_Of the Court of Baatu, and our Entertainment there_.
On that part of the Volga where we arrived, they have lately built a new
village, in which there is a mixed population of Russians and Tartars,
established for the service of the ferry, that they may transport
messengers going to and from the court of Baatu, as he always remains on
the east side of the Volga. Neither does he ever travel any farther north,
in summer, than to the place where we arrived on that river, and was even
then descending towards the south. From January till August, he and all the
other Tartars ascend by the banks of rivers towards the cold regions of the
north, and in August they begin again to return. From the place where we
came to the Volga, is a journey of five days northward to the first
villages of the Greater Bulgaria, and I am astonished to think how the
Mahometan religion should have travelled thither; as from Derbent, on the
extreme borders of Persia, it is thirty days journey to pass the desert and
ascend along the Volga into Bulgaria, and in the whole track there are no
towns, and only a few villages where the Volga falls into the Caspian; yet
these Bulgarians[1] are the most bigotedly attached to the religion of
Mahomet, of any of the nations that have been perverted to that diabolical
superstition.
The court of Baatu having already gone towards the south, we passed down
the stream of the Volga in a bark from the before mentioned village, to
where his court then was; and we were astonished at the magnificent
appearance of his encampment, as his houses and tents were so numerous, as
to appear like some large city, stretching out to a vast length; and there
were great numbers of people ranging about the country, to three or four
leagues all around. Even as the children of Israel knew every one on which
side of the Tabernacle to pitch his tent, so every Tartar knows on to what
side of the court of his prince he ought to place his house, when he
unlades it from his cart. The princes court is called in their language
_Horda_, which signifies the middle, because the chieftain or ruler always
dwells in the midst of his people; only that no subject or inferior person
must place his dwelling towards the south, as the court gates are always
open to that quarter. But they extend themselves to the right and left,
according as they find it convenient. On our arrival we were conducted to a
Mahometan, who did not provide us with any provisions; and we were brought
next day to the court, where Baatu had caused a large tent to be erected,
as his house was two small to contain the multitude of men and women who
were assembled at this place. We were admonished by our guide, not to speak
until we should receive orders from Baatu to that purpose, and that then we
should be brief in our discourse. Baatu asked if your majesty had sent us
as ambassadors to him? I answered, that your majesty had formerly sent
ambassadors to Ken-khan; and would not have sent any on the present
occasion, or any letters to Sartach, had it not been that you had been
advised they were become Christians; on which account only I had been sent
in congratulation and not through any fear. We were then led into the
pavilion, being strictly charged not to touch any of the tent ropes, which
they consider as equivalent to the threshold of a house, which must not be
touched. We entered the tent barefooted and with our heads uncovered,
forming a strange spectacle in their eyes; for though Friar John de Plano
Carpini had been there before me, yet being a messenger from the Pope, he
had changed his habit that he might not be despised. We were brought
forward into the middle of the tent, without being required to bow the
knee, as is the case with other messengers. Baatu was seated upon a long
broad couch like a bed, all over gilt, and raised three steps from the
ground, having one of his ladies beside him. The men of note were all
assembled in the tent, and were seated about in a scattered manner, some on
the right and some on the left hand; and those places which were not filled
up by Baatus wives, were occupied by some of the men. At the entrance of
the tent there stood a bench well furnished with cosmos, and with many
superb cups of gold and silver, richly set with precious stones. Baatu
surveyed us earnestly for some time, and we him; he was of a fresh ruddy
colour, and in my opinion had a strong resemblance to the late Lord John de
Beaumont.
After standing in the midst of the tent for so long as one might have
rehearsed the _Miserere_, during which an universal silence prevailed, we
were commanded to speak, and our guide directed us to bow our knees before
we spoke. On this I bowed one knee as to a man; but he desired me to kneel
on both knees, and being unwilling to contend about such ceremonies, I
complied; and being again commanded to speak, I bethought me of prayer to
God on account of my posture, and began in the following manner: "Sir, we
beseech God, the giver of all good, who hath bestowed upon you these
earthly benefits, that he would grant you hereafter the blessings of
Heaven, seeing that the former are vain without the latter. Be it known to
you therefore, of a certainty, that you cannot attain to the joys of heaven
unless you become a Christian; for God hath said, whosoever believeth and
is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned."
At this he modestly smiled, but the other Moals clapped their hands in
derision; and my interpreter, who ought to have comforted me, was quite
abashed. After silence was restored, I proceeded thus: "Having heard that
your son was become a Christian, I came to him with letters from my master
the king of the Francs, and your son sent me hither; for what reason it
behoves you to know." He then desired me to rise, and inquired the name of
your majesty, and my name, and the names of my companion and interpreter,
all of which he caused to be set down in writing. After which, he asked who
it was that your majesty made war against, as he had heard that you had
departed from your own country with an army. To which I answered, that you
warred against the Saracens, because they had violated the house of God at
Jerusalem. He then asked if your majesty had ever before sent ambassadors
to him. And I said never to him. He then desired us to be seated, and gave
us to drink; and it is accounted a great favour when any one is admitted to
drink cosmos in his house. While I sat looking down upon the ground, he
desired me to look up; either wishing to observe me more distinctly, or out
of some superstitious fancy: for these people look upon it as a sign of
ill-fortune, when any one sits in their presence holding down his head in a
melancholy posture, and more especially when he leans his cheek or chin
upon his hand.
We then departed from the tent of audience, and immediately afterwards our
guide came and told us, that, as our king had desired that we might remain
in this country, Baatu could not consent to this without the knowledge and
authority of Mangu-khan; and it was necessary, therefore, that I should go
with the interpreter to Mangu, while my companion and the clerk should
return to the court of Sartach, and remain there till my return. On this
the interpreter began to lament himself as a dead man; and my companion
declared, that rather as separate from me, he would allow them to take off
his head. I added, that I could not possibly go without my interpreter, and
that we should need two servants, that we might be sure of one in case of
the other being sick. Upon this the guide returned into the presence and
reported to Baatu what we had said, who now gave orders that the two
priests and the interpreter should go forwards to Mangu, but that the clerk
must immediately return to Sartach; and with this answer the guide came to
us. When I now endeavoured to plead for the company of our clerk, he
desired me to be silent; for as Baatu had already given the orders, they
must be obeyed, and he dared not go again into the court. Goset, our clerk,
still had twenty-six yperperas remaining of the alms we had formerly
received, ten of which he retained for himself and the servant, and gave us
the remaining sixteen. We then sorrowfully parted, the clerk returning to
the court of Sartach, while we remained following the court of Baatu. On
Assumption eve, 14th August, our clerk arrived at the court of Sartach, and
the next day the Nestorian priests were seen adorned in the vestments of
which they had deprived us.
[1] The Greater Bulgaria of our author seems to comprehend the provinces of
Astracan and Casan in Russia.--E.