A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
On their return home, the Mongals came into the country of Burithabeth, of
which the inhabitants are pagans, and conquered the people in battle. These
people have a strange custom of eating their kindred when they die. They
have no beard, for we saw some of them going about with certain iron
instruments in their hands, with which they pluck out any hairs they find
on their faces[2].
[1] It is surely unnecessary to remark on this ridiculous story of the
canine men, which no commentary could reduce to sense.--E.
[2] These people may possibly have been the Burats. The same practice of
eradicating the beard is still followed by the native tribes of
America.--E.
SECTION XII.
_How the Mongals were repulsed at the Caspian Mountains, by Men dwelling in
Caves._
When Zingis sent the before-mentioned armies into the east, he marched
personally into the land of the Kergis[1], which, however, he did not now
conquer. In this expedition the Mongals are said to have penetrated to the
Caspian mountains, which being of adamant, attracted their arrows and other
weapons of iron[2].
[1] The Kirguses, inhabiting Western Turkestan, between Lake Balkash and
the Caspian.--E.
[2] The remainder of this short section is so ridiculously fabulous as not
to merit translation, and is therefore omitted.--E.
SECTION XIII.
_Of the death of Zingis, and concerning his Sons, and the Tartar Dukes or
Princes._
Zingis is said to have been killed by lightning. He had four sons, the
first was called Occoday, or Oktai, the second Thosut, Tuzi, or Tuschi, the
third Thiaday, or Zagathai, and the name of the fourth I could not learn.
From these four all the dukes of the Mongals are descended[1]. Cuyne, or
Kajuk, the eldest son of Occoday, or Oktai, is now emperor; and he has two
brothers Cocten, and Chyrinen. Bathy, or Baatu, Ordu, Siba, and Boru are
the sons of Thosut-khan. Baatu is richer and mightier than all the rest,
being next in power to the emperor; but Ordu is the superior of all the
dukes. The sons of Thiaday are Hurin and Cadan. The sons of the son of
Zingis whose name I could not learn, are Mengu, Bithat, and several others.
The mother of Mengu was Seroctan, the greatest lady among the Tartars, and
the most honoured except the emperor's mother, and more powerful than any
subject except Bathy. The following is a list of their dukes: Ordu, Bathy,
Huryn, Cadan, Syban, and Ouygat, who were all in Hungary; Cyrpodan, who
remains beyond the sea[2], making war against certain soldans of the
Saracens, and other transmarine nations. Mengu, Chyrinen, Hubilai, Sinocur,
Cara, Gay, Sybedey, Bora, Berca, and Corensa, all remain in Tartary. But
there are many other dukes whose names I could not learn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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