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.