The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 249 (Color Image)

0249	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

CHAP. LXXVII. TIIE GREAT CITY OF KINSAY

20I

ol;

readily pass to and fro, conveying necessary supplies to

the inhabitants.2

At the opposite side the city is shut in by a channel,

perhaps 40 miles in length, very wide, and full of water

derived from the river aforesaid, which was made by the

ancient kings of the country in order to relieve the river

when flooding its banks. This serves also as a defence

to the city, and the earth dug from it has been thrown

inwards, forming a kind of mound enclosing the

city.

In this part are the ten principal markets, though

besides these there are a vast number of others in the

different parts of the town. The former are all squares

of half a mile to the side, and along their front passes the

main street, which is 4o paces in width, and runs straight

from end to end of the city, crossing many bridges of

easy and commodious approach. At every four miles of

its length comes one of those great squares of 2 miles (as

we have mentioned) in compass. So also parallel to this

great street, but at the back of the market places, there

runs a very large canal, on the bank of which towards

the squares are built great houses of stone, in which the

merchants from India and other foreign parts store their

wares, to be handy for the markets. In each of the

squares is held a market three days in the week,

frequented by 40,000 or 50,000 persons, who bring

thither for sale every possible necessary of life, so that

there is always an ample supply of every kind of meat

and game, as of roebuck, red-deer, fallow-deer, hares,

rabbits, partridges, pheasants, francolins, quails, fowls,

capons, and of ducks and geese an infinite quantity ; for

so many are bred on the Lake that for a Venice groat of

silver you can have a couple of geese and two couple of

ducks. Then there are the shambles where the larger

animals are slaughtered, such as calves, beeves, kids, and

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books