The Arrival Of Carpini At The Court Of The Emperor Elect.
Leaving this place on the eve of St Peter and Paul, 28th June, we entered
the country of the pagan Naymani[1], and next day was excessively cold,
attended by a great fall of snow.
Indeed this country is very mountainous
and excessively cold, and has very little plain ground, wherefore these
nations had no tillage, but dwelt in tents, which were destroyed by the
Tartars. We travelled through this country for many days, and at length
entered the land of the Mongals, whom we call Tartars. Through this latter
country we continued our journey for about three weeks, continually riding
with great expedition, and at length arrived at the residence of the
emperor elect, on the feast of Mary Magdalen, 22d July. In the whole of
this journey we used extraordinary exertion, as our Tartar guides were
ordered to bring us with all expedition to attend the solemn court which
had been long appointed for the election of the emperor: on which account
we always travelled from early morning till night, without stopping to take
food; and we often came to our quarters so late, as not to get any food
that night, but were forced to eat in the morning what we ought to have had
for supper. We changed horses frequently every day, and travelled
constantly as hard as our horses could trot.
[1] The Soongaria of modern Geography. - E.
SECTION XXVI.
Of the Reception of the papal Nuncios at the court of Kujak, or
Cuyne-Khan.
On our arrival at the court of Cuyne, he ordered us to be provided with a
tent, and all necessary expences, after the Tartar customs, and his people
treated us with more attention and respect than they shewed to any other
messengers. We were not admitted into his presence, as he had not been
formally elected and invested in the empire; but the translation of the
Pope's letters, and of our speech, had been transmitted to him by Baatu.
After remaining in this place for five or six days, we were sent to his
mother, who kept a solemn court. In this place we beheld an immense tent,
so vast, in our opinion, that it could have contained two thousand men;
around which there was an enclosure of planks, painted with various
figures. All the Tartar dukes were assembled in this neighbourhood, with
their attendants, and amused themselves in riding about the hills and
vallies. The first day these were all clothed in white robes. The second
day, on which Cuyne came to the great tent, they were dressed in scarlet.
The third day they were dressed in blue, and on the fourth in rich robes of
Baldakin[1]. In the wall of boards, encircling the great tent, there were
two gates, through one of which the emperor alone was allowed to enter; and
though it stood continually open, there were no guards, as no one dared to
enter or come out by that way.
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