National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Cathay and the Way Thither : vol.1 |
208 LETTERS AND REPORTS
in each church on alternate weeks, for none of those boys are priests.
As regards the regions of the East, and especially the empire of the Lord Cham, I give you to know that there is none
greater in the world. And I have a place in the Cham's
court, and a regular entrance and seat assigned me as legate of our Lord the Pope, and the Cham honours me above all
other prelates, whatever be their titles. And although his majesty the Cham has heard much about the court of Rome, and the state of the Latin world, he desires greatly to see envoys arriving from those regions.
Here are many sects of idolaters holding various beliefs ; and here also are many persons attached to religious orders
of different sects, and wearing different habits ; and these practise greater abstinence and austerity than our Latin monks.
I have seen the greater part of India and made inquiries about the rest, and can say that it would be most profitable - to preach to them the faith of Christ, if the brethren would but come. But none should be sent except men of the most solid character; for those regions are very attractive, abounding in aromatic spices and precious stones. But they possess few of our fruits, and, on account of the great mildness
and warmth of the climate, the people there go naked, only covering the loins. And thus the arts and crafts of our
tailors and cordwainers are not needed, for they have perpetual summer and no winter. I baptised there about a hun-
dred persons
Here the letter, as given by the chronicler from whom Wadding copies, breaks off. But the same authority gives as the substance of part of another letter that had been presented, what in fact appears to have been the end of this letter, perhaps accidently separated from what goes before :1
" Besides what he wrote in the preceding year (i.e., 1305)
I See introductory notice, supra, p. 167:
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