They Know Nothing Concerning Eternall Life, And Euerlasting Damnation, And Yet They Thinke, That After Death They Shall Liue In Another World, That They Shall Multiply Their Cattell, That They Shal Eate And Drinke And Doe Other Things Which Liuing Men Performe Here Vpon Earth.

[Sidenote:

The Tartars worship the moone.] At a new moone, or a full moone, they begin all enterprises that they take in hand, and they call the moone the Great Emperour, and worship it vpon their knees. All men that abide in their tabernacles must be purified with fire: Which purification is on this wise. [Sidenote: Their custome of purifying.] They kindle two fires, and pitch two Iauelines into the ground neere vnto the said fires, binding a corde to the tops of the Iauelines. And about the corde they tye certaine iagges of buckram, vnder which corde, and betweene which fires, men, beastes, and tabernacles do passe. There stand two women also, one on the right side, and another on the left casting water, and repeating certaine charmes. If any man be slaine by lightning, all that dwell in the same tabernacle with him must passe by fire in maner aforesaid. For their tabernacles, beds, and cartes, their feltes and garments, and whatsoeuer such things they haue, are touched by no man, yea, and are abandoned by all men as things vncleane. And to bee short, they think that all things are to be purged by fire. Therefore, when any ambassadours, princes, or other personages whatsoeuer come vnto them, they and their giftes must passe betweene two fires to be purified, lest peraduenture they haue practised some witchcraft, or haue brought some poyson or other mischiefe with them.

De initio imperij siue Principatus eorum. Cap. 8.

[Sidenote: Tartaria populi.] Terra quidem ilia Orientalis, de qua dictum est supra, qua Mongal nominatur, quatuor quondam habuisse populos memoratur. Vnus eorum Yeka Mongal, id est, magni Mongali vocabantur. Secundus Sumongal, id est, aquatici Mongali, qui seipsos appellabant Tartaros, a quodam fluuio per eorem terram currente, qui Tartar nominatur. Tertius appellabatur Merkat. Quartus vero Metrit. Omnes vnam personarum formam et vnam linguam habebant hi populi, quamuis inter se per Principes ac prouincias essent diuisi. [Sidenote: Chingis ortus et res gesta.] In terra Yeka Mongal quidam fuit, qui vocabatur Chingis. Iste coepit robustus venator esse: didicit enim homines furari, et pradam capere. Ad alias terras ibat, et quoscunque poterat, captiuabat, sibique associabat. Homines quoque sua gentis inclinauit ad se, qui tanquam Ducem sequebantur ipsum ad male agendum. Coepit autem pugnare cum Sumongal, siue cum Tartaris, et Ducem eorem interfecit, multoque bello sibi Tartaros omnes subiecit, et in seruitutem redigit. Post hac cum istis omnibus contra Merkatas, iuxta tenam positos Tartarorum pugnauit, quos etiam bello sibi subiecit. [Sidenote: Naymani. Infra cap. 25.] Inde procedens contra Metritas pugnam exercuit, et illos etiam obtinuit. Audientes Naymani, quod Chingis taliter eleuatus esset, indignati sunt. Ipsi enim habuerant Imperatorem strenuum valde, cui dabant tributum cuncta nationes pradicta. [Sidenote: Fratres discordantes oppressi.] Qui cum esset mortuus, filij eius successerunt loco ipsius.

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