[Sidenote: Exacta Maris Caspij descripto.] Venimus tandem ad Etiliam maximum flumen. Est enim in quadruplo maius quàm Sequana, et profundissimum: Veniens de maiori Bulgaria, quæ est ad Aquilonem, tendens in quendam lacum, siue quoddam mare, quod modò vocat illud mare Sircan, à quadam ciuitate, quæ est iuxta ripam eius in Perside. Sed Isidorus vocat illud mare Caspium. Habet enim montes Caspios, et Persidem à meridie: montes vero Musihet, hoc est, Assassinorum ad Orientem, qui contiguantur cum montibus Caspijs. Ad Aquilonem verò habet illam solitudinem, in qua modo sunt Tartari. [Sidenote: Cangla populi, vel Cangitta.] Prius verò erant ibi quidam qui dicebantur Canglæ: Et ex illo latere recipit Etiliam, qui crescit in æstate sicut Nilus Ægypti. Ad Occidentem verò habet montes Alanorum et Lesgi; et Portam ferream, et montes Georgianorum. Habet igitur illud mare tria latera inter montes, Aquilonare verò habet ad planiciem. [Sidenote: Frater Andreas.] Frater Andreas ipse circumdedit duo latera eius, meridionale scilicet et Orientale. [Sidenote: Reprehenditur Isidori error de mari Caspio.] Ego verò alia duo; Aquilonare scilicet in eundo à Baatu ad Mangu cham, Occidentale verò in reuertendo de Baatu in Syriam. Quatuor mensibus potest circundari. Et non est verum quod dicit Isidorus. quod sit sinus exiens, ab Oceano: nusquan enim tangit Oceanum, sed vndique circundatur terra. The same in English. Of the Russians, Hungarians, and Alanians: and of the Caspian Sea. Chap. 20. Now, as concerneth Sartach, whether he beleeues in Christ, or no, I knowe not. This I am sure of, that he will not be called a Christian. Yea rather he seemeth vnto mee to deride and skoffe at Christians. He lieth in the way of the Christians, as namely of the Russians, the Valachians, the Bulgarians of Bulgaria the lesser, the Soldaianes, the Kerkis, and the Alanians: who all of them passe by him, as they are going to the Court of his father Baatu, to carie gifts: whereupon he is more in league with them. How best, if the Saracens come, and bring greater gifts than they, they are dispatched sooner. He hath about him certaine Nestorian Priestes, who pray vpon their beades, and sing their deuotions. Also, there is another vnder Baatu called Berta [Sidenote: Or, Berca.], who feedeth his cattell toward Porta ferrea, or Derbent, where lieth the passage of all those Saracens, which come out of Persia, and out of Turkie to goe vnto Baatu, and passing by they giue rewards vnto him. And he professeth himselfe to be a Saracene, and will not permit swines flesh to be eaten in his dominions. Howbeit, at the time of our return, Baatu commanded him to remoue himselfe from that place, and to inhabite vpon the East side of Volga: for hee was vnwilling that the Saracens messengers should passe by the saide Berrta, because he sawe it was not for his profite. For the space of foure dayes while we remained in the court of Sartach, we had not any victuals at all allowed