Latest / The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1 / 029 - Book First Chapters 45 to 51 Of the city of Etzina Of the city of Caracoron Of Chinghis and how he b

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029 - Book First Chapters 45 to 51 Of the city of Etzina Of the city of Caracoron Of Chinghis and how he b · The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty nine of the Book of Sir Marco Polo,
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  Speaker 1: the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East,
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  Speaker 1: Volume IE. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. The Book of Sir Marco Polo,
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  Speaker 1: the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East,
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  Speaker 1: Volume one by Rusticello da Pisa, translated by Henry Yule,
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  Speaker 1: Book first chapter forty five of the City of Etzina.
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  Speaker 1: When you leave the city of Campuchu, you ride for
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  Speaker 1: twelve days and then reach a city called Etzina, which
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  Speaker 1: is towards the north on the verge of the sand desert.
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  Speaker 1: It belongs to the province of Tangut. The people are
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  Speaker 1: idolaters and possess plenty of camels and cattle, and the
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  Speaker 1: country produces a number of good falcons, both sacers and laners.
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  Speaker 1: The inhabitants live by their cultivation and their cattle, for
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  Speaker 1: they have no trade. At this city. You must needs
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  Speaker 1: lay in vittals for forty days, because when you quit
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  Speaker 1: at Zena, you enter on a desert which extends for
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  Speaker 1: forty days journey to the north, and on which you
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  Speaker 1: meet no habitation nor baiting place. In the summer time,
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  Speaker 1: indeed you will fall in with people. But in the
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  Speaker 1: winter the cold is too great. You also meet with
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  Speaker 1: wild beasts, for there are some small wood pines here
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  Speaker 1: and there, and with numbers of wild asses. When you
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  Speaker 1: have traveled these forty days across the desert, you come
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  Speaker 1: to a certain province lying to the north. Its name
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  Speaker 1: you shall hear presently Chapter forty six of the City
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  Speaker 1: of Karakoran. Karakoran is a city some three miles in compass.
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  Speaker 1: It is surrounded by a strong earthen rampart, for stone
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  Speaker 1: is scarce there. And beside it there is a great citadel,
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  Speaker 1: wherein is a fine palace in which the governor resides.
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  Speaker 1: Tis the first city that the Tartars possessed after they
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  Speaker 1: issued from their own country. And now I will tell
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  Speaker 1: you all about how they first acquired dominion and spread
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  Speaker 1: over the world. Originally, the Tartars got in the north,
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  Speaker 1: on the borders of Korcha. Their country was one of
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  Speaker 1: great plains. There were no towns or villages in it,
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  Speaker 1: but excellent pasture lands with great rivers and many sheets
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  Speaker 1: of water. In fact, it was a very fine and
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  Speaker 1: extensive region, but there was no sovereign in the land.
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  Speaker 1: They did, however, pay tax and tribute to a great
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  Speaker 1: prince who was called in their tongue unk Kahan, the
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  Speaker 1: same that we call Prester John. Him in fact, about
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  Speaker 1: whose great dominion all the world talks. The tribute he
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  Speaker 1: had of them was one beast out of every ten,
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  Speaker 1: and also a tithe of all their other gear. Now
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  Speaker 1: it came to pass that the Tartars multiplied exceedingly, and
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  Speaker 1: when Prester John saw how great a people they had become,
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  Speaker 1: he began to fear that he should have trouble from them.
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  Speaker 1: So he made a scheme to distribute them over sundry countries,
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  Speaker 1: and sent one of his barons to carry this out.
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  Speaker 1: When the Tartars became aware of this, they took it
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  Speaker 1: much amiss, and with one consent that they left their
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  Speaker 1: country and went off across a desert to a distant
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  Speaker 1: region towards the north, where Prester John could not get
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  Speaker 1: at them to annoy them. Thus, they revolted from his
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  Speaker 1: authority and paid him tribute no longer, And so things
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  Speaker 1: continued for a time Chapter forty seven of Chingis and
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  Speaker 1: how he became the first Khan of the Tartars. Now
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  Speaker 1: it came to pass in the year of Christ's incarnation
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  Speaker 1: eleven eighty seven, that the Tartars made them a king
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  Speaker 1: whose name was Chingis Khan. He was a man of
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  Speaker 1: great worth and of great ability, eloquence and valor. And
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  Speaker 1: as soon as the news that he had been chosen
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  Speaker 1: king was abroad through those countries, all the Tartars in
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  Speaker 1: the world came to him and owned him for their lord,
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  Speaker 1: and right well did he maintain the sovereignty they had
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  Speaker 1: given him? What shall I say? The Tartars gathered to
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  Speaker 1: him in astonishing multitude, And when he saw such numbers,
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  Speaker 1: he made a great furniture of spears and arrows and
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  Speaker 1: such other arms as they used, and set upon the
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  Speaker 1: conquest of all those regions, till he had conquered eight provinces.
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  Speaker 1: When he conquered a province, he did no harm to
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  Speaker 1: the people or their property, but merely established some of
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  Speaker 1: his own men in the country, along with a proportion
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  Speaker 1: of theirs, whilst he led the remainder to the conquest
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  Speaker 1: of other provinces. And when those whom he had conquered,
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  Speaker 1: became aware how well and safely he protected them against
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  Speaker 1: all others, and how they suffered no ill at his hands,
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  Speaker 1: and saw what a noble prince he was. Then they
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  Speaker 1: joined him heart and soul, and became his devoted followers.
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  Speaker 1: And when he had thus gathered such a multitude that
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  Speaker 1: they seemed to cover the earth, he began to think
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  Speaker 1: of conquering a great part of the world. Now, in
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  Speaker 1: the year of Christ twelve hundred, he sent an embassy
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  Speaker 1: to Prester John and desired to have his daughter to wife.
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  Speaker 1: But when Prestor John heard that chinghis khan demanded his
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  Speaker 1: daughter in marriage, he raxed very wroth and said to
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  Speaker 1: the envoys, what impudence is this to ask my daughter
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  Speaker 1: to wife? Wist he not well, that he was my
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  Speaker 1: liegeman and serf, Get ye back to him and tell
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  Speaker 1: him that I had lever set my daughter in the
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  Speaker 1: fire than give her in marriage to him, and that
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  Speaker 1: he deserves death at my hand, rebel and traitor that
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  Speaker 1: he is. So he bade the envoys begone at once
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  Speaker 1: and never come into his presence again. The envoys, on
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  Speaker 1: receiving this reply, departed straightway and made haste to their master.
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  Speaker 1: And related all that Prester John had ordered them to say,
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  Speaker 1: keeping nothing back. Chapter forty eight, how Chingis mustered his
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  Speaker 1: people to march against Prester John. When Chingis Khan heard
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  Speaker 1: the brutal message that Prester John had sent him, such
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  Speaker 1: a rage seized him that his heart came nigh to
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  Speaker 1: bursting within him, for he was a man of a
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  Speaker 1: very lofty spirit. At last he spoke, and that so
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  Speaker 1: loud that all who were present could hear him. Never
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  Speaker 1: more might he be prince if he took not revenge
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  Speaker 1: for the brutal message of prest John, And such revenge
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  Speaker 1: that insult never in this world was so dearly paid for.
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  Speaker 1: And before long Prester John should know whether he was
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  Speaker 1: his serf or no. So then he mustered all his
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  Speaker 1: forces and levied such a host as never before was
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  Speaker 1: seen or heard of, sending word to Presta John to
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  Speaker 1: be on his defense. And when prest To John had
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  Speaker 1: sure tidings that Chingis was really coming against him with
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  Speaker 1: such a multitude, he still professed to treat it as
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  Speaker 1: a jest and a trifle, for quoth he these be
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  Speaker 1: no soldiers. Naytheless, he marshaled his forces and mustered his
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  Speaker 1: people and made great preparations in order that if Chingis
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  Speaker 1: did come, he might take him and put him to death.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, he marshaled such a host of many different
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  Speaker 1: nations that it was a world's wonder. Both sides got
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  Speaker 1: them ready to battle. And why should I make a
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  Speaker 1: long story of it? Chingis Khan with all his host
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  Speaker 1: arrived at a vast and beautiful plain which was called
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  Speaker 1: Tan Duk, belonging to Prestor John. And there he pitched
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  Speaker 1: his camp. And so great was the multitude of his
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  Speaker 1: people that it was impossible to number them. And when
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  Speaker 1: he got tidings that Prester John was coming, he rejoiced
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  Speaker 1: greatly for the place afforded a fine and ample battleground.
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  Speaker 1: So he was right glad to tarry for him there,
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  Speaker 1: and greatly longed for his arrival. But now leave we
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  Speaker 1: Chingis and his host, and let us return to Prester
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  Speaker 1: John and his people. Chapter forty nine. How Prester John
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  Speaker 1: marched to meet Chingis? Now, the story goes that when
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  Speaker 1: Prestor John became aware that Chingis with his host, was
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  Speaker 1: marching against him, he went forth to meet him with
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  Speaker 1: all his forces, and lanced until he reached the same
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  Speaker 1: plain of Tanduk and pitched his camp over against that
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  Speaker 1: of chinghis Khan at a distance of twenty miles. And
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  Speaker 1: then both armies remained at rest for two days that
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  Speaker 1: they might be fresher and heartier for battle. So, when
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  Speaker 1: the two great hosts were pitched on the plains of Tanduk,
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  Speaker 1: as you have heard, chinghis Khan one day summoned before
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  Speaker 1: him his astrologers, both Christian and Saracen, and desired them
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  Speaker 1: to let him know which of the two hosts would
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  Speaker 1: gain the battle, his own or Prester John's. The Saracens
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  Speaker 1: tried to ascertain, but were unable to give a true answer.
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  Speaker 1: The Christians, however, did give a true answer, and showed
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  Speaker 1: manifestly beforehand how the event should be. For they got
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  Speaker 1: a cane and split it lengthwise and laid one half
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  Speaker 1: on this side and one half on that, allowing no
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  Speaker 1: one to touch the pieces. And one of the pieces
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  Speaker 1: of cain they called chingis Khan, and the other piece
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  Speaker 1: they called Prester John. And then they said to chingis
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  Speaker 1: now mark, and you will see the event of the battle,
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  Speaker 1: and who shall have the best of it? For whose
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  Speaker 1: cane soever shall be above the other? To him shall
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  Speaker 1: victory be he replied that he would fain see it
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  Speaker 1: and bade them begin. Then the Christian astrologers read a
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  Speaker 1: psalm out of the psalter, and went through other incantations.
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  Speaker 1: And though whilst all were beholding the cain that bore
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  Speaker 1: the name of Chingis Khan, without being touched by anybody,
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  Speaker 1: advanced to the other that bore the name of Prestor John,
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  Speaker 1: and got on top of it. When the Prince all that,
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  Speaker 1: he was greatly delighted, and seeing how this matter had
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  Speaker 1: found the Christians to tell the truth, he always treated
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  Speaker 1: them with great respect and held them for men truth forever.
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  Speaker 1: After chapter fifty the battle between Chingis Khan and Prester John,
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  Speaker 1: and after both sides had rested well those two days,
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  Speaker 1: they armed for the fight and engaged in desperate combat.
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  Speaker 1: And it was the greatest battle that was ever seen.
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  Speaker 1: The numbers that were slain on both sides were very great.
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  Speaker 1: But in the end Chingis Khan obtained the victory, and
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  Speaker 1: in the battle Prestor John was slain. And from that
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  Speaker 1: time forward, day by day his kingdom passed into the
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  Speaker 1: hands of Chingis Khan, till the whole was conquered. I
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  Speaker 1: may tell you that Chingis Khan reigned six years after
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  Speaker 1: this battle, engaged continually in conquest and in taking many
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  Speaker 1: a province and city and stronghold. But at the end
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  Speaker 1: of those six years he went against a certain castle
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  Speaker 1: that was called Kharju, and there he was shot with
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  Speaker 1: an arrow in the knee, so that he died of
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  Speaker 1: his wound. A great pity it was, for he was
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  Speaker 1: a valiant man and a wise I will now tell
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  Speaker 1: you who reigned after Chingis, and then about the manners
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  Speaker 1: and customs of the Tartars Chapter fifty one. Of those
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  Speaker 1: who did reign after chinghis Khan, and of the customs
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  Speaker 1: of the Tartars. Now the next that reigned after chinghis Khan.
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  Speaker 1: Their first lord was Ku Khan, and the third prince
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  Speaker 1: was Batu Khan, and the fourth was Alaku Khan, and
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  Speaker 1: the fifth Mongu Khan, and the sixth Kublai Khan, who
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  Speaker 1: is the sovereign now reigning, and is more potent than
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  Speaker 1: any of the five who went before him. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: if you were to take all those five together, they
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  Speaker 1: would not be so powerful as he is. Nay, I
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  Speaker 1: will say yet more, for if you were to put
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  Speaker 1: together all the Christians in the world with their emperors
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  Speaker 1: and their kings. The whole of these Christians I and
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  Speaker 1: throw in the Saracens to boot, would not have such
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  Speaker 1: power or be able to do so much as this Kubla,
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  Speaker 1: who is the lord of all the Tartars in the world,
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  Speaker 1: those of the levants, and of the ponent included. For
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  Speaker 1: these are all liegemen and subjects. I mean to show
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  Speaker 1: you all about this great power of his In this
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  Speaker 1: book of ours. You should be told also that all
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  Speaker 1: the great Khans and all the descendants of Chingis their
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  Speaker 1: first lord, are carried to a mounting that is called Altai,
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  Speaker 1: to be interred. Whensoever the sovereign may die, he is
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  Speaker 1: carried to his burial in that mountain with his predecessors.
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  Speaker 1: No matter that the place his death were a hundred
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  Speaker 1: days journey distance, thither must he be carried to his burial.
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  Speaker 1: Let me tell you a strange thing too. When they
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  Speaker 1: are carrying the body of any emperor to be buried
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  Speaker 1: with the others, the convoy that goes with the body
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  Speaker 1: doth put to the sword all whom they fall in
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  Speaker 1: with on the road, saying, go and wait upon your
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  Speaker 1: lord in the other world. For they do in sooth,
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  Speaker 1: believe that all such as they slay in this manner
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  Speaker 1: do go to serve their lord in the other world.
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  Speaker 1: They do the same too with horses, for when the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor dies, they kill all his best horses in order
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  Speaker 1: that he may have the use of them in the
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  Speaker 1: other world, as they believe. And I tell you as
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  Speaker 1: a certain truth that when Mongoo Khan died, more than
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  Speaker 1: twenty thousand persons who chanced to meet the body on
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  Speaker 1: its way were slain in the manner that I have told.
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  Speaker 1: End of Section twenty nine, reading by Allan Macstone in Oxford, England,