The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English People, vol 2 | Page 3

& such like vntamed beasts with
their bowes, and other engines. Of the hides of beasts being tanned,
they vse to shape for themselues light, but yet impenetrable armour.
They ride fast bound to their horses, which are not very great in stature,
but exceedingly strong, and mainteined with little prouender. They vse
to fight constantly and valiantly with iauelines, maces, battle axes, and
swords. But specially they are excellent archers, and cunning warriers
with their bowes. Their backs are slightly armed, that they may not flee.
They withdraw not themselues from the combate, till they see the
chiefe Standerd of their Generall giue backe. Vanquished, they aske no
fauour and vanquishing, they shew no compassion. They all persist in
their purpose of subduing the whole world vnder their owne subiection,
as if they were but one man, and yet they are moe then millions in
number. They haue 60000. Courriers, who being sent before vpon light
horses to prepare a place for the armie to incampe in, will in the space
of one night gallop three days iourney. And suddenly diffusing
themselues ouer an whole prouince, and surprising all the people
thereof vnarmed, vnprouided, dispersed, they make such horrible
slaughters that the king or prince of the land inuaded, cannot finde
people sufficient to wage battell against them, and to withstand them.
They delude all people and princes of regions in time of peace,
pretending that for a cause which indeed is no cause. Sometimes they
say, that they will make a voyage to Colen, to fetch home the three
wise kings into their owne countrey; sometimes to punish the auarice
and pride of the Romans, who oppressed them in times past, some
times to conquere barbarous and Northren nations; sometimes to
moderate the furie of the Germans with their owne meeke mildnesse;
sometimes to learne warlike feats and stratagems of the French;

sometimes for the finding out of fertile ground to suffice their huge
multitudes; sometimes again in derision they say, that they intend to
goe on pilgrimage to S. Iames of Galicia. In regard of which sleights
and collusions certaine vndiscreet gouernors concluding a league with
them, haue granted them free passage thorow their territories, which
leagues notwithstanding being violated, were an occasion of ruine and
destruction vnto the foresayd gouernours, &c.
* * * * *
Libellus historicus Ioannis de Plano Carpini, qui missus est Legatus ad
Tartaros anno Domini 1246. ab Innocentio quarto Pontifice maximo.
Incipit Prologus in librum Tartarorum.
Omnibus Christi fidelibus ad quos præsens scriptum peruenerit, frater
Ioannes de Plano Carpini ordinis fratrum minorum, Apostolicæ sedis
Legatus, nuncius ad Tartaros et nationes alias Orientis, Dei gratiam in
præsenti, et gloriam in futuro, et de inimicis suis gloriam triumphalem.
Cum ex mandato sedis apostolicæ iremus ad Tartaros et nationes alias
Orientis, et sciremus Domini Papæ et venerabilium Cardinalium
voluntatem, eligimus prius ad Tartaros profiscisci. Timebamus enimne
per eos in proximo ecclesiæ Dei periculum immineret. Et quamuis à
Tartaris et alijs nationibus timeremus occidi, vel perpetuo captiuari, vel
fame, siti, algore, æstu, contumelia, et laboribus nimijs, et quasi vltra
vires affligi (quæ omnia multo plusquam prius credidimus, excepta
morte vel captiuitate perpetua nobis multipliciter euenerunt) non tamen
pepercimus nobis ipsis, vt voluntatem Dei secundum Domini papæ
mandatum adimplere possemus, et vt proficeremus in aliquo Christianis,
vt saltem scita veraciter voluntate et intentione ipsorum, possemus
illam patefacere Christianis, ne forte subito irruentes inuenirent eos
imparatos, sicut peccatis hominum exigentibus alia vice contigit: et
fecerunt magnam stragem in populo Christiano. [Sidenote: Annus & 4
menses & amplius.] Vnde quæcunque pro vestra vtilitate vobis
scribimus ad cautelam, tanto securius credere debetis, quanto nos
cuncta vel ipsi vidimus oculis nostris, qui per annum et quatuor menses
et amplius, ambulauimus per ipsos et cum ipsis, ac fuimus, inter eos,
vel audiuimus à Christianis qui sunt inter eos captiui, et vt credimus
fide dignis. Mandatum etiam à supremo pontifice habebamus, vt cuncta,
perscrutaremur et videremus omnia diligenter. [Sidenote: Frater
Benedictus Polonus comes Ioannis de Plano Carpini.] Quod tam nos

quam frater Benedictus eiusdem ordinis qui nostræ tribulationis fuit
socius et interpres fecimus studiose.
De terra Tartarorum, situ, qualitate & dispositione aeris in eadem. Cap.
1.
Volentes igitur facta scribere Tartaroram, vt lectores facilius valeant
inuenire, hoc modo per capitula describemus. Primo quidem dicemus
de terra. Secundo de hominibus. Tertio de ritu. Quarto de moribus.
Quinto de ipsorum imperio. Sexto de bellis. Septimo de terris quas
eorum dominio subiugauerant. Octauo quomodo bello occurratur
eisdem. De terra possumus hoc modo tractare. In principio quidem
dicemus de situ ipsius: secundo de qualitate: tertio de dispositione aeris
in eadem. Terra vero prædicta est in ea posita parte Orientis in qua
oriens sicut credimus coniungitur Aquiloni. [Sidenote: Al.
Solanganorum. Oceauns ab Aquilone.] Ab Oriente autem est terra
posita. Kyraiorum et etiam Solangorum: à meridie sunt terræ
Saracenorum inter