Immediately Within The Door There Stood A Bench Planted With Cosmos And
Drinking Cups.
All Sartachs wives were assembled in the house; and the
Moals, or rich Tartars, pressing in along with us, incommoded us
exceedingly.
Then Coiat carried the censer with incense to Sartach, who
took it in his hand, examining it narrowly. He next carried him the
psalter, which he and the wife who sat next him minutely inspected. After
which the bible was carried to him, on which he asked if it contained our
Gospel? To which I answered, that it contained that, and all our other Holy
Scriptures. I next delivered to him your majestys letter, with its
translation into the Arabian and Syriac languages, which I had procured to
be done at Acon[1]; and there happened to be present certain Armenian
priests, who were skilful in the Turkish and Arabian languages, and
likewise the before mentioned templar had knowledge of both these and the
Syriac. We then went out of the house and put off our vestments, and we
were followed by Coiat, accompanied by certain scribes, by whom our letters
were interpreted; and when Sartach had heard these read, he graciously
accepted our bread, wine, and fruits, and permitted us to carry our books
and vestments to our own lodgings. All this happened on the festival of St
Peter ad Vincula.
[1] Now called St Jean d'Acre. - E.
SECTION XVIII.
They are ordered to proceed to Baatu, the Father of Sartach.
Next morning early a certain priest, who was the brother of Coiat, came to
our lodging, and desired to have our box of chrism to carry, as he said, to
Sartach. About evening Coat sent for us, and said that the king our master
had written acceptably to his lord and master Sartach; but there were
certain difficult matters, respecting which he did not dare to determine
without the orders and advice of his father, and that it was, therefore,
necessary that we should go to his father, leaving the two carts behind us
in which we brought the books and vestments, because his lord was desirous
to examine these things more carefully. Suspecting the evil that might
arise from this man's covetousness, I immediately said that we would not
only leave these carts, but the other two also under his custody. You shall
not, said he, leave these two carts behind, but as for the other two, we
will satisfy your desire. But I insisted upon leaving them all. He then
desired to know whether we intended to remain in the country? To which I
answered, that if he had thoroughly understood the letters of my lord and
master, he would have seen that we were so inclined. And he then exhorted
us to demean ourselves with patience, and humility; after which we parted
for that evening.
Next day Coiat sent a Nestorian priest for the carts, to whom we caused all
the four to be delivered. After whom the brother of Coiat came to our
lodging, and took possession of all the books and vestments which we had
shewn the day before at the court; although we remonstrated against this
procedure, saying that Coiat had ordered us to carry those things along
with us, that we might appear in them before Baatu; but he took them from
us by violence, saying, "you brought all these things to Sartach, and would
you carry them to Baatu?" And when I would have reasoned with him against
this conduct, he desired me not to be too talkative, but to go my way.
There was no remedy but patience, as we could not have access to Sartach,
and we could not expect to procure justice from any other person. I was
even afraid to employ our interpreter on this occasion, lest he might have
represented matters in a quite different sense from what I should direct,
as he seemed much inclined for us to give away all we had. My only comfort
was, that I had secretly removed the bible and some other books, on which I
set a great store, when I first discovered their covetous intentions; but I
did not venture to abstract the psalter, because it was so particularly
distinguished by its beautifully gilded illuminations. When the person came
who was appointed to be our guide to the court of Baatu, I represented to
him the necessity of leaving our other carts behind, as we were to travel
post; and on this being reported to Coiat, he consented to take charge of
these, and of our servant. Before leaving the residence of Sartach, Coiat
and other scribes desired that we should by no means represent their lord
to Baatu as a Christian, but as a Moal: for though they believe some things
concerning Christ, they are very unwilling to be called Christians, which
they consider as a national appellation; and they look upon their own name
of Moal as worthy to be exalted above all others. Neither do they allow
themselves to be called Tartars: as that is the name of another nation,
according to the information I received at this place. Leaving the station
of Sartach, we travelled directly eastwards for three days, on the last of
which we came to the Etilia or Volga, and I wondered much from what regions
of the north such mighty streams should descend.
SECTION XIX.
Of the Reverence shewn by Sartach, Mangu-khan, and Ken-chan, to the
Christians.
At the time when the Francs took Antioch from the Saracens[1], a prince
named Con-can, or Khen-khan, held dominion over all the northern regions of
Tartary. Con is a proper name, and can or khan is a title of dignity,
signifying a diviner or soothsayer, and is applied to all princes in these
countries, because the government of the people belongs to them through
divination. To this prince the Turks of Antioch sent for assistance against
the Francs, as the whole nation of the Turks came originally from the
regions of Tartary.
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