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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
LAST NOTICES OF THE FAMILY
77
In March, 1328, Marco Polo, called Marcolino, of St. John
Chrysostom (see p. 66), represents before the Domini Advo-
catores of the Republic that certain imprestita that had belonged
to the late Maffeo Polo the Elder, had been alienated and trans-
ferred in 1\Iay, 1318, by the late Marco Polo of St. John Chry-
sostom and since his death by his heirs, without regard to the
rights of the said Marcolino, to whom the said Messer Maffeo
had bequeathed loon lire by his will executed on 6th February,
1308 (i.e. 1309). The Advocatores find that the transfer was
to that extent unjust and improper, and they order that to the
same extent it should be revoked and annulled. Two months
later the Lady Donata makes rather an unpleasant figure before
the Council of Forty. It would seem that on the claim of
Messer Bertuccio Quirino a mandate of sequestration had been
issued by the Court of Requests affecting certain articles in the
Ca' Polo ; including two bags of money which had been tied and
sealed, but left in custody of the Lady Donata. The sum so
sealed was about 80 lire of grossi (3001. in silver value), but
when opened only 45 lire and 22 grossi (ábout 1701.) were found
therein, and the Lady was accused of abstracting the balance
non bono modo. Probably she acted, as ladies sometimes do, on
a strong sense of her own rights, and a weak sense of the claims
of law. But the Council pronounced against her, ordering
restitution, and a fine of 200 lire over and above " ut ceteris
transeat in exevlunz."*
It will have been seen that there is nothing in the amounts
mentioned in Marco's will to bear out the large reports as to his
wealth, though at the same time there is no positive ground for
a deduction to the contrary.-
The mention in two of the documents of Agnes Loredano as
the sister of the Lady Donata suggests that the latter may have
belonged to the Loredano family, but as it does not appear
whether Agnes was maid or wife this remains uncertain4
OE
* The lire of the fine are not specified ; but probably ai grossi, which would be =
371. Ios.; not, we hope, dei grossi !
t Yet, if the family were so wealthy as tradition represents, it is strange that Marco's brother Maffeo, after receiving a share of his father's property, should have possessed barely ie,000 lire, probably equivalent to 5000 ducats at most. (See p.
65, supra.)
$ An Agnes Loredano, Abbess of S. Maria delle Vergini, died in 1397. (Cicogfza, V. 91 and 629.) The interval of 6i years makes it somewhat improbable that it
should be the same.
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