Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 570

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Traniation of Tes Mongusan Letters

OKT.

bits of way, the Tanan seisę krosċċea by one of ze lawy to wasi, thear clothes, which man be worn to shed cosma iau domiciless stroủ? OB- served by lume Ĺ He was a ferocions, brave, meLrive, SiŢICWOS, dirty mige Lie sevend aber greu conquerces, ne latterly believed kuravelí to be a special instrament of the Divine mil. Taxt he was such an instrument, though not be purposes of vengeance as he supposed, there can we be litte doase. For when he died, nis dominions extend- ed from the Billie to the Japanese sea, embracing on the west RÓ sia, on the east Corea. His sons and grandsons, following up his com- quests, extended the Mongolian sway over the entire Asiatic contineat excepting the two peninsulas of India and Arabia, and over all Euro- pean Russia, while their armies devastated Poland, Hungary and Silesia European prisoners and soldiers in these armies, and adven- turous merchants like Marco Polo, spread in Europe reports about an empire of incredible extent, wealth, and population at the extremity of Asia. This led to the memorable voyage of Columbus; which, again, led to the existence of a new state, destined far to exceed in wealth and grandeur that he went to seek, and the establishment of which was a great step towards the ultimate civilization of the world.

Argun, a great-great-grandson of Genghis, ruled in Persia and the adjacent countries, where, though himself but a viceroy, a vassal of the Grand Khan or Mongolian emperorat Peking, he numbered among his subject states the Christian kingdom of Armenia. The Mongols, heathens at bottom, were nearly indifferent to all forms of religion, and like the Clunese of the present day, ready to invoke the name of God whenever it suited their purpose. Their sway was therefore preferred by the kings of Armenia and Georgia to that of the proselyting Mo- hammedans of Egypt and Arabia, the inveterate enemies of Christiani- ty, to whom they must have fallen a prey at the time European ardor for crusades began sensibly to cool, had not the Mongolian power just then opposed a check to these rival conquerors. They consequently gave themselves much trouble to get the Mongols and crusaders to act in concert, and the letter of Argun is one of the results of their efforts.

It

says but little, and led to nothing at the time, but it has neverthe- less considerable historical and literary value. It is curious, among other things, to observe from it how powerful the influence of the un- varying Chinese literature has been throughout Asia. This letter, written by a Tartar ruler of Persia 600 years ago, is modeled so strict. ly on Chinese forms that it might, in so far, have been issued from a Chinese yamun of the present day. The writer in a letter sealed with a seal conferred by his sovereign lord speaks as an undoubted superior

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