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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
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CHAP. XX IV. THE KINGDOM OF ELI
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385
possibly connected with our Baboon. And that the Gat-paul was also some kind of ape is confirmed by the Spanish Dictionaries. Cobarrubias gives : "Gato-Pans, a kind of tailed monkey. Gato paus, Gato pgblo ; perhaps as they call a monkey ` Martha,' they may have called this particular monkey ` Paul,' " etc. (f. 431 v.). So also the Diccion. de la Lengua Castellana corríp. por la Real Academia (1 783) gives : " Gato Paul, a kind of monkey of a grey colour, black muzzle and ve]y b oad tail." In fact, the word is used by Columbus, who, in his own account of his third voyage, describes a hill on the coast of Paria as covered with a species of Gatos Paulos. (See Navarrete, Fr. ed. III. 21; also 147-148.) It also occurs in Marinol, Desc. General de Africa, who says that one kind of monkeys has a black face ; "y estas comunemente se Ilaman en Espafia Gatos Paules, las quales se crian en la tierra de los Negros" (I. f. 27). It is worth noting that the revisers of the text adopted by Pauthier have not understood the word. For they substitute for the " Il hi a gat paul si divisez qe ce estoit mervoille" of the Geog. Text, "et si a moult de granz paluz et moult grans pantains à inerveilles "—wonderful swamps and marshes ! The Pipino Latin has adhered to the correct reading—" Ihi suut cati qui dicuntur pauli, valde diversi ab ali isd"
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOAI OF ELI.
ELI is a kingdom towards the west, about 30o miles
from Comari. The people are Idolaters and have a
king, and are tributary to nobody ; and have a peculiar
language. We will tell you particulars about their
manners and their products, and you will better under-
stand things now because we are drawing near to places
that are not so outlandish.'
There is no proper harbour in the country, but there
are many great rivers with good estuaries, wide and
deep.' Pepper and ginger grow there, and other spices
in quantities.3 The King is rich in treasure, but not
very strong in forces. The approach to his kingdom
however is so strong by nature that no one can attack
him, so he is afraid of nobody.
And you must know that if any ship enters their
estuary and anchors there, having been bound for some
other port, they seize her and plunder the cargo. For
they say, " You were bound for somewhere else, and 'tis
VOL, II. 2 13
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