Chapter XIII.

OF THE CITY OF CARACARUM, AND OF THE TARTARS, WITH A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THAT NATION, AND OF THEIR MONARCHS.

Having passed over the aforesaid desert, you come unto the city Careoran, or Caracarum, a large place, which is in compass three miles, strongly fortified with earth, for stone they have none. Near it is a great castle, and in it the Governor’s fair palace. This was a place, near which in old times the Tartars assembled themselves, and here therefore we will declare how they began to reign. They dwelt in the north parts, viz., in Curza and Bargu, where are many vast plains, without cities and towns, but abounding in pastures, rivers, and lakes. They had not a prince of their nation, but paid tribute to a certain great king named, as I have heard in their language, Umcan, which in some men’s opinion, in our language signifieth presbyter, or priest John. To him the Tartars gave yearly the tenths of all their beasts. In process of time the Tartars so increased in multitudes, that Umcan was afraid of them, and thought to disperse them into several parts of the world, and therefore when any of them, rebelled, he sent three or four hundred Tartars into those parts, so diminishing their power: and the like he did on other occasions, deputing some of their nobility for that purpose. They, seeing their ruin intended, and loth to be separated one from another, went from the places where they dwelt to the desert towards the north, where they might be safe, and denied Umcan their accustomed tribute.

It happened that about the year A.D. 1162, the Tartars having continued for some time in those parts, chose a king among themselves, a wise, and valiant man, named Zingis-Khan; he began to reign with such justice, that he was beloved and feared of all as a god rather than a prince, insomuch that his fame brought all the Tartars in all parts to his subjection, and he, seeing himself lord over so many valiant men, determined to leave these deserts, and commanding them to provide bows and other weapons, began to subdue cities and provinces, in which conquests he placed such just governors, that the people were not displeased. The chief of them he carried along with him, bestowing on them provisions and gifts. Seeing, therefore, that he was advanced to so great glory and power, he sent ambassadors politicly to Umcan, to entreat that he would bestow his daughter upon him to be his wife, which he taking in very evil part, answered with indignation, and rejecting the ambassadors of Zingis, said, “Doth my servant demand my daughter? Get ye out of my sight, and tell your master, if he ever make such demand again, I will make him die a miserable death.”

But King Zingis, levying a great army, marched boldly, and encamped in a certain great plain named Tanduc, sending unto the king, and signifying unto him that he should defend himself; but he, commanding a mighty army, descended to the plains, and pitched his tent within ten miles of the camp of the Tartars. Then Zingis commanded his astrologers to show him what event and success the battle should have. They, cutting a reed lengthwise in two parts, stuck the pieces by themselves into the ground, and wrote upon the one Zingis, and the other Umcan, and said unto the king, In the mean space while we read, it shall come to pass, by the idol’s power, that these two parts of the reed shall fight together, and whose part shall fall on the other, the king shall obtain victory in the battle. The multitude therefore running together to behold that spectacle, the astrologers began to mumble their prayers, and read their enchantments; when presently the parts of the reed being moved, fought together, until the part of Zingis ascended upon the part of Umcan; which being seen by the Tartars, assured of the future victory, they were encouraged to the battle, and Umcan being slain, the victory and kingdom, and Umcan’s daughter, remained to Zingis.

Zingis reigned six years after this, in which he conquered many provinces; and lastly, when he endeavoured to win a certain castle called Thaigin, and came somewhat too near, being shot in the knee by an arrow, he died, and was buried in the mountain Altai. The first king of the Tartars was called Zingis, the second Khen-Khan, the third Bathyn-Khan, the fourth Efu-Khan, the fifth Mangu-Khan, the sixth Kublai-Khan, whose power is greater than all his predecessors, having inherited theirs, and adding by conquest in a manner the rest of the world; for he lived near sixty years in his government. The name Khan signifieth Emperor. All the Great Khans and Princes of the blood of Zingis are carried to the mountain of Altai to be buried, wheresoever they die, although one hundred days’ journey from it; and they which carry the corpse to the burial kill all those that they meet in the way, saying, “Go and serve our Lord the King in another life;” they kill also the best horses. When the body of the Great Khan-Mangu, the predecessor of Khan-Kublai, was brought unto the mountain Altai to be buried, the soldiers accompanying the funeral are reported to have slain above ten thousand men upon the aforesaid occasion.

The Tartarian women are most faithful to their husbands. Adultery is the greatest shame amongst them; yet it is accounted lawful and honest that every one may marry as many wives as he is able to maintain, although the first be looked upon as principal, and more honourable than the rest. These live together in one house, without one ill word, in admirable concord, make their merchandises, buy and sell, and procure all things necessary to their husbands and household, the men meddling with nothing but their hunting, hawking, and things pertaining to arms. They have the best falcons in the world, and also dogs; they live only on flesh and milk, and what they take in hunting. They eat horses, camels, dogs, if fat; and drink mares’ milk, called cosmos, so managed that it is like white wine. If the father dies, the son may have all his wives, except his own mother and sisters; so the brother being dead, it is lawful for the brother who remaineth alive to marry the widow of his deceased brother. The husbands receive no dowry of the wives, but they themselves assign dowry to the wives and their mothers. Through the multitude of their wives, the Tartars have many children; nor is this multitude burthensome, seeing they gain much through their labour; besides, they are very careful for the government of the family and the preparation of their food, and with no less care execute the other duties of the house; but the men apply themselves wholly to hunting, fowling, and the exercise of arms.

The Tartars feed many herds of oxen, flocks of sheep, and other beasts and cattle, and remain with them in places of pasture, in the summer time, in the mountains and colder places, where they find pasture and wood; but in the winter they remove to the hotter countries, where they find pasture for their cattle, marching forwards two or three months together. Their houses are covered with sticks and felts, and are commonly round, which they carry with them in carts or waggons, with four wheels; for they can fold and extend them, set them up and take them down; and they turn, wheresoever they go, the door of those movable houses always to the south. They have also neat carts of two wheels, covered with felt, so close that the rain cannot pierce through them, drawn by oxen and camels, wherein they carry their wives, children, and necessary household stuff, and defend them from the injury of foul weather and rain.

The Tartars, if they be rich, are clothed in sables, ermines, and cloth of gold, and all their furniture is costly. Their arms are bows, swords, poleaxes, and some lances; but they can best use their bows, to which they are used from their childhood: they are hardy, active, brave, but somewhat cruel; will continue two days and nights on horseback, armed, exceeding patient, and obedient to their lords; their cattle also are strong and hardy. The law and faith of the Tartars is this: they say that there is one Great God, supreme in heaven, of whom, with daily incense, they desire good understanding and health. They have another which they call Natigay, which is a little image covered with felt, or some other thing, which every one hath in his house. To this god they make a wife and children, placing the wife’s image at the left hand, and the representations of the children before his face. This they call the god of earthly things, which keeps their children, and their beasts, and corn, and give it great reverence. Before they eat themselves, they anoint the mouths of the images with fat of the sodden flesh; and they cast the broth out of doors, in honour of other spirits, saying that now their god with his family has had their part, and after they eat and drink at pleasure.

If the son of a Tartar die before he has been married, and the daughter of another die also unmarried, the parents of the deceased meet together, and celebrate a marriage between the dead, and, making a draught in writing of that contract, they paint men and women for servants, horses, and other creatures, with clothes of all sorts, and moneys in paper, and burn them together with the contract; by the smoke whereof they say that all these things are carried to their children in another world, where they are married; and the fathers and mothers conceive they are joined together in such a bond of affinity as if these marriages had been celebrated while the married couple were still living.

When the Tartars go to war, their Prince conducts about a hundred thousand horse, appointing heads over tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands, by which subordination commands are easily maintained; every hundred is called a tuc, every ten a toman: when they begin their march, they send out men every way as scouts, that no enemy assault them unprovided. Of horses and mares, every man has about eighteen. They carry also their felt-houses, under which they shelter themselves in times of rain. When there falls out some important employment, they will ride ten days together without victuals, dry or boiled, and live on the blood of their horses, cutting a vein, and sucking it. They have milk dried like paste, which they make by boiling the milk, and skimming the cream which swims on the top into another vessel, and make butter; afterwards they set the milk in the sun and dry it, and, when they go to the army, carry with them about ten pounds thereof, and every morning a man takes about half a pound, and puts it in a flask, or leather bottle, with as much water as he pleases, which, while he rides, mixes together, and this is his dinner.

When they encounter with their enemies, they ride here and there shooting, and sometimes make a show of flight, shooting as they fly; and finding the enemy broken, rejoin their forces, and pursue the victory, having their horses so at command as with a sign to turn any way. But now the Tartars are mixed and confounded, and so are their fashions. They punish malefactors after this manner: If any steal a thing of small value, and is not to be deprived of life, he is seven times beaten with a cudgel, or seventeen, or seven-and-twenty, or thirty-and-seven, or forty-seven, giving the strokes according to the measure and quality of the offence, and that unto a hundred; some die through these strokes. But if any have stolen a horse, or other thing for the which he deserves to die, he is cut asunder with a sword in the middle; but if he will redeem his life, he may, by restoring the theft nine-fold. Such as have horses, oxen, or camels, brand them with their marks, and send them to feed in the pastures without a keeper. Leaving the city of Caracarum and the mountain Altai, we come unto the champaign country of Bargu, which extends itself northwards about sixty days’ journey in length. The inhabitants of these places are called Medites, and they are subject to the Great Khan, and in manners like the Tartars; they are a sort of savage men, and eat the flesh of beasts which they take by hunting, especially stags, of which they have plenty, and they make them so tame that they can ride them; they have no corn or wine. In the summer they chiefly practise hunting of wild beasts and fowls, on the flesh whereof they may live in the winter; for in winter, fowls, as well as other living things, fly from thence on account of the extremity of the cold.