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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
MARCO POLO'S LAST WILL
73
"And the residue of the said 2000 lire, free of tithe, I direct to be distributed for the good of my soul, according to the discretion of my trustees.
" Out of my remaining property I bequeath to the aforesaid Donata, my Wife and Trustee, 8 lire of Venetian grossi annually during her life, for her own use, over and above her settlement, and the linen and all the household utensils,* with 3 beds garnished.
" And all my other property movable and immovable that has not been disposed of [here follow some lines of mere technicality] I specially and expressly bequeath to my aforesaid Daughters Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta, freely and absolutely, to be divided equally among them. And I constitute them my heirs as regards all and sundry my property movable and immovable, and as regards all rights and contingencies tacit and expressed, of whatsoever kind as hereinbefore detailed, that belong to me or may fall to me. Save and except that before division my said daughter Moreta shall receive the same as each of my other daughters bath received for dowry and outfit [here follow many lines of technicalities, ending]
" And if any one shall presume to infringe or violate this Will, may he incur the malediction of God Almighty, and abide bound under the anathema of the 318 Fathers ; and farthermore he shall forfeit to my Trustees aforesaid five pounds of gold ; t and so let this my Testament abide in force. The signature of the above named Messer Marco Paulo who gave instructions for this deed.
"$ I Peter Grifon, Priest, Witness.
"* I Humfrey Barberi, Witness.
" t I John Giustiniani, Priest of S. Proculo, and Notary, have completed and authenticated (this testament)."
sent a force against Caffa, which was occupied without resistance, the people taking refuge in. heir ships. The Khan also seized the Genoese property in Sarai. (Heyd. II. 27.)
* " Stracium et ovine capud massariciorztm " ; in Scotch phrase "napery and plenislzing " A Venetian statute of 1242 prescribes that a bequest of massariticum shall be held to carry to the legatee all articles of common family use except those of gold and silver plate or jeweller's work. (See Ducange, sub voce.) Stracci is still used technically in Venice for " household linen."
t In the original aureas , libras quinque. According to Marino Sanudo the Younger ( Vile dei Dogi in Muratori, xxii. 521) this should be pounds or lire of aureole, the name of a silver coin struck by and named after the Doge Aurio Mastropietro 0178-1192) : " Ancora fu fatta una Moneta d'argento the si chiamava Aureola per la casata del Doge ; è quella Moneta the i Notai de Venezia mettevano di pena sotto i loro instrumenti." But this was a vulgar error. An example of the penalty of 5 pounds of gold is quoted from a decree of 96o ; and the penalty is sometimes expressed " auri purissimi librae 5." A coin called the lira d'oro or redonda is alleged to have been in use before the ducat was introduced. (See Gallicciolli, II. 16.) But another authority seems to identify the lira a oro with the lira dei grossi. (See Zanetti, Nuova Racc. delle Monete &c. d' Italia, 1775. I. 308.)
$ We give a photographic reduction of the original document. This,
and the other two Polo Wills already quoted, had come into the possession of the Noble Filippo Balbi, and were by him presented in our own time to the St. Mark's Library. They are all on parchment, in writing of that age, and have been officially examined and declared to be originals. They were first published by
VOL. I. yn
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