The History of the Holy War, Book 4 · Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
Chap. 2. The Tartars first appearing in the world affright both Christians and Turks; Of their name and nature; Whether Turks or Tartars be easier convertible to the true religion.
REinoldus Duke of Bavaria being lest Fredericks Lieutenant in Syria, wisely discharged his office, and preserved the peace entire which was concluded with the Sultan of Babylon. But the Templars sought by all means to bring this ten yeares truce to an untimely end; which was as bad as a Lent to them, wherein they must fast from fighting, the meat and drink of turbulent spirits. These counting all luke-warm which were not scalding hot, condemned Reinoldus for want of zeal in the Holy warre, and gave him many a lift to heave him from his place; but still he sat sure, poised with his own gravity. Nor did the enmity of Henry King of Cyprus much trouble him, who challenged the Principality of Antioch, as next of kinne to the Prince deceased:1232 For Reinold met and defeated him in battel, and bestowed Antioch on *Magdeburg. Cent. 13. cap. 16.Frederick, base sonne to Frederick the Emperour.
But that which kept both Christians and Turks in aw, and made them willing mutually to observe the truce, was the fear of the Tartars, a fierce nation, which now had their first flight out of their own nest into the neighbouring countreys.
These Tartarians, anciently called Scythians, inhabit the Northern part of Asia, a countrey never conquered by any of the Monarchs, priviledged from their victorious arms chiefly by its own barrennesse: For except souldiers were ambitious of hunger and cold, here is nothing to countervail their pains of an invasion; yea, no meat to maintain them. It is true, rhubarb the best of drugs groweth in this the worst of countreys: But souldiers seek rather for food then physick when they invade a countrey. A greater part of their land is undiscovered, though map-makers, rather then they will have their maps naked and bald, do periwig them with false hair, and fill up the vacuum (especially towards the North) with imaginary places of *See Mertators maps.Vng, and Gog, and the plains of Bargu: So true it is what one saith wittily in the Comedie, That Phantastes the servant of Geographus travelled further beyond the arctick circle then ever his master durst.
If it be surest to follow the most, the stream of writers make it called Tartaria from the river Tartar: but Europe and Asia will by wofull experience justifie the etymologie, if deduced from Tartarus, Hell. For when the spring-tides of this nation overflowed the banks, hell might seem to have broken loose, and to have sent so many devils abroad.
As for those that count them the off-spring of the ten tribes of Israel, which Salmanasar led away captive, because Tatari or Totari signifieth in the Hebrew and Syriack tongue, a residue or remnant, *See Brierwoods Enquiries, chap. 13.learned men have sufficiently confuted it. And surely it seemeth a forced and overstrained deduction, to farrefetch the name of Tartars from an Hebrew word, a language so farre distant from them. But no more hereof: because perchance herein the womans reason hath a masculine truth; and the Tartarians are called so, because they are called so. It may be, curious Etymologists (let them lose their wages who work in difficult trifles) seek to reap what was never sown, whilest they study to make those words speak reason, which are onelyonly voces ad placitum, imposed at pleasure.
Under their new name Tartarians, they keep their old nature of Scythians, fierce, cruel; yea, sometimes in stead of other meat, making man their meat. *Sabell. Enn. 9. lib. 6. pag. 391.One humour they have, much affecting the owl, a bird which other nations scorn and hate, as the usher of ill luck. The occasion was this, A King of Tartary sought for by his enemies, hid himself in a bush, whither his foes came to seek him; when presently an owl flew out of the place: Whereupon they desisted from further search, conceiving that that anchorite bird proclaimed nothing was there but solitude and desolation. Hence in gratitude they never count themselves more gay then when their helmets are hung with owls feathers. Whereat I should strange more, but that I find this fowl dedicated to *Vide Erasm. Adag. in Noctua volatMinerva the Goddesse of wit, and that Athens (schoolmistresse of the world) counted it a token of victory. The King of these Tartarians styleth himself, The great Cham, and is monarch of a great part of the world in possession, of the rest in imagination. He taketh and his subjects give him little lesse then divine honour; who in other things at this time were pure Pagans and Idolaters. Now their countrey, which is like a poore man whose common is overstocked with children, swarming with more bees then hives, sent their superfluous numbers to seek their fortunes amongst the Christians. They needed no steel-armour who had iron-bodies. OnelyOnly with bows, cruelty, and multitude they overranne Lituania, Podolia, Polonia, and those countreys which are the East-boundanes of Europe. Others took their way Southward into Asia, committing outrages as they went; and sensible how incomparably their own countrey was surpassed for pleasure and profit by these new lands (blame not their judgement if they preferred a palace before a prison) they little cared to return home.
Their incursions into Europe were so farre and frequent, that Pope Innocent the fourth, about the yeare 1245, began to fear them in Italy. Wherefore he sent Askelin, a Friar much admired in that age, with three other, into Tartaria, to convert that nation to Christianity. Where Askelin in stead of teaching them the elements of our religion, laid this foundation, to amplifie to them the power of the Pope, setting him out in his full dimensions; How he was above all men in the Christian world. A good nurse, to feed infants, in stead of milk, with such drie bones: enough almost to affright them from entring into our Church, seeing such a giant as they painted the Pope, to stand before the doore.
But Baiothnoi chief Captain of the Tartarian armie (for they were not admitted to speak with the great Cham himself) cried quits with this Friar, outvying him with the greatnesse and divinity of their Cham; and sent back by them a blunt letter: *Magdeburg. Cent. 13. cap. 2. Sedex Vincent. lib. 31. cap. 51Pope, know this; Thy messengers came and brought letters to us: Thy messengers spake great words; we know not whether thou enjoynedst them, or whether they spake of themselves: and in thy letters thou writest thus, Many men you kill, slay, and destroy — At last he thus concluded; If thou wilt set upon our land, water, and patrimony, it behoveth that thou, Pope, in thy proper person come unto us; and that thou come to him who containeth the face of the whole earth; meaning their great Cham.
Never did his Holinesse so meet with his match before. He durst not meet the great Cham of the East, his competitour in the imaginary monarchie of the world, to trie whose title was truest. Let others tear their skins, he would sleep in a whole one. And indeed that Shepherd loved his flock of Christians better, then by his absence in a long journey into Tartaria to expose them to the wolves. And so the conversion of Tartarie at that time was disappointed.
It is a pretty quaere, Whether Turks of Tartars be easier convertible to Christian religion: I mean ex parte objecti; for otherwise all things are equally easie to an infinite agent. Now it seemeth the Tartars are reducible with most facility to our religion: For pure Paganisme and native Infidelity, like white cloth, will take the tincture of Christianity; whereas the Turks are soiled and stained with the irreligious religion of Mahometanisme, which first with much pains must be scoured out of them. And though they may seem to be in some forwardnesse to conversion, because they have a kind of knowledge and reverence of Christ, yet the best joynt of their belief must be broken before it can be well set, and every drop of their present religion pumped out before true faith be infu…ed into them. And experience, the most competent witnesse herein, hath proved, That afterwards more Tartars, both private men and Princes, then Turks of either condition, have embraced Christianity. Enough at this time; we shall have occasion too soon to speak more of the Tartars.
Chap. 3. The Greeks recover their Empire from the Latines; The Holy warre thereby much endamaged.
IT was conceived that it would be much beneficiall to the Pilgrimes in their voyages to Palestine, that the Latines were lately possessed of the Grecian Empire: For what is saved, is gained: And grant that the Latines in Greece should not actually assist in the Holy warre, yet it was a considerable advantage what all justly expected, That Pilgrimes should now have safe and secure passage through Grecia, the pitfall which formerly had devoured so many.
But these fair hopes soon miscarried. For what through the celerity of Theodorus Lascaris, and the gravity of John Ducas his sonne in law, who reigned as Grecian Emperours in Nice, the Greeks recovered every foot of ground that the Latines had wonne from them: OnelyOnly the Venetians being good at holdfast, kept their portion when all others had spent theirs, and enjoy Candie to this day. This is imputed to their discretion in their choice, who in the sharing of this Empire amongst the Western Princes, refused the continent countreys (though greater in extent, and richer in cities) and chose rather the Islands, which being as little worlds in themselves, were most capable of entire fortifications, especially in their way, who were most powerfull at sea.
Sixty yeares almost did the Latines make a hard shift to hold Constantinople, under five succeeding Emperours: 1. Baldwine the first,1203. Earl of Flanders; 2. Henry his brother; 3. Peter,1205. Count of Auxerre in France, Henrie's sonne in law;1216. 1221.4. Robert; 5. Baldwine the second, and last. An example which the observers of the ominous circulation or return of names alledge,1238. That as a Baldwine was the first, so a Baldwine was the last Latine Emperour in Grecia.
Of these, the first Baldwine had his hands and feet cut off, and died in a ditch; Peter invited to a feast, payed the shot with his life; the other three died without any violence, but with much misery. And thus their conquest of Grecia, like a little sprig stuck into the ground, did sprout at the first whilest it had any sap in it, but then withered for want of a root.
Indeed it was impossible long to continue: For when the generation of the primitive adventurers in this action were dead, there wanted another to succeed them; and the countreys whence they came were so farre off that supplies of Latine people came thither very slowly▪ OnelyOnly Venice well peopled her parts from the vicinity of her dominions. And that number of souldiers which is sufficient by sudden conquest to overrunne a countrey,1237 is incompetent without a second edition of new supplies, to make good, manage, and maintain it: especially being to meddle with the Greeks, farre exceeding them in number, subject onelyonly out of fear, longing daily for their liberty and opportunity to recover it.
Let never any Pilgrimes hereafter make Greece their inne in their journey to Palestine. Yea, also at this time the furnace of the Grecian jealousie was made seven times hotter: For besides this Civil, an Ecclesiasticall and Spirituall breach happened betwixt them and the Latines; which we come now to describe.