283 and 292-293; Bibl. de
l'Ec. des Chartes, tom. lv. p. 585.)
The decimal division of the army was already made by Chinghiz at an early
period of his career, and was probably much older than his time. In fact
we find the Myriarch and Chiliarch already in the Persian armies of Darius
Hystaspes. From the Tartars the system passed into nearly all the Musulman
States of Asia, and the titles Min-bashi or Bimbashi, Yuzbashi,
Onbashi, still subsist not only in Turkestan, but also in Turkey and
Persia. The term Tman or Tma was, according to Herberstein, still used
in Russia in his day for 10,000. (Ramus. II. 159.)
[The King of An-nam, Dinh Tien-hoang (A.D. 968) had an army of 1,000,000
men forming 10 corps of 10 legions; each legion forming 10 cohorts of 10
centuries; each century forming 10 squads of 10 men. - H. C.]
NOTE 3. - Ramusio's edition says that what with horses and mares there will
be an average of eighteen beasts (?) to every man.
NOTE 4. - See the Oriental account quoted below in Note 6.
So Dionysius, combining this practice with that next described, relates of
the Massagetae that they have no delicious bread nor native wine:
"But with horse's blood
And white milk mingled set their banquets forth."
(Orbis Desc. 743-744.)
And Sidonius:
"Solitosque cruentum
Lac potare Getas, et pocula tingere venis."
(Parag.
