IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
THE MONASTERY OF S. LIONARD AND SEA OF GEL OR CHELAN
king but the remaining part is not subject to him but to king David, because of the strong places
which it has. And in these strong places and mountains are their woods in which there is no
other tree but box. Again there is a monastery, of eastern monks which is called Saint P
Lionard,' very noble & worthy, • which monks for the most part observe our rite; which has v I
it is said such a marvel as I shall tell you. You may know that there is all round it a VB VB
great lake of water which comes down from a great mountain near by the said Church v L v
of Saint Lionard, and in that water which comes from that mountain no fish nor
small nor large is found in all the year except so much only that the first day of
Lent they begin to come and they come each day of Lent till Holy Sabbath, that
is the vigil of Pasque or the Resurrection of the Lord ; and on the day of Pasque they disappear ; z
and in all this term fish enough are found there the finest in the world and a great FB
quantity, • so that all the province has enough, but in all the other times of year they are G
not found at all till the next Lent; and so it goes each year, so that it is a fine miracle.. FB
And the foresail province looks toward two seas of which one is called the Greater Sea which z
is on the side of tramontaine. And again I tell you that the other seat of which I have z
told you, which is beside the mountain where the lake is which surrounds the said Church, VB
is called the sea of Gel or Chelan and the sea of Bachu, toward the sunrising, and is two z z
thousand seven hundred' miles round, and it is like a pool because it is not mingled with z
any sea. And it is distant from every other sea quite twelve days marches; and the v
river of Eufrates ends within it, which is one of the four rivers of Paradise, • as it is said VA I
in Scripture, • the river named Tigri, & the Gion, and many other very large rivers,' out V R P
of which all the lagoons are formed, & they enter it from every side; and it is all surrounded
with mountains and with much good land on the shore of that sea, and cities & villages.. I I
And in it are many islands well populated, in which there are • many •fine cities. And these islands z v Z
were inhabited by the people who had fledfrom the face of the great Tartar when he went conquering
through the kingdom or province of Persie, • wishing to destroy them, • whose cities and lands used R Z
to be ruled by the commons. And these people indeed in their flight retired to these islands and to
mountains where they believed they would be safer; and so these islands were inhabited. • There are R
also some of the said islands desert .• Likewise the said sea produces • very • many fishes and z L Z
especially sturgeon, salmon, and other large fishes. And lately the merchants of Jene
sail through that sea, for they have brought & put ships there in which they sail. FB
.2
3
1 VB: i tartari non pote intrarne ne segnoriza saluo fina auno monestier de done che se chiama san bernardo P: sancti Guillelrni nonains is taken as masculine by VA,P,I,R, Roux (1824), B.; feminine by VB (done), PAUTHIER, Y. V: zorzani explains perhaps P: monachorum orientalium.
2 I: "On the other side of the lake is a gulf of the salt sea ..."
3 VA,VB,TA: 700 P: boo Z,V: 2800 I: 300.
4 R: Herdil, Geichon, & Cur, Ara& & molti altri.... I: es frathes see! uillus
99
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.