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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
68
INTRODUCTION
•
to divert the vulgar. Such, if this be true, was the honour of our
prophet among the populace of his own country.*
45. A little later we hear of Marco once more, as present-
ing a copy of his Book to a noble Frenchman in the service of
Charles of Valois.
This Prince, brother of Philip the Fair, in 1301 had married
Catharine, daughter and heiress of Philip de Courtenay, titular
Polo's rela- Emperor of Constantinople, and on the strength of
Thilikis)auwithltde á this marriage had at a later date set up his own claim
Cepoy. to the Empire of the East. To this he was prompted
by Pope Clement V., who in the beginning of 1306 wrote to
Venice, stimulating that Government to take part in the enter-
prise. In the same year, Charles and his wife sent as their envoys
to Venice, in connection with this matter, a noble knight called
THIBAULT DE CEPOY, along with an ecclesiastic of Chartres
called Pierre le Riche, and these two succeeded in executing a
treaty of alliance with Venice, of which the original, dated 14th
December, 1306, exists at Paris. Thibault de Cepoy eventu-
ally went on to Greece with a squadron of Venetian Galleys,
but accomplished nothing of moment, and returned to his
master in 1310.t
During the stay of Thibault at Venice he seems to have
made acquaintance with Marco Polo, and to have received from
him a copy of his Book. This is recorded in a curious note
which appears on two existing MSS. of Polo's Book, viz., that
instalments of one fourth, to be retrenched from the pay due to him on his journey in the suite of our ambassadors, with assurance that anything then remaining deficient of his instalments should be made good by himself or his securities. And his securities
are the Nobles Pietro Morosini and MARCO PAULO MILION." Under is
written in an ancient hand " mortuus." (See Appendix C, No. 4.)
* Humboldt tells this (Examen, II. 221), alleging Jacopo d'Acqui as authority ; and Libri (H, des Sciences 1llathénzatiques, II. 149), quoting Doglioni, Historia Veneziana. But neither authority bears out the citations. The story seems really to come from Amoretti's commentary on the Voyage du Cap. L. F. Maldonado, Plaisance, 1812, p. 67. Amoretti quotes as authority Pignoria, Degli Dei Antichi. An odd revival of this old libel was mentioned to me recently by Mr. George Moffatt. When he was at school it was common among the boys to express incredulity by the phrase : " Oh, what a Marco Polo ! "
t Thibault, according to Ducange, was in 1307 named Grand Master of the Arblasteers of France ; and Buchon says his portrait is at Versailles among the Admirals (No. 1170). Ramon de l\Iuntaner fell in with the Seigneur de Cepoy in Greece, and speaks of him as " but a Captain of the Wind, as his Master was King of the Wind." (See Ducange, H. de l'Empire de Const. sous les Enmp. Francois, Venice ed. 1729, pp. 109, I Io ; Buchan, Chroniques Etrangéres, pp. Iv. 467-47o.)
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