Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 321 (Color Image)

0321	Marco Polo : vol.1

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THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD THE CITY OF COIGANGIU • I 3 9.

and is not so large as those two others. And one told him that that small house y

belongs to a poor man who has not the power to make it larger like the others. Then FB

the king commands immediately that that little house which was between those other FB V

two may be made as beautiful and as high as were those two others which were beside y

it, and he paid the cost. And if it happened that the little house belonged to a rich man, then he FB

commanded him immediately to cause it to be taken away. And by his command there was not

in his capital city of the realm of Mangi, which was named Quinsai, any house which was not

both beautiful and great, besides the great palaces and the great mansions of which there was

great plenty about the city. And again I tell you that this king had himself & his court VA

waited on at all times by more than a thousand between boys and girls most beautiful, • R

who were all clothed in robes fair and rich. So that he spent his life very nobly and in great FB

ease and in great enjoyment. He loved peace and strictly maintained his kingdom in so R

great justice that none was found there who did evil or theft • to any there, and the city FB VB V FB

was so safe that the doors of the houses and shops and stores full of all very dear merchandise FB FB

often stayed open at night as by day and nothing at all was found missing there. For VA VB

one could go freely through the whole kingdom safe and unmolested by night also as by day. P

It would be impossible to tell of the great wealth and the very great goodness which is FB

in this kingdom so that[the king]was loved by all with very great reason. Now I have VB

told you of the kingdom. Now I will tell you of the queen of this king. • You may TA FA

know that •this queen who surrendered to Baian was taken to the court of • Cublai the great y VA VB

Kaan. And when the great lord saw her he received her honourably and had her honoured VB

and waited upon in costly fashion like a great lady as she was. But of the king Facfur FB VB

her lord who was fled to the islands it came about that he never left the island of the VA

Ocean sea. So he stayed there a long time and died; so that in this way the great Kaan had y y

this province. And so we will leave you him and the queen his wife and this matter, FB

and will come back from them to tell of the great province of Mangi . And we shall FB

speak of all their manners and of their customs and their deeds well and in order

so as you will be able to hear clearly. And we shall begin from the beginning, that

is from the city of Coigangiu, which we left to tell you how the said province of Mangi FA

was conquered.

ERE HE TELLS OF THE CITY OF COIGANGIU. The first city which meets those P • 140 •

who enter the province of Mangi is called Coigangiu which is a very beautiful and P R

large city and noble and rich, as I have told you above, which is at the entry FB

of the province of Mangi and is towards the sirocco and sunrising. • [6zd] All the VB P

people of this city and of the whole province of Mangi are idolaters and have their dead P

bodies burnt, and they are subject to the rule of the great Kaan. And in it there are y y y

always very great quantities of boats, as I have told you before, • which sail on the river; R FB VB

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