled me to come, neither had I come unless I
myself had been willing; and therefore I had come according to mine own will, and to the will of my superior.
I
took diligent heed never to say that I was your Majesty's
ambassador.
Then they asked what I had in my carts j
whether it were gold or silver, or rich garments to carry
unto Sartach? I answered that Sartach should see what we
had brought, and that they had no business to ask such ques-

to him, having your Majesty's letters to deliver.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

tions,

but should conduct

me

otherwise

Now,

would

to their captain,

me

thought good, should cause

and he,

if

he

to be directed to Sartachj

return.

there was in the same province a relative of Batu

called Scacatai, to

whom my

lord the

Emperor of

nople had written letters of request to allow

With

his territory.

satisfied,

giving us horses and oxen, and two

this

men

However, before they would allow us

for our journey, they

made

Constanti-

me

to pass

answer of ours they were

through
us.

75

to conduct

these necessaries

us wait a long while, begging

our bread for their young brats, wondering at all things

which they saw about our servants, as their knives, gloves,
purses, and belts, desiring to have them.
I excused myself
on the ground that we had a long way to travel, and that
we must not deprive ourselves of things necessary for so
long a journey. Then they said that I was an impostor.
True it is that they took nothing by force from mej but
they will beg that which they see very shamelessly. And if
a man gives to them, it is but lost, for they are thankless
wretches.
They esteem themselves lords and think that
nothing should be denied them by any man. If a man gives
them nothing, and afterwards stands in need of their service,
they will do nothing for him. They gave us of their cows'
milk to drink after the butter was churned out of itj it was
very sour, and they call it afram. And thus we departed
from them. And it seemed to me that we had escaped out
of the hands of devils. On the next day we came to their
captain.

From

the time

when we departed from

Soldaia

till

we

arrived at the court of Sartach, which was the space of two

months, we never lay

house or tent, but always under

the starry canopy, and in the open air, or under our carts.
saw no village, nor any sign of building where a village

We

in

CONTEMPORARIES OF

76

MARCO

"POLO

had been, but the graves of the Comans in great abundance.

guide which had conducted us gave
some
cosmos.
After
us
I had tasted it I sweated most extremely because of the novelty and strangeness, and because
Nevertheless, I thought it was
I never drank of it before.

The same evening our

very savoury, as indeed

it

was.

Chapter

12

OF THE COURT OF SCACATAI ^ AND HOW THE CHRISTIANS

DRINK NO COSMOS

On

we met with the carts of Scacatai laden

thought that a mighty city came to meet
wondered also at the huge droves of oxen, and horses,

the next day

with houses, and

me. I
and at the flocks of sheep. I could see but a few men that
guided all these matters: therefore, I inquired how many
men he had under him, and they told me that he had not
above five hundred in all, the one-half of which number
we had passed, as they lay in another direction. Then the
servant which was our guide told me that I must present
somewhat unto Scacatai and so he made us stop, going himself ahead to give notice of our coming.
By this time it was
past three of the clock, and they unloaded their houses near
a certain water and there came unto us his interpreter, who
being advised by us that we were never there before,
demanded some of our provisions, and these we yielded
upon his request. Also he required of us some garment for
a reward, because he was to interpret our sayings to his masWe excused ourselves as well as we could. Then he
ter.
We took a
asked us, what we would present to his lord?
flagon of wine, and filled a basket with biscuit, and a platter
But he was not contented,
with apples and other fruits.
because we brought him no rich garment.
;

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

77

However, we entered so into his presence with fear and

trembling. He sat upon his bed holding a guitar in his hand,
and his wife sat by himj who, as I verily think, had cut and
pared her nose between the eyes, that she might seem to be
more flat and saddle-nosed; for she had left herself no
nose at all in that place, having greased the very same place
with a black ointment, and her eyebrows also; this sight
seemed most ugly in our eyes. Then I rehearsed to him the
same words which I had spoken in other places. For we
had been cautioned to use the same speech in all places,
and that amongst the Tartars we should never vary in our
tale.
Then I begged him to accept that small gift at our
hands, excusing myself that I was a monk, and that it was
against our profession to possess gold, or silver, or precious

garments, and therefore that

had not any such thing to

give him, but he should receive some part of our provisions
I

instead of a blessing.

He

caused our present to be received, and immediately

distributed

it

among

men, who were met together for

his

make merry. I delivered also to

Emperor of Constantinople. This

the purpose, to drink and

him the letters from the

was eight days after the feast of the Ascension. But the letters were written in Greek, and he had none about him
that was skilful in the Greek tongue to translate them. He
asked us also whether we would drink any cosmos? Those
that are Christians

among them,

as the Russians, Grecians,

and Alans, keep their own law very strictly, will in no case
drink any cosmos; for they consider themselves no Christians after they have once drunk it, and their priests must
bring them back into the church as if they had renounced the
Christian faith. I answered him and said that we had as yet
suflicient of our own to drink, and that when our drink failed

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARC0 TOLO

78

we would

then

us,

given to

He

be constrained to drink such as should be

us.

inquired also what was contained in our letters, which

your Majesty sent unto Sartach? I answered that they were

sealed up, and that there was nothing contained in them, but
good and friendly words. And he asked what words we

would

deliver to Sartach?

tian faith.

He

answered, the words of Chris-

For he

asked again what these words were?

Then I expounded unto him

by mine interpreter who had no wit nor
much fluency of speech, the Apostles' creed. After he had
heard this, holding his peace, he shook his head. Then he
assigned to us two men, who should watch over us, our
horses, and our oxen. And he made us ride in his company,

was very desirous

to hear them.

as well as I could,

till

the messenger

letters translated,

company

till

whom

he had sent to have the emperor's

had returned.

And

so

we

travelled in his

the day after Pentecost.

Chapter jj
EOW TEE ALANS CAME

On

TO US ON PENTECOST OR WHITSUN EVE

Pentecost eve there came to us certain Alans,

who

are

manner of the GreHowever,

use Greek books and have Greek priests.

called Acias, being Christians after the

cians,

they are not schismatics as the Grecians

are,

but without

respect to persons, they honour all Christians.

brought to us cooked meats, requesting us

food and

Then

to

I said,

pray for one of their company

because

it

And

who had

was the eve of so great and

a feast day, that we would not eat any

And

they

to eat of their

so

died.

solemn

flesh at that time.

explained to them the solemnity of the festival, at

which they greatly rejoiced: for they were ignorant of

all

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

things regarding the Christian religion, except

79

only the

name of Christ.
They and many other Christians, both Russians and Hungarians, demanded of us, whether they might be saved, beand to eat the dead
were slain by the Saracens and
Which even the Greek and Russian priests

cause they were required to drink costnoSj

carcases of such things as

other infidels?

themselves consider as things strangled or oiBFered unto idols j

and because they were ignorant of the times of fasting, they

could not have observed them.
Then I instructed them as well as I could and strengthened
them in the faith. As for the flesh which they had brought
we reserved it until the feast day. For there was nothing to
be sold among the Tartars for gold and silver, but only for
cloth and garments, of which kind of merchandise we had
none at all. When our servants offered them coin called
yperferUy they rubbed it with their fingers, and put it to
their noses, to try to smell whether it were copper.
Neither
did they allow us any food but cows' milk only, which was
very sour and filthy. The one thing most necessary was
greatly wanting.
The water was so foul and muddy by
reason of their horses, that it was not fit to drink. And but
for certain biscuits, which by the goodness of God still
remained, we would undoubtedly have perished.

C h af t e r 14
OF A SARACEN WHO SAID THAT HE WOULD BE BAPTIZED ^ AND
OF CERTAIN MEN WHO SEEMED TO BE LEPERS

Upon

the day of Pentecost there came to us a certain

Saracen, to

whom we

expounded the Christian

faith.

He,

hearing of God's benefits exhibited unto mankind by the

incarnation of our Saviour Christ,

and the resurrection of

MARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

8o

the dead, and the judgment to come, and that baptism was
a washing away of

sins, said that

he desired to be baptized.

But when we
denly mounted on horseback, saying that he would go home
and consult with his wife what were best to be done. On
the next day he told us that he could in no case receive baptism, because then he could drink no more cosmos.
The
Christians of that place affirm that no true Christians ought
to drink this milk; and that without the said liquor he could
prepared ourselves for baptizing him, he sud-

not live in that desert.

From

this

opinion

could not pos-

So you see they are much estranged from

the Christian faith by reason of that opinion, which has been
implanted among them by the Russians, of whom there is
a great multitude in that place.
The same day Scacatai, the captain, gave us a man to
sibly turn him.

conduct us to Sartach, and two others to guide us to the next

lodging, which was distant from that place five days' journey, as oxen travel.

They gave

us also a goat for victuals,

and a great many bladders of cows' milk, and but a

cosfnos, because

it is

little

so precious to them.

Taking our journey directly toward the north, I thought

we had passed through one of hell's gates. The serv-

that
ants

who

conducted us began to play the bold thieves with

At length, having lost much

by their thievery, vexation taught us wisdom.
Then we came to the extremity of that province, which
is fortified with a ditch from one sea to another; outside of
As soon as we had
it was the camp of these Mongols.
entered, all the inhabitants there seemed to us to be infected
Certain base fellows were placed there to
with leprosy.

us, seeing us take so little care.

receive tribute of all

who

took salt out of the

that place they told us that

journey, before

we should

find

we must

salt pits.

From

travel fifteen days'

any other people.

We drank

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

8i

cosmos with them, and gave to them a basket full of fruits

and of biscuits. And they gave us eight oxen and one goat,
to sustain us in so great a journey,

And

bladders of milk.

and

know

not

so changing our oxen,

how many
we began

our journey, which we finished in ten days, arriving at

found no water along the way, but only
another camp.
in certain holes made in the valleys, except two small streams.

We

From the time we departed out of the

we travelled directly eastward, having

province of Gasaria,
a sea on the south

and a waste desert on the north.

This desert, in
twenty days' journey in breadth, and there is
neither tree, mountain, nor stone therein. But it makes most
Here the Comans, which were called
excellent pasture.
Capthac, feed their cattle. The Teutons, however, call them
side of us,

some

places,

is

Valans, and the province itself Valania.

dorus of Seville]

calls all that tract

But Isidore

[Isi-

of land stretching from

the river of Tanais to the lake of Masotis, and as far as the

Danube, the country of Alania. And the same land from

the Danube to Tanais, which divides Asia from Europe, is
the extent of two months' journey, even though a man
should ride post as fast as the Tartars use to ride. It was
all over inhabited by the Comans, called Capthac: even
beyond Tanais as far as the river Volga. The space between
the two rivers is a great and long journey to be travelled in
ten days.

To

the north of the same province lies Russia, which

is

wood in all places, and stretches from Poland and

Hungary to the river Tanais. It has been ravaged all over
by the Tartars, and is yet ravaged daily by them. They prefull of

fer the Saracens to the Russians, because they are Christians,

and when they are able to give them no more gold or silver,
they drive them and their children like flocks of sheep into
the wilderness, there to herd their cattle.

82

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARC0 TOLO

Beyond Russia

lies

the country of Prussia, which the

Teu-

Mary's hospital of Jerusalem have of late wholly conquered and subdued. And
indeed they might easily win Russia, if they would put their
hand to it. For if the Tartars should but once know that
the great priest, that is to say, the Pope, did cause the sign
of the cross to be displayed against them, they would all
tonic knights of the order of St.

flee into their desert

and

solitary places.

C h af t e r 75
OF OUR AFFLICTIONS WHICH WE SUSTAINED ^ AND OF THE
COMANS' MANNER OF BURIAL

We went

on towards the east, seeing nothing but heaven

and earth, and sometimes the sea on our right, the sea of
Tanais, and the tombs of the Comans, visible two leagues
off because of their custom of burying the whole family in
one place. As long as we were travelling through the desert
But I cannot sufficiently
it went reasonably well with us.
express in words the irksome and tedious troubles which I
sustained when I came to any of their inhabited places. Our
guide would have us go to every captain with a present, and
our supplies could not extend so far. We were eight persons
spending our wayfaring provisions each day, for the Tar-

We

of them eat of our supplies.

ourselves were five in number, and the servants our guides
were three, two to drive our carts, and one to conduct us to
tars' servants

would

all

Sartach.

The flesh which they gave us was not sufficient, neither

could we find anything to be bought for our money. And as
we sat under our carts in the cool shadow, by reason of the
extreme heat which was there at that time, they did so
shamelessly intrude into our company that they would even

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAW

83

Having desire at any

step on us to see the things we had.
time to ease their stomachs, the filthy rascals had not the
manners to withdraw themselves farther from us than a
Yes, like vile slovens they did their
bean could be cast.
filthiness in our presence while they were talking with us,
and many other things they committed which were most
tedious and loathsome to us.

But above all things it grieved me to the very heart that

I would speak to them for their edification, my foolish
interpreter would say: "You shall not make me become a
preacher now: I tell you I cannot, nor I will not, repeat any

when

such words."

And

true

it

was, for I discovered later,

when

I began to have a little smattering of the language, that when

I spoke one thing he would say quite another, anything that
came next to his witless tongue. Then seeing the danger I

might incur in speaking through such an interpreter, I resolved to hold my tongue, and thus we travelled with great
toil

from lodging

before the feast of

to lodging,
St.

till

at length, a

Mary Magdalene, we

few days

arrived at the

bank of the mighty river Tanais which divides Asia from

Europe, much as the river Nile of Egypt divides Asia from
Africa.

At the place where we arrived, Batu and Sartach did cause

a certain cottage to be built upon the eastern bank of the
river, for a company of Russians to dwell in, so that they
might transport ambassadors and merchants in ferry boats
over that part of the river. First they brought us over, and
then our carts, putting one wheel into one boat and the other
wheel into another boat, having bound both the boats together, and in this manner they rowed them over.
In this place our guide played the fool most extremely.
For he, believing that the Russians dwelling in the cottage
would provide us horses, sent home the beasts which we

CONTEMPORARIES OF

84

brought with

us, that

^ARCO TOLO

they might return to their

And when we demanded some

own

masters.

beasts of them, they

answered
that they had been exempted by Batu, and they were bound
to do no other service but only to tend the ferry. Also that
they received great tribute from merchants for this service.
We stayed, therefore, by the river's side for three days.
The first day they gave us a great fresh fish, the second day
they bestowed rye bread and a little flesh upon us, which the
headman of the village had collected from every house for
us, and the third day dried fishes, which they have there In
The river was as broad in that place as
great abundance.
the Seine is at Paris. And before we came there we passed
over many good waters full of fish, but the barbarous and
rude Tartars do not know how to catch them; neither do
they care for any fish, except it be so great that they may live
upon it for a great while.
The river is the limit of the east part of Russia, and it
rises out of the Maeotis, which fens stretch to the North
Ocean. It runs southward for seven hundred miles before
And
it falls into the sea called Pontus Euxinus [Black Sea].
the rivers

all

this sea.

west

we

The same

passed over ran with full stream into

river has great

woods growing upon the

side.

Beyond

this place the

Tartars ascend no farther unto the

north j for at that season of the year, about the first of

August, they begin to return back to the south. And therefore there

Is

another cottage somewhat lower, where passen-

gers are ferried over in wintertime.

In this place we were driven to great extremity because

could get neither horses nor oxen for our money. At

we

my

coming was
for the common good of all Christians, they sent us oxen
and men j but we ourselves had to travel on foot.
length, after I had declared to

them

that

rUE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

At

this

time they were reaping their rye.

grow well

Wheat does

not

the seed of millet in

The Russian women dress their heads

They embroider their safeguards or gowns

great abundance.

our women.

like

They have

in that soil.

85

on the outside, from their feet unto their knees, with coloured or grey stuff. The Russian men wear caps like the
Dutchmen. Also they wear upon their heads certain sharp
and high-crowned hats made of felt, much like a sugar loaf.

Then we

travelled three days without finding any people.

And when we and our oxen were exceeding weary and

not knowing how far off were any Tartars, suddenly
came two

riderless horses

running towards

us,

faint,

there

which we took

with great joy, and our guide and interpreter mounted upon
their backs, to see

how

far off

any people were

to be found.

At length upon the fourth day of our journey, having found

some inhabitants, we rejoiced like seafaring men who had
escaped out of a dangerous tempest, and had reached port.
Having taken fresh horses and oxen, we passed on from
camp to camp, till at last, upon the second of the calends
of August, we arrived at the camp of Sartach himself.

C h af t e r 16
OF THE DOMINION OF SARTACH ^ AND OF HIS SUBJECTS

The

region lying beyond Tanais

is

a very

good country,
There

having stores of rivers and woods toward the north.

are

mighty huge woods which two

One

of them

is

called

Moxel

sorts of people inhabit.

[Finnish

being mere pagans and without law.

Mordwin people],
They have neither

Their lord
cities, but only cottages in the woods.
and a great part of themselves were killed in high Germany.
At this they highly commended the brave courage of the
towns nor

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3fARCO TOLO

86

Germans, hoping to be delivered out of the bondage of the

Tartars through them.
If any merchant comes to them, he must provide things

him with whom he

necessary for
as long as

he stays with them.

of

is first

If any

lie

all entertained,

with another man's

wife, her husband, unless he be an eye-witness thereof,

regards

it

They have abunof honey, wax, and many

not; for they are not jealous.

dance of hogs, and great stores

Next

kinds of rich and costly skins, and plenty of falcons.

to

them are other people

call

called Merclas, which the Latins

Merdui, and they are Saracens.

Beyond them

is

the river of Volga, which

river that I ever saw.

garia,

and

It flows

is

from the north

the mightiest
part of Bul-

so trending southward, empties into a certain lake

[Caspian] containing in circuit the space of four months'

travel.

Of

this I will

speak

later.

The two

rivers,

namely,

Tanais and Volga, are only ten days' journey apart

in the

northern section, but southward they are greatly divided one

from another.

For Tanais descends

into the sea of Pontus:

Volga empties into another sea or lake, made by the help of

many other rivers which enter it and have their source in
Persia.

We had to the south of us high mountains [Caucasus],

upon the sides of which towards the desert do the people
called Kerkis, and the Alans or Acis inhabit, who are as yet
Christians and wage war against the Tartars. Beyond them,
next unto the sea or lake of Volga, there are certain Saracens
called Lcsgs,
is

who

are subjects of the Tartars.

Beyond

these

Porta Ferrea, or the Iron Gate, which Alexander built to

keep the barbarous nations out of Persia.

Of

these I shall

you later, for I travelled through them on my return.

Between the two rivers, in the region through the which we
tell

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

87

TOTyy^TTTII

Comans of old time

passed did

inhabit, before they

were

overrun by the Tartars.

Chapter

OF THE COURT OF SARTACH ^ AND OF THE MAGNIFICENCE

THEREOF

We

found Sartach lying within three days' journey of

and his court seemed to us to be very
He himself has six wives, and his eldest son also has

the river Volga,

great.

three wives: every one of these

women

has a great house,

and they have each one of them about two hundred carts.
Our guide went to a certain Nestorian named Coiac, who is
a

man

of great authority in Sartach's court.

He made

us to

an officer named Jamian. For so they call

him who has the duty of entertaining ambassadors. In the
evening Coiac commanded us to come unto him. Then our
guide began to inquire what we would present to him, and

go very far

to

was greatly offended when he saw that we had nothing ready

to bring him. We stood before him, and he sat majestically,
having music and dancing in his presence. Then I spoke to
him in the words before recited, telling him for what purpose
I had come to his lord, and requesting favour at his hands to
enable

me

to bring our letters to the notice of his lord.

excused myself also, that I was a monk, not having, nor

receiving, nor using any gold or silver, or any other precious

and the vestments with which

was the reason why I brought
his lord.
For I who had aban-

thing, save only our books

we

served God.

And

this

no present to him nor to

doned my own goods, could not be a transporter of things
for other men.
Then he answered very courteously, that being a monk
and so doing. I did wellj for so I should observe my vow;

CONTEMPORARIES OF 31ARCO TOLO

88

neither did he require anything that

we

had, but rather was

ready to bestow upon us such thing as we ourselves stood

And he invited us to sit down, and to drink of
in need of.
Presently he requested us to say our prayers for
his milk.

him; and we did

He

so.

inquired also

who was

the greatest prince

among

the

Franks? And I said the emperor, if he could enjoy his own

dominions in peace. No, he answered, it is the King of
France. For he had heard of your Highness through Lord
Baldwin of Hainaut.
I found there also one of the Knights Templars, who
had been in Cyprus, and had made report of all things

which he saw there. Then we returned to our lodging.

On the next day we sent him a flagon of muscadel wine,
which had lasted very well in so long a journey, and a box
full of biscuits, and they were most acceptable to him. And
In the
he kept our servants with him for that evening.
morning he commanded me to come to the court, and to
bring the king's letters and my vestments and books with
me, because he wanted to see them. Lading one cart with
our books and vestments, and another with biscuit, wine and
Then he ordered all our
fruit, we did as he commanded.
books and vestments to be laid before him.

And

there stood

round about us many Tartars, Christians and Saracens on

horseback, while we explained the books and vestments. At
this he demanded whether I would bestow all those things
upon his lord? His words made me tremble, and grieved
me. However, hiding our grief as well as we could, we gave
him this answer: "Sir, our humble request is, that our lord
your master should accept our bread, wine, and fruits, not
as a present, because it is too mean, but as a benediction, and
In this way we would come with an empty hand before him.

And he

shall see the letters of

my

sovereign lord the king,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

89

and by them he shall understand the reason we have come

to him, and then both ourselves and all that we have shall
stand to his pleasure; for our vestments are holy, and it is
unlawful for any but priests to touch them."
Then he commanded us to invest ourselves in the garments, that we might go before his lord; and we did so. I
myself put on our most precious ornaments, took in mine
arms a beautiful cushion, and the Bible which your Majesty
gave me, and a most beautiful psalter, which the queen's
grace bestowed upon me, in which there were goodly picMy associate took a missal and a cross and the clerk,
tures.
having put on his surplice, took a censer in his hand. And
in this way we came into the presence of his lord; and they
lifted up the felt hanging before his door, that he might
behold us.
Then they caused the clerk and the interpreter three
times to bow the knee, but of us they required no such
submission. And they warned us to take heed that in going
in, and in coming out, we touched not the threshold of the
house, and requested us to sing a benediction for him.
;

Then we

entered, singing Salve Regina.

And

within the

entrance of the door stood a bench with cosmos and drinking

And

cups.

all his

wives were there assembled.

Moals, or rich Tartars, pressed

in

around

us.

Also the

Then

Coiac

carried to his lord the censer with incense, which he beheld

very diligently, holding it in his hand. Afterward he carried the psalter to him, which he looked earnestly upon, as
did his wife also that sat beside him. After that he carried
the Bible; and Sartach asked
therein?

He

Yes, said

I,

and

all

if

the Gospel were contained

the

Holy

Scriptures besides.

took the cross also in his hand, and inquired concerning

the image whether

was.

The

it

were the image of Christ?

Nestorians and the Armenians do never

I said it

make the

mARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

90

upon

figure of Christ

Either they seem not

their crosses.

to think well of his passion, or else they are ashamed of it.

Then he ordered them that stood about us to stand aside,

that he

Afterward

might more fully behold our ornaments.

I delivered to him your Majesty's letters, with translation

thereof into the Arabic and Syriac languages. I had them

translated at

tongues.

had

Aeon

And

skill in

and dialect of both these

Armenian priests which

into the character

there were certain

the Turkish and Arabian languages.

The

knight

of the Order of the Temple had also knowledge in the

Then we departed,
Syriac, Turkish, and Arabian tongues.
and put off our vestments, and there came to us certain
scribes with Coiac,

gol.

When

and they translated our

letters into

Mon-

Sartach heard our letters, he caused our bread,

wine, and fruits to be accepted.

to carry our vestments

was done upon the

and books

And

feast of St. Peter

C h af t er

he permitted us also

our

to

own

lodging.

[August

This

i].

HOW WE WERE GIVEN IN CHARGE TO GO TO BATU ^ THE

FATHER OF SARTACH

The

next morning a certain priest came to us

brother to Coiac, requesting a

Sartach, he said,

was desirous

little

vase of holy

to see

it;

who was

oil,

because

and so we gave

it

In the evening Coiac sent for us, saying: "My lord

your king wrote good words to my lord and master Sartach.
But there are certain matters of difficulty in them, concernhim.

ing which he dare not decide, without the advice and counsel

of his father.

And

therefore you must depart to his father,

leaving behind you in

my

custody the two

carts,

which you

brought here yesterday with vestments and books; because

my lord desires to examine them more carefully." I at once

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

suspecting what mischief might

him:

"Sir,

we

come by

91

his greed, said to

will not only leave those with you, but the

two

we
we have
your custody." "You shall not," he said, "leave
those behind you, but for the other two carts first named we
I said that this could not conwill take care of them."
veniently be donej but that we must leave all with him.
Then he asked whether we meant to tarry in the land?
I answered: "If you thoroughly understand the letters of
my lord the king, you know that we are so determined."
Then he replied, that we ought to be patient and humble,
other carts also, which

commit

in our possession, will

to

and with these words we departed from him that evening.

On the next day he sent a Nestorian priest for the carts,
and we gave all the four carts to be delivered. Then came
the brother of Coiac to meet us, and separated all the things
which we had brought the day before to the court from the
rest, namely, the books and vestments, and took them away
with him. However, Coiac had commanded that we should
carry those vestments with us which we wore in the presence
of Sartach, that we might put them on before Batu, if need
should require. But the priest took them from us by violence, saying: "You have brought them to Sartach, and
would now carry them to Batu?" And when I gave him a
reason he answered: "Be not too talkative, but go your way."
Then I saw that there was no remedy but patience: for we
could have no access unto Sartach himself, neither was there
any other who would do us justice. I was afraid also of the
interpreter, lest he had spoken other things than I said to
him: for his desire was that we should have given away all
that we had. There was yet one comfort remaining to me
for when I once discovered their intent, I took out from
among our books the Bible, and the Sentences, and certain
other books which I made special account of. However, I
j

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

92

dared not take away the psalter of

queen, because
pictures that

it

my

sovereign lady the

was too well known by reason of the golden

contained. And so we returned with the two

it

other carts to our lodging.

Then came he who was appointed

to be

our guide to the

But
go with me.

court of Batu, asking us to begin our journey at once.

I said that I

would

in

no case have the

carts to

This he told to Coiac. Then Coiac commanded that we

should leave them and our servant with him ; and we did as
he commanded. And so travelling directly eastward towards

we came to the Volga: when I saw the

wondered from what regions of the north such
huge and mighty waters should descend.
Before we departed from Sartach, Coiac, with many other
scribes of the court, came to us and said:
"Do not make
report that our lord is a Christian, but a Moal." Because
the name of a Christian seems to them to be the name of
some nation. So great is their pride, that although they
believe perhaps some things concerning Christ, yet will they
not be called Christians, being desirous that their own name,
that is to say Moal, should be above all other names. Neither
will they be called by the name of Tartars. For the Tartars
were another nation, as I was informed by them.
Batu, the third day

streams,

Chapter /p
ROW SARTACH ^ AND MANGU KHAN ^ AND KUYUK KHAN DO
REVERENCE TO CHRISTIANS

At

when the Franks took Antioch, a certain man named Con Khan had dominion over these northern
Con is a proper name: Khan is a name of auregions.
the same time

thority or dignity, which

All diviners are called

means

also a diviner or soothsayer.

Khan amongst them.

Whereupon

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

93

Khan, because the government of

We do read also in the
sent
for aid against the
Turks
the
history of Antioch, that
Franks to the kingdom of Con Khan. For out of those
Con was
parts the whole nation of the Turks first came.
of the nation of Kara-Cathay. Kara means black, and
Cathay is the name of a country. This name was given the
people of Cathay to distinguish them from those living
eastward toward the ocean seaj concerning them we will

their princes are called

the people depends on divination.

speak

later.

These Cathayans dwelt upon

I

travelled.

And

certain highlands over

in a certain plain

which

country within those

mountains, there lived a Nestorian shepherd, being a mighty

governor over the people called Naimans, which were Christians,

following the

sect

of Nestorius.

After the death of

Con Khan, the said Nestorian took possession of the kingdom, and they called him King John, reporting ten times
more of him than was true. For this is the way of the NesThey blaze abroad
torians who come from those parts.
great rumours and reports upon just nothing.
They said
concerning Sartach that he had become a Christian, and the

same also they reported concerning Mangu Khan and Kuyuk

Khan: namely, because these Tartars pay more respect to
Christians than they do to other people, and yet they themselves are no Christians.
So likewise there went forth a
great report concerning this King John. However, when I
travelled along through his territories, there was no man,
that knew anything of him, but only a few Nestorians.
In his pastures or territories lives Kuyuk Khan, at whose
court Friar Andrew was. And I myself passed by it at my
return.

This John had a brother, being a mighty man also, and

shepherd like himself, called Unc, and he inhabited beyond

CO^^TEMPORARIES OF

94

MARCO TOLO

the highlands of Cathay, being distant from his brother

He was lord
Caracarum, having also
for his subjects people called Crit or Merkit, who were
Nestorian Christians. But their lord, abandoning the worship of Christ, followed after idols, retaining with him
priests of the idols, who all of them are worshippers of
John by the space of three weeks' journey.
over

certain

village

called

devils and sorcerers.

Beyond his pastures, some ten or fifteen days' journey,

were the pastures of Moal, who were a poor and beggarly
nation, without governor and without law, except their
soothsayings and their sorcery, to which all apply their
minds. Near the Moal were other poor people called Tartars.
Now, King John having died without male issue, his
brother Unc was greatly enriched, and caused himself to be
named Khan; and his droves and flocks ranged even to the
borders of Moal.
About the same time there was one Chinghis, a blacksmith among the people of Moal. This Chinghis stole as
many cattle from Unc Khan as he could possibly get, even
though the shepherds of Unc complained to their lord. Then
he got together an army, and marched up into the country
of Moal to seek for the said Chinghis. But Chinghis fled
among the Tartars, and hid himself amongst them. And
Unc having taken some spoils both from Moal and also from
the Tartars, returned home. Then Chinghis spoke to the
Tartars and to the people of Moal, saying: "Sirs, because we
are destitute of a governor and captain, you see how our
neighbours do oppress us." And the Tartars and Moals

Then having secretly

suddenly upon Unc and
overcame him, and Unc fled into Cathay. At the same time
the daughter of Unc was taken, and Chinghis married her
appointed him to be their chieftain.

gathered together an army, he

fell

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

to one of his sons,

the great

and

whom

Khan who now

Then Chinghis
tions:

by

so

was

95

she conceived and brought forth

reigns, called

Mangu Khan.

him in all direcname published and spread abroad;

sent the Tartars before

their

would cry out: "Lo, the Tartars

come, the Tartars come " However, through continual wars
they are now almost all killed off and the Moals endeavour
what they can to extinguish the name of the Tartars, that
for in all places the people
!

they
they

may

raise their

own name

instead.

The

country which

and where the court of Chinghis Khan

Onankerule [Orchon River south of
Lake Baikal]. But because Caracarum is the city from
which they first spread, they esteem that as their royal and
chief city, and there for the most part do they elect their
great Khan.
still

first

inhabited,

remains,

is

called

C h af t e r 20
OF THE RUSSIANS ^ HUNGARIANS ^ AND ALANS ^ AND OF THE
CASPIAN SEA

Now,

whether he believes in Christ I know

not. This I am sure of, that he will not be called a Christian.
And it even seems to me that he scoffs at Christians. He
is on the road of the Christians, as namely of the Russians,
as for Sartach,

the Wallachians, the Bulgarians, the Soldaians, the Kirghiz,

and the Alans;

all of them must pass by him as they are

going to the court of his father Batu to carry gifts. Therefore, he is most attentive to them.
However, if the Saracens come, and bring greater gifts then they are dispatched

He has about him certain Nestorian priests, who

pray upon their beads and sing their devotions.
Also there is another under Batu, called Berta, who feeds
his cattle toward the Iron Gate, where lies the passage of all

sooner.

those Saracens

who come

out of Persia and out of

Turkey

CONTEMPORARIES OF

96

MARCO TOLO

go unto Batu, and passing by they give presents to him.

He has become a Saracen, and will not permit swine's flesh
to be eaten in his dominions.
At the time of our return
Batu commanded him to remove himself from that place,
and to inhabit the east side of Volga: for he was unwilling
that the Saracens' messengers should pass by the said
Berta, because he saw it was harmful.
During the four days we remained in the court of Sartach,
we had not any food at all allowed us, but once only a little
cosmos. And in our journey between him and his father
we travelled in great fear. Certain Russians, Hungarians,
and Alans being servants unto the Tartars, of whom they
have great multitudes among them, assemble twenty or
thirty in a company, and so secretly in the night take bows
and arrows with them, and whomever they find in the night
to

they put him to death. They hide themselves in the dayAnd having tired their horses, they go in the night

time.

herd of other horses feeding in some pasture, and

change them for new, taking with them also one or two
to a

Our guide, therewe should meet with such companions.

On this journey we should have died of famine had we
not carried some of our biscuits with us. At length we came

extra horses, to eat

fore,

was afraid

them when they need.

lest

mighty river Volga. It is four times greater than

and of a wonderful depth and issuBulgaria,
it runs into a certain lake or sea,
from
Great
ing
which of late they call the Hircan Sea, according to the
name of a certain city in Persia which is located upon the
For it has the
Isidore called it the Caspian Sea.
shore.
land
Persia
on
the south and
of
Caspian mountains and the
to the

the river of the Seine,

the mountains of Mulidet, that

Assassins, towards the east,

mountains.

On

the north

is

to say, of the people called

which mountains join the Caspian

lies the desert which the Tartars

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

97

now inhabit. Here once dwelt certain people called Cangle.

And on that side it receives the streams of Volga which
Upon the
river rises in summer like the Nile in Egypt.
j

west

it

has the mountains of the Alans, and Lesgs, and the

Iron Gate, and the mountains of Georgia.

This sea therefore is compassed in on three sides with

mountains, but on the north side by plain ground.
Friar
Andrew in his journey travelled round about two sides, the
south and the eastj and I myself about the other two, that
is to say, the north side in going from Batu to Mangu Khan,
and in returning likewise j and the west side in coming home
from Batu into Syria. A man may travel round it in four
months. And it is not true what Isidore reported, that this
sea is a bay or gulf coming forth of the ocean; for it does in
no part join with the ocean, but is surrounded on all sides
by land.

Chapter 21
OF THE COURT OF BATU ^ AND

All

HOW WE WERE ENTERTAINED

country extending from the west shore of the

sea, where Alexander's Iron Gate is located, and from the
mountains of Alania, all along north to Masotis, where the
this

river of Tanais has

its

source,

is

called Albania.

Of

this

country Isidore reports that there are dogs of such size, and
so fierce, that they are able to seize bulls and to kill lions.

The

have heard told, that towards the North

Ocean they make their dogs draw carts like oxen, so great is
truth

is,

as I

and strength.
Volga where we arrived, there is a
new cottage built, where they have placed Tartars and Russians together, to ferry over and transport messengers going
and coming to the court of Batu. Batu remains upon the
their size

Upon

that part of

CONTEMPORARIES OF

98

farther side towards the east.

MARCO TOLO

From January

until

August

both he and all other Tartars ascend by the banks of rivers

towards cold and northerly regions, and in August they

begin to return again.

We

passed

down

the stream, there-

fore, in a boat to his court.

From
north,

this place to the villages of

it is

five days' journey.

Mahomet

the religion of

Great Bulgaria to the

wonder what devil

thither.

From

carried

the Iron Gate,

upon the extreme borders of Persia, it is about

thirty days' journey across the desert, and from there you
ascend by the bank of Volga, into the country of Bulgaria.
There is no city along this journey, but only certain cottages
near the place where the Volga enters the sea. The Bulgarians are most wicked Saracens, more earnestly professing
the damnable religion of Mahomet, than any other nation.
When I first beheld the court of Batu, I was astonished,
for his houses, or tents, seemed like a mighty city, stretching out a great way in length, the people ranging up and
which

is

down about it for the space of three or four leagues. And

as among the people of Israel each man knew on which side
of the tabernacle to pitch his tents j so every one here

towards which side of the court he ought to place his house

when he

takes

it

off the cart.

The

court

is

called in their

language horda, which signifies, the middle j because the

governor or chieftain among them dwells always in the
middle of his people j except only that towards the south
no subject or person places himself, because in that direction the court gates are open. But to the right and left they
extend as far as they will, according to the lay of the land,
so long as they do not place their houses directly opposite
the court.

At our arrival we were conducted to a Saracen, who

gave us no food at all. The day following we were brought

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

into the court.

99

Batu had caused a great tent to be erected,

because his house, or ordinary tent, could not contain so

were assembled. Our guide cauBatu had given us order to do so,

and that then we should speak briefly. Then he asked also
whether your Majesty had sent ambassadors to the Tartars
or not; I answered, that your Majesty had sent messengers
to Kuyuk Khan; and that you would not have sent messengers to him, or letters to Sartach, had you not been persuaded that they had become Christians. Then he led us
into the pavilion, and we were warned not to touch the cords

many men and women

as

tioned us not to speak,

till

of the tent, for they are held to represent the threshold of

There we stood in our robes and barefooted,

the house.

and bareheaded, and we were

and strange spectacle

For, indeed. Friar John of Pian de Carpini
in their eyes.
had been there before my coming; and because he was the
Pope's messenger, he changed his gown, fearing lest he
should be slighted. Then we were brought into the very
centre of the tent, and they did not require that we do any
reverence by bending our knees, as they do of other messenWe stood before him for the space that would take
gers.
a man to say the psalm. Miserere met DeuSy and there was
great silence kept of all men.
Batu himself sat upon a seat long and broad like a bed,
gilt all over, with three stairs to ascend to it, and one of his
ladies sat beside him. The men sat down, some on the right
hand of the lady, and some on the left. Those places on
the one side which the women did not fill, for there were
only the wives of Batu, were taken by the men. Also, at
a great

the very entrance of the tent, stood a bench furnished with

cosmosy and with stately great cups of silver, and gold, and

they were richly set with precious stones.

Batu beheld us
earnestly, and we himj and he seemed to me to resemble

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

100

Monsieur John de Beaumont, whose soul now

He had a fresh ruddy colour in his counrests in peace.
tenance. At length he commanded us to speak.
Then our guide asked that we should bow our knees and
speak. I bowed one knee, as to a man, but he signalled that
I did so, not wishing to
I should kneel upon both knees.
dispute over it. Again he commanded me to speak. Then
thinking I was praying God, because I kneeled on both my
knees, I began by saying: "Sir, we beseech the Lord, from
whom all good thinges do proceed, and who hath given you
these earthly benefits, that it would please him hereafter to
make you partaker of his heavenly blessings: because the
former without these are but vain and unprofitable." And
I added further, "Be it known unto you of a certainty, that
you shall not obtain the joys of heaven, unless you become
a Christian: for God saith. Whosoever believeth and is bapin personage

tized, shall be saved j but he that believeth not, shall be

condemned."
Moals began

my

At

this

he smiled modestly; but the other

to clap their hands,

and

to

laugh

at us.

And

whom I should have received comwas himself abashed and stood dumbfounded. Then after silence was re-established, I said to
him: "I came to your son, because we heard that he was a
Christian; and I brought him letters on the behalf of my
sovereign lord the King of France, and your son sent me
silly interpreter,

of

fort in time of need,

The cause of my coming, therefore, is best

you." Then he caused me to rise, and asked your

here to you.

known

to

my name, and the names of my assoand had them all put down in writing.
He demanded also, because he had been informed that you
departed from your own country with an army, against
whom you waged war. I answered: "Against the Saracens,
who had defiled the house of God at Jerusalem." He asked
Majesty's name, and
ciate

and

interpreter,

.-

J^

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

loi

whether your Highness had ever before that time sent

"To you, sir," said I,
any messengers to him, or not.
also

"never."

Then he made

us

sit

down, and gave us of

his

milk to

drink, which they regard to be a great favour, especially

when any man is admitted to drink cosmos with him in his

own house. I sat looking down upon the ground and he
commanded me to lift up my face, wishing to get a better
view of us, or else because of superstition. They hold it a
sign of ill-luck, or evil, when any man sits in their presence,
holding down his head, as if he were sadj especially when
he leans

his

Then we

cheek or chin on his hand.

departed, and immediately after us came our

guide, and conducting us unto our lodging, said to

Lord King

me: "The

requests that you remain in this land, but Batu

cannot grant this without the knowledge and consent of

Mangu Khan. Wherefore you, and your interpreter must

However, your associate and the other
to Mangu Khan.

go

man

shall return to the court of Sartach, waiting there for

you,

till

you come back."

Then

the interpreter began to

lament, deeming himself a dead man.

My

associate also

protested, saying that they should sooner chop off his head,

than take him out of

said, that

my

without

my

company.

Moreover, I myself
and that we

associate I could not go;

stood in need of two servants at least, to attend upon us,

because, if one should chance to fall sick,

without another.
things to Batu.

two

we could

not be

Returning to the court, he told these

And Batu commanded, saying: "Let the

and the interpreter go together, but let the clerk

return to Sartach." And coming again to us, he told us.
And when I desired to speak for the clerk to have him with
us, he said: "No more words, for Batu has resolved
so it
shall be, and I dare not go to the court any more."
Goset
priests

102

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3d ARC O TOLO

the clerk had remaining of the alms money bestowed unto

him, twenty-six yf erf era [about 60 dollars], and no more:
ten he kept for himself and for the lad, and sixteen he gave
Thus were we parted asunder
to the interpreter for us.

with tears: he returning to the court of Sartach, and ourselves

remaining here.

C h af t er 22
OF OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS THE COURT OF MANGU KHAN

Upon

the eve of the Assumption our clerk arrived at the

court of Sartach.

And on

the next day the Nestorian priests

were adorned with our vestments in the presence of Sartach.

ourselves were conducted to another host, who was
appointed to provide us houseroom, food, and horses. But
because we had nothing to bestow upon him, he did it all
Then we rode forward with Batu, descending
meanly.
along by the bank of Volga, for a space of five weeks together: sometimes my associate was so hungry that he would
tell me about it weeping, that it fared with him as though
he will never eat any thing in all his life again.
There is a fair or market following the court of Batu at
but it was so far distant from us that we could
all times
not reach it. We were constrained to walk on foot for want
of horses. At length certain Hungarians, who had once
been clerks, found us, and one of them could sing many
songs without book, and was looked upon by other Hungarians as a priest, and was sent to funerals of his deceased
countrymen. There was another of them also well instructed
in grammar J for he could understand the meaning of everything that we spoke, but could not answer. These Hungarians were a great comfort to us, bringing us cosmos to
When they requested
drink, and sometimes flesh to eat.

Then we

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

to

have some books of

for indeed
this

us,

we had none,

grieved me.

had not any

to give

them,

but only a Bible, and a breviary,

them: "Bring me some

will write for you as long as we shall

And

ink and paper, and I

and

103

said unto

remain here"; and they did so. I copied out for them the
hours of the Blessed Virgin, and the office for the dead.
Moreover, upon a certain day, a Coman accompanying us

Wondering
demanded of him who

saluted us in Latin, saying: ^^Saluke Domini."

at this,

and saluting him

in return, I

had taught him that kind of salutation. He said that he

was baptized in Hungary by our friars, and that from them
he had learned it. He said, moreover, that Batu had asked
many things of him concerning us, and that he told him the
condition of our order.
I saw Batu riding in his company, and all his
were householders or masters of families riding with him, and, in my estimation, there were not 6ve
hundred men in all.
At length there came a certain rich Moal to us, whose
father was chief of a thousand, a great office among them,
saying: "I am the man that must conduct you to Mangu
Khan, and we have a journey of four months before us;
and there is such extreme cold in those parts that stones and
trees are split by the frost. Therefore, think it over whether
you be able to endure it or not." I answered: "I hope by
God's help that we shall be able to stand that which other
men can endure." Then he said: "If you cannot endure it,
I will forsake you by the way."
And I answered him:
"It would not be just for you to do so, for we do not go
upon any business of our own, but because we are sent by
your lord.
Wherefore since we are committed to your
charge, you ought in no way forsake us." Then he said:
"All shall be well." Afterward he caused us to show him

Afterward

subjects that

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

104
all

our garments: and whatsoever he deemed to be useless

for us, he asked us to leave

it

behind

in the

custody of our

host.

Next day they brought

all

gown, made
upon them, and breeches

to each of us a furred

of rams' skins, with the wool

still

of the same, and boots also of buskin according to their

fashion, and shoes made of felt, and hoods also made of
skins after their manner. The second day after the Elevation of the Holy Cross, we began our journey, having three
guides to direct us. We rode continually eastward, till the
feast of All Saints.

All that region, and beyond

it,

was

who were by parentage

Upon the north side of us,

inhabited by the people of Cangle,

descended from the Comans.

we had Great Bulgaria, and on the south, the Caspian Sea.

Chapter 25
OF THE RIVER OF URAL ^ AND OF VARIOUS REGIONS OR NATIONS

Having travelled twelve days' journey from Volga, we

found a mighty river called Jagac [Ural], which flows out
of the north, from the land of Pascatir, falling into the
Caspian Sea. The language of Pascatir and of the Hungarians is all one, and they are all of them shepherds, not
having any cities. Their country borders upon Great BulFrom the northeast part of
garia, on the west frontier.
Great Bulgaria is the
this country, there is no city at all.
farthest country in this direction that has any city.
Out of
this region of Pascatir came the Huns of old time, who
afterward were called Hungarians. Next to it is Great Bulgaria.
Isidore reported that the people of this nation had
swift horses with which they crossed the impregnable walls
of Alexander, which, together with the rocks of Caucasus,

served to restrain those barbarous and bloodthirsty people

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

105

from invading the regions to the south. And that they had
them from as far off as Egypt. Likewise

tribute paid to

they wasted

all countries

even as far as France.

they were more mighty than the Tartars.

And

Therefore,
to

them the

and the Vandals joined themselves.

For out of Bulgaria the greater, came the Bulgarians. Moreover, those who live beyond the Danube, near Constantinople, and not far from Pascatir, are called Ilac, which is
Blac, for the Tartars cannot pronounce the better Bj from
Blacians, the Bulgarians,

them come those people who inhabit the land of Assani.

They are both of them called Ilac in the language of the
The Sclavonians
Russians, the Poles, and the Bohemians.
speak one language with the Vandals,

all

banded themselves with the Huns.

all

of

whom

But now for the most

part they unite themselves to the Tartars;

whom God

hath

from the remote parts of the earth, according to that

which the Lord said: I will provoke them to envy, namely
those who keep not the law, and are no people, and with a
sent

foolish nation will I anger them.

This prophecy is fulfilled to the letter upon all nations

which observe not the law of God. All this which I have
written concerning the land of Pascatir was told me by certain Friars Predicants,

who

travelled there before ever the

But from that time they were subneighbours the Bulgarians, and became Sara-

Tartars came abroad.

dued by their
cens.
Other matters concerning these people may be learnt
from the chronicles. For it is manifest, that those provinces
beyond Constantinople, which are now called Bulgaria, Wallachia, and Sclavonia, were of old time provinces belonging
to the Greeks.
Also Hungary was previously called Pannonia.

We
of the

were riding over the land of Cangle, from the feast

Holy Cross until the feast of All Saints [September

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TO LP

io6

15 to
to

November

my estimation,

times farther, as

i], travelling almost every day, according

as far as

from Paris

to Orleans,

we were provided with

some days we had change of horses

and someFor

post horses.

twice or three times in

a day.

Sometimes we travelled for two or three days without

we were required not to ride
so fast. Of twenty or thirty horses we had always the worst,
because we were strangers.
For every one before us took
finding any people, and then

their choice of the best horses.

with a strong horse, because

They provided me always

was very corpulent and heavy;

I dared not

but whether he ambled a gentle pace or not,

inquire.

Neither dared

complain, although he rode hard.

Every man must be contented with

his lot.

Consequently,

we were greatly troubled, for often our horses were tired

before we could reach any people. And then we had to beat
and whip our horses, and to lay our clothing upon pack
horses j and sometimes two of us had to ride upon one horse.

Chapter 24
OF THE HUNGER AND THIRST ^ AND OTHER MISERIES ^ WHICH
WE SUSTAINED ON OUR JOURNEY

Of

hunger and thirst, cold and weariness, there was no

end. They gave us no food, but only in the evening.
In
the morning they used to give us a little drink, or some
cooked millet.
In the evening they bestowed flesh upon
us, as a shoulder and breast of ram's mutton, and every man
a measured quantity of broth to drink. When we had sufficient of the meat broth, we were marvellously well refreshed.
And it seemed to me most pleasant, and a most
nourishing drink.

Every Saturday

remained fasting

until night, without

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

eating or drinking anything.

my

And when

107

night came I was

Sometimes we had to eat flesh half cooked, or almost raw, and

This happened when we were in the
all for want of fuel.
We could
fields, or came to our journey's end after dark.
not then conveniently gather together the dung of horses or
oxen; for other fuel we found but seldom, except perhaps
Upon the banks of some
a few thorns in some places.
growing
here
and there, but they are
woods
rivers there are
obliged, to

great grief

and sorrow,

to eat flesh.

very rare.
In the beginning our guide highly disdained us, and it
Afterto him tedious to conduct such base fellows.

seemed

ward, when he began to

rected us on our

way by

know

us

somewhat

better,

he di-

the courts of rich Moals, and

we

pray for them. Had I carried a good interpreter with me, I should have had opportunity to have

were asked

to

done much good.

Chinghis Khan, who was the first great Khan, or Emperor, of the Tartars, had four sons, of whom there were
many children, every one of whom does at this day enjoy
great possessions and they are daily multiplied and dispersed over that huge and waste desert, which is, in dimensions, like the ocean sea.
Our guide directed us, as we were
going on our journey, through many of their camps. And
they marvelled greatly that we would accept neither gold,
nor silver, nor precious and costly garments. They inquired
also concerning the great Pope, whether he was of so great
an age as they had heard. For there had gone a report
among them, that he was five hundred years old. They
inquired also of our countries, whether there were sheep,
oxen, and horses there, and also regarding the ocean sea;
they could not conceive of it, because it was without limits
j

or bounds.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

io8

Upon

the eve of All Saints,

towards the

mARCO TOLO

we forsook

because the people had

east,

way leading
now descended

the

very much south, and we went on our journey by certain

alps, or mountains, directly southward, for the space of
eight days. In the desert I saw many asses, rather like our
mules these our guide and his companions chased very
eagerly however, they did but lose their labour, for the
beasts were too swift for them. Upon the seventh day there
appeared to the south of us huge high mountains, and we
entered into a place which was well watered, and fresh as a
j

garden, and here

On

we found land

tilled

and manured.

the eighth day after the feast of All Saints,

we

arrived

town of the Saracens, named Kenchat, and the

governor met our guide at the town's end with ale and cups.
For it is their manner at all towns and villages, subject to
them, to meet the messengers of Batu and Mangu Khan
with meat and drink. At that time of the year, they already
had ice on their roads. And before the feast of St. Michael
[September 29] we had frost in the desert. I inquired the
at a certain

name of

this province

could not

tell

me

but being

now

the name, but only the

small city in the same province.

great river [Talas]

the whole

down from

And

name

they

of a very

there descended a

the mountains, which watered

region, according as the inhabitants

would give

it

making channels and sluices neither did this

was absorbed into the earth and
made many marshes. Also I saw many vines, and twice

passage, by

river flow into any sea, but

it

in a strange part,

drank of the wine.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

Chapter

109

HOW BURI WAS PUT TO DEATH ^ AND CONCERNING THE

HABITATION OF THE TEUTONS

The
tains.

next day,
I

we came

to another village near the

inquired what mountains they were, for

moununder-

stood them to be the mountains of the Caucasus, which are

stretched forth and continued on both parts to the sea,

from

the west unto the east; and on the west part they fall into
the Caspian Sea, where the river Volga discharges
I

its

streams.

inquired also of the city of Talas, where there lived certain

Teutons, servants of Buri, of

mention.

Concerning these

whom

men

Friar

I also

Andrew made

inquired very dili-

gently in the courts of Sartach and Batu, but

could get no

information of them except that their lord and master Buri

was put to death upon the following occasion. This Buri

was not placed in good and fertile pastures. And upon a
certain day being drunk, he spoke in this way to his men:
"Am not I of the stock and kindred of Chinghis Khan, as
well as Batu?" For indeed he was brother or nephew to
Batu. "Why then do I not go to the banks of the Volga, to
feed my cattle there, as freely as Batu himself does?"
These speeches of his were reported to Batu. Whereupon
Batu wrote to his servants to bring their lord bound before
him.
And they did so. Then Batu demanded of him
whether he had spoken any such words. And he confessed
that he had.
But, because it is the Tartars' manner to pardon drunken men, he excused himself and said he was drunk
at the time.
"How dare you mention my name in your
drunkenness?" said Batu. And with that he caused his head
to be chopped off.
Concerning the Teutons, I could get no information till
I had come to the court of Mangu Khan.
And there I was

no

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

^w-

informed that

Mangu Khan had removed them

out of the

jurisdiction of Batu, for the space of a month's journey

from

Talas, eastward, to a certain village called Bolac: where they

are set to dig gold,

and

to

make armour.

passed very near

their city in going, namely, within three days' journey of

was ignorant that I did so: neither could I have

my way, if I had known.
From the village I have mentioned we went directly eastward, by the mountains. And from that time we travelled
among the people of Mangu Khan, who in all places sang
and danced before our guide, because he was the messenger
of Batu. For this courtesy they do afford each to other:
the people of Mangu Khan receive the messengers of Batu
in this same manner
and so likewise the people of Batu
entertain the messengers of Mangu Khan.
However, the
subjects of Batu are stronger and show not so much courtesy
to the subjects of Mangu Khan, as is shown to them.
A few days later we entered upon those alps where the
Black Cathay people were wont to inhabit. And there we
found a mighty river [Hi] in so much that we were obliged
to cross it in a boat. Afterward we came to a certain valley,
where I saw a castle destroyed, the walls of which were only
of mud J and in that place the soil was tilled also.
And
there we found a certain village, named Equius, where there
were Saracens, speaking the Persian language, though they
dwelt a huge distance from Persia.
The day following, having passed over the hills, which
descended from the great mountains southward, we entered
into a most beautiful plain, having high mountains on our
right hand, and on the left hand of us a certain sea or lake,
which is fifteen days' journey in circuit. The plain is most
commodiously watered with certain streams distilling from
the mountains, all of which fall into the lake. In summerit,

but

turned out of

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

time

we

iii

returned by the north shore of the same lake, and

there were great mountains on that side also.

they were

Upon

this

were a great many villages} but for the most part

plain there

all

ruined because of the fertile pastures that the

Tartars might use for their

cattle.

We

found one great city there named Cailac, which contained a market, and great store of merchants frequenting it.
In this city we remained fifteen days, waiting for a certain
scribe, or secretary of Batu, who ought to have accompanied
our guide to the court of

Mangu.

All this country was once called

Organumj and

the people

thereof had their proper language, and their peculiar kind

But it was now inhabited of the people called

Turcomans. The Nestorians likewise in those parts used
the very same language and writing. Perhaps the Nestorians
called them Organa, because they were wont to be most skilful in playing upon the organs, or guitars, so it was reported
to me.
Here first did I see worshippers of idols, of whom
of writing.

there are

many

sects in the east countries.

Chapter 26
HOW THE

NESTORIANS ^ SARACENS ^ AND IDOLATERS ARE

JOINED TOGETHER

The first sort of these idolaters are called Jugures: their

land bordered upon the land of Organum, within the mounand in all their cities Nestorians and Saracens
and they are scattered also towards Persia.
The citizens of the city of Cailac had three idol temples
and I entered into two of them, to behold their foolish super-

tains eastward}

live together,

stitions.

In the

upon

his

first I

found a man having a

hand, and

cross painted with ink

supposed him to be a Christian; for

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

112

he answered

like a Christian to all questions

which

asked

asked him, why, therefore, he had not the cross

And he answered: "We
with the image of Jesus Christ?
have no such custom." At this I concluded that they were
f him.

Christians, but that for lack of instruction they omitted the

I noticed behind a certain chest, which
was to them an altar, where they set candles and oblations,
an image having wings like the image of St. Michael j and
other images also, holding their fingers as if they were
blessing.
That evening I could find out nothing more, for
the Saracens shun these idolaters so much that they will not
allow them to speak of their religion. And when I inquired
of the Saracens concerning these ceremonies, they were of-

above ceremony.

fended.

On the following day, which was the first of the month

and the Saracens' feast of Passover, I changed my host and
took up my lodging near another idol temple. The citizens
of this city of Cailac do courteously invite and lovingly entertain all messengers,

and

every

man

according to his ability

station.

Entering into the temple,

there.

Always

at the first

found the

priests of the idols

of the month they open their

temples, and the priests put on their vestments and offer the

and fruits. First I will describe to you

and
ceremonies,
which are held in all their
those rites
temples J and then the superstitions of the Jugures, a sect
distinguished from the rest. They all worship towards the
aorth, clapping their hands together, prostrating themaaelves on their knees, and holding their foreheads in their
hands. The Nestorians in these parts do not join their hands
together in prayer, but hold their hands before their breasts.
Their temples are built east and west j and upon the north
Sometimes, if it
side is a chamber, in manner of a vestry.
oblation of bread

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

is

a square temple, the vestry or choir place

is

113

built in the

chamber they place a chest long and

broad like a table, and behind this, facing south, stands their
principal idol.
The one I saw at Caracarum was as big as
Also a certain Nestorian
the image of St. Christopher,
been
in
Cathay,
said that in that country
priest, who had
there is an idol so huge that it may be seen two days' journey away. They place other idols round about the principal
one, all of them finely gilt over with pure gold; and upon
the chest, which is in manner of a table, they set candles and
offerings. The doors of their temples always open towards
the south, which is contrary to the customs of the Saracens.
They have also great bells like we have. And that is the
centre.

Within

reason, I believe,

why

the Christians in the East will not use

However, they

great bells.
sians,

this

are

common among

the Rus-

and Grecians of Gasaria.

C h af t er

2 y

OF THEIR TEMPLES AND IDOLS ^ AND HOW THEY WORSHIP

THEIR FALSE GODS

All

have their heads and beards shaved

and they are clad in orange coloured garments}

their priests

quite close

and being once shaven, they lead a chaste life, in groups of

a hundred or two hundred together in one cloister. On the
days when they enter into their temples, they place two
long benches

men

inside.

Upon

these they

sit

facing the singing

They have certain books in their hands,

which sometimes they lay down upon the benches, and their
in the choir.

heads are bare as long as they remain in the temple.

They read softly to themselves, hardly uttering any sound
at all.
tions,

Coming in amongst them, at the time of their devoand finding them all sitting mute, I attempted to get

CONTEMPORARIES OF

11 4

mARCO TOLO

answer me, but could not by any means possible.

also wherever they go, a certain string
with a hundred or two hundred beads, much like our rosaries,
which we carry about with us. And they always utter these
octant ("God thou knowest," as one of
words: Ou mam
me). And so they expect a reward
unto
them expounded it

them

to

They have with them

at

God's hands, as often as they pronounce these words

in

remembrance of God.

Round

about their temple they always

make a

court, as

though it were a churchyard, which they enclose with a good

wall. And upon the south part of this they build the main

where they sit and talk. And upon the top of this gate
they set up a long pole, raising it, if they can, above all the
whole town. And by this pole all men may know, that
there stands the temple of their idols. These rites and ceremonies are common to all idolaters in these parts.
I found certain priests sitting in the outer gate of this
temple, and those which I saw seemed to me, because of
They
their shaven beards, as if they had been Frenchmen.
The
heads.
ornaments
upon
their
Jugure
wore certain paper
They are always
priests wear such attire wherever they go.
gate,

dressed in their orange coloured jackets, which are very

and are laced or buttoned from the bosom down,

after the French fashion. And they have a cloak upon their
left shoulder which falls around the chest and back to the
straight

right side, like a deacon carrying the chasuble in time of

Lent.

Their kind of writing

is

like the Tartars'.

to write at the top of their paper,

They

drawing their

begin

lines right

down; and so they read and multiply their lines from the
left hand to the right. They do use certain papers and characters in their magical practices, and their temples are full
of such short scrolls hung round. Also Mangu Khan has

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

sent letters to your

Moals, but

Majesty written

in the

115

language of the

in the script of the Jugures.

They burn

dead according

their

and
had
temple and

to the ancient custom,

lay up the ashes in the top of a pyramid.

Now,

after I

and entered into their

seen many of their images both great and small, I demanded
of them what they believed concerning God: and they answered: "We believe that there is only one God." And I
demanded further: "Do you believe that he is a spirit or
sat a

while by the

priests,

They

some bodily substance?"

is

a spirit."

Then

said I:

said:

"Do you

"We

believe that he

believe that

God

ever

They answered: "No."

And again I said: "Since you believe that he is a spirit, then
why do you make so many images to represent him? Since
took man's nature upon him?"

you believe not that he was made man: Why do you

make him more like the image of a man than of any other
creature?" Then they answered, saying: "We do not make
these images to represent God, but when any rich man
amongst us, or his son, or his wife, or any of his friends dies,
he has the image of the dead person made and placed here.
We, in remembrance of him, do reverence to it." Then I
replied: "You do these things only for the friendship and

also

flattery of

men."

"No," they

said,

"only for their

mem-

ory."

Then they questioned me, as if in derision: "Where is

God?" To which I answered: "Where is your soul?"
They said, in our bodies. Then said I: "Is it not in every
part of your body, ruling and guiding the whole body, and

yet

it

is

invisible?

all things,

wisdom

Even

so

God

everywhere and ruleth

being understanding and

is

and yet is he invisible,

Then, just as I wanted

itself."

conversation with them,

my

have some more

interpreter became weary, and
to

mARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

ii6

was not able

to express

my

words, so he

made me keep

silent.

The Moals
but they

of this sect believe that there

make images of

felt, in

is

but one

remembrance of

God;

their dead,

covering them with five most rich and costly garments, and

them into one or two carts, which carts no man dare

touch and these are in the custody of their soothsayers, who
are their priests, and of whom I shall tell you further on.
These soothsayers, or diviners, always attend upon the court
of Mangu and of other great personages. The poor have
putting
J

none, but only those of the family and kindred of Chinghis.

And when
diviners

move

they are to

go before them,

They

the children of Israel.

tents

own

must be pitched, and

houses: and after

or to take any journey, the said

as the

first

cloudy pillar went before

appoint ground where the

of

they take

all

them the whole

down

their

court does the same.

Also upon their festival days or calends they take their

images and place them

in a circle within the house.

Then

same house, bowing themselves before the said images and worship them. Moreover,
it is not lawful for any stranger to enter into that house.
Once I myself would have forced my way in, but was most
come the Moals and enter

into the

rudely treated.

C h a'p t er 28
OF VARIOUS NATIONS AND OF CERTAIN PEOPLE
THEIR OWN PARENTS

Those
Saracens,

among

Jugures,

who

by

sundry disputations,

their

been brought
They dwell in certain

live

to believe that there

in subjection to

cities,

WHO EAT

the Christians and the

is

as I suppose,

have

but one only God.

which afterward were brought

who then gave his daughter

Chinghis Khan,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

117

Caracarum itself
and the whole country
of the king, Prester John, and of his brother Unc, is near
their dominions; though they inhabit certain pastures northward, while the Jugures live between the mountains towards
in
is

marriage to their king.

in a

manner within

Also the

city of

their territory;

the south.

happened that the Moals adopted their letters from

they are the best scribes and nearly all the NesBeyond them, between the
torians know their writing.
are
the
nation
of Tangut, who are a
mountains eastward,
most valiant people, and once took Chinghis in battle. But
after peace was made he was set at liberty by them, and
afterwards he subdued them.
These people of Tangut have oxen of great strength,
with tails like horses, and with long shaggy hair upon their
backs and bellies. They have legs shorter than other oxen
have, but they are much stronger.
These oxen draw the
great houses of the Moals. Their horns are slender, long,
straight, and so sharp that their owners must cut off the ends.
The cows will not let themselves be milked unless they whistle or sing to them.
They have also the character of bulls,
for if they see a man clothed in red, they run upon him imSo

them.

it

And

mediately to

Beyond

kill

him.

these are the people of Tibet,

men which

are in

the habit of eating the carcases of their deceased parents;

might make no other sepulchre for

them, than their own bowels. However, of late they have

that for pity's sake they

left off this custom, as they

became abominable and odious

it.
But they still to this

to all other nations on account of

day make

when

of the skulls of their parents, so that

they drink out of them, they may, amidst all their
fine cups

and delights, call their dead parents to remembrance.

This was told me by one who saw it.

jollities

CONTEMPORARIES OF

ii8

The

said people of Tibet

Whoever wants

their land.

MARCO TO LP

have a great deal of gold in

till he has found some

gold, digs

and then taking so much of it as will serve his

he lays up the residue within the earth because, if he

quantity,
turn,

should put

it

into his chest or storehouse he thinks that

God

would withhold from him all other gold within the earth.
I saw some of these people, but they were very deformed
creatures.

In Tangut
colour.

saw lusty

The Jugures

Frenchmen.

Amongst

tall

are

men, but browa and swart

in

of a middle stature like our

the Jugures remains the original and

root of the Turkish and

Coman

languages.

After Tibet

Langa and Solanga, whose envoys I saw in

the Tartars' court. They had brought more than ten great
carts with them, every one of which was drawn with six
oxen. They are little brown men like Spaniards. Also they
are the people of

have jackets, resembling the upper vestment of a deacon,

saving that the sleeves are somewhat straighter. And they
have mitres upon their heads like bishops. But the fore
part of their mitre is not as hollow within as the back partj
neither

is it

sharp-pointed or cornered at the top, but

it

is

is made rough and

and is so polished that it glistens
And at
in the sun like glass, or a helmet well burnished.
bands
of
same
stuff
fastened
their temples they have long
the
to their mitres, which hover in the wind as if two long horns
grew out of their heads. When the wind tosses them up
and down too much, they tie them over the top of their
mitre from one temple to another: and so they lie circlewise
over their heads. Moreover, their principal messenger to
the Tartars' court had with him a table of polished elephant's
And
tooth, about a cubit in length and a hand in breadth.
whenever he spoke to the emperor himself, or to any other

square and

is

of a kind of buckram which

rugged with extreme

heat,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

119

he had found

great personage, he always held this table, as

if

there the things which he wanted to say.

Neither did he

cast his eyes to the right

face of

hand, or to the

him with whom he

Likewise,

talked.

into the presence of the lord,

Muc, having

look in the

when coming

and when leaving

nowhere but upon his table.

Beyond them, as I understand of
other people called

left, or

it,

he looked

a certainty, there are

villages, but

who

take no

There are many flocks and droves of

cattle in their country, and no man appointed to herd them.
When any one of them wants any beast, he climbs a hill, and
there calls, and all the cattle which are within hearing come
flocking about him, and allow themselves to be handled and
taken, as if they were tame.
When any messenger or stranger comes into their country,
they shut him up in a house, ministering there things necessary to him, until his business is dispatched.
For if any
stranger should travel through that country, the cattle would
flee away at the very scent of him, and so would become

cattle to themselves.

wild.

Chapter 29
OF CATHAY OR CHINA ^ THE DEATH OF KUYUK KHAN ^ AND
THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST MANGU KHAN HIS SUCCESSOR

Beyond

is

the great Cathay, of which the inhabitants were

anciently the Seres.

Because from them come the good

cloths of silk, or seric, so called

And

cities.

city

from the name of the people.

name from one of their

the people have received their

I

have been informed that

in this

with walls of silver and of gold.

many

country there

is

In this land there are

provinces of which several do not obey the Moals.

Between them and the sea is India. These inhabitants of
Cathay are small in build and speak through their noses.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

120

-w^r iT'^

Like

^^-y^T'-y^^^'

y^

ww

MARCO
TOLO
w

^ yy "^ -w w
-

i^

'

They are very

doctors know well

they have small eyes.

all Orientals,

skilled workers

y yy

in all the crafts,

and

their

the virtues of herbs and understand diseases through the tak-

ing of the pulse 5 but they have no knowledge of urines

have observed. Many of them inhabit

Caracarum and exercise the same profession as their fathers j

this, at least, is

it is

what

necessary that all the sons continue the paternal profes-

sion.

That

is

why

the tax

pays each day to the

Moal

or their value in cosmos, that

is

the same for all because one

a thousand five
is

to say, fifteen

without counting the cloths of

silk,

hundred

iascot

thousand marks

the provisions and the

services that they receive.

All these people are spread throughout the Caucasus or

rather to the north of these mountains up to the Eastern

Ocean, and they are to the south of Sithia, which the nomadic
Moals inhabit. All are their tributaries. They are given
over to idolatry and

tell

a great

number of

fables of their

gods, of the genealogy of these gods and of certain deified

men,

as our

own

Among them

poets do.

found Nestorians and Saracens who are

In fifteen cities of Cathay
Cathay.
one sees Nestorians, and in one city called Segin [Hsi-an Fu]
there is a bishop. The rest are pure idolaters. The priests
of the idols of these people wear large yellow coloured
hoods. If it is necessary to believe what I have heard, there
are also hermits who live very austere lives in the woods.
However, they say their prayers and have sacred books in
This results in their
Syrian that they do not understand.
chanting as do the monks in our country who know nothing
of grammar. They are above all usurers, drunkards and
some live with the Tartars and have like them several wives.
When they enter a church they wash the lower parts of their
bodies like the Saracens } they eat meat on Friday and hold
are

held as foreigners

in

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

manner of the

their banquets in the

Saracens.

121

The

bishop

rarely visits their country, perhaps only once in fifty years.

At

male children are ordained priests,

even those who are still in the cradle, which explains why
almost all the men are priests. Then they marry, which is
completely contrary to the teaching of the Fathers, and they
that time all the little

are bigamists because after the death of their

take a second.

They

wife they

are also all simoniacs, not administer-

ing any sacrament without pay.

their wives

first

They

are very attentive to

and children and consequently they are more

occupied in gaining

money than

in

propagating the

faith.

Those among them who bring up the children of noble

Moals, while teaching them the gospel and faith, manage to
alienate them from the practice of Christian virtues, through
the bad example of their habits and above all through their
cupidity because the life of the Moals themselves and of the
Tuins, who are idolaters, is more pure than the life of these
priests.

We

left Cailac

on the day of the

feast of St.

[November 30] and arrived three leagues

lage of Nestorians.
fully with

We

Andrew

distant at a vil-

entered their church and sang joy-

our clearest voice,

^^

Salve regina!'* because

it

was a long time since we had seen a church. Three days

afterwards we were on the confines of this province and on
the shore of this sea [the Ala Kul], which to us seemed as
stormy as the ocean. And in the middle we saw a large
island.
My companion approached the shore and moistened
a cloth in it to taste the water, which was salty but drinkable.
Between the south and the east there is a valley surrounded by high mountains and another lake between them
and a stream crosses this valley from one lake to another.
The wind blew almost continually in this valley and with
so much force that travellers ran the risk of being blown

122

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

However, we crossed this gorge, making our

toward the north through high mountains covered
with snows like the rest of the country. On the day of St.
Nicholas we began to make haste because we no longer found
any inhabitants other than the iamSy that is to say, men
placed one day's journey apart to take care of ambassadors.
In many places in the mountains the road is narrow and the
grazing bad, so that between morn and night we covered
the distance of two iams, in this way making two days' journey into one. We travelled more by night than by day. It
was intensely cold there, so we turned our sheepskins with
into the lake.

direction

the wool outside.

The

second Sunday in Advent [December 7]

we came

to a certain place where there were steep and jagged rocks,

and our guide asked me to say a prayer which could chase

away the demons because in this place the devils were known
to carry away men without their knowing what was happening to them. Sometimes they took away a horse and abandoned the rider sometimes they tore away his entrails, leaving his skeleton on the horse, and many other things of this
nature happened there. Then we sang loudly ^^Credo in
unufn Deuniy^ and by the grace of God we passed through
Then they asked me to write cards
safe and sound.
[charms] for them to carry on their heads, and I said to
them: "I will teach you the word that you will carry in your
heart and by which your body and soul would be saved
}

through eternity." But my interpreter failed to repeat it.

However, I wrote for them the "Credo" and the "Pater,"
saying: "Here are written what a man must believe of God

and the prayer through which one

sary for

man

even without understanding

for you what

is

asks

God

believe then firmly all that

contained in

all that is necesis

written here

and ask of God that he do

the prayer written here, which
it

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

123

he gave himself with his own mouth to his disciples, and I

hope he will save you." I could not do more, for it was
dangerous to speak of doctrines through the medium of an
interpreter it was even an impossibility because he did not
know how.
We then entered into the plain where Kuyuk Khan held
his court. It was once the country of the Naimans who were
J

the true subjects of that Prester John, but

saw his court

you what hap-

only upon my return. However, I will tell

pened to his family, his son and his wives. When Kuyuk
died [1248 A.D.], Batu wished that Mangu replace him
But of how he died I would not be able to
as the Khan.
say anything definite. Friar Andrew says that he lost his
life following the taking of a certain medicine which was
administered to him by the order, one believes, of Batu.

However, there is another story: Kuyuk Khan had invited

Batu to come to render him homage and Batu set out in
great state, but not without great fear, he and all his men.

He

named Stican who when he

had arrived in the presence of Kuyuk and had to present
him the cup, a quarrel then arose between them and they
The widow of Stican kept us for two
killed each other.
days so that we might give her benediction and 'pray for
sent on ahead his brother

her.

So Kuyuk being dead, Mangu was elected by the will of

Batu and he was already elected when Friar Andrew visited
these countries. Kuyuk had a brother named Siremon who,
on the advice of the widow of Kuyuk and his vassals, went
with great
in reality

pomp

to

Mangu

as if to

render him homage but

with the project of killing him and destroying

all

And when he was not more than one or two days'

march away from Mangu one of his chariots broke and had
his court.

to

remain on the road.

While the driver was endeavouring

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34 ARC O TOLO

124

one of the men of Mangu came by and aided

This man inquired so much regarding
their journey that the driver revealed to him what Siremon
proposed to do. Then Mangu's man, retiring with an air
of indifference, took the best horse he could find among all
the horses, and riding day and night, arrived at the court of
to repair

him

it

in his

work.

Mangu and announced to him what he had just learned.

Then Mangu promptly called together all his men and
who were armed in three circles about
no one could enter. He sent the others
against this Siremon, who did not suspect that his scheme
was discovered. They seized him and led him to the court
with all his men. Mangu charged him with the crime and
he confessed at once. Then he was put to death and with
him the eldest son of Kuyuk Khan, and with them three
hundred of the chief men among the Tartars. Messengers
were sent to find the women who were whipped with red-hot
arranged

all

those

his court, so that

And
brands in order to obtain from them a confession.
The youngest
after they confessed they were all killed.
of the sons of Kuyuk, who could not have given advice or
had knowledge of what was planned, had his life spared and
was given the possession of the court of his father with all
We passed that way on our return and my
its belongings.
guides, in going or coming, did not dare to go to that side
because "the mistress of nations sat in sorrow, and there
was no one to console her."

Chapter

5 o

OUR DEPARTURE ^ AND OUR ARRIVAL AT THE COURT OF

MANGU KHAN

We

took again the road of the mountains, going always

Finally on the day of the Blessed Stephen

toward the north.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

[December 26] we entered

125

into a plain, as vast as the ocean,

in which we did not discover a single hillock, and the following day on the feast of St. John the Evangelist we arrived
When we were at a
in the presence of the great Khan.
distance of five days from there, the iatn with whom we were
staying wished to conduct us by a roundabout way that would
have delayed us for over fifteen days and the motive, if I
understood it correctly, would make us pass through Onan-

where Chinghis Khan had his court.

Others said that they wished to take a longer road so as to
magnify the power of their lord. It is thus, indeed, that
they usually act to people who come from countries not
subject to them. And it was with the greatest difficulty that
our guide was made to take the direct road. This hesitation
made us lose a good part of a day, from dawn to the third
kerule, the real country

hour.

journey the secretary we had awaited in Cailac

that, in the letters Batu was sending to Mangu
Khan, there was a request asking for an army and to aid
Sartach against the Saracens. I was astonished and troubled
then because I was acquainted with the tenor of your letters
and I knew in them mention was not made of this request,
In

this

said to

me

him to be the friend of all Chrishonour the Cross and be the enemy of all the ene-

except that you advised

tians, to

And yet because the interpreters were

Armenians of Great Armenia, greatly hating the Saracens,
I feared lest they should have translated something in a
manner harmful to the Saracens. I prudently remained
silent because I did not wish to contradict the words of Batu
nor to involve myself without a good cause.
So we arrived in the court on the day that I just mentioned to you. A great house was assigned to our guide, but
to us only a little shelter where we could hardly store our

mies of the Cross,

126
things.

CONTEMPORARIES OF
Our guide

brought him

received

wine

rice

in

MARCO TOLO

many

visits

and there was

long narrow-necked

bottles.

could not in any manner distinguish this drink from the

best wine of Auxerre, excepting only by the odour which was

We

were called and closely questioned as

I answered: "We have heard
that Sartach was Christian; we wished to come to him. We
bring him letters addressed to him by the king of the French.
Sartach sent us to his father. His father sent us here. He
himself must have written the purpose of our mission."
They asked us if you wanted to make peace with them.
I replied: "He sent letters to Sartach as to a Christian and
if he had known that he was not a Christian he would never
have sent him letters. As to making peace, I tell you he
has never done you the least harm. If he had done something that would justify your declaring war on him or on
his people, he would hasten, as an upright man, to make
apology and ask you for peace. If you, on the contrary,
wanted without any cause to make war on him or his people,
And they
I hope that God, who is just, would aid them."
always very astonished repeated: "Why do you come if you
do not come to make peace?" For they are so haughty they
imagine that the whole world seeks them out to ask to live
Still if it were allowed me, I would
in peace with them.
preach war against them throughout the world. But I did
not want to tell them openly why I came among them, fearing to pronounce a single word contrary to what Batu had
not that of wine.

to the purpose of our trip.

ordered

me

to say.

So

it

seemed

to

me

sufficient to

say that

the cause of my coming was the mission I had from Batu.

The following day we were conducted to the court, and
I thought I could go barefooted as we do in our own countries; that

is

why

I left

my

shoes behind.

Those who come

to the court get off their horses within an arrow's shot from

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

127

the dwelling of the Khan, and there leave the horses with
the grooms entrusted to their care. When we had alighted

and our guide proceeded to the Khan's dwelling, we found

Hungarian servant, who recognized us that is, our
Order. Those surrounding us gazed at us with amazement,
especially because we were barefooted, and they asked us why

there a

we

considered our feet of so

little

The Hun-

importance.

them the reason for it, telling them that

Then came the first secretary,
it was a rule of our Order.
who was a Nestorian Christian, by whose advice everything
garian explained to

is

done

He

at the court.

looked

at us attentively, called

over the Hungarian and asked him many

we were told to go back to our lodging.

questions.

Then

Chapter 57
AU ARMENIAN MONK
As

was going back,

court, at a distance of
little cross

on

it.

IN

THE COURT OF MANGU KHAN

noticed, before the east

two cross-bow

rejoiced at

it,

shots, a

end of the

house with a

for I supposed there was

some vestige of Christianity there. I entered with confidence

and found an altar beautifully bedecked; I saw, on a cloth
of gold, embroidered the images of the Saviour, of the
Virgin, of St.

Holy

John the Baptist and two angels, the lines of

There
was also a great silver cross, of which the middle and corners
were mounted with precious stones, and many other ornaments an oil lamp with eight lights was burning before the
altar and there was seated there an Armenian monk, dark,
thin, dressed in a tunic of very rough haircloth, reaching
midway to his thighs, over it a black jacket lined with wool
and under the haircloth an iron belt. As soon as we entered,
and even before greeting the monk, we kneeled down and
the bodies and of the garments designed with pearls.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

128
sang:

"Ave

MARCO TOLO

regina coeloruniy^ and he arose and prayed with

Then, having saluted him, we sat down beside him. He

had a dish with some fire in it. We told him the reason
of our coming, and he began encouraging us, telling us we
ought to speak boldly, for we were the messengers of God,
who is greater than all men.
Then he told us how he came to that country, only a
month before we didj that he had been a hermit in the outskirts of Jerusalem, and that God had appeared before him
three times, enjoining him to go and seek the leader of the
us.

Tartars.

And

as

he delayed

the third time, and ordering

to obey,

him

God

threatened

him

to kneel in reverence, said

he did not obey. He determined at last to

to become a Christian, assuring him
world
would
then come under his rule and
that the whole
that the Franks and the great Pope would be loyal to him,
Then I
and he advised me to speak in like manner.
answered: "Brother, I will willingly tell him to become a
he would die

encourage

if

Mangu Khan

Christian J for I have

come for

advice to the whole world.

that,

and

I will also

I will

make him

give this
see

how

and will
and
brother
him
upon
as
a
they
will
look
him
that
promise
friend but that they would become his slaves and would
pay him tribute, that will I never promise, for then would
So the monk remained
I be speaking against my conscience."
silent, and we went to our lodgings where we found it cold,
and we had not eaten anything all day. We cooked a little
meat and some millet with water, for our supper. Our guide
and his companions had got drunk at the court and quite

much

the Franks and the

ignored us.

Pope

will rejoice at

it,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

129

Chapter 52
WINTER IN CARACARUM

There were

Mangu

Khan's dwelling, the ambasknow it. At dawn, next

sadors of Vastacius, but we
day, some men of the court made us get up in haste. I went
with them, barefooted, by a narrow path to the lodging of
then at

did not

them if they knew us. Then

a Greek knight, recognizing the Order to which I belonged,
and also my companion whom he remembered having seen
at the court of Vastacius with Friar Thomas, our provincial,
the ambassadors, and they asked

gave, with his companions, excellent testimony of us

They asked

us then,

Vastacius.

"Neither

they said:

"How

if

you were

at peace

peace or at war with

at

answered; and
"Your country
and

nor

can that be?"

all.

at

war,"

ours,"

answered, "are so remote from each other, that they have

Then the envoy of Vastacius

nothing to discuss together."

said that

kept

it

meant peace, and

this

made me

cautious

and

silent.

That morning my toes were so frozen that I could no

more go without sandals. For the cold in these regions is
very sharp, and when freezing begins, there is no interruption until the month of May, even till the middle of May.
Every morning there was a frost that only the heat of the
sun-rays melted. But in winter the frost was continuous on
account of the wind. And if the wind blew there in winter
as in our country, it would not be possible to live; for the
atmosphere there is always calm till April, and then the
wind rises. When we were there about Easter time a great
number of animals died on account of the cold prevailing
with the wind. There is little snow in winter, but towards
Easter, that is, at the end of April, so much of it fell that
all the streets of Caracarum were covered and it had to be

130

CONTEMPORARIES OF MARCO TOLO

carts.
They brought us, from the court, some
some doublets of sheepskin and sandals, which
my companion and my dragoman took with much delight.
As for me, I did not think I needed them because the fur
coat I had from Batu sufficed me.

taken away in
cloaks and

Chapter 55
OF THE AUDIENCE WITH MANGU KHAN ^ WHAT MESSAGE
DELIVERED TO HIM "^ AND HOW HE REPLIED

WE

In the octave of the Innocents [January 3, 1254], we

were conducted to the court, and Nestorian preachers, whom
I

would not know whether they were Christians or no, apin what direction we turn to pray.

proached and asked us

I

answered,

"To

the east."

had our beards shaved,

appear before the

They asked

at the advice of

Khan

us this because

we

our guide, so as to

according to the custom of our

made them take us for Tuins, that

They also made us explain certain passages
is, idolaters.
of the Bible. Then they asked us what ceremony we would
observe before the Khan
theirs or ours?
I answered them,

country.

It

was

this that

"We

are priests consecrated to the service of

God.

In our

country, our noblemen do not allow priests to kneel before

them,

if

it

first, if it

be not to honour God.

please you,

conducted us
shall please

in safety

we

We

come from

will sing praises to

from

so far, then

we

afarj so,

God who

will

do

has

all that

your master, except that which would be con-

trary to the worship

and glory of God."

They entered the house and repeated my words to the

Khan, who was pleased. Having stopped before the door
of which the curtain of felt was raised, and as
Nativity,

we began

to sing.

it

was the

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

A

solis

131

orbu cardine

Et usque

Umitem

terre

Christum canamus frincifem

Natum Maria

virgins

When we

had sung the hymn, they felt our legs, our

They
if we had knives upon us.
also called our interpreter and forced him to remove his
belt on which hung his knife, and leave it in the custody of
the usher. Then we entered and we noticed, at the entrance,
There they made the interpreter
a bench with cosmos.
stop. But us they made sit on a bench opposite some women.
The house was all covered with a cloth of gold, and in a
grate in the centre was burning a fire of briars and wormwood roots, which grow in abundance in these regions, and
chests,

our arms, to see

of cattle dung.

The Khan was seated on a couch, dressed in a spotted and

very glossy fur skin, like that of a seal. He is a man of
medium height, aged forty-five years j at his side was his
young wife, and a grown girl, very plain, called Cherina was
seated with some other little children on a couch placed
This house had belonged to a
Christian lady, whom the Khan had loved very much and
of whom he had this girl. Afterwards he married his young
behind that of their parents.

wife, but the

young

girl is the

lady of

all

the court that

had

once been her mother's.

Then
wanted

the

Khan

to drink,

made with

rice,

requested that

wine or

rice

we

or caracosm-os, which

the mare, or bal, which

is

we
mead

be asked what

wine, which
is

is

a kind of

the pure milk of

an extract of honey.

They

drink

To the questions I anmen who seek our pleasure

these four drinks in the winter.

swered:

"My

in drink J

whatever will please you,

lord,

we

are not

suits us."

He

then had

132

CONTEMPORARIES OF

mARCO TOLO

poured for us the rice drink, limpid and sweet like white
wine, of which I drank a few sips by mere politeness. But
to our misfortune, the butler

had given our

interpreter so

much to drink, that he became intoxicated.

Then the Khan had falcons and other birds brought,
placed them on his hand and amused himself looking at
them. At last, after a long interval, he bade us speak. Then
we had to bend our knees. The Khan had his interpreter, a
certain Nestorian of whom I would not know whether he
was a Christian, and we had ours, such as he was, though
drunk. Then I said: "First we render thanks to the glory
of God, who let us come from a country so far away to see
Mangu Khan to whom God has given such a great power on
earth, and we pray Christ, by whose will we live and die,
that he grant him a happy and long life." It is the wish of
Then I
all, in this country, that one pray for their lives.
told him, "My lord, we have heard that Sartach was a
Christian,

and

all

the Christians rejoiced at hearing

cipally the king of the French.

it,

prin-

That is why we came to

him letters by us in which

him, and our lord the king sent

were words of peace, and among other things the proof of
the kind of men we are. He begs him, too, to let us remain
For it is our duty to teach men to live
in his country.
according to God's law. But he, Sartach, sent us to his father
Batu, and Batu has sent us here to you. You are the one to
whom God has given great power in the world. We pray
then your mightiness to grant us the permission to remain in

your empire, so that we may accomplish our divine mission

in your service and in the service of your wives and your children. We have neither gold nor silver nor precious stones
to offer you, we have only ourselves and we offer ourselves
to you to serve God and to pray him to give you his blessAt least, let us remain here till the cold is over, for
ings.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

133

my companion
if

is so feeble that he would succumb of fatigue

he continued travelling on horseback."
travelling companion had told me of his infirmity

My

and begged me to get permission for him to stay, for we

thought we would have to return to Batu, if we did not get

Then Mangu Khan

permission to stay.

replied:

"Even

as

luminous rays everywhere, so does my

Therefore,
we have no need, neither of your gold nor of your silver."
Until now I always understood my interpreter, but since his
It
state of drunkenness, I could no longer understand him.
seemed to me that Mangu Khan himself was staggering a
His reply, however, seemed to show that he was not
bit.
Seeing
pleased that we went to visit Sartach before him.
that I lacked an interpreter, I remained silent and begged
him only not to be displeased if I talked to him of gold and
the sun scatters

power and

silver.

its

that of Batu's spread everywhere.

made him

see that I did not mention these things

because he lacked or desired them, but because

to

honour him temporally and

Then he made us rise and

we wanted

spiritually.
sit

down

again,

and a

little

him, we left, and with us his secretaries

who was bringing up one of his daughus many questions, inquiring if there were

later, after saluting

and

his interpreter,

They asked
France many sheep and

ters.

cattle and horses, as if they

in
were about to invade us and take possession of all. And I
forced myself to conceal my indignation and my anger. I
answered: "There is much riches there, which you will see
if you ever go there."
Then they appointed some one to take care of us, and we
rejoined the monk. As we went out to reach our lodging,
the above-mentioned interpreter came to us and said:
"Mangu Khan has pity for you and allows you to stay here
two months. Then the cold will be over he informs you
5

CONTEMPORARIES OF IMARCO TO LP

134

same time that

at the

at ten days'

journey from here there

If you want to go there,

he will have you provided with all that you will require j if,
on the contrary, you want to stay here, you shall also have
all you need.
However, it will fatigue you to ride with the
is

a goodly city called Caracarum.

court."

"May

Lord keep Mangu Khan and grant

him a long and happy life. We have met a monk here,
whom we believe to be a holy man, come to this country by
the will of God. So we would willingly remain with him,
for we are monks like him and we will pray together for the
life of the Khan."
Then the interpreter left us without a
I replied:

the

word.

Chapter $4
THE RETURN OF OUR GUIDE ^ AND THE WOMAN FROM
LORRAINE

We went to a large house that we found cold and without

We

a supply of fuel.
night.

fire

Then he
and a

to

little

were

whom we

food for

without food and it was

had been entrusted, procured

still

us.

after asking of us a carpet that

Our guide returned to Batu

we had left by his order at

We gave it to him and he went away in

hand and pardon for letting us suffer of
hunger and of thirst during the voyage. We pardoned him,
asking pardon, too, of him and of all his suite if we have
shown them a bad example in anything.
A woman of Metz, in Lorraine, called Paquette, and who
had been a prisoner in Hungary, found us out and prepared
She belonged to the
for us a feast of the best she could.
court of that lady who was Christian and of whom I have
the court of Batu.

peace, asking our

already spoken; she told us of the unheard-of misery she

had suffered before coming to the court. But she was fairly

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

135

had a young Russian husband who made her

the mother of three little children, and he was a carpenter,
which is a good position among the Tartars.
well

oJ0F,

for she

Chafter 55
OP WILLIAM ^ THE GOLDSMITH OF PARIS ^ WHO IS EMPLOYED
BY THE KHAN ^ AND OF OTHER ENVOYS

Among other things, she told us that there was in Caracarum a goldsmith, named William, originally from Paris.
His family name was Buchier, the name of his father Laurant Buchier.
She believed too that he had a brother who
lived on the Grand Pont and who was called Roger Buchier.
She also said that this goldsmith had with him a young man
whom he treated as his own son and who was an excellent
Mangu Khan had given this master artisan
interpreter.
three hundred iascot, that is, three thousand marks, and fifty
workmen to make a certain work of artj that is why she
feared he would not be able to spare his son.
At the court it had been said: "Those who come from
your country are good men, and Mangu Khan converses
willingly with them, but their interpreter is worth nothing."
Which explains why she was so concerned about us. So
I wrote to this goldsmith, telling him of our arrival and asking him to send his son to us if that were possible. He answered that he could not do so that month, but that his work
would be completed the following month and he would then
send him to me.
We stayed there with the other ambassadors. The ambassadors are not treated in the same manner at the court of
Batu as in the court of Mangu Khan. At the court of Batu
there

is

an iafn on the west side

come from the Westj

it

is

who

receives all those

who

likewise arranged for all other

136

CONTEMPORARIES OF

MARCO TOLO

parts of the world. But at the court of Mangu, all are assembled under the same iam and may mutually visit and
talk to each other. At the court of Batu they do not know
each other, and one does not know whether another is ambassador, for they do not know each others' lodgings and do
not see each other at the court. And so when one is summoned, another perhaps is not. One goes to the court only
when he is summoned there. We met also a Christian from
Damascus, who said he came on behalf of the Sultan of Mont
Real and of Crac, to pay tribute to the Tartars and ask for
their friendship.

Chapter ^6
OF THE CLERK THEODOLVS ^ AND THE SPIES OF THE KHAN

The

year before

a clerk from Aeon,

my
who

arrival in these parts, there

called himself

Raymond

was here

but whose

name was Theodolus. He travelled from Cyprus

company with Friar Andrew he went with him as far
real

Persia and there got certain musical instruments from

in

as

Am-

moric and remained there after the departure of Friar

Andrew. Friar Andrew once departed, he continued his

journey with

his

Mangu Khan, who

instruments and reached the

asked him

why he had

come.

court

of

Theodolus

answered him that he had come with a holy bishop to whom

God had sent letters written in heaven in letters of gold,

and had ordained

who should

be the

to give

man

them

of

to the lord of the Tartars

all lands.

He

was

also to per-

suade the populations to make peace with him.

Then Mangu Khan

said: "If you bring me these letters

come from heaven and from your Lord, you are welcome." Theodolus replied that he had letters but that they
were together with his other wares on a wild horse that had

that

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

got loose and escaped through the forest and over
tains so that everything

was

of that kind happen frequently.

for a

man

from

it.

And,

lost.

It

always to hold his horse,

Then Mangu asked him

is,

137

moun-

in truth, accidents

therefore, important

when he has to descend

name of this bishop
Then he said that he

the

he replied that he was called Oto.

was from Damascus and that master William was the clerk
of the lord legate. And the Khan asked him too in what
kingdom he dwelt to which he replied that he was the subject of a certain kind of the Franks, called Moles.
For
he had heard speak of what happened on the plains of Mensura [the battle of Mansurah in 1249] ^^<^ he wanted to
make believe that he was one of your subjects. Then he
added that the Saracens intervened between the Franks and
the Khan and barred the passage for him; that if the road
were open, the Franks would send ambassadors to make an
alliance with him.
So Mangu Khan asked him if he would
conduct ambassadors to that king and bishop. He answered,
yes, even to the Pope,
Then Mangu Khan had brought a
very strong bow that two men could hardly bend and two
arrows with heads of silver, full of holes and which whistled like flutes when they were darted.
He told a Moal
whom he entrusted to accompany Theodolus: "You will
go to this king of the Franks, followed by this man, and
you will offer him these objects from me; and if he wants
to live in peace with us, we will conquer the land of the
Saracens as far as his country, and we will yield to him the
rest of the earth to the west.
If not, you will bring back
the bow and the arrows, after telling him that with like bows
we can reach far and hit hard."
He then dismissed this Theodolus, and his interpreter
was the son of the master William. That young man heard
Mangu Khan say to this Moal: "You will go with this
j

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

138

man

observe the country well, the roads, the villages, the

fortresses, the

men and

Then he reprimanded

their arms."

Theodolus, saying that he did wrong

to take

Tartar ambas-

were ordered to spy. He answered that

he would conduct them by sea so they would not know from
where they came nor how to return.
sadors, for they

Mangu

also

gave the Moal

his tablet, that

gold the breadth of a palm and a

written his orders.

He who

ever he desires and his wish

is

cubit's

carries

it

is,

a plate of

length on which are

can

command what-

at once granted.

manner Theodolus reached Vastacius, and was

wishing to go as far as to the Pope and deceive him as he
had deceived Mangu Khan. Vastacius asked him if he had
letters for the Pope, since he was ambassador and entrusted
And as he was unable to
to accompany the Tartar envoy.
show any letters, Vastacius had him seized, stripped of all
he had and thrown into prison. As for the Moal, he was
stricken with a malady and died there.
Vastacius had the
bull of gold returned to Mangu Khan himself by the attendants of the Moal, whom I met on the road at Erzerum,
on the border of Turkey. I learned through them what had
befallen this unhappy Theodolus. There are the like impostors the world over whom the Moals put to death whenIn

this

ever they can get them.

Chapter 57
THE MONK SERGIVS ^ AND THE FEAST AT THE HOME OF
THE KHAN

But
near,
that

the feast of the Epiphany [January 6] was drawing

and the monk of Armenia, named Sergius, told me
he would baptize Mangu Khan on that day. And I

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR

W ILLIAM

139

-3

^,

begged him to do all he could to let me be present at the

ceremony and bear witness of it. That he promised me.
The day of the ceremony the monk did not call me, but
on the sixth hour I was invited to the court, and I saw the
monk returning from the court with the priests and his
cross, the priests carrying the censer and the book of the GosFor on that day Mangu Khan offered a feast and it
pels.
was the custom that on such days, that his soothsayers call
holy, and that some Nestorian priests call sacred, the Khan
holds court. Then the Christian priests come first in grand
magnificence and pray for him and bless his cup.

After

they leave, come the Saracen priests and do likewise.

the priests of idols arrive and they do the same. The

Then
monk

me that the Khan believes only the Christians, but that

he wants everybody to pray for him. The monk lied, for
the Khan believes in no one, as you shall soon learn. Every
one seeks the court as flies seek honey and they leave it satisfied, each imagining he has the prince's favours, and showering blessings on him.
So we were seated before his court at some distance, and

told

We

told them we would not

they brought us meat to eat.
eat there, and if they wanted to offer us food, we would
accept

it

in

our lodgings.

Then they

said to us:

"Return

you have been called only to eat."

So we went back with the monk, who blushed for the lie he
However,
told us.
I did not want to say a word to him.
the Nestorians persuaded me that the Khan was baptized.
I answered them that I did not believe it and that I could
not speak of it to others, for I saw nothing.
We reached our lodgings that were cold and empty. We
were supplied with beds and coverings. They brought us
also fuel for a fire and some meat of a lean sheep, and of

to your lodgings then, for

it

a very small quantity for the three of us for six days.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

140

MARCO TO LP

Every day they gave us a bowl of millet and a quart of

mead, and a saucepan and a tripod to cook the meat.
We boiled the millet in the bouillon of that meat. Such was
our food, and it would have been enough, if we could have
eaten it in peace. But there are so many poor there dying
of hunger, they would rush in on us when they saw us preparing our meals. Then I had proof of what martyrdom
it was to give in charity when in poverty.
millet

C h af t er ^8
OF THE COURT OF MANGU KHAN ^ AND THE RELIGIOUS
CEREMONIES

As the cold began to be severe, Mangu Khan sent us three

monkey skins, the fur outside, and we received these

coats of

gifts with gratitude.

We were also

asked

if

we had enough

food, to which I replied that we require little food, but that

we had no suitable house where we could pray for Mangu
Khan. Our lodging, in fact, was so small that we could
not stand up in it and read our books when there was a
This answer was repeated to the Khan and he sent
fire.
word to the monk asking if he would receive us at his home,

which he replied that he would gladly receive us.

From then on we were provided with better lodgings and
we stayed with the monk opposite the court where no one
but we and the Tartar soothsayers lived; but they were
nearer and opposite the court of the first wife of the Khan.

to

We, on

the contrary, were placed at the opposite extremity

towards the

east, in front

of the court of his

last wife.

It

was on the eve of the octave of the Epiphany [January 12].

The

next day, that

is,

on the octave of the Epiphany,

all

the Nestorian priests assembled in their chapel before dawn,

struck

on the

table,

sang matins solemnly, donned their vest-

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

141

ments and prepared the censer and incense. And as they

were thus waiting in the church, the first wife, called Cotota
Caten, entered the chapel with several ladies and her oldest
son Baku, followed by several of his brothers. They prostrated themselves, touching the ground with their foreheads,
according to the custom of the Nestoriansj they also touched
with their right hand all the images, kissing their hand each
time after touching an image, then extending their hand
Such is the ceremony that the Nesto all the bystanders.
torians observe

Then

when they

enter the church.

the priests sang a long time, placing the Incense in

the queen's hand and she putting

censed her.

Finally, at the

it

on the

fire,

and they

wake of day, she took

off

in-

her

head-dress, called bottay and I saw that she was shaved j

she bade us leave, and as I was leaving, I noticed that they

brought her a silver vase. I do not know whether she was

baptized or no, but I do know that the Nestorians do not
celebrate mass under a tent, they need a substantial church.

saw them baptize and consecrate fonts in great

solemnity, which they did not do at the time I speak of.

At Easter

And

as

we returned

to our house,

Mangu Khan

himself

came and entered the church, or oratory, and they brought

him a couch of gold on which he sat down with his wife,
opposite the altar. Not knowing of the arrival of Mangu,
we were summoned to the church, and those who stood at
the door searched us, fearing that we had knives on us. But
entering the oratory, I carried only the Bible and my
I bent before the altar, then before the Khan,
breviary.
and in passing we kept between the monk and the altar.
Then they made us sing and intone a psalm according to
our

rites.

We sang this prose:

The Khan had

"Veniy Sancte Spirkus."

our books brought to him, the Bible and

the breviary, and he asked with

much

curiosity

what meaning

CONTEMPORARIES OF 31ARCO TOLO

142

the images had.

The

Nestorians answered whatever they

wanted to, for our interpreter did not come with us. When
I was before him for the first time, I also had the Bible and
he asked to see it and examined it a long while.
Then he left, but the queen remained and distributed
presents to all the Christians there. To the monk she gave
one

tascot as well as to the

archdeacon of the

us she had placed a nasicy which

and

as

rial].

them

is

priests.

Before

a large drape, very long,

broad as a bed-cover, also a huccaran [quilted mateI did not think I had to accept them, and they gave

to the interpreter

who

kept one and carried the other

Cyprus where he sold it for eighty Cyprian

Then they
bezants, but it was spoiled during the voyage.
brought us mead to drink, made of rice and of red wine like
the wine of La Rochelle, and cosmos. Then the queen, taking a full cup, knelt and asked for our blessing, and all the
priests sang in a loud voice, while she emptied her cup.
When she drank once more, we had to sing, for it was our
Every one was a little drunk; meat of a sheep was
turn.
brought, which was quickly devoured; after that fish, that
I had to eat of
is, carp without salt, and without bread;
these. So they passed the day until evening. And then the
queen herself, tottering with drunkenness, mounted her
chariot in the midst of the singing and the howling of the
priests, and went her way.
The following Sunday, the day when the Evangel is
read: "Nuftie facte sunt in Ghana, * the Khan's daughter,
whose mother was a Christian, came and did likewise, but
not with such solemnity, for she gave no presents, but only
drink, to the priests, enough to make them drunk, and she
ojQFered them parched millet to eat.
Before the Sunday of Septuagesima, the Nestorians fast
(nasic)

to

for three days;

they

call

these days the

fast

of Jonah,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

143

preached by him to the Ninevites. The Armenians then fast

for five days, and they call them the fast of St. Serkis who
is their greatest saint j the Greeks claim he was a canon.

The

commence

Tuesday and end it

I saw the chancellor then, who is the secretary of state, Bulgai by name,
send to them on Friday some meat, and they blessed it with
pompous ceremony, like the paschal lamb is blessed. But
he did not eat of it, according to the counsel of master William of Paris who sees him a good deal. The monk himself
Nestorians

their fast

Thursday, so that on Friday they eat meat.

Mangu

to fast this week, which he did as I heard

why, on the eve of Septuagesima [February 8]
when the Armenians celebrate Easter, we went in procession to the dwelling of Mangu, and the monk and we two,
having been previously searched lest we have knives on us,
were introduced to the presence of the Khan.

enjoined
tell.

That

is

Chapter

$ g

THE DIVINATION OF BURNT BONES ^ AND THE FOUR DWELLINGS

THAT WE VISITED
As we entered,

came out carrying some bones

all burnt, and I was very
curious to know what he wanted to do with them. Having
asked later what that signified, I learnt that they undertake
a person

of the shoulder blades of a sheep,

nothing of importance without

no one

is

not consulted these bones

when

the

first

consulting these bones;

allowed to enter the Khan's dwelling

Khan

first.

It is

a form

if

he has

of divination j

wishes to undertake something, he has

brought to him three of these bones, and holding them between his hands, he thinks about what he wants to do; will
he do it or will he not? Then he gives these bones to one
of his men to burn them. For that, there are near his home

CONTEMPORARIES OF 31ARC O TOLO

144

two

little

houses in which these bones are burnt and where

the greatest care

is

taken of them.

they are brought to the

Once charred

black,

Khan who examines them very

atten-

them intact
he deems that he

tively to see if the heat of the fire has left

throughout their entire length.

If so,

on the contrary, he notices

crevice there, or that any fragment is detached, he

can carry out his intentions.

the least

If,

does nothing.

When we

found ourselves

in the presence of the

Khan,

warned in advance not to touch the threshold, the Nestorian

priests brought over to him the incense, and he put a portion
of it in the censer, and they incensed him. Then they sang,
blessing his drink j the monk did the same after them, and
we followed. And as he saw that we held Bibles before us,
he had them brought to him and looked them over very
carefully.

After he had drunk and the high priest had

taken his cup, he gave

out 5

my

we were

it

to the other priests.

companion stayed a
outside,

my

Khan

little

behind.

Then we went
However, when

companion, while following

bow

us,

turned

him and hit, by accident, the

threshold of the house; and as we were hastening to reach

towards the

to

to

who were charged to guard

companion and prevented him
from following us; they called some one to take him to the
house of Bulgai, who is the first secretary of the court and
who condemns the guilty to death. Well, I did not know
However, looking back and not seeing my companion
this.
coming, I thought they had detained him to give him some
lighter garments, for he was weak and so laden with furs
that he could hardly walk. They then called our interpreter
and made him sit by him.
We went to the home of the oldest son of the Khan,
who already had two wives and who is lodged on the right
the

home of

Baltu, his son, those

the threshold seized

my

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

145

of his father's court as soon as he saw us coming, he got

up from the couch on which he was sitting, prostrated himj

ground with his forehead and

worshipping the cross. Getting up, he had it placed with
the greatest veneration in an elevated place, on a new cloth,
very near him. His master is a certain Nestorian priest,
called David, a veritable drunkard who gives him lessons.
Then he made us sit down and gave the priests to drink. He

self to the ground, striking the

drank after them, receiving their blessings.

We then went to the court of the second wife of the Khan.
Her name is Cota and she is an idol worshipper. We found
her ill and lying in her bed. The monk then made her get
up, and bade her to worship the cross on bended knees while
striking the ground with her forehead; he was standing with
the cross on the west of the house, and she on the east. That
done, they changed places, and the monk went with the
cross to the east and she to the west; and he commanded,
with the same boldness, this woman, so feeble that she could
scarcely stand on her feet, to prostrate herself again three

times to worship the cross of the east, according to Christian

He

make the sign

of the cross on her forehead and chest. Then she lay down
again in her bed, and we prayed for her and we went our
way towards the third dwelling, where the Christian lady
used to live. After her death, she was succeeded by a young
fashion, which she did.

told her also to

who, with the daughter of her master, received us

and every one in the house worshipped the cross
devoutly and they placed it on a cloth of silk in an elevated
Then they brought some meat, that is, the meat of
place.
a sheep; it was placed before the mistress, and then disWe, the monk and I, neither
tributed among the priests.
ate nor drank. We had then to go to the apartment of that
damsel Cherina, which was behind the great house and had

girl

gladly,

146

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

At the sight of the cross she threw herself on the ground and worshipped it very devoutly, for
she had been well enlightened in her religion, and put it
in an elevated place on a cloth of silk, and all the cloths on
which the cross was placed belonged to the monk.
This cross had been brought over by a certain Armenian
who came with the monk, as he said, from Jerusalem j it
was of silver and weighed four marks and had four precious
stones in the angles and one in the center.
The image of
the Saviour was not on it, for the Armenians and the Nestorians are ashamed to see Christ attached to the cross. The
monk presented it to Mangu, who asked him what he desired.
He answered that he was the son of an Armenian priest,
whose church the Saracens had destroyed and begged him to
help restore it.
Mangu then asked him at what price he
could rebuild it, and he answered for two hundred iascot,
that is, two thousand marks.
And the Khan ordered that
letters be given him to the one who receives the taxes in
Persia and Great Armenia, so that he should pay him this
sum of money. The monk carried the cross with him everywhere and the priests, seeing how it profited, began to be
been her mother's.

jealous of him.

house of this damsel, and she made the

good deal. From there we went to the fourth
dwelling, which was the last in importance, for the lord
seldom visited this lady, and her dwelling was falling into
decay, and she herself was not pleasing. But after Easter,
the Khan made her a new dwelling and new carts. She, like
the second wife, knew very little of Christianity she was an
Still, at
idol worshipper and consulted the soothsayers.
our entrance, she worshipped the cross as the monk and the
There the priests again drank and
priests had taught her.
then we returned to our oratory, which was not far away,

So we were

at the

priests drink a

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

accompanied by
in a state

priests

who sang

of drunkenness, which

reprehensible, neither in

man

is

H7

or rather howled, being

in these parts a

thing not

nor in woman.

Then my companion was brought

in,

and the monk

re-

proached him severely for having touched the threshold.

The next day Bulgai arrived, the great judge, and he made,
close inquiries whether any one had warned us not to touch
I answered: "My Lord, we had no interhow could we understand?" So he par-

the threshold and

preter with usj

doned him, but never again was he allowed

of the Khan.

to enter a

house

Chapter 40
^ AND HOW THE MONK
CURED HER

A VISIT TO THE SICK PRINCESS

The

who was

Sunday of Sexagewas about to die, and the

sorcerers and the idolaters could do nothing for her.
So
Mangu sent to the monk, asking him if he could do something for her, and the monk replied rashly enough that he
would deliver his head to the Khan, if he did not cure her.
lady Cota,

sima, became even

more

ill

since the

sick 5 she

After that reply, the monk called us, telling us of the aflFair
with tears and imploring us to pray with him the whole night
long, which we did. He had a certain root, called rhubarb;

he made it into powder and put it in water with a little cross

adorned with the image of the Saviour. He claimed to know

by it whether the sick person would recover or die. If he

was to escape death, it would stick to his breast as if glued;
if, on the contrary, he was to succumb, it would not stick.
As for me, I was convinced that this rhubarb was something
holy that he had brought from the holy land of Jerusalem.
And he gave that water to all sick persons to drink, and it
naturally happened that their intestines were strangely tor-

148

COT^TEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

merited by a draught so

bitter.

This movement of the body

was considered like a miracle.

While he was preparing this remedy, I told him to make

with the holy water of the Roman Church, for it had a
great virtue in chasing demons, and that we had understood
it

At his request
we made holy water for him, and the monk mixed it with
the rhubarb and put the cross in it to soak all night. I told
him also that if he was a priest, the sacerdotal order would
give him power to expel devils. He answered me that he
had never received the Order, that he was even illiterate,
being a cloth-weaver by profession; this I later learned in
that the princess was possessed of a

demon.

own country, which we passed through in returning.

The next morning, then, we went to the sick princess, the
monk and I and two Nestorian priests. She was in a little

his

apartment behind her principal abode. At our entrance, she

raised herself from her couch, worshipped the cross, had
it placed near her on a cloth of gold, drank the holy water
mixed with rhubarb, and washed her chest with it j the monk
I read the
requested me to read the Gospel over her.
Passion of the Lord according to St. John. At last she was
glad, for she was feeling better, and she had brought four

which she first placed at the foot of the

gave
one to the monk and presented me with
cross; she then
another which I did not accept. So the monk extended his
hand and took it. Then she gave one to each of the priests,

iascot of silver,

thus distributing the value of forty marks.

Then

she caused

and
honour of the
She also wanted to teach me her language and
Trinity.
laughed at me because I was silent, not having an interpreter
with me.
The next day we went back to the house of the princess.
to be

had

brought some wine, gave

to drink three times

it

to the priests to drink,

from her hand

in

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

149

Mangu Khan,

having learned that we were there, called

had heard that the lady was better. We
found him with several attendants, drinking what looked
like liquid mud, that is, a pasty dish for comforting the
head, and before him were the burnt bones of a sheep's
shoulder-blade 5 he took the cross in his hand. But I did
not see whether he kissed it or worshipped itj he looked at
it, asking I know not what.
Then the monk asked him for permission to carry the cross

and

He

us before him.

had said something of that to

"Carry it as you judge best."
Then we saluted him and we went to the home of the princess, and we found her well and of good cheer, and she drank
again of the holy water, and we read the Passion over her.
These miserable priests had never taught her anything of
at the

end of a

the monk, and

lance, for I

Mangu

replied:

the faith, neither talked about baptizing.

able to say anything,

and she again taught

I sat, silent,

me some

not

of her

language.

The

priests did not

sorcery, for I

saw

at

condemn her

her

home

for having recourse to

four swords half drawn from

the scabbard, one at the head of her bed, the other at the
foot,

and two others

at

each side of the door.

I also

saw

there a chalice of silver, like our chalices, which had perhaps

been taken from some church

in Hungary.
It was full of
and suspended on the wall, and on the cinders was
a black stone and the priests had never told her that it was
evil.
On the contrary, they themselves do as much and teach
it by their example.
For three days we visited the princess, and she was com-

cinders

pletely restored to health.

Then

the

monk made

a banner

covered with a cross and asked for a long reed like a lance,

and we carried the

that

monk

cross at the

as a bishop, because

end of that rod. I honoured

he knew the language of the

150

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

However, he did many things that displeased me.

had a pliable seat made for himself like the bishops
ordinarily have, and gloves, and a hat with peacock feathHe had rough nails and
ers and a little cross of gold on it.
covered them with unguents. He was presumptuous in
speech. The Nestorians also recited verses of the psalm book
over two joined twigs which two men held between their
hands. The monk was present at all that, and there were
many other ridiculous things about him that displeased me.
Nevertheless, we did not abandon him on account of the
We carried it on high
veneration we had for the cross.
everywhere we went, throughout the whole camp, singing:
"Vexilla regis prodeunt" at which the Saracens were stupecountry.

He

fied.

Chapter 41
OF THE JOURNEY TO CARACARUM ^ OF PEOPLE WHO GLIDE
OVER ICE ^ AND OTHER NATIONS
Since the day we arrived at the court of Mangu Khan,
went but twice to the south and then he began
going back towards the north, that is, towards Caracarum.
During the journey, I noticed only one thing which, at
Constantinople, Baldwin of Hainaut, who had been there,
told me J that is, one mounts all the time while marching
and one never descends. In fact, all the rivers flow from
this prince

east to west, either in a straight direction or otherwise, that

is,

reaching the north or south,

asked the priests of Cathay,

and they told me that from the place where I met Mangu
Khan to Cathay was a distance of twenty days' journey.
While to Onankerule, the true country of the Moals, where
is the court of Chinghis Khan, was a ten days' journey in a
straight direction eastward, and in these countries of the east
there was not one city. One meets there, however, people

WILLIAM
151
THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR
,^,-. J=:^
T-^

Su-Moal, that is, "Moals of the waters" for su in

Tartar language means "Water." They live by fishing and
hunting, not having any oxen or sheep.
Likewise towards the north, there is no city, but a pasThere are also there Oengai
toral people called Kirghiz.
who attach to their feet polished bones and glide like that
called

over
birds

ice

or frozen snow, with such rapidity that they catch

and

There are

beasts.

still

other miserable people

towards the north spreading as far as the cold permits them

and reach the west in the land of Pascatir, or Great Hungary,
of which I have already spoken. The limit of this corner of
the north is unknown because of the extreme cold, for there
are mountains of
I

snow there

that never melts.

asked about the existence of the monsters or of these

monstrous men, of which Isidore and Solinus speak. They

tell me that never the like was seen, and I was greatly astonished at it. All these nations, though poor, must serve the
Moals in one way or another; it is an order of Chinghis
that no one is exempt from work, except when old age forbids

it.

C h a-p t e r 42
OF THE DEFORMED CREATURES ^ AND OF CATHAY

One

Cathay came and sat by me, and he

was clothed in a red cloth of a most beautiful colour, and I
asked him from where such a colour is got. He told me that
in the east of Cathay there are very high rocks where live
certain creatures who have the form of a human being,
except they cannot bend knees. Also, they move about, I do
not

day a

know

priest of

just

how, but by jumping. They are not more

and their body is all covered with hair.

than a cubit

tall

These beings

live in inaccessible caverns.

them mead

to get

The

hunters bring

them drunk; they make holes

in the rocks

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3fARCO TOLO

152
in the

form of vases and pour the mead

in

them.

Cathay

has no wine but they are beginning to plant vines there and
they make a drink of rice.

So these hunters hide themselves and the jumping creatures come out of their caves, taste this mead, and cry: "Chin,
chin." It is because of this cry that they got their name,

Then they assemble

for they are called "Chinchin."

in

crowds, gorging this drink, and, becoming drunk, they fall

Then

asleep on these rocks.

the hunters approach and bind

After that they open

the hands and feet of these sleepers.

a vein in their necks,

draw three

then send them back free.

story of the priest of Cathay,

or scarlet.

They

told

me

or four drops of blood, and

This blood, according to the

is

also,

excellent for colouring purple

do not believe, howa province where no man

which

beyond Cathay there is

grows old, no matter what his age.
Cathay touches the ocean, and master William of Paris
told me that he saw there emissaries of certain people called
Caule [Korea] and Mance; they live on islands surrounded
by a sea covered with ice in the winter, so that the Tartars

ever, that

can invade them.

lowed

They

also offered the Tartars, to be al-

to live in peace, thirty times

two thousand tumen of

iascot annually.

C h af t er

4 $

THE PAPER MONEY USED IN CATHAY ^ AND HOW THEY WRITE

The

ordinary

money of Cathay

is

a paper

made of

cotton

the length and breadth of a palm, stamped with lines similar

to those of the seal of Mangu Khan. The Cathayans write

with a brush like painters use, and a single figure comprises

several letters, signifies a word. The Tibet people write as

we

do,

and have characters quite similar

The people of Tangut write from right to left

from

to ours.

left to right,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

as the Arabs,

and multiply the

lines

153

going upwards.

Jugures, as I have said before, write up and down.

ordinary money of the Ruthenians consists of different
skins,

The
The
little

green and grey.

When we

came

to live at the

home

of the monk, he

kindly advised us to abstain from eating meat, but he added

that our domestic could eat

it

with his servants, and that

he would provide us with flour, oil and butter. We complied with his wishes, though my companion suffered greatly
on account of his weakness. Our food thus consisted of
millet and butter, a dough cooked in water or sour milk,
and unleavened bread baked on a fire of cattle or horse dung.

C h a f t e r 44
OF THE LENTEN SERVICES ^ AND THE COMPLAINT OF THE
GATE-KEEPER

Then

came Quinquagesima [February 23], which is the

first day of Lent in all the East, and Cotota, the greatest of
the ladies, fasted with her women all that week. She came
every day to our oratory and distributed food for the priests
and other Christians, who gathered there in crowds during
that first week to be present at the services.
She gave me,
as well as my companion, a tunic and breeches of grey samite,
lined with woolen stuffing, because my companion often complained of the weight of his skins. I accepted them out of
compassion for him, excusing myself for not wearing such
clothes,

and gave them

to

my

interpreter.

The gate-keepers of the court, seeing that every day such

a crowd filled the church, which was in the boundary of the
domain of the court, sent one of their number to the monk
with the order to

tell

him

that they did not

want

so

many

people to congregate there, just beyond the limits of the

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

154

The monk answered him

know
Mangu, and threatened to
bring complaint against them to Mangu.
But they forestalled him and accused him to Mangu, saying he talked too
much and assembled too many people around him.
court.

harshly, he wanted to

they gave this as the order of

if

We were then
gesima, and the

called to the court on the

monk was shamefully

Sunday Quandra-

searched to see that

he carried no knife, and they compelled him to take off his

We were brought before the Khan; and he held in

shoes.
his

at

hand a charred sheep's shoulder-blade and was looking

it

closely, as if

manded

the

the men, instead

standing behind,
said to him:

he read something there.

monk and

"Why

The monk,

And

Frank does?"

he made him ap-

confused, took ofF his hat, contrary to

the custom of the Greeks and the Armenians; and

the
the

repri-

do you not uncover your head, when you

are before me, as this

proach.

Then he

why he talked so much to

of praying to God as he ought to. I was
my head uncovered. The Khan further
asked him

Khan lectured him

monk asked me to

right harshly

we went

out.

when
Then

carry the cross to the oratory, for

he did not want to entrust

it

to himself

on account of his

confusion.

Some time

later

he became reconciled with the Khan,

promising him to go and find the Pope and to make his

power recognized by all the nations of the West. After

leaving Mangu and returning to the oratory, he questioned
me about the Pope. He asked me if I thought he would
receive him if he presented himself to him in behalf of
Mangu, and to furnish him with horses as far as St. James
of Compostella [Spain].
you,
I

if I

He

asked

me

further, concerning

believed that you would send your son to

Mangu.

warned him then to be careful about making false prom-

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

ises to

and

Mangu,

that

God

for the last

lie

155

would be worse than the

had no need of our

first,

lies.

Chapter 45
OF THE THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION ^ AND THE PROVISIONS
PROM THE KHAN
time a difficulty arose between the monk and a
certain priest, called Jonas, a well-educated man, whose
father had been archdeacon, and whom the other priests

At

this

looked upon as their teacher. The monk said that man had
been created before paradise, and that it was so written in
I,
I was then called to decide the question.
the Gospel.
not knowing about what they differed, said that paradise
had been created on the third day, with the trees of the
earth,

and that man was created on the

monk

said:

"Has

sixth day.

not the devil brought, on the

So the

first

day,

from the four parts of the world, and did he not of

this mud, form the human body, in which God had breathed
Hearing this Manichean heresy, and publicly
the soul?"
upheld with so much impudence, I upbraided him sharply
and told him to put his finger on his mouth, since he did not
earth

know

the

Holy

Scriptures,

and

to thus avoid repeating his

But he scoffed at me because I did not know the

So I left and returned to my lodgings.
Then the priests and he went in procession to the court,
without inviting me, because the monk, since the reprimand,
did not speak with me and did not want to take me along
as was his habit. When they came in the presence of Mangu,
the Khan, not seeing me among them, asked them where I
was and why I was not with them. The priests were afraid

error.

language.

and excused themselves. When they returned they told

me the words of Mangu and complained of the monk.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

156

MARCO TOLO

After that the monk became reconciled with me and I with

him, and I asked him to aid me to understand the language
of the country, promising to aid him in the study of the

Holy
is

Scriptures; for the brother

who

is

aided by a brother

like a strong city.

The

first

week of the

fast

having passed, the princess no

longer visited our oratory and ceased to favour us with the

food and mead

as she

The monk

had done.

did not allow

it was prepared with

Too, he did not give us any oil, or rarely
gave it to us. So we had nothing to eat but some bread
baked on ashes and dough cooked in water to make soup,
and even the water was of snow, or melted ice, which is

that

any of

it

be brought to us, saying

the fat of mutton.

My

companion suffered from it. I told of our

David himself, the master of the Khan's eldest
son, and he told the Khan, who immediately ordered that
we be given wine, flour, and oil.
The Nestorians and the Armenians never ate fish during
very bad.

necessity to

Lent.

So they gave us a leather bottle of wine.

said that he ate only on Sunday.

The

dough with sour wine for supper.

him, under the
prunes and

many

he was alone.
for

altar,

The monk

princess sent us cooked

But the monk had near

a basket of almonds, grapes, dried

other fruits, which he ate every day

We

ate but once a

when they learned

that

day and

in great

Mangu Khan had

when

misery j

given us wine,

they rushed upon us impudently and like dogs, these Nes-

who every day became drunk at court, and

and
these attendants of the monk. The monk
these Moals
himself, when any one visited him and he wanted to give
him to drink, sent to us for wine. That is why that wine
was to us more an affliction than a consolation, for we could
not refuse it to him without offending him. If we gave him
torian priests

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

of

it,

for

we were

more

and when

short,

it

157

was done, we dare not ask

at the court.

Chapter 46
OF THE PALACE OF MANGU KHAN AT CARACARUM

Towards

the middle of Lent the son of master William,

made

the goldsmith, brought a beautiful silver cross,

the French style, with a Christ of silver over

the

monks and

have presented

it.

after

Seeing

it,

and the young man was to

on the part of his master to Bulgai him-

priests stole
it

self, the first secretary

it,

of the court.

was greatly scan-

when I learned this news. The young man also

Mangu Khan that the task that he had ordered him to

dalized
told

do was

finished.

Mangu
of the

I will

give you a description of

city,

enclosed within a high wall as our monks' pri-

ories are enclosed.

There

is

a palace there where he gives

a great feast twice a year, at Easter

and

in

it.

has a large palace at Caracarum, under the walls

summer when he

greater, for then

come

leaves.

when he
This

passes through,

last

feast

to his court all the nobles

is

who

the
are

more than a two months' journey away from it; and the
lord distributes garments and gifts and displays his glory
and all his magnificence. There are also many houses there,
long as barns, in which are enclosed his provisions and his
for it would
treasures. At the entrance of this great palace
not seem fit to bring there goat-skin bottles of milk or other
drinks -master William of Paris placed a great silver tree,
at the foot of which are four silver lions having a spout and
Four spouts are inall pouring forth mare's white milk.
troduced in the tree at its top, and from there they pour
out their milk from the mouths of gilded serpents whose

tails

twine around the trunk of the

tree.

From one

of these

mARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

158

channels flows the wine, from another caracosmos, or puri-

from the third bal, or honey-drink, and

meadj and each liquor is received at
the foot of the tree in a special vase. On top the artist had
placed an angel with a trumpet and underneath the tree he
had made a vault in which a man can hide. There is a pipe
extending upwards through the middle of the tree to the
angel. At first he made bellows, but they did not produce
enough wind. Outside the palace is a cavern where the
drinks are kept and where there are servants ready to pour,
fied mare's milk,

from the fourth

at the first

rice

And

sound of the angePs trumpet.

the branches

of the tree are of silver and the leaves and fruits also.

When

the head cup-bearer wants a drink, he calls to the

angel to sound the trumpet.

Then

the

man hidden

in the

vault blows in the pipe that reaches the angel j the angel
places the trumpet to his

who

are in

mouth and

the trumpet blows very

resounding voice the servants
the cavern, each pours his liquor into the spout

loudly at a distance.

At

this

assigned, and the spouts pour

it

into the vases standing at

the foot of the tree, and then the cup-bearers draw of that

and carry

liquor

The

palace

and two

it

is

to the

men and women

like a church

of the palace.

having a nave

in the centre

from the nave by two rows of

three doors on the south side, and i|i

side aisles separated

There are
front of the middle door,

pillars.

inside,

is

this tree.

The Khan

has his seat to the north, on a platform, so that he can be

and it is reached by two rows of steps leading

by
one
his food is brought to him, the other is used
to
j
for descending. The space between the tree and these stairs
is empty, for there stands the servant assigned to give the
Khan the foods he wishes to eat, and the ambassadors who
bring him gifts and he is seated on high like a god. To
his right, that is, to the west, are the men, to his left, the
seen by

up

all,

it

THE JOURNAL O F FRIAR WILLIAM

women
south.

for the palace extends lengthwise

On

15 9

from north

to

the right, near the pillars, are raised benches in

form of an amphitheatre where the sons and the brothKhan sit, and to the left his wives and daughters.
Only one woman is seated at his side, but on a seat less

the

ers of the

elevated than his own.

When

the lord had heard that master William

pleted his work, he ordered

there well.

him

to put

it

in place

Towards Passion Sunday, the

had comand fix it

artist left

with

behind him. The monk

and we accompanied him and he gave us a goat-skin bottle
of wine. He crossed mountains where the wind was high
and the cold intense, and where snow fell in abundance.
He also sent to ask us, in the middle of the night, to pray
God to temper the cold wind, for all the animals of the land
were in danger, especially those about to bring forth young.
So the monk sent him incense, telling him that he himself
should sprinkle it on coals and offer it to God. I do not
know whether he did either of these things, but the storm
that had lasted for two days subsided at the approach of
his little tents, leaving the big ones

the third day.

Chapter 47
OF CARACARUM ^ AND

HOW WE MARCHED WITH THE

CROSS

ON HIGH

On Palm

Sunday we were

Caracarum. At the first rise

some boughs upon which
buds were not yet visible, and towards the ninth hour we
reached the city, the cross on high and banner unfurled,
of the morning's sun

we

at

blessed

and passed the Saracens' quarters and their public places, to

the church. The Nestorians came in procession to meet us.
Once in the church, we found them ready to celebrate mass;
and this finished, they all communicated and asked me if I

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TO LP

i6o

wanted to communicate with them. I answered them that

I had already drunk and that the sacrament could only be
received at fasting.

The mass

said,

evening approached, and master William

took us with him to his

home

for supper, in great joy.

wife was the daughter of one Larraine, and born

gary, she spoke French and

another European,

named

Coman

well.

Basil, the son of

We

in

His

Hun-

met there

an Englishman

Hungary, and who spoke the same languages.

The supper passed in real joy, and afterwards the Tartars
conducted us to lodgings that they had prepared for us,
not far from the church and oratory of the monk.
The next day the Khan entered his palace, and the monk,
the priests and I followed him. They did not allow my companion to accompany us, because he had once trod on the
threshold. As for me, I hesitated a long while should I or
should I not go? If I withdrew from the other Christians,
moreover, the Khan
I feared it would cause a scandal
wanted me. Fearing, on the other hand, to interfere with
the good I wished to obtain, I at last decided to appear at
the court, even though I saw it devoted to sorcery and idoland born

in

atry.

did nothing but pray in a loud voice for the church

and for the Khan himself,

the

way of

so that

God might

lead

them

in

eternal salvation.

So we entered the court, which is quite well arranged and

in the summer is watered by canals. We then went into the
palace full of men and women, and we stood before the
Khan, having behind us the silver tree which occupied, together with the vases, the largest part of the palace. The
brought two little loaves of blessed bread and fruit

priests

in a basin

and presented

butler took

it

to the

vated platform.

it

Khan

Mangu

him, after blessing it. The

who was seated on a highly eleto

at

once ate one of these breads

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

i6i

and had the other given to his son and to a younger brother,
who was brought up by a Nestorian priest and knew something of the Scriptures. Also he asked to see my Bible.
After the priests, the monk said his prayer, and I after
him. Then Mangu promised us to come the next day to
the church, which is quite large and beautiful, being enBut
tirely covered with silken cloths embroidered in gold.
to
making
excuses
continued
on
his
way,
the next day he
the priests that he dared not come to the church because he
learned that the dead were brought there. But we remained
at the court of Caracarum with the monk and the other
priests to celebrate Easter there.

C h a f t e r 48
EASTER AT CARACARUM ^ AND HOW WE BAPTIZED OVER
SIXTY PERSONS

Then Holy

Thursday was approaching and Easter, too.

my priestly garments, and I was observing
the manner of consecration of the Nestorians, and I was very
anxious. Will I receive the sacrament from them?
Or will
I myself consecrate in their vestments, with their chalice and
on their altar? Or will I wholly abstain from the sacraThere were a swarm of Christians there, Hunment?
I

did not have

garians, Alans, Ruthenians, Georgians, Armenians, all

of

whom

had been deprived of the sacrament since their captivity, for the Nestorians would not admit them in their
church, unless they were baptized by them. However,
these priests raised no objections to us in this regard.

the contrary, they recognized that the

Roman

the head of all churches, and that they themselves

have to receive
wer'i open.

their patriarch

And

from the Pope

On

Church was
if

would

the roads

they liberally oflFered us their sacrament

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

62

and placed me

head of the choir so that I could see

the way they baptized on the eve of Easter.
They claimed they had some ointment with which Mary
Magdalene had anointed the feet of the Saviour and they
pour oil into this, equal to the amount taken out, and dip
their bread in

bread either

at the

it.

Also, all those of the East put into their

fat, or butter, or

They

tallow of a sheep's

tail,

or

oil,

have flour of which

was made the bread consecrated by our Lord, and that they
put in as much as they take out of it. They have a room
beside the choir of the church and an oven where they bake
the bread that they must consecrate with great reverence.
Thus with this oil they make a bread the size of a handj this
they divide into twelve parts in memory of the twelve
instead of yeast.

They then

Apostles.

also say that they

subdivide these parts into as

many

body of Jesus
and every one receives it with
his hand to the top of his head.

pieces as there are people ; the priest places the

hand of
profound reverence and
Christ into the

Then

each,
lifts

heard their confession, as well as

could through

an interpreter, and I explained to them the Ten Commandments of God, and the seven principal sins and all that is
necessary to be penitent and absolved. They justified their
sin

of theft, saying that they could not live without stealing,

for their lords deprived

them of food and

consideration of privations so unjust, I told

could share of their masters' belongings

and

clothes.

them

all that

So, in

that they

they found

was ready to uphold this theory before

There were also soldiers who defended their going to war on the grounds that otherwise
they would be put to death. These I strongly forbade to
march against the Christians or to do them the least harm,
and told them rather to suffer death, for they would then be
martyrs.
I added, that if any one intended to complain
necessary,

Mangu Khan

himself.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

Mangu Khan

my

163

was quite ready to

preach it before him; for the Nestorians of the court were
present at my teachings, and I suspected they might repeat

before

of

doctrine, I

them.

Then master William had an iron made for us to form

wafers with, and had made some vestments for himself, for
he had a little learning, and performed the functions of a

He also had made, in French style, an

image of the Holy Virgin, and on the panels of the partition
he sculptured with talent the figures of the Gospel. To
him is credited a silver box to enclose the body of Christ and
Finally, he conrelics in the little cavities made inside.
structed an oratory on a chariot, beautifully painted, on which
were represented the scenes of the Holy Story. So I accepted these ornaments and blessed them and we made, in
clerk of the church.

our way, very beautiful wafers, and the Nestorians let me

use their baptistery where there was an altar. Their patri-

them a skin from Bagdad, quadrangular like a

portable altar, anointed with cream, which they used in place
arch sent

So I celebrated mass, on Holy

of a consecrated stone.
Thursday [April 9], with their silver chalice and their paten,
both of which were large vases; likewise on the day of

And we

gave communion to the people, with the

blessing of God, I hope. More than sixty persons were baptized, on the eve of Easter, in very good order, and the joy
Easter.

among

the Christians was very great.

C h af

e r

4 g

OF THE ILLNESS OF MASTER WILLIAM AND THE NESTORIAN

PRIEST

Then

happened that master William

And when he was convalescing, the monk
it

fell

gravely

visited

ill.

him and

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

64

gave him to drink tea of rhubarb, which nearly killed him.

When I in my turn visited him, I found him so weakened
that I asked him what he had drunk or eaten. He told me
what potion the monk had administered to him, and that he
had drunk two full bowls of it, thinking it was holy water.
Meeting the monk, I said to him: "Conduct yourself as an
apostle doing miracles by the virtue of prayer
Spirit, or else

art of curing.

men who

and the Holy

be a physician that observes the rules of the

You give to drink a large dose of medicine to

were something holy 5

you would be much rebuked for it, if that were known to the
public." So he began to have fear and to mistrust me.

At

are too sick to drink

this time, the priest

it,

as if

who

it

passed for the archdeacon

and his friends sent for a

Saracen soothsayer who said to them: "A lean man, who
does not eat or drink or sleep in a bed, is angry with him.
If he could obtain his blessing, he would get well." They
understood that he meant the monk, and toward midnight,
the wife, the sister, and the son of the priest went to the
monk and begged him that he give his blessing to the sick
man. They invoked us even, to ask the monk. And when
we begged him, he said: "Do not trouble about him, for he
and three others like him had formed the project to go to
the court and induce Mangu Khan to chase you and me out
of the Nestorians, also fell

ill,

of the country."

Now a
his

controversy arose

among them

because

Mangu and

wives had sent, on the eve of Easter, four iascot and

some

cloths of silk to be distributed

the priests, and one of the four pieces

feit,

being of copper.

monk had had

Also,

it

among the monk and

of money was counter-

seemed

too large a share j

it

to the priests that the

was

also possible that

something they had said was reported to the monk.

At daybreak I went to the priest who was suffering from

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

acute pains in his side

concluded that
nize the

Pope

it

and was

was an

go and

So

abscess.

from which

if

kiss the feet

God

advised him to recog-

which he

at

his health,

he

as the father of all Christians,

once did, promising that

will

spitting blood j

165

returns

him

of the supreme Pontiff, and act

Holy Father would send his blessings to Mangu

Khan. I advised him also to give back all that did not belong to him. He told me he had nothing belonging to
so that the

spoke to him again of the sacrament of the extreme unction. He replied: "It is not our custom, and our
priests do not know how to do it ; I beg you to do whatever

others.

you judge right."

they do not have.
companions.
get the monk.

At

first

the

told

He

Then he
I

did

monk

him

also of the confessions

which

whispered something to one of his

and he asked me to go and

felt better

so.

did not want to comej however,

when

he learned that the man was feeling better, he came with

his cross, and I carried the box of master William where
was the body of Jesus Christ that I had reserved from the
day of Easter at my compatriot's request. Then the monk
began kicking the sick man, and the other kissed his feet
with great humility. I said to him: "It is the custom in the
Roman Church that the sick receive the body of Christ, as a
viatic and a protection against the snares of the enemy.
Here is the body of Christ that I have conserved since
Easter day. You must confess and desire it." Then he said
very strong faith: "I demand it with all my heart."
I exposed the consecrated wafer, he said with great
fervor: "I believe that this is my Creator and my Saviour
who gave me life and will give it to me again after death on
the day of the general resurrection." And so he received

in a

When

from my. hands the body of Jesus Christ

according to the fashion of the

Roman

that I

Church.

had made

^ARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

i66

The monk remained

with him and administered to him,

know what potion. The following
do
not
in my
day the patient began to suffer again all the pains of death.
So I took the oil that the Nestorians held as holy, and I
absence,

anointed him with

it

according to the rites of the church, thus

complying with the prayer for the dying. I did not have
our oil with me, because the priests of Sartach had retained
everything. And as we were commending his soul to God
and as I wanted to be present at his death, the monk sent

word

that

leave, for if

stayed,

Mangu Khan

the presence of

to leave, so as not to

that year.

all

The

was true and advised

be deprived of pursuing the good

friends I questioned on this point said

me

could not again be in

during
it

was doing.

The

sick

troubled

man

died,

and the monk

said to

my

prayers.

him with

have killed

only scholar, and was hostile to

ing.

Henceforth,

all

The

us.

of them and

me: "Be not

He was the

others

know noth-

Mangu Khan himself

me what the priest had

Then he told
said about asking the Khan to send us away, but I did not believe it.
I inquired among the priests, friends of the dead
man, to learn if it was true. They told me that it was so,
but they did not know if he had been asked or not.
I learned afterwards that the monk had the soothsayer
and his wife come to his chapel, made them sift some dust

will be at our feet."

and draw prophecies from it. He also had with him a

Ruthenian deacon who helped him in this. Learning all this,
I was horrified at his folly and said to him: "Brother, a man
filled

with the

Holy Ghost, who

teaches all things, should

not consult soothsayers, and not be inspired with what they

say; all this

is

forbidden and those

who

such practices are excommunicated."

did nothing of

all that.

And

give themselves to

He

assured

me

he

could not leave him, for I

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

house by the order of Mangu Khan and

could not go elsewhere without his special orders.

was lodged
I

167

at his

Chapter

^ o

OF THE BROTHERS OF MANGU KHAN ^ AND THEIR ARMIES

As

to the city of

Caracarum, you must know that but for

the exception of the palace of the

Khan

as important as the village of Saint-Denis,

himself,

it

is

not

and the monastery

worth twice as much as the palace. There

are two quarters in it, one of the Saracens where the markets
are and where the merchants leave their wares on account
of Saint-Denis

is

of the court which

of the

many

is

at a short distance

ambassadors.

the Cathayans all of

whom

The

of

it,

also

other quarter

on account
is

that of

are artisans.

Besides this palace there are great palaces which are in-

habited by the secretaries of the court.

There are twelve

temples dedicated to the idols of the different nations, two

mosques where they observe the laws of Mahomet, and one
church of Christians

surrounded by a
eastern side

is

at the far

mud

end of the

city.

The

wall which has four doors.

city

On

is

the

sold millet, and on the others, grain, which,

however, is very rare; on the west, they sell sheep and

goats; on the south, oxen and carts, and on the north side,
horses.

Following the court, we arrived here on the Sunday beThe next day we were called by Bulgai,
first secretary of state and a great judge, as well as the monk
and his whole family and all the ambassadors and the strangers who frequented the monk.
We were separately
brought into the presence of Bulgai, first the monk, then
we; and they asked us where we came from, and why, and
what we wanted. And they proceeded to question us mifore Ascension.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

i68

it was reported to Mangu Khan that forty

had arrived under various disguises to kill. About

nutely, because
Assassins

ill

whom

have previously spoken, fell

again and sent for the monk. But he would not go to
lady of

this time, the

"She has already called idolaters, let them

I shall not go there again."
On the eve of the Ascension [May 20] we went through
all the houses of the Khan, and I noticed that whenever he
was about to drink, they sprinkled cosmos on his felt idols,
which made me say to the monk: "What is there that is
common between Christ and Belial? What connection is
there between the Cross and these idols?"
Furthermore, Mangu Khan had eight brothers, three full
brothers, and five half-brothers.
He sent one of his full
her, answering:

cure her if they can.

whom they call

Mulidet, with the order to kill them. Another went towards
Persia J he has already entered, it is believed, Turkey, and

brothers to the country of the Assassins,

will send

One

from there an army

against

Bagdad and

Vastacius.

of the other brothers [Kublai] he sent to Cathay, to

who

subdue those
kept near

him

who governs
service

is

did not yet recognize his supremacy.

the court of their mother, a Christian, in whose

master William.

One of

tured this prisoner in Hungary, in a

where there was

Rouen and

He

his youngest full brother, called Arabuccha,

Norman

nephew of

He

his half-brothers capcity called

Belgrade,

bishop from Belleville near

this bishop

whom

had seen

at

gave master William to the mother of

Mangu, for she very much wanted to have him. After her
death, the goldsmith passed into the service of Arabuccha
with all those who belonged to her court.
Mangu Khan
knew him through Arabuccha and, having ordered the work
of which I have already spoken, gave him one hundred
iascoty that is, a thousand marks.
Caracarum.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

On

the eve of the Ascension,

visit his

Mangu Khan wanted

to

he was not far from her.

wished to accompany him and give his
mother's soul. That pleased the Khan. Dur-

mother

The monk

169

at the court, for

said he

blessing to his

ing the evening of the Ascension, the condition of the prinbecame worse and the chief of the soothsayers sent or-

cess

ders to the

monk

not to beat his board.

of the court of the

continued.

Khan

When we

left,

The

next day those

but the court of the princess

arrived at the spot where the court

monk

move farther
away from the court than usual. This he did. Then Arabuccha approached his brother, the Khan. The monk and
was

to stop, an order

was given

to the

to

at a little distance from us,

came forward toward him with the cross. And he recognized us, because he had once visited our oratory, extended
Then the
his hand and give us his blessing like a bishop.
monk mounted his horse and followed him, carrying some
fruit with him.
But Arabuccha stopped before the court
and waited for his brother to return from the chase. The
monk descended there also and presented him some fruit
which he accepted. Two great men of the Khan's court,
two Saracens, were seated near him. But Arabuccha, knowing the differences that separated the Christians from the
Saracens, asked the monk if he knew the two Saracens. The

we, seeing that he would pass

monk

replied: "I

they near you?"

us, since

we do

know them,

And

for they are dogs.

these replied:

not talk to you?"

"Why

And

the

Why

are

do you abuse

monk

insisted:

true," he said to

them; "I repeat that you and your

So they started blaspheming against Christ, and Arabuccha stopped them, saying:

"It

is

Mahomet

"Do

are abominable dogs."

we know that Messiah is God."

wind arose over the whole country, as

not talk like that, for

Just then so great a

CONTEMPORARIES OF

170

mARCO TOLO

though demons were chasing itj shortly after, the news was
spread that the princess Cota had died.
The following day Arabuccha returned to the court by
another roadj for

it

is

a superstition

among

the Tartars

For

never to return by the same road by which they come.

the same reason, nobody dares pass, either on foot or on

horseback, the place where the court has stopped, as long

as there remains after

was

built there.

monk on

its

departure, a trace of the

The same

fire that

day, several Saracens joined the

the road, provoking and disputing with him.

As

he could not defend himself by reasoning, and as they were

jeering at him, he wanted to hit
in his

them with the whip he held

hand, and he carried on so

much

that his

words were

Also we were ordered to stop elsewhere with the other ambassadors than in front of the court,
reported to the court.

we were in the habit of doing.

Then, too, I was always hoping for the arrival of the king
of Armenia.^ Also near Eastertime came a person from
Bolat, where are the Germans whom I almost resolved to
go and see. Some one had told me that a German priest
was to arrive at the court. Because of that, I never dared
In reality, he
ask Mangu whether I was to remain or go.
had given us permission to remain in his land only two
months, but four months had already passed, and the fifth
was nearing its end. For it was the end of May, and we
had been there during January, February, March, April and

as

May.
Not hearing anything said about the king or this priest,
and fearing that we would be obliged to return in the winter,
whose severity we had already felt, we asked Mangu Khan
what he intended doing with us, for we would have willingly
1
of

The King

of

Mangu Khan

Armenia,
1254

Little
in

Heythum

I,

left

his

capital

Sis

in

Cilicia

for

the court

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

remained with him,

would be
word that

if

he wished

better to leave in the

itj

but

summer.

if

we had

He

171
to go,

it

at once sent

I remain, for he wished to speak with me the next

answered instantly that if he desired to speak to
me he would have to send for the son of master William, as
my interpreter was incompetent. The one who was addressing me was a Saracen, and once ambassador to VasBribed with his presents, he advised him to send
tacius.
During these conferences,
ambassadors to Mangu Khan.

day.

time would pass, for Vastacius believed that the Tartars

would soon invade his countries. He then sent ambassadors, and after learning from them what sort of people
the Tartars were, he scorned them and refused to make
peace with them, and they did not invade his lands. Nor
could they, for he dared defend himself against them; for
they never conquer a country, but by ruse, and when they
make peace with any one, it is only to destroy them.
This Saracen began making inquiries about the Pope and
the king of France and which route to take to go to them.

And

the

monk

he wanted

cautioned

to procure

me

means

secretly not to answer him, for

to

send them ambassadors.

therefore, kept silent, not wishing to answer him.

And

I,

he

do not know what injurious words, for

which they wanted to indict him, or kill him, or whip him
till he bled, but I would not let them.
addressed me, in

Chapter 5/
HOW THE KHAN ORDERED THE DIFFERENT PRIESTS TO DEFEND
THEIR OWN RELIGIONS ^ AND OUR LAST AUDIENCE WITH
MANGU KHAN

The

next day, the Sunday before Pentecost, I was con-

ducted to the court.

The

secretaries of the state, of

one was a Moal, served the drinks to

whom

the Khan, and the

CONTEMPORARIES OF

172

me why

others, Saracens, asked

So

repeated what

had

MARCO TO LP
had come

to their country.

how I came to Sarand how Batu had sent me

said already,

and from Sartach to Batu,

I said to them: "I have nothing to say on the part of
any man, for it ought to be known what Batu has written j
I have only to preach the words of God, if they wish to hear
them."
At these words, they asked me what were the words of
God I wished to pronounce, for they thought I was going
to foretell some good news, like so many of the others do.
I answered them: "If you accept as divine the words I
preach, give me an interpreter." They answered: "We have
sent for one speak by this one as best you canj we will understand you." And they pressed me to speak. So I said:

tach

here.

"Of him
quired.

much

to

whom much

Likewise, he

has been given,

who

much

will be re-

has received much, must give

love."

After these divine words, I said to Mangu Khan, that

has given him a great power, and that the riches he
has gotten were not from the idols of Tuins but from Almighty God who made the heavens and earth, in whose
hand are all the kingdoms, and who removes the power of
one nation to another because of the sins of man. So, if he

God

loves God, all will be assured himj

if not,

he must know

that he will have to account for his last farthing.

Then said one of the Saracens: "Is there a man who loves
not God?" I answered: "It is God who knows: he who loveth me, obeyeth my commandments and he who loveth me
not, keepeth not my commandments.
Thus he who does
not observe the commandments of God, loves not God."
At this the Saracen said: "Have you been to heaven that you
know the commandments of God?" "No," said I, "but he
j

has sent them from heaven to the holy men, and himself

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

173

descended from heaven to teach all men, and it is in the Bible

see it, by the works of men, when they observe them

and we

But he replied: "Do you mean to say that Mangu

Khan does not follow God's precepts?" And I answered,
"The interpreter will come, you said} and if Mangu Khan
authorizes me, I will tell which are the commandments of

or no."

God, and he

he obeys them or not."

that I had said he
was an idolater, or Tuin, and that he did not observe the

They

left

shall

me and

judge himself

if

reported to the

Khan

commandments of God.

The following day the Khan sent his secretaries to me,

and they said: "Our lord sent us to you to let you know that
you here are Christians, Saracens, and Tuins. Each of you
says that his law is the best and that his Scriptures, that is,
his books, are the truest.
That is why he wishes that you
all assemble in the same place, and that each write down his
laws, so that the truth may be known." So I said: "Blessed
be

God who

has inspired the

Khan with

such a thought.

But our Scriptures teach that the servant of God must not
I am thus ready to explain,
without hatred, the faith and hope of the Christians to
whoever wishes to question me."

dispute, only be kind to all.

They wrote down my response and took it to the Khan.

The Nestorians were also ordered to write down all they
wished

to say,

saying:

and the same was told

to the Saracens

The next day, the secretaries again came

"Mangu Khan wishes to know why you

the Tuins.

to

and
me,

travel

through these parts." I answered them, "He should know

by the letters of Batu." So they said, "The letters of Batu

and the Khan has forgotten what Batu has written,

and he wishes to know through you." More assured, I
said, "The duty that my religion imposes upon me is to
preach the Gospel to all men. Also, when I had learned
are lost,

CONTEMPORARIES OF OJARCO TOLO

174

Moal race, I desired to come here, and, animated with this desire, I learned that Sartach was a Christian.
So I wended my way towards him. And the king of
the French, my lord, sent him letters which contained kind
words, and among other things he said who we were and
requested him to allow us to remain among the Moals. He
then sent us to Batu and Batu sent us to Mangu Khanj that
is why we have begged him and still beg him to let us remain here."
The secretaries wrote all that down and brought it to
him the next day. He again sent word to me: "The Khan
well knows that you have no message for him, and that you
come to pray for him, like the other righteous priests but he
wishes to know if any ambassadors have come to us from
your country, or if any of ours have gone to your parts."
So I told them all that I knew of David and of the Friar
Andrew, and they put it in writing and brought it to him.
Then once more he sent me word, saying: "The Khan,
our lord, says you have stayed here a long time; he wishes
that you return to your country and asks if you would take
I replied: "I would not dare
his ambassadors with you."
of the famous

take his ambassadors out of their country, because there are

countries at

am

war between

us,

only a poor monk; that

take

them under

my

and
is

seas

why

leadership."

and mountains j and I

would not venture to

And

they, writing

it

all

down, returned

to him.
eve of Pentecost arrived. The Nestorians wrote the
chronicle since the creation of the world to the Passion of
Christ, they said a few things about the Ascension and the

The

and of the last judgment. There

and I pointed it out to them. We
"I believe in one God." Then
the
mass:
wrote the symbol of
They answered
I asked them how they wished to proceed.
resurrection of the dead

was much

to reprove there,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

that they

them

first

wished to discuss with the Saracens.

175
I

made

was not well, for the Saracens agreed with

us that there is but one God: "You will thus from them
have aid against the Tuins." They agreed with me. Then
I asked them if they knew how idolatry came into the world.
They did not know. I explained it to them and they said:
"Tell them that and speak in our place, for it is difficult
I answered: "Look how
to talk through an interpreter."
you will act regarding them. I will uphold the cause of the
Tuinsj and you will defend that of the Christians. Let us
suppose that I am of that sect who claims there is no God;
prove that God exists." For there is a sect who believe that
all soul, all virtue there is in no matter what thing, is the
God of that thing, and that there is no other God. And the
Nestorians could not prove anything, only repeat what is
written in the Bible. I said to them: "They do not believe
in the Bible you allege one thing and they another." Then
I advised them to let me discuss with them, for if I were
see that

it

vanquished, they would

still

find a

way

to talk.

Therefore on the eve of Pentecost, we assembled in our

oratory and Mangu Khan sent three secretaries as arbitrators
one a Christian, another a Saracen, and the third a
Tuin; and these proclaimed: "This is the order of Mangu
and no one dare say that the commandment of God differs
from it. He orders that no one use disagreeable or injurious terms toward his adversary, nor cause a wrangle that
may disturb the conference, under penalty of death." So
all kept their silence.
And there were a great number of
people there, for each side had called the most learned of
his race, and many others were present.
The Christians placed me in the centre and told the Tuins
to discuss with me.
But they who were there in crowds
began to murmur against Mangu Khan, for never before

176

CONTEMPORARIES OF

had a Khan

mARCO TOLO

tried to get hold of their secret.

They then

some one who came from Cathay and

Mine was the son of master William;
to me: "My friend, if you think you are not enough
versed, get some one more learned than yourself." I was
Then the Tuin asked me about what I wished to
silent.
placed

me

had an
he said

interpreter.

opposite

world or the destiny of the

answered him: "That should not be the
beginning of our conference. All things pass from God,
and he is the principal source of all things we must begin
to speak of God, of whom you have not the same idea as
The
we, and Mangu wants to know the best opinion."
arbitrators judged that this was right.
He wished to begin with these questions for they had
discuss first, the origin of the

soul after death.

studied

them

better;

for they are all of the heresy of

Manicheans, and believe that one-half of things is evil, the

other half good, and that there are at least two principles,
and they all believe that the soul passes from one body into
another.
Also the most learned priest among the Nestorians asked me if the souls of animals can take refuge
somewhere, without being held in slavery after death.
To confirm this error, so master William told me, there
had been brought a child from Cathay who, from their judgment, was not more than three years old. He was, however,
capable of all reasoning and

he had been
to read and
write.
So I said to this Tuin: "We believe firmly and with
all our heart, and we confirm with our mouth that there is
a God and one God only, and of a perfect unity. What do
you believe in?" And he answered: "Only fools say there
is but one God, but the wise uphold that there are several.
Are there not, in our country, several great lords, and a
incarnated three times,

greater one here,

who

and

is

it

was

that he

said that

knew how

Mangu Khan?

Even

so there are

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

177

Gods, for they are different in each country." I

answered: "Your example is a poor one; there cannot be
similarity between men and God; for in that case a powerful
different

man

in his

And,
vented
is

country would be called God."

as I

was about

me and

asked:

the only one?"

and there
one; but

No

is

we

to destroy his comparison,

"What

is

answered:

he pre-

then your God, that you say

"Our God

is

powerful,

all

no other than he, and he needs the help of no

It is not so with man.
all need his protection.

one can do

all

by himself; that

is

why

it

is

necessary

that there be several leaders on earth, for one alone can not

govern by himself. Our God also knows everything, and

needs no advice. Also, all science comes from him. He is
infinitely good, and has no want of our goods. Too, we live
and we move and we are in him. Such is our God. and he
must not be thought of otherwise."
"No," said he, "he is not like that. It is true that there
is a supreme God in heaven whose filiation we still do
not know; but under him there are ten other Gods, and

under us an inferior God. They are innumerable in the

countries of the world." As he was going to weave more
fables around it, I asked him if he believed that the supreme
God was all powerful, and I questioned him about some
other God.
Evading my question, he in turn asked me: "If your God
you say, why did he create half the things
is what
"It is not true," I said to him; "the one who creevil?"
ated evil is not God. And all that is, is good." The Tuins

were astonished

at this reply,

and they wrote

it

down

as

false or impossible.

was then asked: "From where does evil come?"

"You put your question wrong," I replied. "You should
But
first ask what is evil, before searching whence it comes.
I

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

178
let us

go back

God

all-powerful

you

that

to the first question:

will ask

And

exists?

He

me."

Do

I will

long time refusing to

to order him, in
At last he said that there

sat for a

reply, so that the secretaries present

the

name of

the Khan, to answer.

God

did not exist a

you believe that an

answer you then all

had

Then

all-powerful.

the Saracens

all

laughed out loud.

Silence restored, I said:

ever save you, for

"Then none

of your

Gods can

can happen that he have no power.

it

two masters how, then, can you

Those
heaven and on earth?"
present told him to reply, but he did not. And as I wanted
to develop before the entire assembly the reasons for the
unity and the trinity of the divine essence, the Nestorians
of the country said to me that it sufficed, and that they
wanted to talk themselves. I then yielded, and as they
Besides, no one can serve

many Gods

serve so

were preparing
replied:
that

"We

in the

is

in

with the Saracens, the others

discuss

to

agree that yours

Gospel

is

is

the true law and that all

truej so on no account

And
God to

do we wish

to argue with you."

they confessed that in

prayers they asked

accord

them grace

all their

to die as the

Christians die.

There was an old

say there

is

one

God

priest there, of the sect Jugures,

yet

who make

long time with him, telling him

idols.

They

who

talked a

came to pass till

the coming of the Antichrist into the world, and also proved
the Trinity by analogy to him and the Saracens. Every one
Yet no one
listened without raising the least objection.
Then the
said: "I believe I want to become a Christian."
Nestorians and the Saracens sang together in a loud voice j
the Tuins said not a word and afterwards everybody drank
all that

deeply.

On

Pentecost day

[May

31],

Mangu Khan

called

me

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

and the Tuin with
ing,

my

whom

179

had discussed; and before enter-

interpreter, the son of master William, told

me

that

must make no
we
objection, for it was a thing decided. When I came before
the Khan, I had to bend the knees, and the Tuin and his
Then he said to me: "Tell me the truth;
interpreter also.
did you say the other day, when I sent my secretaries to
I answered: "My lord, I did
you, that I was a Tuin?"
not say it, and I will repeat my words if that will please
you." So I repeated what I said and he replied: "I well
believed you did not utter these words, for you could not
have thus spoken it is your interpreter who misunderstood."
And he held out toward me the stick on which he was leaning, and said.
"Have no fear." And I, smiling, said in a
low tone: "If I had fear, I would not be here." And he
asked the interpreter what I had said, and he repeated it

must return to our country and that

to him.

Then he professed his faith to me. "We Moals," said he,

"we believe there is but one God, by whom we live and by
whom we die, and we have for him an upright heart."
Then I said to him: "May God grant you grace, for without
it

you can do nothing."

And

interpreter repeated to him,

God
man

he asked what I had said, the

and the prince added: "Even as

has given several fingers to the hand, so has he given

several ways.

God

has

made

us

know

the

Holy

Scrip-

and your Christians do not observe them. You do

not see in them that one should blame another, do you?"
"No, my lord," I said, "but I told you from the start that
I did not want to have any differences with any one."
"I
do not speak," said he, "for you. Likewise, you do not find
there that a man should avoid justice for money."
"No,
my lord," I replied. "And surely, I did not come to these
parts to obtain money j on the contrary, I have refused that

tures,

r8o

CONTEMPORARIES OF

which they wanted to offer me."

there

who

attested that I

MARCO TOLO
And

there was a secretary

had refused an

iascot

and some

silken cloths.

"I do not speak of that," he said. "God has given you a

Testament and you do not follow it to us, he has given
soothsayers, and we do what they tell us and we live peacefully." He drank, it seems to me, at least four times before
5

finishing his dialogue.

While

was waiting for him

to confess still another

of his faith, he began to talk of

my

return, saying:

phase

"You

have been here a long while j I wish that you leave. You
have said that you do not want to take my ambassadors with
you; will you forward my letters or deliver my words?"

And from

no longer had the occasion or the time

For no one can speak
before him longer than he wishes him to, at least if he is
not an ambassador; but an ambassador can say all he wants,
and they always ask him if he has anything more to say. As
for me, I was not allowed to talk further, but had to listen
to him and answer his questions.
So I replied that he should make me understand his words,
and have them written down.
I willingly undertook to
He
then
asked me if I wanted
convey them as best I could.
gold or silver or fine clothes. I said: "We accept no such
things; however, we have nothing with which to pay our
expenses of the voyage, and without your aid, we cannot
leave your country." Then he said to me: "I will see that
you have all that is necessary. Do you wish for more?" I
replied: "That suffices me."
Then he asked me: "How far do you wish to be conducted?" I replied: "To the kingdom of Armenia your
then on,

to explain to

him

the Catholic faith.

power extends; if I could be conducted as far as there, it

would suffice me." And he said: "I will have you con-

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

ducted as far as that place

181

after that, take care of yourself."

added: "I have two eyes in my head, .and though there

are two of them, they see one way for where one eye looks,
You have come on the part of Batu
the other turns to.
and you must return towards him."

He

When

he had finished,

"Speak," he

men

said.

And

I
I

asked for permission to speak.

began:

"My

lord,

we

are not

We

want that the authority of the world

can
govern it with most justice, according
belong to him who
to the will of God.
Our work is to instruct men to live by
the will of God.
For this reason have we come to your
country, and we would have remained gladly had you wished
it.
But if it is your wish that we leave, so it will be. I will
go back, and I will take your letters as best I can and as you
wish. But I would like to ask your Majesty if, when I will
have taken your letters, you will allow me to come back here,
principally because you have, at Bolat, poor subjects who
speak our language and who have no priest to instruct them
and their children in their religion. I would gladly live in
of war.

their midst."

He answered me: "If your masters send you back towards

me, you will be welcome." So I said: "My lord, I do not
know my masters' intentions; but I have received from them
the permission to go wherever I wish, there where it is
necessary to preach the words of God, and I think it is necessary in your regions; that is why, whether the king sends
back ambassadors or no, if you allow it, I will return."
Then he remained silent for a long while as though
absorbed in his thoughts, and the interpreter told me to say
no more. But I, anxious, was awaiting a reply. At last he
said to me: "You have far to go, strengthen yourself with
food, so you may arrive in your country in good health."
And he had drink given me. Then he left and I did not

CONTEMPORARIES OF

82

see

him

Had

again.

MARCO TO LP

the power to perform miracles like

Moses, he would perhaps have humbled himself.

Chapter 52
OF THE SOOTHSAYERS ^ THEIR CUSTOMS ^ AND
EVOKE THE DEVIL

Their
and

all

soothsayers, as he himself said, were their priests,

they

I will tell

command

you what

to be done,

their office

is

is

executed immediately.

and they have a superior, who

is

what
numerous
and who has

as best I can, after

They

master William and others told me.

his

HOW THEY

are

like a pontiff,

dwelling opposite the principal dwelling of

Mangu

Khan, a stone's throw from it. Under his keeping are, as I

have said, the chariots in which their idols are carried. The
others are behind the court, in the places assigned them.

These soothsayers are consulted by people from different

For some among them are versed in

parts of the world.

astronomy,

the chief, and he predicts the

and of the moon, and when that has to

particularly

eclipses of the sun

happen, the whole population provides

that they need not leave their houses.
is

itself

with food, so

And when

the eclipse

taking place, they ring the bells and sound the trumpets,

hurling loud cries; and there

past, they give

drinking and eating.

days

for all

Also, war

They

circumstances of
is

is

much

ado.

The

eclipse

themselves to unbounded joy and excessive

predict the lucky

and unlucky

life.

never declared nor battles waged without their

and the Tartars would long since have returned to

Hungary, had their soothsayers allowed them. These arrange to pass over fire all that is sent to the court, and for
advice,

this

they get a large part of

all furniture left

it.

by the dead.

They

also purify with fire

When

any one

dies,

they

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

away

take
court

This
her

is

what

saw

pass the fire;

least object that

at the court

we were
why they made
while

last

reason

has belonged to him, and no one in the

all that

allowed to touch the

is

first,

died quite recently.

of the princess

not purified.

who

breathed

and that explains the double

Friar Andrew and his companions

because they carried presents; secondly,

They

fire, it

Kuyuk Khan who had

I had
ground dur-

did not act so with me, for

If an animal or anything

ing purification by

is

there,

because these gifts had belonged to

nothing.

183

falls to the

becomes the property of the sooth-

sayer.

These lastly mentioned also are in the habit of assembling

and of consecrating, on the ninth day of the month of May,
all the white mares of the herd. The Christian priests then
have to be present at this ceremony with their censers. They
sprinkle on the ground cosinos newly made and it is a great
feast they hold on that day, for they eat and drink of the
new cosmos for the first time; as is practised in some of our
countries during the vintage on the day of St. Bartholomew
or of Holy Syxtus, and when the fruits are gathered, the
day of St. James and St. Christopher. The soothsayers are
also called in at the birth of a child, to foretell his fate, and
when some one falls ill, to judge if the malady is natural
or the result of witchcraft.

have spoken, told me

something extraordinary regarding this.
Once, a present
of very valuable furs was given to the court of her mistress,
The soothsayers
a Christian, as I have already told you.

The wife from Metz, of whom

and retained more of it than

their due. A woman under whose care was the treasure
of this lady, accused them of it before her, and the latter
reprimanded them. Then it happened that this lady fell
ill and suffered sudden pains over all parts of her body.

had
was

it

passed over the

fire,

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

84

in, and keeping themselves at

from her, they ordered one of the young girls to
place her hand on the painful spot, and to take off whatever
she found. So the young girl arose, did what she was told
and found under her hand a piece of felt or something like
They told her to put it on the ground, and instantly that
it.

The

soothsayers were called

a distance

thing began to crawl like a living animal. They put it in

water and it became like a leech, and the soothsayers said:

"Madam, some sorcery has been cast on you and has hurt
And they accused her, who had accused them of
Led outside the camp, she was beaten
stealing the furs.
with a rod for seven days and she was made to suffer other
tortures to make her confess. And during these tortures the
you."

lady died, and her servant, learning of the misfortune, said:

"I know that my mistress is dead, kill me so that I may

accompany her, for

since she

have never done her any harm."

avowed nothing, Mangu ordered

And

that she be let

and then the soothsayers accused the nurse of that

Christian lady's daughter, whose husband was one of the
most honourable men among the Nestorian priests. She
was led to the places of torture with one of her women, to
make her confess. The servant testified that she had been
That woman consent by her mistress to consult a horse.
fessed that she had done that to be liked by her master and
receive some favour for it, but that she did nothing that
could have harmed him. They asked her if her husband
knew about it. She made excuses for him saying that he had
burned the characters and the letters that she herself had
made. Then the nurse was put to death, and Mangu sent
her husband, who was a priest, to his bishop in Cathay, to
try him for it, though he was not found guilty.
About this time, it happened that the first wife of Mangu
Khan gave birth to a son, and the soothsayers were called to
live,

THE JOURNAL OF F RIAR WILLIAM

predict the destiny of the child;
future, saying that he
prince.

few days

would
later,

live

all

her:

my son would live

"Madam, we

prophesied a happy

long and would be a great

So the mother,

the child died.

furious, called the soothsayers to her

said that

185

and he

is

and

said to

dead."

them "You
:

They answered

see the sorceress, the nurse of Cherina,

put to death the other day. It is she who has killed

your son, and we have seen her carry him off."
The dead woman was survived, in the camp, by a son

who was

a daughter, already grown up, and the lady had them

brought and put to death, the young boy by a man, the
young girl by a woman, to avenge herself of the death of

and

her

own

son,

their mother.

who

the soothsayers said had been killed by

short time later the

Khan had

a dream;

and asked what had been done

with them. His servants, fearing to tell him, and he, more
and more aroused by curiosity, insisted on knowing where

he

dreamt of these children,

they were, for during the night they appeared before him
in a dream.
So they told him, and he forthwith sent for

and asked her why she had condemned a woman to

He had her shut in a prison
for seven days and forbade that she be given the least
nourishment. He had the Tartar beheaded, the one who
had killed the young boy, and had his head hung on the
neck of the woman who had killed the young girl; then he
had her beaten with hot fire-brands in the middle of the
camp, and finally he ordered that she be put to death. He
would also have put his wife to death if he did not have
children by her; but he left her court and did not return
there for a month.
The soothsayers disturbed the atmosphere by their incantations, and when the cold was very intense they naturally
could do nothing; so they accused certain people in the camp

his wife

death without his knowledge.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

86

MARCO TOLO

of having caused this cold temperature and these were

executed without delay.

my

short time after

departure from here, one of the

The
ill and suffered greatly.
some mysterious words over a slave
of German origin, and she went to sleep for three days.
When she awoke, they asked her what she had seen. She
had seen a number of persons} they thought that all these
would soon die, and because she had not seen among them
their mistress, they concluded that she would not die of that
sickness.
I saw that young girl.
She still felt great fatigue
in her head from this long sleep.
concubines of the

Khan was

soothsayers pronounced

Some of

these soothsayers evoke demons.

They

assemble,

who

wish to have answers from

the devil} they put cooked meat in the centre of the dwelling, and the cham who invokes begins by saying mysterious

at night, in their

house those

drum in his hand, he strikes it hard

on the ground. Then he passes into a fury and they bind
him. Then the devil appears in the midst of the darkness j
the cham gives him this meat to eat and commands his

words, and, holding a

answers.

Once, as was told me by master William, a Hungarian

hid in the house of the soothsayers, and the devil, who was
on the roof, complained that he could not enter for there
was a Christian there. At this noise he fled, for they began
to look for him. They had done that and many other things,
too long to relate.

Chapter

5^

OF THE FESTIVAL AT CARACARUM ^ AND THE DIFFERENT

AMBASSADORS

From
letters

the day of Pentecost, they began preparing the

addressed to you.

During

this time,

master William

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

187

returned to Caracarum and organized a great festival in the

octave o Pentecost

[June 25], and wanted that

all

the

ambassadors be present the last day. He sent for us also,

I had gone to the church to baptize three children of a

but

whom we

poor German

had met in that city.

At this feast, master William was the chief cup-bearer,
for he had made the tree from which flowed the drinks, and
poor and rich sang and danced and clapped hands before the
Khan. Then the Khan spoke to them. "I have separated,"
he said, "my brothers from me, have sent them in the midst
of dangers in foreign lands. We will see now what you will
do, when I shall want to charge you with the missions of
my work, towards the strengthening of our power."
During the four days of the feast, he changed his garments every day, and all the raiment from shoes to turbans,
was of the same colour. At this time I saw an ambassador of
the Calif of Bagdad, who used to be brought to court in a
litter between two mules, and I was told that he had made
a peace with the Tartars, and was to give them ten thousand
horses for their army.
Others said to the contrary, that
Mangu would not make a peace unless they destroyed their
fortresses, and that the ambassador answered him: "When
you have pulled off all the hoofs from your horses' feet, we
will demolish all our fortresses."
I

have also seen ambassadors of a Sultan of India, who

had brought along eight leopards and ten greyhounds. They

had trained the dogs to sit on the horses' backs as leopards
do.

When

inquired about this country of India, they

These ambassadors went back with me

for about three weeks, always toward the west.
I also saw there ambassadors of the Sultan of Turkey
they brought with them precious gifts and told us, I heard
this with mine own ears, that their lord lacked neither gold
pointed to the west.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

nor

silver, but

menj from which

concluded they asked

help in case of war.

Chapter 5^
OF THE LETTERS OF MANGU KHAN TO

ST.

LOUIS

The

day of St. John, the Khan held a great feast and I

counted a hundred and five carts loaded with mare's milk
and ninety horses the same on the day of Apostles Peter and
Finally, the letters destined to you being finished,
Paul.
they called me and interpreted them to me. Here is the
tone of it, such as I could understand it by the translation
j

of the interpreter:

"The
there

is

commandment of God is this: in heaven

one eternal God; on earth, there is no other

eternal

but

master than Chinghis Khan, the Son of

Chinghis the sound of Iron."

(They

God Demugin,
call

or

Chinghis, the

he was once a blacksmith; and when full

of pride, they call him "son of God.") "This is the message
Wherever there are Moals, Naimans, Merkits
sent you.
or Mustelmen, wherever ears can hear, or a horse can travel,
My orders will be
there you will hear and understand it.
heard and understood and believed and those who do will
not want war to be waged against us, and those who heed
and make war against us shall see though they have eyes
and see not, and when they shall want to hold anything,
they shall be without hands; such is the order of God eternal.
By the eternal virtue of God, through the great world of the
Moals, the order of Mangu Khan is sent to the lord of the
French, King Louis, and to all the other lords, and to the
priests and to the great realm of the French, to understand
our words. And the order of the eternal God has become
the order of Chinghis Khan, and since Chinghis Khan or

sound of

iron, for

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

A

others after him, this order has not reached you.

189
certain

David came to you as pretended ambassador, but he lied,

and you sent back with him ambassadors to Kuyuk Khan.
Then Kuyuk Khan died and your ambassadors reached this
Camus, his wife, sent you nasic stuff and letters. I
court.
will not say how this woman, viler than a dog, knew things
about war and peace, and how to manage a great country
and do good." Mangu himself told me with his own lips
that Camus was the worst of sorceresses and that by her
"The two
witchcraft, she had her entire family destroyed.
monks who came from you to Sartach, Sartach sent to Batu
and Batu sent to us, for Mangu Khan is the greatest lord in

the world of the Moals.

And now

people, your priests and your

monks

your
peace and

to the end, that

all live in

and that the commandment of God

is obeyed among you, we wanted to send you, with your
priests, Moal ambassadors, but they answered us, that between us and you there are countries at war and many wicked
men, and that the roads are bad. He, therefore, feared that
they would not be able to take our ambassadors in safety
as far as your country but he proposed to bring them our
letters containing our orders and offered to transmit them to
King Louis himself. That is why we have not sent our
ambassadors with them. We, therefore, are sending you the
written order of the eternal God, by your above-named
priests, the order of the eternal God that we are making
you understand. And when you shall have received and
believed it, if you want to obey us, you will send us your
ambassadors, and you will thus let us know if you wish to be
at peace or at war with us.
When, by the power of the
eternal God, from the rising of the sun to the west, the
whole world shall be united in joy and in peace, thus shall it
be known what we are to be. If you have heard and underrejoice in their welfare

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

190

stood the order of the eternal God, and

you

if

resist

it,

is far away, our mountains are high and

many, our sea is big,' and, in this, believe that you may
declare war against us, the eternal God knows that we know
what we can do. He makes easy that which is difficult, and
brings closer together that which is separated by distance."
In these letters, we were first given the title of "your
ambassadors." So I said to them: "Do not call us ambassadors, for I have said that we are not ambassadors of King

saying: *Our land

Louis."

Then

the

men

of the

Khan

They

delivered our message.

returned and announced that he had done so as a compli-

ment and

that he

now ordered them

to write

what

I shall

them. I requested them, then, to leave out the word

ambassador and to call us simply monks and priests. During
this parley, my companion heard that we had to return by
way of the desert to reach the dwelling of Batu and that we
would have a Moal guide, and he went, unknown to me, to
Bulgai, secretary of state, and made him understand by signs
tell

that he

would

When

die if he took that road.

the day of his departure arrived, that

night after the feast of St.

to

the court and the secretaries said to

"Mangu

wishes that your friar pass by the

you, you say that you are

says if
at

John [June 24],

your

is,

my

and

peril

Batu, and

ill,

for you

may stop

at the

called

companion:

way of

which is evident.
you wish to depart with your companion, do
risk

a fort-

we were

home

Mangu
so,

but

of some

iam who may not supply you with needs and you will be a
burden to your companion. But if you wish, remain here,
the Khan himself will provide you with all you will need,
till the arrival of ambassadors, with whom you will be able
to go back more slowly and by roads on which are cities."
The friar replied: "May God grant the Khan a happy life!

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

remain."

I will

you are doing.

"are not leaving
you,

see

But
I

me

him: "Brother, realize what

"You," he said,
I who leave you, for, if I go with
body and soul for I can no longer

said to

will not leave you."

;

danger for

it is

my

191

bear such hardships."

They made
us: "You will

us take three

gowns or

tunics,

and they

said to

not accept either gold or silver, and you have

He begs you
garment for each of you, so that
you do not leave with your hands empty." We had to
stayed here a long time to pray for the Khan.
to accept at least a simple

accept these objects out of respect for him, for they consider

who refuse gifts from them. They

we wanted, and we repeated the same
thing, to make known that the Christians have disdain for
these idolaters who seek nothing but presents.
And they
replied that we were foolish, for if the Khan wanted to give
unfavourably those

made

us ask for what

them

his entire court,

they would gladly take it and do

So we accepted the gowns and they asked us to make
a prayer for the Khan which we did and, with his permission, left for Caracarum.
It happened, one day, when we were far away from the
court with the monk and other ambassadors, that the monk
beat repeatedly a board and with such violence that Mangu
Khan heard the noise and inquired what it signified. They
told him he wanted to know why the monk was so far from
They answered: "Because it is difficult to send
the court.
him each day horses and cattle to the court." They added
that it would be better if this religious person were at Caracarum, near the church to pray there. So the Khan sent
word to him to say that if he wished to stay at Caracarum
near the church, he would lack nothing.
But the monk
replied: "I came here from the Holy Land by God's order,
and I left a city where there are a thousand churches better
wisely.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

192

than the one in Caracarum.

and pray for him,

MARCO TOLO

If he desires that I stay here

God commands,

remain j if not,
I will return towards the country from which I came."
Then, that same evening, they sent him some cattle and
harnessed them to carts, and in the morning he was conducted back to the place he used to occupy before the court.

little

who was
state,

as

I will

before our departure, arrived a Nestorian

considered a wise man.

monk

Bulgai, the secretary of

had him established before the

court,

and the Khan

sent his children to him, so that he bless them.

Chapter

^^

OF THE RETURN JOURNEY ^ AND THE MEETING WITH SARTACH

Then we

arrived in Caracarum, and

me

ten iascot.

and told him

friar's

He
to

put
spend

when we were

in

my

guide came and brought

five in the

hand of master William

the house of master William,

it

in the

name of

Khan for the

man of God, my

the

needs j the other five he gave to the

him to spend it on the voyage for my

needs. Master William had told them to do it, without our
knowledge. I, at once, had one of these iascot sold and
distributed the change among the poor who were there and
who all had their eyes fixed upon us. We spent another of
the iascot buying what we were in need of, clothing or other
things.
With the third, the man of God bought various
interpreter, ordering

The rest of the iascot we

spent en route, for from the time we entered Persia we did
not receive anything that we needed, neither among the
Tartars, but we rarely found something to buy.
things which were useful to him.

Master William, once your subject, sends you a girdle

ornamented with a precious stone, such as they wear here
He greets you enthusiastiagainst lightning and thunder.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

193

and prays for you always. For him, I cannot enough

thank God and you. We have baptized there in all six
persons and we separated with tears in our eyes, my comcally,

panion remaining with master William,

my

interpreter,

my

guide, and a servant

We

leaving alone with

who had

came

orders to

in two
months and ten days.
During that time, we did not see a city or a sign of any
dwelling, save some tombs all over and a village where we
could find no bread to eat. In the space of two months and

get for us a sheep in four days.

ten days,

we did

to

Batu

not rest except one single day,

when we

We came back for the most part

by the countries we had already crossed, and some others.
We went in winter and came back in summer by mountaincould not get any horses.

ous and far countries of the north.

days

we had

to follow the

But during fifteen long

windings of a river [Ulungur],

middle of mountains where there was no grass to be

Sometimes we ran
great dangers, not seeing a living soul, lacking food and
having tired horses.
After having ridden for twenty days, I received news of
the King of Armenia. At the end of August, he went to
Sartach, who was on the way to Mangu Khan with his herds
and flocks, his wives and children. As to his great dwellings,
they remained behind between the Volga and the Tanais.
I greeted Sartach, saying that I would have gladly stayed
in his country, but that Mangu Khan wishes me to go back
and take his letters. He replied that one should execute
the bidding of Mangu Khan. I inquired of Coiac about my
servants.
He told me that they were at the court of Batu
and well taken care of. I then asked for our sacred ornaments and our books and he said: "You did not bring them
to Sartach?" I replied: "I brought them to Sartach but I
in the

seen, except on the banks of the river.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

194

mARCO TOLO

did not give them to him, as you know."

what

I said to

him when he requested me

And

to give

repeated

them

to

He

answered me: "You speak the truth,

and no one can resist the truth. I myself have left all your
belongings in my father's home at Sarai, a new city that Batu
had built on the Volga. But our priests are here with some
of your vestments." I replied: "If you like any of the vestments, keep them, but just return my books. It is necessary
that I have letters from you to your father so that he will
give me back what belongs to me."
When we were about to go, he said to me: "The court of
ladies is following us closely j stay there and I will send
answer by this man." I was afraid he was deceiving me;
however, I could not wrangle with him. In the evening,
that man came to me, the one he showed me, bringing me
two tunics which I thought was a piece of silk, uncut, and
he said: "Here are two tunics; Sartach sends you one, and
the other, if you consider it correct, give to the king on his
part." I replied: "I do not wear such garments; I will give
both tunics to the king as homage from your lord." "No,"
he said, "do with them what seems good to you." Now, it
pleases me to send you the two tunics and I am sending them
by the bearer of gifts. He also gave me some letters for his
father Coiac, to return to me all that is mine, for he wanted
Sartach himself.

nothing belonging to me.

C h af t e r 56
OF THE RETURN VISIT TO BATU ^ AND THE JOY OF FINDING
OUR PEOPLE
1

ARRIVED

at the court

the year before, that

the

Holy

is,

of Batu the same day that

had

left

the second after the Elevation of

Cross [September 16], and with joy

again saw

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

195

my

people well, though they had suffered privations without number, as I learned from Goset. Had it not been for
the King of Armenia

them

who comforted them and recommended

to Sartach, they

thought

no longer

asking them

if

mares, for, had

would have been

moreover they

Already the Tartars were

existed.

they knew

lostj

how

to

guard

cattle

and milk

not come back, they would have

made

slaves of them.

was called before Batu and had interpreted

Mangu Khan. For Mangu
had written him that he could add, change or strike out
Then he said to me: "Take these
anything he wanted.
He also asked me
letters and make them understood."
which road I wanted to take, by sea or land. I replied that
the sea was already closed, on account of the winter, that I
would have to go by land. Also, I thought you were still
But had I known
in Syria and I started towards Persia.
would have gone
for
France,
I
you
had
already
left
that
through Hungary and arrived sooner in France, taking roads
less difficult than through Syria.
We travelled thus a whole month with Batu before getFinally, they procured us a Jugure who,
ting a guide.
thinking I would not give him anything, though I told him
I wanted to go straight to Armenia, had letters given him
which enjoined that he take me to the Sultan of Turkey
hoping thus to receive from him a recompense and earn
more passing through that country.
After that,

for

me

the letters sent you by

Chapter 57
OF SARAI AND SUMMERKEUR ^ AND THE RETURN OF THE BOOKS

Fifteen days before All

day [October 16], I

south by descending the

Saints'

started for Sarai, going directly

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

196

Volga, which

divided in three branches j each

is

four branches of minor

On

seven places.

size,

so that

the middle branch

Summerkeur, which

is

twice as

Further on, the river forms

large as the Nile at Damietta.

is

we

crossed in boats

the open city called

surrounded by
water when the river overflows. The Tartars surrounded
it for eight years before they were able to take possession
of it. It was inhabited by Alans and Saracens. We found
there a German and his wife, a good man, at whose home
is

without walls, but

is

him there to rid his court

Toward Christmas, Batu and Sartach were in

lived Gosetj for Sartach had sent

of him.

these parts } one on one side of the river, the other on the

other side.

There are
the reeds

It

is

crossed only

when

till

it

is

covered with

ice.

and the Tartars hide

quantities of grass there,

in

the ice thaws.

After receiving the letters of Sartach, Coiac's father

returned my vestments to me, excepting three albs, an amice

embroidered

in silk, a stole, a girdle,

an altar-cloth em-

broidered in gold and a surplice.

He

my

and the vase that con-

silver vases, excepting a censer,

tained the holy

priests

oil,

who were

gave

me

back

for these objects had been taken by the

with Sartach.

books, excepting the psalter of

my permission.

also

Finally, he gave

my

me my

lady which he kept with

could not refuse it to him for he said Sarvery much. He asked me, in case I return
to these countries, to bring with me a man who knows how
to make parchment; for he was having constructed, by

tach

had liked

it

Sartach's orders, on the west side of the river, a big church

and a new manor, and he said that he wanted to make books

for Sartach's use. Yet I know that Sartach does not interest

himself in these things.

Sarai

and the palace of Batu are situated on the

east side

of the river and the valley through which the waters of the

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

different branches flow

there

is

more than seven leagues wide, and

there an abundance of

in Arabic,

were

all

is

197

fish.

Bible in verse, a book

worth thirty bezants y and several other objects,

me.

lost for

C h after^S
THE COUNTRY OF THE ALANS

Thus

taking leave of

him on the

feast

of All Saints

and going towards the south all the time,

St. Martin [December 15], the
For fifteen days, between the
mountains of the Alans.
encampment of Batu and Sarai, we met no one save one of
Batu's sons who preceded him with hawks in charge of
numerous hawkers, and we saw but one poor little village.
In that space of time, since the day of All Saints, when we
did not meet a living soul, we were in great danger one day
and one night and until the next morning at the third hour,
for we were without water.
The Alans in these mountains are not yet conquered by
the Tartars, so that two out of every six men of Sartach
must hold them to keep these mountaineers from taking
their cattle in the plain which is between the Alans and the
Gate of Iron. This is a two days' march. There the plain of

[November

we

i],

reached on the day of

Arcacc begins.

Between the sea and these mountains are Saracens, called

Lesgs,

who

so that they

are mountaineers, independent of the Tartars;

who

are at the foot of the mountains of the Alans

had to give me twenty men to take us to the Gate of Iron. I

was glad of it, but I hoped to see them armed; for, though
I much desired to, I had never seen their arms.

198

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

Chapter 59
THE GATE OF IRON BUILT BY ALEXANDER

When we came to the most dangerous passage, only two

of the twenty men had coats of mail. Having asked them
from where they got them, they told me that they took
them from the Alans who are good modellers of these objects and excellent at forging them.
I concluded from this
that they have no other arms except arrows and bows and
mail.
I saw some of them covered with metal and their
helmets were of iron of Persia, and I also saw two who
came before Mangu dressed in tunics of very hard leather,
very uncomfortable and badly

fitted.

Before arriving at the Iron Gate,

we saw

a chateau of

Mangu Khan, for he conquered

found there first some vineyards and
drank wine. The next day we entered the Iron Gate which
Alexander the Great had constructed. It is a city whose
Between the sea and
eastern extremity is on the seashore.
the mountains is a little plain from where the city stretches
So it
to the top of the mountain which reaches to the west.
is absolutely necessary to cross the city by passing through
an iron gate which is in the centre, for on one side are inHence the
accessible mountains, on the other side, the sea.
name "Gate of Iron" given that city, which is more than
a mile long, and on the top of the mountain is a fortress;
Thick walls
its width, however, is but a stone's throw.
the Alans which belongs to
all that country.

We

without moats surround

it,

and

its

towers are built of enor-

mous, polished stones but the Tartars have destroyed the

summits of the towers and the parapets of the walls, cutting
down the towers to the walls' height. All around the city,
the country once looked like a paradise.
Two days later we saw another city, called Samaron,
j

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

199

where there were many Jews, and passing through it, we noticed its walls which descend from the mountain to the sea.

We

road which runs through we wended our way

toward the sea and we ascended the mountains

left the

to the east

toward the south.

The next day we crossed a valley where there were the
remains of walls from one mountain to another, and not a
road was there leading to the top. These were ancient ramparts put up at the time of Alexander to stop the wild popu-

them
and cultivated lands. There are
other shut-in places where Jews live; but I cannot tell you
for certain, though there are many Jews in all the cities of

lations, that

is,

the herdsmen of the desert, preventing

from entering the

cities

Persia.

The

we came

following day

to a big city called

Samag

[Shamake], and then, the next day, a vast plain called

Moan, through which the Cur flows. This river gave

name to the Curges [Kirghiz], whom we call Georgians.

its

It

flows through the middle of the Tiflis, the capital of the

Georgians, descending directly from the west to the east

towards the Caspian Sea, and has excellent salmon.

found some more Tartars

We

through which flows

the Araxes, descending directly from Great Armenia between
the south and west, from where it got the name Ararat country, which is Armenia itself. That is why it reads in the book
of Kings that the sons of Sennacherib, after killing their
father, fled
it is

in the plain

from the country of the Armenians;

in Isaiah,

said that they escaped to the country of Ararat.

To

Curgia [Georgia]
At the foot of these

the west of that magnificent plain

where once lived the Crosminians.

mountains is a large
of the Crosminians J
into the plain.

city called
it

is

Ganges, the ancient capital

kept the Georgians from descending

200

We

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3JARCO TOLO

next arrived at a bridge of boats, held by iron chains

stretched across the river into which flows the Tur, or the

Cur, and the Araxes.

But the Araxes

loses

its

name

here.

C h af t e r 60
OF THE BATTLE THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THE TARTARS
AND THE SULTAN OF TURKEY AND OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE GENOESE MERCHANT ^ AND THE ARRIVAL
'*

HOME

We

continued going up along the Araxes, of which the

poet said:

the Araxes disdains bridges, and

we

left

Persia on our left towards the south, the Caspian Mountains

and Great Georgia on our right, and went toward Africa

between the south and the west. We crossed the camp of
Baachu, chief of the army there on the Araxes, which conquered the Georgians, the Turks and the Persians.
There is at Tauris, in Persia, another chief who is charged
with the collecting of tributes, and whose name is Argun.
Mangu Khan has called them both back to give up their
places to his brother who came to that country. This country that I described to you is not really Persia it is generally
I went to meet Baachu in his home and
called Hircania.
drink. He himself drank cosmos which
wine
to
gave
us
he
I would have preferred myself had he offered it to me.
Yet the wine was good, though new, but the cosmos would
have been better for a man thirsty and famished.
So we ascended along the Araxes from the feast of St.
Clement [November 23] to the second Sunday of Quadraj

gesima [February 15] before reaching the source of the

Beyond the mountain where it rises is a goodly city
river.
called Erzerum which belongs to the Sultan of Turkey and
near which starts the Euphrates, towards the north, at the
foot of the mountains of Georgia. I would have gone to see

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

but there was so

it,

On

beaten path.

much snow

left

no one could cross the

that

the other side of the mountains of the

Caucasus, toward the south,

When we

201

Baachu,

with Argun and took

had me conducted

my

is

the source of the Tigris.

guide went to Tauris to speak

interpreter with him. But Baachu
ni)^

to a city called

Naxua, which was once

the capital of a large kingdom, a very large and very beau-

The Tartars completely ruined it. There used

hundred churches of Armenians in it; the Saracens destroyed them and left only two very small ones. In
tiful city.

to be eight

one of them,
our clerk.

I celebrated, as best I could,

The

next day the priest

who

Christmas, with

served this church,

and a bishop came, with twelve monks of the mountains, to bury him j for all the Armenian bishops are monks,
and the Greeks, too, for the most part. This bishop told
me that nearby was a church in which St. Bartholomew was
martyred, as well as the blessed Judas Thaddeusj but it
could not be visited on account of the snow.
He told me also that they have two prophets; the first is
Methodius, martyr, who was of their race and who predicted
all that happened to the Ysmaelites, which prophecy was
died,

fulfilled in the race of the Saracens.

called Acatron,

who on

his

The

other prophet

is

death-bed prophesied that the

would come from the north and subdue

God would spare the
kingdom of the Orient to deliver unto them the kingdom
of the West.
Our brothers, the Franks, like good Catholics,

race of the Archers

all

the countries of the Orient, but that

will

not put any faith in

these

prophecies.

They

[the

Archers] would conquer the countries from north to south,

would come

as far as Constantinople

and occupy

its

port;

one of them, who will be called a sage, will enter the city,
and, seeing the churches and the ceremony of the Franks,
will be baptized and will show the Franks how to destroy

CONTEMPORARIES OF

202

the Tartars and

kill their

king!

MARCO TOLO

At

this miracle, the

will be at the centre of the world, that

upon the Tartars who

is,

Franks

Jerusalem, will

on their frontiers, and

with our nation's help, that is, the Armenians, will pursue
them, so that the king of the Franks will hoist his flag on
the walls of Tauris in Persia, and thus convert to the Christian faith all the Orientals and all the infidel nations, and
there will be in the world a peace so great that the living
will say to the dead: "Woe unto you, unfortunate ones, for
you have not lived to see these times."
I had already read this prophecy at Constantinople,
brought there by Armenians in that city, but did not give it
any attention. But when the bishop talked to me of it, I
recalled it and thought about it more.
In all Armenia this
prophecy is believed like the Gospel. The bishop added:
"As the souls in limbo await the coming of Christ for deliverance, so do we await your arrival to be delivered from
this bondage of which we are so weary for so long."
Near this city of Naxua are mountains in which is said
to be Noah's ark; there are two of them, one more elevated
than the other; the Araxes flows at its feet, and there is there
a city called Cemanum. The name, which signifies "eight,"
was given it because it was built on the highest mountain by
fall

the eight persons

who came

will be

out of the ark.

Many

of the

have tried to climb this mountain, but without

This bishop also told me that a monk once had so
great a desire to make that ascent that an angel brought him
some wood of the ark, telling him no longer to torment
This wood is kept in the church of the convent,
himself.
travellers
success.

they told me.

This mountain
explained to

name of

me

is

not as high as

the reason

the mountain

is

why no

it

seems.

An

one can climb

old
it.

man
The

Massis, and in their language

is

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

of the feminine gender.

"On

203

the Massis," said he, "no

one can climb, for it is the mother of the world."

In that same city of Naxua, I met Friar Bernard of Catalogna, of the Order of Friar Preachers; he had lived in
Georgia with a prior of the Holy Sepulchre, who is there
owner of a large domain. He had learned a little Tartar
and was going with a friar of Hungary to Tauris to find

Argun and

they came to

this city

they could not obtain an audience and

the Hungarian friar returned by

As

When

ask his permission to be near Sartach.

way of

Tiflis

with a servant.

for Friar Bernard, he stayed at Tauris with a

German

lay-brother whose language he did not understand.

We left Naxua on the octave of the Epiphany [January
13], for we had to linger a long time on account of the

snows.

Four days

later

we reached

the country of Sahensa,

a Curgian prince very powerful at one time, but

who

now

tribu-

His
had got this country from the Armenians
by snatching it from the yoke of the Saracens. There are
very beautiful habitations there of true Christians who have
churches like in France. Every Armenian has, in the most
conspicuous spot in his home, a hand of wood holding a
cross before which burns a lamp, and what we do with holy
water to chase away evil spirits, they do with incense. For
every evening the Armenians burn incense and carry it to
the corners of the house to preserve it from all sorts of
tary to the Tartars

destroyed

all his fortresses.

father, Zacharius,

enemies.
I

dined with Sahensa, and he showed

me

great friendship,

and his son Zacharius, a handsome and excellent young man, who requested me to recommend him to
you, in case you may wish to take him into your service.
For this young man suffers so under the domination of the
Tartars that, though he has an abundance of all things, he
he, his wife

204

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

to wander to strange lands rather than bend

Besides, the Armenians said they
under their bondage.
were the sons of the Roman Church, and if the Pope would
send them some help, they would subject all the neighbouring nations to the Church.

would prefer

Fifteen days after

we

came to the country of the Sultan of Turkey, and the

fortress

we saw was Marsengen [Medshingert].

habitants are Christians;

we

left the city of this Sahensa,

All

first

its

in-

Armenians, Curges and Greeks,

under the submission of the Saracens. There

the governor, or castellan, told me that he had received
orders to refuse provisions to the Franks and to the ambassadors of the King of Armenia and of Vastaciusj so that from
this castle to Cyprus, where I arrived eight days before
My guide
the feast of St. John, we had to buy our food.
procured some horses; he received money to secure proWhen he came
visions, and he put it nicely into his pocket.
to a camp and saw a flock, he would carry off a sheep by
force and would give it to his friends to eat, and he would

but they are

all

wonder why I would not eat the products of his theft.

On the day of the Purification, I found myself in a city
called Aini, in the dominion of Sahensa, whose position is
strongly fortified. There are in it a thousand churches of
Armenians and two synagogues of Saracens. The Tartars
have a bailiff there. Five friar preachers came to meet me
there, four of whom were of the province of France and
the fifth joined them in Syria. They had with them only
an infirm servant who knew Turkish and a little French.
They were bearers of letters from the Pope for Sartach,
for Mangu Khan and for Buri, letters like those you gave
me and in which he asked them for permission for his monks
to stop in their lands and to preach there the message of
God.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

When

205

had seen and how I had

Tiflis, where they have
them
as to what they had
consult
friars,
to
some of their
I told them that with these letters they could go
to do.
where they wished, but that they would need much patience;
I suggested to them to convince themselves as to the aim of
their voyage, for if they had no other mission than that of
preaching, the Tartars would show them little consideration,
What happened to
especially if they had no interpreter.
not
know.
men,
I
do
religious
these
The second Sunday after Quadragesima we reached the
head of the Araxes, and having passed the top of the mountain, we came to the Euphrates, which we descended westward as far as a fort called Camath. There the Euphrates
We crossed the river
turns southward toward Halapia.
going toward the west by high mountains thickly covered
with snow. There was that year an earthquake so terrible
I

related to

them

all that I

been sent back, they started toward

that alone in the city of Arsengen, ten thousand people of

whose names were not

Riding about on horseback, for three days, we saw

gentility perished, besides the poor

known.

how

the earth cracked in this terrible commotion and

how

were detached from mountains and heaped

in the valleys, to such an extent that had the trembling been
a little stronger, the words of Isaiah would have been fulfilled to the letter: "The entire valley shall be filled and all
the mountains and hills made low."
We passed by the valley in which the Sultan of Turkey
was defeated by the Tartars. To tell you how it happened
would take too long. But a friend of my guide who was
then in the Tartar army said that the latter had only ten
thousand men in all, and a Curgian, prisoner of the Sultan,
said that he had two hundred thousand men, all horsemen.
The plain where the battle took place, rather the defeat.

pieces of earth

CONTEMPORARIES OF

2o6

was transformed

my own

said in

MARCO TOLO

and I
the whole plain opened up to

into a lake during the earthquake,

heart that

receive the blood of the Saracens.

At Sebaste of Lesser Armenia, we arrived in the Greater

Week. We visited the sepulchre of the forty martyrs.
Here is also a church of St. Blaise, but I could not go there,
for

it

is

high up on a fortress.

[April 4]

we went

to Csesarea of

On

the octave of Easter

Cappadocia where there

is

a church of St. Basil the Great.

we came
and we rested

Fifteen days later

short distances

not always get horses.

to

Yconiumj we travelled by

in

many

places, for

My guide thus acted

we could

in a calculating

manner, by arranging to get paid every three days in each

city we stopped.
I was very much grieved at it, but dared
not complain for he could have sold me and my companions,
or killed us, and there would have been no one to stop him.
I found, in Yconium, several Franks, a Genoese merchant
from Aeon, named Nicholas from Santo-Siro and one of
his companions from Venice, called Benefatius de Molendino, who had got hold of all the alum in Turkey, so that
the Sultan could sell none but to these two, and they made
the price of it so high that what was worth but fifteen
bezants sold for

My

fifty.

me to the Sultan and the Sultan

would willingly have me conducted as far
Then, the Genoese meras the seas of Armenia or Cilicia.
chant, of whom I have spoken, knowing that the Saracens
took little care of me and that I was very tired of my guide,
who each day wearied me with his claims for presents, had
told

me

guide presented

me

that he

taken to Curta, port of the king of Armenia.

arrived

on the eve of the Ascension [May 5] and remained there

until the next day of Pentecost.
I then learned that ambassadors had been sent by the king to his father.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

207

had my baggage taken to Aeon, by sea, and I immewent to the king's father to find out if he had any
I found him at Assis with all his chilfrom
his son.
news
dren but one called Barunusin, who was having a fortress
He had received ambassadors from his son
constructed.
saying he was coming back and that Mangu Khan had singularly reduced the tribute he owed him, and had granted him
On
the privilege of not sending any ambassadors to him.
account of this, the old nobleman, with all his children and
As for me, he had me
all his people, held a great feast.
accompanied to the sea, and to the port called AnaXj from
there I went to Cyprus and found my minister, or provincial,
at Nicosia, and he took me to Antioch the same day. I found
this city in a deplorable condition.
We remained there for
the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. From there we
went to Tripoli where a chapter of our Order was held, on
the day of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin,
I

diately

The

provincial decided that I choose the convent of Aeon,

not allowing

me

to

go and meet you and ordering

me

to

write you what I desired, by the bearer of these presents.

to go against his wishes, I am doing what I can
and have written you. I beg grace from your kindness, for
what I may have said unseemly or too much or not enough,
being little learned and not accustomed to writing such long
stories.
May the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your heart and mind.
I would gladly see
you and some special friends that I have in your kingdom.
Therefore, if your Majesty does not find it inconvenient,
I would dare to beg you to write to my provincial to let me
come to you, but that I may return without delay to the
Holy Land.
Of Turkey, you must know that not a tenth part of the
inhabitants are Saracens
nearly all are Armenians and

Not daring

MARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

2o8

The

Greeks.

The

who was

defeated by the Tartars, has a legitimate wife

country

is

governed by children.

Sultan,

who

whom

he had a child, a weakling, who

will be sultan after him. He had another by a Greek concubine, whom he gave to a powerful admiral he had a third
by a Turkish woman with whom Turks and Turkomans beis

an Iberian and by

came

affiliated to conspire against the lives

of Christians.
They had resolved further, as
after victory, all the churches

and

of the children

was informed,

to destroy,

who would
was defeated and many

to kill all those

not become Saracens; but the son

of his were killed.

He

army

was captured
Greek
woman, arranged with his half-brother that he let him hold
the sceptre of the Sultan, for the other who was in the land
of the Tartars was of delicate health. But all his relatives
on his mother's side, Iberians or Georgians, were indignant
Therefore, to-day a child reigns in Turkey,
at this conduct.
The
with few soldiers, little money, and many enemies.
son of Vastacius is feeble and at war with the son of Assan,
who is also a child and under the domination of the Tartars; and if the army of the Church were to enter the Holy
Land, it would then be very easy to conquer all the country
and to pass through them.
The king of Hungary has no more than thirty thousand
soldiers.
From Cologne to Constantinople is not more than
a forty days' march in a chariot. From Constantinople there
united his

and thrown

are not as

Armenia.

a second time; then he

into prison.

many days'
Long ago

Pacaster, the son of the

travel to the country of the king of

brave

men

crossed

these

countries

Hermit in 1096] and won victories there, even

though they had valiant warriors to combat, whom God has
since removed from the earth.
[Peter the

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR WILLIAM

It

is

209

not necessary to risk the dangers of the sea, nor to

be at the mercy of the seamen j the

money

necessary to

arm

would suffice for the expenses of the voyage by land.

you confidentially that if your peasants I do not
speak of kings or of knights wanted to travel like kings
of the Tartars and content themselves with the food of these
potentates, they would become the leaders of the world.
a fleet

I will tell

It

seems useless to

me

that another religious

man

like

my-

go to the land of the Tartars j

but if the Pope, who is at the head of all Christians, wished
to send a bishop in fit manner, and answered all the letters
that the Khan had three times addressed to the Franks
the first to Pope Innocent IV, of happy memory, and the
second to youj the third time through the intermediary o
David who deceived you, and finally by me he would be
able to tell the Khan all he wished to and execute all that
self be sent or friar preachers

is

contained in his letters.

The Khan listens willingly to all an ambassador says and

always asks if there is anything he wishes to addj but it is
important that he have a good interpreter, even several, and
money to spend for travelling, etc.

journal of
FRIAR ODORIC

i:he

1 2 18- IS so

FRIAR ODORIC
Odoric is said to have been born in 1286 and at a very early age
took the vows of the Franciscans and joined their convent in Udine.
He soon became eminent for his ascetic sanctity. He lived on bread

and water, went barefoot and alternately wore the haircloth and a
shirt of iron mail. Miracles are ascribed to him long before he began
his wanderings.

In about the year 13 18 Odoric was sent to the East as part of

an extended missionary movement. He reached western India in
about 132 1, and went from there to China, where he remained for
three years.

During the course of his travels he saw the shrine of St. Thomas
near Madras, he sailed in a junk to Sumatra, he visited Java, the
coast of Borneo, he travelled overland in China and visited Fu-chow,

Hang-chow and by way

of the Great Canal reached Peking.

He
returned overland across Asia, through Tibet, Persia and the land of
the famous Assassins.
An Irishman named Friar James was his

companion for a good part of these extensive travels. He died, the

object of popular devotion, in the convent of Udine in January, 133 1.
Soon after

his death his

fame as

saint

and

traveller spread far

and

wide.

He was

the

first

traveller after

Marco Polo

And more than

to describe these far

he described many things

which Marco Polo omits: such as the comorant fishing, the long
finger nails of the natives and the binding of women's feet.
Sir
John Mandeville (if such a person there ever was) took the substance
of his fraudulent travels directly from these travel records of Friar
sections of the world.

Odoric.

this,

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

C

h af

e r

HERE BEGINS THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC ^ OF THE ORDER

OF THE MINORITES ^ CONCERNING STRANGE THINGS WHICH
HE SAW AMONG THE TARTARS OF THE EAST

Although

many

stories

and sundry things are reported

by various authors concerning
the customs and conditions of
this world
yet I, Friar Odoj

of Friuli, being desirous to

ric

travel unto the foreign

and

re-

mote countries of the unbelievers, also saw and heard great

and miraculous things, which
I

am

able truly to account.

First of all, therefore, sail-

from Pera by ConstantiThis place is commodiously

situated, being an haven for the Persians and Medes, and
other countries beyond the sea. In this land I beheld with
great delight a very strange spectacle, namely, a certain man
ing

nople, I arrived at Trebizond.

leading about with him more than four thousand partridges.

The man

himself walked along the ground, and the par-

air.
These he led to a certain castle called
Zauena, being three days' journey distant from Trebizond.
The partridges were so tame, that when the man desired
to lie down and rest they would all come flocking about him

tridges flew in the

213

CONTEMPORARIES OF

214

like chickens.

And

so

MARCO TOLO

he led them to Trebizond, and to the

who took as many of them as he

palace of the emperor,

pleased, and the rest the

man

carried to the place

from

whence he came.
body of Athanasius [who died in
the
gate
of the city. And then I passed on
upon
373
further into Great Armenia, to a certain city called Erzerum,
which had been very rich in old time, but now the Tartars
have almost laid it waste. In this city there was abundance
of bread and flesh, and of all other victuals except wine and
This city also is very cold, and is reported to be
fruits.
higher than any other city in the world. It has most wholesome and sweet waters about itj for the veins of the waters
seem to spring and flow from the mighty river of Euphrates,
which is but a day's journey from the city. Also, the said
In

this city lies the

A.D.],

midway

city stands directly

to Tauris.

In
I passed on to a certain mountain called Sobissacalo.
this country there is the very same mountain whereupon the
Ark of Noah rested. This I would willingly have ascended,
However, the
if my company would have waited for me.
people of this country report that no man could ever ascend
the mountain, because they say it pleases not the Most High.
From this country I travelled on further, to Tauris that
great and royal city, which was in old time called Susis. This
city

is,

for

trafiic

of merchandise, said to be the chief city

There

no kind of provision, nor anything

is not to be had there
This city stands very well situated, for
in great abundance.
to it all the nations of the whole world may resort for traflic.
Concerning this city, the Christians in those parts are of
opinion that the Persian emperor receives more tribute out
of it than the king of France out of all his dominions. Near
of the world.

else

is

belonging to merchandise, which

to the city there

is

a salt-hill yielding salt to the cityj

and

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

of that

salt

215

man may take what pleases him, not paying

man therefor. In this city live many Chris-

each

aught to any

tians of all nations, over

whom

the Saracens bear rule in all

things.

Then I travelled on further unto a city called Soldaia,

wherein the Persian emperor dwells in the summer season.
But in winter he moves to another city which stands on the
and

sea [Caspian]

is

called Baku.

This

city

very great

is

and is a cool place, having good and wholesome waters, to

which also many kinds of merchandise are brought for sale.
Moreover, I travelled with a certain company of caravans
toward Upper India, and after many days' journey,
to the city of the three

Cassan, which

is

Men

Wise

a noble

[the three

and renowned

city to

many

lously led,

it

fifty days'

is

It

it.

journey.

Men

here

this

There are many won-

departed to a certain

abounds

were miracu-

ders in this city also, which, for brevity's sake,

From

called

From

other commodities.

Jerusalem, where the three Wise

came

saving that

city,

the Tartars have destroyed a great part of

with bread, wine, and

Magi]

city

omit.

called

[Yezd], from which the Sea of Sand is one day

a most wonderful and dangerous thing.

Geste

distant.

It

is

In this

and

city there is

abundance of

especially of figs, raisins,

all

kinds of victuals,

and grapes, more, I suppose,

This is one of the three

than in any part of the whole world.

principal cities in all the Persian Empire.

Of

this city the

Saracens report that no Christian can by any means live there

more than

Then

a year.

passing

many days' journey on forward, I came to

Comerum, which was a huge and mighty

a certain city called

city in

and

old time, containing well-nigh fifty miles of walls,

in times past

did great damage to the Romans.

In

it

MARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

2i6

there are stately palaces altogether destitute of inhabitants,

notwithstanding

From

it

abounds with great store of provisions.

many

here, travelling through

countries, at length

I came to the land of Job named Hus, which

kinds of victuals, and very pleasantly situated.

is

full of all

Near by are
mountains having good pastures for cattle.
Here
Four partridges
also manna is found in great abundance.
In this country
are sold for less than a Venetian groat.
Here also the men spin
there are most comely old men.
and knit, and not the women. This land borders upon the
certain

north part of Chaldasa.

Chaffer

OF THE MANNERS OF THE CHALDMANS ^ AND OF INDIA

Departing from
is

here, I travelled into Chaldsea, which

a great kingdom, and I passed by the tower of Babel.

region has a language peculiar to

itself,

This
and there are beau-

men, and deformed women. The men of this country

have their hair combed and trimmed like our women, and
they wear golden turbans upon their heads richly set with
pearl, and precious stones. The women are clad in a coarse
smock only reaching to their knees, with long sleeves hanging down to the ground. And they go barefooted, wearing
drawers that reach to the ground. They wear no attire upon
tiful

their heads, but their hair

hangs dishevelled about their earsj

and there are many

From here I came into the lower India, which the Tartars
overran and wasted. In this country the people eat dates
for the most part. Forty-two pounds are sold for less than
other strange things also.

a groat.
I

sea

passed further, also

many

[Persian Gulf], and the

days' journey, to the ocean

first

city

where

arrived

is

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

called

Ormes, being well

fortified,

merchandise and treasure.

and hang down even unto

and having great

So extreme

country, that the privates of

217

men come

is

store of

the heat in this

out of their bodies

their mid-legs.

And, therefore,

the inhabitants of the same place, to preserve their

own

lives,

and anointing their privy members therewith, do tie them up in certain bags fastened to
their bodies, for otherwise they must needs die.

do make a

certain ointment,

Here also they use a kind of barque or ship called iase

made only with hemp. And I went on board one of

being

them, wherein

could not find any iron at

all,

and

in the

space of twenty-eight days I arrived at the city of Tana,

where four of our

Christ.

friars

This country

is

were martyred for the

faith of

well situated, having abundance of

bread and wine, and of other victuals. This kingdom in old

time was very large and under the dominion of King Porus,
who fought a great battle with Alexander the Great. The
people of this country are idolaters worshipping

fire,

ser-

and trees. Over all this land the Saracens rule, having
taken it by main force, and they themselves are now subject
to King Dili. Here are many kinds of beasts, namely, black
lions in great abundance, and apes also, and monkeys, and
pents,

bats as big as doves.

Also there are mice as big

as

our coun-

and therefore they are hunted with dogs, because

cats are not able to encounter them.
Moreover, in the same
country every man has a bundle of great branches standing
in a water-pot before his door, which bundle is as great as a
pillar, and it will not wither, so long as water is applied.
There are many other novelties and strange things which
would bring great delight to hear tell.
try dogs,

2i8

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

Chapter^
HOW PEPPER
Moreover,

that

IS

it

HAD ^ AND WHERE

may

be learnt

IT

GROWS

how pepper

is

had,

it is

understood that it grows in a certain kingdom where I

myself arrived, being called Malabar, and it is not so plenti-

to be

world as it is there. The forest

in which it grows extends for a good eighteen days' journey.
And in this forest there are two cities, one called Flandrina
and the other Cyncilim [Cranganor]. In Flandrina both
Jews and Christians live, between whom there is often contention and war; however, the Christians overcome the Jews
ful in any other part of the

at all times.

In this country pepper

is

obtained in this manner: First

grows in leaves like ivy, which they plant near great trees
we do our vines, and they bring forth pepper in clusters,
Being ripe, they are of a green
as our vines yield grapes.
colour, and are gathered as we gather grapes, and then the
grains are laid in the sun to be dried, and being dried are
put into earthen vessels. Thus is pepper made and kept.
Now, in the same wood there are many rivers, containing
great store of crocodiles, and of other serpents, which the
inhabitants burn up with straw and with other dry fuel, and
so they go to gather their pepper without danger.
At the south end of the forests stands the city of Polumbum, which abounds with merchandise of all kinds. All the
it

as

inhabitants of that country worship a living ox, as their god,

whom

the)"

put to labour for

six years,

and

in the

seventh

him to rest from all his work, placing him

solemn and public place, and calling him a holy beast.
Moreover, they use this foolish ceremony. Every morning
they take two basins, either of silver, or of gold, and with
one they receive the urine of the ox, and with the other his

year they cause

in a

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

dung.

219

the urine they wash their face, their eyes, and

With

all their five senses.

Of

the

dung they put

into both their

eyes, then they anoint the balls of their cheeks therewith,

and thirdly

their breast.

fied for all that day.

Then they

And

say that they are sancti-

even so do their

as the people do,

king and queen.

These people worship also a dead idol, which, from the

navel upward, resembles a man, and from the navel down-

ward an

ox.

The very same

idol delivers oracles,

and some-

times requires the blood of forty virgins to be given to

it.

And, therefore, the men of that region do consecrate their

daughters and their sons to their idols, even as Christians
do their children to some religion or saint in heaven. Likewise they sacrifice their sons and their daughters, and many
persons are put to death before the said idol by reason of
that accursed ceremony.

Also

many

other heinous and abominable villainies do

and I saw many strange

do not mean here to insert.
Another most vile custom this nation retains. When any
man dies they burn his dead corpse to ashes, and if his wife
survives him, they burn her also, because, say they, she shall
accompany her husband when he is come to a new world.
However, if the wife has children by her husband, she may
if she will, remain still alive with them, without shame or
reproach, but, for the most part, they all of them make

these brutish beastly people commit,

things

among them which

choice to be burnt with their husbands.

dies before her husband, that

such inconvenience, but he

Now,

if

the wife

law binds not the husband to

may marry

another wife.

Likewise, the nation has another strange custom, in that

women
women have

their

drink wine, but their

men do

not.

Also the

the lids and brows of their eyes, and beards

shaven, but their

men have

not 3 with

many

other base and

filthy fashions

From

days* journey to another

many

women do

which the said

nature of their sex.

tains

MARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

220

cities.

that

kingdom

Within a

use contrary to the

kingdom

body of St. Thomas

same church being full of idols and
try, the

is

interred, the very

in fifteen

about this church, there dwell certain priests

is

same coun-

certain church of the

the apostle

torians, that

travelled ten

called Mobar,^ which con-

and bad

to say, false,

houses round

who

Christians,

are Nes-

and

schis-

matics.

C h af t e r

OF A STRANGE AND UNCOUTH IDOL ^ AND OF CERTAIN CUSTOMS

AND CEREMONIES
kingdom of Mobar there is a wonderful strange
made after the shape and resemblance of a man,
as big as the image of our Christopher, and consisting all
of pure and glittering gold. About the neck of this image
hangs a collar, full of most rich and precious stones, some
of which are of more value than a whole kingdom. The
In

idol,

this

being

church containing

this idol

is

all

of beaten gold, the roof,

the pavement, and the ceiling of the walls within and with-

To

out.

this idol the Indians

to St. Peter's.

Some go with

go on pilgrimage, as we do

halters about their necks,

some

with their hands bound behind them, some with a knife

sticking in their
flesh

arm

or legj

and

if,

after they

remove

it,

the

of their wounded arm festers, they esteem their limb

to be holy,

and think that

their

god

is

well pleased with

them.

Near the temple of that idol is a lake made by the hands

men in an open and common place, where the pilgrims
cast gold, silver, and precious stones, for the honour of the

of

"In

this

Apostle,

who

province of Maabar is the

there suffered martyrdom."

body

Marco

the glorious
Polo, p. 295.

of

martyr,

Saint

Thomas the

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

221

and the repairing of his temple. Therefore when anything is to be adorned or mended, they go to this lake, taking up the treasure which was cast in. Moreover, at every
yearly feast of the making or repairing of the idol, the king
and queen, with the whole multitude of the people and all
the pilgrims, assemble themselves, and placing the idol in a
most stately and rich chariot, they carry him out of their
temple with songs, and with all kinds of musical harmony.
And a great company of virgins go procession-wise two and
two in file singing before him.
Many pilgrims also put themselves under the chariot
wheels, to the end that their false god may go over them.
idol

All they over

and divided

whom

the chariot rides are crushed in pieces,

in sunder,

and

slain right out.

they think themselves most holy to die

And by

in

In doing

this,

the service of

means every year there die under

the idol more than five hundred persons, whose carcases
are burned, and their ashes are kept for relics, because they
died in that manner for their god.
They have another detestable ceremony. For when any
their god.

man
and

this

offers to die in the service of his false god, his parents

all his

friends assemble themselves together with a con-

sort of musicians,

This

making him a great and solemn

feast.

ended, they hang five sharp knives about

his neck and carry him before the idol, and so soon as he
has arrived he takes one of his knives, crying with a loud
feast being

voice:

And

"For the worship of

But

idol.

at

the very last

he utters these words:

in the behalf of my god."
self,

and

my

god do

then he casts the morsel which

is

The

esteemed by
king of

all

this

men

region

is

I cut this

my

cut, at the face

flesh."

of his

wound when he murders him-

"Now

do I yield myself to death

Being dead, his body is burned,

to be holy.
is

most

rich in gold, silver,

and

CONTEMPORARIES OF

222

mARCO TOLO

precious stones, and there are the fairest pearls in all the

world.

Travelling from here by the ocean sea fifty days' journey

I came to a certain land named Lammori [Suma-

southward,
tra,

Polo's Lamori], where, in regard of extreme

Marco

men and women go stark-naked from

me apparelled, they scoffed at me, saying that God made Adam and Eve naked. In this country
all women are held in common, so that no man can say, this
Also when any of the said women bears a son
is my wife.

heat, the people both

Seeing

top to toe.

or a daughter, she bestows

Likewise

sorted with her.

common,

sessed in

it

all

Man's
in

man

flesh, if

our country.

the country

is

has his
it

the land of

so that there

any propriety of possession

ever, every

upon any one

be

is

fat, is

is

pos-

not mine and thine, or

in the division

own

that hath con-

this region

of lands.

How-

house.

eaten as ordinarily there as beef

And

although the people are most vile, yet

exceedingly good, abounding with all com-

modities, as flesh, corn, rice, silver, gold,

wood of

aloes,

camphor, and many other things. Merchants coming to this

region for traflic do usually bring with them fat people, selling them to the inhabitants as we sell hogs, who immediately kill

and

eat them.

In this island towards the south there

is

another kingdom

[Sumatra], where both men and women

mark themselves with red-hot irons in twelve diff^erent spots
on their faces. This nation is at continual war with certain

called Simoltra

naked people

Then

in

another region.

travelled further unto another island called Java,

the compass of which by sea

king of

this island has

The

is

three thousand miles.

The

seven other crowned kings under his

thoroughly inhabited, and is

thought to be one of the principal islands of the whole world.

jurisdiction.

island

is

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

223

In the same island there grows great plenty of cloves, camphor, and nutmegs, and in a

word

all

kinds of spices are

there to be had, and great abundance of all victuals except

wine.

The king of

land of Java has a most brave and sumploftily built that ever I saw.
most
It has
tuous palace, the
most high staircases leading up to the rooms, of silver and
of gold alternately, throughout the whole building. Also
the lower rooms were paved all over with one square plate
of silver, and another of gold. All the walls upon the inner
side were covered over with plates of beaten gold, whereupon were engraven the pictures of knights, each having
around his head a wreath of gold, adorned with precious
stones.
The ceiling of the palace was of pure gold. With
this king of Java the great Khan of Cathay had many conflicts in war
whom the said king of Java has always overcome and vanquished.
this

Chapter
OF CERTAIN TREES YIELDING MEAL

Near

this island is

And

masin.

5
*

HONEY ^ AND POISON

another called Panten, or Tathala-

the king of the same country has

[the Archipelago] under his dominion.

many

islands

In this land there

are trees yielding meal, honey, and wine, and the most

deadly poison
there

is

in all the

whole world.

but one remedy, and that

is:

if

Against this poison

any

man

has taken of

would be delivered of the danger thereof,

him temper the dung of a man in water, and so drink a
good quantity thereof. It expels the poison immediately.
Meal is produced out of trees after this manner. They
are mighty huge trees, and when they are cut with an axe
the poison, and

let

at the

ground, there

issues out of the stock a certain liquor

CONTEMPORARIES OF

224

gum, which they take and put

laying them for fifteen days in the
fifteen days, when the said liquor
like

becomes meal.
ing

it

Then they

steep

MARCO TOLO
into bags

sun.
is

it

made of

leaves,

At the end of these

thoroughly parched,

first in

afterward with fresh water, and so

it

sea water,

wash-

made

into a

it

is

very good and savoury paste, from which they make either

meat or bread, as they think good. Of this bread I myself

did eat, and it is white outside and somewhat brown within.

By this country is the sea called the Dead Sea [Antarctic],

which runs continually southward, and whoever falls into it
is never seen again.
In this country also are found canes
of an incredible length, namely, of sixty paces high or more,
and they are as big as trees. Other canes there are called
cassan,

which overspread the earth

and out of
branches, which run

like grass,

every root of them spring forth certain

along the ground almost for the space of a mile.

In the said

canes there are found certain stones, one of which,

if

worn

by a person, he cannot be wounded with any iron. Therefore

the men of this country for the most part carry such stones
with them wherever they go. Many also cause one of the
arms of their children, while they are young, to be lanced,
putting one of these stones into the wound, and closing

with the powder of a certain

diately cure the

fish,

it

up

which powder does imme-

wound.

And by the virtue of these stones, the people do for the

most part triumph both on sea and land. However, there
is one kind of stratagem which the enemies of this nation,
knowing the

virtue of the said stones, do practise against

them: they provide themselves with arrows and weapons
poisoned with the poison of trees, and they carry in their
hands wooden stakes most sharp and hard-pointed, as if they
were iron. Likewise they shoot arrows without iron heads,

THE JOURNAL OF FPJAR O DORIC

and

confound and slay some of

so they

their

unarmed

225
foes

who trust too securely to the virtue of their stones.

Of these canes called cassan they make sails for their
ships, and little houses, and many other necessaries.
From here after many days' travel, I arrived at another
kingdom called Zampa [Japan], a most beautiful and rich
country, and abounding with all kinds of victuals. The king
had so many wives and concubines that he had three hundred
This king hath ten thousand
as we keep

sons and daughters by them.

and four tame elephants, which are kept even

droves of oxen, or flocks of sheep in pasture.

C h af

er

OF THE ABUNDANCE OF FISHES ^ WHICH CAST THEMSELVES

UPON THE SHORE

In

this

Many

country there

is

one strange thing to be observed.

come swimming towards

kinds of fishes in those seas

the said country in such abundance that, for a great distance

into the sea, nothing can be seen but the backs of fishes.

They

cast

themselves upon the shore

when they come near

and allow men, for the space of three days, to come and
to take as many of them as they please, and then they return
again to the sea. After one kind of fish comes another kind,
offering itself after the same manner, and so in like sort all
I
other kinds however, they do this but once in a year.
demanded of the inhabitants there how, or by what means,
They answered,
this strange accident could come to pass.
that fishes were taught, even by nature, to come and to do
homage to their emperor. There are tortoises also as big
Many other things I saw which seem incredible,
as an oven.
unless a man should see them with his own eyes.
In this country also dead men are burned, and their wives
it,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

2 26

are burned alive with them.

that she goes to

MARCO TOLO

The men

accompany him

in

of the country say

another world, that he

should take none other wife in marriage.

Moreover I travelled on further by the ocean sea towards
the south, and passed through

One

many

countries

and

islands.

comtwo thousand miles, wherein men and women have

dogs' faces, and worship an ox for their godj and therefore
all of them carry the image of an ox of gold or silver upon
The men and women of this country go
their foreheads.
all naked, saving that they hang a linen cloth before their
privates. The men of that country are very tall and mighty,
and by reason that they go naked, when they are to make
battle, they carry iron or steel shields before them, which
cover and defend their bodies from top to toe. Whomsoever they take in battle they devour, if he is not able to
ransom himself. But if he is able to redeem himself for
money, they let him go free.
Their king wears about his neck three hundred great and
most beautiful pearls, and says every day three hundred
prayers to his god. He wears upon his finger also a stone
called a ruby of a span long, which seems to be a flame of
fire, and therefore when he wears it, no man dares approach
him. They say that there is no other stone in the whole
world of more value than it. Neither could at any time the
great Tartarian emperor of Cathay either by force, money,
or policy obtain it, in spite of the fact that he has done the
utmost of his endeavour for this purpose.

pass

is

called Nicoveran [Nicobar],

and

it

contains in

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

Chapter

ir'j

OF THE ISLAND OF CEYLON ^ AND OF THE MOUNTAIN WHERE

ADAM MOURNED FOR HIS SON ABEL
I

PASSED also by another island called Ceylon, which concompass above two thousand miles wherein are an

tains in
infinite

and
In

all

this

number of

and great store of lions, bears,

kinds of raving wild beasts, and especially elephants.
country there is a huge mountain, where, the inserpents,

habitants of that region report,

Adam mourned

for his son

Abel the space of five hundred years. In the midst of this

mountain there is a most beautiful plain, wherein is a little
lake containing a great amount of water, which the inhabitants report to have come from the tears of Adam and Eve.
However, I proved that to be false, because I saw the water
flow into the lake.

This water

full of horse-leeches,

is

and of precious stones

own

takes not for his

and blood

suckers,

alsoj these precious stones the king

use, but once or twice

every year he

permits certain poor people to dive under the water for the

and all that they can get he bestows upon them, to

the end that they may pray for his soul. That they may,
with less danger, dive under the water, they take lemons
which they peel, anointing themselves thoroughly with the
juice thereof, and so they may dive naked under the water,
stones,

the horse-leeches not being able to hurt them.

lake the water runs into the sea, and at a

From

this

low ebb, the inhabi-

diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones

tants dig rubies,

Wherefore

it is thought that the king of

abundance of precious stones than any
other monarch in the whole earth.
In this island there are all kinds of beasts and fowls, and

out of the shore.

this island has greater

the people told

me

that these beasts

would not invade nor

mARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

228

hurt any stranger, but only the natural inhabitants.

saw

in this island fowls as big as our country geese, having two

and other miraculous

heads,^

things,

which

I will

not here

write of.

Travelling on further toward the south,

certain island called Bodin,

which

in

arrived at a

our language means

In this island there live most wicked persons,

unclean.

who

devour and eat raw flesh, committing all kinds of uncleanness and abominations. For the father eats his son, and the
son his father, the husband his own wife, and the wife her
husband, and this they do in the following manner. If any
man's father be sick, the son straightway goes to the soothsayer, or prognosticating priest, requesting

him

to

demand

of his god, whether his father shall recover of that infirmity

Then both

or not.

making

silver,

"Lord, thou

art

of them go to an idol of gold or of

their

prayers to

it

our god, and thee

in

manner following:

we do

adore, beseeching

man must die, or recover

Then the devil answers out

thee to resolve us, whether such a

of such an infirmity or no."

of the

idol.

If he says he shall live, then his son returns

and ministers things necessary to him, till he has attained

his former health.
But if he says he shall die, then the
priest goes to him, and putting a cloth to his mouth, strangles him therewith. This being done, he cuts his dead body
into pieces, and all his friends and kinsfolks are invited to
the eating thereof, with music and all kinds of mirth. But
solemnly buried.
found fault with this custom, demanding a reaone of them gave me this answer: "This we do,

his bones are

When

son for

it,

lest the

worms should

suffer great torments."

1

should

could by no means remove from

The Rhinoceros Hombill, a bird with two

when the matter has been

but how unjust,

Thither, Vol. II.

liar!

eat his flesh, for then his soul

bills.

"How

explained."

easy

Yule

here
in

to

call

Odoric a

Cathay and the

Way

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

them

this belief.

Many

other novelties and strange things

man would

there are in this country, which no

he saw them with his own eyes.

However, I before almighty God
of nothing but of that only of which

may

be sure.

229

credit, unless

do here make record

I

am

as sure as a

man

Concerning these islands I inquired of various

who all of them, as it were with

well-experienced persons,

one consent, answered me, saying, that this India contained

forty-four hundred islands under it, or within it, in which
And they say,
islands there are sixty-four crowned kings.
moreover, that the greater part of those islands are well inhabited. And here I conclude concerning that part of India.

Chapter

OF THE UPPER INDIA ^ AND OF THE PROVINCE OF MANCY

First of all, therefore, having travelled many days' journey upon the ocean sea toward the east, at length I arrived
at a certain great province called

named
tians,

any

India.

Concerning

this

Mancy, being

India

in

Latin

inquired of Chris-

of Saracens, and of idolaters, and of all such as bear

office

under the great Khan.

All of them with one con-

sent answered, that this province of

Mancy

has more than

two thousand great cities within the precincts thereof, and

that it abounds with plenty of victuals, as bread, wine, rice,
All the men of this province are craftsmen
flesh, and fish.
and merchants, who, though they be in extreme poverty, so
long as they can help themselves by the labour of their hands,
will never beg alms of any man.
The men of this province are of a fair and comely personage, but somewhat pale, having their heads shaven but
a little. But the women are the most beautiful under the
sun.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

230

The

first city

of India which

came

to

is

called Ceuskalon

[Canton], a day's journey distant from the

upon a

river, the

empties

itself into

sea.

It

stands

water whereof, near the mouth where

it

the sea, overflows the land for the space

of twelve days' journey.

All the inhabitants of this India

The

city of Ceuskalon has such a

no man would believe it unIn this city I saw three hundred pounds
less he should see it.
of good and new ginger sold for less than a groat. There
are the greatest and the fairest geese, and most plenty of
them to be sold in all the whole world, as I suppose. They
are as white as milk [the Guinea goose], and have a bone
upon the crown of their heads as big as an Qgg-, being of the
colour of blood under their throat they have a skin or bag
hanging down half a foot. They are exceeding fat, and
sold cheaply. Also they have ducks and hens in this country,
each as big as two of ours.
There be monstrous great serpents likewise, which are
taken by the inhabitants and eaten. A solemn feast among
them without serpents is thought nothing of. To be brief,

are worshippers of idols.

huge navy belonging

to

it

that

in this city there are all kinds

From
to a city

here I passed by

of victuals in great abundance.

many

cities,

named Zayton, wherein

and

at

length

came

the Friars Minorites have

two places of abode, to which I transported the bones of

the dead friars, who had suffered martyrdom for the faith
of Christ, as is above mentioned. In this city there is abundance of all kind of victuals and very cheap. The city is as
big as two of Bologna, and in it are many monasteries of
religious persons, all which worship idols.
I myself was
in one of those monasteries, and it was told me that there
were in it three thousand religious men, having eleven thousand idols and one of these idols, which seemed to me but
little in regard of the rest, was as big as our Christopher.
5

^ yy
-

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

231

'

These religious men every day feed their idol gods; whereupon at a certain time I went to behold the banquet and
indeed those things which they brought to them were good
to eat, and fuming hot, and when the steam ascended up to
Howtheir idols they said that their gods were refreshed.
away,
eating
it
up
themconveyed
beit, all the meat they
selves, and so they fed their dumb gods with the smoke only.

Chapter

OF THE CITY FUZO

Travelling more eastward, I came unto a city named

Fuzo [Fu-chow], which contains thirty miles in circuit,
and all their
hens are as white as the very snow, having wool instead of
feathers, like unto sheep/ It is a most stately and beautiful
city and stands upon the sea.
Then I went eighteen days' journey on further, and
passed by many provinces and cities, and in the way I went
over a certain great mountain, upon the one side I beheld all
living creatures to be as black as a coal, and the men and
women on that side differed somewhat in manner of living
from others. On the other side of the said hill every living
thing was snow-white, and the inhabitants in their manner
There, all
of living were altogether unlike the others.
married women carry in token that they have husbands, a
great trunk of horn upon their heads.
wherein are exceeding great and

From

here

fair cocks,

travelled eighteen days' v journey further,

and came to a certain great river, and entered also a city,

which had a mighty bridge across the river. My host with
whom I sojourned, being desirous to show me some sport,
said to me: "Sir, if you would see any fish being caught, go
^ These birds are called the Fleecy Persian
"velvet-hair fowls."

by

poultry-fanciers, but the Chinese call

then

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

232

with me."

Then he

led

me

to the bridge, carrying in his

arms with him certain dive-doppers or water-fowls, bound

to perches,

and about every one of

their necks

he tied a

thread, lest they should eat the fish as fast as they took them.

He

Then he
which
presently
loosened the dive-doppers from
went into the water, and within less than the space of one
hour, caught as many fish as filled the three baskets which
carried three great baskets with

him

also.

the poles,

being

full,

my

host untied the threads

from about

their

and entering the second time into the river they fed
fish, and being satisfied they returned and
allowed themselves to be bound to their perches as they were
before. And when I did eat of those fish, I thought they
necks,

themselves with

were exceedingly good.

Travelling on for many days,

at

length I arrived at an-

other city called Canasia [the modern Hang-chow], which

Never in my
signifies in our language the city of heaven.
It contains in circuit a hundred
any plot thereof, which was not thorI saw many houses of ten or twelve
oughly inhabited.
It has mighty large suburbs
stories high, one above another.

life

did

I see so great a city.

Neither saw

miles.

more people than the city itself. Also it has

and about the distance of eight miles,
the highway to every one of these gates stands a city as

containing

twelve principal gates j

in

big by estimation as Venice, or Padua.

The

city

of Canasia

which always stand

is

still,

situated in waters, or marshes,

neither ebbing nor flowing;

how-

wind like Venice. In this city

more than eleven thousand bridges, many of which
Upon every one of these
I counted and passed over them.
bridges stand certain watchmen of the city, keeping continual
watch and ward about the city, for the great Khan the Em-

ever,

it

has a defence for the

there are

peror of Cathay.

The

people of this country say, that they

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

233

have one duty that they must pay their lord. For every
fire one baits o tax is paid tribute j and each balls is five
papers like pieces of silk, which are worth one florin and ^
half of our coin. Ten or twelve households have one fire
between them, and so pay tribute but for one fire only. All
those tributary

fires

amount

to the

number of

eighty-five

thuman, with other four thuman of the Saracens, which

make eighty-nine in all. Each thuman equals ten thousand.
The residue of the people of the city are some of them
Christians, some merchants, and some travellers through the
country, whereupon I marvelled much how such an infinite
number of persons could inhabit and live together. There is
great abundance of victuals in this city, as bread and wine,
and especially of hogs' flesh, with other necessaries.

C h af t e r 10
OF A MONASTERY WHERE MANY STRANGE BEASTS OF MANY
SPECIES DO LIVE UPON A HILL
In the above-mentioned
verted a mighty and rich

city

man

four of our friars had con-

whose
remained in the
Who upon a certain time said to me: "Ara," that is
city.
to say, father, "will you go and behold the city?"
And I
Then we embarked, and directed our course
said, "Yes."
to a certain great monastery; when we arrived, he called a
religious person with whom he was acquainted, saying to
him concerning me: "This Raban Francus," that is to say,
this religious Frenchman, "comes from the western parts
of the world, and is now going to the city of Kanbalu
[Peking] to pray for the life of the great Khan, and therefore you must show him some rare thing, that when he
returns to his own country he may speak of this strange
house

to the faith of Christ, at

continually abode, for as long as

CONTEMPORARIES OF

234

mARCO TOLO

sight or novelty seen in the city o Canasia."

ligious
table,

man

Then

the re-

from the

took two great baskets full of scraps

me into a little walled park, the door of which

and led

he unlocked with

pleasant fair green plot,

stands a

little

and there appeared before us a

which we entered. In the green

his key,

mount

in

form of a

steeple, replenished with

fragrant herbs, and fine shady trees.

And

while

we

stood

there, he took a cymbal, or bell, and rang, as they use to

ring to dinner or bevoir in cloisters, at the sound of which
many creatures of divers kinds came down from the mount,

some

some like cats, some like monkeys, and some

And while I stood beholding of
like men.

like apes,

having faces
them, they gathered themselves together about him, to the
number of forty-two hundred of those creatures, putting
themselves in good order, before whom he set a platter, and
gave them the fragments to eat. And when they had eaten
he rang upon his cymbal the second time, and they all reThen, wondering greatly
turned to their former places.
what
kind
of creatures those might
demanded
at the matter, I
"They are," said he, "the souls of noble men which we
be.
do here feed, for the love of God who governeth the world j

and

as a

man was honourable

or noble in this life, so his soul

body of some excellent beast or

other, but the souls of simple and rustic people do possess
the bodies of more vile and brutish creatures." Then I began to refute that foul belief; but my speech did not at all
prevail with him, for he could not be persuaded that any
soul might remain without a body.

after death, enters into the

From

here

departed unto a certain

city

named Chilenso

[Nanking], the walls of which were forty miles in circuit.

In this city there are three hundred and sixty bridges of
stone, the fairest that ever I saw; and it is well inhabited,
having a great navy belonging to it, and abounding with all

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

235

kind of victuals and other commodities. And then I went

to a certain river called Thalay [Ta-kiang], which, where it

most narrow, is seven miles broad and it runs through

the midst of the land of pygmies, whose chief city is called
Cathan, and is one of the goodliest cities in the world.
These pygmies are three of my spans high, and they make
larger and better cloth of cotton and silk than any other nation under the sun.
Coasting along by this river, I came unto a certain city
named Janzu [Yamzai], in which there is one house for the
friars of our order, and there are also three churches of
is

the Nestorians.

and great city, containing fortyand in it are all kinds of

victuals, and great plenty of such beasts, owls and fish as
Christians do usually live upon. The lord of the same city
This Janzu

eight

is

thuman of

a noble

tributary fires,

has in yearly revenues for salt only, fifty

thuman of

halts

worth a florin and a half of our

thuman of halts amounts to the value of fifteen thousand florins. However, the lord favours his people in one respect, for sometimes he forgives them freely
two hundred thum^any lest there should be any scarcity or

and one

much

coin.

halis is

Inso-

that one

dearth

among them.

There

is

a custom in this city that

when any man

is

de-

termined to banquet his friends, going about to certain taverns or cooks' houses appointed for the same purpose, he

you shall have such, and such

you must entertain in my name, for
so much I will bestow upon the banquet. And by that means
his friends are better feasted than they should have been at
his own home.
Ten miles from this city, about the head of the river of
Thalay, there is a certain other city called Montu, which
says to every particular host,

of

my

friends,

whom

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

236

has the greatest navy that

saw

in the

whole world.

All

their ships are as white as snow, and they have banqueting

houses in them, and many other rare things also, which no

man would

believe, unless he

had seen them with

own

his

eyes.

Chapter 11
OF THE CITY OF KANBALU

Travelling

many

eight days' journey further by

terri-

came by fresh water to a certain

city named Lencyn, standing upon the river of Karauoran
[Yellow River], which runs through the midst of Cathay,
and does great harm in the country when it overflows the
tories

and

cities, at

length

banks, or breaks the channel.

many

From

there passing along the

and the sight of divers

cities, I arrived at a city called Sumakoto [Shan-tung], which
contains more silk than any other city of the world. When
there is great scarcity of silk, forty pounds are sold for less

river eastward, after

days,

than eight groats.

In this city there
all

abundance of merchandise, and of

kinds of victuals also, as of bread, wine, flesh,

all choice

Then
I

is

came

which

is

Cathay.

and

travelling on
to

fish,

with

delicate spices.

the

still

noble

towards the east by

and renowned

city

many

of

cities,

Kanbalu,

of great antiquity, being situated in the province of

This

city the Tartars took,

and near

to

it

within

the space of half a mile they built another city called Taydo.

The

of Taydo has twelve gates, each of them two miles

from another. Also the space lying in the midst between these two cities is very well and thoroughly inhabited,
so that they make as it were but one city between them.
The whole compass or circuit of both cities together is forty
city

distant

miles.

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

Khan

has his principal seat,

his imperial palace, the walls of

which palace contain

In this city the great emperor

and

237

four miles in
palaces

Near

circuit.

and houses of

to his palace are

his nobles

many

which belong to

other

his court.

Within the precincts of the imperial palace there is a most

beautiful mount, set and replenished with trees, which is
called the Green Mount, having a most royal and sumptuous
palace standing thereupon, in which, for the most part, the
great

Khan

Upon

resides.

one side of the mount there

upon a most

is

a great lake, where-

which lake is great

abundance of geese, ducks, and all kinds of water-fowls.
In the wood growing upon the mount there is great store of
all birds, and wild beasts.
And, therefore, when the great
Khan will solace himself with hunting or hawking, he needs

much

stately bridge

is

built, in

as once to step forth of his palace.

Moreover,
is very
large, having within it fourteen pillars of gold, and all the
walls are hung with red skins, which are said to be the most
not so

the principal palace, wherein he makes his abode,

costly skins in all the world.

In the midst of the palace

stands a jar of two yards high, which consists of a precious

stone called merdochas [jade] and

gold, and at each corner

it

is

is

wreathed about with

the golden image of a serpent, as

were, furiously shaking and casting forth his head.

jar also has a kind of network of pearl

Likewise into the jar wine

is

This

wrought about

it.

conveyed through certain pipes

and conduits, such as is drunk in the emperor's court. Upon

this there- also hang many vessels of gold for those who
desire to drink of the liquor.

In the palace there are

many

peacocks of gold.

When

any Tartar makes a banquet for his lord, if the guests chance
to clap their hands for joy and mirth, the golden peacocks
also will spread abroad their wings, and lift up their trains,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

238

MARCO TOLO

and make as if they would dance. This I suppose is done

by art magic or by some secret engine under the ground.

Chapter 12
OF THE GLORY AND MAGNIFICENCE OF THE GREAT KHAN

Moreover, when

the great

Emperor Khan

imperial throne of estate, on his left side

sits

his queen,

or empress, and upon another inferior seat there

women, which

other

on his

sits

two

sit

are to accompany the emperor,

when

his spouse is absent, but in the lowest place of all, there

sit

all

the ladies of his kindred.

wear upon

All the married

their heads a kind of

ornament

in

women

shape like

a man's foot, of a cubit and a half in length, and the lower

part of the foot

is

adorned with cranes' feathers, and

is all

over thick set with great and Oriental pearls.

Upon

the right hand of the great

Khan

sits

his

first-

begotten son and heir apparent to his empire, and under

him

the nobles of the blood royal.

sit all

four secretaries, which put

all

There are

also

things in writing that the

emperor speaks. In his presence likewise stand his barons

and others of his nobility, with great trains of followers after
them, of whom none dare speak so much as one word, unless
they have obtained license of the emperor so to do, except
his jesters and stage -players, who are appointed of purpose
to solace their lord.

Neither dare they attempt to do aught, but only accord-

About the palace gate

men from treading upon the

ing to the pleasure of their emperor.

stand certain barons to keep all

threshold of the gate.

When

it

pleases the great

Khan

to solemnize a feast,

he

has about him fourteen thousand barons, carrying wreaths

and

little

crowns upon their heads, and giving attendance

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

239

and every one of them wears a garment of

gold and precious stones, which is worth ten thousand florins.
His court is kept in very good order, by governors of tens,
governors of hundreds, and governors of thousands, insomuch that every one in his place performs his duty, neither

upon

is

their lord,

there any defect to be found.

Friar Odoric, was present in person for the space of

three years, and was often at the banquets, for we Minor
I,

Friars have a place of abode appointed out for us in the

emperor's court, and are enjoined to go and bestow our

upon him. And I inquired of certain courtiers concerning the number of persons pertaining to the emperor's

blessing

court.

They answered me,

that of stage-players, musicians,

were eighteen thuman at the least, and

that the keepers of dogs, beasts, and fowls were fifteen
thumariy and the physicians for the emperor's body, were
four hundred. The Christians also were eight in number,

and such

like, there

together with one Saracen.

persons had

all

At

my

being there,

all these

kinds of necessaries both for apparel and

victuals out of the emperor's court.

Moreover, when he

desires to journey

from one country

to another, he has four troops of horsemen, one being

appointed to go a day's journey before, and another to come

march on his right

manner of a cross, he

a day's journey after him, the third to

hand, and the fourth on

his left, in the

And so every particular troop

in the midst.
have their daily journeys limited to them, to the end they
may provide sufficient victuals without defect.
Now the great Khan himself is carried in manner following> He rides in a chariot with two wheels, upon which a
majestic throne is built of the wood of aloe, being adorned

himself being

with gold and great pearls, and precious stones, and four
elephants bravely furnished do draw the chariot, before

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

240

which elephants are four great horses richly trapped and

covered to lead the way. Hard by the chariot, on both sides,
are four barons laying hold and attending thereupon, to keep
Upon the
all persons from approaching their emperor.
chariot also two milk-white gerfalcons do sit, and seeing any
game which he would take, he lets them fly, and so they take
it, and after this manner does he solace himself as he rides.
Moreover, no man dare come within a stone's cast of the
chariot, but such as are appointed.

The number

of his

own

and of the train of his

and heir apparent, would seem incredible
The
to any man, unless he had seen it with his own eyes.
great Khan has divided his empire into twelve parts or provinces, and one of the provinces has two thousand great cities
within its precincts. Whereupon his empire is of that length
and breadth that to whatsoever part thereof he intends his
journey, he has space enough for six months' continual
progress, except his islands which are at the least five
followers, of his wives' attendants,

first-begotten son

thousand.

h af

er

OF CERTAIN INNS OR HOSPITALS APPOINTED FOR TRAVELLERS

THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EMPIRE

The

emperor, so that travellers

may have

all

things

necessary throughout his whole empire, has caused certain

inns to be provided in sundry places

where

all

readiness.

upon the highways,

things pertaining unto victuals are in a continual

And when any news happen

in

any part of

his

he chance to be far absent from that part, his

messengers upon horses or dromedaries ride post to him, and
when they and their beasts are weary, they blow their horn,
empire,

if

and at the noise of it, the next inn likewise provides a horse
and a man who takes the letter of him that is weary, and

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR O DORIC

runs to another inn.

And

so

by

many

241

and many posts,

come in thirty days,
the emperor. Therefore no
inns,

the report, which ordinarily could scarce

in one natural day brought to

happening of any moment can be done in his empire, but
straightway he has intelligence thereof.
Moreover, when the great Khan himself will go hunting,
he uses this custom. Some twenty days' journey from the
city of Kanbalu there is a forest six days' journey in circuit,
in which forest there so many kinds of beasts and birds that
it would sound incredible to report. To this forest, at the end
of every third or fourth year, he resorts with his whole train,
and they all of them together surround the forest, sending
dogs into the same, which by hunting do chase the beasts,
lions and stags, and other creatures, to a most beautiful plain
is

in the

midst of the forest, because

all

the beasts of the forest

tremble, especially at the cry of the hounds.

the great

Khan

and shoots

five

Then comes

himself, being carried upon three elephants,

arrows into the whole herd of beasts, and

him

all his barons, and after them the rest of his

and family do all in like manner discharge their
arrows also, and every man's arrow has a special mark. Then
they all go to the beasts which are slain, suffering the living
beasts to return into the wood that they may have more sport
with them another time, and every man enjoys that beast as
his own wherein he finds his arrow has stuck.

after

courtiers

Chapter 14
OF THE FOUR FEASTS WHICH THE GREAT KHAN CELEBRATES
EVERY YEAR IN HIS COURT

Four

great feasts in a year does the

Emperor Khan

cele-

brate 5 namely, the feast of his birth, the feast of his circumcision,

the feast of his coronation, and the feast of his mar-

242

CONTEMPORARIES OF

riage.

And

to these feasts

stage-players, and

Khan

all

mARCO TOLO

he invites

all

his barons, his

such as are of his kindred.

Then

the

on his throne, all his barons present

themselves before him, with wreaths and crowns upon their
heads, being variously attired, for some of them are in
green, namely, the principal; the second are in red, and the
third in yellow, and they hold each man in his hand a little
ivory table of elephant's tooth, and they are girt with golden
girdles half a foot broad, and they stand upon their feet
keeping silence.
About them stand the stage-players or musicians with their
instruments. And in one of the corners of a certain great
palace, all the philosophers or magicians remain for certain
hours, and do attend upon points or characters. When the
time which the philosophers awaited is come, a certain crier
calls out with a loud voice, saying, "Bow yourselves before
your Emperor." With that all the barons fall flat upon the
earth.
Then he cries out again: "Arise all." And immediately they all arise.
Likewise the philosophers wait for
another suitable moment, and when it comes, the crier calls
out: "Put your fingers in your ears." And again he cries,
"Pluck them out." Again, at the third point he calls: "Bolt
this meal."
Many other circumstances also do they perform, all which
they say have some certain signification. But neither would
I write them, or give any heed to them, because they are
vain and ridiculous. And when the musicians' hour is come,
then the philosophers say, "Solemnize a feast unto your
lord."
With that all of them sound their instruments,
making a great and clamorous noise. And immediately
great

another

sitting

cries,

"Peace, peace!"

And

they

all cease.

Then

come the women musicians and sing sweetly before the

emperor, which music was more delightful to me. After

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

them come

in the lions

243

their obeisance unto the great

and do

Then the jugglers cause golden cups full of wine to

fly up and down in the air, and to apply themselves to men's
mouths that they may drink of them. These and many other
ivhan.

strange things

man would

saw

of the great Khan, which no

in the court

believe unless he

had seen them, and therefore

omit to speak of them.

I was informed also by certain credible persons, of another
miraculous thing, namely, that in a certain kingdom of the
great Khan, wherein stand the mountains called Caspian, the
kingdom's name is Kalor, there grow great melons, which
I

and within them is found a

I myself have heard reported
little beast like a young lamb.
that there stand certain trees upon the shore of the Irish Sea,
bearing fruit like a melon, which, at a certain time of the
year do fall into the water, and become birds.

when

ripe

do open

at the tops,

C h a'p

er

75

OF VARIOUS PROVINCES AND CITIES

After three

years I departed out of the empire of Cathay,

And

travelling fifty days' journey towards the west.

at

length I came to the empire of Prester John, whose principal city

From

is

many

Kosan, which has

there passing

many

other

days' travel, I

cities

came

under

it.

to a province

good commodities one of the

only provinces under the sun, and is very well inhabited,

called Casan, which

for

when we

for

is

depart out of the gates of one city

behold the gates of another

them.

The

city, as I

breadth of the province

length about

sixty.

In

it

there

myself saw

in

we may
many of

journey, and the

is

fifty days'

is

great plenty of all victuals,

and especially of chestnuts, and

it is

one of the twelve prov-

CONTEMPORARIES OF

244

inces of the great

kingdom

certain

great

Khan

also,

MARCO TOLO

Going on

Khan.

called Tibet, which

wherein

further, I
is

came

to a

in subjection to the

think there

more bread and

is

in any other part of the world. The people of this

country do, for the most part, live in tents made of black
Their principal city [Lhasa] is surrounded with fair
felt.

wine than

and beautiful walls, being built of white and black stones,

which are disposed chequerwise one by another, and curiously put together. Likewise all the highways in this country are exceedingly well paved. In this city none dare shed
the blood of a man, or of any beast, for the reverence they
bear a certain idol.
their

Pope,

idolaters,

In this city their Abassi, that

is

to say,

head and prince of all

he bestows and distributes gifts after

resident, being the

is

upon

whom

manner, even as our Pope of Rome accounts himself to

be the head of all Christians.
The women of this country wear their hair plaited in over
a hundred tresses, and they have two teeth in their mouths
When a man's father dies
as long as the tusks of a boar.
his

among them,

his son assembles together all the priests

musicians that he can get, saying that he

is

determined to

body to a field, all

kinsfolk, friends and neighbours accompanying them.

honour
his

Then they

and

Here

his father.

carry the

the priests with great solemnity cut off the father's

which being done, they divide

it behind them,
returning home with prayers in the company of the son. So
soon as they are departed, certain vultures, which are accushead, giving

it

to his son,

the whole body into morsels, and so leave

tomed to such banquets, come flying from the mountains,

and carry away all the morsels of flesh and from thenceforth a fame is spread abroad that the said party deceased
was holy, because the angels of God carried him into paradise.
This is the greatest and highest honour that the son
j

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

can devise to perform for his deceased father.
son takes his father's head and,

cooking

first

it

the flesh, he makes of the skull a drinking cup,

himself with

all his

245

Then

the

and eating
from which

family and kindred do drink with great

solemnity and mirth, in the remembrance of his dead father.

Many other vile and abominable things does this nation

commit, which I mean not to write, because men neither can
nor will believe, except they should have sight of them.

Chapter 16
OF A CERTAIN RICH

MAN ^ WHO

IS

FED AND NOURISHED BY

FIFTY VIRGINS

While

was

in the

province of Mancy,

palace of a certain famous man,

who

passed by the

has fifty virgin damsels

upon him, feeding him every meal,

young ones. Also he has sundry kinds of
table, and three dishes of each kind. And

continually attending
as a bird feeds her

meat served

at his

when the virgins feed him, they sing most sweetly. This
man has in yearly revenues thirty thuman of tagars of rice,
every thuman equals ten thousand tagars^ and one tagar
[about 140 pounds] is the burden of an ass. His palace is
two miles in circuit, the pavement is one place of gold, and
another of silver. Near the wall of the palace there is a
mount artificially wrought with gold and silver, whereupon
stand turrets and steeples in miniature and other things for
the

amusement and

told
It

me
is

that there

recreation of the great

were four such men

accounted a great grace for the

man. And it was

kingdom.

in that

men

of that country to

have long nails upon their fingers, and especially upon their
thumbs, which nails they may fold about their hands. But
the grace and beauty of their women is to have small and
slender feet^ and therefore the mothers, when their daugh-

CONTEMPORARIES OF

246
ters are

grow

young, do bind up their

MARCO TOLO
feet, that

they

may

not

great.

Travelling on further towards the south,

certain country called Melistorte,

which

is

arrived at a

a very pleasant

and fertile place. And in this country there was a certain

aged man called the Old Man of the Mountain, who round
about two mountains had built a wall to enclose them.
Within this wall there were the fairest and most crystal fountains in the whole world: and about the fountains there were
most beautiful virgins in great number, and goodly horses
also, and in a word, everything that could be devised for
bodily pleasure and delight, and therefore the inhabitants
of the country call the same place by the name of Paradise.
The Old Man, when he saw any proper and valiant young
man, would admit him into his paradise. Moreover, by
certain conduits he makes wine and milk to flow abundantly.
This Old Man when he has a mind to revenge himself or
to slay any king or baron, commands him that is governor of
the said paradise, to bring there one of the youths, permitting

him
him

and then to give

him into such a
slumber as should make him quite void of all sense, and so
being in a profound sleep to convey him out of his paradise j
who being awaked, and seeing himself thrust out of the
paradise would become so sorrowful that he could not in the
world devise what to do, or whither to turn. Then would he
go to the Old Man, beseeching him that he might be ada while to take his pleasure therein,

a certain

drug of

sufficient force to cast

mitted again into his paradise,

who

"You cannot
a man for my

says to him:

be admitted, unless you will slay such or such

you will give the attempt only, whether you kill

you again in paradise, that there you
may remain always." Then would the youth without fail
put the same in execution, endeavouring to murder all those
sake,

and

him or

if

no, I will place

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

247

Old Man had conceived any hatred. And

awe of the Old
Man, and gave him great tribute.

against

whom

the

therefore all the kings of the East stood in

Chapter

OF THE DEATH OF THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN

When the Tartars had subdued a great part

of the world,

they came to the Old Man, and took from him the custody
of his paradise, who being incensed by this, sent abroad

many

many of the
The Tartars, seeing this, went
where the Old Man was, took him, and

desperate and resolute persons and caused

Tartar nobles to be

and besieged the

slain.

city

put him to a most cruel and miserable death.

The friars in that place have this special gift namely,
that by the virtue of the name of Christ, and in the virtue
of his precious blood, which he shed upon the cross for the
5

salvation of mankind, they do cast forth devils out of

that are possessed.

And

because there are

many

them

possessed

men in those parts, they are bound and brought ten days'
journey to the friars. When they are freed of the unclean
spirits, they do presently believe in Christ who delivered
them, accounting him for their God, being baptized in his
name, and also delivering immediately to the friars all their
idols, and the idols of their cattle, which are commonly made
of felt or of women's hair. Then the friars kindle a fire in a
public place, where the people resort, that they may see the
false

gods of their neighbours burnt, and

the flame, but they

jump

friars sprinkle the fire

out of the

cast the idols into

fire again.

Then

the

with holy water, casting the idols into

and with that the devils flee in the likeness

of black smoke, and the idols still remain till they are consumed unto ashes. Afterward, this noise and outcry from
it

the second time,

248

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARC0 TOLO

the devil

Is

heard

expelled out of

in the air:

my

"Behold and see how I am

And by these means the

habitation."

do baptize great multitudes.

There was another terrible thing which I saw there.
Passing by a certain valley, which is beside a pleasant river,
I saw many dead bodies, and in the valley also I heard divers
sweet sounds and harmonies of music, especially the noise of
This desert valley is in
citherns.
I was greatly amazed.
length seven or eight miles at the least, into which any one
who enters dies presently, and can by no means pass alive
through it. Moreover, I was tempted to go in, and to see
what it was. At length making my prayers, and recommending myself to God in the name of Jesus, I entered, and saw
such swarms of dead bodies there as no man would believe
unless he were an eye-witness thereof. At the one side of the
valley in a certain rock, I saw the face of a man, which
beheld me with such a terrible aspect that I thought verily
But always this senI should have died in the same place.
tence, "The Word became Flesh, and Dwelt amongst us," I
began to pronounce, making the sign of the cross, and nearer
than seven or eight paces I dared not approach to the face In
the rocks. But I departed and fled to another place in the
valley, ascending up to a little sandy mountain, where looking
round about, I saw nothing but heard the citherns, which
continued sounding and playing by themselves without the
help of musicians. And being upon the top of the mountain,
I found silver there like the scales of fishes in great abundance; and I gathered some into my bosom to show for a
wonder, but my conscience rebuking me, I cast It up. And
And when
so, by God's grace, I departed without danger.
the men of the country knew that I was returned out of the
valley alive, they reverenced me, saying that I was baptized
and holy, and that the bodies were men subject to the devils
friars

THE JOURNAL OF FRIAR ODORIC

infernal,

who

249

used to play upon citherns, to the end they

might allure people

much concerning
with mine eyes,

to enter,

and

so

murder them.

Thus

those things which I beheld most certainly

I,

Friar Odoric, have here written.

Many

have of purpose omitted, because

will not believe them unless they see them.
strange things also

men

C h af t e r 18
OF THE HONOUR AND REVERENCE DONE TO THE GREAT KHAN
I

WILL

report one thing more, which I saw, concerning

the great Khan.

when

the

Khan

It

a usual custom in those parts, that

is

travels through

any country,

his subjects

kindle fires before their doors, casting spices therein to

make

may smell the sweet

odours thereof, and much people come forth to meet him.
a perfume, that their lord passing by

Upon

a certain time

when he was coming towards Kanbalu,

the fame of his approach being published, a bishop of ours,

with certain of our Minorite Friars and myself, went two

come close to him, we

myself having a censer in my hand,
and began to sing with a loud voice: "Vent, creator spiritus"
And as we were singing, he caused us to be called, commanding us to come to himj notwithstanding that no man dare
approach within a stone's cast of his chariot, unless he be
called, but such only as keep his chariot. And when we came
near to him, he veiled his hat, or bonnet, being of an inestimable price, doing reverence to the cross. And immediately
I put incense into the censer, and our bishop taking the censer
perfumed him, and gave him his benediction.
Moreover, they that come before the Khan do always
bring some oblation to present to him, observing the ancient
law, "Thou shalt not appear in my presence with an empty
days' journey to meet himj and being

put a cross upon wood,

CONTEMPORARIES OF

250

And

hand."

we

MARCO TOLO

and
offered them in a platter with reverence to him.
Taking
out two of them, he did eat some part of one. And then he
signalled to us, that we should go, lest the horse coming on
might injure us. With that we departed from him, and
turned aside, going to certain of his barons, which had been
converted to the faith by friars of our order, being at the
same time in his army. We offered them the apples, and
they received them at our hands with great joy, seeming to
us to be as glad as if we had given them some great gift.
I,

for that reason

carried apples with us,

Friar Odoric of Friuli, of a certain territory called

Fortius Vahonis, and of the Order of the Minorites, do

testify

and bear witness

to the

Reverend Father Guidotus,

minister of the province of St. Anthony, in the marquisate of

Treviso, in accordance with

my vow

of obedience, that

the things herein written, either I saw with mine

own

all

eyes,

or heard the same reported by credible and substantial persons.

The common

report also of the countries where

testifieth those things

which

I saw, to

be true.

Many

was,

other

have omitted, because I beheld them not with mine

eyes.
But from day to day I prepare myself to travel
countries or lands, in which action I dispose myself to die
or to live, as it shall please my God.

things

own

All the things above were faithfully taken down in writing

by Friar William de Solanga just as Friar Odoric uttered
them by word of mouth, in the year of our Lord 1330, in
the month of May, and in the place of St. Anthony of
Padua. Neither did he trouble to write them in difficult
Latin or in an eloquent style, but just as Odoric himself told

them,

to the

end that men might the more

the things reported.

easily

understand

THE TRAVELS OF
RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA
1160-1172

RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

Rabbi Benjamin began

from Saragossa, Spain, in

Marco Polo. He went
through Italy, Greece and Constantinople to Syria and Jerusalem.
From Jerusalem he went to Damascus and Bagdad, He visited
His
Egypt, Assyria, Persia and reached the frontiers of China.
journeys covered a space of about thirteen years.
1 1 60,

his

travels

long before Carpini, Rubruck and

We

have in the record of Rabbi Benjamin, first-hand descriptions

Damascus, Jerusalem, Bagdad, and of the ruins of the Tower of
Babel. He tells of the discovery at Mount Sion of the underground
tomb of David, with its sepulchres of Solomon and all the kings of
Judaea, of its pillars of marble encrusted with gold and silver and
He
of a table upon which rested a golden sceptre and crown.
tells of the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Sarah, Rebecca
and Leah. He marks the spot where the ark of Noah landed and
he measures for us the spiral stone steps of the fallen Tower of
Babel. He speaks of the palace of the Calif of Bagdad, of the treasures, customs, of charities to the sick and poor, of the Jewish
Prince of the Captivity, and how the Rabbis in the East receive consecration.
He also tells us why the glass coffin of Daniel was
suspended by heavy chains from the middle of a bridge.

of

We

know from Rabbi Benjamin

that the Jews in the East were

noted for the arts of dyeing and glass-making. The geographical

information that he presents agrees in general with the records of
A Latin translation of his
contemporary Arabian geographers,

Hebrew

text

was made as

early as 1575.

THE TRAVELS OF
TUDELA

RABBI BENJAMIN OF
1160

1173

Hebrew

Preface

This book contains the reports of Rabbi Benjamin, the son of Jonah, of
memory, of Tudela, in the kingdom of Navarre. This man travelled
through many and distant countries, as related in the following account, and
took down in writing in each place what he saw or what was told him by m^n
blessed

of integrity, whose names were known in Spain. Rabbi Benjamin also mensome of the principal men in the places he visited; and when he returned,
he brought this report along with him to the country of Castile in the year

tions

The above-mentioned Rabbi Benjamin was a man of wisdom and

understanding, and of much information; and after strict inquiry his Hvord^
were found to be true and correct, for he was a true man.
A. D. 1173.

Travels of Rabbi

Benjamin

of Blessed

Thus

says

Memory

Rabbi Benjamin,

son of Jonah, of blessed

ory.
city

I first set

of

ceeded

out from the

Saragossa,

down

Tortosa.

brought

and pro-

the river Ebro to

Two
me

mem-

days' journey

to the ancient city

of Tarragona, which contains

many
sonry,

ancient remains of

ma-

and similar buildings

are found nowhere else in the

whole kingdom of Spain. This

city stands on the coast.
Two
days thence is Barcelona, in which place there is a congregation of wise, learned, and princely men, such as Shesheth,
353

CONTEMPORARIES OF

254

MARCO TOLO

and Solomon, son of Abraham, son of Chisdai of

memory. The city is handsome, though small, and

Shealthiel,

blessed
is

situated

on the sea-shore.

Its

trade attracts merchants

from all parts of the world: from Greece, from Pisa, Genoa,
and Sicily, from Alexandria in Egypt, from Palestine and
the adjacent countries.

day's journey

city contains a
it is

and a half brings you

Gerona, which

to

From

small congregation of Jews.

three days to Narbonne, eminent for

its

thence

university,

from

which the study of the law spreads over all countries. The
city contains many wise and noble men, especially Calonymos, son of the great and noble Theodoros of blessed memory, a descendant of the house of David, as proved by his
This man holds landed property from the
pedigree.
sovereigns of the country, and nobody can deprive him of
There is also Abraham, the president of the
it by force.
university, Makhir, Juda, and others of much merit and
learning. Altogether the number of Jews amounts to about
three hundred.
It is four parasangs [each parasang being
equal to 3j^ miles] thence to the city of Beziers, which contains a congregation of learned men, the principals of which
are Solomon Chalaphtha and Joseph, son of Nathaniel of
blessed

memory.

From

thence

it is

two days

to

Har Gaash,

or Montpellier,

a city conveniently situated for trade, being within two

parasangs from the coast.

You

Mahometan merchants

from

[Portugal], Lombardy, the

here meet with Christian and

all

parts:

Roman Empire,

from

Algarve

Egypt, PalesPeople of all

tine, Greece, France, Spain, and England.
tongues meet here, chiefly in consequence of the traffic of
the Genoese and Pisans. The Jews of this city are among
the wisest and most esteemed of the present generation.
Reuben, son of Theodoros, Nathan, son of Zacharias,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

255

Samuel, their rabbi, Shelemiah, and Mordecai of blessed

memory, are the principal among them. Others are very rich,
and benevolent towards all who apply to them for assistance.

It is

four parasangs hence to Lunel, a city containing

also a holy congregation of Jews,

study of the law.

in the

who employ

This town

all their

time

the place of residence

is

of the celebrated rabbi Meshullam and his five sons, Joseph,

Isaac, Jacob,

scholars

and

Aaron, and Asher,

rich

men.

The

of

all

latter

is

whom

an

are eminent

ascetic,

who

does

not attend to any worldly business, but studies day and night,

keeps

fasts,

and never

eats meat.

He

possesses an extraordi-

nary degree of knowledge of everything relating to Tal-

mudic learning.
Moses, his brother-in-law, Samuel, the
minister, Solomon Cohen, and the physician Juda, son of
Thibbon, of Spanish origin, are also inhabitants of Lunel.
All foreign students
are supplied with food

who

resort hither to study the law,

and raiment

during the whole time of their stay

at the public

expense

in the university.

The

amounting to about three hundred, are

wise, holy, and benevolent men, who support their poor
brethren near and far. The town stands within two para-

Jews of

this city,

sangs of the coast.

two parasangs hence to Beaucaire, a large town, conhundred Jews, and a great university
under the presidency of the great rabbi, Abraham, son of
David of blessed memory, a scholar of the first eminence in
Scriptural and Talmudic learning. He attracts students from
It

is

taining about four

who are lodged in his own house and are

him;
taught by
he, moreover, provides them with all necesdistant countries,

saries

of

which

is

life

from

his

own means and

very considerable.

private property,

Menachem,
son of Moses of

Joseph, son of

Benbenast, Benjamin, Abraham, and Isaac,

256

CONTEMPORARIES OF

blessed

memory

of this

city,

MARCO TOLO

are also very great scholars

and

wise men.
It

is

three parasangs further to Nogres, or

The

Gilles.

Bourg de

St.

chief of the Jewish inhabitants, of which there

are about one hundred, are Isaac, son of Jacob,

Abraham, son

of Juda, Eliasar, Isaac, Moses, and Jacob, son of the late

memory. This town is a place of

rabbi Levi of blessed

pilgrimage, visited by the inhabitants of distant countries and

islands.

It is situated

within three parasangs of the sea, on

the very banks of the large river Rhone, which traverses

the whole of Provence.

It

is

the place of residence of

Abba

who

office

Mari, son of Isaac of blessed memory,

of steward to Count Raymond.

To

The

holds the

its two hundred

Solomon the rabbi,
Nathan, and Abba Mari of blessed memory. It is three days
hence to Marseilles, a city containing many eminent and wise
men. Its three hundred Jews form two congregations, one
of which resides in the lower town on the shore of the Mediterranean, and the other in the upper part, near the fortress.
The latter supports a great university and boasts of many

Aries, three parasangs.

Israelites

are

Moses, Tobi,

chief of

Isaiah,

Simeon, son of Antoli, his brother, Jacob,

and Levaro, are the chief of the upper synagogue Jacob
Perpiano, a rich man, Abraham, and his son-in-law, Meir,

learned scholars.

and another Meir, preside over the lower congregation.

An extensive trade is carried on in this city, which
stands on the coast. And here people take ship for Genoa,
which also stands on the coast, and is reached in about four
Isaac,

days.

Two

Jews from Ceuta, Samuel, son of Khilam, and his

The city is surrounded by a wall;
no king governs over it, but senators chosen by the citizens
out of their own body.
Every house is provided with a

brother, reside there.

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

257

commotion war is carried on

from the tops of these towers. The Genoese are masters
of the sea, and build vessels called galleys, by means of
which they carry on war in many places and bring home
much plunder and booty. They are now at war with the
tower, and in times of

civil

Pisans.

From

their city it is a distance of two days' journey to

which is a place of very great extent, containing about
ten thousand fortified houses, from which war is carried on
in times of civil commotion. All the inhabitants are brave j
no king or prince governs over them, the supreme authority
Pisa,

being vested

in senators

The principal
Moses, Chaim and

chosen by the people.

of the twenty Jews resident at Pisa are

The city has no walls, and stands about four miles

Joseph.

from the
vessels
city.

sea, the

navigation being carried on by means of

which ply on the Arno, a river that runs through the

From

here

it is

four parasangs to Lucca, a large

city,

which contains about forty Jews, the principal of whom are

David, Samuel, and Jacob.
A journey of six days from here brings you to the large
city of Rome, the metropolis of all Christendom.
Two
hundred Jews live there, who are very much respected, and
pay tribute to no one. Some of them are officers in the
service of Pope Alexander [HI], who is the chief ecclesiastic and head of the Christian church.
The principal of
the many eminent Jews resident here are Daniel and Jechiel.
The latter is one of the Pope's officers, a handsome, prudent,
and wise man, who frequents the Pope's palace, being the
steward of his household and minister of his private property.
Jechiel is a descendant of Nathan, the author of the
book Aruch [a celebrated dictionary] and its comments.
There are likewise at Rome, Joab, son of the rabbi Solomon,

Menachem,

the president of the university, Jechiel,

who

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

258

and Benjamin, son of Shabthai of

resides in Trastevere,

blessed

The

memory.
city

of

Rome

is

divided into two parts by the river

Tiber, which runs through

you

In the

it.

first

of these divisions

see the large place of worship called St. Peter's of

on the

site

Rome,

of the extensive palace of Julius Csesar.

The

numerous buildings and structures entirely different from all other buildings upon the face of the earth.
The extent of ground covered by the ruined and inhabited
parts of Rome amounts to twenty-four miles.
You there
find eighty halls of the eighty eminent kings who were all
called Imperator, from King Tarquin to King Pepin, the

city contains

father of Charles [Charlemagne],

and wrested

it

who

first

conquered Spain

from the Mahometans.

In the outskirts of
rejected by three

Rome

is

the palace of Titus,

hundred senators

having wasted three years

in

who was

consequence of his

in the conquest

of Jerusalem,

which, according to their opinion, he ought to have accomplished in two years.

of

Vespasian,

There

very

is

large

likewise the hall of the palace

and

strong

building;

also

the hall of Galba, containing three hundred and sixty

windows, equal in number to the days of the year. The circumference of this palace is nearly three miles. A battle
was fought here in times of yore, and in the palace fell more
than a hundred thousand, whose bones are hung up there
even to the present day. The king caused a representation of
the battle to be drawn, army against army, the men, the
horses, and all their accoutrements being sculptured in marble, in order to preserve a memorial of the wars of antiquity.
You there find also a cave under ground containing the king
and his queen upon their thrones, surrounded by about one

hundred nobles of their

and in good preservation

court, all

to this day.

embalmed by

physicians

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

259

Another remarkable object is St. Giovanni in porta Latina,

in which place of worship there are two copper pillars constructed by King Solomon of blessed memory, whose name,
"Solomon, son of David," is engraved upon each. The
Jews in Rome told Benjamin that every year, about the time
of the ninth of Ab [commemorating the destruction of both
at Jerusalem], these pillars sweat so much that the
water runs down from them. You see also there the cave
in which Titus, the son of Vespasian, hid the vessels of the
temple, which he brought from Jerusalem; and in another

temples

cave on the banks of the Tiber, you find the sepulchres of

those holy men of blessed memory, the ten martyrs of the

kingdom

[the ancient teachers of Mishna].

Opposite St. Giovanni de Laterano, there is a statue of

Samson, with a lance of stone in his hand; also that of Absalom, the son of David, and of Constantine, who built Constantinople, which city is called after his name; his statue
Rome conis cast in copper, the man and horse being gilt.
tains many other remarkable buildings and works the whole
of which nobody can enumerate.

Four days from Rome

King Capys. The town is
the country unhealthy.

is

Capua, a large

city,

elegant, but the water

Among

is

built

by

bad, and

the three hundred Jews

reside at Capua are many very wise men of universal

fame, such as Konpasso and his brother, Samuel, Saken, and
the rabbi David, who bears the title of Principalo.
From thence to Puzzuolo, or Sorrento, a large city built
by Tsintsan Hadareser, who fled in fear of King David of
blessed memory. This city has been inundated in two spots

who

by the sea; and even to this day you may see the streets
and towers of the submerged city. A hot spring, which
issues forth from under ground, produces the oil called
Petroleum, which is collected upon the surface of the water

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

26o

and used in medicine. There are likewise hot baths, proceeding from hot subterranean springs, which here issue
from under ground. Two of these baths are situated on the
sea-shore, and whoever is afflicted with any disease generally
experiences great relief, if not certain cure, from the use of
these waters. During the summer season all persons afflicted
with diseases crowd hither from the whole of Lombardy.
From this place a man may travel fifteen miles by a
causeway under the mountains, constructed by Romulus, the
founder of Rome, who feared David, king of Israel, and
Joab, his general, and constructed buildings both upon and
under the mountains. The city of Naples is very strongly
fortified it is situated on the coast, and was originally built
by the Greeks. The principal of the five hundred Jews who
live here are Chiskiah, Shalom, Eliah Cohen, and Isaac, from
Mount Hor.
5

One

day's journey brings you to Salerno, the chief medi-

cal university

of Christendom.

The number of Jews living

among whom Juda, son

here amounts to about six hundred,

of Isaac, Melchisedek, the grand rabbi, originally from

Solomon Cohen, Elija Hajevani, the Greek, Abraham Narboni and Thamon deserve particular notice as wise
and learned men. The city is surrounded by a wall towards
Siponte,

the land J one part of

sea.

The

fort

it,

however, stands on the shore of the

on the summit of the

a day to Amalfi,

among

hill Is

very strong. Half

the inhabitants of which city are

twenty Jews, the chief being Chananel, the physician, Elisha,

and the benevolent noble Abu-al-Gid. The Christian population of this country

not

till

is

the ground, but

chiefly occupied with trade

they do

buy everything for money, because

they reside on high mountains and upon rocky

hills;

fruit,

however, abounds; the land being covered with vineyards,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

261

olive-groves, gardens, and orchards.

Nobody ventures to
make war upon them.
One day to Bavento, a large city between the coast and a
high mountain.
The congregation of Jews is about two

hundred, of which the principals are Calonymos, Sarach, and

Abraham of blessed memory. From hence two days to Melfi
in Apulia, with about two hundred Jews, of which Achimaats,
Nathan, and Sadok are the principal. One day's journey
hence to Ascolij the principal of the forty Jews who live
there are Kontilo, Semach, his son-in-law, and Joseph. Two
days to Trani, on the coast. All the pilgrims who travel to
Jerusalem assemble here, on account of the convenience of
its port.
This city contains about two hundred Israelites, the
chief of

whom

Trani

a large and elegant town.

is

One

are Elijah,

Nathan the

lecturer,

and Jacob.

day's journey to St. Nicholas di Bari, formerly a

was destroyed by William, king of Sicily. It

still lies in ruins, and contains neither Jewish nor Christian
inhabitants.
One day's journey and a half to Taranto, the
frontier town of Calabria, the inhabitants of which are
Greeks.
It is a large city, and the principal of the three
hundred Jews who live there are Mali, Nathan and Israel.
One day's journey to Brindisi, on the sea-coast, containing
about ten Jews, who are dyers. Two days to Otranto, on
the coast of the Grecian seaj the principal of its five hundred
Jewish inhabitants are Menachem, Khaleb, Meier and Mali.
From thence you cross over in two days to the island of
large city, but

it

Corfu, containing but one Jew, a dyer, of the name of

Joseph. Unto this place reaches the kingdom of Sicily.
Two days' voyage by sea brings you to the coast of Arta,
the confines of the empire of Manuel, king of Greece.
this coast lies a village

tants, the principal

of

On

with about a hundred Jewish inhabi-

whom

are Shelachiah

and Hercules.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

262

Two

days to Achelous, containing ten Jews, of whom the

Half a day to Anatolica on the gulf.
is Shabthai.

principal

One day by sea

to Patras.

This

is

the city of Antipatros, king

of Greece, one of the four kings who* rose after Alexander.

It contains large and ancient buildings, and about fifty Jews
reside

principal.

whom

Jacob and Samuel are the

Half a day by sea to Lepanto, on the coast. The

there,

of

Isaac,

hundred Jews who reside there are Gisri,

Shalom and Abraham. One day's journey and a half to
Two hundred Jews live there by themselves on
Crissa.
Mount Parnassus, and carry on agriculture upon their own
land and property of these, Solomon, Chaim and Jedaiah
are the principal. Three days to the city of Corinth, which
contains about three hundred Jews, of whom the chief are
Leon, Jacob and Ezekias.
Three days to the large city of Thebes, containing about
two thousand Jewish inhabitants. These are the most eminent manufacturers of silk and purple cloth in all Greece.
Among them are many eminent Talmudic scholars and men
The principal
as famous as any of the present generation.
of them are, the great rabbi Aaron Koti, his brother, Moses;
Chija, Elijah Tareteno and Joktan. No scholars like them
are to be found in the whole Grecian Empire, except at

principal of the

Constantinople.

journey of three days brings you to Negropont, a large

on the coast, to which merchants resort from all parts.
Of the two hundred Jews who reside there, the principal are
Elijah Psalteri, Emanuel and Khaleb. From thence to
This city stands on the
Jabustrisa is one day's journey.

city

and contains about one hundred Jews, the principal of

whom are Joseph, Samuel and Nethaniah. Rabenica is distant one day's journey, and contains about one hundred Jews,
of whom Joseph, Eleasar and Isaac are the principal. Sinon
coast,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

263

one day's journey further j Solomon

its fifty Jewish inhabitants.
Here we reach the confines of Wallachia, the inhabitants
of which country are called Vlachi. They are as nimble as
deer, and descend from their mountains into the plains of

Potamo

or Zeitun,

is

and Jacob are the principal of

Nobody
Greece, committing robberies and making booty.
bring
them
can
any
king
them,
nor
ventures to make war upon
and they do not profess the Christian faith.
Their names are of Jewish origin, and some even say that
they have been Jews, which nation they call brethren. Whenever they meet an Israelite, they rob, but never kill him,
as they do the Greeks. They profess no religious creed.
From thence it is two days to Gardiki, a ruined place,
containing but few Jewish or Grecian inhabitants. Two days
further, on the coast, stands the large commercial city of
to submission,

Armiro, which is frequented by the Venetians, the Pisans,

the Genoese, and many other merchants. It is a large city,
and contains about four hundred Jewish inhabitants 5 of
whom the chief are Shiloh, Joseph the elfler, and Solomon,
the president. One day to Bissinaj the principal of the hun-

dred Jews who reside here are the rabbi Shabtha, Solomon
and Jacob. The town of Saloniki is distant two days by sea;
it was built by King Seleucus, one of the four Greek nobles
who rose after Alexander, is a very large city, and contains
about five hundred Jewish inhabitants. The rabbi, Samuel,
and his sons are eminent scholars, and he is appointed provost of the resident Jews by the king's command. His sonin-law Shabthai, Elijah and Michael, also reside there. The
Jews are much oppressed in this place, and live by the exercise

of handicraft.

Mitrizzi, distant two days' journey, contains about twenty

Jews.

Drama,

Isaiah,

distant

Makhir and Eliab are the principal of them.

from hence two days' journey, contains abou^

264

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

one hundred and forty Jews, of whom the chief

and Joseph. From thence one day's journey to

are Michael
Christopoli,

which contains about twenty Jewish inhabitants. Three days

from thence by sea stands Abydos, on the coast.
It is five days' journey through the mountains to the large
city of Constantinople, the metropolis of the whole Grecian
Empire, and the residence of the Emperor, King Manuel

Twelve princely offito 1180].

govern the whole empire by his command, each of
them inhabiting a palace at Constantinople, and possessing
The first of these nobles
fortresses and cities of his own.
bears the title of Przepositus magnus; the second is called
Megas Domesticus, the third Dominus, the fourth Megas
Ducas, the fifth CEconomus magnus, and the names of the
[Manuel Comnenus, 1143

cers

others are similar to these.

The

circumference

of

the

city

of

Constantinople

is

eighteen miles j one-half of the city being bounded by the

continent, the other

by the

sea,

two arms of which meet herej

the one a branch or outlet of the Russian, the other of the

Great stir and bustle prevails at Constantinople

in consequence of the conflux of many merchants, who resort
Spanish

sea.

by land and by

from

of the world
from Babylon and
from Mesopotamia, from Media and Persia, from Egypt
and Palestine, as well as from Russia, Hungary, Patzinakia,
Budia, Lombardy and Spain.
In this respect the city is
equalled only by Bagdad, the metropolis of the Mahome-

thither, both

sea,

all parts

for purposes of trade, including merchants

tans.

At Constantinople is the place of worship called St. Sophia,

and the metropolitan seat of the Pope of the Greeks, who
are at variance with the Pope of Rome. It contains as many
altars as there are days of the year, and possesses innumerable
riches, which are augmented every year by the contributions

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

265

of the two islands and of the adjacent towns and villages.

All the other places of worship in the whole world do not
equal

St.

It is ornamented with pillars of

and with innumerable lamps of the same

Sophia

gold and

in riches.

silver,

precious materials.

The Hippodrome

is

a public place near the wall of the

palace, set aside for the king's sports.

day of Jesus the Nazarene

rejoicings.

On

these occasions

tions of all the nations

who

Every year the

birth-

celebrated there with public

is

you may

see there representa-

inhabit the different parts of the

world, with surprising feats of jugglery.

Lions,

bears,

leopards, and wild asses, as well as birds, which have been

trained to fight each other, are also exhibited.

All this sport,

nowhere to be met with, is carried on

in the presence of the king and the queen.
King Manuel has built a large palace for his residence on
the sea-shore, near the palace built by his predecessors and

the equal of which

is

to this edifice

is

given the

name of

and walls are covered with pure gold, and

the ancients, as well as his
tures.

The throne

own

The

Blachernes.
all

pillars

the wars of

wars, are represented in pic-

in this palace

is

of gold, and ornamented

with precious stones; a golden crown hangs over

it,

sus-

pended on a chain of the same material, the length of which

exactly admits the emperor to sit under it.
This crown is
ornamented with precious stones of inestimable value. Such
is the lustre of these diamonds, that, even without any other
light, they illumine the room in which they are kept.
Other
objects of curiosity are met with here which it would be
impossible to describe adequately.

The

tribute,

which

is

brought to Constantinople every

silks, and purple

year from all parts of Greece, consisting of

cloths,

and gold,

ings are equalled

fills

many

nowhere

towers.

These

in the world.

riches

They

and build-

say that the

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

266

amounts every day

tribute of the city alone

sand

florins, arising

from the

twenty thou-

from rents of hostelries and bazaars, and

by merchants who arrive by sea and by

duties paid

The Greeks who

land.

to

inhabit the country are extremely

and possess great wealth in gold and precious stones.

They dress in garments of silk, ornamented with gold and
They ride upon horses, and in
other valuable materials.

rich,

their appearance they are like princes.

producing all sorts of

bread, meat, and wine.
sciences,

and

and

they

delicacies, as well

They

country

"every

is

rich,

abundance of

as

are well skilled in the

live comfortably,

man under

Greek

his vine

The Greeks

hire soldiers of all nations,

call barbarians, for

the purpose of carrying on

his fig tree."

whom

The

their wars with the sultan of the

Thogarmim, who

Turks.

They have no

women,

are unfit for warlike enterprises.

are called

martial spirit themselves, and, like

.

No

Jews dwell in the city with them; they are obliged to

reside beyond the one arm of the sea, where they are shut
in by the channel of Sophia on one side, and they can reach
the city by water only, when they want to visit it for purThe number of Jews at Constantinople
poses of trade.
amounts to two thousand Rabbanites and five hundred CaraThe prinites, who live on one spot, but divided by a wall.
cipal of the Rabbanites,

who

are learned in the law, are the

Aaron Khuspo, Joseph Sargeno and

Eliakim the elder. Many of them are manufacturers of silk
cloth, many others are merchants, some being extremely
rich; but no Jew is allowed to ride upon a horse, except
Solomon Hamitsri, who is the king's physician, and by
whose influence the Jews enjoy many advantages even in
their state of oppression, which is very severely felt by them;
and the hatred against them is increased by the practise of

rabbi Abtalion, Obadiah,

the tanners,

who pour

out their filthy water in the streets

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

id-j

and even before the very doors of the Jews, who, being thus
defiled, become objects of contempt to the Greeks.
Their yoke is severely felt by the Jews, both good and
bad for they are exposed to be beaten in the streets, and
must submit to all sorts of bad treatment. Still the Jews
are rich, good, benevolent, and religious men, who bear the
J

The

misfortunes of their exile with humility.

habited by the Jews

Two

is

quarter in-

called Pera.

days from Constantinople stands Rodosto, containing

a congregation of about four hundred Jews, the principal

of

whom

two days

and Jacob. From hence

Of the two hundred Jews of

are Moses, Abijah

to Gallipoli.

city the principal are Elijah

Isaac

Megasj

this latter

in

is

this

and
the Greek language means

Kapid, Shabthai the

term

it

little,

tall.

To

Kilia,

two days.

The

inhabit this place are Juda, Jacob

two days

to Mitilene,

Jews who

principal of the fifty

and Shemaiah.

one of the islands of the

is

hence

sea.

Ten

It

places in this island contain Jewish congregations.

days from thence

is

about four hundred Jews, the principal of

Theman and

Three

situated the island of Chio, containing

Shabthai.

The

trees

whom

are Elijah,

which yield mastic are

found here. Two days bring us to the island of Samos,

which contains about three hundred Jews, the chief of whom
These islands contain
are Shemaria, Obadiah and Joel.

many

congregations of Jews.

It is three

and Elijah.

The

days hence by sea to Rhodes.

of the four hundred Jews

From

here

who
it is

principal

reside here are Aba, Chananel

four days to Cyprus.

the Rabbanitic Jews in this island, there

is

Besides

community of

They are
Jews called Kaphrosein, or Cyprians.
Epicureans, and the orthodox Jews excommunicate them.
heretic

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

268

These sectarians profane the evening of the Sabbath and

keep holy that of the Sunday.
We next come in two days to Corycus, the frontier of
Aram, which is called Armenia. Here are the confines of
the empire of Toros, king of the mountains, sovereign of
Armenia, whose rule extends
the country of the
ther

Thus

Thogarmim,

Malmistras, which

is

to the city of

is

Dhuchia and

Two

or Turks.

days fur-

Thersoos, situated on the coast.

far reaches the empire of the Javanites,

who

are called

Greeks.

The

large city of Antioch

is

distant

two days hence.

It

down
Hamah. The

stands on the banks of the Makloub, which river flows

from Mount Lebanon, from the country of

city was founded by King Antiochus, and is overlooked by

very high mountain. A wall surrounds this height, on the

summit of which is situated a well. The inspector of the
well distributes the water by subterranean aqueducts, and
thus provides the houses of the principal inhabitants of the
city.

The

other side of the city

is

surrounded by the

and
of Prince Boemond Poitevin, surnamed
This place

mond

is

very strongly

fortified,

river.

in the possession
le

Baube

[Boe-

about ten Jews, who are glass manufacturers, and the principal of whom are Mordecai, Chaiim
III]

It contains

and Ishmael.

Two days bring us from thence to Lega, which is Latachia,

and contains about two hundred Jews, the principal of whom
are Chiia and Joseph.
Then it is two days to Jebilee, the
Baal Gad of Scripture, under Mount Lebanon.
In this vicinity reside the people called Assassins, who do
not believe in the tenets of Mahometanism, but in those of
one whom they consider like unto the prophet Kharmath.
They fulfil whatever he commands them, whether it be a
matter of life or death. He goes by the name of Sheikh-al-

TRAVELS OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

Hashishin, or their

Old Man, by whose commands

Kadmus, the Kedemoth of

in the city of

command

The

the

all

His residence

acts of these mountaineers are regulated.

land of Sichon.

269

is

Scripture, in the

Assassins are faithful to one another by

Old Man, and make themselves the

dread of every one, because their devotion leads them
gladly to risk their lives, and to kill even kings when commanded/ The extent of their country is eight days' journey.
They are at war with the Christians, called Franks, and with
the Count of Tripoli, which is Tarablous el Sham.
Some
the

of their

time ago Tripoli was visited by an earthquake, which destroyed

many Jews and

numbers of the Inhabitants

houses and walls, under the ruins

Gentiles,

being killed by the falling

More

of which they were buried.

than twenty thousand per-

sons were killed in Palestine by this earthquake.

One

day's journey to the other Jebail, which was the

Gebal of the children of

Ammonj

it

contains about one hun-

dred and fifty Jews, and is governed by seven Genoese, the

supreme command being vested in one of them named
Julianus Embriaco.

You

there find the ancient place of

worship of the children of

ple

is

and richly
side,

Ammon.

The

idol of this peo-

seated on a cathedra, or throne, constructed of stone

giltj

two female figures occupy the

one being on the right, the other on the

stands an altar, upon which the children of

it

seats

left,

on his

and before

Ammon

an-

and burned incense. The city contains about two hundred Jews, the principal of whom are
Meir, Jacob and Szimchah. It stands on the coast of the
sea of the Holy Land. Two days hence is Beyrut, which is
ciently offered sacrifices

Beeroth.

The

principal of

its

Solomon, Obadiah and Joseph.

1

The Old Man

ot the

Mountains and

fifty
It is

Jewish inhabitants are

hence one day's jour-

his "paradise" are described

in

Marco Polo,

p.

S3.

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

270

ney

to Saida,

which

is

Sidon of Scripture, a large

city,

about twenty Jewish inhabitants.

Within twenty miles of this place reside a people

with

who

are

war with the inhabitants of Sidon, and who are called

They are called heathens and unbelievers, because
they confess no religion. Their dwellings are on the summits of the mountains and in the ridges of the rocks, and they
are subject to no king or prince. Mount Hermon, a distance
of three days' journey, is the boundary of their territory.

at

Druses.

This people live incestuouslyj a father cohabits with his

own daughter, and once every year all men and women
assemble to celebrate a festival, upon which occasion, after
eating and drinking, they hold promiscuous intercourse.

They

say that the soul of a virtuous

man

is

transferred to

the body of a new-born child j whereas that of the wicked

transmigrates into a

way

is

dog or some other animal.

This their

their folly.

Jews have no permanent residence among them, although

some tradesmen and a few dyers travel through the country
occasionally, to carry on their trades or sell goods, and return home when their business is done. The Druses are
friendly towards the Jewsj they are so nimble in climbing
hills and mountains that nobody can successfully carry on
war against them.
One day's journey to New Sur, a very beautiful city the
port of which is in the town itself, and is guarded by two
towers, within which the vessels ride at anchor. The officers
of the customs draw an iron chain from tower to tower every
night, thus effectually preventing any thieves or robbers
from escape by boats or by other means. There is no port
in the world equal to this. About four hundred Jews reside
here, the principal of whom are the judge Ephraim Mitsri,
Meier of Carcasson, and Abraham, the elder of the com-

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

The Jews

munity.

271

of Sur are shipowners and manufactur-

Tyrian glass; the purple dye is also

this vicinity.
If you mount the walls of New Sur,
see the remains of "Tyre the crowning," which was
inundated by the sea; it is about the distance of a stone's
throw from the new town, and whoever embarks may observe
the towers, the markets, the streets, and the halls at the bottom of the sea. The city of New Sur is very commercial,
and one to which traders resort from all parts.
ers of the celebrated

found in
you may

It

is

one day hence to Acre, the Acco of Scripture, on the

confines of the tribe of Asher.

the Mediterranean

and of

its

town of
on the shore of

It is the frontier

Palestine; and, in consequence of

its

situation

large port,

it

is

the principal

who visit Jerusalem

Kishon runs near the city. There are
here about two hundred Jewish inhabitants, of whom Zadok,
Jepheth and Jona are the principal.
Three parasangs further is Kaiffa, which is Gath Hachepher. One side of this city is situated on the coast, on the
other it is overlooked by Mount Carmel. Under the mounplace of disembarkation of all pilgrims

by

sea.

tain are

A river called

many Jewish

cavern of Elija, upon

built a place of

Elias.
site

On

the

sepulchres,

whom

and near the summit

be peace.

worship near this

summit oi the

hill

Two

site,

is

the

Christians have

which they

you may

still

call St.

trace the

of the altar which was rebuilt by Elija of blessed rriem-

ory, in the time of King Ahab, and the circumference of

which is about four yards. The river Mukattua runs down
It is four parasangs to
the mountain and a,long its base.
Khephar Thanchum, which is Capernaum, identical with
Meon, the place qf abode of Nabal the Carmelite.

Gath of the Philisinhabited by about ten Jews and two hun-

Six parasangs brings us to Csesarea, the

tines of Scripture,

dred Cutheans.

The

latter are

Samaritan Jews, commonly

MARCO TO LP

CONTEMPORARIES OF

272

city is very elegant and beautiful,

and was built by King Herod, who
honour of the emperor, or Cassar. To

This

called Samaritans.

situated on the sea-shore,

called

it

Csesarea in

Kakun, the Keilah of Scripture, half a day's journey; in this

place are no Jews. To St. George, the ancient Luz, half a
day's journey.
baste,

One Jew

only, a dyer, lives here.

one day's journey.

where you may

still

This

is

To

Se-

the ancient Shomron,

trace the site of the palace of

Ahab,
and is

It was formerly a very strong city,

mount, in a fine country, richly watered, and
surrounded with gardens, orchards, vineyards, and olive-

king of

Israel.

situated on a

groves.

No

Jews

live here.

two parasangs further to Nablous, the ancient Sichem,

on Mount Ephraim. This place contains no Jewish inhabitants, and is situated in the valley between Mount Gerizim
and Mount Ebal. It is the abode of about one hundred
Cutheans, who observe the Mosaic law only, and are called
Samaritans.
They have priests, descendants of Aaron the
These
priest of blessed memory, whom they call Aaronim.
It

is

do not intermarry with any other but

they are priests only of their

own

priestly families j but

law,

who

offer sacrifices

and burnt-offerings in their synagogue on Mount Gerizim.

They do this in accordance with the words of Scripture,
"Thou shalt put the blessing on Mount Gerizim," and they
pretend that this is the holy temple. On Passover and holidays they offer burnt-offerings on the altar which they have
erected on

Mount Gerizim, from

the stones put up by the

children of Israel after they had crossed the Jordan.

They

pretend to be of the tribe of Ephraim, and are in possession

of the tomb of Joseph the righteous, the son of our father
Jacob,

upon

whom

be peace, as

passage of Scripture,

is

"The bones

proved by the following

of Joseph, which the chil-

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

273

dren of Israel brought up with them from Egypt, they

buried in Sichem."

The

Samaritans do not possess the three letters He, Cheth,

and Ain; the

He

of the

name of our

father

Abraham, and

they have no glory; the Cheth of the name of our father

Isaac, in consequence of which they are devoid of piety j

Ain of the name of Jacob, for they want humility. Instead of these letters, they always put an Aleph, by which
you may know that they are not of Jewish origin, because, in
their knowledge of the law of Moses they are deficient in
three letters.
This sect carefully avoid being defiled by
touching corpses, bones, those killed by accident, or graves;
and they change their daily garments whenever they visit
their synagogue, upon which occasion they wash their body
and put on other clothes. These are their daily habits.
Mount Gerizim is rich in wells and orchards, whereas
Mount Ebal is dry like stone and rock. The city of Nablous
lies in the valley between these two hills.
Four parasangs
from there is situated Mount Gilboa, which Christians call
the

Monto

The country

Jelbon.

Five parasangs further

Christians Val de Luna.

merly the large

is

in this part

One parasang

of Gibeon.

city

very barren.

is

the valley of Ajalon, called by the

to

Gran David,

It contains

no Jewish

forin-

habitants.

From

thence

it

is

three parasangs to Jerusalem, a small

city strongly fortified

with three walls.

It contains a

numer-

ous population, composed of Jacobites, Armenians, Greeks,

Georgians, Franks, and indeed of people of

The dyeing-house

is

privilege of dyeing

is

all

tongues.

rented by the year, and the exclusive

purchased from the king by the Jews

whom dwell in one corner

of Jerusalem, two hundred of

under the tower of David. About ten yards of

the base of this building are very ancient, having been con-

of the

city,

274

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3IARCO TOLO

was added by
no building stronger

structed by our ancestors j the remaining part

the Mahometans.

The

city contains

than the tower of David.

There are at Jerusalem two hospitals, which support four

hundred knights, and afford shelter to the sickj these are
provided with everything they may want, both during life
and in death; the second is called the hospital of Solomon,
being the palace originally built by King Solomon. This
hospital also harbours

and furnishes four hundred knights,

who are ever ready to wage war, over and above those knights
who arrive from the country of the Franks and other parts
of Christendom. These generally have taken a vow upon
themselves to stay a year or two, and they remain until the
period of their vow is expired. The large place of worship,
called Sepulchre,

[Jesus],

is

visited

and containing the sepulchre of

by all pilgrims,

that

man

Jerusalem has four gates, called the gates of Abraham,

David, Sion, and Jehoshaphat. The latter stands opposite
the place of the holy temple, which is occupied at present

by a building called Templo Domino. Omar Ben Al-Khataab erected a large and handsome cupola over it, and nobody
is allowed to introduce any image or painting into this place,
In front of it you see
it being set aside for prayers only.
the western wall, one of the walls which formed the Holy of
Holies of the ancient temple; it is called the Gate of Mercy,
and all Jews resort thither to say their prayers near the wall
of the courtyard.
At Jerusalem you also see the stables
erected by Solomon, and which formed part of his house.
Immense stones have been employed in this building, the
like of which are nowhere else to be met with.
You further
see to this day vestiges of the canal near which the sacrifices
vere slaughtered in ancient times; and all Jews inscribe their
names upon an adjacent wall. If you leave the city by the

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

gate of Jehoshaphat, you

may

275

the pillar erected on

see

Absalom's place, and the sepulchre of King Uzziah, and the

great spring of Shiloah, which runs into the brook Kedron.

Over

this spring

is

a large building erected in the times of

Very

our forefathers.

little

water

is

found

at

Jerusalem j

the inhabitants generally drink rain water, which they collect

in their houses.

From

the Valley of Jehoshaphat the traveller

ately ascends the

Mount

venes between the

Sea

is

city

of Olives, as this valley only inter-

From

and the mount.

distinctly visible.

immedi-

Two

here the

Dead

parasangs from the sea stands

the salt pillar into which Lot's wife was metamorphosed;

and although the sheep continually lick it, the pillar grows
again, and retains its original state.
You also have a prospect over the whole valley of the Dead Sea, and of the brook
of Shittim, even as far as Mount Nebo. Mount Sion is also
near Jerusalem, upon the acclivity of which stands no building except a place of worship of the Nazarenes.

The

trav-

where formerly the dead were buried; some of the sepulchres had
stones with inscriptions upon them, but the Christians destroy
these monuments, and use the stones in building their houses.
Jerusalem is surrounded by high mountains. On Mount
Sion are the sepulchres of the house of David, and those of

eller further sees there three Jewish cemeteries,

the kings

who

reigned after him.

In consequence of the

following circumstance, however, this place

hardly to be recognized.

commanded

stones to be taken

who broke
Sion.

stones

Mount

present

Sion fell down, and

the priest to repair

from the

purpose, and twenty

at

Fifteen years ago, one of the

walls of the place of worship on

the patriarch

is

it.

He

ordered

original wall of Sion for that

workmen were

hired at stated wages,

from the very foundation of the walls of

276

Two

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3^ARCO TOLO

who were intimate friends, upon
day treated one another, and repaired to their work

of these labourers,

a certain

after their friendly meal.

The

overseer accused

them of

dilatoriness, but they answered that they would still perform their day's work, and would employ thereupon the time
while their fellow labourers were at meals. They then continued to break out stones, until, happening to meet with one
which formed the mouth of a cavern, they agreed to enter
it in search of treasure, and they proceeded until they reached

a large hall, supported by pillars of marble, encrusted with

and before which stood a table, with a golden

sceptre and crown. This was the sepulchre of David, king
of Israel, to the left of which they saw that of Solomon in
a similar state, and so on the sepulchres of all the kings of
They further saw chests
Juda, who were buried there.
locked up, the contents of which nobody knew, and were on
the point of entering the hall, when a blast of wind like a
storm issued forth from the mouth of the cavern so strong
that it threw them down almost lifeless on the ground.
There they lay until evening, when another wind rushed
forth, from which they heard a voice like that of a man
calling aloud, "Get up, and go forth from this place." The
men rushed out full of fear, and proceeded to the patriarch
This ecclesiastic sumto report what happened to them.
gold and

moned

silver,

into his presence

Abraham

el-Constantini, a pious

one of the mourners of the downfall of Jerusalem,

and caused the two labourers to repeat what they had previously reported. Abraham thereupon informed the patriarch that they had discovered the sepulchres of the house
of David and of the kings of Juda.
The following morning the labourers were sent for again,
but they were found stretched on their beds and still full
of fear J they declared that they would not attempt to go
ascetic,

TRAVELS OF RABB I 'BENJAMIN OF TU DELA

again to the cave, as

The

any one.

so as to hide

it

it

was not God's will

Two

it

to

patriarch ordered the place to be walled up,

effectually

from every one unto the present

The above-mentioned Abraham

day.

to discover

277

parasangs from Jerusalem

told

me

all this.

Bethlehem of Judsea,
within
called Beth-lehemj and
half a mile of it, where several roads meet, stands the monument which points out the
grave of Rachel. This monument is constructed of eleven
is

number of the children of Jacob. It is

covered by a cupola, which rests upon four pillars and every
Jew who passes there inscribes his name on the stones of the
monument.
Twelve Jews, dyers by profession, live at Bethlehem.
stones, equal to the

The

country abounds with rivulets, wells, and springs of

The ancient city

is Hebron.
on the hill, and lies in ruins at
present whereas the modern town stands in the valley, even
in the field of Machpelah.
Here is the large place of worship called St. Abraham, which during the time of the Mahometans was a synagogue. The Gentiles have erected six
sepulchres in this place, which they pretend to be those of
Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Rebecca, and of Jacob
and Leah the pilgrims are told that they are the sepulchres
of the fathers, and money is extorted from them. But if
any Jew come, who gives an additional fee to the keeper of
the cave, an iron door is opened, which dates from the times
of our forefathers who rest in peace, and with a burning
water.

Six parasangs further

of that

name was

situated

candle in his hands, the visitor descends into a

first

cave,

empty, traverses a second in the same state, and at

last reaches a third, which contains six sepulchres, those of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah,

which

is

one opposite the other.

All these sepulchres bear inscriptions, the letters being

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

278

engraved: thus, upon that of Abraham, we read, "This is

the sepulchre of our father Abraham, upon whom be
peace" 5 and so on that of Isaac and upon
sepulchres.

lamp burns

in the

all

the other

cave and upon the sepul-

chres continually, both night and day; and you there see

tubs filled with the bones of Israelites, for unto this day
is

it

a custom of the house of Israel to bring thither the bones

of their

relicts

On

there.

and of

and to leave them

of Machpelah stands

their forefathers,

the confines of the field

the house of our father Abraham,

who

rests in peace;

before

which house there is a spring, and, out of respect to Abraham, nobody is allowed to construct any building on that
site.

It

is

five parasangs

hence to Beit Jaberim, the ancient

Mareshah, where there are but three Jewish inhabitants.

Five parasangs further bring us to Toron de los Caballeros,
which is Shunem, inhabited by three hundred Jews. We
then proceed three parasangs to St. Samuel of Shiloh, the
ancient Shiloh, within two parasangs of Jerusalem. When
the Christians took Ramleh, which is Ramah, from the
Mahometans, they discovered the sepulchre of Samuel the
Ramathi near the Jewish synagogue, and removed his remains to Shiloh, where they erected a large place of worship
over them, called St. Samuel of Shiloh to the present day.
It is three parasangs to Pesipua, which is Gibeah of Saul, or
Geba of Benjamin; it contains no Jews. Three parasangs
to Beith Nubi, which is Nob, the city of the priests.
In the
middle of the road are the two rocks of Jonathan, the name
of one of which is Botsets, and of the other Sene. The two
Jews who live here are dyers.
It is three parasangs from here to Ramleh, which is Harama, where you still find walls erected by our forefathers,
as is evident from the inscriptions upon the stones. The city

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

contains about three Jewsj but
able, for a Jewish

cemetery

it

279

was formerly very consideris two miles in

in its vicinity

Five parasangs hence to Jaffa, the Japho of Scripon the coast J one Jew only, a dyer by profession, lives
here. Three parasangs to Ibelin, the ancient Jabneh, where
the site of the schools may still be traced; it contains no Jews.
Here was the frontier of the tribe of Ephraim. Two parasangs to Palmis, or Asdoud, formerly a city of the Philisextent.
ture,

tines,

at present

and containing no Jews.

in ruins,

parasangs to Ascalon, which

on the

coast

by Ezra the

is

in fact the

priest,

originally called Benebra, distant

New Ascalon,

Two
built

memory, and
about four parasangs from
of blessed

ancient Ascalon, which lies in ruins.

This

city

is

very large

and handsome; and merchants from all parts resort to it,

on account of its convenient situation on the confines of
Egypt. There are here about two hundred Rabbanite Jews,
of whom the principal are Tsemach, Aaron and Solomon,
besides about forty Caraites, and about three hundred
Cutheans, or Samaritans.

In the city

is

a fountain called Bir

Ibrahim-al-Khahil, which was dug in the time of the Philistines.

From

here to

and a half

St.

George, which

is

Lydda, and

in

one day

to Serain, the Jezreel of Scripture, a city con-

taining a remarkably large fountain.

inhabitant, a dyer.

Three parasangs

It

has one Jewish

to Sufurieh, the

Tsip-

The sepulchres of Rabenu Hakkadosh,

who came back from Babylon, and of Jonah the

pori of antiquity.

of Chija,

son of Amittai the prophet, are shown here; they are buried
in the

mountain, which also contains numerous other sepul-

chres.

From

hence

it is

five parasangs to Tiberias, a city situated

on the Jordan, which here bears the name of the Sea of

Chinnereth, or Lake of Tiberias.

Here

are the falls of the

28o

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARC0 TOLO

Jordan, in consequence of which the place bears also the

name of Ashdoth-Pisga, which means "the place where the
rapid rivers have their fall."
ties itself into

The Jordan afterwards empTiberias

or the Dead Sea.

Lake Asphaltes,

contains about fifty Jews, the principal of

whom

are Abra-

the astronomer, Muchthar and Isaac. The hot waters,

which spout forth from underground, are called the warm
baths of Tiberias. In the vicinity is the synagogue of Kha-

ham

leb, son of

Jepuneh; and among numerous other Jewish

sepulchres are those of Jochanan, son of Zakhai, and of

Jonathan, son of Levi.

These are

all in

Lower

Galilee.

Two parasangs bring us to Tebnin, the Thimnatha of

Scripture, where you find the sepulchre of Samuel [Simeon]
the Just, and many other sepulchres of Israelites. It is then
one day to Gish, which is Gush Chaleb, and contains about
twenty Jewish inhabitants. We go six parasangs to Meroon,
which is Maronj in a cave near this place are the sepulchres
of Hillel and Shamai, and of twenty of their disciples, as
well as those of Benjamin, son of Jephet, and of Juda,
son of Bethera. Six parasangs to Alma, which contains fifty
Jewish inhabitants, and a large cemetery of the Israelites.
Half a day brings you to Kades, which is Kadesh Naphthali,
on the banks of the Jordan. Here are the sepulchres of
Eleasar, son of Arach, of Eleasar, son of Asariah, of Chuni
Hamaagal, of Simeon, son of Gamaliel, of Jose Hagelili,
and of Barak the son of Abinoam. This place contains no
Jews.

A day's journey brings us to Belinas, the ancient Dan,

where the traveller may see a cave, from which the Jordan
issues, and three miles on this river unites its waters with
those of the Arnon, a rivulet of the ancient land of Moab.
In front of the cave you may still trace vestiges of the altar
of the image of Micha, which was adored by the children of

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

Dan

in ancient times.

Here

also

is

the

site

281

of the altar

erected by Jeroboam, son of Nebat, in honour of the golden

calf J

and here were the confines of the land of

Israel

toward

the uttermost sea.

Two

days from this place brings you to Damascus, a large

and the frontier town of the empire of Noureddin, king
of the Thogarmim, or Turks. This city is very large and
handsome, and is inclosed with a wall and surrounded by a
beautiful country, which in a circuit of fifteen miles presents
the richest gardens and orchards, in such numbers and beauty
The rivers Amana and
as to be without equal upon earth.
Parpar, the sources of which are on Mount Hermon, on
which the city leans, run down here. The Amana follows its
course through Damascus, and its waters are carried by
means of pipes into the houses of the principal inhabitants,
A considerable trade
as well as into the streets and markets.
is carried on here by merchants of all countries.
The Parpar
runs between the gardens and orchards in the outskirts, and
supplies them copiously with water.
Damascus contams a Mahometan mosque, called "the
Synagogue of Damascus," a building of unequalled magnifiThey say that it was the palace of Ben-Hadad, and
cence.
that one wall of it is framed of glass by enchantment. This
city

wall contains as

many

openings as there are days in the solar

and the sun in gradual succession throws its light into

openings,
which are divided into twelve degrees, equal
the
to the number of the hours of the day, so that by this contrivance everybody may know what time it is.
The palace contains vessels richly ornamented with gold
and silver, formed like tubs, and of a size to allow three

year,

them at once. In this building is also

preserved the rib of a giant, which measures nine spans in

persons to bathe in

length, and two in breadth,

and which belonged

to

an ancient

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

282

named Abchamas, whose name was found engraved upon a stone of his tomb, and it was further stated
in the inscription that he reigned over the whole world.
This city contains three thousand Jews, many of whom are

giant king

learned and rich menj

it is

the residence of the president of

named Ezra, whose

the university of Palestine,

Shalom,

is

brother, Sar

the principal of the Jewish court of law.

other distinguished Jews are Joseph,

who

The

ranges fifth in

the university, Matsliach, the lecturer and master of the

Meir, a flower of the learned, Joseph Ibn Pilath,

may be called the prop of the university, Heman the

schools,

who

and Zadok the physician. The city contains also two

hundred Caraites and about four hundred Samaritans, sects
which here live upon friendly terms, but they do not interelder,

marry.
It is

one day's journey thence to Jelaad, which

is

whom

Gileadj

Zadok.
The city is large, well watered, and surrounded by gardens
and orchards. Half a day's journey further stands Salkhat,
it

contains about sixty Jews, the principal of

is

the city of Salcah of Scripture.

From

thence to Baalbec

is

half a day's journey.

This

is

the city mentioned in Scripture as Baalath in the valley of

Lebanon, which Solomon

The

palace

is

built for the

daughter of Pharaoh.

constructed of stones of enormous size, measur-

ing twenty spans in length and twelve in breadth j no binding

material holds these stones together, and people pretend that

the building could have been erected only by the help of

Ashmodai.

of the

through which

city,

copious spring takes

considerable river.

They

its

are

its rise

upper side

at the

waters rush like those of a

employed

in the

working of
numerous

several mills within the city, which also incloses

gardens and orchards.

Tadmor

in the desert

was

also built

by Solomon of equally

TRAVELS OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TlJDELA

large stones j this city

is

283

surrounded by a wall, and stands

in

the desert, far from any inhabited place, being four days'

journey distant from the above-mentioned Baalath. It contains two thousand warlike Jews, who are at war with the
Christians and with the Arabian subjects of Noureddin, and
assist their

neighbours the Mahometans.

Isaac Hajevani,

Half a day
one Jew only,
hence
under

Nathan and

is

Kirjathaimj

One day
Hamah, the Hamath of Scripture, on the Orontes,
Mount Lebanon. Some time ago this city was visited
a dyer by profession, lives there.

is

in

consequence of which fifteen thousand

died in one day, leaving only seventy survivors.

principals of the

Abu

Usiel.

brings us to Cariyatin, which

by an earthquake,

men

Their chiefs are

al

The

Jews here are Ulah Hacohen, the sheikh

Half a day to Reiha, which is

Galeb, and Muktar.

Hazor.
Three pasarangs to Lamdin, from whence it is a journey
of two days to Aleppo, the Aram Zoba of Scripture. This
city is the residence of King Noureddin, and contains his
palace, a building fortified by an extraordinarily high wall.
There being neither spring nor river, the inhabitants are
obliged to drink rain water, which is collected in every house
in a cistern called in Arabic, algub.

hundred Jews who

standini, Israel and Seth.
fifteen

To

Bales, which

is

live in

The

principal of the

Aleppo are Moses el-Con-

Pethor on the Euphrates, two days.

Even at this day you there still find remains of the tower
Balaam the son of Beor may the name of the wicked rot

which he

built in accordance with the hours of the day.

of
^

This

Half a day hence we come

Kala Jiaber, which is Sela Midbarah. This city remained
in the power of the Arabs even at the time when the Thogarmim took their country and dispersed them in the desert.
place contains about ten Jews.

to

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

284

It contains

about two thousand Jews, of

whom

Zedekiah,

Chia and Solomon are the principal.

One day brings us to Racca, which is Calneh of Scripture,
on the confines of Mesopotamia, being the frontier town
between that country and the empire of the Thogarmim;
it

contains about

seven hundred Jewish

whom

principal of

are Sakhai, Nadib,

inhabitants,

who

is

blind,

One of the synagogues was built by Ezra

when he returned to Jerusalem from Babylon.

Joseph.
scribe,
It is

the

and
the

one day hence to the ancient place of Haran, which

contains twenty Jewish inhabitants,

who

also possess a syna-

gogue erected by Ezra. Nobody is allowed to construct any

building on the spot where the house of our father Abraham
was situated even the Mahometans pay respect to the place,
and resort thither to pray.
Two days' journey from there to the mouth of the ElKhabur, the Habor of Scripture. This river takes its course
through Media, and loses itself in the Kizil Ozein. About
two hundred Jews dwell near this place. Two days to Nisibin, a large city plentifully watered, and containing about
j

one thousand Jews.

Two

days to Jezlreh Ben Omar, an

island in the Tigris, at the foot of

Mount

Ararat, and four

miles distant from the spot where the ark of

Omar Ben Al-Khataab removed

the two mountains and

There

still

made

the ark

mosque of

exists in the vicinity

of Ezra the scribe, which

Noah

rested.

from the summit of

it.

of the ark a synagogue

by the Jews of the city

on the ninth of Ab [the day which marks the destruction
of the temples in Jerusalem]. The city of Jezireh Omar
Ben Al-Khataab contains about four thousand Jews, the principals of whom are Mubchar, Joseph and Chiia.
Two days from thence stands Mosul, mentioned in Scripture as Ashur the great, which contains about seven thousand
is

visited

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

285

Jews, the principal of whom are Sakhai, the prince, a descendant of King David, and Joseph, surnamed Borhan-alJhulkh, who is astronomer of Seifeddin, the brother of

Noureddin, king of Damascus.

confines of Persia,

is

This

stands on the banks of the Tigris, and

to

Nineveh.

city, situated

on the

of great extent and very ancient j

Although the

is

latter lies

it

joined by a bridge
in

ruins, there are

numerous inhabited villages and small towns on its site.

Nineveh is on the Tigris, distant one parasang from the
town of Arbil [Erbela]. Mosul contains the synagogues
of Obadiah, of Jonah, son of Amittai, and of Nahum the
Elkoshite. It is three days to Rahabah, which is Rehoboth,
by the river Euphrates, and contains about two thousand
Jews, the principal of whom are Ezekiah, Ehud and Isaac.
The city is surrounded by a wall, it is very handsome,
large, and well fortified and the environs abound with gardens and orchards. One day to Karkisia, the Carchemish of
j

on the banks of the Euphrates, containing about

hundred Jewish inhabitants, of whom the principal are
Isaac and Elchanan.
Two days to Juba, which is Pumbeditha, in Nehardea; it
contains about two thousand Jews, some of them eminent
scholars. The rabbi Chen, Moses and Eliakim are the prinHere the traveller may see the sepulchres of Juda
cipal.
and Samuel, opposite two synagogues which they erected
Scripture,

five

during their lives j as well

as the sepulchres of Bosthenai,

the prince of the captivity, of Nathan, and of

Nachman, the

son of Papa.

Five days to Hardah, or Hadrah, containing fifteen thou-

whom Saken, Joseph and Nathaniel are the

Two days to Akbara, the city which was built

sand Jews, of
principal.

by Jeconiah, king of Judaj

Jews, the principal of

whom

it

contains about ten thousand

are Joshua

and Nathan.

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TOLO

286

Two days from thence stands Bagdad, the large metropolis

of the Calif Emir-al-Mumenin al Abassi, of the family of
who is the chief of the Mahometan religion^
Mahometan kings acknowledge him, and he holds the

their prophet,

All

same dignity over them which the Pope enjoys over the

The

Christians.
in extent.

trees,

It

palace of the Calif at

Bagdad

is

contains a large park filled with

both useful and ornamental, and

all

three miles
all sorts

of

kinds of beasts,

pond of water carried thither ffom the river

Tigris and whenever the calif desires to enjoy himself and
to sport and carouse, birds, beasts, and fishes are prepared
for him and for his courtiers, whom he invites to his palace.

as well as a
J

This great Abasside

is

extremely friendly towards the

being of that nation} he under-

Jews, many of his ofiicers

stands all languages, is well versed in the Mosaic law, and
He enjoys nothing
reads and writes the Hebrew tongue.
but what he earns by the labour of his

own

hands, and there-

fore manufactures coverlets, which he stamps with his seal,

and which his ofiicerfe sell in the public market. These articles are purchased by the nobles of the land, and from their
profit his necessaries are provided.

The

calif

is

an excellent

man, trustworthy and kind-hearted towards every one, but

generally invisible to the Mahometans.
The pilgrims, who come, hither from distant countries on
their waV to Mecca in Yemen, desire to be presented to him,
and thus address him from the palace: "Our lord, light of
the Mahometans Jind splendour of our religion, show us the
brightness of thy countenance"; but he does not heed their
words. His servants and officers then approach and pray:
"O lord, manifest thy peace to these men who come from
distant lands and desire shelter in the shadow of thy glory.''
After this petition, he rises and puts one corner of his garment out of the window, whieh the pilgrims eagerly kiss.

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

One

of the lords then addresses them thus:

for our lord, the light of the Mahometans,

"Go
is

287

in peace,

well pleased

and gives you his blessing," This prince being esteemed by

them equal to their prophet, they proceed on their way, full
of joy at the words addressed to them by the lord who communicated the message of peace.
All the brothers and other members of the calif's family
are accustomed to kiss his garments.
Every one of them
possesses a palace within that of the calif, but they are all

bound with chains of

iron,

and a

special officer

over each household to prevent their rising

is

appointed

in

rebellion

These measures are taken in consequence of what occurred some time ago, when the brothers
rebelled and elected a king among themselves; to prevent
this in future, it was decreed that all the members of the
against the great king.

family should be chained,

calif's

rebellious intentions.
in his palace,

and

is

in

order to prevent their

Every one of them, however,

there much honoured; and they

resides

possess

and towns, the rents of which are collected for them

by their stewards. They eat and drink, and lead a merry
villages

The

life.

pillars of

The

palace of the great king contains large buildings,

gold and

silver,

and treasures of precious

calif leaves his palace but

stones.

once every year, namely,

at tliC

time of the feast called Ramadan; on which occasion

many

visitors

assemble from distant parts, in order to have

an opportunity of beholding his countenance. He then bestrides the royal mule, dressed in kingly robes, which are
composed of gold and silver cloth. On his head he wears a

ornamented with precious stones of inestimable

is thrown a black veil, as a sign
of humility, and as much as to say: "See all this worldly
honour will be converted into darkness on the day of death."
He is accompanied by a numerous retinue of Mahometan
turban,

value

but over this turban

mARCO TOLO

CONTEMPORARIES OF

288

nobles, arrayed in rich dresses

and riding upon horses, princes

of Arabia, of Media, of Persia, and even of Tibet, a country

distant three months' journey from Arabia. The procession
goes from the palace to the mosque at the Bozra gate, which
All who walk in procession,
is the metropolitan mosque.

men and women,

both

The

and purple.

are dressed in silk

streets and squares are enlivened with singing and rejoicing,

and by

parties

who dance

before the great

saluted loudly by the assembled crowd,

He

thou, our lord and king."

art

garment, and by holding

returns the compliment.

it

in his

who

calif.

He

is

cry: "Blessed

thereupon kisses his

hand, acknowledges and

The procession moves on into the court of the mosque,

where the calif mounts a wooden pulpit and expounds their
law unto them. The learned Mahometans rise, pray for
him, and praise his great kindness and piety upon which
the whole assembly answer, "Amen!" The calif then pronounces his blessing, and kills a camel, which is led thither
for that purpose, and this is their offering. It is distributed
j

to the nobles,

who send

are eager to taste of the

portions of

it

who

to their friends

meat killed by the hands of

their

holy king, and are much rejoiced therewith.

The calif, after this ceremony, leaves the mosque, and
returns alone, along the banks of the Tigris, to his palace j
the noble

Mahometans accompanying him

He

enters this building.

and the path on the bank of the

all

in boats, until

never returns by the

river

is

he

way he camej

carefully guarded

the year round, so as to prevent any one treading in his

footsteps.

whole

year.

The

calif

He

is

never leaves his palace again for a

a pious

and benevolent man, and has

erected buildings on the other side of the river, on the banks

of an
city.

arm of the Euphrates, which runs on one

These buildings include many large houses,

side of the
streets,

and

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

hostelries for the sick poor,

who

289

resort thither in order to be

There are about sixty medical warehouses here, all

well provided from the king's stores with spices and other
necessaries
and every patient who claims assistance is fed
cured.

at the king's expense, until his cure

There

is

is

completed.

further a large building, called Dar-al-Maraph-

which are confined all the insane persons who are

met with, particularly during the hot season, every one of
whom is secured by iron chains until his reason returns, when
he is allowed to return to his home. For this purpose they
are regularly examined once a month by officers appointed
by the king for that purpose and when they are found to be
possessed of reason they are immediately liberated. All this
is done by the king in pure charity towards all who come to
Bagdad, either ill or insane; for the king is a pious man, and
tan, in

his intention

Bagdad

is

excellent in this respect.

contains about one thousand Jews,

who enjoy

and much honour under the government of

the great king. Among them are very wise men and presidents of the colleges, whose occupation is the study of the
Mosaic law. The city contains ten colleges. The principal
peace, comfort,

the rabbi Samuel, the son of Eli, prin-

of the great college

is

cipal of the college

Geon

is

Jacob; the provost of the Levites

the president of the second; Daniel, the master of the

third college ; Eleasar, the fellow, presides over the fourth

Eleasar, the son of Tsemach,

is

is

chief of the fifth college; he

master of the studies, and possesses a pedigree of his

from the prophet Samuel, who rests in peace, and he

and his brothers know the melodies that were sung in the
Chasadiah, principal fellow,
temple during its existence.
descent

is

the master of the sixth; Chagai, the prince, the principal

of the seventh, and Ezra, the president of the eighth college;

called Abu Tahir, presides over the ninth, and

Abraham,

290

CONTEMPORARIES OF

MARCO TOLO

Zakhai, son of Bosthenai, master of the studies,

of the tenth college.

is

president

All these are called Batlanim, which

means, the Idle: because their sole occupation consists in the

discharge of public business. During every day of the week
they dispense justice to

all

the Jewish inhabitants of the

Monday, which is set aside for assemblies

under the presidency of the rabbi Samuel, master of the college Geon Jacob, who on that day dispenses justice to every
applicant, and is assisted therein by the other Batlanim,

country, except

presidents of the colleges.

The

principal of all these, however,

is

Daniel, the son of

who bears the titles of Prince of the Captivity and

Lord, and who possesses a pedigree which proves his descent
from King David. The Jews call him "Lord, Prince of the
Captivity," and the Mahometans entitle him Saidna Ben
Chisdai,

Daoud, noble descendant of David.

mand

He

holds great com-

Jewish congregations under the authority of

the Emir-al-Mumenin, the lord of the Mahometans, who
has commanded that he shall be respected, and has confirmed
over

all

power by granting him a seal of office.

Every one of his subjects, whether he be Jew or Mahometan or of any other faith, is commanded to rise in the
presence of the prince of the captivity, and to salute him
respectfully, under a penalty of one hundred stripes. Whenever he pays a visit to the king, he is escorted by numerous
horsemen, both Jews and Gentiles, and a crier proclaims
aloud: "Make way before our lord the son of David, as becomes his dignity" in Arabic, Amilu tank la-saidna benDaud. Upon these occasions he rides upon a horse, and his
dress is composed of embroidered silk; on his head he wears
a large turban covered with a white cloth, and surmounted

his

by a chain, or diadem.

The

authority of the prince of the

captivity extends over the countries of

Mesopotamia, Persia,

TRAVELS OF RABBI "BENJAMIN OF TV DEL A

Khorassan, Seba, which

is

Yemen, Diarbekh,

all

291

Armenia

and the land of Kota near Mount Ararat, over the country
of the Alans, which is shut in by mountains, and has no outlet
except by the Iron Gate which was made by Alexander.
Also over Sikbia and all the provinces of the Turks unto the
Caspian mountains, over the country of the Georgians unto
these are the Girgasim of Scripture, and

the river Oxus

believe in Christianity

provinces and

cities

and

as far as the frontiers of the

of Tibet and India.

All the Jewish congregations of these different countries

receive authority
rabbis

from the prince of the

and ministers,

all

of

whom

captivity to elect

appear before him

in

order

and the permission to officiate, upon

which occasions presents and valuable gifts are offered to
him, even from the remotest countries. The prince of the
captivity possesses hostelries, gardens, and orchards in Babylonia, and extensive landed property inherited from his forefathers, of which nobody can deprive him.
He enjoys a
certain yearly income from the Jewish hostelries, the markets, and the merchandise of the country, which is levied in
form of a tax, over and above what is presented to him from
foreign countries. He is very rich, an excellent scholar, and
so hospitable that numerous Israelites dine at his table every
to receive consecration

day.

At the time of the

tivity

installation of the prince of the caphe expends considerable sums in presents to the calif,

and to
by the

his princes

and nobles.

This ceremony

is

performed

who lays his hands on the prince, after which

rides home from the king's abode to his own house,

calif,

the latter

seated in a royal state carriage, and accompanied with the

sound of various musical instruments he afterwards lays his

hands on the gentlemen of the university, to reinstall them.
Many of the Jews of Bagdad are good scholars and very
j

CONTEMPORARIES OF

292

The

rich.

MARCO TOLO

contains twenty-eight Jewish synagogues,

city

Bagdad and

situated partly in

partly in Al-Khorkh, on the

other side of the river Tigris, which runs through

and divides

The

metropolitan synagogue of the prince of

ornamented with pillars of richly coloured
marble, plated with gold and silver on the pillars are inscribed verses of the Psalms in letters of gold. The ascent
to the holy ark is composed of ten marble steps, on the uppermost of which are the stalls set apart for the prince of the
captivity and the other princes of the house of David.
the

city.

the captivity

is

The

city

of Bagdad

country in which

it is

is

three miles in circumference j the

situated

is

rich in palm-trees, gardens,

and orchards, so that nothing equals it in Mesopotamia.

Merchants of all countries resort thither for purposes of
trade, and it contains many wise philosophers, well skilled
in sciences, and magicians proficient in all sorts of enchantment.

Two
is

days from here stands Gihiagin, or Ras-al-Ain, which

Ressaina, "the great city"j

Jews and a large synagogue.

is

a sepulchre

it

contains about five thousand

In a house near the synagogue

and, in a cave below

it,

those of twelve

disciples.

From

here

it is

one day to Babylon.

now lies in ruins; but the

The ruins of the palace
miles.

Babel, and
thirty

are

still

to be seen

This

is

the ancient

streets still

extend

of Nebuchadnezzar

but people are afraid to venture

among

them on account of the serpents and scorpions with which

they are infested. Twenty thousand Jews live within about
twenty miles from this place, and perform their worship in
the synagogue of Daniel,

who

This synagogue
is of remote antiquity, having been built by Daniel himself j
it is constructed of solid stones and bricks.
Here the traveller may also behold the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, with
rests in peace.

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

293

the burning fiery furnace into which were thrown Hananiah,

Mishael and Azariah ;

it is

a valley well

known

to

every one.

Hillah, at a distance of five miles, contains about ten thousand Jews and four synagogues, one of which is that of
Meier, whose sepulchre is in front of itj another is that of
Public worship is performed
Seiri, son of Hama, and Miri.

Four miles away is the tower

by the dispersed generation. It is constructed of bricks
called al-ajurr; the base measures two miles, the breadth
two hundred and forty yards, and the height about one hundred canna [over 400 feet!]. A spiral passage, built into
the tower, in stages of ten yards each, leads up to the summit,
from which we have a prospect of twenty miles, the country
being one wide plain and quite level. The heavenly fire,
which struck the tower, split it to its very foundation.
Half a day farther on, at Napacha, which contains two
hundred Jews, is the synagogue of Isaac Napacha, in front
of which is his sepulchre. Three parasangs away, on the
banks of the Euphrates, stands the synagogue of the prophet
The place of the synagogue
Ezekiel, who rests in peace.
is fronted by sixty towers, the space between every two of
which is also occupied by a synagogue in the court of the
largest stands the ark, and behind it is the sepulchre of
Ezekiel, the son of Buzi the priest. This monument is covered with a large cupola, and the building is very handsome j
it was erected by Jechoniah, king of Juda, and the thirty-five
thousand Jews who went along with him, when Evil-Merodach released him from the prison, which was situated between the river Chaboras and another river.
The names of Jechoniah and of all those who came with
him are inscribed on the wall, the king's name first, that of
This place is considered holy even to the
Ezekiel last.
present day, and is one of those to which people resort from
daily in these synagogues.

built

294

CONTEMPORARIES OF .MARCO TOLO

remote countries in order to pray, particularly at the season

of new year and Atonement day. There are great rejoicings
here at that time, which are attended even by the prince of
the captivity and the presidents of the colleges of Bagdad.
The assembly is so large that their temporary abodes cover
twenty-two miles of open ground, and attract many Arabian
merchants, who keep a market or fair.
On the day of Atonement the proper lesson of the day is
read from a very large manuscript Pentateuch in EzekiePs
own handwriting. A lamp burns night and day on the
sepulchre of the prophet, and has always been kept burning
since the day he lighted it himself; the oil and wicks are
renewed as often as necessary. A large house belonging to
the sanctuary contains a very numerous collection of books,
some of them as ancient as the second, some even of the time
of the first temple, it being the custom that whoever dies
childless bequeaths his books to this sanctuary.

The

inhabitants of the country lead to the sepulchre all

who come from Media and Persia

The noble Mahometans

foreign Jews,

fulfilment of vows.

to visit

thither to pray, because they hold the prophet Ezekiel

whom be peace!
Dar Melicha,

in great veneration,

the agreeable abode.

and they

The

it

in

also resort

on

call this place

sepulchre

is

also

Within half a mile of the synagogue are the sepulchres of Hananiah, Mishael and Azavisited

by

riah, each

all

devout Arabs.

covered with a large cupola. Even in times of

Jew nor Mahometan ventures to despoil Snd

war, neither

profane the sepulchre of Ezekiel.

Three miles from hence stands the

city o:&

Al-Kotsonaath,

containing three hundred Jewish Inhabitants and the sepul-

Huna, Joseph

and Joseph, the son of

Hama, in front of each of which is a synagogue in which
Jews daily pray. Three parasangs to Ain Japhata, which

chres of Papa,

Sinai,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

Nahum

contains the sepulchre of the prophet

who

rests in peace.

295

the Elkoshite,

In a Persian village, a day from there,

are the sepulchres of Chisdai, Akiba and Dossa; and in an-

other village, half a day's distance in the desert, are those of

David, Juda, Kubreh, Sechora and Aba; and on the river

Lega, a distance of one day, that of king Zedekiah, who
rests in peace; the latter is ornamented by a large cupola.
It is one day hence to the city of Kufa, which contains
about seventy thousand Jews; and in

King Jechoniah, which

synagogue

it

is

the sepulchre of

consists of a large building with a

One day and a half to Sura,

Talmud Matha-Mechasia, formerly

in front.

called in the

the place
the resi-

dence of the princes of the captivity and of the principals

At Sura are the sepulchres of Shrira and

Rabenu Hai, Rabenu Sadiah-al-Fajumi, Samuel, the
son of Chophni the priest, and Zephaniah, the son of Khushi,
of the colleges.
his son

the son of Gedaliah the prophet, and of

many

other princes

of the captivity, descendants of the house of David,

who

Two

days

formerly resided there before the

distant

is

Shafjathib, where there

city
is

was ruined.

a synagogue, which the

with earth and stones brought from Jerusalem, and which they called "the transplanted of NeharIsraelites erected

dea." One day and a half away is El Jubar, or Pumbeditha,

on the river Euphrates, containing about three thousand
Jews, and the synagogues, sepulchres, and colleges of Rab
and Samuel.
At twenty-one days' journey through the desert of Sheba,
or Al-Yemen, from which Mesopotamia lies in a northerly
direction, are the abodes of the Jews who are called Beni
[children of] Rechab, men of Thema.
The seat of their
government is at Thema, or Tehama, where their prince and
governor rabbi Chanan resides. This city is large, and the
extent of their country is sixteen days' journey towards the

CON TEMPOR ARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

296

They possess large and strong

any of the Gentiles, but undertake warlike expeditions into distant provinces with the Arabians, their neighbours and allies, to take the spoil and the

northern mountain range.

cities

and are not subject

to

prey.

These Arabians are Bedouins, who live in tents in the

and have no fixed abode; they are in the habit of
undertaking marauding expeditions into the province of
Yemen. The Jews are a terror to their neighbours. Their
country being very extensive, some of them cultivate the
land and rear cattle. A number of studious and learned
men, who spend their lives in the study of the law, are maintained by the tithes of all produce, part of which is also employed towards sustaining the poor and the ascetics, called
"Mourners of Sion" and "Mourners of Jerusalem." These
eat no meat and abstain from wine, dress always in black,
and live in caves or in low houses, and keep fasts all their
lives except on Sabbaths and holy days.
They continually implore the mercy of God for the Jews
in exile, and devoutly pray that he may have compassion on
them for the sake of his own great name; and they also
include in their prayers all the Jews of Tehama and of Telmas. The latter contains about one hundred thousand Jews,
who are governed by prince Salomon, who, as well as his
brother, prince Chanan, are descendants of the royal house
of David, who rests in peace, which is proved by their pedideserts

grees.

In doubtful cases they

solicit

the decisions of the

and set aside forty days of every

year, during which they go in rent clothes, and keep fasts,
and pray for all the Jews who live in exile.
The province of which Thanaejm is the metropolis contains forty cities, two hundred villages, and one hundred
small towns, and is inhabited by about three hundred thouprince of the captivity,

TRAVELS OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

Thanaejm

sand Jews.

is

a very strong

city, fifteen

297

square

miles in extent, and large enough to allow agriculture to be

carried on within

boundaries; within

its

ated the palace of prince Salomon, and

orchards.

Telmas

is

it

are also situ-

many gardens and

also a city of considerable

magnitude;

hundred thousand Jews, is strongly

fortified, and situated between two very high mountains.
Many of its inhabitants are well informed, wise, and rich.
The distance from Telmas to Chaibar is three days' journey.
It is reported that these Jews are of the tribes of
Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, who were led
away captives by Shalmaneser, king of Ashur, and who
repaired into these mountainous regions, where they erected
the above-named large and strong cities.
They carry on
war with many kingdoms, and are not easily to be reached
because of their situation, which requires a march of eighteen
days through uninhabited deserts, and thus renders them
it

contains about one

difficult

of access.

Chaibar
fifty

The

is

also a

very large

city,

and contains among

its

thousand Jewish inhabitants many learned scholars.

people of this city are valiant, and engaged in wars with

the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, with those of the northern

districts,

and with those of Yemen, who

on India.

live near

them; the

latter province borders

It is a distance

of twenty-five days' journey from the

country of these Jews to a city on the river Virah, in Yemen,

which place contains about three thousand Jews. Waset [the

ancient Cybate] is distant seven days, and contains about
ten thousand Jews, among whom is Nedain,
Five days
hence bring us to Bassora on the Tigris, which contains two
thousand Israelites, many of whom are learned and wealthy.
From hence it is two days to the river Samarra, or Shat-elArab. This is the frontier of Persia, and [the city here]

CONTEMPORARIES OF

298

priest

and

The

hundred Jews.

contains fifteen
scribe

from Jerusalem

is

to

in this place,

MARCO TOLO
sepulchre of Ezra the

where he died on

King Artaxerxes.

chre a large synagogue and a

his

journey

In front of the sepul-

Mahometan mosque have

been erected, the latter as a mark of the veneration in which

Ezra is held by the Mahometans, who are very friendly

towards the Jews, and resort thither to pray.

Four miles from thence begins Khuzistan, the
Scripture, a large province, which, however,

inhabited, a portion of

it

lying in ruins.

is

Elam

of

but partially

Among

the latter

are the remains of Shushan [Susa], the metropolis and palace

of King Ahasuerus, which still contains very large and

handsome buildings of ancient date. It has seven thousand
Jewish inhabitants, with fourteen synagogues} in front of

one of which

The

is

the sepulchre of Daniel,

who

rests in peace.

two parts, which are

it which is inhabited
by the Jews contains the markets, to which all trade is confined, and there all the rich dwell; on the other side of the
river Ulai divides the city into

connected by a bridge; that portion of

river they are poor, because they are deprived of the above-

named

advantages, and have even no gardens or orchards.

These circumstances gave rise to jealousy, which was fostered by the belief that all honour and riches originated in
the possession of the remains of the prophet Daniel,

who

and who was buried on the favoured side of

the river. A request was made by the poor for permission
to remove the sepulchre to the other side, but it was rejected;
upon which a war arose, and was carried on between the two

rests in peace,

parties for a long time.

This

strife lasted until "their souls

become loath," and they came to a mutual agreement, by

which it was arranged that the coffin which contained Daniel's
bones should be deposited alternately every year on either
side.
Both parties faithfully adhered to this arrangement,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

299

was interrupted by the interference of San jar Shah

ben Shah, who governs all Persia [and conquered Samarkand
in 1 1 40], and holds supreme power over forty-five of its
kings.
This prince is called in Arabic Sultan-al-Fars-aluntil

it

Khabir, Supreme

Commander

of Persia, and his empire

extends from the banks of the Shat-el-Arab to the city of

Samarkand and the Kizil Ozein, inclosing the city of Nishapur, the

cities

of Media, and the Chaphton mountains, and

reaches as far as Tibet, in the forests of which country that

animal
empire

The

is

found which yields the musk.

is

four months and four days' journey.

extent of his

When this great emperor, San jar king of Persia, came to

Shushan and saw that the coffin of Daniel was removed from
one side to the other, he crossed the bridge with a very
numerous retinue, accompanied by Jews and Mahometans,
and inquired into the reason of those proceedings. Upon
being told what we have related, he declared it to be derogatory to the honour of Daniel, and commanded that the
distance between the two banks should be exactly measured,
that Daniel's coffin should be deposited in another coffin^

made

of glass, and that

it

should be suspended from the

centre of the bridge by chains of iron.

place of public

worship was erected on the spot, open to every one who

desired to say his prayers, whether he be Jew or Gentile j

suspended from the bridge unto

commanded that, in honour of
Daniel, nobody should be allowed to fish in the river one
mile on each side of the coffiji.
It is three days to Rudbar, which contains twenty thousand

and the
this

coffin

very day.

of Daniel

The

is

king

Jews, among whom are many scholars and rich men, but
they generally live under great oppression. Two days bring

us to the river Holwan, near which you find the abodes of

about four thousand Jews.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

300

MARCO TOLO

Four days to the district o Mulidet, possessed by a sect

who do not believe in the tenets of Mahomet, but live on the
summit of high mountains, and pay obedience to the commands of the Old Man in the country of the Assassins. Four
congregations of Jews dwell among them, and combine with
them in their wars. They do not acknowledge the authority
of the kings of Persia, but live on their mountains, whence
they occasionally descend to make booty and to take spoil,
with which they retire to their mountain fortresses, beyond
the reach of their assailants. Some of the Jews who live in
this country are excellent scholars, and all acknowledge the
authority of the prince of the captivity,

Bagdad

in

who

resides

at

Babylonia.

is Amaria, which contains twenty-five

This
congregation forms part of those who
thousand Jews.
live in the mountains of Chaphton, and which amount to
more than a hundred, extending to the frontiers of Media.
These Jews are descendants of those who were originally led
into captivity by King Shalmaneser; they speak the Syriac

Five days farther

language, and

among them

are

many

excellent

Talmudic

scholars; they are neighbours to those of the city of Amaria,

which

is

situated within one day's journey of the empire of

which they are tributary. This tribute

and amounts here, as well as in all
Mahometan countries, to one amiri of gold, equal to one
golden maravedi and one-third [about one pound sterling],
for each male inhabitant of the age of fifteen and upwards.
Ten years ago there rose a man of the name of David
El-Roy, of the city of Amaria, who had studied under the
prince of the captivity, Chisdai, and under Eli, the president
of the college of Geon Jacob in the city of Bagdad, and who
became an excellent scholar, being well versed in the Mosaic
law, in the decisions of the rabbis, and in the Talmud; un-

Persia, to the king of

is

collected by a deputy,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

301

derstanding also the profane sciences, the language and the

writings of the

Mahometans, and the

He made up

magicians and enchanters.

scriptures

mind

his

rebellion against the king of Persia, to unite

Jews who

and

of the

to rise in

collect the

them
making the conquest of
Jerusalem his final object. He gave signs to the Jews by
false miracles, and assured them, "the Lord has sent me to
conquer Jerusalem, and to deliver you from the yoke of the
Gentiles." Some of the Jews did believe in him, and called
him Messiah.
When the king of Persia became acquainted with these
circumstances, he sent and summoned David into his presence.
The latter went without fear, and when brought
before the court he was asked, "Art thou the king of the
Jews?" to which he made answer and said, "I am." Upon
live in the mountains of Chaphton, and with

to engage in

this the

war with

all Gentiles,

king immediately

commanded

that he should be

secured and put into the prison where are kept the captives

who

are imprisoned for life, situated in the city of Dabari-

stan,

on the banks of the Kizil Ozein, which

After a lapse of three days, when the king

is

a broad river.

sat in council to

take the advice of his nobles and officers respecting the Jews

who had rebelled against his authority, David appeared

among them, having liberated himself from prison without
human aid. When the king beheld him, he inquired, "Who
has brought thee hither, or who has set thee at liberty?" To
which David made answer, "My own wisdom and subtlety;
for verily

The

fear neither thee nor thy servants."

king immediately

commanded

that

he should be

answered and said, "We see him not,

only by hearing the sound of
his voice." The king was very much astonished at David's exceeding subtlety, who thus addressed him: "I now go my own
seized, but his servants

and are aware of

his presence

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

302

way"; and he went out, followed by the king and all his
nobles and servants to the banks of the river, where he took
his shawl, spread it upon the water, and crossed thereon. At
that moment he became visible, and all the servants of the
king saw him cross the river on his shawl. He was pursued
by them in boats, but without success, and they all confessed
that no magician upon earth could equal him. He that very
day travelled to Amaria, a distance of ten days' journey, by
the help of the Shem Hamphorash [knowledge of the secret
letters of the name of Jehovah], and related to the astonished Jews all that had happened to him.

The king of Persia afterwards sent to

Mumenin, the calif of Bagdad, principal of

the

Emir-el-

the

Mahome-

tans, to solicit the influence of the prince of the captivity,

and

of the presidents of the colleges, in order to check the proceedings of David El-Roy, and threatening to put to death
all

Jews who inhabited

The

his empire.

congregations of

Persia were very severely dealt with about that time, and
sent letters to the prince of the captivity

of the colleges at
will

you allow us

Bagdad
to die,

and the presidents

to the following purpose:

and

all the

"Why

congregations of this

empire? Restrain the deeds of this man, and prevent thereby

the shedding of innocent blood."

The

prince of the captivity and the president of the col-

leges then addressed

known unto

David

in letters

which run thus: "Be

it

thee that the time of our redemption has not yet

and that we have not yet seen the signs by which it

manifest itself, and that by strength no man shall pre-

arrived,
is

to

vail.

We therefore

command

thee to discontinue the course

thou hast adopted, on pain of being excommunicated from

all

Israel."

Copies of these letters were sent to Sakhai, the prince of

the Jews in Mosul, and to Joseph the astronomer,

who

is

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

303

and also resides there, with the

forward them to David El-Roy.
The lastmentioned prince and the astronomer added letters of their
own, in which they advised and exhorted himj but he,
called Borhan-al-Fulkh,

request

to

nevertheless, continued in his criminal career.

This he car-

name of Sin-el-Din, a
Turk by birth, cut it short

ried on until a certain prince of the

and a
by sending for the father-in-law of David El-Roy, to whom
he offered ten thousand florins if he would secretly kill
David El-Roy. This agreement being concluded, he went
to David's house while he slept, and killed him on his bed,
thus destroying his plans and evil designs.
Notwithstanding this, the wrath of the king of Persia still
continued against the Jews who lived in the mountains and
vassal of the king of Persia,

in his country,

who

in their turn

craved the influence of the

prince of the captivity with the king of Persia.

Their

and humble prayers were supported by a present

of one hundred talents of gold, in consideration of which
the anger of the king of Persia was subdued, and the land
was tranquillized.
From that mountain to Hamadan is a journey of ten daysj
this was the metropolis of Media, and contains about fifty
petitions

thousand Jews. In front of one of the synagogues is the

sepulchre of Mordecai and Esther. Four days from these
stands Dabaristan, on the river Kizil Ozein ; it contains about
four thousand Jewish inhabitants. The city of Ispahan is
distant seven days* journey j it is the metropolis of Persia,
and residence of the king, being twelve miles in extent, and
Sar Shalom, the
containing about fifteen thousand Jews.
rabbi of this city and of all other towns of the Persian empire,
has been promoted to the dignity by the prince of the
captivity.

Four days

distant stands Shiraz, or

Mars, a large

city,

304

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

containing about ten thousand Jews.

It is

seven days thence

to Giva [Khiva], a large city on the banks of the Oxus,

containing about eight thousand Jews.

merce

is

countries

Very extensive com-

carried on in this place, to which traders of all

and languages resort j the country about it is very

flat.

Five days away, on the frontiers of the kingdom, stands

Samarkand, a city of considerable magnitude, which conThe prince-rabbi Obadiah
tains about fifty thousand Jews.
which includes many wise
governor
community,
of
the
is the
and learned men. Four days distant is the province of Tibet,
in the forests of which country that beast is found which
yields the musk.
To the mountains of Khazvin, on the river Kizil Ozein,
it is a journey of eight and twenty days. Jews of those parts,
who live in Persia at present, report that the city of Nishapur
3S inhabited by four tribes of Israel; the tribe of Dan, that
of Zebulon, and that of Naphthali, being part of the first
exiles who were carried into captivity by Shalmaneser, king
of Ashur, as reported in Scripture. He banished them to
Halah and Habor, the mountains of Gozan, and the mountains of Media.
The extent of their country is twenty days'
journey, and they possess many towns and cities in the
mountains. The river Kizil Ozein forms their boundary on
one side, and they are subject to no nation, but are governed
by their own prince, who bears the name of rabbi Joseph

Amarkhela Halevi.
Some of these Jews are excellent scholars; others carry
Oil agriculture; and many of them are engaged in war with
They are in
the country of Cuth, by way of the desert.
infidel
Tarac,
or
Turks,
who adore
alliance with the Caphar
the wind and live in the desert. This is a people who eat
no bread and drink no wine, but devour the meat raw and

TRAVELS OF RABBI "BENJAMIN OF TlIDELA

305

unprepared J they have no noses, but draw breath

through two small holes, and eat all sorts of meat, whether
from clean or unclean beasts. They are on very friendly
terms with the Jews.
About eighteen years ago this nation invaded Persia with
a numerous host, and took the city of Rai, which they smote
with the edge of the sword, carrying off the spoil to their
Nothing similar had been seen before in the kingdeserts.
Persia
and when the king of that country was made
dom of
J
acquainted with this occurrence, his wrath was kindled, for,
said he, "In the time of my predecessors no host like this
ever issued from the desert; I will go and will extinguish
quite

their

name from

He

the earth."

whole empire, collected all

and made inquiry whether he could find any guide
that would show him the place where his enemies pitched
A man was met with, who spoke thus to the
their tents.
raised the war-cry in the

his troops,

king: "I will

one of them."
fulfil his

show thee the

place of their retreat, for I

The king promised

to enrich

promise, and show him the way.

him

if

am

he would

Upon

inquiry

how many provisions would

be necessary for this long march

through the desert, the spy answered: "Take with you bread

and water for fifteen days, as you will find no provisions

whatever before you reach their country."
This advice being acted upon, they travelled fifteen days
in the desert, and as they met with nothing that could serve
for sustenance, they became extremely short of provisions,
and men and beasts began to die. The king sent for the
spy, and thus spoke to him: "What is become of thy promise
No other reply being made than,
to show us our enemy?"
"I have mistaken my way," the head of the spy was cut off
by the king's command.
Orders were issued that every one who had any provisions

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3dARCO TOLO

3o6

should share them with his companion; but everything

eatable was consumed, even the beasts, and after travelling
thirteen additional days in the desert, they at last reached

left

the mountains of Khazvin,

where the Jews dwell.

They

gardens and orchards, and near the springs,

It being
vicinity of the river Kizil Ozein.
the
which are in
the fruit season, they made free with it and destroyed much,

encamped

in the

but no living being came forward.

They

saw, however,

and many towers on the mountains, and the king commanded two of his servants to go and inquire the name of
the nation which inhabited these mountains, and to cross
over to them, either in boats or by swimming the river. They
at last discovered a large bridge, fortified by towers, and
secured by a gate which was locked, and on the other side of
the bridge a considerable city. They shouted on their side of
the bridge until at last a man came forth to inquire what they

cities

wanted or
ever,

to

whom

they belonged.

They could

not,

make themselves understood, but brought an

how-

interpre-

who

spoke both languages j the questions being repeated,

"We are the servants of the king of Persia,
replied:
they

ter

and have come to inquire who you are and whose subjects."
The answer was: "We are Jews, we acknowledge no king or
prince of the Gentiles, but are subjects of a Jewish prince."

Upon

Ghuzi, the Caphar Tarac, or infidel

Turks, the Jews made answer: "Verily they are our allies,
and whoever seeks to harm them we consider our own
inquiries after the

enemy."
The two men returned and reported this to the king of
Persia, who became much afraid, and particularly so when,
after a lapse of two days, the Jews sent a herald to offer him
The king said, "I am not come to make war against
battle.
you, but against the Caphar Tarac, or Infidel Turks, who are
my enemies and if you attack me I will certainly take my
J

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

vengeance, and will destroy

dom,

my

for I

am

all the

Jews

in

my own

well aware of your superiority over

king-

me

in

and not
to harass me, but allow me to fight with the Caphar Tarac,
my enemy, and also to sell me as much provision as I want
present position ^ but

for the maintenance of

my

entreat

you

307

to act kindly

host."

The Jews

took counsel among themselves, and determined

comply with the request of the king of Persia for the sake
The king and all his host were
of his Jewish subjects.
consequently admitted into the country of the Jews, and
during his stay of fifteen days he was treated with most
honourable distinction and respect.
The Jews, however,
meanwhile sent information to their allies, the Caphar Tarac,
and made them acquainted with the above-mentioned circumstances these took possession of all the mountain passes,
and assembled a considerable host, consisting of all the
inhabitants of that desert, and when the king of Persia
went forth to give them battle, the Caphar Tarac conquered,
killing and slaying so many of the Persians that the king
escaped to his country with only very few followers. One
of the horsemen of the retinue of the king enticed a Jew of
that country, named Moses, to go along with himj he carried this man with him into Persia, and there made him a
slave. Upon a certain day, when the king was the spectator
of sports carried on for his amusement, and consisting princito

pally of the exercise of handling the bow,

tors

none excelled

The king

this

among

all

competi-

Moses.

inquired after this

man by means

of an inter-

and was told what had happened to him, and how

he had been forcibly carried away from his country by the
horseman; upon learning this the king not only immediately
granted him his liberty, but gave him a dress of honour,
preter,

composed of

silk

and

fine linen,

and many other

presents.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

3o8

proposal was also

made

to

MARCO TOLO

Moses,

that,

he would

if

renounce his religion for that of the Persians, he should be

treated with the utmost kindness, should gain considerable

and be made the king's steward but he refused, and

"I cannot make up my mind to any such step." The

riches,
said,

king, however, placed him in the house of the rabbi Sar

Shalom, of the Ispahan congregation, who in the course of
time became his father-in-law. This very Moses related all

these things unto me.

From

thence I return ed to the country of Khuzistan, which

on the Tigris. This river runs downward and falls
into the Indian Sea [Persian Gulf], in the vicinity of an
lies

island called Kish.

The

extent of this island

is

six miles,

and the inhabitants do not carry on any agriculture, for they

have no rivers, nor more than one spring in the whole island,
and are consequently obliged to drink rain water. It is,
however, a considerable market, being the spot to which the
Indian merchants and those of the islands bring their commodities. While the traders of Mesopotamia, Yemen, and
Persia import all silk and purple cloths, flax, cotton, hemp,
mash, wheat, barley, millet, rye, and all other sorts of
comestibles and pulse, which articles form objects of exchange, those from India import great quantities of spices,
and the inhabitants of the island live by what they gain in
their capacity of brokers to both parties.

The

island contains

about five hundred Jews.

It is

five

ten days' passage

thousand

Israelites.

by sea
In

to El-Katif , a city with about

this vicinity the pearls are

found.

About the twenty-fourth of the month of Nisan [April],

large drops of rain are observed upon the surface of the
water, which are swallowed by the reptiles, which then close
their shells and fall to the bottom of the sea
about the
middle of the month of Thishri [October], people dive with
5

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

the assistance of ropes, collect these reptiles

and bring them up,

after which they are

309

from the bottom,

opened and the

pearls taken out.

Seven days distant is Chulam [Marco Polo's Koulam],

on the confines of the country of the sun-worshippers, who
are descendants of Kush, are addicted to astrology, and are
This nation is very trustworthy in matters of
all black.
and whenever foreign merchants enter their port,
trade
three secretaries of the king immediately repair on board
their vessels, write down their names, and report them to
j

The

him.

king grants them security for their property,

may even leave in the open fields without any

guard.
One of the king's officers sits in the market, and
receives goods that may have been found anywhere, and
which he returns to those applicants who can minutely

which they

describe them.

This custom

is

observed in the whole empire

of the king.

From

Easter to

new

year [October], during the whole

is extreme.
From the third hour
of the day [9:00 a. m.], people shut themselves up in their
houses until the evening, at which time everybody goes out.

of the summer, the heat

The

and markets are lighted up, and the inhabitants

the night upon their business, which they are
prevented from doing in the daytime by the excessive heat.
Pepper grows in this country the trees which bear this
fruit are planted in the fields, which surround the towns, and
every one knows his plantation. The trees are small, and the
streets

employ

all

pepper

is

originally white, but

when they

collect

it

they put

and pour hot water upon it; it is then exposed

and dried, in order to make it hard
and more substantial, in the course of which process it
becomes of a black colour. Cinnamon, ginger, and many

it

into basins

to the heat of the sun,

other kinds of spices also

grow

in this country.

CONTEMPORARIES OF

310

The

inhabitants

with certain

do not bury

^ARCO TOLO

their dead, but

embalm them

put them upon stools, and cover them

spices,

with cloths, every family keeping apart.

upon the bones; and

as these corpses

The

flesh dries

resemble living beings,

everybody recognizes his parents and all the members of his

family for many years to come. These people worship the
sun.
About half a mile from every town they have large
places of worship, and every morning they run towards the
rising sunj every place of worship contains a representation
of that luminary, so constructed by enchantment that upon
the rising of the sun it turns round with a great noise, at
which moment both men and women take up their censers
and burn incense in honour of this their deity. "This their

way

is

their folly."

All the

cities

and countries inhabited by these people con-

tain only about one hundred Jews,

as well as the other inhabitants.

observers

of

prophets, and

the

law,

some

little

who are of black colour,

The Jews are good men,

and possess the Pentateuch, the

knowledge of the Talmud and its

decisions.

The

Khandy [Ceylon], is distant twenty-two

The inhabitants are fire worshippers called
Druses, and twenty-three thousand Jews live among them.
island of

days' journey.

These Druses have

everywhere in the houses conseand these priests are expert necromancers, the like of whom are to be met with nowhere.
In front
of the altar of their house of prayer is a deep ditch, in which
priests

crated to their idols,

a large fire
huta, Deity.
this ditch

is

continually kept burning; this they call Ela-

They

pass their children through

it,

and

into

they also throw their dead.

Some of

vow to burn
any such devotee declares to his
intention to do so, they all applaud

the great of this country take a

themselves alive; and

if

children and kindred his

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

"Happy

him and

say,

thee."

When

sumptuous

shalt thou be,

it

shall be well with

the appointed day arrives, they prepare a

feast, place the

rich, or lead

and

311

him on

devotee upon his horse,

if

he be

foot, if he be poor, to the brink of the

He then throws himself into the fire, and all his

kindred manifest their joy by the playing of instruments
Within three days of this
until he is entirely consumed.

ditch.

ceremony two of the principal priests repair to his house,

and thus address his children: "Prepare the house, for to-day
you will be visited by your father, who will manifest his
wishes unto you."

Witnesses are selected

among

the in-

habitants of the town, and lo! the devil appears in the image

of the dead.

The

wife and children inquire after his state

my comcompany,
before I have discharged my debts to my friends and neighbours." He then makes a will, divides his goods among his
children, and commands them to discharge all debts he owes
and to receive what people owe him; this will is written
down by the witnesses. In consequence of this falsehood
and deceit, which the priests pass off by magic, they retain
a strong hold upon the people, and make them believe that
their equal is not to be met with upon earth.
From here the passage to China is effected in forty days.
This country lies eastward, and some say that the star Orion
predominates in the sea which bounds it, and which is called
the Sea of Nikpha. Sometimes this sea is so stormy that no
mariner can conduct his vessel and whenever a storm throws
a ship into this sea, it is impossible to govern it; the crew
and the passengers consume their provisions, and then die
Many vessels have been lost in this way; but
miserably.
people have learned how to save themselves from this fate
by the following contrivance: they take bullocks' hides along
in the other world,

and he answers: "I have met

panions, but they will not admit

me

into their

312

CONTEMPORARIES OF

mARCO TOLO

with them, and whenever this storm arises and throws them
into the Sea of Nikpha, they sew themselves up in the hides,
taking care to have a knife in their hand, and being secured

throw themselves into the ocean.

Here they are soon perceived by a large eagle called a
griffin, which takes them for cattle, darts down, seizes them
in his grip, and carries them upon dry land, where he deposits his burden on a hill or in a dale, there to consume his
The man, however, now makes use of his knife to
prey.
kill the bird, creeps forth from the hide, and tries to reach
an inhabited country. Many people have been saved by this
against the sea-water, they

stratagem.

Gingaleh

is

but three days distant by land, although

requires a journey of fifteen days to reach

it

place contains about one thousand Israelites.

by

it

sea; this

To Khulan,

Twelve days to
seven days by sea; no Jews live there.
Sebid, which contains but few Jews.
Eight days away is Middle India, which is called Aden,
and

in Scripture

Eden

in Thelasar.

mountainous, and contains

This country

many independent

Jews,

is

very

who

not subject to the power of the Gentiles, but possess

are

cities

and fortresses on the summits of the mountains; from

whence they descend into the country of Maatum, with which
they are

at

war.

Maatum,

also called Nubia,

is

a Christian

kingdom, and the inhabitants are called Nubians. The Jews

generally take spoil and plunder from them, which they
carry into their mountain fastnesses, the possession of which
makes them almost unconquerable. Many of the Jews of
Aden visit Egypt and Persia.
To the country of Assuan is twenty days' journey, through
the desert of Sheba, on the banks of the Nile [Pison], which
comes down here from the country of the blacks. This
country is governed by a king, whom they call Sultan-al-

TRA VELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

313

Habash, and some of the inhabitants resemble beasts in

They eat the herbs which grow on the banks
of the Nile, go naked in the fields, and have no notions like
every respect.
other

men;

for instance, they cohabit with their

own

sisters

and with anybody they find. The country is excessively

hot; and when the people of Assuan invade their country,
they carry wheat, raisins, and figs, which they throw out
like bait, thereby alluring the natives. These are made captive, and sold in Egypt and in the adjoining countries, where
they are known as black slaves, being the descendants of

Ham.
From Assuan

Chaluah it is twelve days. This place

hundred Jews, and is the starting-point
of the caravans which traverse the desert Al-Zahara in fifty
days on their way to Zavila, the Havilah of Scripture, which
This desert contains mountains
is in the country of Ganah.
of sand; and, whenever a storm arises, the caravans are
exposed to the imminent danger of being buried alive by the
sand; those which escape, however, carry iron, copper, different sorts of fruits, pulse, and salt.
Gold and precious
stones are brought back in exchange. This country lies westward of Kush, or Abyssinia.
Thirteen days' journey from Chaluah stands Kuts, a city
on the frontiers of Egypt, containing thirty thousand Jewish
inhabitants.
To Fayuhm five days; this is Pithom; it contains about twenty Jews, and has, even to this day, some
remains of the buildings erected by our forefathers.
Four days from thence brings us to Mizraim, or Memphis,
commonly called Old Cairo. This large city stands on the
banks of the Nile, called Al-Nil, and contains about two
thousand Jews. Here are two synagogues, one of the conto

contains about three

gregation of Palestine, called the Syrian, the other of the

Babylonian Jews, or those of

Irac.

They follow

different

314

CONTEMPORARIES OF

MARCO TOLO

customs regarding the division of the Pentateuch into Parashioth and Sedarim.
The Babylonians read one Parasha

every week, as

is

the custom throughout Spain, and finish

the whole of the Pentateuch every year, whereas the Syrians

have the custom of dividing every Parasha into three

Sedarim, and concluding the lecture of the whole once in
three years. They keep, however, the long-established custom of assembling both congregations to perform public
service together, as well on the day of the joy of the law as
on that of the dispensation of the law. Rabbi Nathaniel, the
lord of lords,

is

the president of the Jewish university, and,

primate of all the Jewish congregations of

Egypt, exercises the right of electing Rabanim and minisHe is one of the officers of the great king, who resides
ters.
in the fortress of Zoan in the city of Mizraim, which is the
metropolis of all those Arabians who obey the Emir-al-

in his capacity of

Mumenin

of the sect of Ali ben Abitaleb.

All the inhabi-

tants of his country are called rebels, because they rebelled

against the

Emir-al-Mumenin

dad, and there

is

al-Abassi

who

resides at

Bag-

continual hatred between them.

The residence of Zoan was selected for its convenience.

The prince appears in public twice every yearj once at the
time of their great holiday, and the second time at the
moment of the inundation of the Nile. Zoan is inclosed by
a wall, whereas

portion of

it.

Mizraim

The

city

is
is

open, and the Nile washes one

large, containing

many markets

and bazaars, and very wealthy Jewish inhabitants.

Rain, frost, and snow are almost unknown here, the
climate being very warm. The river overflows once every
year, in the month of Elul [August] and, inundating the
whole country, irrigates it to the extent of fifteen days'
journey. The water remains standing on the land during
that and the following month, whereby it is moistened and

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TlJDELA

made

fit

great

skill,

for agriculture.

marble

pillar, constructed

has been erected in front of an island.

315

with

Twelve

yards of this pillar protrude above the level of the river;

and whenever the water

the pillar, people

know

rises to a

that

it

height sufficient to cover

has inundated the whole land

of Egypt to the extent of fifteen days' journey;

if

one-half

shows that one-half of the

country is yet dry. A certain officer measures the rise of the
river every day, and makes proclamation in Zoan and in
Mizraim in these words: "Praise God, for the river has
risen so and so much
The measurement and the proclamation is repeated every
Whenever the water submerges the whole pillar, it
day.
produces great plenty in the whole land of Egypt. The
proprietors of land cause ditches to be dug along their fields,
into which the fishes are swept with the rising waters; and
when the river retires into its bed, the fish remaining in the
trenches are collected by the proprietors and used for food.
Others sell them to merchants, by whom they are cured,
and sold in this state all over the country. The fat of these
fishes, with which they abound, is used by the rich of the
land instead of oil, and they light their lamps with it. Those
who eat of the fish, and drink Nile water after it, need not
fear any bad consequences, the water being an excellent preonly of the pillar be covered,

it

ventive.

Persons
are told

which

who

inquire the reason of the rise of the Nile

by the Egyptians that

fall

in

Scripture, which

is

caused by the heavy rains

elevated above the level of Egypt.

forces the river out of

try.

it is

the country of Abyssinia, the Havilah

Whenever

its

of

This

bed, and inundates the whole coun-

the overflowing of the Nile

is

suspended,

they can neither sow nor reap, "and the famine is sore in the
The time for sowing in Egypt is the month of

land."

3i6

CONTEMPORARIES OF 3fARCO TOLO

Marcheshvan [November], after the river has retired into

its usual bed} in Adar [March] they cut barley, and in Nisan
[April] the wheat. In the same month the following fruits
are ripe: a kind of acid

gourds,

St.

well as

all

plum

called cherry, nuts, cucumbers,

John's bread, beans, spelt-corn, chick-pease, as

sorts of herbs, such as purslane, asparagus, or

fennel, grapes, lettuce, coriander, succory, cabbage,

and wine.

Upon the whole the country abounds with good things. The
gardens and orchards are watered partly from wells and
from the Nile.
Above Mizraim the Nile

partly

is divided into four arms, one of

which proceeds to Damietta, which is Caphtor of Scripture,
and there falls into the seaj a second flows towards Rashid,
or Rosetta, which is near Alexandria, and there falls into the
seaj the third takes the direction of Ashmun, the large city
on the frontier of Egypt. The banks of these four arms are

lined on both sides with

cities,

towns, and villages j and are

who journey both by river

upon the whole earth there is no
country so populous and well cultivated as Egypt, which
is of ample territory and full of all sorts of good things.
From New to Old Mizraim is a distance of two parasangs.
The latter lies in ruins, but the sites of the walls and the

enlivened by numerous travellers

and by land.

houses

may

In

still

fact,

be traced

at this day, as also the granaries

of

The pyramids,
is a large number.
which are seen here, are constructed by magic j and in no
other country or other place is anything equal to them. They
are composed of stones and cement, and are very substantial.
In the outskirts of the city is the very ancient synagogue of our great master Moses, upon whom be peace. An
old and very learned man is the overseer and clerk of this
place of public worship} he is called Al-Sheikh Abunasar.
Joseph, of which there

Old Mizraim

is

three miles in extent.

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

From

thence to the land of Goshen

is

317

eight parasangs.

It

and contains about three

thousand Jewish inhabitants. Half a day to Iskiil Ain-alShems, the ancient Raamses, which is in ruins. Here are
remains of the buildings erected by our forefathers, and
is

called Belbeis,

is

a large city,

tower-like buildings constructed of bricks.

One

day's jour-

ney to Al-Boutidgj about two hundred Jews live here. Half

a day to Sefita, which contains about two hundred Jews. To
Damira, four parasangs; this place contains about seven
hundred Jews. Five days to Mahaleh, which contains about
five hundred Israelites.
Two days from thence stands Alexandria, which Alexander the Macedonian, who built this extremely strong and
handsome city, called after his own name. In the outskirts
of the city was the school of Aristotle, the preceptor of
Alexander. The building is still very handsome and large,
and is divided into many apartments by marble pillars.
There are about twenty schools, to which people flocked
from all parts of the world in order to study the Aristotelian philosophy.
The city is built upon arches, which are
hollow below. The streets are straight, and some of them
are of such extent that the eye cannot overlook
that which runs

from the Rosetta

them

to the sea-gate

at
is

once;
a full

mile in lengh.

The

port of Alexandria

extends a mile into the

lighthouse, in Arabic,

is

formed partly by

a pier, which

Here is also a high tower, called

Minar of Alexandria, on the summit
sea.

of which was placed a glass mirror.

All vessels which
approached with hostile intentions, from Greece and from
the western side, could be observed at fifty days' distance

by means of

this glass mirror,

and precautions were taken

against them.

Many

years after the death of Alexander there arrived a

3i8

CONTEMPORARIES OF

MARCO TOLO

commanded by a man of the name of Theowho was extremely cunning. The Grecians were

Grecian vessel
dores,

and the above-named

shipper brought a valuable present to the king of Egypt,
He rode at
consisting of silver, gold, and silk garments.
anchor in view of the mirror, the customary station of all
merchantmen who arrived, and the keeper of the lighthouse,
as well as his servants, were invited every day by him, until
they became very intimate and paid one another frequent
Upon a certain day the keeper and all his servants
visits.
were invited to a sumptuous meal, and were plied so much
with wine that both he and his servants became drunk and
This opportunity was seized by the
fell into a sound sleep.
shipper and his crew to break the mirror, after which exploit
they left the port the same night.
From that time the Christians began to visit Alexandria
with small and large vessels, and took the large island of
Crete, as well as Cyprus, which are in possession of the
Greeks to this day; and the Egyptians have not been able
The lighthouse is still
to withstand the Greeks ever since.
a mark to all seafaring men.
It is observed at the distance
of one hundred miles by day, and at night bears a light
which serves as a guide to all mariners.
The city is mercantile, and affords an excellent market to
all nations.
People from all Christian kingdoms resort
to Alexandria, from Valentia, Tuscany, Lombardy, Apulia,
Amalfi, Sicily, Rakuvia, Catalonia, Spain, Roussillon, Germany, Saxony, Denmark, England, Flanders, Hainaut, Normandy, France, Poitou, Anjou, Burgundy, Mediana, Provence, Genoa, Pisa, Gascony, Aragon, and Navarre. From
the west you meet Mahometans from Andalusia, Algarve,
Africa, and Arabia, as well as from the countries towards
India, Savila, Abyssinia, Nubia, Yemen, Mesopotamia and

subject to the Egyptians at the time,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

319

Greeks and Turks. From India they import

all sorts of spices, which are bought by Christian merchants.
The city is full of bustle, and every nation has its own
Syria, besides

fontecchoy or hostelry, there.

On

the sea-shore

is

marble sepulchre, upon which are

depicted all sorts of birds and beasts, all in very ancient

which nobody can decipher j but it

the tomb of a king of very ancient date,

characters,

that

it is

is

supposed

who

reigned

even before the flood. The length of the tomb is fifteen

spans by six in breadth.
Alexandria contains about three thousand Jews.
From here we reach Damietta in two daysj this place
contains about two hundred Jews. Half a day from thence
to Sunbat, the inhabitants of which sow flax and weave fine
linen, which forms a very considerable article of exportaFour days to Ailah, which is Elim of Scripture; it
tion.
belongs to the Bedouin Arabs.
Two days to Rephidim,

which is inhabited by Arabians, and contains no Jews. One

day to Mount Sinai, on the summit of which the Syrian
monks possess a place of worship. At the base of the mountain is a large village j the inhabitants, who speak the
Chaldsean language, call it Tour Sinai. The mountain is
small, is in possession of the Egyptians, and is distant five
days from Mizraim.
The Red Sea is one day's journey

from Mount

an arm of the Indian Sea.

Back to Damietta, from whence by sea to Tennis, the
Chanes of Scripture, an island of the sea, containing about
Sinai; this sea

forty Israelites;

Egypt.

From

here
there

is

the boundary of the

is

we

go, in twenty days,

Messina, on the coast of the island of

strait called

from
is

Sicily.

Empire of
by sea to

Sicily, situated

on the

Lunir, an arm of the sea which divides Calabria

This

about two hundred Jews, and

a country abounding with gardens

city contains

beautifully situated in

320

CONTEMPORARIES OF OdARCO TOLO

and orchards, and full of good things. Most of the pilgrims who embark for Jerusalem assemble here, because
this city affords the best opportunity for a good passage.
Two days from thence stands Palermo, a large city, two
square miles in extent.

It contains the extensive palace

and

of

King William [William

fifteen hundred Jews and many Christians and
Mahometans. The country is rich in wells and springs,
grows wheat and barley, and is covered with gardens and
orchards it is, in fact, the best in the whole island of Sicily.
This city is the seat of the viceroy, whose palace is called
Al-Hacina, and contains all sorts of fruit-trees, as also a great
spring, surrounded by a wall, and a reservoir called AlII of Sicily],

is

inhabited by

about

Behira, in which abundance of fish are preserved.

The

ornamented with silver and gold, and are

ever ready for the amusement of himself and his women.
There is also a large palace, the walls of which are richly
ornamented with paintings and with gold and silver. The
pavement is of marble and rich mosaic, representing all sorts
of figures; in the whole country there is no building equal
king's vessels are

to this.

where many pilgrims meet,

Masara, Pantaleone, and
Trapani, being six days in circumference. Near Trapani is
found the stone called coral. From thence you cross over
and reach Rome in three days; from Rome by land in five
days to Lucca, and from there you get in twelve days to
Bardin, by Mount Maurienne, and over the passes of Italy.
Here are the confines of Germany, a country full of hills
The Jewish congregations of Germany
and mountains.
of
the great river Rhine, from Cologne,
inhabit the banks
where the empire commences, to Cassanburg, the frontier
of Germany, which is fifteen days' journey, and is called

The

island begins at Messina,

and extends

to Catania, Syracuse,

TRAVELS OF RABBI 'BENJAMIN OF TUDELA

321

Ashkenas by the Jews. These are the cities of Germany

which contain congregations of Israelites, all situated on
Coblence, Andernach, Kaub, Kartania,
the river Moselle
In fact, the Jews are disBingen, Worms, and Mistran.
persed over all countries, and whoever hinders Israel from
being collected, shall never see any good sign, and shall not
And at the time which the Lord has aplive with Israel.
pointed to be a limit of our captivity and to exalt the horn
of his anointed, every one shall come forth and shall say,
"I will lead the Jews and I will assemble them."
These cities contain many eminent scholars; the congregations are on the best terms with one another, and are

friendly towards strangers.

Whenever

a traveller visits

they rejoice and hospitably receive him.

They

them

are full of

"Be of good spirit, dear brethren, for the

salvation of the Lord will be quick, like the twinkling of an
eye and, indeed, were it not that we had doubted hitherto
that the end of our captivity had not yet arrived, we should
hopes, and say:

have assembled long agoj but this is impossible before the

time of song arrives, and the sound of the cooing turtle
gives warning then will the message arrive, and we will
say. The name of the Lord be exalted!" They send letters
to one another, by which they exhort to hold firm in the
Mosaic law. Those that spend their time as mourners of
the downfall of Sion and the destruction of Jerusalem are
always dressed in black clothes, and pray for mercy before
the Lord, for the sake of their brethren.
Besides the cities which we have already mentioned as
being in Germany, there are, further, Astransburg, Duisburg, Mantern, Pisingas, Bamberg, Zor, and Regensburg, on
the confines of the empire; all these cities contain many rich
and learned Jews. Further on is the country of Bohemia,
j

called Prague.

Here

begins Sclavonia, called by the Jews

CONTEMPORARIES OF 34ARCO TO LP

322

who

Inhabit

it

Khenaan, because the inhabitants

children to all nations, which

The

of Russia.

from

latter

the gates of

is

country

Prague

sell their

also applicable to the people

very extensive, reaching

of Kiev, a large city on
country is very mountain-

is

to those

The

the borders of the empire.

ous and full of forests j in the latter the beasts called vaiverges [white squirrel] are met, which yield the sable fur or

In winter the cold

ermine.

reaches

and

so intense that

of France, called by the Jews Tsarphat,

from the town of Alsodo

is six

This

days in extent.

Seine, belongs to

nobody ven-

So far the kingdom of Russia.

tures to leave his house.

The kingdom

is

to Paris, the metropolis,

city, situated

King Louis, and

contains

on the river

many

learned

men, the equal of which are to be met with at present

nowhere upon earth. They employ all their time upon the
study of the law, are hospitable to all travellers, and on
friendly terms with all their Jewish brethren.

May

the

them and

Lord

us,

in his

mercy be

and may he

fulfil

full of compassion towards

towards both the words of

Lord thy God will turn thy

captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return
and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy
God hath scattered thee." Amen, Amen, Amen.

his

Holy

Scripture:

"Then

the

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INDEX
Aaron, brother of Moses, 272
Abassi,

Calif

Emir-al-Mumenin

al,

Albania, 97
Al-Boutidg, 317

244, 286 et seq., 314

benevolence of, 288-289
character, 286
friendliness toward Jews, 286
household customs, 287
in procession, 287 et seq.
palace, 286, 287
protection for, 287
reception of pilgrims, 286-287
revolt against, 314
Abchamas, King, 282

Aleppo (Aram Zoba), 283

Alexander III, Pope, 257
Alexander the Great, 86, 97, 217, 262,
263, 291, 317
construction of Iron Gate, 198

Abitaleb, Ali ben, 314

tomb of unknown king, 319

Algarve (see Portugal)
Algub, 283
Al-Khataab, Omar Ben, 274
Al-Khorkh, 292
Al-Kotsonaath, 294
Alma, 280
Al-Nil {see Nile River)
Alphabet, Chaldaean, 319

Abraham, 284
house of, 278
Abulghazi, 33
Abydos, 264
Abyssinia, 315, 318
Acatron, 201
Acco, 271
Achelaus, 262
Acias (see Alans)
Aeon, 206, 207
Acre (Acco), 271
Aden (Eden), 312

fortifications of, 199

walls of, 104

Alexandria, 254, 316
foreign trade of, 318
hostelries

lighthouse

in,

of,

319
317-318

Hebrew, 2 73
Mongols acquired,

14,

Al-Yemen, 295

200, 318
Agriculture, in the Nile delta, 315

Africa,

Al-Zahara, sand storms

Ahab, King, 271

Amalfi, 260, 318

Amana River, 281

palace

ruins,

117

Alsodo, 322

273

in,

313

Amaria, 300
Ambassadors, 40

Ahasuerus, King, 298

Ailah (EHm), 319
Aini, friars in, 204
Ain Japhata, 294
Ajalon, valley of, 273
Akbara, 285
Ala Kul Sea, 121
Alania, 81, 97

at court of Mangu Khan, 187

Christians from Damascus, 136
gifts compulsory, 21

Russian, 29
suggested Mongol, 48
treatment of, 20-21, 49,
Vastacius's, 171
Amiri, 300

Alans, 22, 36, 77, 78, 86, 95, 97, 161,

196, 197
chateau of, 198
country of the, 291
Greek customs, 78

Ammon,

worship

of,

369

Ammoric, 136
Anatolica, 262

Anax, 207

murderous bands of, 96

unconquered by Tartars, 197
Alayeddin Mohammed, 37 note

Andalusia, 318
Andreas of Russia, Duke, 8

335

13S-136

INDEX

336
Andrew,

Friar, 93, 97, 109, 136,

174,

Anjou, 318

respect for Ezekiel, 294

168
Christian faith of, 169

Aragon, 318
Aram (see Armenia)
Aram Zoba, 283
199,

284,

291

Araxes River, 199, 202, 205

journey along the, 200
Arbil,

28s
Arcacc, plain
Archers, race
Archipelago,
Architecture,
Jerusalem,

of,
of,

197
201

223
Aristotle's school,

St.

choice of battle site, 27

disobedience punished, 27
divided by Chinghis Khan, 15
divisions, 20, 24
efficiency, 26
fighting tactics, 27-28
method of crossing rivers, 26
obedience, 20
officers, 20, 24
recruiting methods, 26
spies, 27
winter marches, 33
Arno River, 257
Arnon River, 280
Arsengen, 205
Arta, 261
Artak, 67
Artaxerxes, King, 298

Arabuccha,

Mount,

Cont'd.

Serkia, 143
hatred of Saracens, 125
incense burned by, 203
in Turkey, 207
martyrs, 201
observance of Lent, 156
plea to the Pope, 204
prophecies believed by, 201-202
Armiro, 263
Armour, Mongol, 25, 27
Army, Mongol, Chinghis Khan's siege
methods, 14

Antarctic Ocean {see Dead Sea)

Anthony of Padua, St., 250
Antioch, 92, 93, 207
water system, 268
Antiochus, King, 268
Antipatros of Greece, King, 262
Apulia, 318
Aqueducts, Antioch, 268
Arabia, 318
Arabians, 296, 319

Ararat,

Armenians
fast of

183
Animals, eating of dead, 63-64
immortality of, 176
in India, 217
Tartar food, 66-67
used in sports, 265
use of, 63-64
wild, 227, 237

317

274
Nestorian church, 113, 161
palace in Palermo, 320
Roman, 259
Solomon's cities, 282
synagogue, 281, 292, 293
tower of Babel, 293
Argun, 200, 201, 203
Aristotle, school of, 317
Aries, 256

Aruch, 257
Ascalon (ancient), 279
Ascalon (new) {see New Ascalon)
AscoH, 261
Asdoud, 279
Ashdoth-Pisga, 280
Asher, tribe of, 271
Ashkenas, 321
Ashmun, 316
Ashur the Great, 284, 297
Asphaltes, Lake, 280
Assan, son of, 208

Biblical character of, 214

Assani, 55, 105

Assassins, 96, 268-269, 300
at court of Mangu Khan, 168
Asses, wild, 67

defeated by Mongols, 24

Assis, 207

Armenia, 36, 170, 180, 199, 206, 268,

291

Armenia, King
visit to,

of,

193, 195, 204

206

Armenians, 23, 89, 161, 201, 204

burial ceremony, 201
churches, 204
cross used by, 146

Assuan, 312
slave traders,
Assyria, 252

313

Astransburg, 321
Astrology, 309
Astronomy, soothsayers versed

in,

182

INDEX

337

Batu

Athanasius, 214
Auxerre, wine of, ia6

Cont'd.

letters to

Mangu Khan,

125

method
Baachu, 200
Baalath {see Baalbec)
Baalbec (Baalath), 282, 283
Baal Gad, 268
Babel, city

of,

292

tower of {see separate item)

Babylon, 264, 292
Bagdad, 37, 252, 264, 286, 300, 314
Calif of

{see separate item)

educated Jews
size

of,

in,

291

292

Bagdad, Calif

of, 41, 187

Abassi {see separate item)
defeated by Mongols, 24
palace of, 252, 286, 287
tribute paid by, 24
Baikal, Lake, 95
Baku, court of emperor in, 215
Bal, 131, 158
Bala, scribe, 47
Balaam, tower of, 283
Baldwin, Lord, 88, 150
Bales (Pethor), 283
Balis, 233, 23s
Baltu, son of Cotota Caten, 141, 144,
14s
Bamberg, 321
Barcelona, 253
Barchin, 21
Bardin, 320
Barley, 308, 316, 320

Bartholomew

of Cremona, Friar, 57
remained with Master William, 193

violation of threshold customs, 144,

147
Bascarts,

22,

36

Basil, 160

Bassora, 297
Batlanim, 290
Batu, Chief, 8, 65, 95, 97, 109, 172,
174, 181, 189, 197
ambassadors at court of, 135-136
and election of Mangu Khan, 123
appearance, 99-100
character,

court

35

3S, 98 el seq.
first victories, 21
of,

Friar William sent to, 90 et seq.

Friar William's party and, 195
journey along the Volga, 102 et seq.
Kiev captured, 29

of approaching, 99 et seq.
palace on the Volga, 196

power

of,

reception

32
Friar William,

20,

of

99 et

seq.

return to, 193, 195 et seq.

salt revenue, 58

son of Juji, 19
treatment of messengers, 108, no
vengeance against Buri, 109
Bavento, 261
Bazaars, 314
rents paid by, 266
Beaucaire, 255
Bedouins, 296, 319
Beeroth, 269
Beith Nubi (Nob), 278
Beit Jaberim (Mareshah), 278
Belbeis, 317
Belgrade, 168
Belinas (Dan), 280
Belleville, 168
Benebra, 279
Benefatius de Molendino, 206
Ben-Hadad, palace of, 281
Benjamin of Tudela, Rabbi, biography,
252
countries visited, 252
travels, 253-322
Bernard, Friar, 203
Berta, 95-96
Bethlehem, 277
Beverages, ale, 45
cosmos {see separate item)
fountain at Caracarum, 157-158

mead, 41
superstition concerning, 61-62
Tartar, 61 et seq.
wine {see separate item)
Beyrut (Beeroth), 269
Bezant, 24, 142, 197
Beziers, 254
Bibliography, 325-333
Bilers, 22,

36

Bisermins, 21, 37
Bissina, 263
Blacians, 105
Black Sea {see Pontus, Sea of)
Blood suckers, 227
Bodin, filthy customs in, 228
Boemond III (Poitevin), Prince, 268

Bohemia,

28, 50,

321

INDEX

338
Bolac,
Bolat,

no

Camels,

poor Christians in, 181

Boleslas, Duke, 29
Bologna, 230
Bones, divination at court of Mangu
Khan, 143-144
Books, collection in synagogue of
Ezekiel, 294
Eotsets, 278
Botta, 69, 141
Bourg de St. Gilles, 256
Bricks, buildings of, 293, 317
Brindisi, 261
Brutaches, 36
Buccaran, 142
Buchier, Laurant, 135
Buchier, Roger, 135
Buchier, William
{see
William of

Bulgai, chancellor, 143, 144, 157, 167,

192
Bulgaria, 22, 36, 55, 67, 86, 96, 98, 104
Bulgarians, 54, 95

power, 105
ravages of, 104-105
killed by dogs, 97
Burgundy, 318

Bulls,

Buri, Pope's letters for, 204

son of Chagatai, 37
tale of, 109
Burial customs, Armenian, 201
73,

82

310

Bodin, 228
Indian, 219
Nestorian, 115
in

Tartar, 73
Tibetan, 117, 244-245

Zampan, 225-226

Cappadocia, 206

Csesarea {see Gasaria)

Caesarea (Oath), 271

in, 121, 125

courtesy of people in, 112
temples in, in
Calabria, 261, 319
Calf, golden, site of altar, 281
Calneh, 284
Cailac,

Camath,

bridges

fortifications,

in,

232

232

immortality theories

in, 234
monastery in, 233
Canes, 224
Cangle, 97, 104
journey over land of the, 105
manner of living, 37
Cannibalism, in Bodin, 228
in Lammori, 222
in Tibet, 245
Nicoveran, 226
Canton {see Ceuskalon)

Capernaum, 271
Caphar Tarac, cities

et seq.

of the, 306

306

religion of,

304

Caphtor, 316
Cappadocia, 206

Capthac {see Comans)

Capua, 259
Capys, King, 259
Caracarum, 4, 12, 95, 113, 150, 191
baptism in, 163, 187
Cathayans' quarters in, 120, 167
Easter celebration, 161

et seq.
festival of the Pentecost, 187

Friar William's arrival at, 159-160

192
Mangu Khan's palace at, 157 et seq.,
160, 167
markets of, 167
nature of surrounding country, 150
Nestorian church in, 161
Saracens' quarters in, 167
Unc lord over, 94
winter in, 129 et seq.
hospitality in,

Caracosmos

Cachs, 36
Cffisarea,

Canasia,

invasion of Persia, 304-305

Budia, 264

Druses',

Camphor, 223
Camus, wife of Kuyuk Khan, 189

fortifications,

Paris)

Coman,

as religious offering, 288

170

fort,

205

{see Cosmos)
Caraites, 266, 282

Caravans, 313
Carcasson, 270
Carchemish, 285
Cariyatin (Kirjathaim),
Carmel, Mount, 271
Carpini,

Friar

John

283

of Pian de, 99,

252
at Batu's court, 34-35

biography, 2
entertained by Kuyuk, 40-45

INDEX
Carpini Cont'd.
journey, 5-50

Ceuskalon,

navy

privations suffered, 30, 36, 39, 47

reason for journey, 28, 31
reception by Mongols, 30-31
refusal of Mongol ambassadors to

Pope, 48-4Q
through Poland and Russia, 28-30
Casan, 243
Caspian Mts., 96, 200, 243, 291
character

of,

17
impasse in, 18
Caspian Sea, 86, 96, 104, 109, 199, 215

Chagatai Khan, 19
son of Chinghis Khan, 38
Chaibar, 297
Chaldseans, language of, 319
manners of the, 216

Chaluah, 313

Chaphton Mts., 299

Charlemagne, Emperor, 258

Castles,

57
Catalonia, 203, 318
Catan, Prince, 33
Catania, 320

Cherina, 185

Cathan, 235
Cathay, 3, 67, 94, 184, 236, 243, 353
character of inhabitants, 119 et seq.
feet-binding of women in, 245
Kublai Khan in, 168
monstrous idol in, 113
paper money used in, 152
partly conquered by Chinghis Khan,

14
passage from Ceylon to, 311
priests, 150, 151

slaughter of Mongols, 13
wealth of country, 15

Way

Thither, Yule,

228 note
Cathayans, 41, 45
appearance, 15

bigamy

of priests, 121
black, 38
characteristics, 93
extent of dominions, 120
idolatry among, 120
literature, 14-15
religious beliefs, 15
similarity to Saracens, 1 20-1 31
writing, 14

(see also Kara-Cathayans)

Cattle, number owned by Mongols, 5
uses of dung, 4
(sec also individual animals)
Caucasus Mts., 86, 104, 109, 120, 201

Cemanum,

Ceuta, 256
Ceylon, 310
claims to Adam and Eve, 337
holy lake in, 227
wild beasts in, 227

Chanes, 319
Chanyl, 13

Cassanburg, 320
Cassaria (see Gasaria)

daughter of Mangu Khan, 131

religious observances of, 143, 145146
Children, selling of, 322
Chilenso, bridges in, 234
navy of, 234
China (see Cathay)
Chinchin, 152
Chingay, secretary to Kuyuk, 44, 47
Chinghis Khan, 38, 44, 116, 188, 233
alphabet secured, 13, 117
beginning of power, 12
burial rites for family of, 73
court of, 150, 238-239
death, 19
defeat of

202

Unc Khan, 94

descendants

of,

324

divides army, 15
division of Empire, 240
divisions in army, 24

dominions

244
in Caspian Mts., 17-19
238-239
food laws of, 19
four great feasts of, 241 et seq.
glory and magnificence of, 238 et
of,

experience

feast of,

seq.

honour and reverence done

to, 249-

250
hunting customs, 241
imperial palace in Taydo, 237
marriage of son to daughter

Unc, 94

number

Caule, 152

230
230

of,

Cham, 186

Cassan, 224
uses of, 225

Cathay and the

339

of attendants, 239
peoples of, 107

of

INDEX

340
Chinghis Khan Contd.
peoples vanquished, 14
sacredness of person of, 240
solicitousness for travellers,

Churches, Armenian, 201

Constantinople, 264
Friar WilUam's lodgings in, 56

240

sons of, 19
subjection of Jugures, 117
travelling methods, 239-240
wars with Java, 223
Chinnereth, Sea of, 279

Chio, 267
Christianity, 202
as a charm against

Baptism

in

demons, 122
Caracarum, 163

Cherina and, 145-146

methods of healing, 148
observed by Baltu, 145
preached to Batu, 100
preached to Mangu Khan, 130, 145
172
reported conversion of Sartach, 56,
el

seq.,

89

et seq.

triumph
Christians,
seq.

of,

178

among

the Tartars, 78 et
to,

92

ceremony of consecration of white

mare, 183
at Chinghis Khan's court, 239

at

at court of Scacatai, 77
at Kuyuk's court, 43
at Mangu Khan's court,

139,
et seq.

Flandrina, 218
in Geste, 215
in India, 15
in Italy, 260
in

Marsengen, 204

Oma,

22

in Tauris,
in the

Church

feasts, All
108, 195, 197

Saints',

104,

loj,

Ascension day, 37, 49, 77, 168, 169,

206
Ash Wednesday, 30

Assumption of the Holy Virgin, 42,

102, 207
Blessed Stephen, 124
Christmas, 201, 265
Easter, 36-37
Elevation of the Holy

Cross,

104,

Epiphany, 138, 140, 203

Good Friday, 34

Holy Cross, 105

Holy Syxtus, 183
Holy Week, 33, 206
Lent, 153, 157

130,

14s et seq., 149-150, 173

attitude toward cosmos, 77
in Caracarum, 161
in country of Sakensa, 203

in

161

Janzu, 23s
Jerusalem, 274
Nestorian, 112-113, 121, 141
St. Basil the Great, 206
St. Blaise, 206
St. Peter's in Rome, 258
St. Sophia, 56

194

antipathy of Moals

in

in Aini, 204
in Caracarum,

215

Holy Land, 273-283

Jugures similar to, 112

merchants, 318
Nestorian (see separate item)
Nubians, 312
road through Sartach's country, 95
Syrian monks, 319
Tartar war, 86
Christopher, St., image of, 113, 220,
230
Christopoli, 264
Chulam, 309

Octave of the Innocents, 130

Palm Sunday, 159
Pentecost, 50, 78, 171, 186
Purification of Our Lady, 30, 204

Quadragesima, 200, 205

Quinquagesima, 153

Andrew, 121
Bartholomew,

St.
St.

St. Brice,

42, 183

49

Christopher, 183
St. James, 183
St. John the Baptist, 38, 50
St. John the Evangelist, 125, 188,
St.

190, 204
St.

Martin, 47, 197

St.

Mary Magdalene,

39, 83
Michael, 108
Nicholas, 122
St. Peter and St. Paul, 39, 90, 188,
207
Saracens' feast of the Passover, 112
Septuagesima, 142
CiHcia, 170 note, 206
St.

St.

Cinnamon, 309

INDEX
Circassi,

Cosmos

36

Erzerum, 314

in Kenchat, 108
in Lammori, 222

Russian, 322
winter in Caracarum, 129-130
Cloves, 223
Coiac, 90, 92, 193. 194
father of, iq6
reception of Friar William, 87 et seq.
Cologne, 208, 320
Comania, 22, 23, 33
conquered by Tuluy, iS
Mongol conquest of, 36
surrounding peoples, 36
Comans, 34, 81, 87, 104
burial customs, 73, 82
defeated by Tartars, 58
guides, 50

manner of living, 37
Comerum, fortifications of, 215
Communism, practised in Lammori, 222

79.

80

methods of obtaining, 64-65

Cota, death, 170, 183
illness of, 147
second wife of Mangu Khan, 145
Cotota Caten, death of son, 185
fasting of, 153
first wife of Mangu Khan, 141
generosity, 142
Cotton, 55, 67, 308
cloth made by pygmies, 23S
used in making money, 152
Crac, Sultan of, 136
Cracow, Duke of, 29
Craftsmanship, Cathayan, iS
Jewish, 252, 261, 263, 266
Cranganor {see Cyncilim)
Crete, 318
Crime, lack among Mongols, 7-8
Crimea {see Gasaria)
Crissa, 262
Crit,

94

Crocodiles, 218

Constantinople, 33, 36, 54, io5, 15,

208, 213, 252, 2S9
Christmas in, 265
of,

55

Hippodrome, 265
importance, 264
ruling nobles, 264
St. Sophia's, 264
treatment of Jews, 266-267
tribute paid to, 265
Copper, 313
Coral, 320
Corenza, Chief, 50
homage demanded, 32
size of army, 32
Corfu, 261
Corinth, 262
Corn, 15
Corycus, 268
Cosmas, goldsmith, 47
Cosmos (mare's milk), 62, 63, 71, 89,
96, 99, loi, 102,
188, 200
staple of food, 5

River, 199, 200

Curges {see Georgians)
Curgia {see Georgia)
Curiosities, at Chinghis Khan's court,
242-243
Caphar Tarac, 305

Cur

92, 93

Conrad, Duke, 29
Constantine, Emperor, 259

77,

Crosminians, 199

Conies, 67

emperors

Christians,

customs concerning, 65-66

Friar William partakes of, 76

in India, 217

Con Khan,

Cont'd.

banned by

Climate, 39
desert, 108
Egyptian, 31^
in

341

120,

131,

158,

cave-dwellers, 18
Chaldaean, 216

church built by angels, 54

fowls in Ceylon, 228
deafening sound of sunrise, 18
desert

men,

13

dog-faced people, 23, 226

dog-like men, 16, 36
Indian, 217

melons which contain animals, 243

men resembhng beasts, 313

men with feet of oxen, 23
monstrous dogs, 97
monstrous men, 151
monstrous women, 16
oxen of Tangut, 117
parent-eating men, 117
partridge man, 213
people without joints,
windy mountain, 38
women with tusks, 244

13,

151-152

INDEX

342

W W W

Dan, 280
Daniel, Duke,

Curta, 206

Customs, at Batu's court, 35

alive,

310

Chaldaean, 216
court, 40
death, 17, 23
eating the dead, 17
emperor's gate, 40-41
head-dress, 154
hunting {see separate item)
Indian, 218 et seq.
inheritance, 38,

292

River, 55, 58, 81, 105

Dates, in India, 216

David, Ambassador, 174, 189, 209

David, King, 252, 260, 274
finding of tomb, 275 et seq.
position of house of, 290, 295
David, master of Baltu, 145, 156
David, Prince, appeal to Khan, 9

71

in
in

Langa and Solanga, 118-119

6,

130

Dead

Sea, 224, 275, 280

Deer, 67

et seq.

Denmark, 318

Jewish, 273
Jugure, 112
marriage, 8, 71

Deserts, frost in the, 108

Tartar, 96

of Calif of Bagdad, 286 et seq.

of the Great Khan, 238
Prince of the Captivity in Bagdad,

290-291

punishment for adultery, 8

purification by fire, 11, 34, 182-183
religious,

of,

Danube

Hus, 216
country,

50

299

synagogue
Danilon, 30

in

Mangu Khan's

Daniel, Prince of the Captivity, 290

{see also Prince of the Captivity)
Daniel the prophet, coffin of, 252, 298-

beards, 17
burial {see separate item)

burning

29,

W W 9

112 et seq.

Russian dress, 85
soothsayers {see separate item)
soul-feeding in Canasia, 234

81

Dhuchia, 268
Diamonds, 265
Diarbekh, 291
Dili, King, 217
Dnieper River, 33
Dogs, men resembling, 16-17, 36
monstrous, 97

Don

superstitious traditions, 10- 11

Tartar, 59 et seq., 69-70

threshold sacred, 10, 44, 144,
238
Tibetan, 244
trade {see separate item)

Valanian,

Deurum, defeated by Mongols, 24

River, 33

{see also

Tanais River)

Drama, 263
147,

treatment of messengers by Mucs,

119
Cutheans, 271, 272
Cybate, 297
Cyncilim, 218
Cyprians, 267
Cyprus, 88, 136, 204, 307
Jews in, 267
taken by Greeks, 318
Cyrpodan, Chief, 23-24
Dabaristan, 301, 303
Damascus, 136, 252
richness of surrounding country, 281
Damietta (Caphtor), 196, 316, 319
Damira, 31"

Drunkenness, among Mongols, 71

at court of Mangu Khan, 133, 142
Druses, attitude toward Jews, 270
customs, 310-31
incest

among, 270

310
transmigration doctrine, 270
Duisburg, 321
Dyeing, 252, 261, 262, 272
priests of the,

Jews engaged

in, 277, 278, 379, 283

privilege in Jerusalem, 273
Tyrian purple, 271

Earthquakes, 205, 269, 283

Ebal, Mount, 272, 273
Ebro River, 253
Eden in Thelasar, 312
Education, Hebrew, 254 et
Talmudic, 255, 262
universities

seq.,

{see separate item)

289

INDEX
Egypt, 105, 252, 254, 364, 313
cause of famine, 315
climate, 314
crops, 316
imports, 318-319
Elam, 298
Eldegay, agent of Batu, 34
Elephants, 225, 227
Elija the prophet, 271

Elim, 319
El Jubar (Pombeditha), 295
El-Katif, 308
El-Khabur (Habor) River, 284
El-Roy, David, revolt of, 300 et seq.
Embriaco, Julianus, 269
Emir-el-Mumenin, 302

Emperors

Khans)

{see

England, 318

Ephraim, Mount, 272

Ephraim, tribe of, 272, 279
Epicureans, 267
Equius, no
Erbela {see Arbil)
Ermine, 322

Erzerum, 138, 200, 214

Ethiopians, 15
Euphrates River, 200, 205, 214, 283,
285, 293, 29s
Ezekiel, synagogue of, 293-294
Ezra the scribe, synagogues built by,

284

tomb

298

of,

Falcons, 86
{see also Gerfalcon)

Fayuhm, 313
Figs,

313

Fire, purification by, 182-183

tribute exacted for, 233

Fishes,

55,

homage

142
to

emperor of Zampa, 225

in Nile inundation, 315

not used during Lent, 156

Tartars dislike of, 84
Flanders, 318
Flandrina, 218
Flax, 308, 319
Food, Chinghis Khan's law, 19
lack of meat, 153
on the journey to Mangu Khan,
106-107
Tartar, 63
Fowls, 237
Ceuskalon, 230

343

Fowls

Cont'd.
Fleecy Persian, 231 note
in Ceylon, 227-228
in Fuzo, 231
France, 105, 318
area, 322
Jews in, 254
Franks, 92, 93, 2or, 369
knights, 274

Mangu Khan's

message to, 137

prophecy concerning, 201-202
war with Assassins, 269
French {see Franks)
Friar Preachers, Order of, 203
Friars Minorites, 230, 239, 249, 250
special gift in Melistorte, 247
Fruits, 313, 316, 319,
lack in Tartary, 3

Fu-chow

{see

320

Fuzo)

Furs, 54, 67-68, 86

as gifts, 29
Russian, 322
Fuzo, 231

Galba, Emperor, 258

Galilee, 280
Gallipoli, 267
Ganah, 313
Ganges City, 199
Gardiki, 263
Gasaria, 54 et seq.
bells in temples in, 113
boundaries, 55
geographical nature of, 57-58
trade in, 54
Gascony, 318
Gath, 271
Gath Hachepher, 271
Gazars, 22, 36
Gazelles,

67

Geba, 278
Gebal, government, 269
Geese, Ceuskalon, 230
Genoa, 254, 256, 318
sea trade, 257
Georgia, 7, 36, 54, 97, 199, 200
defeated by Mongols, 24
King of, 41
prior of the Holy Sepulchre in, 203
Georgians, 161, 200, 208, 391
Gerfalcons, 240
Gerizim, Mount, 272, 273

Germans, 109-110

INDEX

344
T T y

'

Germany, 318
Jews in, 320-321

Greeks

Gerona, 254

Green Mount, 237

Geste, 215

Groat, Venetian, 216

Gryut, 66
Guides, return to Batu, 134
treatment of Batu's, 126
Guido, of Trebizond, 55
Guidotus, Reverend Father, 250
Gush Chaleb, 280

Cont'd.
wealth, 266

Ghuzi, 306
Gibeah, 278
Gibeon, 273
Gifts, 24

Kuyuk Khan's coronation, 44-4S

compulsory, 21, 30, 31, 32, 88
at

Cotota's, 153
for Scacatai, 77

Mangu

Khan's, 140, 164

offence of Tartars at lack of, 87
refusal of, 50
Sartach's, 57, 194
to Batu, 34
to widows, 38
Gihiagin, 292
Gilboa, Mount,
Gilead, 282
Gingaleh, 312
Ginger, 309

273

Ceuskalon, 230
Girgasim {see Georgians)
Gish (Gush Chaleb), 280
Giva, 304
Glass-making, 252, 271
Goats, 5
Gold, IS, 67, 79, 313, 320
as tribute, 265, 300
in Cathay, 119
in King's palace, 265
Goset, 57, loi, 195, 196

Goshen, 317
Goths, in Gasaria, 57
Gozan, 304
Grain {see individual names)
Gran David (Gibeon), 273
Great Khan {see Chinghis Khan)
Great Sea {see Pontus, Sea of)
Grecian Sea, 33
Greece, 36, 252, 254
army, 266
fertility, 266
mercenaries hired by, 266
visited by Rabbi Benjamin, 261-264
{see also

Greeks,

77,

Manuel Comnenus)
204

customs used by Acias, 78

in Egypt, 318, 319
in Italy, 261
in

Turkey, 208

letters written in

language

of,

77

Habor

River, 284, 304

Hadareser, Tsintsan, 259
Hadrah, 285
Hainaut, 88, igo, 318
Halah, 304
Halapia, 205
Ham, descendants of, 313
Hamadan, 303
Hamah (Hamath), 283
earthquake, 283
Hamath, 283
Hang-chow {see Canasia)
Harama, 278
Haran, 284
Hardah (Hadrah), 285
Hares, 67
Har Gaash {see Montpellier)
Havilah, 313, 315
Hebron (ancient), 277
Hebron (new), tombs in, 277-278
Hemp, 308
used for barques, 217
Hermon, Mount, 270, 281
Herod, King, 272
Heythum I of Armenia, King, 170
note
Hibers, SS
Hillah, 293

Hircan Sea {see Caspian Sea)

Hircania, 200
Holwan River, 299

Holy Land
Honey, 86

{see Palestine)

Hombill, Rhinoceros, 228 note

Horse-leeches, 227
Horses, 5
consecration of white mare, 183
foraging ability of Tartar, 30
Greek, 266
post relays, 33, 36
refused to Friar William, 84
Tartar treatment of, 28

INDEX
India

Hospitals, in Jerusalem, 274

Hostelries, in Alexandria, 319
rents paid by, 266
Hsi-an Fu {see Segin)

Hudirat,

by

vanquished

Sultan

Chinghis

Christians anaong, 79
kindness in Batu's court, 102
murderous bands of, 96
servant at court of Mangu Khan,

127
22, 36, 67, 81, 151, 160, 168,
195, 208, 26S

35

Tartars' desire to return to, 182

Huns, 104, IDS

Hunting, Chinghis Khan's habits, 241
Tartar, 68
in,

187

216

also

{see

Mancy)

Indian Sea (Persian Gulf), 308, 319

Innocent IV, Pope, 209
Inns, in the empire of the Great Khan,
240
Insanity, treatment by Calif of Bagdad, 289
Interpreters, 32, 34
the son of William of Paris, 135,

Hungary,

Hus, customs
Huyri, 13

of,

wasted by Tartars, 216

Huins, 3
Hungarians, 161

of,

Cont'd.

religious customs, 218 et seq.

Khan, 14

King

345

137-138, 171

waywardness

of, 83
worthlessness of Friar William's, 135
Irish Sea, 243
Iron, 313
Iron Gate, 95, 97, 98, 197, 291
construction of city, 198 et seq.
country surrounding, 198
Isidorus of Seville, 23, 81, 96, 97, 104,

learning of, 14
Iskiil Ain-al-Shems, 317
Ispahan, 303

lam, 122

Italy,

evil counsel of, 125

lascot, 120, 135, 142, 148,

168, 180, 192
lase, 217
Ibelin (Jabneh), 279
Ibers, 36, 208
Idolatry, at court of Mangu

152,

164,

Khan, 145

Jabneh, 279
Jabustrisa, 262

Jade

Mobar, 220
Tana, 217
et seq.

methods of feeding

by Rabbi Benjamin,

crops, 260
hot springs, 259

in Ceuskalon, 230
in India, 218 et seq.

Jugure, III

visited

257

Cathayan, 120-121
ceremonies of, 112
in Bodin, 228

in
in

252

cities

idols, 231

origin, 175

soothsayers {see separate item)

temples in Caracarum, 167
Tibetan, 244
Zaton, 230
Ilac, 105
Hi River, no
India, 119, 291, 297, 318
city of the three Wise Men in, 215
exports, 319

Mongol invasion of, 15-16

Odoric's conclusions concerning, 229
pilgrimages, 220

{see

Merdochas)

Jaffa (Japho), 279

Jagac River, 33, 104
James of Compostella, St., 154

Jamian, 87
Janzu, 235
banquets in, 235
Nestorian church

Japan

{see

in,

235

Zampa)

Japho, 279
Java, palace in, 223
powerful position of, 222
wars with the Great Khan, 223
wealth, 223
Jebail (Gebal), 269
Jebilee (Baal Gad), 268
Jeconiah, King, 285, 293, 295
Jelaad (Gilead), 2S2
Jclbon, Mount, 273
Jeroslav, Duke, 37, 41
death, 46

INDEX

346

Jexusalem, 37, 252, 259

conquest of, 258
destruction of the temples in, 259,
284
gates of, 274
Jesus' sepulchre, 274
mixed population, 273
pilgrimages to, 261, 271, 320
Temple, 274
tower of David, 274
water supply, 275
wonders of, 215
Jewish feasts, day of Atonement, 294
Easter, 309
year, 309
ninth of Ab, 259,

new

284

Assassins and the, 300

at St. Abraham's, 277
customs, 273, 296
defiance of Persia, 306
descendants of captives, 300
dispensers of justice, 289-290
education {sec separate item)
friendship for Caphar Tarac, 306

honoured by Pope, 257

hospitaUty, 321
in Bagdad, 289
in Flandrina, 21S
in France, 254-256

Germany, 320-321

Greece, 261
in Italy, 257-261
in Jerusalem, 273

in

in

Persia, 199

in

Samaron, 109

Spain, 253
kinds of, 295

in

learned,

289,

290

martyrs, 259
mourners, 296, 321
occupations in Sur, 271
Passover ceremonies, 272
patriarchs, 272

prophecy regarding, 321, 322

prosperity, 267
revolt against Abassides, 314
segregation in Constantinople, 266-

267

synagogues {see separate items)

tombs

{see separate item)

297, 304
tribute paid to Persia, 300
unorthodox, 267, 271, 272

tribes,

Contd.

warlike, 283, 296

Jezireh Ben Omar, 384
Jezreel, 279

Joab, David's general, 260

Job, land of {see Hus)
Jonas, disagreement with Sergius, 155
Jonathan, rocks of, 278
Jordan River, cave, 280
falls of, 280
names for, 279, 380
Joseph, tomb of, 273
Juba (Pumbeditha), 285
Judaea, 252, 277
Judas Thaddeus, 201
Jugures, III

appearance

Jews, 36

in

Jews

118
114
117, 178
of,

attire of priests,
beliefs,

idol temples, iii et seq.

writing, 115

Juji

Khan, 19

Kadac, imperial secretary, 47

Kadan, son of Chagatai, 38

Kades (Kadesh Naphthali), 380
Kadmus (Kedemoth), 269
Kaiffa (Gath Hachepher), 271

Kakun

(Keilah), 272

Kala Jiaber (Sela Midbarah), 283

Kalor, 243
Kanbalu, 233-234, 236, 241, 249

Kaniew, 30
Kara-Cathay, 93, no
conquered by Mongols, 12
Karakorum {see Caracarum)
Karanites, vanquished by Chinghis
Khan, 14
Karauoran River, 236
Karkisia (Carchemish), 285
Kashin, son of Ogotay Khan, 19

Kedemoth, 269
Kedron River, 275
Keilah, 272
Kenchat, hospitality

to

messengers,

108
Kerkis, 17, 67, 86

conquered by Cyrpodan, 23
death customs, 23
Kersona, 55, 57
martyrdom of St. Clement
Khandy (Ceylon), 310
Khans, chart of, 324
coronation ceremony, 42

in,

S4

INDEX
Khans

Lamdin, 283
Lammori, 222
Lamori (see Lammori)

Cont'd.

election of, 41
history of the, 92 et seg.
loyalty of Mongols to, 6
name defined, 92
power over people, 20-21
{see also individual

Kharmath

(see

Old

names)

Man

of the

Moun-

tain)

Khazvin, 304, 306

Khenaan, 322

Thanchum

Khephar

(Capernaum),

(see

Giva)

Persian,
Polish, 105

Russian, 34, 47, 105

Saracen, 34, 47
Sclavonian, 105
Syriac, 120, 300

siege, 22

Kilia, 267

Kirghiz, 95, 151

also

in Gasaria, 57

no

Khorassan, 291
Khulan, 312
Khuzistan (Elam), 298, 308
Kiev, 322
capture by Batu, 29

(see

Langa, peoples of, iiS-iig

Languages, Bohemian, 105
Chaldaean, 216, 319
Coman, 21, 37, 118, 160
French, 160
Greek, 77
Hebrew, 286
Hungarian, 104
Jugure, 118
Pascatir, 104

271

Khiva

3+7

Georgians and Kerkis)

Kish, 308
Kizil Ozein River, 284, 299, 301, 303,
304> 306
Knights of St. Mary's Hospital of
Jerusalem, 82

Knights Templar, 88
Korea (see Caule)
Kosan, 243
Kota, land of, 291
Koulam, 309
Kublai, brother of

Mangu Khan,

Tartar, 34, 47
Teutonic, 57
Turkish, 118
La Rochellc, wine of, 142
Larraine, 160
Latachia, 268
Laws, origin of food, 19

Learning (see Education and Universities)

168

Kufa,

Lebanon, Mount, 268, 283

Lebanon, Valley of, 282
Lega (Latachia), 268
Lega River, 295
Lencyn, 236

29s
Kush (Abyssinia), 313
Kush, descendants of, 309
Kuts, 313

Lenczy, 29
Lepanto, 262

Kuyuk Khan,

Lhasa, 244
Linen, 319

age at

35, 39, 93, 99, 183, 189

election, 43

ambassadors

to, 43
coronation, 42, 44-45
court arrangement, 4, 44, 46
court officials, 43
death, 123
death of son of, 124
defiance of Christianity, 44, 47
farewell to mother, 46
history of family, 123-124
hospitality to Friar John, 40
nobles at court of, 41
official title,

44
son of Ogotay, 19
throne, 47

Lesgs, 86, 97

guard

of,

197,

198

Lions, at the court of Chinghis

243
killed by dogs, 97
Lithuanians, 29

Lombardy,

264,

Khan,

318

Lorraine, 134
Lot's wife, 275

Louis VIL King, 322

Louis IX, King, 56, 88, 100
Friar William's plea to, 207
letters

of

Mangu Khan

to,

seg.

master William's
Lucca, 257, 320

gift

to,

192

188 et

INDEX

348
Luna, Val

de,

Lunel, 255
Lunir, Strait
Luz, 272
Lydda, 279

Mangu Khan

273
of,

319

Maabar {see Mobar)

Maatum, 312
Machpelah, field of, 277, 278
Mseotis, Lake of, 81, 84, 97
Magi, city of the {see Cassan)
Mahaleh, 317

Mahomet, 98
position of family, 286

Mahometans, 277

Abraham

respected by, 284

of the, 264

Bagdad the metropoUs

camel

Cont'd.
to, 125
letters to Louis IX, 188 et seq., 195
mission against the Saracens, 137
Nestorian secretary of, 127
observance of holy days, 139
palace at Caracarum, 157 et seq.,
160, 167
Pope's letters for, 204
power of mother of, 20
preparations for journey to, 103104
pride, 189
procedure at court of, 127
punishments, 184
reception of Friar William, 126 et

Batu

letters of

288
countries of, 318
Ezekiel respected by, 294
in Sicily, 320
Jews and, 283, 298
respect for Prince of the Captivity,
sacrifice,

290

contest

at

court

of,

173

et seq.

reprimand of Sergius, 154

rumour

of baptism, 139

seal of, 152

task set for Sergius, 154

assumed, 123
treatment of messengers, 108, no
Vastacius's ambassadors and, 129
vengeance on Cotota Caten, 185
wives {see Cotota Caten and Cota)
Manichean heresy, 155, 176
title

Synagogue of Damascus, 281

tenets of the, 268
River, 268

Makloub

Malabar, pepper

seq.
religious

in,

218

Malmistras, 268

Mance, 152
Mancy, pride

of inhabitants, 229
tale of the rich man and the virgins in, 24s
Mangu Khan, 72, 93, 97, 100, 114,
170 note, 174, 182, 189, 207
ambassadors at court of, 13S-136
appeal to Sergius, 147
Armenian monk in the court of
{see Sergius)
at the festival of the Pentecost, 187
birth, 95

brothers of, 168

chateau at the Gate of Iron, 198
Christianity and, 128, 141, 149
confession of faith, 179
conspiracy against, 123-124
court rites, 131 et seq.
divination of burnt bones at court
of, 143
fast observed by, 143
feast of, 188
gate-keeper's complaint to, 153-154
generosity, 133-134. 146, 156, 190
humbling of, 181-182

Mansurah

{see Mensura), 137

Mantern, 321
Manuel Comnenus, Emperor, 261, 264

palace, 265

wealth, 265

Maravedi, 300
Marble, 320
Mareshah, 278
Mare's milk {see Cosmos)
Maricandis, 55

Marmots

{see

Sogur)

Maron, 280
Mars, 303
Marseilles, 256

Marsengen, 204
Mary Magdalene, ointment
Masara, 320
Mash, 308
Massis Mountain, 202
Matha-Mechasia, 295

of,

162

Matricia, 55

Mauchy,

Chief, 33, 36, 50

Maurienne, Mount, 320
Meal, produced from trees, 223-224
Mecca, 286

INDEX
Moals

Medes, at Trebizond, 213

Media, 264, 284, 303
frontiers of, 300
Jews from, 294
Mediana, 318
Medshingert {see Marsengen)

Man

valley of death

in,

Mobar, 220

wealth,

220-221

used in trade, 260

use of paper in Cathay, 152
{see also separate types)
Mongol {see Tartary)
Mongols, II, 94, 196
appearance, 5

armour,

army

Merclas)

Merkits, 94, 188, 280

conquered by Chinghis Khan, 12
type of Mongol, 12

Mesopotamia, 264, 284, 290, 292, 295,

31S
imports of, 308
Methodius, 201
Metrits, conquered by Chinghis Khan,
12

type of Mongol, 12
Mctz, 134, 183
Micha, image of, 280
Michael, St., image of, 112
Micheas (governor), 30
Millet, 85," 106, 308
Minar of Alexandria, 317

25, 27
{see separate item)

at the Volga ferr>', 97

attitude toward foreigners, 7
Bulgarians mightier than, 105
burial customs {see separate item)
Cathayans' customs similar to, 120
Christians among, 78
cleansing methods, 70, 71
conquest of Comans, 36, 58
conquests under Chinghis Khan, 12
costumes, 5, 67 et seq.
court arrangement, 60

crime and its punishment, 8, 72

curiosity about Christian lands, 107

customs {see separate item)

death taboos, 72
defeat by Cathayans, 13
defeat of Sultan of Turkey, 205
descent of chiefs, 19
destruction of Naxua, 201
dominions of, 55, 58-60, 203
drinking rites, 61-62

267
263

drunkenness among,

Mizraim (Memphis), 313, 314, 319

ruins of old city, 316

Moab, land of, 280

Moals (Mongols), 89, 188
alienation of children by Cathayans,
121
beliefs of Nestorian, 116

Friar William's prayers for,

dominions of, 151, 152
impudence of, 156
language, 115

in,

221

Money, Ruthenian, 153

colouring of, 231

curious types {see curiosities)
habits in Chaldaea, 216
Tartar, 68, 70-71
Mensura, battle of, 137
Meon (Capernaum), 271
Merchants, Genoese, 206
report at Soldaia, 55-56
tribute exacted from, 84
Merclas, 86
Merdochas, 237

Mitilene,
Mitrizzi,

limits of power in Cathay, 119

originally a poor nation, 94
pride, 92, 95, 188
ridicule of, 100
Moan, plain of, 199

holy lake

248

Memphis {see Mizraim)

Men, beautiful, 216, 229

{see

adopted from the Jugures,

"7

great idol in, 220-221

246

Merdui

Cont'd.

letters

Melfi, 261
Melich, Prince, appeal to the Khan, 9
Melistorte, Old
of the Mountain
in,

349

107

duties among, 70-71

eating customs, 64
fear of thunder, 70
food, 6, 63-64, 66-67
habitations, 5
hair-cut used by, 68-69
honesty, 6
hospitality, 6-7

hunting customs, 68
immortality belief, 10
impudence of, 74-75

INDEX

350
Mongols

Musk, 304

Cont'd.

influence of soothsayers on, 183

ingratitude of, 75
inheritance ideas, 71

by Mangu Khan, 124

killed

learning acquired, 13
loyalty to Khan, 20

marriage among, 71

ravages, 81, 215

reception of Friar John, 30-31
rudeness, 83
sex distinctions, 61

treatment

of, 73

superstition, 61
Taydo built by, 236

thievery of guides, 80
trade customs, 79
treatment of ambassadors, 20-21
treatment of conquered peoples, 2122
unable to conquer Alans, 197
warfare methods, 171
wealth, 6, 41, 89
weapons, 25, 27
wives' dwellings, 9
women {see separate item)
writing learned, 13-14, 114, 117
{see Curiosities)

Montpellier, 254
Mont Real, Sultan of, 136
Montu, 235-236

Mordunis,

Mordwin

22,

36

Moxel)
Mosaic law, 286
Mosul (Ashur the Great), 284, 285,
people, Finnish {see

302

Mourners of Jerusalem,

296, 321

Moxel, 67, 85-86

Muc, 119
Mukattua River, 271
Mulidet, 96, 300
Music, at the court of Chinghis Khan,
242
drinking, 35
instruments, 19, 63, iii, 136
use

of,

19

12

Nakedness, in Lammori, 222

in Nicoveran, 226

Nanking {see Chilenso)

Napacba, 293
Naples, 260

Narbonne, 254
Nasic, 142

Navarre, 318

Naxua, 201, 202, 203

Nebo, Mount, 275
Nebuchadnezzar, fiery furnace

of,

393

ruins of palace, 292

tents, 5

Monsters

Nabal the Carmelite, 271

Nablous (Sichem), 272
Naimans, 3, 93, 123, 188
conquered by Mongols,
habits, 39

movable houses, 59
murderous bands of, 96
music among, 62-63
peace with Calif of Bagdad, 187
power of, 95
prophecy concerning, 105, 201-203

sick,

Mustelmen, 188

Negropont, 262
Nehardea, 285
Nestorians, 89, 93, 94
beliefs of the, 11 5, 174
burning of dead, iiS
churches, 11 2-1 13, 121
contest at court of Mangu Khan,
173 et seq.
cross used by, 146
diviners, 116
fast of Jonah, 142-143
illness of archdeacon, 164 et seq.
in Cathay, 120
in Jugure cities, 11
in Mobar, 220
learning taught to Mongols, 13

Lent observance, 156

of Caracarum, 159
priests, 113-114, 156
religious rites, 113 et seq., 140-141,
161-162
reverence for dead, 115
rosaries, 114
Sartach's priests, 95
use of magic, 114
writing. III, 114, iig
Nestorius, 93

New
New

Ascalon (Benebra), 279

Sur, 270
Nicholas from Santo-Siro, 306
Nicobar {see Nicoveran)

Nicolas, Friar William's servant, S7

Nicosia, 207

INDEX
Nicoveran, deformed inhabitants, 226
methods of warfare, 226
wealth, 226
Nikpha, Sea of, 311
sailors' customs on, 311-313
Nile River, 83, 97, 196, 312, 313
annual overflow, 314-316
branches of the, 316
fishes of the, 315
Nineveh, 285
Ninevites, 143
Nishapur, 299
Nisibin, 284
Noah, ark of, 252
made into a mosque, 284
Nob, 278
Nogres, 256
Normandy, 318
North Ocean, 97
Noureddin, King, 283, 285
Nubia, 312, 318
Nutmegs, 223
Odoric, Friar, abode in Canasia, 233
at the court of Chinghis Khan, 239
et seq.

biography, 212
journey of, 213-250
Oengai, 151
Ogotay, Khan, 12, 19, 23
death, 39 note
election to khanship, 21
India Minor subdued, 15
Oil, fish, 315
in Italy, 259
Old Cairo, 313
Old Man of the Mountain, 246, 268,
269 note
death, 247
(see

aLo

Olives,

Assassins)

Mount

275
Onankerule, 95, 150
Orchon River, 95
Orda, 32, 34, 38
{see also S\ra orda)
Ordu, Chief, 38
Organum, iii
Ormes, 217
Orna, 22
Orontes River, 283
Otranto, 261
Ovis Poll, 67
Oxen, 5
as food, 64
of,

Oxen

351
Cont'd.

men with

feet of, 23
of Tangut, 117
worship of, 218-219, 226
Oxus River, 291, 304

Pacaster, 208
Padua, 232, 250
Pagans, 23
Cathayans, 15
{see also Religions)

Palermo, 320
Palestine, 254, 264, 271

earthquake, 269
University of, 282
Palmis (Asdoud), 279
Pantaleone, 320
Panten, 223
methods of warfare, 224
Paquette, at the court of Mangu
Khan, 134
Paradise, controversy concerning, 155
{see also Assassins)
Paris, 322
"Parnassus, Mount, 262
Parositae, 22, 36

Parpar River, 281

Partridges, in Hus, 216
tame, 213
Pascatir, 67, 104, 105, iji
Patras, 262

Patzinakia, 264
Peacocks, feathers as ornaments, 69
in imperial palace in Taydo, 237
Pearl River, 230
Pearls, 308
in Nicoveran, 226

Peking {see Kanbalu)

People, curious {see Curiosities)
Pepin, King, 258

Pepper, 309

means of obtaining, 218

Pera, 213, 267
Persia, 67, 86, 96, 98, 136, 195, 202,
252, 264, 28s, 290, 294, 297
imports of, 308
invaded by Turks, 305
Jews in, 199, 294
principal cities of, 215
war with Caphar Tarac, 305

et seq.

Persian Gulf, 216, 222, 226, 229, 308

Persians, 200
at Trebizond, 213

INDEX

352

Pcsipua (Geba or Gibeah), 278

Peter the Hermit, 208
Pethor, 283
Pharaoh, 282
Philistines, 279
Pian de Carpini {see Carpini, Friar
John of Pian de)
Pisa, 254, 318
fortifications, 257
Pisingas, 321
Pison River, 312
Pithom, 313
Poitevin, Prince of, 268
Poitou, 318
Poland, 22, 50, 81
Polo,

Marco

(cited), 4, 222, 252, 269,

309

Polumbum, 218
Pontus, Sea of, 53, 55, 86
Pope, Kuyuk's letters to, 47
letters from, 204

and Russians, 29
object in sending Friar John, 31
Tartar fear of, 82
letters to Poles

Porta Ferrea {see Iron Gate)

Portius Vahonis, 250
Portugal, 254, 318
Porus, King, 217
Praedicants, Friars, 105
Prague, 321, 322
Precious Stones, 313
diamonds, 265
in holy lake of Ceylon, 227
pearls, 226, 308
vase in the imperial paiace, 237
Prester John, 93, 117, 123, 243
death, 94
war methods, 15-16
Prince of the Captivity, 290 et seq.
and El-Roy, 302
burial places, 295
celebration at synagogue of Ezekiel,

294
descent of, 295
enviable position of, 291
extent of dominions, 290-291
installation ceremony, 291
judgment of, 296
metropolitan synagogues of, 392
Provence, 256, 318
Prussia,

82

Pulse, 308, 313

Pumbeditha, 285,

Purple cloth, 262, 308

as tribute, 265

method

Puzzuolo {see Sorrento)

Pygmies, land of, 235

Raamses, 317
Rabbanites, 266
Rabenica, 262
Racca (Calneh), 284

Rahabah (Rehoboth), 285

Rai, 305
Raisins, 313

Rakuvia, 318
Ramah, 278

Ramleh (Harama), 278

Ramleh (Ramah), 278
Rams, as food, 64
Ras-al-Ain (Ressaima), 292
Rashid, 316
Raymond, Count, 256
Raymond {see Theodolus)
Regensburg, 321
Rehoboth, 285
Reiha (Hazor), 283
Reincarnation, theories of, 176
Religions, 92
at the court of Mangu Khan, 139,
141

baptism, 163, 187, 193

Christian {see separate item)
contest at court of Mangu Khan,
173 et seq.
customs of Calif of Bagdad, 286
et seq.

Hebrew
in

India,

Jews)

{see

218

Mahometan,

et

98,

seq.

167

Moal, 92
Saracen, 37
sun-worshippers, 309

Rephidim, 319
Ressaina, 292
Rhine River, 320
Rhodes, 267
Rhone River, 256
Rhubarb, as a cure-all, 147
Rice, 245

wine made
Rodosto, 267

Rome,
area,

295

of obtaining, 151-152

Tyrian, 271

art,

of, 131, 142,

215, 257, 320

258
258-259

158

INDEX
Rome

Cont'd.

St.

Giovanni de Laterano, 259

St.

Peter's,

258

Romulus, 260
Rosetta, 316
Rouen, 168
Roussillon, 318

Samogetae, 23, 36
Samos, 267
Sand, Sea of, 215
Sanjar Shah ben Shah, 299
Saptargat, 64
Saracens, 3,
178,

Rubies, in Nicoveran, 226

Rubruck {see William of Rubnick)
Rudbar, 299
Russia, 36, 50, 67, 264
ambassadors to Mongols, 29
children sold in, 322
climate, 322

Duke of, 7
Mongol invasion, 22
ravaged by Tartars, 81
Russians, 22, 77, 80, 95
at the Volga ferry, 97
Christians among, ^9
habits of dress, 85
harvests of, 85
hated by Tartars, 81

murderous bands

353

of,

beliefs,

black,

22,

56,

81,

86,

125,

197

175
15

Bulgarian, 98
contest at court of Mangu Khan,
173 et seq.
destruction of Armenian churches, 201
disdain for Jugures, 112
dominions of, 204, 217
French at war vi^ith, 100
in Cathay, 120
in Jugure cities, iii
in Turkey, 207
Persian-speaking, no
court of Mangu Khan,
139
synagogues of, 204
Saragossa, city of, 252, 253
Sarai, 194, 195, 196, 197
rites at the

96

Rye, 85, 308

Sarguit, 21
Sartach, 56,
174,

Sable, 322

human, 219

Sahara Desert {see Al-Zahara)

Sahensa, 203, 204
Saida (Sidon), 270
Saint-Denis, monastery, 167
village of, 167
St. George (Lydda), 279
St. George (Luz), 272
St. Nicholas di Bari, 261
St. Samuel of Shiloh (Shiloh), 278
Salcah, 282
Salerno, 260
Salkhat (Salcah), 282
Salmon, in the Cur, 199
Saloniki, 263
Salt, 80, 313
near Tauris, 214-215
pits in Gasaria, 58
Samag, 199
Samaritans, 272, 282
lack of learning, 273

Samarkand, 299, 304

Samaron, 198-199
Samarra River, 297

21,

Mahometanism among, 98

transportation service at the Tanais,

83
Ruthenians, i6i

Sacrifice,

196,

189,

78,

193.

99, 109, 125,

195, 196

172,

Christianity and, 89 et seq., 95

court of, 87 et seq.
gift of tunics, 194
Friar William and, 57, 80 et seq.,
89, 193-194

Pope's letters for, 204

return of Goset to, 102
rudeness of, 91
salt revenue, 58

Saruyur,

vanquished

by

Chinghis

Khan, 14
Savila,

318
Saxony, 318
Scacatai, a relative of Batu, 75
court of, 76
curiosity concerning Christianity, 78
Sclavonians, 105
Scythia, 36
division among Tartars, 58

Seba (Yemen), 291

Sebaste (Shomron), 272
sepulchre of the forty martyrs at,
206
Sebid, 312
Sefita, 317

INDEX

354

Shunem, 278

1 20
Seine River, 84, 96, 323
Sela Midbarah, 283
Seleucus, King, 263
Sene, 278
Serain (Jezreel), 279
Seres, 119

Segin,

Shushan, 298
Sichem, 272, 273
Sichon, 269
Sicily, 254, 261, 318,
extent of, 320
fertility of,

an Armenian monk, 138

appearance, 127
attempt to baptize Mangu Khan,
138-139
curing methods, 147 et seq., 164

Sergius,

demands

of, 191

319

320

Sidon, 270
Sikbia, 291
Silesia, 29
IS, SS, 67, 262, 308
as tribute, 265
cloth made by pygmies, 235

Silk,

disgrace of, 170

Friar William reconciled with, 156
grievance against Nestorians, 164

from Cathay, 119

Sumakoto, 236
Silver, 79, 320

home, 127-128
impudence of, 156

Simoltra, warlike nature of, 222

lodgings with, 140

Sinai,

murder

Sin-el-Din, 303

in

of Nestorian through prayer,

reprimanded by

155-

Mangu Khan,

153

story of, 128

superstition, 166
Seric {see Silk)
Serotan, mother of

Mangu, 20
218
in Babylon, 292
in Ceylon, 227
Ceuskalon, 230
Shafjathib, 295
Shalmaneser of Ashur, King, 297, 300,
304

Serpents,

{see
{see

Mount, 252, 275

Siremon, brother of Kuyuk Khan, 123,
I2A
death, 124
Sis, 170 note
Sitan, brother of Batu, 38
Sithia, 120
Slaves, capture of, 313
Snow, in Caracarum, 129
in summer, 39
in the mountains of Georgia, 201
Oengai shoes for, 151
Sobissacalo Mountain, 214
Sogur, 66
Solanga, peoples of, 118-119
Solangs, Duke of, 41
Soldaia, 54, 55, 57
court of emperor in, 215
Friar William at, 55-56
Soldaians, 95
Sion,

mission to the Pope, 154

quarrel with Friar William,
156

Shan-tung

Mount, 319

Sinon Potamo {see Zeitun)

166

Jonas and, 155

Shamake

Cathay, 119

Samag)
Sumakoto)

Shat-el-Arab River, 297, 299

Shaving, Indian manner, 219
Mancyan manner, 229
Nestorian priest style, 113
Tuins custom, 130
Sheba, desert of, 295, 312
Sheep, 5
Sheikh-al-Hashishin {see Old
the Mountain)
Shiloah, spring of, 275
Shiloh, 278
Shiraz, 303
Shiregi, son of Ogotay
Shittim River, 275
Shomron, 272

Solinus, 151

Solomon, King,

cities built

by, 282-283

sepulchres, 252
Solonia, 55

Man

Khan, 19

of

Soothsayers, Camus a sorceress, 189

consulted by Sergius, 166
customs, 182 et seq.
duties, 182 et seq.
judgments of, 184
power, 185-186
prophecy concerning Mangu Khan's
son, 185
sorcery, 184

INDEX

355

Syr-daria River, 22

Sorrento, 259
Spain, 264, 318
Jews in, 253

Syria, 195, 204, 319

husbandmen of, 66
Rabbi Benjamin in, 252

Spices, 55, 223, 308, 319

{see also individual headings)
Spies, Tartar, 138

Tagars, 245

Sports, beast fights, 265

Squirrels, 322
Stican, brother of Batu, 123
Suevs, 55
Sufurieh (Tsippori), 279
Suicide, a religious rite, 221
Sukak {sec Soldaia)

Ta-kiang River

Tama, 217
Tanais River,

Sunbat, 319
Superstition, at court of Batu, lOi
at court of Mangu Khan, 149
furs,

woman and

183-184

death, 72-73
holy water, 148
incense, 203
Nestorian, 114
practised by Sergius, 166
protecting stones, 224
suicide in Mobar, 221
Tartar, 61-62, 170

Sura (Matha-Mechasia), 295

Susa {see Shushan)
Susdal, 41
Susis {see Tauris)
Synagogues, 295, 298

Bagdad, 292
Bible reading in, 314
built by Ezra the scribe, 284
Ezekiel's, 293

Haran, 284
in Juba,
in

285

Memphis, 316

Mosul, 285
kinds of, 313
near the ark of Noah, 289
of Damascus, 281
Racca, 284
Ras-al-Ain, 292

in

services,

314

Syncpolis, 54, 55
Syracuse, 320
Syra orda, 4, 42

Thalay River)

no

Sumakoto, 236
Sumatra {see Lammori and Simoltra)
Summerkeur, 196
Su-Moal, 151-152
Sumongol, type of Mongol, 11

case of the Christian

{see

Talas, City of, 109,

Talas River, 108
Talmudic learning, 255, 262

the

55,

57, 81,

82, 86, 97.

193
crossing of, 83
described, 84
region beyond the, 85
Tangut, 117
appearance of people, 118

Tarablous el Sham (Tripoli), 269

Taranto, 261
Tarquin, King, 258
Tarragona, 253
Tartar River, 12
Tartars {see Mongols)
Tartary, climate in, 4
location, 3
surface, 3 et seq.
Tathalamasin {see Panten)

Tauris, 201, 202, 203, 214

wealth

of,

214

Taydo, 236-237
wine jar in, 237
Tebnin (Thimnatha), 280
Tehama, 295
Telmas, 296, 297
Temples, bells, 113
idol,

in

III

Caracarum, 167

112-113
Churches)
Tennis (Chanes), 319
Thalay River, 235
Thanaejm, 296
Thebes, 262
Nestorian,
{see also

Thema, 295
Theodolus, 136
fate of, 138

reprimanded by interpreter, 138

supposititious loss of letters, 136-137

Thersoos, 268
Thimnatha, 280

Thogarmim
Thomas,

{see Turks)
Friar, 129

Thomas

the Apostle,

St.,

220 note

INDEX

356
Threshold, sanctity
147, 238

Thuman,

of,

lo,

44,

144,

233, 235, 239, 245

Tiber River, 258, 259

Tiberias, 279
baths of, 280
Lake of, 279
Tibet, 244, 291, 299, 304
burial rites {see separate item)
gold diggers of, 118
parent-eating men of, 117
wealth in, 118
Tiflis, 199, 203, 205
Tigris River, 201, 284, 285, 286, 292,
297, 308
Titus, Emperor, 258, 259
Tombs, Athanasius, 214
Coman, 82
Daniel, 252
destroyed, 275
Ezekiel's,

294

forty martyrs, 206

great number of, 193
House of David, 275 et seq.
inscriptions,
Jesus',

278

274

Jewish, 252, 271, 277-278, 279, 280,

293. 294. 303
Joseph, 272
Rachel, 277
St. Thomas the Apostle, 220 note
Samuel the Ramathi, 278
Solomon, 252
Tartar, 73
Toron de los Caballeros (Shunem),278
Toros, King, 268
Tortosa, 253
Tower of Babel, 216
description, 293
ruins, 252
Trade, 254
articles of, 54-55
brokers, 308

honour in, 309

in Bagdad, 292
in Baku, 215
in Damascus, 281
in Gasaria, 54

money used

Trani, 261

Transmigration, doctrine of, 234

Trapani, 320
Trastevere, 258
Travel, by ox-cart, 56-57
Tartar house-carts, 59
Trebizond, 55, 213
Trees, 223
Treviso, 250
Tribute, 41
Canasian, 233
demanded by Comans, 58
exacted of Bagdad, 24
Janzu custom, 235
kinds of, 265-266
paid by Jews, 300
Tartars' demands, 55
Tripoli, 207

Count

of, 269
earthquake, 269
Tsarphat (France), 322
Tsippori, 279

{see Benjamin of Tudela)

Tuins, 121, 172, 175
beliefs, 175, 176 et seq.
contest at court of Mangu Khan,
175 et seq.
Tuluy Khan, 19
conquers Comans, 15
Tumen, 152
Tur River {see Cur River)
Turakinal, mother of Kuyuk, 40

Tudela

Turcomans {see Turks)

Turgemannus, 57
Turkey, 36, 204
208
government, 208

child ruler of,

history of, 208

inhabitants, 207

merchants of, 54, 55, 56

Turkey, Sultan of, 187, 195, 200, 205
city of the,

55
generosity, 206
wife of, 208
Turks, III, 200, 268, 281, 284, 29;,

319

Caphar Tarac {see separate item)

wars with Greece, 266

island of Kish, 308

sea, 257, 262, 263

Tuscany, 318
Tyre, 271
Tyrian purple, 271

Tartar, 79
Tauris a city of, 214
transportation across the Tanais, 83

Ulai River, 298

Ulungur River, 193

in,

260

on

INDEX
Unc Khan, assumption

of

title,

94

brother of King John, 93-94

defeated by Chinghis Khan, 94
Universities, Bagdad, 289
Beaucaire, 255
college of Geon Jacob, 300
Marseilles, 256
medical, 260

357

William de Solanga, Friar, 250

William of Paris, goldsmith, 135, 163,
182, 186
at the festival of the Pentecost, 187

beverage fountain
dinner with, 160
Friar

Bartholomew remained with,

gift to

Palestine, 282

history
illness

Mangu

Khan's

court, 129
discovery of Theodolus, 138

son

of,

208

Vegetables, in Egypt, 316

Venice, 206, 232
Vespasian, Emperor, 258
Vineyards, 260
Virah River, 297
Vlachi {see Wallachians)
Volga River, 33, 81, 87, 96, 109, 193,
196

mouth

of,

86

transportation across, 97-98

Vultures, in Tibet, 244

Wallachians, 55, 95
banditry, 263
origin, 263
War, varying methods, 14, 15
Waset (Cybate), 297
Wasilko, Duke, 29, 50
Water, for milling, 282
of Erzerum, 214
rain used for drinking, 283
scarcity in mountains of Alans, 197
(see

also

Aqueducts)

Water-fowls, in Taydo, 237

Wax, 86
Wealth, Mongol, 60
Weapons, Mongol, 25, 27
poisoned, 224
Wenceslaw I, King, 28
Wheat, 8s, 308, 313, 316, 320

King Louis
of,

of,

of France, 192

168
163-164

journey to Caracarum, 159

silver cross of son stolen, 157
William of Rubruck, Friar, at Batu's
court, 99 et seq.
at Mangu Khan's court, 126 et seq.
at Sartach's court, 89

Vaiverges, 322
Valania, 81

Valans {see Comans)

Valentia, 318
Vandals, 105
Vastacius, 171, 204
at
ambassadors

157-158

193

Narbonne, 254
Salerno, 260
Ural River (see Jagac River)
Uzziah, King, 375

of,

at Scacatai's court, 76 et seq.

biography, 52
dedication of Journal, 53-54
Easter service at Caracarum, 162163
hardships endured, 82, 96, 102, 106
et seq., 139-140
journey, 53-209
last interview wih Mangu Khan,
178 et seq.
mihtary advice to King Louis, 208209
ordered to depart from Mangu
Khan, 180
party of, 57
possessions returned to, 196
reasons for journey, 56, 126, 172173
reception among the Tartars, 74
return journey of, 192 et seq.
speech to Mangu Khan, 132 et seq.
trouble at the Tanais, 84
writings for Hungarians, 103
William II of Sicily, King, 261, 320
Wine, 45, 88, 126, 156, 214, 266, 316
Auxerre, 126

Cathayan, 15
fountain of, 158
jar in the imperial palace, 237
La Rochelle, 142
muscadel, 88
rice, 131, 142, 158

Women, beauty

of
colouring of, 231

Mancyan, 229

customs of, 69-70

deformed, 216
duties of Tartar, 70

INDEX

358

Women

Cont'd.
dwellings of wives, 9
feet-binding of, 245
garments of Tartar, 69
held in common in Lammori, 322
marriage customs, 8
Mongol, 7, 60, 61
monstrous, 16
punishment for adultery, 8
scarcity on journey to Sartach, 79,

81
Tibetan, 244
Writing, Arabian, 153
Cathayan, 152
Jugures the best scribes, 118, 153
learned by Mongols, 14
Nestorian, iii, 114, "S
Tangut, 152
Tibetan, 152

Yamzai {see Janzu)

Yconium, 206
Yeka Mongol, type

Yellow River

Yemen,

imports

Yezd

11

of,

308

Yperpera, 24, $8, 79

Ysmaelites, 201
Yule, Sir Henry, 228 note
Zacharius, 203
Zacharius the Younger, 203
Zampa, 225
burial customs in, 225-226

habits of fish

in,

225

wives and concubines of king, 225

Zauena

(castle), 213
Zavila (Havilah), 313
Zayton, monasteries in, 330
Zedekiah, King, 295
Zeitun, 263

Zoan
Mongol,

Karauoran River)

{see Geste)

Zikia,

of

{see

286, 291, 295, 297, 318

SS
fortress,

Zor, 321

THE END

314

Date Due

ii

161.K6

3 9358 00070955 7

Koirroff, Manuel

161

K6

Contemporaries of Marco Polo.

an^ Llveright, 1928.
70S 55

BUR
rl

Boni