CONVERSION OF PRINCE SARTAK. 205 the Volga. A person named John, who called himself a priest and the chaplain of Sartak, came one day to Rome, to Pope Innocent IV., and assured him that that Mongol chief had renounced idolatry and received holy baptism. He did not bring any letters, but he accounted for this by stating that he had been arrested by Conrad in Sicily, and kept in prison, where he had lost his cre- dentials, and all that he possessed, but had recovered his liberty on the death of Conrad. The Pope gave credit to his narrative, and wrote to Sartak, to congra- tulate him on his conversion, to exhort him to proclaim boldly the faith which he had embraced, and to beg him to allow his subjects to listen to those who came to preach the gospel to them. The rumour of the conversion of Sartak spread into Palestine in 1252, and rejoiced greatly all the Chris- tians, and more especially King Louis. Notwithstand- ing the affront offered to him by the Eegent Ogoul, in her false interpretation of his former proceeding, he resolved to hazard a new attempt, and write to Sartak letters of peace and amity, to instruct him in the articles of the faith, to give him counsel on affairs relating to Christianity, and to beg him to be the friend of Christians, and the enemy of their enemies, and in all things to do honour to the Holy Cross. It is beautiful to see this great monarch, not content with perilling his own life and that of his subjects, for the deliverance of the Holy Land, also taking the initiative in these distant missions for the propagation of the faith. This new mission to Tartary was committed to the
