2. of the mission of certain friars, predicants and minorites in the same year, 1246, to the same country; and in p. 59.

For this purpose, six monks were selected from the new and severe orders of predicants and minorites.

Of the first Mission of Friars Predicants and Minorites to the Tartars.

All this that I have written concerning the land of Pascatir, I was informed by certain friars predicants, who had travelled there before the irruption of the Tartars; and as they had been subdued by their neighbours the Bulgarians, who were Mahometans, many of them adopted that faith.

In the city of Naxuam I met a Catalan friar, of the order of Predicants, named Barnard, who lives with a friar of the Holy Sepulchre, resident in Georgia, and possessing extensive lands there.

It does not seem to me expedient, that any more friars should be sent to the Tartars, in the way I went, or as the predicant friars go.

On this the new pope sent messengers to the Polos to call them back, or to delay their departure from Armenia until he might prepare other letters for them, to present to the khan in his name, and to inform them, that he meant to join two friars predicants in commission with them, Nicolo of Vicenza and Guelmo of Tripoli, men of learning and discretion.

These are likewise called Bachsi, which is the name of their order, as our friars are named predicants, minors, and the like.

In the ensuing spring, Nicolo Zeno resolved to go out upon discoveries; and, having fitted out three small vessels, he set sail in July, shaping his course to the northwards, and arrived in Engroveland, where he found a monastery of predicant friars, and a church dedicated to St Thomas, hard by a mountain that threw out fire like Etna or Vesuvius.

On their landing, the inhabitants were much astonished at their appearance, but were not able to understand them, though the strangers addressed them in different languages; till at last one of the strangers began to speak a little German with a German priest of the order of friars predicant who lived there, and informed him who they were