National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Marco Polo : vol.1 |
I 80. STRANGE BEASTS & RICHES OF COMARI & ELI MARCO POLO
that I shall tell you. They take any woman to wife, hindered by no obstacle of kinship. VB For they are allowed even to take the cousin german; they take the wife of his father, VB if he were dead, and the wife of his brother in the same way, when the brother is R L dead. And from what I have understood all those of Indie' have these customs everywhere. Now we have told you a part of this kingdom nor is there anything else which TA does to mention, and therefore we will depart from it then & will go into the regions TA of Indie and will tell you of a district which is called Comari so as you will be able to hear.
I 81 • ERE HE TELLS OF THE CITY2 OF COMARI. Comari is a country3 of Indie itself
R from which the star of our tramontaine, which we have not seen from
FB FB the lesser island of Java unto here, can be seen somewhat.' And when one
wishes to see it he goes from this place quite thirty miles on the sea and sees the
tramontaine, and it is raised above the water about one goue. And this place' is not FB Z FB too much civilized but is rather savage. And there are beasts in it of very different R kinds and specially monkeys, for there are some of them so strangely made and
so large that you would say that it is a man. There are also mercats° so different
7 R FB Z from the others• in size that it was a marvel. And they have lions, leopards, and lynxes FB P & bears in very great abundance. [8 8a j There is no other thing which does to mention, and therefore we will depart from it and will tell you forward of the kingdom of Eli so as you will be able to hear.
182 • V ERE HE TELLS OF THE KINGDOM OF ELI. Eli is a kingdom which is about
VA FB 300 miles distant when one sets out from Comari toward sunsetting. And
VB they have a king and are all idolaters and pay tribute to none and have
V z a language for themselves. And we shall tell you quite plainly indeed their customs and the things which grow there, and you will be able to understand them more
L L clearly because henceforward we are coming nearer to more civilized places than the z aforesaid. In this province indeed and kingdom there is no port except that there
is a great river which has very good mouths on the sea, where nevertheless come many VB ships. There is pepper growing in great abundance in this province and ginger likewise. P z V They have also other noble spices enough. The king indeed • of this city is very rich in
treasure but is not strong in the number or valour of people. But his kingdom has so
1 V: izudei 2 FB: contree L: prouincia Z: ciuitate
3 VB: vna gran z Lade
4 VL: "cannot be seen ... But ..."
5 gouts aceste leu We should perhaps read goues a ceste leu. [Cest leu] B. reads goves. E ceste leu L: cubiti unius. et bec contracta For gone sec PN.
e gat pail cf.
p.440 and PN.
416
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