THE REVENUE FROM HANDICRAFTS AND TRADE ,MARCO POLO FB and from charcoal. And from all the twelve crafts of which I have told you above that they have, each craft, 12000 stations, from these crafts they have very great z revenues, for they pay duty on everything. But what? All the merchants who carry merchandise to this city by land and carry them away from it to other parts, and those also R Z who carry them away by sea, pay • in the same way • a thirtieth of the goods themselves, namely one of thirty, which takes three and a third per cent; but those who carry merchandise to it by R Z R sea • and from far countries and regions, as from the Indies, •give ten per cent. Moreover of all • the z things which grow in the country, • produce corning both from animals & from the land,. R Z and silk, •a tenth part is applied to the lord's government. And the duty on the silk of which FB they have so great abundance that it is a wonderful thing is very exceedingly great. And why should I make you a long story ? You may know that of the silk ten per
cent is given, and this amounts to untold money. And there are many other things FB which also pay ten per cent . So that all these revenues amount to a sum of money so great and so immeasurable that it is an incredible thing to hear; and it is every year; and again it is only the fifth part of the province of Mangi. And that you may know the sum of it, I tell you FA that I Marc Pol, who several times was sent by the great Kaan to see[and]heard the FB FB count of the annual revenue which the lord had from all these things, without the FA LT salt (of which we have told you before), made, say that it' is usually worth 210 toman of R gold for each year, and each torrian, as has been said above, is worth eighty thousand saggi Z of gold, which are worth 15000 thousand and 700 thousand saggi of gold. And this is FB quite one of the most great and incalculable amounts of revenue of money that was Z FA ever heard tell . And this is one of the nine parts of the province of Mangi . • So you can well see that when the lord has so great revenue from the ninth part of the country, that the revenue from the other eight parts can be worth much ; but indeed this is the largest and the most profitable part. And for the great profit which the great lord has from this country he loves it z much and does much to guard it carefully and to keep those who dwell there in great peace. .But yet the great Kaan has all these revenues spent on the armies which are guarding the cities and countries, and to remove the poverty of the cities. Now we will leave this city of Quinsai of which we have indeed told you about it a great part of all its facts, and will go forward and will tell you [69a] of a city which is called Tanpigiu.
1 B. (p. 153) says that all the texts have this lacuna, which he supplies elaborately. But Z: ita quod de istis omnibus dominus marcus paulo qui pluries audiuit fieri rationem introitus absque sale dici t quod ualet LT: Ita quod ego marcus paulus qui fui & uidi rationem & redditum, sine salle, dico quod ualet FB (in different form): le vous dy que messire marc pol.qui tout ce Raconta.dit par vente que il y fu plusieurs foin a veoir la Raison de la Rente.de lannee.de celle meisme partie.si comme ay dit.gue montoient . . .,
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