le certainly, that the
daughter of the last of his brief dynasty is recorded to have been a
Christian. Indeed, D'Ohsson says that the first Gurkhan was a Buddhist,
though on what authority is not clear. There seems a probability at least
that it was an error in the original ascription of Christianity to the
Karacathayan prince, which caused the confusions as to the identity of
Prester John which appear in the next century, of which we shall presently
speak. Leaving this doubtful point, it has been plausibly suggested that
the title of Presbyter Johannes was connected with the legends of the
immortality of John the Apostle ([Greek: ho presbyteros], as he calls
himself in the 2nd and 3rd epistles), and the belief referred to by some
of the Fathers that he would be the Forerunner of our Lord's second
coming, as John the Baptist had been of His first.

A new theory regarding the original Prester John has been propounded by
Professor Bruun of Odessa, in a Russian work entitled _The Migrations of
Prester John_. The author has been good enough to send me large extracts
of this essay in (French) translation; and I will endeavour to set forth
the main points as well as the small space that can be given to the matter
will admit. Some remarks and notes shall be added, but I am not in a
position to do justice to Professor Bruun's views, from the want of access
to some of his most important authorities, such as Brosset's _History of
Georgia_, and its appendices.

It will be well, before going further, to give the essential parts of the
passage in the History of Bishop Otto of Freisingen (referred to in vol i.
p. 229), which contains the first allusion to a personage styled Prester
John:

"We saw also there [at Rome in 1145] the afore-mentioned Bishop of Gabala,
from Syria.... We heard him bewailing with tears the peril of the Church
beyond-sea since the capture of Edessa, and uttering his intention on that
account to cross the Alps and seek aid from the King of the Romans and the
King of the Franks. He was also telling us how, not many years before, one
JOHN, KING and PRIEST, who dwells in the extreme Orient beyond Persia and
Armenia, and is (with his people) a Christian, but a Nestorian, had waged
war against the brother Kings of the Persians and Medes who are called the
Samiards, and had captured Ecbatana, of which we have spoken above, the
seat of their dominion. The said Kings having met him with their forces
made up of Persia