15. [Sidenote: Occoday Succeedeth His Father.

The expedition of Bathy.] After the death of Chingis Cham aforesayd, the dukes assembled themselues and chose Occoday his sonne to be their Emperour.

And he, entering into consultation with his nobles, diuided his armies, and sent duke Bathy his nephew against the countrie of Altisoldan, and against the people called Bisermini, who were Saracens, but spake the language of Comania. The Tartars inuading their countrey, fought with them and subdued them in battel. [Sidenote: The citie of Barchin.] But a certeine citie called Barchin resisted them a long time. For the citizens had cast vp many ditches and trenches about their citie, in regard whereof the Tartars could not take it till they had filled the said ditches. But the citizens of Sarguit hearing this, came foorth to meete them, yeelding themselues vnto them of their owne accord. Whereupon their citie was not destroyed, but they slue manie of them and others they carried away captiue, and taking spoyles, they filled the citie with other inhabitants, and so marched foorth against the citie of Orna. [Sidenote: Orna.] This towne was very populous and exceeding rich. For there were many Christians therein, as namely Gasarians, Russians, and Alanians, with others, and Saracens also. The gouernment of the citie was in the Saracens hande. It standeth vpon a mighty riuer, and is a kinde of porte towne, hauing a great marte exercised therein. And when the Tartars could not otherwise ouercome it, they turned the said riuer, running through the citie, out of his chanell, and so drowned the citie with the inhabitantes and their goods. Which being done, they set forward against Russia, and made foule hauocke there, destroying cities and castles and murthering the people. They laid siege a long while vnto Kiow the chiefe citie of Russia, and at length they tooke it and slue the citizens. Whereupon, traueiling through that countrey, wee found an innumerable multitude of dead mens skulles and bones lying vpon the earth. For it was a very large and a populous citie, but it is nowe in a maner brought to nothing for there doe scarce remaine 200 houses, the inhabitants whereof are kept in extreame bondage. Moreouer, out of Russia and Comania, they proceeded forward against the Hungarians, and the Polonians and there manie of them were slaine, as is aforesaid and had the Hungarians manfully withstood them, the Tartars had beene confounded and driuen backe. [Sidenote: The Morduans.] Returning from thence, they inuaded the countrey of the Morduans being pagans, and conquered them in battell. [Sidenote: Bulgaria magna.] Then they marched against the people called Byleri, or Bulgaria magna, and vtterly wasted the countrey. [Sidenote: Hungaria magna.] From hence they proceeded towards the North against the people called Bastarci or Hungaria magna, and conquered them also. [Sidenote: Parossita.] And so going on further North, they came vnto the Parossita, who hauing little stomacks and small mouthes, eate not any thing at all, but seething flesh they stand or sitte ouer the potte, and receiuing the steame or smoke thereof, are therewith onely nourished, and if they eate anie thing it is very little. [Sidenote: Samogeta.] From hence the came they came to the Samogeta, who liue onely vpon hunting, and vse to dwell in tabernacles onely, and to weare garments made of beastes skinnes. [Sidenote: The North Ocean.] From thence they proceeded vnto a countrey lying vpon the Ocean sea, where they found certaine monsters, who in all things resembled the shape of men, sauing that their feete were like the feete of an oxe, and they had in deede mens heads but dogges faces. [Sidenote: Northerne monsters.] They spake, as it were, two words like men, but at the third they barked like dogges. From hence they retired into Comania, and there some of them remaine vnto this day.

De legatione Cyrpodan Ducis. Cap. 16.

[Sidenote: Expeditius Cyrpodanis.] Eo tempore misit Occoday Can Cyrpodan Ducem cum exercitu ad meridiem contra Kergis, qui et illos bello superauit. Hi homines sunt Pagani, qui pilos in barba non habent. Quorum consuetudo talis est, vt cum alicuius pater moritur, pra dolore quasi vnam corrigiam in signum lamenti ab aure vsque aurem de facie sua leuet. His autem deuicus, Dux Cyrpodan contra Armenios iuit ad meridiem cum suis. Qui cum transirent per deserta quadam, monstra inuenerunt effigiem humanam habentia, qua non nisi vnum brachium cum manu in medio pectoris, et vnum pedem habebant, et duo cum vno arco sagittabant, adeoque fortiter currebant, quod equi eos inuestitare non poterant. Currebant autem super vnum pedem illum saltando, et cum essent fatigati, taliter eundo ibant super manum et pedem, se tanquam in circulo reuoluendo. Cumque sic etiam fessi essent, iterum secundum priorem modum currebant. [Sidenote: Cyclopedes.] Hos Isidorus Cyclopedes appellat. Et ex eis Tartari non nullus occiderunt. Et sicut nobis a Ruthenis Clericis in curia dicebatur, qui morantur cum Imperatore pradicto plures ex eis nuncij venerunt in legatione ad curiam Imperatoris superius annotati, vt possent habere pacem cum illo. [Sidenote: Armenia et Georgia subacta.] Inde procedentes venerunt in Armeniam, quam bello deuicerunt, et etiam Georgia partem. Alia vero pars venit ad mandatum eorum, et singulis annis dederunt, et adhuc dant ei pro tributo xx millia Yperperarum. Hinc ad terram Soldam Deurum potentis et magni, processerunt, cum quo etiam pugnantes, ipsum deuicerunt. [Sidenote: Soklanus Halapia.] Denique processerunt vlterius debellando ac vincendo vsque ad terram Soldani Halapia, et nunc etiam terram obtinent, alias quoque terras vltra illas proponentes impuguare: nec postea reuersi sunt in terram suam vsque hodie. [Sidenote: Calipha Baldacensis.] Idemque exercitus contra terram Caliphi Baldach perrexit, quam etiam sibi subdidit, et vt CCCC Byzantios, exceptis Baldekinis caterisque muneribus, ei quotidie pro tributo daret, obtinuit. Sed et quolibet anno mittunt nuncios ad Caliphum, vt ad eos veniat. Qui cum tributo munera magna trasmittens, vt eum supportent, rogat. Ipse autem Imperator Tartarorum munera quidem accipit, et nihilommus vt veniat, pro eo mittit.

The same in English.

Of the expedition of duke Cyrpodan. Chap. 16.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 27 of 82
Words from 26204 to 27203 of 82784