And For The Nine Kneelings And For The Nine Foot Of Way The Chan
And All The Men Of Tartary Have The Number Of Nine In Great
Reverence.
And therefore who that will make the Chan any present,
be it of horses, be it of birds, or of arrows or bows, or of fruit,
or of any other thing, always he must make it of the number of
nine.
And so then be the presents of greater pleasure to him; and
more benignly he will receive them than though he were presented
with an hundred or two hundred. For him seemeth the number of nine
so holy, because the messenger of God Immortal devised it.
Also, when the Chan of Cathay had won the country of Cathay, and
put in subjection and under foot many countries about, he fell
sick. And when he felt well that he should die, he said to his
twelve sons, that everych of them should bring him one of his
arrows. And so they did anon. And then he commanded that men
should bind them together in three places. And then he took them
to his eldest son, and bade him break them all together. And he
enforced him with all his might to break them, but he ne might not.
And then the Chan bade his second son to break them; and so,
shortly, to all, each after other; but none of them might break
them. And then he bade the youngest son dissever every one from
other, and break everych by himself.
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