394 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. Monte Corvino, and presided at his funeral. All the inhabitants of Khanbalik, without distinction, mourned for the man of God, and both Christians and pagans were present at the funeral ceremony, the latter rending their garments in token of grief, according to their custom on such occasions. The linen and various articles which had belonged to the archbishop were re- verently collected ; for every one wished to possess and piously to preserve some of these relics ; and the place of his burial became a pilgrimage to which the inhabit- ants of Khanbalik resorted with pious eagerness.* These details have been preserved by William Adam himself, who, after his journey into China, edited, by order of John XXII. , a curious narrative, entitled, "Of the State and Government of the Great Khan of Cathay, Sove- reign Emperor of the Tartars, &c." As soon as the sovereign pontiff had heard that the church of Khanbalik was widowed of her virtuous and zealous pastor, he hastened to provide a successor to John de Monte Corvino ; and chose Nicholas, of the order of St. Francis, and sent with him, for the evange- lisation of the Tartars, twenty-six monks and six lay brothers of the same order. This holy expedition, composed of an archbishop and thirty-two missionaries,
- " Cilz arceveusques Jehan dei Mont Cnruin est, comme il plut a
Dieu, nouvellement trespassez de ce siecle. A son obseque, et a son sepulture vinrent tres grant multitude de gens crestiens et de paiens, et desaroient ces paiens leurs robes de deuil, ainsi qui leui guise est. Et ces gens cbrestiens et paiens pristrent en grant devocion les draps de l'arceveusques et le tinrent a grant reverence et pour relique. La fu il ensevelis moult honnourablement a la guise des fiables (ftdeles) crestiens, encore uisite ou le lieu de sa sepulture a moult crant devocion." — Le livrc de Vestal du Grant Caan.
