After The Ambassadors Had Made Five
Prostrations, They Sat Down To Table, And Were Treated As At Other Times.
During The Entertainment, Many Comic Tricks Were Acted For The Amusement Of
The Emperor And The Company.
The first performers that appeared were
painted with white and red, like girls, and dressed in gold brocade,
holding nosegays of artificial flowers.
After this, a man lay down on his
back, as if asleep, holding his feet raised up in the air; then another
person held several thick canes in his hands, seven cubits long, placing
the other ends between his legs, on which a youth of ten or twelve years of
age mounted, with surprising agility, and performed several tricks at the
top. At last the canes slipped away from under him, and every person
thought he must have fallen to the ground and been dashed to pieces; but
the pretended sleeper instantly started up and caught him in the air. There
was one musician who played tunes after the twelve different modes of the
Kathayans. Two men played the same air together, each having one hand on
his own instrument, and the other on that of his companion. During this
entertainment, several thousand birds of different kinds flew about the
court of the palace, and lighted among the people, to eat up what they
could find scattered on the ground, without appearing to be in the least
scared at the multitude. During the five months that the ambassadors
remained at Khanbalik, they were regaled at several other banquets, where
plays were acted, much surpassing that now mentioned.
On the seventeenth of the month Zu'lhajjeh, all the criminals were carried
to be punished according to the nature of their offences, and as prescribed
by the laws. The twenty-fifth of Moharram, Mulana Kadhi Yusof sent to
acquaint the ambassadors that next day, being the first of the new year,
according to the reckoning of the Kathayans, the emperor was to go to his
new palace, and that no person must wear white, as that was the dress of
mourning in this country. On the twenty-eighth, at midnight, the Sekjin
came to conduct them to the new palace, which had been nineteen years
building, and was only newly finished. Every person had his house or shop
illuminated, with torches, lanterns, candles, and lamps, so that it
appeared as light as noon-day. At the palace they found an hundred thousand
people, who had come from all parts of Kathay, the countries of Tachin and
Machin, Kalmak, Kabul, Karakoja, Jurga, and the sea coasts. This day the
ambassadors tables were set out of the hall where the throne stood, while
those of the Amirs, or great officers and lords of the court were within;
and there were near two hundred thousand armed men, carrying umbrellas and
bucklers. This feast lasted till the afternoon, and among the music were
many songs in praise of the new palace. To give some idea of this superb
structure, it may be mentioned that, from the gate of the hall to the first
inclosure, measured 1925 paces.
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