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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
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178 MARCO POLO
Ti~)OK 11.
orle of the names of Nestorian priests inscribed in Syriac on the celebrated monument of Si-ngan fu.
[In the description of Chin-Hang quoted by the Archimandrite Palladius (sec vol. i. p. 187, note 3), a Christian monastery or temple is mentioned : " The temple Ta-lai;r,--Into-sze stands in Chin-kiang fu, in the quarter called Kia-t'ao h'eang. It was built in the i8th year of Chi yren (A. D. 1281) by the Sub-darugachi, Sie-li-ki-sze (Sergius). Liang Siang-, the teacher in the Confucian school, wrote a commemorative inscription for him." From this document we see that " Sie-mi-sze-hien (Samarcand) is distant from China ioo,000 li (probably a mistake for 10,000) to the north-west. It is a country where the religion of the Ye-li-k'o-wen dominates. . . . The founder of the religion was called 11Ia-rh Ye-li-ya. He lived and worked miracles a thousand five hundred years ago. 11Ia Sie-li-ki-sze (Mar Sergius) is a follower of him." (Chinese Recorder, V I. p. i o8 ). —H. C.]
From this second mention of three years as a term of government, we may probably gather that this was the usual period for the tenure of such office. (11Iid. Kizzg d., I. 86 ; Cathay, p. xciii.)
CHAPTER LXXIV.
OF THE CITY OF CHINGINJU AND THE SLAUGHTER OF CERTAIN ALANS THERE.
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LEAVING the city of Chinghianfu and travelling three
days south-east through a constant succession of busy
and thriving towns and villages, you arrive at the great
and noble city of CHINGINJU. The people are Idolaters,
use paper-money, and are subject to the Great Kaan.
They live by trade and handicrafts, and they have
plenty of silk. They have also abundance of game, and
of all manner of victuals, for it is a most productive
territory.'
Now I must tell you of an evil deed that was done,
once upon a time, by the people of this city, and how
dearly they paid for it.
You see, at the time of the conquest of the great
province of Manzi, when I3ayan was in command, he
sent a company of his troops, consisting of a people
called Alans, who are Christians, to take this city.'
They took it accordingly, and when they had made their
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