176 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. derstand why we should do any thing of the kind. It was said in your letter also, that you were astonished at our slaughter of men, especially of Christians, and in particular of the Hungarians, Poles, and Moravians. We reply, that we do not understand that either. Nevertheless, that it may not appear that we pass over this point in silence, we have thought proper to give you this answer. It was because they did not obey the command of God and of Tchinguiz- Khan ; and because, yielding to bad counsels, they put to death our ambassadors.* In consequence of that, God has commanded me to annihilate them, and has delivered them entirely into my hands. And if it were not the work of God, what could one man do against another man ? But you inhabitants of the West, you adore God, you say, — you believe that you are the only Christians, and you despise others. But how do you know on whom He will deign to confer his grace ? We adore God, and it is in his strength and power that we shall destroy all nations. If man had not the strength of God, what could man do ? " The Tartar Emperor had intended to have his answer carried by his own envoys, who were to have accompa- nied the Franciscans on their return ; but they seem to have feared such an addition to their company, and dissuaded him from making it. " We found," says Carpini, " that for various reasons it was not expe- dient that Couyouk should send his ambassadors with us ; firstly, because we feared that if they came to know the wars and dissensions there were amongst ourselves, that might encourage them the more to attack us ; secondly, because they would have been so many spies upon us ; thirdly, that we feared they might be insulted or even killed, as our people are somewhat proud and arrogant. Now, the custom of the Tartars is, never to make peace or truce with those who have killed an
- Couyouk here alludes to the murder of the Tartar ambassadors
by the Russians, before the battle of Kalka. (See History of the Russian Empire, by Karampir, vol. iii. p. 286.)
