The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 2

PART II.. _journey to the West and South-West of Cathay._

Journey to the West and South-West of Cathay.

CHAP. PAGE XXXV.—HERE BEGINS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR OF CATHAY; AND FIRST OF THE RIVER PULISANGHIN 3

NOTES.—1. Marco’s Route. 2. The Bridge Pul-i-sangin, or Lu-ku-k’iao.

XXXVI.—ACCOUNT OF THE CITY OF JUJU 10

NOTES.—1. The Silks called |Sendals|. 2. Chochau. 3. Bifurcation of Two Great Roads at this point.

XXXVII.—THE KINGDOM OF TAIANFU 12

NOTES.—1. Acbaluc. 2. T’ai-yuan fu. 3. Grape-wine of that place. 4. P’ing-yang fu.

XXXVIII.—CONCERNING THE CASTLE OF CAICHU. THE GOLDEN KING AND PRESTER JOHN 17

NOTES.—1. The Story and Portrait of the |Roi d’Or|. 2. Effeminacy reviving in every Chinese Dynasty.

XXXIX.—HOW PRESTER JOHN TREATED THE GOLDEN KING HIS PRISONER 21

XL.—CONCERNING THE GREAT RIVER CARAMORAN AND THE CITY OF CACHANFU 22

NOTES.—1. The Kará Muren. 2. Former growth of silk in Shan-si and Shen-si. 3. The |akché| or |asper|.

XLI.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF KENJANFU 24

NOTES.—1. Morus alba. 2. _Geography of the Route since

Chapter Xxxviii._ 3. _kenjanfu or Si-Ngan Fu; the

Christian monument there. 4. Prince Mangala._

XLII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CUNCUN, WHICH IS RIGHT WEARISOME TO TRAVEL THROUGH 31

NOTE.—The Mountain Road to Southern Shen-si.

XLIII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ACBALEC MANZI 33

NOTES.—1. Geography, and doubts about Acbalec. 2. Further Journey into Sze-ch’wan.

XLIV.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF SINDAFU 36

NOTES.—1. Ch’êng-tu fu. 2. The Great River or |Kiang|. 3. The word |Comercque|. 4. The Bridge-Tolls. 5. Correction of Text.

XLV.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF TEBET 42

NOTES.—1. The Part of Tibet and events referred to. 2. Noise of burning bamboos. 3. Road retains its desolate character. 4. Persistence of eccentric manners illustrated. 5. Name of the Musk animal.

XLVI.—FURTHER DISCOURSE CONCERNING TEBET 49

NOTES.—1. Explanatory. 2. “Or de Paliolle.” 3. Cinnamon. 4. 5. Great Dogs, and |Beyamini| oxen.

XLVII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CAINDU 53

NOTES.—1. Explanation from Ramusio. 2. Pearls of Inland Waters. 3. Lax manners. 4. Exchange of Salt for Gold. 5. Salt currency. 6. Spiced Wine. 7. Plant like the Clove, spoken of by Polo. Tribes of this Tract.

XLVIII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CARAJAN 64

NOTES.—1. Geography of the Route between Sindafu or Ch’êng-tu fu, and Carajan or Yun-nan. 2. Christians and Mahomedans in Yun-nan. 3. Wheat. 4. Cowries. 5. Brine-spring. 6. Parallel.

XLIX.—CONCERNING A FURTHER PART OF THE PROVINCE OF CARAJAN 76

NOTES.—1. City of Talifu. 2. Gold. 3. Crocodiles. 4. Yun-nan horses and riders. Arms of the Aboriginal Tribes. 5. Strange superstition and parallels.

L.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ZARDANDAN 84

NOTES.—1. Carajan and Zardandan. 2. The Gold-Teeth. 3. Male Indolence. 4. The Couvade. (See App. L. 8.) 5. Abundance of Gold. Relation of Gold to Silver. 6. Worship of the Ancestor. 7. Unhealthiness of the climate. 8. Tallies. 9.–12. Medicine-men or Devil-dancers; extraordinary identity of practice in various regions.

LI.—WHEREIN IS RELATED HOW THE KING OF MIEN AND BANGALA VOWED VENGEANCE AGAINST THE GREAT KAAN 98

NOTES.—1. Chronology. 2. Mien or Burma. Why the King may have been called King of Bengal also. 3. Numbers alleged to have been carried on elephants.

LII.—OF THE BATTLE THAT WAS FOUGHT BY THE GREAT KAAN’S HOST AND HIS SENESCHAL AGAINST THE KING OF MIEN 101

NOTES.—1. Nasruddin. 2. Cyrus’s Camels. 3. Chinese Account of the Action. General Correspondence of the Chinese and Burmese Chronologies.

LIII.—OF THE GREAT DESCENT THAT LEADS TOWARDS THE KINGDOM OF MIEN 106

NOTES.—1. Market-days. 2. Geographical difficulties.

LIV.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF MIEN, AND THE TWO TOWERS THAT ARE THEREIN, ONE OF GOLD, AND THE OTHER OF SILVER 109

NOTES.—1. Amien. 2. Chinese Account of the Invasion of Burma. Comparison with Burmese Annals. The City intended. The Pagodas. 3. Wild Oxen.

LV.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF BANGALA 114

NOTES.—1. Polo’s view of Bengal; and details of his account illustrated. 2. Great Cattle.

LVI.—DISCOURSES OF THE PROVINCE OF CAUGIGU 116

NOTE.—A Part of Laos. Papesifu. Chinese Geographical Etymologies.

LVII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ANIN 119

NOTES.—1. The Name. Probable identification of territory. 2. Textual.

LVIII.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF COLOMAN 122

NOTES.—1. The Name. The Kolo-man. 2. Natural defences of Kwei-chau.

LIX.—CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CUIJU 124

NOTES.—1. Kwei-chau. Phungan-lu. 2. Grass-cloth. 3. Tigers. 4. Great Dogs. 5. Silk. 6. Geographical Review of the Route since Chapter LV. 7. Return to Juju.

BOOK SECOND. (Continued.)

PART III.

Journey Southward through Eastern Provinces of Cathay and Manzi.

LX.—CONCERNING THE CITIES OF CACANFU AND CHANGLU 132

NOTES.—1. Pauthier’s Identifications. 2. Changlu. The Burning of the Dead ascribed to the Chinese.

LXI.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF CHINANGLI, AND THAT OF TADINFU, AND THE REBELLION OF LITAN 135

NOTES.—1. T’si-nan fu. 2. Silk of Shan-tung. 3. Title |Sangon|. 4. Agul and Mangkutai. 5. History of Litan’s Revolt.

LXII.—CONCERNING THE NOBLE CITY OF SINJUMATU 138

NOTE.—The City intended. The Great Canal.

LXIII.—CONCERNING THE CITIES OF LINJU AND PIJU 140

NOTES.—1. Linju. 2. Piju.

LXIV.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF SIJU, AND THE GREAT RIVER CARAMORAN 141

NOTES.—1. Siju. 2. The Hwang-Ho and its changes. 3. Entrance to Manzi; that name for Southern China.

LXV.—HOW THE GREAT KAAN CONQUERED THE PROVINCE OF MANZI 144

NOTES.—1. Meaning and application of the title |Faghfur|. 2. Chinese self-devotion. 3. Bayan the Great Captain. 4. His lines of Operation. 5. The Juggling Prophecy. 6. The Fall of the Sung Dynasty. 7. Exposure of Infants, and Foundling Hospitals.

LXVI.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF COIGANJU 151

NOTE.—Hwai-ngan fu.

LXVII.—OF THE CITIES OF PAUKIN AND CAYU 152

NOTE.—Pao-yng and Kao-yu.

LXVIII.—OF THE CITIES OF TIJU, TINJU, AND YANJU 153

NOTES.—1. Cities between the Canal and the Sea. 2. Yang-chau. 3. Marco Polo’s Employment at this City.

LXIX.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF NANGHIN 157

NOTE.—Ngan-king.

LXX.—CONCERNING THE VERY NOBLE CITY OF SAIANFU, AND HOW ITS CAPTURE WAS EFFECTED 158

NOTES.—1. and 2. Various Readings. 3. Digression on the Military Engines of the Middle Ages. 4. Mangonels of Cœur de Lion. 5. Difficulties connected with Polo’s Account of this Siege.

LXXI.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF SINJU AND THE GREAT RIVER KIAN 170

NOTES.—1. I-chin hien. 2. The Great Kiang. 3. Vast amount of tonnage on Chinese Waters. 4. Size of River Vessels. 5. Bamboo Tow-lines. 6. Picturesque Island Monasteries.

LXXII.—CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAIJU 174

NOTES.—1. Kwa-chau. 2. The Grand Canal and Rice-Transport. 3. The Golden Island.

LXXIII.—OF THE CITY OF CHINGHIANFU 176

NOTE.—Chin-kiang fu. Mar Sarghis, the Christian Governor.

LXXIV.—OF THE CITY OF CHINGINJU AND THE SLAUGHTER OF CERTAIN ALANS THERE 178

NOTES.—1. Chang-chau. 2. Employment of Alans in the Mongol Service. 3. The Chang-chau Massacre. Mongol Cruelties.

LXXV.—OF THE NOBLE CITY OF SUJU 181

NOTES.—1. Su-chau. 2. Bridges of that part of China. 3. Rhubarb; its mention here seems erroneous. 4. The Cities of Heaven and Earth. Ancient incised Plan of Su-chau. 5. Hu-chau, Wu-kiang, and Kya-hing.

LXXVI.—DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT CITY OF KINSAY, WHICH IS THE CAPITAL OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY OF MANZI 185

NOTES.—1. King-szé now Hang-chau. 2. The circuit ascribed to the City; the Bridges. 3. Hereditary Trades. 4. The Si-hu or Western Lake. 5. Dressiness of the People. 6. Charitable Establishments. 7. Paved roads. 8. Hot and Cold Baths. 9. Kanp’u, and the Hang-chau Estuary. 10. The Nine Provinces of Manzi. 11. The Kaan’s Garrisons in Manzi. 12. Mourning costume. 13. 14. Tickets recording inmates of houses.

LXXVII.—[FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE GREAT CITY OF KINSAY.] 200

(From Ramusio only.)

NOTES.—1. Remarks on these supplementary details. 2. Tides in the Hang-chau Estuary. 3. Want of a good Survey of Hang-chau. The Squares. 4. Marco ignores pork. 5. Great Pears: Peaches. 6. Textual. 7. Chinese use of Pepper. 8. Chinese claims to a character for Good Faith. 9. Pleasure-parties on the Lake. 10. Chinese Carriages. 11. The Sung Emperor. 12. The Sung Palace. Extracts regarding this Great City from other mediæval writers, European and Asiatic. Martini’s Description.

LXXVIII.—TREATING OF THE YEARLY REVENUE THAT THE GREAT KAAN HATH FROM KINSAY 215

NOTES.—1. Textual. 2. Calculations as to the values spoken of.

LXXIX.—OF THE CITY OF TANPIJU AND OTHERS 218

NOTES.—1. Route from Hang-chau southward. 2. Bamboos. 3. Identification of places. Chang-shan the key to the route.

LXXX.—CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF FUJU 224

NOTES.—1. “Fruit like Saffron.” 2. 3. Cannibalism ascribed to Mountain Tribes on this route. 4. Kien-ning fu. 5. Galingale. 6. Fleecy Fowls. 7. Details of the Journey in Fo-kien and various readings. 8. Unken. Introduction of Sugar-refining into China.

LXXXI.—CONCERNING THE GREATNESS OF THE CITY OF FUJU 231

NOTES.—1. The name |Chonka|, applied to Fo-kien here. |Cayton| or |Zayton|. 2. Objections that have been made to identity of |Fuju| and Fu-chau. 3. The Min River.

LXXXII.—OF THE CITY AND GREAT HAVEN OF ZAYTON 234

NOTES.—1. The Camphor Laurel. 2. The Port of Zayton or T’swan-chau; Recent objections to this identity. Probable origin of the word Satin. 3. Chinese Consumption of Pepper. 4. Artists in Tattooing. 5. Position of the Porcelain manufacture spoken of. Notions regarding the |Great River| of China. 6. Fo-kien dialects and variety of spoken language in China. 7. From Ramusio.

BOOK THIRD.

Japan, the Archipelago, Southern India, and the Coasts and Islands of the Indian Sea.

CHAP. PAGE I.—OF THE MERCHANT SHIPS OF MANZI THAT SAIL UPON THE INDIAN SEAS 249

NOTES.—1. Pine Timber. 2. Rudder and Masts. 3. Watertight Compartments. 4. Chinese substitute for Pitch. 5. Oars used by Junks. 6. Descriptions of Chinese Junks from other Mediæval Writers.

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