ed whether I knew that our lords
would send me back to him? To this. I answered, "I know not what may be the
purpose of my sovereign; but I have licence to go wherever I will, where it
is needful to preach the word of God, and it seems to me necessary in these
parts; wherefore, whether my lords send ambassadors or not, if it is your
pleasure, I will return." Then, after a long pause, as if musing, he said,
"You have a lone way to go, make yourself strong with food, that you may be
enabled to endure the journey." So he ordered them to give me drink, and I
departed from his presence, and returned not again. From that time I could
have no time nor place to expound to him the catholic faith; for a man must
not speak before him, unless what he pleaseth to order or allow, except he
were an ambassador, who may speak what he will, and they always demand of
such whether he has any thing more to say.

The soothsayers are the priests of the Mongals, and whatever they command
to be done is performed without delay. I shall describe their office, as I
learnt it from the goldsmith and others. Of these soothsayers there are
great numbers, under the direction of a chief priest, whose house is always
about a stone's throw in front of the great house of Mangu-khan, and under
his charge are all the chariots which carry idols. The other soothsayers
dwell behind the court, in places appointed for them; and such as have
confidence in their art come to consult them from various distant parts.
Some of them are skilful in astronomy, especially their chief, and they
foretel eclipses of the sun and moon. When these are to happen, all the
people prepare their food, that they may not be under the necessity of
going out of doors, and during the eclipse they play on various instruments
of music, and set up loud shouts: when it is over, they indulge in feasting
and carousing, to express their joy.

These soothsayers pretend to foretell lucky and unlucky days for all
affairs; and the Tartars never levy an army, or undertake a war without
their approbation. They had long since resumed their attack on Hungary, but
that the soothsayers have always opposed it. They make every thing which is
sent to court pass between two fires, as a purification, likewise, all the
household stuff belonging to a dead person must be purged in the same
manner; and, if any living creature drop down, or any thing whatever fall
to the ground during the ceremony, it becomes the pro