Wasilico,
therefore, or Wasile, must have been a subordinate duke, or a junior
member of the reigning family. - E.
[3] There is a town named Danilovska, near the S. E. frontiers of European
Russia. - E.
[4] From this circumstance, it may be presumed that Kiow was then occupied
by a guard of Tartars, under a commander of a thousand men. - E.
[5] This was the 4th February, probably of 1247. - E.
SECTION XX.
Of his first Reception by the Tartars.
On the first Saturday after Ash-Wednesday, while we were taking up our
quarters for the night, near sunset, a number of armed Tartars came
suddenly upon us, in a threatening manner, demanding who we were. Having
told them that we were messengers from the Pope, and giving them some
victuals, they immediately went away. When we proceeded on our journey
next morning, the chiefs of this guard met us, and demanded to know the
purpose of our journey. We answered "That we were messengers from our Lord
the Pope, the father and lord of the Christians, going to their emperor and
princes, and the whole Tartar nation, to desire peace and friendship
between the Tartars and the Christians: And as the Pope wished the Tartars
to become great, and to acquire the favour of God, he admonished them by
us, and by his letters, to embrace the faith of Christ, without which they
could not be saved: That the Pope was astonished to hear of their monstrous
slaughter of mankind, more especially of the Hungarians, Mountaineers, and
Polanders, who were his subjects, and who had neither injured, or attempted
to injure the Tartars; and as God is sore offended by such proceedings, the
Pope admonished them to refrain in future, and to repent of what they had
done, and requested an answer as to their future intentions." On which they
promised us horses and a guide to Corrensa, but for which favour they
demanded presents. Some of them rode swiftly on before, to inform Corrensa
of our message, and we followed. This Corrensa is general or duke of all
the Tartars who are placed as a guard against the people of the West, lest
some enemy might suddenly invade them; and is said to have 60,000 men under
his command.
SECTION XXI.
His Reception at the Court of Corrensa.
On our arrival at the residence of Corrensa, our tent was ordered to be
pitched at a considerable distance, and his agents came to demand what
gifts we would offer in paying our obeisance to him. We answered that our
lord the Pope had sent no gifts, as he was uncertain if we should ever
arrive at their country, considering the dangerous places we had to pass
through; but that we should honour him with part of those things which had
been given us to defray the charges of our journey. Having received our
gifts, we were conducted to the orda or tent of the duke Corrensa, and
instructed to bow our left knee thrice before his door, taking great care
not to set our feet on the threshold; and when entered, we were to repeat
on our knees the words which we had said before.
