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
ii
96
PAPER SHEETS ARE MADE & SPENT AS MONEY rMARCO POLO
OW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSES SHEETS TO BE SPENT FOR MONEY. It is true
L that the mint of the great lord is in this said town of Cambaluc, and it is
FB appointed in such [44b] a way that one can well say that the great lord
FB has the alchemy perfectly, and I shall show it you now, the reason how. Now you may FB L know that he has such a money as I shall tell you made in this way. He makes men P P LT take the middle bark of the three barks of the trees which are called gelsus, that is of the FB FB mulberries of which the worms that make silk eat their leaves for there are so many R of them that all the country-sides are loaded and full of these said trees, and they take the thin FB FB skin' which is between the thick outer bark and the wood of the tree and is white,. R R and they grind it and pound it and of that thin skin he makes them make then R with glue sheets like those of cotton paper, and they are all black. And when these R sheets are made he has them cut up in this fashion—in large portions and small, and they are forms of money, square and more long than broad. For he makes a little one which
L FB is worth in their manner about a half of a small tornesel, and the next, a little larger, FB FB is of one tornesel, also small, and the next, a little larger, is of a half Venetian groat of silver,' and the next of a groat of silver which is worth a silver groat of Venese, VA VA and the next is of two Venetian groats, & the next of five Venetian groats, and the FB next of ten groats, and the next of one bezant of gold, and the next two bezants of FB gold, and the next of three bezants of gold, and the next four bezants of gold, and the next FB VA five bezants of gold, and so it goes up to ten bezants of gold. And all these sheets[or] VA L moneys are sealed with the mark and with the seal of the great lord, for otherwise they R could by no means be spent. •And they are made with as much authority and formality as if they were of pure gold or silver, for many officials who are deputed for this write their names on every coin, placing there each one his mark, and when it is all done as it ought to be, the head of them deputed by the lord stains the seal entrusted to him with cinnabar and impresses it upon the coin so that the pattern of the seal dipped in the cinnabar remains printed there, and then that money is authorised. And if anyone were to counterfeit it he would be punished VL P with the last penalty • to the third generation. •And different marks are printed on them according VA to their future value. •And this money is made in the city of Cambaluc by those who are deputed FB P for this by the king, & not by others. And each year he has so great quantity and supply
vous en serez content que je dy voir et Raison. Comment le grant Kaan ... FA to the same effect. TA': Et diroui in questo libro chome So it is possible that we should translate "in this book. And I shall tell you the reason how.", instead of regarding the cornant as due to the infection of the following comment. At the beginning of the long sentence B.'s change of ie uoç ai dit ce mostre into ie uoç ai ce monstré is supported by FA,FB.
1 boutes soutil V: et in suo lenguazo vien chiamato buzian(!)
2 turient FA,FB: dargent Read darient
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