The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 540 (Color Image)

0540	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1

MARCO POLO BooK L

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CHAPTER XLVII.

OF CHINGHIS, AND HOW HE BECAME THE FIRST KAAN OF THE

TARTARS.

•

Now it came to pass in the year of Christ's Incarnation

1187 that the Tartars made them a King whose name

was CHINGHIS KAAN.1 He was a man of great worth,

and of great ability (eloquence), and valour. And as

soon as the news that he had been chosen King was

spread abroad through those countries, all the Tartars

in the world carne to him and owned him for their Lord.

And right well did he maintain the Sovereignty they

had given him. What shall I say ? The Tartars

gathered to him in astonishing multitude, and when he

saw such numbers he made a great furniture of spears

and arrows and such other arms as they used, and set

about the conquest of all those regions till he had

conquered eight provinces. When he conquered a

province he did no harm to the people or their property,

but merely established some of his own men in the

country along with a proportion of theirs, whilst he

led the remainder to the conquest of other provinces.

And when those whom he had conquered became

aware how well and safely he protected them against

all others, and how they suffered no ill at his hands,

and saw what a noble prince he was, then they joined

him heart and soul and became his devoted followers.

And when he had thus gathered such a multitude that

they seemed to cover the earth, he began to think of

conquering a great part of the world. Now in the

year of Christ 1200 he sent an embassy to Prester

John, and desired to have his daughter to wife. But

when Prester John heard that Chinghis Kaan demanded

•

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