Of other maners of this countrey.
THIS Emperour the great Caane hath three wives, and the principall wife was Prester Johns daughter. And the people of this countrey begin to doe all theyr thinges in the newe Moone, and they worshippe muche the Sonne and the Moone, those men ryde commonly without spoores, & they holde it a great sinne to breake one bone[1] with another, and to spyll mylke on the grounde, or any other lycour yt men may drinke.[2] And when they haue eaten they wipe their handes uppon theyr skyrts, for they haue no table clothes except it be right great lordes, and when they haue all eaten they put their dishes or platters not washed in the pot or cauldron with flesh that is left when they haue eaten, until they will eate another time, & rich men drink milke of mares, of asses, or other beastes, and other beverage that is made of milke and water togither, for they haue neither beere nor wine. And when they go to warre, they warre full wysely, and eche man of them bereth two or three bowes and many arowes and a great hatchet, gentilmen haue short swords,[3] and he that flyeth in batayle they sleay him, & they are ever in purpose to bring all the land in subjection to them, for they say prophecies say that they shall be overcome by shot of archers, and that they shall turne them to their law, but they wot not what men they shall be, and it is great peril to pursue the Tartaries when they flee, for they will shoot behinde and slea men as well as before, and they have small eyen[4] as little birdes, and they are commonly false for they holde not their promise. And when a man shal die among them, they stick a speare in the earth beside him, and when he draweth to the death, they go out of the house till he dead, and then they put him in the earth in the fielde.
[1:] A bone.
[2:] A passage is here omitted.
[3:] Other editions say spears.
[4:] Eyes.
CAP. LXXVII.
How the Emperour is brought unto his grave when he is dead.
AND when the Emperour is dead, they set him into a carte[1] in the middes of his tente, and they set before him a table covered with a cloth, & there upon they set flesh and other meat & a cup full of milke of a mare, and they set a mare with a colte by him, & a horse sadled & bridled, and they lay upon the horse golde & silver, and all about him they make a greate grave, and with all the things they put him therein, as the tente, hors, golde & silver, and all that is aboute him & they say, when he cometh in to another worlde he shall not be without an house, nor hors, ne silver nor gold, and the mare shall give him milke & bringe forth more horses till he be well stored in the other worlde, & one of his chamberlaines or servants is put with him in the earth for to doe him service in the other worlde, for they belieue that when hee is dead he shall go to another world, and be a greater lord there than here; & when that he is laid in the earth no man shal be so hardy[2] for to speake of him before his frendes.
[1:] Other editions say a chair.
[2:] I.e., his name is never mentioned.
CAP. LXXVIII.
When the Emperour is dead how they chose and make an other.
AND then when the Emperour is dead the seaven linages gather them togither, and they touch his son or the next of his blood, & they say thus, We wyll, and we ordeyne, and we pray thee that thou wilt be our lord & Emperour, and he enquireth of them and sayth, if ye will that I raigne upon you, then must ye doe all that I bidde you to doe. And if he bid that any shal be slaine, he shal be slaine, & they aunswere all with one voyce, yt ye bid shall be done. Then saith ye Emperour, fro henceforth, my word shal cut as my sword, and then they set him in a chaire, & crowne him, & then all the good townes thereabout send to him presents, so much that he shall haue more than a C Camelles[1] laden with gold and silver, beside other Jewels yt he shall haue of lords, of precious stones & gold without number & horse, & riche clothes of Camacas[2] and Tarins,[3] & such other.