Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 179 (Color Image)

0179	Marco Polo : vol.1

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD. THEIR DRINK AND DRESS • 7 O

then they take sonie broth or water in which the flesh is cooked • to wash their mouth and P v

sprinkle it in their honour outside the door of their house or room, where that god of P LT

theirs stands, • to the other spirits. And when they have done this they say that their god R

and his family have had their share. And after this they eat and drink the rest • as v vl, R

they please. For you may know that they drink mares milk. But I tell you too that

they have learnt to prepare' it in such a way that it is like white wine; and it is very P P

good to drink and they call it in their tongue cheinis.2 Their clothes are like this. VA

For the rich men & nobles wear cloth of gold and cloth of silk and under the outer L P

garments rich furs of sable and ermine and vair and of fox &' of all other skins very y

richly; and all their trappings[&]fur-lined robes are very beautiful and of great value.

And their arms are bows and arrows and very good swords and clubs studded with iron, v FB VB VB

and some lances • and axes, but they avail themselves of bows more than of any other FB

thing for they are exceedingly good archers, the best in the world, • and depend much • FB VB

from childhood • upon arrows. • And on their backs they wear armour made of buffalo hide R VB V L

and of other animals very thick, & they are of boiled hides which are very hard and VB VB

strong. They are good men and victorious in battle and mightily valiant and they are P VB

very furious, and have little care for their life, which they put to every risk without any regard.

They are very cruel men . And we shall tell you how they are able to work more than

other [29a] men. For when the army goes out for war or for any other necessity, more readily ,P

and bravely than the rest of the world do they submit to hardships, and often when he has

need he will go or will stay a whole month without carrying any common food except VA TA L

that he will live on the milk of a mare and will eat of the flesh of the chase which

they take with their bows. And his horse will graze on the simple grass that he shall FB P

find in the fields • by the way so that he need not carry barley and other grain • or hay or FB v VB vA

straw. And they are very obedient to their lord and I tell you that when there is v

need they stay two days and two nights on horseback without dismounting, and he stays all VB

the night on horseback with all his arms and sleeps on horseback, and the horse will FB VB

go grazing all the time on the grass wherever it may be found . • And they are those people P v

who most in the world bear work and great hardship and wish least expense, & are FB P

content with little food, and who live more and are for this reason suited best to conquer TA L

cities & lands and kingdoms. And it was well seen in them; just as you have heard and shall v FB

hear in this book how from slaves they are now lords of the world. They are very well arranged FB

& ordered in this way that I shall describe to you. You may know that when a lord v

1 labent FA,FB omit. TA (acchonciallo), LT (parant), L (confciunt), P (parare), VA,V (chon&a) support B.'s correction l'adobent.

2 chemins perhaps for chemuis, kumiss. V: chemenis See PN.

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