e gospel of the Christian, and would not dispute with them in any
thing, and even confessed that they beg from God in their prayers that they
may die the death of the Christians. There was among the idolaters a priest
of the sect of the Jugurs, who believe in one God, and yet make idols. With
this man the Nestorians talked much, shewing all things till the coming of
Christ to judgment, and explaining the Trinity to him and the Saracens by
similitudes. All of them hearkened to their harangue without attempting to
make any contradiction; yet none of them said that they believed and would
become Christians. The conference was now broken up. The Nestorians and
Saracens sang together with a loud voice, and the Tuinians held their
peace; and afterwards they all drank together most plentifully.

SECTION XXXVIII.

_The last audience of Rubruquis with Mangu-khan, and the letter he received
for the King of France._

On Whitsunday I was called into the presence of the khan, and before I went
in, the goldsmiths son, who was my interpreter, informed me that it was
determined I was to return to my own country, and advised me to say nothing
against it. When I came before the khan I kneeled, and he asked me whether
I said to his secretaries that he was a Tuinian. To this I answered, "My
lord, I said not so; but if it please your highness I will repeat what I
then said;" and I recited what I had spoken, as mentioned before, and he
answered: "I thought well you said not so, for it was a word you ought not
to have spoken; but your interpreter hath ill rendered your words." Then,
reaching forth the staff on which, he leaned towards me, he said, "be not
afraid." To which I answered smiling, that if I had feared I should not
have come hither. He then said, as if confessing his faith: "We Moals
believe that there is but one God, and we have an upright heart towards
him." "Then," said I, "may God grant you this mind, for without his gift it
cannot be." He then added, "God hath given to the hand divers fingers, and
hath given many ways to man. He hath given the Scriptures to you, yet you
keep them not. You certainly find not in the Scriptures that one of you
should dispraise another?" "No," said I; "and I signified unto your
highness from the beginning, that I would not contend with any one." "I
speak not," said he, "respecting you. In like manner, you find not in your
Scriptures, that a man ought to swerve from justice for the sake of mone