The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Manners of the Ancients.

[ VI] THose which we call at this day Tartarians, were all comprehended vnder the name [ D] of Scythians, whereof some liued on this side, and others beyond mount Imaus. The Scythians in the beginning had no great continent of countrie, but in succession of time, and by their valour, they grew so great, as hauing subiected many prouinces, and van∣quished diuers nations, they made a very great Empire, and became famous and renou∣ned throughout the whole world. They were neuer subdued, and seldome had beene as∣saulted to be made subiect to the Empire of any other. They forced Darius to flie with a great part of his armie, and defeated Cyrus with all his forces being led by a woman. Alexander the Great lost both souldiers and commaunders, whom he had se••t thither, and had no better successe than the rest. The Scythians had heard speake of the Romans [ E] name, but they neuer tried their forces, nor were made subiect to the yoke of their com∣maund. These people liued according vnto nature, and vsed no law. They hated theft, as those which did not shut vp their troupes within inclosures, or walled places, but kept them in the open field. They had no vse of gold nor siluer. Milke and honie was their food. They armed themselues against the cold with the skins of wild beasts, knowing not how to make garments of wool. When as the ancient Scythians had taken a man in war, they were bound to carry vnto their king the heads of all such as they had slaine, if they would haue any part of the spoile: otherwise they might not demaund any thing. They vsed this manner in cutting their enemies heads, they made a round incision about the eares, & drawing forth the skull, they did shake out that which was in it, & in like maner [ F] flea off the skin, as they did that of the whole bodie, the which they tanned like an oxes hide, where with they attired themselues, and made raines for their horses, or else vsed them as napkins at their meat, and the more of these seruices they had, the more they were esteemed among them. Some also did cut off the right hands of their enemies, and

[ A] hauing flead them with their nailes, they couered the tops of their quiuers therewith: and others hauing flead a whole man, they streched out the skin vpon a boord, and carri∣ed it in for a shew vpon their horses. As for the heads whereof I haue made mention, af∣ter they had flead them, and couered them without with a peece of an oxes skin, they did gild them within if they were rich, making cups to drinke in, and giuing them to strangers of note that came to see them, descoursing of their valour vnto them.

Euerie one of their princes did giue wine once a yeare to such souldiers as had slaine any of their enemies, and they that had not killed any, nor done some memorable ex∣ploit, were put apart without any honour, which was an insupportable infamie amongst [ B] them: whereas he that had slaine many, was presented with two cups of wine; for they carried so many goblets for a shew.

Their chiefe deities were the goddesse Vesta, who commaunded ouer all, and then [ VII] Iupiter, or Tellus, or the Earth, who they held to be Iupiters spouse, and these were the gods whom they honoured and sought to make fauourable vnto them. Besides these, they did worship Apollo, Venus, Mars, & Hercules, yet they did not erect any Temples or Altars vnto them, except to Mars, to whom they did sacrifice the hundred prisoner that, were taken in warre. To the rest they▪did sacrifice beasts, and especially horses. As for swine, they did so little esteeme them, as they would not suffer one to be kept among their troupes.

[ C] Whenas their king did condemne any one to death, the punishment was not restrai∣ned to him alone, but it was extended to all his issue male.

Whenas the Scythians contracted alliance with any one, they tooke a great goblet in which was earth, whereon they did poure wine mingled with the bloud of both parties, with the which they did besprinkle the points of their swords, their axes, arrowes, and darts: then hauing made a great oath with long and terrible imprecations against them that should breake this league, they did all drinke of the wine of this goblet, and not on∣ly the principall parties, but also all the chiefest men that assisted as companions to them that made the league.

When their King died, they made a verie deepe hole of a square forme, then taking [ D] the bodie they bowelled it, and put in the place thereof sweet odoriferous poulders, with the seeds of Smalage and Anis, which done, they sowed vp the bodie, and layed it vpon a chariot, sending it from nation to nation, euerie one doing it honour and seruice, and in the meane time the courtiers and seruants of the kings house did slit their eares, and cut their haire in signe of heauinesse, and they did launce their armes, and pinch their noses, euen to the effusion of bloud, and they did pierce their left hands with an arrow: the bodie hauing past throughout all the countries of the jurisdiction of the deceased, they left it in the most remote prouince of his empire. There the sepulchre being made, and the bodie being put into a coffin, and layed into the graue, they did set lances and long staues about it, with rodds vpon the top of them, and also certaine garments. [ E] Moreouer, they did put into the void place of the coffin, one of the Kings Concubines, whom he loued best in his life time. He must also of necessitie haue some officers to ac∣companie him, and to serue him in the other world: and therefore they did strangle neere vnto the tombe a Chamberlaine, a Cooke, a Butler, a Sergeant, and a Mulet-keeper; all which had for the carrying of their baggage but one horse which was slaine with them, and at the same time they were buried with their prince, and with him his plate, and richest moueables.

They had this custome, that at the end of the yeare they did the like seruice, with the losse of the liues of his best seruants and officers, who are all naturall Scythians, free, and of noble race, and such as it pleased the King to chuse, for that no slaue was admitted to [ F] his seruice. They did also chuse fiftie of the later sort, with the like number of horses which they strangled, taking out their bowels, and then sowed vp their bellies; after which, they couered them with their cloakes, and tied them about the tombe couered with a vault, they being on horsebacke, and set in such sort, as a farre off they did seeme a troupe of horsemen, appointed for the guard of the deceased King: such were the cere∣monies

and funeralls of Kings, whenas they were interred. [ A]

[ VIII] They had a particular kind of burying for priuat persons, for that any one being dead, his people layed him vpon a chariot, and carried him to his kinsfolkes and friends, uerie one of them making a feast in the place of his aboad to the kinsmen of the deceased, and to the rest that accompanied the bodie. They carried it vp and downe for the space of fortie daies, at the end whereof they did set vp three peeces of timber equally declining, and vpon it they layed a tent of wooll very artificially, then they did cast into a vessell made like vnto a barke, and set vpon the tombe next vnto the rent, the most glistering stones they could find: this is all that can be spoken of their manner of burying the dead; let vs now come vnto the rest. [ B]

[ IX] The men neuer washt themselues, but the women rubbed their naked bodies against some sharpe and rough stone, hauing then poured water vpon them, and their flesh be∣ing swolen by this meanes, they rubbed their bodies with the wood of Cypres, Cedar, and Incense, and they did also vse certaine oyntments for the face made of the like drugs, by meanes whereof they smelt sweet, then hauing the day following taken away these pla••ters, they seemed more beautifull and pleasing. These people did not sweare but by the royall Throne, and if any one did forsweare himselfe, or take a false oath, if he were conuicted by the Inchanters, who made proofe thereof by rods of willow, he pre∣sently lost his head, and his goods were forfeited to them that had proued his per∣iurie. [ C]

They of Catay, whom they called the Seres, liued louingly and quietly together, and yet notwithstanding this mildnesse, they fled the companie and conuersation of other men; so as they would not traffique by word with any stranger: but if they would make any bargaine, and sell their commodities, or buy others, the stranger was forced to passe the riuer, vpon the bankes whereof either of them layed his merchandise; and then the Seres set the price of all things in looking on them, and the stranger did of necessitie pay what they demaunded.

An adulterous man or woman and a theefe were neuer called in question, and they say that in old time there was neuer any murther committed among them, for that they did more feare to be found disobedient to their laws, than of the threats and constellations, [ D] or of the predictions of those which cast their natiuities, and told them their fortunes.

No man amongst them touched his wife when she was with child, or had her moneth∣ly flux. There was not any one among them that did eat any polluted beast. They made no sacrifices, and euerie man was Iudge of himselfe, following naturally that which was reasonable.

[ X] The Tartarians, which acknowledge the great Cham at this day, were in old time subiect to their neighbours, and payed them tribute, they were so base and deiected; and yet they were gouerned by Lords and Captaines, who had the soueraigne gouernement of affaires: but in the end, they shaked off this yoke by the meanes of an old man, Mar∣shall of his Estate, who said, he had seene a vision of a Knight armed in white, & moun∣ted [ E] vpon a horse of the same colour, who hauing called him by his name, said these words vnto him, Canguiste, (for so was the name of this Marshall) it is the will of the immortall God, that thou freest this people from the subiection of their neighbours, and that th•••• be••st ••o∣uernour and King of the Tartarians, who shall make others subiect, as they are now tributarie to their neighbours: This was the cause that the Tartarians (being desirous to see themselues free, and to commaund others) made choyce of this Canguiste for their King, who was the first prince of this people: this happened in the yere of our Lord 1187. This Canguiste, called Chinghie by some others, was a wise man, and of a good life, and was the first which sought to root out idolatrie from among the Tartarians, forbidding by an edict when he was made King, the adoration of Idols, enioyning them to worship one God onely, by [ F] whose meanes he thought to haue gotten so great a dignitie. In the end, Canguiste seeing himselfe strong, failed not sodainly to inuade the Scythians his neighbours, on either side of Mount Imaus, and made them his subiects and tributaries, and the Tartarians more hardie and feared, whereas before they were onely shepheards.