THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD, CASTELLANO AT VERONA mistakes in this passage will for the most part be made clear by reference to the genealogical tree, but a more detailed note is required for the last Marco, who died in 1417. Except for the confusion of Maffeo, brother of the traveller, with a Maffeo of two generations later, RAMusTo's account of Marco and Maria is correct ; but YULE, relying on Marco BARBARO'S Venetian Genealogies, added that Marco ``died Castellano of Verona ".1 It seems from certain Venetian manuscripts in the British Museum and at Venice to be clear that one Marco, or Marin, who died in or about the year 1417 was indeed Warden of the Old Castle at Verona, but, as YULE himself suspected, was not of the S. Giovanni Grisostomo branch of the family. A manuscript of about 1600 says, " Polo : these came from Dalmatia. They were excellent men and wise, and for the good conduct of Ser Nicolo Pollo of San Geremia in the war of Chioza against the Genoese in the year 1381 he was made of the Council. And this house was extinct from the year 1415 in one Master Marin Pollo who was Castellano at Verona . " 2 This is confirmed by a similar manuscript of slightly later date and by a far earlier one written
(see pl. 5o) is really much better than that which he gives in his Preface, for BARBARO gives Nicolò,-Marco,-Maffio,-Marco correctly, but unfortunately took Nicolò to be the traveller instead of the traveller's nephew Nicolò minor.
1 Y. I. p. 78. BARBARO, Vienna Staatsbibliothek cod. 6156, fol. 338v0 : Marco Costui fu l'ultimo qual mori del 1418 essendo Castellan di Verona. But BARBARO says that he owes his Polo genealogy to RAMUSIO : Fatto questa descendentia con scritture con la diligentia di Zuanbatta Ramusio secrettario del Conseglio di x. He dates his Polo genealogy 1566, nine years after RAMUSIO's death, and the Vienna MS. has been regarded as the original autograph. But it seems that the volumes marked 6155, 6156 are written in another hand, while the real autograph is still preserved at Treviso (pl. 49, 5o). See the Article in volume III.
2 Reg. 14 A. ix A. fol. 61r0: Polo questi ueneno de dalmatia furno homini ottime & sapienti, & per li buoni portamenti che fece Ser nicolo pollo da san gieremia alla guera di chio&a contra gienoesi del anno 1381 fu fatto del conseglio & manco questa casada del anno 1415 in uno messer marin pollo esendo castelano a uerona. cf. B.M. Add. 18659 fol. 68r0 : Pollo questi uene de Dalmatia fo boni, e sapienti homini, e per i boni portamenti alla guerra di Zenoueti fo fatto del Cons? Ser Nicolo Pollo da S. jeremia del 1.382 : mancò questa Casada in ser Marin pollo siando Chastelan a Verona del 1418. A Marco Polo of S. Geremia is mentioned in 1224 (Venice, Archivio, Liber plegiorum fol. 3, 5, 27), but it is not till the middle of the 14th century that anything like a genealogy can be made up from the documents noted by ORLANDINI. And then we are met by a difficulty which has not been solved. It will be seen from the genealogical tree that Iacobo, Marino, Donato, and Hermolao are given as the sons of Pietro Polo in 1341, and no other brother is named. Hermolao died in 1348 or 1349, and in 1349 (d. 57a) the three surviving brothers speak of his son Nicoleto, defining him as son of their late brother Hermolao. In the same document they speak of another nephew Nicolò and niece Agnesina, without specifying their parents. They
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