And
Then Anon They Make Other Men Ready, In All Haste That They May, To
Bear Letters, And Prick In All That Ever They May, Till They Come
To The Other Inns With Their Letters.
And then they make fresh men
ready, to prick forth with the letters toward the emperor, while
that the last bringer rest him, and bait his dromedary or his
horse.
And so, from inn to inn, till it come to the emperor. And
thus anon hath he hasty tidings of anything that beareth charge, by
his couriers, that run so hastily throughout all the country. And
also when the Emperor sendeth his couriers hastily throughout his
land, every one of them hath a large throng full of small bells,
and when they neigh near to the inns of other couriers that be also
ordained by the journeys, they ring their bells, and anon the other
couriers make them ready, and run their way unto another inn. And
thus runneth one to other, full speedily and swiftly, till the
emperor's intent be served, in all haste. And these couriers be
clept CHYDYDO, after their language, that is to say, a messenger,
Also when the emperor goeth from one country to another, as I have
told you here before, and he pass through cities and towns, every
man maketh a fire before his door, and putteth therein powder of
good gums that be sweet smelling, for to make good savour to the
emperor. And all the people kneel down against him, and do him
great reverence. And there, where religious Christian men dwell,
as they do in many cities in the land, they go before him with
procession with cross and holy water, and they sing, VENI CREATOR
SPIRITUS! with an high voice, and go towards him. And when he
heareth them, he commandeth to his lords to ride beside him, that
the religious men may come to him. And when they be nigh him with
the cross, then he doth adown his galiot that sits on his head in
manner of a chaplet, that is made of gold and precious stones and
great pearls, and it is so rich, that men prize it to the value of
a realm in that country. And then he kneeleth to the cross. And
then the prelate of the religious men saith before him certain
orisons, and giveth him a blessing with the cross; and he inclineth
to the blessing full devoutly. And then the prelate giveth him
some manner fruit, to the number of nine, in a platter of silver,
with pears or apples, or other manner fruit. And he taketh one.
And then men give to the other lords that be about him. For the
custom is such, that no stranger shall come before him, but if he
give him some manner thing, after the old law that saith, NEMO
ACCEDAT IN CONSPECTU MEO VACUUS. And then the emperor saith to the
religious men, that they withdraw them again, that they be neither
hurt nor harmed of the great multitude of horses that come behind
him. And also, in the same manner, do the religious men that dwell
there, to the empresses that pass by them, and to his eldest son.
And to every of them they present fruit.
And ye shall understand, that the people that he hath so many hosts
of, about him and about his wives and his soil, they dwell not
continually with him. But always, when him liketh, they be sent
for. And after, when they have done, they return to their own
households, save only they that be dwelling with him in household
for to serve him and his wives and his sons for to govern his
household. And albeit, that the others be departed from him after
that they have performed their service, yet there abideth
continually with him in court 50,000 men at horse and 200,000 men a
foot, without minstrels and those that keep wild beasts and divers
birds, of the which I have told you the number before.
Under the firmament is not so great a lord, ne so mighty, ne so
rich as is the great Chan; not Prester John, that is emperor of the
high Ind, ne the Soldan of Babylon, ne the Emperor of Persia. All
these ne be not in comparison to the great Chan, neither of might,
ne of noblesse, ne of royalty, ne of riches; for in all these he
passeth all earthly princes. Wherefore it is great harm that he
believeth not faithfully in God. And natheles he will gladly hear
speak of God. And he suffereth well that Christian men dwell in
his lordship, and that men of his faith be made Christian men if
they will, throughout all his country; for he defendeth no man to
hold no law other than him liketh.
In that country some men hath an hundred wives, some sixty, some
more, some less. And they take the next of their kin to their
wives, save only that they out-take their mothers, their daughters,
and their sisters of the mother's side; but their sisters on the
father's side of another woman they may well take, and their
brothers' wives also after their death, and their step-mothers also
in the same wise.
CHAPTER XXVI
OF THE LAW AND THE CUSTOMS OF THE TARTARIANS DWELLING IN CATHAY.
AND HOW THAT MEN DO WHEN THE EMPEROR SHALL DIE, AND HOW HE SHALL BE
CHOSEN
THE folk of that country use all long clothes without furs. And
they be clothed with precious cloths of Tartary, and of cloths of
gold. And their clothes be slit at the side, and they be fastened
with laces of silk. And they clothe them also with pilches, and
the hide without; and they use neither cape ne hood. And in the
same manner as the men go, the women go, so that no man may unneth
know the men from the women, save only those women that be married,
that bear the token upon their heads of a man's foot, in sign that
they be under man's foot and under subjection of man.
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