IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
114
CHAP. LIX. THE DESCENDANTS OF PRESTEI: JOHN
289
tribes ; it issued from those Sha-t'o Tu-K'iu, who once reigned in the north of China as the How T'ang Dynasty (923-936 A. D. ). It split into two branches, the Wang-Ku of the Yn-shan, and the Wang-Ku of the Lin-t'ao (west of Kan-su). The Kin removed the latter branch to Liao-tung (in Manchuria). The Yn-shan Wang-Ku guarded the northern borders of China belonging to the Kin, and watched their herds. When the Kin, as a protection against the inroads of the tribes of the desert, erected a rampart, or new wall, from the boundary of the Tángut Kingdom down to Manchuria, they intrusted the defence of the principal places of the Yn-shan portion of the wall to the Wang-Ku, and transferred there also the Liao-tung Wang-Ku. At the time Chingiz Khan became powerful, the chief of the Wang-Ku of the Ynshan was Alahush ; and at the head of the Liao-tong Wang-Ku stood Pa-sao-ma-ie-li. Alahush proved a traitor to the Kin, and passed over to Chinghiz Khan ; for this he was murdered by the malcontents of his family, perhaps by Pa-sao-ma-ie-li, who remained true to the Kin. Later on, Chingiz Khan married one of his daughters to the son of Alahush, by name Po-yao-ho, who, however, had no children by her. He had three sons by a concubine, the eldest of whom, Kiun-pu-hwa, was married to Kuyuk Khan's daughter. Kiun-pu-hwa's son, Ko-li-ki-sze, had two wives, both of imperial blood. During a campaign against Ilaidu, he was made prisoner in 1298, and murdered. His title and dignities passed over in A.D. 1310 to his son Chuau. Nothing is known of Alahush's later descendants ; they probably became entirely Chinese, like their relatives of the Liao-tung branch.
" The Wang-Ku princes were thus de jure the sons-in-law of the Mongol Khans, and they had, moreover, the hereditary title of Kao-t'ang princes (Kao-yang wang) ; it is very possible that they had their residence in ancient Tien-te Kiun (although no mention is made of it in history), just as at present the Tumot princes reside in Kuku-hoton.
" The consonance of the names of Wang-Khan and Wang-Ku (Ung-Khan and Ongu) led to the confusion regarding the tribes and persons, which at Marco Polo's time seems to have been general among the Europeans in China ; Marco Polo and Johannes de Monte Corvino transfer the title of Prester John from Wang-Khan, already perished at that time, to the distinguished family of Wang-Ku. Their Georgius is undoubted:y Ko-li-ki-sze, Alahush's great-grandson. That his name is a Christian one is confirmed by other testimonies ; thus in the Asu (Azcs) regiment of the Khan's guards was Ko-li-ki-sze, alids Kow-r-ki (f 131 I), and his son Ti-mi-ti-r. There is no doubt that one of them was Georgius, and the other Demetrius. Further, in the description of Chin-Kiang in the time of the Yuen, mention is made of Ko-liki-sze Ve-li-ko-wen, i.e. Ko-li-ki-sze, the Christian, and of his son Lu-ho (Luke).
" Ko-li-ki-sze of Wang-ku is much praised in history for his valour and his love for Confucian doctrine ; he had in consequence of a special favour of the Khan two Mongol princesses for wives at the same time (which is rather difficult to conciliate with is being a Christian). The time of his death is correctly indicated in a letter of Joannes de M. Corvino of the year 1305 : ante sex annos migravit ad Dominum. He left a young son Chit-an, who probably is the Joannes of the letter of Ioannes (Giovani) de M. Corvino, so called proper nomen mennm, says the missionary. In another Wang-ku branch, Si-li-ki-sze reminds one also of the Christian name
Sergius. "—H. C.]
NOTE 3.—" The Lapis Arinenus, or Azure, . . . is produced in the district of Tayton-fu (i.e. Tathung), belonging to Shansi." (Du Ilalde in Astley, IV. 309 ; see
also Martina, p. 36.)
NOTE 4.—This is a highly interesting passage, but difficult, from being corrupt in the G. Text, and over-curt in Pauthier's MSS. In the former it runs as follows :
` Hil hi a une je1erasion de jells que sent appeltis Argon, qe vaut d dire en françois Guasmul, ce est d dire qu'il saint né del deus ; enerasions de la lend née des celz Argon Tenduc et des celz reduc et des celz que aorent Maomet. Il scant beaus homes plus
VOL. I. .I
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.