All These Things Were Divided
Between The Emperor And His Dukes, And The Dukes Divided Their Portions
Among Their Followers, Each According To His Pleasure.
SECTION XXX.
Of the Separation between the Emperor and his Mother, and of the Death of
Jeroslaus Duke of Russia.
Leaving this place we came to another, where a wonderfully grand tent, all
of red cloth, was pitched, the gift of the Cathayans. At this place
likewise, we were introduced into the presence; and always on these
occasions we were offered beer and wine to drink, and boiled flesh to eat
when we were inclined. In this tent there was a lofty gallery made of
boards, on which the imperial throne was placed, most exquisitely carved in
ivory, and richly decorated with gold and precious stones; and, if we
rightly remember, there were several steps by which to ascend the throne.
This throne was round above. There were benches all around, where the
ladies sat on the left hand, upon stools, and no one sat aloft on the right
hand, but the dukes sat below on benches, in the middle of the tent. Others
sat behind them, and every day there came great numbers of ladies to the
court. These three tents which we have mentioned, were of wonderful
magnitude; and the wives of the emperor had other tents, sufficiently large
and beautiful, made of white felt. At this place, the emperor took leave of
his mother, who went to one part of the land, and he to another, to
distribute justice. About this time, a concubine belonging to the emperor
was detected, who had poisoned his father, at the time when the Tartar army
was in Hungary, and owing to which incident, they had been ordered to
return. She, and a considerable number of her accomplices, were tried and
put to death. Soon afterwards, Jeroslaus, the great duke of Soldal[1] in
Russia, being invited, as if to do him honour, by the emperor's mother, to
receive meat and drink from her hand, grew sick immediately after returning
to his lodging, and died in seven days illness, his whole body becoming
strangely of a blue colour; and it was currently reported that he had been
poisoned, that the Tartars might freely and totally possess his land.
[1] Called Susdal in a former passage. - E.
SECTION XXXI.
How the Friars, in the presence of the Emperor, interchanged Letters
Soon afterwards, the emperor sent us to his mother, as he intended to set
up a flag of defiance against all the nations of the west, as has been
mentioned before; and he was desirous to keep this circumstance from our
knowledge. Having remained some days with his mother, we returned to his
court, where we continued a whole month, in such extreme distress for
victuals and drink, that we could hardly keep ourselves alive; for the
provisions allowed us for four days, were scarcely sufficient to serve us
for one day, neither could we go to purchase at the public market, as it
was too far from us. But God sent to our aid a Russian goldsmith, named
Cosmas, who was considerably favoured by the emperor, and who procured us
some food. This man shewed us the imperial throne and seal, both of which
he had been employed to make.
After some time, the emperor sent for us, and intimated, by Chingay, his
secretary, that we should write down our messages and affairs, and deliver
them to him, which we did accordingly. Many days afterwards, we were again
called to the presence, and were asked if there were any persons about the
Pope who understood the Russian, Arabic, or Tartarian languages. To this we
answered that we were ignorant of these languages, and though there were
Saracens in our land, they inhabited at a great distance from our lord the
Pope; and we proposed, that when they had written in the Tartar language,
they might explain the meaning to us, which we would carefully write down
in our language, and would then deliver both the originals and the
translation to his holiness. On this they went from us to the emperor. We
were again called upon at Martinmas, when Kadac, the chief minister of the
empire, with Chingay and Bala, and several scribes, came to us and
explained the emperor's letter, word for word; and when we had written it
in Latin, they made us interpret every sentence to them, to see if we had
any way erred. And when both letters were written, they made us read them
over twice more, lest any thing were mistaken: Saying, "Take heed that
every thing be well understood, as great inconvenience might arise from
wrong conception." They gave us likewise a copy of the emperor's letters in
Arabic, in case any one might be found who could explain them in our
country.
SECTION XXXII.
The Papal Envoys receive a Licence to depart.
These Tartar ministers informed us, that the emperor proposed to send
envoys along with us; and it seemed to us, that they wished we should ask
this from the emperor, and one of the principal among them advised us to
make that request. But this did not appear at all convenient, and we
answered, that it did not become us to make any such petition; but if it
were the pleasure of the emperor to send envoys, we should use our utmost
endeavour, with God's assistance, to conduct them in safety. We were averse
from this measure, for the following reasons: Lest, seeing the wars and
dissensions which subsisted among the Christians, they should be the more
encouraged to make war upon us: We were afraid that the messengers were
meant to act as spies, to examine the approaches to our land: We dreaded
that they might be slain by the way: for when the servants which attended
us, by desire of the cardinal legate of Germany, were on their return to
him, they were well nigh stoned to death by the Germans, and forced to put
off that hateful dress:
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