Of the mutuall victories betweene them, and the pepole of Kythay. Chap. 9.
But the Mongals returning home into their owne countrey prepared themselues
to battell against the Kythayans: [Marginal note: Haython [1] and Paulus
Venetus [2] call them Cathayans. [Footnote 1: Bishop of Basle, was sent by
Charlemagne as ambassador to Nicephorus Emperor of Constantinople, in 811.
He published an account of his journey which he called his _Itinerarium_.
There is a curious capitulary of his, inserted in Lucas of Acheri's
_Spicilegium_.] [Footnote 2: Better known as Fra Paolo, or Paul Sarpi, the
citizen monk of Venice who has been said to have been "a Catholic in
general, but a Protestant in particular". His attempted assassination on
the Piazza of St Mark at Venice by order of Paul V, the Pope is still one
of the fauourite legends of the City of Gondolas. He is said to have
discouered the circulation of the blood. He died in 1623. (See _Native
Races of America_, in Goldsmid's _Bibliothica Curiosa_, p 17).]] Which
their Emperour hearing, set forward against them with his armie, and they
fought a cruell battell, wherein the Mongals were ouercome, and all their
nobles in the armie, except seuen, were slaine. And for this cause, when
they, purposing to inuade anie region, are threatned by the inhabitants
thereof to be slaine, they doe, to this day, answere: in old time also our
whole number besides being slaine, we remayned but seuen of vs aliue, and
yet notwithstanding we are now growen vnto a great multitude, thinke not
therefore to daunt vs with such brags. [Sidenote: New victories.] But
Chingis and the residue that remained aliue, fled home into their countrey:
And hauing breathed him a little, he prepared himselfe to warre, and went
forth against the people called Huyri: These men were Christians of the
sect of Nestorius. [Sidenote: Letters.] And these also the Mongals
ouercame, and receiued letters or learning from them: for before that time
they had not the arte of writing, and nowe they call it the hand or letters
of the Mongals. Immediately after, hee marched against the countrey of
Saruyur, and of the Karanites, and against the land of Hudirat; all which
he vanquished. Then returned he home into his owne countrey, and breathed
himselfe. Afterward, assembling his warlike troupes, they marched with one
accord against the Kythayans, and waging warre with them a long time, they
conquered, a great part of their land, and shut vp their Emperour into his
greatest citie: which citie they had so long time besieged, that they began
to want necessary prouision for their armie. And when they had no victuals
to feede vpon, Chingis Cham commaunded his souldiers that they should eate
euery tenth man of the companie. [Sidenote: Siluer cast at the enemie
instead of stones.] But they of the citie fought manfully against them,
with engines, dartes, and arrowes, and when stones wanted they threw
siluer, and especially melted siluer: for the same citie abounded with
great riches. Also, when the Mongals had fought a long time and could not
preuale by warre, they made a great trench vnderneath the ground from the
armie vnto the middest of the citie, and there issuing foorth they fought
against the citizens, and the remnant also without the walles fought in
like manner. At last, breaking open the gates of the citie, they entred,
and putting the Emperour, with many other to the sworde, they tooke
possession thereof and conueighed away the golde, siluer, and all the
riches therein. And hauing appointed certaine deputies ouer the countrey,
they returned home into their owne lande. [Sidenote: Chigis Cham proclaimed
Emperour.] This is the first time, when the Emperour of the Kythayans being
vanquished, Chingis Cham obtayned the Empire. [Sidenote: Part of Cathay in
the sea.] But some parte of the countrey, because it lyeth within the sea,
they could by no meanes conquere vnto this day. [Sidenote: The letters and
the religion of the Cathayans.] The men of Kytay are Pagans, hauing a
speciall kinde of writing by themselues, and (as it is reported) the
Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament. They haue also recorded in
hystories the liues of their forefathers and they haue Eremites, and
certaine houses made after the manner of our Churches. which in those dayes
they greatly resorted vnto. They say that they haue diuers Saints also, and
they worship one God. They adore and reuerence CHRIST IESUS our Lorde, and
beleeue the article of eternall life, but are not baptized. They doe also
honourably esteeme and reuerence our Scriptures. They loue Christians, and
bestowe much almes, and are a very courteous and gentle people. They haue
no beardes, and they agree partly with the Mongals in the disposition of
their countenance. [Sidenote: Their excelent workmanship.] In all
occupations which men practise, there are not better artificers in the
whole worlde. Their countrey is exceeding rich, in corne, wine, golde,
silke, and other commodities.
De pugna ipsorum contra Indiam minorem et maiorem. Cap. 10.
Cum autem Mongali cum Imperatore suo Chingischam post præfatam victoriam
aliquantulum quieuissent, exercitus suos diuiserunt. [Sidenote: Thossut
Can, Chingis F.] Imperator siquidem vnum de filijs suis nomine Thosut, quem
etiam Can, id est, Imperatorem, appellabant, cum exercitu contra Comanos
misit, quos ille multo bello deuicit, et postmodum in terram suam redijt.
[Sidenote: India minor debellata.] Alium verò filium cum exercitu contra
Indos misit, qui et minorem Indiam subiecit. Hi sunt nigri Sarraceni, qui
Æthiopes sunt vocati. Hic autem excercitus ad pugnam contra Christianos,
qui sunt in India maiori, processit. [Sidenote: Regis maioris Indiæ
stratagema.] Quod audiens Rex illus terræ, qui vulgò [Marginal note: Vide
scolion in lib 1. cap. 51. M. Pauli Veneti.] Presbyter Iohannes appellatur,
contra illos venit exercitu congregato. Et faciens imagines cupreas
hominum, vnamquanque posuit in sella super equum. Posuit et interius ignem,
et hominem cum folle super equum post imaginem. Itàque cum multis equis et
imaginibus, taliter præparatis, ad pugnam contra Mongalos seu Tartaros
processerunt. Et cùm ad locum prælij peruenissent equos istos vnum iuxta
alium præmiserunt. Viri autem qui erant retrò, nescio quid super ignem, qui
erat intra imagines, posuerunt, et cum follibus fortiter sufflauerunt. Vnde
factum est, vt ex Græco igne homines et equi comburerentur, et etiam aër ex
fumo denigrantur. [Sidenote: Victoria.] Tùmque super Tartaros sagittas
iecerunt Indi, ex quibus multi vulnerati fuerunt et interfecti. Sícque
eiecerunt illos cum magna confusione de suis finibus, nec vnquam, quod ad
ipsos vltra redierint audiuimus.
The same in English.
Of their warre against India maior and minor. Chap. 10.
And when the Mongals with their emperour Chingis Cham had a while rested
themselues after the foresayd victorie, they diuided their armies.
[Sidenote: Thossut Can son of Chingis.] For the Emperour sent one of his
sonnes named Thossut (whom also they called Can, that is to say, Emperour)
with an armie against the people of Comania, whom he vanquished with much
warre, and afterward returned into his owne country. [Sidenote: India minor
subdued.] But he sent his other sonne with an armie against the Indians,
who also subdued India minor. These Indians are the blacke Saracens, which
are also called Æthiopians. But here the armie marched forward to fight
against Christians dwelling in India maior. Which the King of that countrey
hearing (who is commonly called Presbiter Iohn) gathered his souldiers
together, and came foorth against them. And making mens images of copper,
he set each of them vpon a saddle on horsebacke, and put fire within them,
and placed a man with a paire of bellowes on the horse backe behinde euery
image. [Sidenote: The stratagem of the king of India.] And so with many
horses and images in such sorte furnished, they marched on to fight against
the Mongals or Tartars. And comming neare vnto the place of the battell,
they first of all sent those horses in order one after another. But the men
that sate behind laide I wote not what vpon the fire within the images, and
blew strongly with their bellowes. Whereupon it came to passe, that the men
and the horses were burnt with wilde fire, and the ayre was darkened with
smoake. Then the Indians cast dartes vpon the Tartars, of whom many were
wounded and slain. And so they expelled them out of their dominions with
great confusion, neither did we heare, that euer they returned thither
againe.
Qualiter ab hominibus caninis repulsi, Burithabethinos vicerunt. Cap. 11.
[Sidenote: De monstrosis mulieribus et canibus monstrosa narratio. Forsam
totem videri allegorica allusio possit ad Canibales de quibus Petrus [1]
Martyr Mediolan de rebus Occatucis. [Footnote 1: Born at Florence in 1500,
he entered the church very young, but the reading of the works of Zwingler
and Bucer led him to join the reformers. He withdrew to Basle, where he
married a young nun. He passed over to England in 1547, and obtained a
chair of Theology at Oxford, but Mary caused him to be expelled. He
withdrew to Augsburg, and thence to Zurich, where he died in 1562. His real
name was Pietro Vermigli.]] Cum autem per deserta redirent, in quandam
terram venerunt, in qua, sicut nobis apud Imperatoris curiam per clericos
Ruthenos, et alios, qui diu fuerant inter ipsos, firmiter asserendo
referebatur, monstra quædam, imaginem foemineam habentia, repererunt. Quas
cùm per multos interpretes interrogassent, vbi viri terræ illius essent,
responderunt, quòd in illa terra quænunque foeminæ nascebantur, habebant
formam humanam, masculi vero speciem caninam. Dumque moram in terra illa
protraherent, Canes in alia fluuij parte conuenerunt. Et cùm esset hyems
asperrima omnes se in aquam proiecerunt. Post hæc incontinenti sponte in
puluerem voluebantur, sícque puluis admixtus aquæ super eos corugelabatur,
et vt ita pluries fecerunt, glacie super eos depressata, cum impetu magno
contra Tartaros ad pugnam conuenerunt. At verò cum illi sagittas super eos
iaciebant, ac si super lapides sagittassent, retrò sagittæ redibant. Alia
quoque arma eorum in nullo eos ledere poterant. Ipsi verò Canes insultum in
Tartaros iacientes, morsibus vulnerauerunt multos, et occiderunt sícque
illos de suis finibus eiecerunt. Vnde adhuc inter illos est prouerbium de
hoc facto, quod dicunt ad inuicem ridendo: Pater meus vel frater meus à
Canibus fuit occisus. Mulieres autem illorum, quas ceperant, ad terram suam
duxerunt, et vsque ad diem mortis eorum ibidem fuerunt. [Sidenote:
Burithabeth regio. Incolarum mores.] Cùm autem exercitus ille Mongalorum
rediret, venit ad terram Burithabeth, cuius habitatores pagani sunt, et hos
Tartari bello vicerunt. Hi consuetudinem habent mirabilem, imò potius
miserabilem. Cùm enim alicuius pater humanæ naturæ soluit debitum,
congregant omnem parentelam, et comedunt eum. Hi pilos in barba non habent,
imò ferrum quoddam in manibus, sicut vidimus, portant, cum quo semper
barbam, si forte crinis aliquis in ea crescit, depilant. Multi etiam
deformes sunt. Inde verò ille Tartarorum exercitus in terram suam est
reuersus.