_Wherefore he is clept the great Chan_. _Of the Style of his Letters_:
_and of the Superscription about his great Seal and his Privy Seal_
FIRST I shall say you why he was clept the great Chan.
Ye shall understand, that all the world was destroyed by Noah’s flood,
save only Noah and his wife and his children. Noah had three sons, Shem,
Cham, and Japhet. This Cham was he that saw his father’s privy members
naked when he slept, and scorned them, and shewed them with his finger to
his brethren in scorning wise. And therefore he was cursed of God. And
Japhet turned his face away and covered them.
These three brethren had seisin in all the land. And this Cham, for his
cruelty, took the greater and the best part, toward the east, that is
clept Asia, and Shem took Africa, and Japhet took Europe. And therefore
is all the earth parted in these three parts by these three brethren.
Cham was the greatest and the most mighty, and of him came more
generations than of the other. And of his son Chuse was engendered
Nimrod the giant, that 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 diverse folk, as monsters and folk disfigured,
some without heads, some with great ears, some with one eye, some giants,
some with horses’ feet, and many other diverse shape against kind. And
of that generation of Cham be come the Paynims and divers folk that be in
isles of the sea by all Ind. And forasmuch as he was the most mighty,
and no man might withstand him, he cleped himself the Son of God and
sovereign of all the world. And for this Cham, this emperor clepeth him
Cham, and sovereign of all the world.
And of the generation of Shem be come the Saracens. And of the
generation of Japhet is come the people of Israel. And though that we
dwell in Europe, this is the opinion, that the Syrians and the Samaritans
have amongst them. And that they told me, before that I went toward Ind,
but I found it otherwise. Natheles, the sooth is this; that Tartars and
they that dwell in the great Asia, they came of Cham; but the Emperor of
Cathay clepeth him not Cham, but Can, and I shall tell you how.
It is but little more but eight score year that all Tartary was in
subjection and in servage to other nations about. For they were but
bestial folk and did nothing but kept beasts and led them to pastures.
But among them they had seven principal nations that were sovereigns of
them all. Of the which, the first nation or lineage was clept Tartar,
and that is the most noble and the most prized. The second lineage is
clept Tanghot, the third Eurache, the fourth Valair, the fifth Semoche,
the sixth Megly, the seventh Coboghe.
Now befell it so that of the first lineage succeeded an old worthy man
that was not rich, that had to name Changuys. This man lay upon a night
in his bed. And he saw in avision, that there came before him a knight
armed all in white. And he sat upon a white horse, and said to him, Can,
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 be about, and they that march upon you shall be under your
subjection, as ye have been under theirs, for that is God’s will
immortal.
And when he came at morrow, Changuys rose, and went to seven lineages,
and told them how 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 ensuing, this white knight came to the seven lineages, and
commanded them on God’s behalf immortal, 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 their servage as they had
been to them before. And on the morrow, they chose him to be their
emperor. And they set him upon a black fertre, and after that they lift
him up with great solemnity. And they set him in a chair of gold and did
him all manner of reverence, and they cleped him Chan, as the white
knight called him.
And when he was thus chosen, he would assay if he might trust in them or
no, and whether they would be obeissant to him or no. And then he made
many statutes and ordinances that they clepe _Ysya Chan_. The first
statute was, that they should believe and obey in God Immortal, that is
Almighty, that would cast them out of servage, and at all times clepe to
him for help in time of need. The tother statute was, that all manner of
men that might bare 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 to the principals
of the seven lineages, that they should leave and forsake all that they
had in goods and heritage, and from thenceforth to hold them paid of that
that he would give them of his grace. And they did so anon. After he
commanded to the principals of the seven lineages, that every of them
should bring his eldest son before him, and with their own hands smite
off their heads without tarrying. And anon his commandment was
performed.
And when the Chan saw that they made none obstacle to perform his
commandment, then he thought well that he might trust in them, and
commanded them anon to make them ready and to sue his banner. And after
this, Chan put in subjection all the lands about him.
Afterward it befell upon a day, that the Can rode with a few meinie for
to behold the strength of the country that he had won. And so befell,
that a great multitude of enemies met with him. And for to give good
example hardiness to his people, he was the first that fought, and in the
midst of his enemies encountered, and there he was cast from his horse,
and his horse slain. And when his folk saw him at the earth, they were
all abashed, and weened he had been dead, and flew every one, and their
enemies after and chased them, but they wist not that the emperor was
there. And when the enemies were far pursuing the chase, the emperor hid
him in a thick wood. And whet, they were come again from the chase, they
went and sought the woods if any of them had been hid in the thick of the
woods; and many they found and slew them anon. So it happened that as
they went searching toward the place that the emperor was, they saw an
owl sitting upon a tree above him; and then they said amongst them, that
there was no man because that they saw that bird there, and so they went
their way; and thus escaped the emperor from death. And then he went
privily all by night, till he came to his folk that were full glad of his
coming, and made great thankings to God Immortal, and to that bird by
whom their lord was saved. And therefore principally above all fowls of
world they worship the owl; and when they have any of their 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 that they have them upon them, and therefore
they bear their feathers upon their heads.
After all this the Chan ordained him, and assembled his people, and went
upon them that 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 half the Mount Belian in subjection, the white knight
came to him again in his sleep, and said to him, Chan! the will of God
Immortal is that thou pass the Mount Belian. And thou shalt win the land
and thou shalt put many nations in subjection. And for thou shalt find
no good passage for to go toward that country, go [to] the Mount Belian
that is upon the sea, and kneel there nine times toward the east in the
worship of God Immortal, and he shall shew the way to pass by. And the
Chan did so. And anon the sea that touched and was fast to the mount
began to withdraw him, and shewed fair way of nine foot breadth large;
and so he passed with his folk, and won the land of Cathay that is the
greatest kingdom of the world.
And for the nine kneelings and for the nine foot of way the Chan and all
the men of Tartary have the number of nine in great reverence. And
therefore who that will make the Chan any present, be it of horses, be it
of birds, or of arrows or bows, or of fruit, or of any other thing,
always he must make it of the number of nine. And so then be the
presents of greater pleasure to him; and more benignly he will receive
them than though he were presented with an hundred or two hundred. For
him seemeth the number of nine so holy, because the messenger of God
Immortal devised it.
Also, when the Chan of Cathay had won the country of Cathay, and put in
subjection and under foot many countries about, he fell sick. And when
he felt well that he should die, he said to his twelve sons, that everych
of them should bring him one of his arrows. And so they did anon. And
then he commanded that men should bind them together in three places.
And then he took them to his eldest son, and bade him break them all
together. And he enforced him with all his might to break them, but he
ne might not. And then the Chan bade his second son to break them; and
so, shortly, to all, each after other; but none of them might break them.
And then he bade the youngest son dissever every one from other, and
break everych by himself. And so he did. And then said the Chan to his
eldest son and to all the others, Wherefore might ye not break them? And
they answered that they might not, because that they were bound together.
And wherefore, quoth he, hath your little youngest brother broken them?
Because, quoth they, that they were parted each from other. And then
said the Chan, My sons, quoth he, truly thus will it fare by you. For as
long as ye be bound together in three places, that is to say, in love, in
truth and in good accord, no man shall be of power to grieve you. But
and ye be dissevered from these three places, that your one help not your
other, ye shall be destroyed and brought to nought. And if each of you
love other and help other, ye shall be lords and sovereigns of all
others. And when he had made his ordinances, he died.
And then after him reigned Ecchecha Cane, his eldest son. And his other
brethren went to win them many countries and kingdoms, unto the land of
Prussia and of Russia, and made themselves to be clept Chane; but they
were all obeissant to their elder brother, and therefore was he clept the
great Chan.
After Ecchecha reigned Guyo Chan.
And after him Mango Chan that was a good Christian man and baptized, and
gave letters of perpetual peace to all Christian men, and sent his
brother Halaon with great multitude of folk for to win the Holy Land and
for to put it into Christian men’s hands, and for to destroy Mahomet’s
law, and for to take the Caliph of Bagdad that was emperor and lord of
all the Saracens. And when this caliph was taken, men found him of so
high worship, that in all the remnant of the world, ne might a man find a
more reverend man, ne higher in worship. And then Halaon made him come
before him, and said to him, Why, quoth he, haddest thou not taken with
thee more soldiers and men enough, for a little quantity of treasure, for
to defend thee and thy country, that art so abundant of treasure and so
high in all worship? And the caliph answered him, For he well trowed
that 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 shall not eat but precious
stones, rich pearls and treasure, that thou lovest so much. And then he
commanded him to prison, and all his treasure about him. And so he died
for hunger and thirst. And then after this, Halaon won all the Land of
Promission, and put it into Christian men’s hands. But the great Chan,
his brother, died; and that was great sorrow and loss to all Christian
men.
After Mango Chan reigned Cobyla Chan that was also a Christian man. And
he reigned forty-two year. He founded the great city Izonge in Cathay,
that is a great deal more than Rome.
The tother great Chan that came after him became a Paynim, and all the
others after him.
The kingdom of Cathay is the greatest realm of the world. And also the
great Chan is the most mighty emperor of the world and the greatest lord
under the firmament. And so he clepeth him in his letters, right thus:
_Chan_! _Filius Dei excelsi_, _omnium universam terram colentium summus
imperator_, _& dominus omnium dominantium_! And the letter of his great
seal, written about, is this; _Deus in coelo_, _Chan super terram_, _ejus
fortitudo_. _Omnium hominum imperatoris sigillum_. And the
superscription about his little seal is this; _Dei fortitudo_, _omnium
hominum imperatoris sigillum_.
And albeit that they be not christened, yet nevertheless the emperor and
all the Tartars believe in God Immortal. And when they will menace any
man, then they say, God knoweth well that I shall do thee such a thing,
and telleth his menace.
And thus have ye heard, why he is clept the great Chan.