Then I Sayd, Because It Was The Euen Of So Great And So Solemne A Feast Day, That We Would Not Eate Any Flesh For That Time.

And I expounded vnto them the solemnitie of the sayd feast, whereat they greatly reioyced:

For they were ignorant of all things appertayning to Christian religion, except only the name of Christ. They and many other Christians, both Russians, and Hungarians demanded of vs, whether they might be saued or no, because they were constrained to drinke Cosmos, and to eate the dead carkases of such things, as were slaine by the Saracens, and other infidels? Which euen the Greeke and Russian priests themselues also esteeme as things strangled or offered vnto idoles: because they were ignorant of the times of fasting, neither could they haue obserued them albeit they had knowen them. Then instructed I them as well as I could and strengthened them in the faith. As for the flesh which they had brought we reserued it vntill the feast day. [Sidenote: Cloth is the chiefe marchandise in Tartarie.] For there was nothing to be sold among the Tartars for gold and siluer, but only for cloth and garments of the which kind of marchandise wee had none at all. When our seruants offered them any coine called Yperpera, they rubbed it with their fingers, and put it vnto their noses, to try by the smell whether it were copper or no. Neither did they allow vs any foode but cowes milke onely which was very sowre and filthy. There was one thing most necessary greatly wanting vnto vs. For the water was so foule and muddy by reason of their horses, that it was not meete to be drunk. And but for certaine bisket, which was by the goodnes of God remaining vnto vs, we had vndoubtedly perished.

De Saraceno qui dixit se velle baptizari, et de hominibus qui apparent leprosi. Cap. 14.

In die pentecostes venit ad nos quidam Saracenus, qui cum loqueretur nobiscum, incepimus exponere fidem. Qui audiens beneficia Dei exhibita humano generi in incarnatione Christi, et resurrectionem mortuorum, et indicium futurum, et quod ablutio peccatorum esset in baptismo: dixit se velle baptizari. Et cum pararemus nos ad baptizandum eum, ipse subito ascendit equum suum, dicens se iturum domum et habiturum consilium cum vxore sua. Qui in crastino loquens nobiscum, dixit quod nullo modo auderet accipere baptisma, quia tunc non biberet cosmos. Christiani enim illius loci hoc dicebant, quod nullus verus Christianus deberet bibere: et sine potu illo non posset viuere in solitudine illa. A qua opinione nullo modo potui diuertere illum. Vnde noueritis pro certo quod multum elongantur a fide propter illam opinionem qua iam viguit inter illos per Rutenos, quorum maxima multitude est inter eos. Illa die dedit nobis ille capitaneus vnum hominem, qui nos deduceret vsque ad Sartach et duos qui ducerent nos vsque ad proximam herbergiam; qua inde distabat quinque dietas prout boues poterant ire. Dederunt etiam nobis vnam capram pro cibo et plures vtres lactis vaccini, et de cosmos parum: quia illud preciosum est inter illos. Et sic arripientes iter recte in aquilonem, visum fuit mihi quod vnam portam inferni transissemus. Garciones qui ducebant nos, incipiebant nobis audacter furari, quia videbant nos parum cautos. Tandem amissis pluribus vexatio dabat nobis intellectum Peruenimus tandem ad extremitatem illius prouinca, qua clauditur vno fossato ab vno mari vsque ad aliud: extra quam erat herbergia eorum apud quos intrassemus: videbantur nobis leprosi omnes: [Sidenote: Salina.] quia erant viles homines ibi collocati, vt reciperent tributum ab accipientibus sal a salinis superius dictis. Ab illo loco, vt dicebant, oportebat nos ambulare quindecim diebus, quibus non inueniremus populum. Cum illis bibimus cosmos: et dedimus illis vnum veringal plenum fructibus et panem biscoctum. [Sidenote: Decem dieta.] Qui dederunt nobis octo boues, vnam captram pro tanto itinere, et nescio quot vtres plenos lacte vaccino. Sic mutatis bobus arripuimus iter, quod perfecimus decem diebus vsque ad aliam herbergiam: nec inuenimus aquam in ilia via nisi in fossis in conuallibus factis, exceptis duobus paruis fluminibus. Et tendebamus recte in orientem ex quo exiuimus pradictam prouinciam Gasaria, habentes mare ad meridiem et vastam solitudinem ad aquilonem: qua durat per viginti dietas alicubi in latitudine; In qua nulla est sylua, nullus mons, nullus lapis. Herba est optima. In hac solebant pascere Comani, qui dicuntur Capchat. A Teutonicis vero dicuntur Valani, et prouincia Valania. Ab Isidoro vero dicitur a flumine Tanai vsque ad paludes Meotidis et Danubium Alania. Et durat ista terra in longitudine a Danubio vsque Tanaim; qui est terminus Asia; et Europa, itinere duorum mensium velociter equitando prout equitant Tartari: [Sidenote: Comania longitudo.] Qua tota inhabitabatur a Comanis Capchat, et etiam vltra a Tanai vsque [Marginal note: Etilia qua et Volga flumen.] Etiliam: Inter qua flumina sunt decem diete magna. [Sidenote: Russia.] Ad aquilonem vero istius prouincia iacet Russia, qua vbique syluas habet, et protenditur a Polonia et Hungaria vsque Tanaim: qua tota vastata est a Tartaris, et adhuc quotidie vastatur. Praponunt enim Rutenis, quia sunt Christiani, Saracenos: et cum non possunt amplius dare aurum vel argentum, ducunt eos et paruulos eorum tanquam greges ad solitudinem vt custodiant animalia eorum. [Sidenote: Prussia.] Vltra Russiam ad aquilonem est Prussia, quam nuper subiugauerunt totam fratres Teutonici. Et certe de facili acquierent Russiam, si apponerent manum. Si enim Tartari audirent, quod magnus sacerdos, hoc est, Papa faceret cruce signari contra eos, omnes fugerunt ad solitudines suas.

The same in English.

Of a Saracen which said that he would be baptized: and of certaine men which seemed to be lepers. Chap. 14.

Vpon the day of Pentecost there came vnto vs a certain Saracen, vnto whome, as hee talked with vs, we expounded the Christian faith. Who (hearing of God's benefits exhibited vnto mankind by the incarnation of our Sauior Christ, and the resurrection of the dead, and the iudgement to come, and that in baptisme was a washing away of sinnes) sayd that hee would be baptized. But when we prepared our selues to the baptising of him, he suddenly mounted on horsebacke, saying that he would goe home and consult with his wife what were best to be done.

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