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
I 3 9 • THE GREAT CHARITY OF THE KING OF MANGI ."MARCO POLO
VB Baian, that is Hundred Eyes. And when the queen hears that this man had Hundred
Eyes for name her strength failed altogether, for it immediately makes her remember TA P the aforesaid astrology which [62b1 said that none ever but a man who should have
an hundred eyes must take the kingdom from them. Then, having called the leader FB FB of the Tartar army and learnt his name, the queen gave herself up immediately to the VA FB said Baian. And after the queen was surrendered to the great Kaan, • and the chief city FB FB of the kingdom, all the other cities and villages and all the remainder of the kingdom, P P when they heard it, gave themselves up without ever making any defence, except the city of Saianfu which for three years scorned to be obedient. And it was a very great conquest FB because I tell you that in all the world there was no kingdom which was worth the FB FB half of this; for you may know that the king had so immensely much to spend that it FB VB was a most wonderful thing. Moreover I will tell you some among the rest of the noble VB acts which he did worthy of memorial, who was loved by all his people more than any lord in those parts had ever been, and this because of the great mercy and justice of which he was VA master. • And he was very kind to the poor persons. And you may know that each year he VA had quite twenty thousand' little children cared for of those who were cast out and left by the mothers, and I will tell you how . In that province they cast them out the child VA as soon as he is born. And the poor women who cannot feed them nor bring them up for poverty do this. And the king had them all taken, and caused to be written FB for each one in what constellation and in what planet he was born. Then he had them brought up in many directions and in many places, for he has nurses in great VA VB abundance. And when a great or rich man had no child and wanted any of these children, boys or girls, he went to the king and had himself given as many of them as he wished VB and those who pleased him most, promising the lord to have and keep them as his children
and to treat them well. • And if the father or the mother wished to redeem the son who was of age, it was necessary to show by writing how he was their son; and he had him given back to VA R them . And again, for those for whom none had asked, the king when they were grown up had them set to work at some trade, or, when the boy and the girl were of age to marry,
he •
gave the girl to the boy for wife, and gave them so much that they could well live FB TA in comfort. . And in this way the king had these cast out boys r girls rescued and he brought up between male and female quite twenty thousand of them every year. And again VB this king did another thing very pleasing to the people; that when he rides by any road FB VB V in the city • or through the lands, and it happened that he found two beautiful great V VB houses, and between these there might be a [62c] small one either ruined or in bad order; VB FB then the king asks whose that house was and. the reason why that house is so small
1 LT: quindecim milia
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