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III.6. CHAPTER VI

THE ACCOUNT WHICH THE MESSENGERS GAVE OF THE TARTAR PEOPLE.

WHILST the King was fortifying Cesarea, the messengers from the Tartars returned; and we will tell you what news they brought. I told you before, how whilst the King was tarrying in Cyprus, there came to him messengers from the Tartars, and gave him to understand, that they would help him to conquer the kingdom of Jerusalem from the Saracens. The King sent them in return messengers of his own, and by these messengers he sent them a chapel, which he had caused to be made for them of scarlet cloth; and to lure them to our faith, he caused to be figured in the chapel all our creed, the Annunciation of the Angel, the Nativity, the Baptism wherewith God was baptised, and all the Passion, and Ascension, and the coming of the Holy Ghost; together with chalices, books,

and all that is needful for singing mass; and two preaching friars to sing masses before them.

The King's messengers put in at the port of Antioch, and from Antioch to the great Tartar King they found it a full year's journey, riding ten leagues each day. They found all the land subject to the Tartars, and many cities which they had destroyed, and great piles of dead men's bones. They inquired, how they had arrived at such a height of power, whereby so many men were dead and overthrown; and the manner of it was as they related to the King.

The Tartars, they said, had their origin in a great sandy plain, where nothing good grew. This plain began at certain marvellous great rocks, that lie at the end of the world towards the East; which rocks no man has ever crossed, as the Tartars testify; and they said that it was there that the race of Gog and Magog were confined, who are to come at the end of the world, when Antichrist shall come to destroy it.

In this plain dwelt the race of the Tartars, and were subject to Prester John, and to the Emperor of the Persians, whose land adjoined his, and to

several other infidel kings to whom they paid tribute and service each year for the pasturage of their flocks; for they lived by these alone.

This Prester John, and the Emperor of Persia, and the other kings held the Tartars in such contempt, that when they brought them their rents, they would not admit them to their faces, but used to turn their backs on them.

Amongst them was a certain wise man, who travelled all through the plains, and talked to the wise men of the plains and the camps, and showed them in what slavery they were living, and begged them all to take counsel together, how they might escape from the bondage in which they were held. Finally he persuaded them to meet together one and all, at the end of the plain, close to Prester John's land, and explained the matter to them; and they replied that, if he would plan, they would act. Then he told them, that they would be unable to carry out any enterprise, unless they had a king and lord over them. And he taught them in what wise they must get them a king, and they obeyed him. And it was in this wise: There were fifty-two tribes and each tribe was to bring him an

arrow inscribed with their names; and by the consent of the whole people, it was agreed that these fifty-two arrows should be laid before a child of five years old, and the one which the child should pick up first, out of that tribe they should take a king.

When the child had lifted one of the arrows, the wise man made all the other tribes withdraw, and it was so arranged, that the tribe from whom a king was to be chosen, should choose from amongst themselves fifty-two of the wisest and best men they had.

When they were chosen, each of them brought to the place an arrow marked with his name, and it was agreed that he whose arrow the child should pick up, the same should be king. And as chance had it, the child picked up the arrow of that very same wise man who had taught them. The people were so delighted, that everyone rejoiced exceedingly.

He made them be silent, and said to them: "Sirs, if you wish me to be your king, you must swear to me by Him who made heaven and earth that you will keep my commandments." And they swore it.

The ordinances he gave them were designed to keep the people at peace; and were on this wise: that no man should steal his neighbour's goods, neither should any man strike another, unless he wished to lose his hand; neither should any man consort with his neighbour's wife nor daughter, unless he would lose his hand or his life. Many other good ordinances he gave them with a view to peace.

After he had ordered and marshalled them, he said to them: "Sirs, the most powerful enemy that we have, is Prester John; and I command you that to-morrow you be all prepared and ready to attack him, and if so be that he defeat us, which God forfend, let each one shift for himself. And if we defeat him, my orders are, that the slaughter continue for three days and three nights; and let no man be so bold as to lay his hand on any booty, neither withhold it from slaying. For when we shall have secured the victory, I will divide the spoil amongst you so well and fairly, that every man shall be well content." To this they all agreed.

The next day, they attacked their enemies, and by God's will, defeated them. All those whom they found armed for defence, they slew, every one, and

those whom they found in a religious dress, priests and other orders, these they did not slay.

The rest of the people in Prester John's land, who were not in the fight, all made submission to them.

One of the princes of one of these tribes was lost for three months, during which time they had no tidings of him, and when he returned, he was neither hungry nor thirsty, and fancied that he had only been absent an evening at most. This story that he brought back was as follows: that he had come to a very high hill, and on the top had met with the most beautiful people that he had ever seen, the best clad, the best adorned. On the summit of the hill, he saw a King sitting, fairer than all the rest, better clad and better adorned upon a throne of gold. On his right sat six crowned kings, richly adorned with precious stones: and as many more on his left.

Close behind him at his right hand there knelt a Queen, who was telling and imploring him to consider his people. To his left was a very handsome man who had two wings that shone like the sun, and all about the King was a throng of beautiful

folk with wings. The King called this Prince and said to him: "Thou art come from the Tartar camp." And he replied, "Sir, that is so." "Thou shalt go hence to them, and shalt tell them that thou hast seen me, who am Lord of heaven and earth; and shalt bid them give thanks to me for the victory that I gave them over Prester John and his people. Tell them, moreover, from me, that I give them power to put all the earth in subjection under them."

" Sir," said the Prince "how shall they believe me? " "Thou shalt bid them believe thee by this token; that thou shalt give battle to the Emperor of Persia, who shall fight against thee with three hundred thousand men-at-arms and more. Before thou go to fight with him, thou shalt desire of thy King to give thee the priests and men of religion, whom he took in the battle; and that which these shall testify to thee, do thou firmly believe, thou and thy people." "Sir," said he, " I cannot find my way, unless thou give me a guide." Then the King turned to a great host of knights, so well armed that they were a wonder to behold, and he called, and said, "Come hither, George," and the one he called came and knelt down. And the

King said to him, "Arise, and guide me this man to his dwelling in safety. " And he did so in a twinkling.

So soon as his people saw him, they made great rejoicings, and all the army likewise, past telling. He asked the great King for the priests, and he gave them to him; and this Prince and all his people received their teachings with such a good grace that they were all baptized. After these things, he picked three hundred men-at-arms, and had them confessed and equipped, and went forth to fight the Emperor of Persia, and overthrew him and drove him from his kingdom; and he came fleeing as far as the kingdom of Jerusalem; and this was the Emperor who overthrew our people and took prisoner Count Walter of Brienne.

The people of this Christian Prince were so numerous, that the King's messengers told us, that they had in their camp eight hundred tented waggons. Their food was as follows: they ate no bread, but lived on meat and milk. Horseflesh is their best meat, and they put it to steep in sauces and then to dry, until it can be cut like black bread. The best and strongest drink they

have is mare's milk fermented with herbs. The great King of the Tartars received the present of a horse laden with flour that had come from a distance of three months' journey, and he gave it to the King's messengers.

There are many Christian peoples among them, who profess the Greek faith, both those of whom we have spoken and others. These they send against the Saracens when they wish to make war on them; and when they have to do with Christians, they send Saracens against them. Women of all sorts that are childless go into battle with them; and they give soldier's pay to the women too, just the same as to the men, according to their strength. Moreover the King's messengers said that the soldiers, male and female, used to eat together in the houses of the rich men to whom they belonged; and the men durst not meddle in any way with the women, because of the law that their first King gave them. They brought all sorts of meats into the camp. They eat everything. Those women that have children, carry them from place to place, tend them, and prepare the food for them that go to battle. The raw meat they put between their

saddles and their horse cloths, and when the blood is well out of it, they eat it quite raw. What they cannot eat, they throw into a leathern bag; and when they are hungry, they just open the bag, and eat the stalest first. Thus, I saw a Khorasmin, one of the Persian Emperor's followers, who used to keep guard over us in prison, and whenever he opened his bag, we used to hold our noses, for we could not endure the stench that came out of the bag.

Now let us return to our subject and tell, how, when the great King of the Tartars had received the messengers and the gifts, he sent to fetch several kings, under safe-conduct, who had not yet come to his mercy; and had the chapel pitched for them to see, and said to them as follows: " Sirs, the King of France has submitted himself to us, and behold! here is the tribute that he sends us, and unless you come to our mercy, we will send for him to destroy you." Many there were, who, for fear of the King of France, came to that King's mercy.

They gave the King's messengers letters from their great King to the King of France, which ran as follows: " A good thing is Peace; for in a land

of peace, those that go on four feet, eat the grass of the field in peace; and they that go on two, till the earth whence all good things in peace proceed. This is for a warning unto thee, for thou canst not obtain peace save from us, and King such-an-one and such-an-one (naming many), all of them have we put to the sword. Therefore we bid thee send us so much of thy gold and of thy silver each year, that thou mayst keep our friendship. And if thou cost not, then will we destroy thee and thy people, even as we have done to those whom we have named."

And know that the King was very sorry that he had ever sent to them.