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
1;;!
.123.
THE KING OF MIEN AND BANGALA IS DEFEATED MARCO POLO
VB VA must be rent, putting the army of the king of Mien into the greatest confusion. •And the R elephants set themselves to go • hither and thither till at last in terror they hide in a part of VA the wood where no Tartars were, .with such impetuosity that those who guided them could
not hold them nor bring them in another direction. They never stop themselves until VB VB they arrive at the woods which were very thick with trees, and went inside the wood, VA v which was large and very dense, and break all the castles which they had on their backs. P VB against the trees of the wood, .with no small slaughter of those who were in the castles, and P ruin and destroy everything, for they were divided one from another in the wood & went
flying now here now there through the wood, making too great tumult from fright.
And when the Tartars have seen in truth that the elephants were turned in flight FB VB in such way as you have heard and that they will come back no more to the battle, . and the disorder in the army of the king, their courage increased and they make no delay but VA instantly left the elephants to go through the wood and running to their horses mount on VB P horseback with great order and discipline and go upon the king, who was not a little VB frightened when he saw the line of elephants scattered, and upon his people with the greatest courage and with no less vigour, and entered into the midst of the enemy. The king encouraging his men, they stood firm in the battle. One army against the other began to fight with such vigour, with such slaying of men, with such spilling of blood, that it was a wonderful thing.
They begin the very cruel and most evil battle with their arrows; for the king and his v v people defended themselves very bravely. And when they have shot and drawn all V V R the arrows, they drew and laid hands on swords and lances and on the clubs of iron FB and run one upon another very fiercely. Huge blows were given. For the people of the king were very many more than the Tartars, but these were better men at arms and better practised in war. For otherwise the Tartars who were so few could not have stood against
them, if it had not been for that. Now could one see hard & bitter blows given and received FB with swords and with clubs; now can one see knights and sergeants killed, and horses;
now can one see cut off feet and hands and arms, shoulders and heads; for you may
know that many on the one side and on the other fell to the ground dead and wounded
FB to death, so that they never rose again for the great press that was there. The cry and the noise there were so great that one did not hear God thundering. The fighting and the battle was very great and most evil on all sides; but yet you may know with no mistake that the Tartars had the better part of it, for in an evil hour was it begun
FB for the king and for his people, so many of them were killed and slain that day in that battle. And when the battle had lasted till afternoon then the king and his people [57a1 were so ill-handled and so many of them were killed that they can
FB bear up no more against the force of the Tartars. For they see well that they are all
VB dead if they stay there any longer. And therefore notwithstanding the persuasion of the
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