The City of Cobinan

Cobinan is a large town. Its people worship Mahommet.

There is much Iron and Steel and Ondanique, and they make steel mirrors of great size and beauty. They also prepare both Tutia (a thing very good for the eyes) and Spodium; and I will tell you the process.

They have a vein of a certain earth which has the required quality, and this they put into a great flaming furnace, whilst over the furnace there is an iron grating.

The smoke and moisture, expelled from the earth of which I speak, adhere to the iron grating, and thus form Tutia, whilst the slag that is left after burning is the Spodium.

CHAPTER 22. A certain Desert that continues for 8 days’ Journey.

When you depart from this City of Cobinan, you find yourself again in a Desert of surpassing aridity, which lasts for some 8 days.

here are neither fruits nor trees to be seen, and what water there is is bitter and bad, so that you have to carry both food and water. The cattle must needs drink the bad water, will they nill they, because of their great thirst.

At the end of those 8 days you arrive at a Province which is called Tonocain.

It has many towns and villages, and forms the extremity of Persia towards the North.

It also contains an immense plain on which is found the Arbre Sol, which we Christians call the Arbre Sec.

It is a tall and thick tree, having the bark on one side green and the other white; and it 128produces a rough husk like that of a chestnut, but without anything in it.

The wood is yellow like box, and very strong, and there are no other trees near it nor within a hundred miles of it, except on one side, where you find trees within about ten miles’ distance. And there, the people of the country tell you, was fought the battle between Alexander and King Darius.{2}

The towns and villages have great abundance of everything good, for the climate is extremely temperate, being neither very hot nor very cold.

The natives all worship Mahommet, and are a very fine-looking people, especially the women, who are surpassingly beautiful.

CHAPTER 23. The Old Man of the Mountain

Mulehet is a country in which the Old Man of the Mountain dwelt in former days.

It means “Place of the Aram.”

Marco Polo heard his whole history from several natives of that region.

The Old Man was called in their language Aloadin.

He had caused a certain valley between two mountains to be enclosed, and had turned it into a garden, the largest and most beautiful that ever was seen, filled with every variety of fruit.

In it were erected pavilions and palaces the most elegant that can be imagined, all covered with gilding and exquisite painting.

There were tunnels too, flowing freely with wine and milk and honey and water; and numbers of ladies and of the most beautiful damsels in the world, who could play on all manner of instruments, and sung most sweetly, and danced in a manner that it was charming to behold.

For the Old Man desired to make his people believe that this was actually Paradise.

So he had fashioned it after the description that Mahommet gave of his Paradise, to wit, that it should be a beautiful garden running with conduits of wine and milk and honey and water, and full of lovely women for the delectation of all its inmates.

Sure enough the Saracens of those parts believed that it was Paradise!

No man was allowed to enter the Garden save those whom he intended to be his Ashishin.

There was a Fortress at the entrance to the Garden, strong enough to resist all the world. There was no other way to get in.

He kept at his Court a number of the youths of the country, from 12 to 20 years of age, such as had a taste for soldiering, and to these he used to tell tales about Paradise, just as Mahommet had been wont to do, and they believed in him just as the Saracens believe in Mahommet.

Then he would introduce them into his garden, some 4-10 at a time, having first made them drink a certain potion which cast them into a deep sleep, and then causing them to be lifted and carried in. So when they awoke, they found themselves in the Garden.

CHAPTER 24. How the Old Man Used to Train His Assassins.

When therefore they awoke, and found themselves in a place so charming, they deemed that it was Paradise in very truth.

The ladies and damsels dallied with them to their hearts’ content, so that they had what young men would have. With their own good will they never would have quitted the place.

This Prince whom we call the Old One kept his Court in grand and noble style, and made those simple hill-folks about him believe firmly that he was a great Prophet.

When he wanted one of his Ashishin to send on any mission, he would cause that potion whereof I spoke to be given to one of the youths in the garden, and then had him carried into his Palace.

So when the young man awoke, he found himself in the Castle, and no longer in that Paradise; whereat he was not over well pleased.

He was then conducted to the Old Man’s presence, and bowed before him with great veneration as believing himself to be in the presence of a true Prophet.

The Prince would then ask whence he came, and he would reply that he came from Paradise! and that it was exactly such as Mahommet had described it in the Law.

This of course gave the others who stood by, and who had not been admitted, the greatest desire to enter therein.

So when the Old Man would have any Prince slain, he would say to such a youth: “Go thou and slay So and So. When you return my Angels shall bring you into Paradise. If you die, I will send my Angels to carry you back into Paradise.”

So he caused them to believe.

Thus there was no order of his that they would not affront any peril to execute, for the great desire they had to get back into that Paradise of his.

In this manner the Old One got his people to murder any one whom he desired to get rid of. Thus, too, the great dread that he inspired all Princes withal, made them become his tributaries in order that he might abide at peace and amity with them.

The Old Man had certain others under him, who copied his proceedings and acted exactly in the same way.

One of these was sent into the territory of Damascus, and the other into Curdistan.

CHAPTER 25. How the Old Man came by His End.

In 1252, Alaü, Lord of the Tartars of the Levant, heard of these great crimes of the Old Man and resolved to make an end of him.

So he took and sent one of his Barons with a great Army to that Castle.

They besieged it for 3 years, but they could not take it, so strong was it.

If they had had enough food inside, it never would have been taken. But after being besieged those 3 years, they ran out of food, and were taken.

The Old Man was put to death with all his men. The Castle with its Garden of Paradise was levelled with the ground.

He had no successor and so there ended all his villainies.