The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano
CHAPTER XII.
1302 words | Chapter 340
HOW THE GREAT KAAN MAINTAINS A GUARD OF TWELVE THOUSAND
HORSE, WHICH ARE CALLED KESHICAN.
You must know that the Great Kaan, to maintain his state, hath a guard
of twelve thousand horsemen, who are styled KESHICAN, which is as much
as to say “Knights devoted to their Lord.” Not that he keeps these
for fear of any man whatever, but merely because of his own exalted
dignity. These 12,000 men have four captains, each of whom is in
command of 3000; and each body of 3000 takes a turn of three days and
nights to guard the palace, where they also take their meals. After the
expiration of three days and nights they are relieved by another 3000,
who mount guard for the same space of time, and then another body takes
its turn, so that there are always 3000 on guard. Thus it goes until
the whole 12,000, who are styled (as I said) Keshican, have been on
duty; and then the tour begins again, and so runs on from year’s end to
year’s end.{1}
NOTE 1.—I have _deduced_ a reading for the word _Quescican_
(Keshican), which is not found precisely in any text. Pauthier
reads _Questiau_ and _Quesitau_; the G. Text has _Quesitam_ and
_Quecitain_; the Crusca _Questi Tan_; Ramusio, _Casitan_; the
Riccardiana, _Quescitam_. Recollecting the constant clerical
confusion between _c_ and _t_, what follows will leave no doubt I
think that the true reading to which all these variations point is
_Quescican_.[1]
In the Institutes of Ghazan Khan, we find established among other
formalities for the authentication of the royal orders, that they
should be stamped on the back, in black ink, with the seals of
the _Four Commanders_ of the _Four Kiziks_, or _Corps of the Life
Guard_.
Wassáf also, in detailing the different classes of the great
dignitaries of the Mongol monarchy, names (1) the _Noyáns_ of the
Ulus, or princes of the blood; (2) the great chiefs of the tribes;
(3) the _Amírs of the four Keshik_, or _Corps of the Body Guard_;
(4) the officers of the army, commanding ten thousands, thousands,
and so on.
Moreover, in Rashiduddin, we find the identical plural form used
by our author. He says that, after the sack of Baghdad, Hulaku,
who had escaped from the polluted atmosphere of the city, sent
“Ilká Noyán and Ḳarábúgá, with 3000 Moghul horse into Baghdad, in
order to have the buildings repaired, and to put things generally
in order. These chiefs posted sentries from the KISHÍKÁN (كشي
كان), and from their own followings in the different quarters of
the town, had the carcases of beasts removed from the streets, and
caused the bazaars to be rebuilt.”
We find _Kishik_ still used at the court of Hindustan, under the
great kings of Timur’s House, for the corps on tour of duty at the
palace; and even for the sets of matchlocks and sabres, which were
changed weekly from Akbar’s armoury for the royal use. The royal
guards in Persia, who watch the king’s person at night, are termed
_Keshikchi_, and their captain _Keshikchi Bashi_. [“On the night
of the 11th of Jemady ul Sany, A.H. 1160 (or 8th June, 1747), near
the city of Khojoon, three days’ journey from Meshed, Mohammed
Kuly Khan Ardemee, who was of the same tribe with Nadir Shah, his
relation, and Kushukchee Bashee, with seventy of the _Kukshek_ or
guard, ... bound themselves by an oath to assassinate Nadir Shah.”
(_Memoirs of Khojeh Abdulkurreem ... transl. by F. Gladwin_,
Calcutta, 1788, pp. 166–167).]
Friar Odoric speaks of the four barons who kept watch by the Great
Kaan’s side as the _Cuthé_, which probably represents the Chinese
form _Kiesie_ (as in De Mailla), or _Kuesie_ (as in Gaubil). The
latter applies the term to four devoted champions of Chinghiz,
and their descendants, who were always attached to the Kaan’s
body-guard, and he identifies them with the _Quesitan_ of Polo, or
rather with the captains of the latter; adding expressly that the
word _Kuesie_ is Mongol.
I see _Kishik_ is a proper name among the Kalmak chiefs; and
_Keshikten_ also is the name of a Mongol tribe, whose territory
lies due north of Peking, near the old site of Shangtu. (Bk. I.
ch. lxi.) [_Keshikhteng_, a tribe (_pu_; mong. _aimak_) of the
Chao Uda League (_mêng_; mong. _chogolgân_) among the twenty-four
tribes of the _Nei Mung-ku_ (Inner Mongols). (See _Mayers’ Chinese
Government_, p. 81.)—H. C.] In Kovalevsky, I find the following:—
(No. 2459) “_Keshik_, grace, favour, bounty, benefit, good fortune,
charity.”
(No. 2461) “_Keshikten_, fortunate, happy, blessed.”
(No. 2541) “_Kichyeku_, to be zealous, assiduous, devoted.”
(No. 2588) “_Kushiku_, to hinder, to bar the way to,” etc.
The third of these corresponds closely with Polo’s etymology of
“knights devoted to their lord,” but perhaps either the first or
the last may afford the real derivation.
In spite of the different initials (ق instead of ک), it can
scarcely be doubted that the _Ḳalchi_ and _Ḳalaḳchi_ of Timur’s
Institutes are mere mistranscriptions of the same word, _e.g._: “I
ordered that 12,000 _Ḳalchi_, men of the sword completely armed,
should be cantoned in the Palace; to the right and to the left,
to the front, and in the rear of the imperial diwán; thus, that
1000 of those 12,000 should be every night upon guard,” etc. The
translator’s note says of _Ḳalchi_, “A Mogul word supposed to mean
_guards_.” We see that even the traditional number of 12,000, and
its division into four brigades, are maintained. (See _Timour’s
Inst._, pp. 299 and 235, 237.)
I must add that Professor Vámbéry does not assent to the form
_Keshikán_, on the ground that this Persian plural is impossible
in an old Tartar dialect, and he supposes the true word to be
_Kechilan_ or _Kechiklen_, “the night-watchers,” from _Kiche_ or
_Kichek_ (Chag. and Uighúr), = “night.”
I believe, however, that Persian was the colloquial language of
foreigners at the Kaan’s court, who would not scruple to make a
Persian plural when wanted; whilst Rashid has exemplified the
actual use of this one.
(_D’Ohsson_, IV. 410; _Gold. Horde_, 228, 238; _Ilch._ II. 184;
_Q. R._ pp. 308–309; _Ayeen Aḳb._ I. 270, and _Blochmann’s_, p.
115; _J. As._ sér. IV. tom. xix. 276; _Olearius_, ed. 1659, I. 656;
_Cathay_, 135; _De Mailla_, ix. 106; _Gaubil_, p. 6; _Pallas_,
_Samml._ I. 35.)
[“By _Keshican_ in _Colonel Yule’s Marco Polo_, _Keshikten_ is
evidently meant. This is a general Mongol term to designate
the Khan’s lifeguard. It is derived from the word _Keshik_,
meaning a guard by turns; a corps on tour of duty. _Keshik_ is
one of the archaisms of the Mongol language, for now this word
has another meaning in Mongol. Colonel Yule has brought together
several explanations of the term. It seems to me that among his
suppositions the following is the most consistent with the ancient
meaning of the word:—
“We find _Kishik_ still used at the court of Hindustan, under the
great kings of Timur’s House, for the corps on tour of duty at the
palace.... The royal guards in Persia, who watch the King’s person
at night, are termed _Keshikchi_.”
“The Keshikten was divided into a day-watch called _Turgaut_ and
a night-watch _Kebteul_. The Kebte-ul consisted of pure Mongols,
whilst the Turgaut was composed of the sons of the vassal princes
and governors of the provinces, and of hostages. The watch of
the Khan was changed every three days, and contained 400 men. In
1330 it was reduced to 100 men.” (_Palladius_, 42–43.) Mr. E. H.
Parker writes in the _China Review_, XVIII. p. 262, that they “are
evidently the ‘body guards’ of the modern viceroys, now pronounced
Kashïha, but, evidently, originally _Kêshigha_.” —H. C.]
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[1] One of the nearest readings is that of the Brandenburg Latin
collated by Müller, which has _Quaesicam_.
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