s of the king of Armenia. Having
remained here from before the Ascension till after Pentecost, or near a
fortnight, I heard there were messengers arrived from the king to his
father, and I went to the kings father to learn the news. I found him
surrounded by all his sons, except Barum Usin, who resided in a certain
castle; and he told me that his son was on his return, and that Mangu-khan
had much eased his tribute, granting him a privilege that no ambassador
should come into his country. On this the old man and all his sons made a
banquet; and he caused me to be conveyed by sea to the haven called
Aijax[16], whence I passed over into Cyprus, and at Nicosia I found our
provincial, who, the same day, carried me with him to Antiochia [17], which
is in a very weak state; we were there on the feast of St Peter, and St
Paul, 29th June; and from thence we went to Tripolis in Syria, where the
chapter of our order was held, on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin,
15th August 1255.

Our provincial is determined that I shall reside at Acon [18], and will not
suffer me to come to your majesty, but commands me to write what I will by
the bearer of these presents. I would willingly see your highness, and some
spiritual friends in your kingdom; and beseech your majesty to write our
provincial to allow me to go to you, and to return shortly again into the
Holy Land.

I would have your majesty to understand, that in Turkey, every tenth man is
not a Mahometan; they are all Armenians and Greeks, and are ruled over by
children. The soldan, who was conquered by the Tartars, had a lawful wife
of Iberia, by whom he had one feeble son, whom he directed to succeed him
as soldan. He had another son by a Greek concubine, whom he committed to
the guardianship of a certain great admiral. The third he had by a Turkish
woman, to whom many Turks and Turkomans having gathered, they proposed to
have slain all the soldans sons by Christian mothers, and if successful, to
have destroyed all the churches, and to compel all to become Mahometans on
pain of death. But he was overcome in battle, and many of his men slain. He
recruited his army, and ventured a second battle, in which he was defeated
and taken prisoner, and still remains confined. Pacester, the son of the
Greek concubine, was soon afterwards made soldan, as the other was weak,
whom they have sent to the Tartars; the kindred by the mothers side, of
this son, such as the Iberians and Curds, are m