Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/158

146 146 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. Whilst Frederick Barbarossa was sending this faith- ful portrait of the Tartars to Edward of England, all Europe was agitated and terrified at the rumour of this horrible barbarian invasion. Matthew Paris relates, that Queen Blanche, the mother of the King of France, and a lady of most venerable and pious character, burst into tears when she heard that the nations were menaced by this messenger of the wrath of Heaven, and sending for her son, begged to know what he meant o ' (Do to do in this terrible conjuncture. " My dear son," she said, "what fearful rumours are these? Surely the irruption of these Tartars threatens our total ruin, and that of our Holy Church." King Louis replied, in a voice which, though sorrowful, had a tone of some- thing divine in it, " Let us look to Heaven for support and consolation, mother ; and if they come, these Tar- tars, we will drive them back into Tartary, whence they have issued ; or it may be that they will send us to Heaven, to enjoy the bliss that has been promised to the elect."* These words, adds Matthew Paris, inspired both the nobility of France and of the neighbouring nations with confidence and courage. The play upon words here attributed to St. Louis, is found in almost all the writings of the period, and is, perhaps, the real cause of the alteration which the Westerns have made in the name of the Tatars. They are frequently designated Tartares, from the first mo- ment of their appearance ; and Tartari imo Tartarei, as the Emperor Frederick calls them, was an expression that found much favour. It was, in fact, a very general opinion in Europe that the Mongols were demons, sent to chastise mankind, or at least that they held inter-
 * Matth. Paris, " Hist. Angl.," p. 747.