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 CITY OF CAMBALUC
other sons of his concubines who are good and valiant in arms because he continually R
has them practised in things belonging to war, and each is a great baron. And again I
tell you that of the sons which he has of his four wives there are seven of them
crowned kings of seven vast provinces and kingdoms, and all keep up their rule well TA VA
in right and in justice, for they are wise and prudent men. And it is quite reasonable VA LT
that they should be valiant lords, • because they are like the father, for I tell you that their VA LT
father the great Kaan is the wisest man and the most provided with all things and FB
the best captain of an army and the greatest ruler of people and of empire, and a man
of greater valour than ever was in all the races of the Tartars. Now I have told you
of the doings of the great Kaan & of his likeness • and of his wives and concubines and of VA VA LT
his sons, and then I shall tell you how he holds court and his ways.
HERE HE TELLS OF THE PALACE OF THE GREAT KAAN. YOU may know quite truly that the great Kaan stays in the capital town which is in the province VA of Catai, which is the great city called Cambaluc, toward the Greek wind, FB R R three months of the year, that is December and January and February. And in this y
town he has his great palace near the new city on the side toward midday, in this form; R
and I will describe its likeness to you. The palace is square in every way. •First there is LT R
a square circuit of wall, and each face is eight miles long, round which is a deep moat; and in
the middle of each side is a gate by which all the people enter who gather there from every side.
Then there is the space of a mile all round, where the soldiers are stationed. After that space
is found another circuit of wall, of six miles for a side, which has three gates on the midday
face and other three on the tramontaine side, of which the one in the middle is larger and stays
always locked and is never opened except when the great Kaan wishes to come in or go out; and
the other two smaller, which are one on one side of it and the other on the other, always stand
open, and by them all the people come in. And at each angle of this wall, and in the middle of
each of the faces, is a beautiful and spacious palace, so that all round about the wall are eight
palaces, in which are kept the munitions of the great Kaan, that is one kind of trappings in
each; as bridles, saddles, stirrups, and other things which belong to the equipment of horses.
And in another bows, strings, quivers, arrows, and other things belonging to archery. In
another cuirasses, corslets, and similar things of boiled leather; and so with the rest. Within
this circuit of wall there is first of all a great four-sided wall which is for each side
one mile long, that is to say that it is four miles all round. It is very thick, and of IT
height they have quite ten paces, and they are all plastered on the outer face with red VA
colour and white and [37b1 embattled, made like a castle. And each corner of this wall v
has again a great palace very beautiful and very rich, in which are kept in the same R R
way the great Kaan's equipments, these are bows, arrows, and quivers and stirrups, P P
saddles, and bridles for horses and lances, clubs, bowstrings, tents, and all other P LT FB
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