Pilgrimage, Book 7 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Of Presbyter Iohn: and of the Priest-Iohns in Asia: whether that descended of these.
HAuing now declared the Antiquities of Aethiopia, drawne out of ancient Authors, let vsus neerer hand behold, what neerer out times, Authors hauehave reported thereof. Wherin first we will here insert out of aI. Scal de Emend. Temp. l.7.Scaligers Annotations, vponupon the Aethiopian Ecclefiasticall Calendar or Computation of times, somewhat remarkable, and fitting to our present purpose. The name (saith hee) of the Christian Aethiopians is not now first made knowne to vsus. For their Church not onelyonly at Hierusalem and Constantinople, but at Rome also and Venice, hath had libertie a good while to vse their owne rites. The Portugales, and Francis Aluares hauehave further discouered them: Before wee onelyonly heard the name of Aethiopia. A wonder it is, that some ages since, bCastaneda seemeth al. o to hold that the N…gas is that Presbyter Iohn of Asia; though not of his race.l.1.c.1their Emperors name was made knowne to vsus out of Asia, rather then out of Aethiopia it selfe. Three hundred yeares agoe, the Ethiopian Kings reigned in Asia, especially in Drangiana, the borders of Susiana, India & China, vntill the Tartars dispossessed them of the Asian Empire. For Cingis first, the first Tartar King, slew Vncam, the Aethiopian Emperour: & his posteritie chased the Abissines out of Moin and China, and forced them to flee into Africa. Often hauehave I maruelled that a people of no knowledge in these times of sea affaires, could atchieue so mighty exploits, as to propagate their Empire, from Aethiopia to China. Since that time the knowledge of that Emperour hath come to vsus in the name of Prestegiano: which in the Persian tongue (as much now of reckoning in Asia, as the Latine in the West) signifierh, cSo with vsus, the French King is called Christianissmus; the Spaniard, Catholieus: the English, Defē der of the faithApostolike, inferring thereby that hee is a Christian King of the right faith. For Prestegan signifieth Apostles, and Prestegani Apostolicall; Padeschaprestegiani, the King Apostolicall, in Arabian Melich ressuli, in Aethiopian Negusch Chawariawi. Of this greatnes of their Empire, in Asia are witnesses those Aethiopian crosses, which are seene in Giapan, China, and other places. Yea, the Temple of Thomas the Apostle in the Region of dMaltapur. see our Historie. l.5.Malabar, hath nothing in it but is Aethiopian, the crosses, building, and name it selfe. It is called; eIn Ramusius copie it is Andvia, in the Latine Auarij. Mar. Polo. l.2. Cap. 27. Ram.20Hanariya, which in Aethiopian is as much to say, as, Apostle: which Marcus Paulus falsely expoundeth, a Holy-man. (This name in the Author seemeth to be giuen not to the Church, but to the Apostles himself) Paulus addeth that the remainder of the Christians subiect to Prestegian abode in Tenduch. The neighbouring Arabians call them now Habassi, and we from thence Abissines, or Abassenes: they call themselues Chaldaeans: for their ancient and elegant language, in which their bookes are written, is neere to the Chaldaean and Assyrian. Moreouer, the Eccesiasticall Historie testifieth, and out of the same Nicophorus l.9.c.18, that many Colonies vvere sent out of Assyria into Aethiopia. They are there called Axumitae, of their chiefe citie but by themselues as Aluares affirmeth Chaschumo. More may we say hereafter of their rites and other things worthy of knowledge, in the Institutions fScaligers Aethiopian Grammar.of that tongue which we hauehave diligently, and methodically written. These words of Scaliger hauehave made me take some paines in the search of the premisses; for he differeth from the opinion of others which hauehave written any thing of Presbyter, or Priest Iohn (as they terme him) in Asia, whom the Tartars subdued. Ortelius gOrtelli Theat. in the Mappe of Tartaria. P. Bertius & ddil Geograph.maketh a Presbyter Iohn in Asia, and an other in Africa, if I vnderstand him. As for that Vncam, William de Rubruquis, which trauelled those parts in the morning of the Targar-greatnes, An. 1523. reporteth that one Con Can reigned in Kara-Catay, or blacke Catay, after whose death a certaine Nestorian Shepheard (a mighty Gouernour of the people called Yayman, which were Nestorian-Christians) exalted himselfe to the Kingdome, and they called him King Iohn, reporting of him ten times more then was true, as is the Nestorians wont. hWilli.de Rubruquis …tinerarium ap. Hak. to.1.Cap.19.For notwithstanding all their great boasts of this man, when I trauelled along by his territories, there was none that knew any thing of him, but onelyonly a few Nestorians. This Iohn had a brother, a mighty shepheard called Vut, which inhabited three weeks iourny beyond him: he was Lord of a Village called Cara Carum, his subiects, called Crit or Merkies, were also Nestorians. But their Lord abandoning Christianitie, embraced Idols and reteined with him Priests of the said Idols. Ten or fifteene daies iourney beyond his pastures, were the Pastures of Moal, a beggerly Nation, and neere them the Tartars. Iohn dying, this Vut became his Heyte, and was called Vut Can (whom others call Vnc Can) and his droues and stockes ranged vntounto the Pastures of Moal. About the same time one Cyngis a Black-Smith in Moal, stole many of Vut iThis Vut or vncam was called Prete or Priest as Boterus coniectureth, because he had the crosse borne before him he is said, with no great likelihood of truth, to hauehave ruled 7…. KingdomesCans Cattell: who in reuenge with his forces spoiled the Moals and Tartars. They aggreeued, made Cyngis their Captaine, who suddenly brake in vponupon Vut, and chased him into Cataya; tooke his Daughter and married her, and had by her Mangu, that was then the Great Can when our Author wrote this. These relations sauour not any such Monarchy as should extend from Aethiopia, to those parts of Asia.
M. k… Paul.l.1.c.24.Paulus telleth that the Tartars were tributaries to this Vmcan (so hee calles him) which, saith he, after some mens opinion signifieth in our language Priest Iohn, but through his tyranny prouoked to rebellion, they vnderunder the conduct of Cingis, slew Vncam. And afterward he saith that lC.52. The Latine Copie wants these things.Tenduc was vnderunder the subiection of Priest Iohn: but all the Priests Iohns that there reigned after Umcan, were tributarie to the Great Can and in his time reigned one George, who was a Priest and a christian, as were the inhabitants. But he held not so much as the mSir Io'm Mandeuiles storie of Presbyter Iohn, is fabulous.Priests Iohns had done: & the great Cans did still ioine in affinitie with this family, marrying their daughters vntounto these Kings. This George was the fourth after Priest Iohn, and was holden a great Signior. He ruled ouer two Nations, called by some Gog and Magog. by the inhabitants, Vng nHappily the Prince before mentioned was called Vncam of Vng, and Can: for Can signifieth a diumour or ruler.& Mongul, where some were Mahumetans; some Heathens, other Christians. It appeareth by their Histories, that Scaliger was deceiued, to thinke that this Priest Iohn had so large an Empire, seeing Rubruquis in the same Age, or sonne after qM.P.l.3.c.37could in his own countrey heare so little of him: and his posteritie in M. Paulus his time, continued tributarie Kings vnderunder the Tartar. The name Priest was giuen them of that function, which he testifieth, George receiued, and Iohn perhaps of that first Shepheard that vsurped Con Cans estate. To let passe therefore that Presbyter Iohn in the Northeast, we slumble on an other midway betwixt that & Aethiopia. For so Ioannes oJosi…. de Pl. Carp. …inerar um ca.5.deplano Carpini (sent Embassadour to the great Can, from Pope Innocent. An. 1246.) and Vincentius pVincentij Beluacensis Spic. historiale l.32. c.10.in his Speculum, tell of the King of India Major, called Presbyter Iohn, being inuaded by the Tartars vnderunder the leading of Tossut Can, sonne of Cingis, who before had subdued India Minor: Hee by a stratageme acquired his Realme of them. For making mens images of Copper, he set each of them vponupon a saddle on horse-back, and put fire within them, placing a man with a paire of bellowes on the horse-backe behinde eueryevery Image. And so with many images & horses in such fort furnished, they marched against the Tartars: and when they were ready to ioyne, by kindling a fire in each Image, they made such a smoke that the Indians wounded & slew many Tartars, who could not see to require them through the smoke: but were forced to leaue that countrey, & neuer after returned. Here now we meet with a new Presbyter Iohn in India Major, which whether he were the same with the Aethiopian, let vsus a little examine. India is by M. qM.P.l.3.c.37Paulus diuided into three parts, the Lesser, Greater, & Middle; the first of them he boundeth from Ciamba to Mursili, & saith, it had in it eight Kingdomes; the Middle called Abascia, had in it seuen Kingdomes, three whereof were Saraceus, therest Christians. Six of them were subiect to the seuenth. It was told me, saith he, that after their baptisme with water, they vsed another Baptisme with fire, branding three markes on their forehead & both their cheekes. The Saracens vsed one brand from the forehead to the middle of their nose: They warre with the Soldan of Aden, & with the inhabitants of Nubia, & are reputed the best warriours in India. The greater rAbdias nominat Indian quae in Aethiopiam vergit. 1.8.India extendeth from Malabar, to the Kingdome of Chesmacoran, and had in it thirteene Kingdomes. This Abascia by the bordering enemies of Nubia & Aden is apparant to be this Aethiopia where we now are: euen by their brands we may know them: And this the Ancients called India. For Sidonius sSidonius ap. Ortel. in Thesauro.calleth the Aethiopian Memnones Indians: and Aeltanus tAelionus l.17. animalium.placeth Indians at Astaboras, one of the Riuers of Meroe: uVirg. Georg.4.Virgil also brimgeth Nilus out of India. Vsg.. Coloratis, animis denexus ab Indus: which must needs be meant of Aethiopia. Nicephorus xSabellicus Aenead. 10.l.8.reckoneth the Sabeans and Ho…merites people of Arabia vntounto India. Sabellicus ySabell. Aen. 10.lib.8.complaineth of the confounding of these names India, and Ethiopia, saying, that most men did thinke Ethiopia next to Egypt, to be that India, where Alexander ouerthrew Porus. This confusion of names, I thinke, did first grow from confusion of Nations. For as is before obserued out of Eusebius, the Ethiopians arose from the Riuer Indus, & setled their habitation neere to Egypt. Perhaps they brought the Indian name also to these parts. Or else the ignorance of those remote countries might doe it: in which respect, not onelyonly a third part of the olde world, but another new-found world, is named India. Therefore Acosta zIos. Acost. hist. Ind. l.1.c.14.esteemeth India to be a generall name to all countries which are far off, and strange to vsus, although it be properly attributed to the East Indies. Now if any wonder at such an extrauagant discourse of India here, let him know that in our search for Presbyter Iohn, which then was knowne to withstand the Tartarts in Asia, I cannot see how he can be the Abissine or Ethiopian: but rather thinke that when a mighty Christian Prince was found in Ethiopia, they did imagine him to be that Presbyter Iohn, of which they had heard in Asia; being furthered in this errour by the name, India, which, as is said, did generally comprehend both the true India, & this, more truly called Ethiopia. Now for that Presbyter Iohn in India, I take him for some Christian King: for at that time there were many Christians, as appeareth by Venetes, in manner dispersed throughout Asia: and some, called S. Thomas Christians, remaine in India to this day. Why I thinke it not to agree to the Abissine, my reasons besides the former are, the distance of place: all that huge tract of Arabia, with the wide seas on each side, separating India from Ethiopia: the vnpassable Deserts by land: No mention in history who should dispossesse them of that India Maior, where the Tartar had neuer any great power: the Histories aOf these Indian Histories touching the same times See Linschoten l.1.ca.12. & 27. & G.B.B.which wee hauehave of those Indian Princes, the Kings of Malabar, of Decamo, the Samorin, &c. are against it: the difference of Religion; for those Indian Christians of S. Thomas are not branded with hote irons, nor circumcised, not agree in other rites with the Ethiopian: the Ethiopian History challengeth no such large extents to their Empire, except in Africa, where they seate them in a continuall descent, from the time of Salomon, till now, whereas those Presbyter-Iohns had their dwelling and abode in Asia, as their Stories signifie. And further, the name bOdoardo Lopez. l.2.vlt.Priest-Iohn is a name vnknowne in Ethiopia, and by ignorant mistaking of the Europaeans, applied to that Ethiopian Emperour when first they heard of him, as saith Zaga cZaga Zabode 33. Fide Ethiopu….Zabo his Embassadour to the King of Portugall, who reproueth the men of these parts dLuys de Vrreta Hist. Eiiop. L 1.c.7.saying that he is named of them Belul, which signifieth Excelcellent, or precious, and in the Chaldaean tongue, Ioannes Encoe; which signifieth the same. Sabellieus saith, the Ethiopians called him Gyan; Linschoten affirmeth, Bel Gyan: (Bel signifieth the highest, and Gyan, Lord. But Frier Luys out of Baltasar the Ethiopian, sheweth that in the hill Amara are ancient records, which testifie that from the time of that Queene that came to Salomon, the Emperours hauehave been called Beldigian, the signification whereof is, a precious stone, or a thing of great value: which Title hath continued to those Emperours, as Pharao to the Egyptians, and Caesar to the Romans, Some also of the Royall bloud (which are vsually kept, as after shall appeare, in the hill Amara) when they are elected to the Empire, if there bee many of that Imperiall issue; take orders & become Priests, not procreating any Children. Such saith he in our times hauehave beene Daniel the second, Paphnutius, that succeeded to Naum, and Alexander the third his succes…our, all which were both Priestes and Kings; and therefore by the Aethiopians which resort to the Holy Sepulcher at Ierusalem, & vsed to speake Greek, were called Priest Beldigian. This by corruption of the name by Merchants, and such as knew not the signification, and also for breuities sake, was pronounced Priest Gian or Iohn. Now for the Priest Iohn in Asia, he tels that when S. Thomas was martyred in India, the three eMat. 2.l.Magi, who had visited Christ by the leading of a Starre in his Infancie, and had after beene consecrated Bishops ouer their seuerall Kingdomes (you must not deny their royalty) by the Apostle; chose one amongst themselues to be Priest & King, who was called Priest Iohn. If you beleeue not Peter de Natalibus, out of whom the Frier cites this, I should be too much troubled in perswading you. Hee telleth also out of Otho Frisingensis, that about the yeare 1145. one Iohn a Christian, both King and Priest. Priest, reigning in the furthest parts of the East, warred vponupon, and ouercame the Medes, Assyrians. & Persians, and had intended to free Ierusalem out of Saracenicall seruitude, but not finding passage ouer Tigris, was forced to returne. This is like to hee that Presbyter Iohn, whose posterity vsed that Stratageme before mentioned against the Tartars. And to him I thinke might fitly agree that Title of Prestegian (easily deflected and altered to Priest. Iohn) whereof you hauehave heard out of Ioseph Scaliger. I hauehave seene a Manuscript fCommunicated to me, by that industrious and learned Gentleman, Maister Selden, of the inner Temple.in old French, pretended to be a Letter from Prester Iohn, to the Emperor Frederike, wherin is discoursed of the site, greatnes, puissance, wealth, and other rarities of his estate: but finding so many monsters, and vncouth relations therin, I could not be so prodigall of faith or penurious of iudgement, as to value his authoritie at any high rate: wherin Sir Iohn Mandeuill seemes to hauehave been a lender or borrower, so iustly doe they agree, in disagreeing from both probabilitie and possibilitie of truth: yet both in the one and the other, we may obserue the like situation of Prester Iohns dwelling in these parts of Asia, neere Persia: and that such a multitude of Fables could not but hauehave some truth for their ground. My conclusion is, that for that name of Prestegian, I like vvell Scaligers interpretation, and thinke that it may agree either to this, or some other Christian Prince at those times in India, which is far neerer to Persia, and from whence the Indians borrowed their Royal titles, both in those times & since, as, Garciasab Herto gGarc. ab Hor. l.2.c 28. Linschoten l.1. c. 27.and Linschoten shewe. Idalham or Adelham, the Title of the King of hGoa is the seate of the Portugall Vice…roy.Goa, and the countries about, commonly called Idalcan, is not a proper name, but a Title of honour, (signifying (as Adonizeack Iosh. 10.1. … ord) or King of Iustice: Nisamaluco, the speare of the Kingdome; and such like: Ismael the Sophi (which name also is by some interpreted Elect, because they pretended to be or doe so, and others, the reprobate followers of a reprobate Religion) added the Title of Xa or Sha, to such as embraced his new sect, as Nisomoxa, &c. If the borrowing of names from the Persian language (so generall in those parts) bee still obserued: no maruell if some Christian King in those times might Stile himselfe Prestegian, or Apostolicall, (which others not vnderstanding called Priest Iohn, or Prete Iannt) as beeing compassed with so many Saracens the enemies of the Apostles, besides Heretikes, and Heathens. At Mosul is yet a Patriarch, who in Paulus iM. Paul.l.1.c.6.time was of farre greater iurisdiction, and as an Easterne Pope ordained Archbishops and Bishops, through all the parts of India, besides Cairo, and Baldach: and therefore no maruell if in India there were some Great Carishan Prince, able to make head against the Tartars in those times: For euen in Cranganor kG. Bot Ben. part 3.l.2.are yet supposed to bee 70000. Christians: besides a great number in Negapatan, and in Matipur: and very many in Angamale, and 15000. on the North of Cochin, where the Archbishop that dependeth on the Patriatch of Babylon, or Mosul, resideth: All which hauehave no communion with the Greek, Roman, or Ethiopian Churches. And for the Ethiopian names or crosses, either their Marchants when their state was great, or slaues, which taken from them are euen in these times sold deerest of any other, and mount to great preserments of warre, vnderunder these Lords, might leaue such impressions: or, some other, which as they professed One Christ, so might hauehave some words and ceremonies common with the Ethiopian: although I must needs acknowledge, that many of those crosses hauehave not crossed my way, nor any other Ethiopian foote-prints.
Pardon me gentle Reader, if I seeme tedious in this dispute, seeing it is necessary both for the vnderstanding of the extent of the power and Religion of this Precious or Priest Iohn: and Scaliger hauing ascribed such large bounds to his Empire, I could not but examine the same, otherwise professing my selfe (sinon magts amtca veritas) euen willing, if I must needs erre, to erre with him, who hath in many tongues, and Artes, shewed himselfe perhaps the worthiest Generall, and generallest Worthy, against Errour that euer we hauehave had, the Alpha of learned men in our Age, as our learned lD. Morton against Brerely.Morton testifieth of him, and a great light of learning, acknowledged by Royall mIunius & Scal.duo magna literarum lumina.Rex lacobus in Declarat. contra Vorst.testimonie. His authoritie I would not seeme to contemne, and therefore hauehave entred this long search: contented, if any like better to follow the opinion of Sealiger in this, as I hauehave done in many things else, that he take his choise.