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
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD THE KILLING OF NAIAN
very bitter and fierce, and they spared not to kill one another at all. And you may know that Naian was a Christian baptized, and in this battle he had the Cross of Christ on the standard for his badge; • but it was no use to him because he was going very wrongly against his lord; for he was vassal to the great Kaan, and was bound to hold his land of him,
as all his ancestors had done. And why should I make you a long story of it? You may FB know quite truly that that was the most dangerous battle and the most fearful that ever was seen; nor ever in our time were there so many people to fight together FB FB on one field of battle, and especially horsemen; for indeed on one side and on the other FB there were more than 76000o horsemen without the men on foot, who were a great number. So many men died there both on one side and on the other that it was a wonder to see; and with such equality of force on either side that Fortune stood for a very long space VB undecided towards which army she should have to turn herself kindly in this fight which R lasted from morning till midday, because the goodwill of Naian's people towards their R lord, who was very liberal, was the reason why for love of him they obstinately chose rather to die than to turn their backs. But at last, as it pleased God, and according to his right, the FB great Kaan won the victory and Naian lost the battle & was defeated. For' when Naian FB FB and his men saw the great force of arms that they made, so that they could [35c] bear up FB no more, they set themselves to flight. But as they were already completely surrounded VB it avails them nothing, for the people of the Tartar followed them killing and doing them VA great harm, so that Naian was caught2 and all his barons and his men who remained R alive, • among whom were very many Christians, gave themselves up with all their arms P FB to the great Kaan.
HOW THE GREAT KAAN MADE THEM KILL NAIAN. And when the great Kaan knows that Naian was taken he was very glad and joyful because of it, FB and he commands that he may be put to death immediately, that he might FB not see him at all, lest he should have pity on him because he was of his flesh & of his blood;
and then he was killed in such a way as I shall tell you. For he was wrapped very y
tightly • and bound in a carpet3 and there he was dragged so much hither and thither P
and tossed up and down so rigorously that he died; & then they left hint inside it; •so that Naian vB vA v
ended his life in this way. And for this reason he made him die in such a way, for the VA
Tartar said that he did not wish that the blood of the lineage of the emperor be
spilt on the ground nor make lamentation to the air, nor that the sun nor the air may TA
.79.
VA FB
80
i can Read
2 VB adds, Cublai."
3 VB: ligare
perhaps car
with many other embellishments, "and immediately led into the presence of
et cossire fra do tapedi
199
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