stop
it. The Patriarch in great distress has a vision that tells him summon the
saintly cobbler (of whom the same story is told as here)--the cobbler bids
the rock to stand still and it does so to this day. 'These two stories may
still be heard in Cairo'--from whom is not said. The hill that threatened
to fall on the Egyptian Babylon is called in Turkish _Dur Dagh_, 'Stay, or
halt-hill.' (L.c. April, 1878")--_MS. Note_, H. Y.

CHAPTER XI.

OF THE NOBLE CITY OF TAURIS.

Tauris is a great and noble city, situated in a great province called
YRAC, in which are many other towns and villages. But as Tauris is the
most noble I will tell you about it.[NOTE 1]

The men of Tauris get their living by trade and handi crafts, for they
weave many kinds of beautiful and valuable stuffs of silk and gold. The
city has such a good position that merchandize is brought thither from
India, Baudas, CREMESOR,[NOTE 2] and many other regions; and that attracts
many Latin merchants, especially Genoese, to buy goods and transact other
business there; the more as it is also a great market for precious stones.
It is a city in fact where merchants make large profits.[NOTE 3]

The people of the place are themselves poor creatures; and are a great
medley of different classes. There are Armenians, Nestorians, Jacobites,
Georgians, Persians, and finally the natives of the city themselves, who
are worshippers of Mahommet. These last are a very evil generation; they
are known as TAURIZI.[NOTE 4] The city is all girt round with charming
gardens, full of many varieties of large and excellent fruits.[NOTE 5]

Now we will quit Tauris, and speak of the great country of Persia. [From
Tauris to Persia is a journey of twelve days.]

NOTE 1.--Abulfeda notices that TABRIZ was vulgarly pronounced _Tauriz_,
and this appears to have been adopted by the Franks. In Pegolotti the name
is always _Torissi_.

Tabriz is often reckoned to belong to Armenia, as by Hayton. Properly it
is the chief city of _Azerbaijan_, which never was included in 'IRAK. But
it may be observed that Ibn Batuta generally calls the Mongol Ilkhan of
Persia _Sahib_ or _Malik ul-'Irak_, and as Tabriz was the capital of that
sovereign, we can account for the mistake, whilst admitting it to be one.
[The destruction of Baghdad by Hulaku made Tabriz the great commercial and
political city of Asia, and diverted the route of Indian products from the
Mediterranean to the Euxine. It was the