IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
316 MARCO POLO BOOK III.
forth all recognise and obey him as their king." Odoric too speaks of the great ruby and the Kaan's endeavours to get it, though by some error the circumstance is referred to Nicoveran instead of Ceylon. Ibn Batuta saw in the possession of Arya Chakravarti, a Tamul chief ruling at Patlam, a ruby bowl as big as the palm of one's hand. Friar Jordanus speaks of two great rubies belonging to the king of SILEN, each so large that when grasped in the hand it projected a finger's breadth at either side. The fame, at least, of these survived to the 16th century, for Andrea Corsali (1515) says : " They tell that the king of this island possesses two rubies of colour so brilliant and vivid that they look like a flame of fire."
Sir E. Tennent, on this subject, quotes from a Chinese work a statement that early in the 14th century the Emperor sent an officer to Ceylon to purchase a carbuncle of unusual lustre. This was fitted as a ball to the Emperor's cap ; it was upwards of an ounce in weight and cost ioo,000 strings of cash. Every time a grand levee was held at night the red lustre filled the palace, and hence it was designated " The Red Palace-Illuminator." (I. B. IV. 174-175 ; Cathay, p. clxxvii. ; Hayton, eh. vi. ; Jard. p. 30 ; Ranzus. I. 18o ; Ceylon, I. 568).
E" This mountain [Adam's Peak] abounds with rubies of all kinds and other precious stones. These gems are being continually washed out of the ground by heavy rains, and are sought for and found in the sand carried down the hill by the torrents. It is currently reported among the people, that these precious stones are the congealed tears of Buddha." (111a-Haan, transl. by Phillips, p. 213.)
In the Chinese work Cho ken, lu, containing notes on different matters referring to the time of the Mongol Dynasty, in eh. vii. entitled Hwui hwui shi l'ou (" Precious Stones of the Mohammedans") among the four kinds of red stones is mentioned the si-la-ni of a dark red colour ; si-la-ni, as Dr. Bretschneider observes (idea. Res. I. p. 174), means probably " from Ceylon." The name for ruby in China is nowa-days hung pao shi, "red precious stone." (Ibid. p. 173.)—II. C.]
CHAPTER XV.
THE SAME CONTINUED. THE HISTORY OF SAGAMONI BORCAN AND THE BEGINNING OF IDOLATRY.
FURTHERMORE you must know that in the Island of
Seilan there is an exceeding high mountain ; it rises
right up so steep and precipitous that no one could
ascend it, were it not that they have taken and fixed to
it several great and massive iron chains, so disposed
that by help of these men are able to mount to the top.
And I tell you they say that on this mountain is the
sepulchre of Adam our first parent ; at least that is what
the Saracens say. But the Idolaters say that it is the
sepulchre of SAGANIONI BORCAN, before whose time there
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