And Passing Through Comania We Rode Most Earnestly, Hauing Change Of Horses Fiue Times Or Oftener In A Day, Except When We Went Through Deserts, For Then We Were Allowed Better And Stronger Horses, Which Could Vndergoe The Whole Labour.

And thus farre had we trauailed from the beginning of Lent vntill eight dayes after Easter.

[Sidenote: A description of Comania.] The land of Comania on the North side immediately after Russia, hath the people called Morduym Byleri, that is, Bulgaria magna, the Bastarci, that is, Hungaria magna, next vnto the Bastarci, the Parosita and the Samogeta. [Sidenote: The North Ocean.] Next vnto the Samogeta are those people which are sayd to haue dogges faces, inhabiting vpon the desert shores of the Ocean. On the South side it hath the Alani, the Circassi, the Gazari, Greece and Constantinople, also the land of Iberia, the Cathes, the Brutaches who are said to be Iewes shauing their heads all ouer, the landes also of Scythia, of Georgia, of Armenia, of Turkie. On the West side it hath Hungaria, and Russia. Also Comania is a most large and long countrey. The inhabitantes whereof called Comani the Tartars, slewe, some notwithstanding fled from them, and the rest were subdued vnder their bondage. But most of them that fled are returned againe. [Sidenote: The lande of the Kangitta.] Afterward wee entred the lande of the Kangitta, which in many places hath great scarcetie of waters, wherin there are but fewe inhabitants by reason of the foresayd defect of water. [Sidenote: Ieroslaus duke of Russia.] For this cause diuers of the seruants of Ieroslaus duke of Russia, as they were traueiling towards him into the land of Tartaria, died for thirst, in that desert. As before in Comania, so likewise in this countrey, wee found many skulles and bones of dead men lying vpon the earth like a dunghill. Through this countrey we were traueiling from the eight day after Easter vntil Ascension day. The inhabitants therof were Pagans, and neither they nor the Comanians vsed to till the ground, but liued onely vpon cattell, neither built they any houses but dwelled in tents. These men also haue the Tartars rooted out, and doe possesse and inhabite their countrey, howbeit, those that remained are reduced into their bondage.

Qualiter ad primam Imperatoris futuri curiam deuenerunt. Cap. 24.

[Sidenote: Terra Biserminorum.] Porro de terra Kangittarum intrauimus terram Biserminorum, qui loquuntur lingua Comanica, sed legem tenent Sarracenorum. In hac etiam terra inuenimus vrbes innumeras cum castris dirutas, villasque multas desertas. [Sidenote: Altisoldanus.] Huius Dominus dicebatur Altisoldanus, qui cum tota sua progenie a Tartaris est destructus. [Sidenote: Montes maximi.] Habet autem hac terra montes maximos. Et a meridie quidem habet Hierosalem et Baldach, totamque Sarracenorum terram. Atque in finibus illis propinquis morantur duo fratres carnales, [Sidenote: Burin. Cadan. Oceanus ab Aquilone. Syban, frater Bathy.] Tartarorum Duces, scilicet Burin et Cadan, filij Thiaday, qui fuit filius Chingischam. Ab Aquilone vero terram habet nigrorum Kythaorum and Oceanum. In illa vero moratur Syban, frater Bathy.

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