Let Our Bands Take This Caveat Also, If The Enemie Retire, Not To Make Any Long Pursuit After Him, Lest Peraduenture (According To His Custome) He Might Draw Them Into Some Secret Ambush:

For the Tartar fights more by policie than by maine force.

Those horses which the Tartars vse one day, they ride not vpon three or foure dayes after. Moreouer, if the Tartars draw homeward, our men must not therefore depart and casseir their bandes, or separate themselues asunder: because they doe this vpon policie, namely to haue our armie diuided, that they may more securely inuade and waste the countrey. And in very deede, our captaines ought both day and night to keepe their armie in a readines: and not to lie out of their armour, but at all assayes, to bee prouided for battell. For the Tartars like deuils are alwaies watching and deuising howe to practise mischiefe. Furthermore, if in battell any of the Tartars be cast off their horse backes, they must presently bee layd holde on and taken, for being on foote they shoote strongly, wounding and killing both horses and men.

De itinere Fratris Iohannis de Plano carpini vsque ad primam custodiam Tartarorum. Cap. 19.

Nos igitur ex mandato sedis Apostolica cum iremus ad Orientis nationes, elegimus prius ad Tartaros proficisci: quia timebamus, ne per illos in proximo Ecclesia Dei periculum immineret. [Sidenote: Itinarium Iohann. et sociorum legatorum.] Itaque pergentes, ad regem Boemorum peruenimus: qui cum esset nobis familiaris, consuluit, vt per Poloniam et Russiam iter ageremus. Habebat enim consanguineos in Polinia, quorum auxilo Russiam intrare possemus. [Sidenote: Boleslaus Dux Silesia.] Datisque literis et bono conductu, fecit et expensas nobis dari per curias et ciuitates eius, quo vsque ad Ducem Silesia Bolezlaum, nepotem eius, veniremus, qui etiam erat nobis familiaris et notus. Hinc et ipse nobis similiter fecit, donec veniremus ad Conradum, Ducem [Marginal note: Mazouia.] Lautiscia, ad quem tunc, Dei gratia nobis fauente, venerat Dominus Wasilico, Dux Russia, a quo etiam plenius de facto audiuimus Tartarorum: quia nuncios illuc miserat, qui iam redierant ad ipsum. Audito autem, quod opporteret nos illis munera dare, quasdam pelles castorum et aliorum animalium fecimus emi, de hoc, quod datum nobis fuerat in eleemosynam ad subsidium via. Quod agnoscentes Dux Conradus et [Marginal note: Grimislaua vt Mechouius lib. 1. cap. 9.] Ducissa Cracouia, et Episcopus et quidam milites, plures etiam nobis dederunt huiusmodi pelles. Denique Dux Wasilico a Duce Cracouia, et Episcopo atque Baronibus pro nobis attente rogatus, secum nos in terram suam duxit, et vt aliquantulum quiesceremus aliquot diebus nos in expensis suis detinuit. [Sidenote: Litera Papa ad Russos.] Et cum rogatus a nobis, fecisset Episcopos suos venire, legimus eis literas Domini Papa, monentis eos, ad sancta matris Ecclesia vnitatem redire. Ad idem quoque nos ipsi monuimus eos, et induximus, quantum potuimus, tam Ducem quam Episcopos et alios. [Sidenote: Daniel, frater Basilij.] Sed quia Dux Daniel, frater Wasiliconis pradicti, prasens non erat, quoniam ad Baty profectus erat, non potuerunt eo tempore finaliter respondere. Post hac Dux Wasilico transmisit nos vsque in Kiouiam metropolin Russia, cum seruiente vno.

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