National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
320 MARCO POLO BOOK III.
and presented themselves before the king. And they
were so urgent with him that they succeeded in getting
two of the grinder teeth, which were passing great and
thick ; and they also got some of the hair, and the dish
from which that personage used to eat, which is of a
very beautiful green porphyry. And when the Great
Kaan's ambassadors had attained the object for which
they had come they were greatly rejoiced, and returned to
their lord. And when they drew near to the great city
of Cambaluc, where the Great Kaan was staying, they
sent him word that they had brought back that for
which he had sent them. On learning this the Great
Kaan was passing glad, and ordered all the ecclesiastics
and others to go forth to meet these reliques, which he
was led to believe were those of Adam.
And why should I make a long story of it ? In sooth,
the whole population of Cambaluc went forth to meet
those reliques, and the ecclesiastics took them over and
carried them to the Great Kaan, who received them
with great joy and reverence.' And they find it written
in their Scriptures that the virtue of that dish is such
that if food for one man be put therein it shall become
enough for five men : and the Great Kaan averred that
he had proved the thing and found that it was really
true.?
So now you have heard how the Great Kaan came
by those reliques ; and a mighty great treasure it did
cost him ! The reliques being, according to the
Idolaters, those of that king's son.
A
NO'T'E I.—Saçalzzojzi Borcan is, as Marsden points out, SAKYA-MUNI, or Gautama-Buddha, with the affix BURKHAN, or " Divinity," which is used by the Mongols as the synonym of Buddha.
" The Dewa of Samantakúta (Adam's Peak), Samana, having heard of the arrival of Budha (in Lanka or Ceylon) . . . presented a request that he would leave an impression of his foot upon the mountain of which he was guardian. . . . In the midst of the assembled Dewas, Budha, looking towards the East, made the impression of his foot, in length three inches less than the cubit of the carpenter ; and the iru•
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