IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
.5 8 • THE BAD CUSTOMS OF THE PROVINCE OF CAMUL OMARCO POLO
and we shall speak to you of other cities' which are towards the plough-beam close to the edge of this desert.
59 • ERE HE TELLS OF THE PROVINCE OF CAMUL. Gamut is a province which
VA P used to bee a kingdom by itself, • in the great province of Tangut. There arc
t` VB towns and villages enough under it, and the chief town is called Cauuil
VB VA like the province. And the province is towards the plough-beam between two deserts, for
FB LT on the one side is the very great desert of Lop • of which we have spoken above and on the
LT LT other is a little desert of three days march in length. • [24d] And the people of that VB province are all idolaters like the others narrated above, and have a language for theniv selves. And they live on the fruit of the land; for they have things to eat and to P LT drink enough, both for themselves and they give and sell them to the wayfarers who pass LT VB that way, to whom they will and as they please, • and to merchants who carry them to other V VB places. • And they are men of very cheerful looks and all greatly given to amusement, for they arc devoted to nothing else but the playing of instruments and singing and
L dancing and briefly in taking great bodily enjoyment. Thcy delight also in reading and
L writing after their manner. And I tell you that, led astray from of old by their idols, •these VA people have such a custom. If a stranger passes through the region and conics to him to his VB house to lodge, he is too much delighted at it, and receives him with great joy, and v z labours to do everything to please. • And he tells his wife, daughters, sisters, and other L relations to do all that the stranger wishes more than for him; and he leaves his house L v and his wife for the stranger, and goes immediately to do his work and stays two days VA R or three on the farm or elsewhere, where he will. • And from there they send all that their guests need (none the less with payment for them); nor do they ever return hone while the stranger stays there. And the stranger stays with his wife in the house and does as he likes and lies with her in a bed just as if she were his wife, and they continue in z great enjoyment. And in this way it can be said that all those of this city and province Z FB FB aforesaid• of Cannel arc shamed by their wives as you have heard. But I tell you that z they do not hold it as a shame to them but regard this as great honour and glory, • LT R because of the general custom which is in all that province ; • and very pleasing to their idols when they give so good a reception to wayfarcrs in need of rest, and that for this reason all their goods, children, and wealth are multiplied and kept from all dangers, and all things succeed VA Z for them with the greatest happiness. And the women are very fair and gay and wry R TA wanton and most obedient to all that their husbands order, . and greatly enjoy this custom. V P LT P Now it happened one day that at the time when Mongu the great Kaan, fifth •general
i LT: de tribus terris perhaps mistaking TA: daltre terre 2 V: fo ede "was and is" (?)
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