WHEREFORE HE IS CALLED THE GREAT CHAN.—OF THE STYLE OF HIS
LETTERS; AND OF THE SUPERSCRIPTION ABOUT HIS GREAT SEAL AND HIS
PRIVY SEAL.
First I shall tell you why he was called the great chan. You shall
understand that all the world was destroyed by Noah's flood, except only
Noah, and his wife, and his children. Noah had three sons, Shem, Cham
(i. e. Ham), and Japheth. This Cham was he who saw his father naked when
he slept, and showed him to his brethren in scorn, and therefore he was
cursed of God. And Japheth turned his face away, and covered him. These
three brethren shared all the land; and this Cham, for his cruelty, took
the greater and the best part, toward the east, which is called Asia;
and Shem took Africa; and Japheth took Europe; and therefore is all the
earth parted in these three parts, by these three brethren. Cham was the
greatest and most mighty; and of him came more generations than of the
others. And of his son Cush was engendered Nimrod the giant, who was the
first king that ever was in the world, and he began the foundation of
the Tower of Babylon. And that time the fiends of hell came many times
and lay with the women of his generation, and engendered on them divers
people, as monsters, and people disfigured, some without heads, some
with great ears, some with one eye, some giants, some with horses' feet,
and many other different shapes contrary to nature. And of that
generation of Cham are come the Pagans, and different people that are in
islands of the sea about India. And forasmuch as he was the most mighty,
and no man might withstand him, he called himself the son of God, and
sovereign of all the world. And on account of this Cham, this emperor
called himself chan and sovereign of all the world. And of the
generation of Shem are come the Saracens. And of the generation of
Japheth came the people of Israel. And though we dwell in Europe, this
is the opinion that the Syrians and the Samaritans have amongst them,
and that they told me before I went towards India; but I found it
otherwise. Nevertheless the truth is this—that Tartars, and they that
dwell in Greater Asia, came of Cham. But the emperor of Cathay was
called not cham, but chan; and I shall tell you how. It is but little
more than eight score years since all Tartary was in subjection and
servage to other nations about; for they were but herdsmen, and did
nothing but keep beasts, and lead them to pastures. But among them they
had seven principal nations that were sovereigns of them all, of which
the first nation or lineage was called Tartar; and that is the most
noble and the most praised. The second lineage is called Tanghot; the
third, Eurache; the fourth, Valair; the fifth, Semoche; the sixth,
Megly; the seventh, Coboghe. Now it befell that of the first lineage
succeeded an old worthy man, that was not rich, who was called
Changuys[388]. This man lay one night in bed, and he saw in a vision
that there came before him a knight armed all in white, and he sat upon
a white horse, and said to him, "Chan, sleepest thou? The immortal God
hath sent me to thee; and it is his will that thou go to the seven
lineages, and say to them that thou shalt be their emperor; for thou
shalt conquer the lands and the countries that are about; and they that
march upon you shall be under your subjection, as you have been under
theirs; for that is God's immortal will." Changuys arose, and went to
the seven lineages, and told them what the white knight had said. And
they scorned him, and said that he was a fool; and so he departed from
them all ashamed. And the night following, this white knight came to the
seven lineages, and commanded them, on behalf of the immortal God, that
they should make this Changuys their emperor, and they should be out of
subjection, and they should hold all other regions about them in
servage, as they had been to them before. And next day they chose him to
be their emperor, and set him upon a black chest, and after that lifted
him up with great solemnity, and set him in a chair of gold, and did him
all manner of reverence; and they called him chan, as the white knight
called him. And when he was thus chosen, he would make trial if he might
trust in them or not, and whether they would be obedient to him, and
then he made many statutes and ordinances, that they call _Ysya Chan_.
The first statute was, that they should believe in and obey immortal
God, who is almighty, and who would cast them out of servage, and they
should at all times call to him for help in time of need. The second
statute was, that all manner of men that might bear arms should be
numbered, and to every ten should be a master, and to every hundred a
master, and to every thousand a master, and to every ten thousand a
master. After, he commanded the principals of the seven lineages to
leave and forsake all they had in goods and heritage, and from
thenceforth to be satisfied with what he would give them of his grace.
And they did so immediately. After this he commanded the principals of
the seven lineages, that each should bring his eldest son before him,
and with their own hands smite off their heads without delay. And
immediately his command was performed. And when the chan saw that they
made no obstacle to perform his commandment, then he thought that he
might well trust in them, and he commanded them presently to make them
ready, and to follow his banner. And after this, the chan put in
subjection all the lands about him. Afterwards it befell on a day, that
the chan rode with a few companies to behold the strength of the country
that he had won, and a great multitude of his enemies met with him, and
to give good example of bravery to his people, he was the first that
fought, and rushed into the midst of his enemies, and there was thrown
from his horse, and his horse slain. And when his people saw him on the
earth, they were all discouraged, and thought he had been dead, and fled
every one; and their enemies pursued them, but they knew not that the
emperor was there. And when they were returned from the pursuit, they
sought the woods, if any of them had been hid in them; and many they
found and slew. So it happened that as they went searching toward the
place where the emperor was, they saw an owl sitting on a tree above
him; and then they said amongst them that there was no man there,
because they saw the bird there, and so they went their way; and thus
the emperor escaped death. And then he went secretly by night, till he
came to his people, who were very glad of his coming, and gave great
thanks to immortal God, and to that bird by which their lord was saved;
and therefore, above all fowls of the world, they worship the owl; and
when they have any of its feathers, they keep them full preciously,
instead of relics, and bear them upon their heads with great reverence;
and they hold themselves blessed, and safe from all perils, while they
have these feathers on them, and therefore they bear them upon their
heads. After all this the chan assembled his people, and went against
those who had assailed him before, and destroyed them, and put them in
subjection and servage. And when he had won and put all the lands and
countries on this side Mount Belian in subjection, the white knight came
to him again in his sleep, and said to him, "Chan, the will of immortal
God is, that thou pass Mount Belian; and thou shalt win the land, and
thou shalt put many nations in subjection; and because thou shalt find
no good passage to go toward that country, go to Mount Belian, which is
upon the sea, and kneel there nine times towards the east, in the
worship of immortal God, and he shall show the way to pass by." And the
chan did so. And soon the sea, that touched and was close to the
mountain, began to withdraw itself, and exhibited a fair way of nine
feet broad; and so he passed with his people, and won the land of
Cathay, which is the greatest kingdom in the world. And on account of
the nine kneelings, and the nine feet of way, the chan and all the men
of Tartary have the number nine in great reverence[389]. And, therefore,
he that will make the chan any present, be it horses, birds, arrows,
bows, or fruit, or any other thing, he must always make it of the number
nine; and so the presents are more agreeable to him, and better
received, than if he were presented with a hundred or two hundred. Also,
when the chan of Cathay had won the country of Cathay, and put in
subjection many countries about, he fell sick. And when he felt that he
should die, he said to his twelve sons, that each of them should bring
him one of his arrows, and so they did anon[390]. And then he commanded
that they should bind them together in three places, and then he gave
them to his eldest son, and bade him break them; and he exerted himself
with all his might to break them, but he might not. And then the chan
bade his second son break them, and so to the others, one after another;
but none of them might break them. And then he bade the youngest son
separate them from each other, and break every one by itself; and so he
did. And then said the chan to his eldest son, and to all the others,
"Wherefore might you not break them?" And they answered that they might
not, because they were bound together. "And wherefore," quoth he, "hath
your little youngest brother broke them?" "Because," quoth they, "they
were separated from each other." Then said the chan, "My sons, truly
thus will it fare with you; for as long as you are bound together in
three places, that is to say, in love, truth, and good accord, no man
shall have power to grieve you; but if you be divided from these three
places, that one of you help not the other, you shall be destroyed and
brought to nothing; and if each of you love each other, and help each
other, you shall be lords and sovereigns over all other people." And
when he had made his ordinances he died: and then, after him, reigned
Ecchecha[391] Chan, his eldest son. And his other brethren went to
subdue many countries and kingdoms, unto the land of Prussia and Russia,
and took the name of chans, but they were all subject to their eldest
brother, and therefore was he called great chan. After Ecchecha reigned
Guyo[392] Chan, and after him Mango[393] Chan, who was a good Christian
man, and baptized and gave letters of perpetual peace to all Christian
men, and sent his brother Halaon, with a great multitude of people, to
win the Holy Land, and put it into the hands of the Christians, and
destroy the law of Mohammed, and take the khalif of Bagdad, who was
emperor and lord of all the Saracens. And when this khalif was taken,
they found him so rich in treasure, and of so high worship, that in all
the rest of the world no man might find a man higher in worship. And
then Halaon made him come before him, and said to him, "Why hadst thou
not hired with thee more soldiers for a little quantity of treasure, to
defend thee and thy country, who art so abundant of treasure and so high
in all worship?" And the khalif answered, that he believed he had enough
of his own proper men. And then said Halaon, "Thou wert as a god of the
Saracens; and it is convenient to a god to eat no meat that is mortal;
and, therefore, thou shalt eat only precious stones, rich pearls, and
treasure, that thou lovest so much." And then he ordered him to prison,
and placed all his treasure about him; and so he died for hunger and
thirst. And then after this Halaon won all the Land of Promise, and put
it into the hands of the Christians. But the great chan, his brother,
died, and that was great sorrow and loss to all Christians. After Mango
Chan reigned Cobyla[394] Chan, who was also a Christian, and reigned
forty-two years. He founded the great city Igonge in Cathay, which is
much larger than Rome. The other great chan who came after him, became a
pagan, and all the others since.
The kingdom of Cathay is the greatest realm in the world; and the great
chan is the most powerful emperor and greatest lord under the firmament;
and so he calls himself in his letters right thus: "Chan, son of the
High God, emperor of all who inhabit the earth, and lord of all lords."
And the letter of his great seal has the inscription, "God in heaven,
chan upon the earth, his fortitude; the seal of the emperor of all men."
And the superscription about his little seal is this: "The fortitude of
God; the seal of the emperor of all men." And although they are not
christened, yet the emperor and all the Tartars believe in immortal God;
and when they will threaten any man, they say, "God knoweth well that I
shall do thee such a thing," and tell their menace.