What Is Here Translated Their Other Baggage Is, In The
Latin, Alias Res Duriores; Almost With Certainty Mistakenly Rendered
From The French Leurs Autres Hardes.
- E.
SECTION XVIII.
How the Tartars ought to be resisted.
No single kingdom or province can resist the Tartars, as they gather men
for war from every land that is subjected to their dominion; and if any
neighbouring province refuses to join them, they invade and lay it waste,
slaughtering the inhabitants or carrying them into captivity, and then
proceed against another nation. They place their captives in the front of
battle, and if they do not fight courageously they are put to the sword.
Wherefore, if the princes and rulers of Christendom mean to resist their
progress, it is requisite that they should make common cause, and oppose
them with united councils. They ought likewise to have many soldiers armed
with strong bows and plenty of cross-bows[1], of which the Tartars are much
afraid. Besides these, there ought to be men armed with good iron maces, or
with axes having long handles. The steel arrow-heads should be tempered in
the Tartar manner, by being plunged, while hot, into water mixed with salt,
that they may the better be able to penetrate the armour of the Tartars.
Our men ought likewise to have good swords, and lances with hooks to drag
them from their saddles, which is an easy matter; and ought to have good
helmets and armour of proof for themselves and horses:
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