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
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD, ABUNDANCE OF THINGS • t 5 6
round about the mouth, weaving a string round afterwards through those holes. And this done they put a little of some fat in the said gourds mar the bottom, and then they put many of them in various places round the caravan a little way off. And when the papiones come to the caravan to take something away, they perceive the smell of the fat which is in the gourds and go up to them and, wishing to put their heads in, cannot. But pressing violently from greed for the food which is inside they force the head to enter. Then being unable to draw[itlout, they lift and carry with them the gourds because they are light; and then they do not know where to go, and the merchants catch them as they please. The flesh is very good to eat, and the skins are sold very dearly. In this district too are bred geese so large that quite twenty-four pounds is the weight of one; and they have a great goitre under the throat, and as it were a lump above the beak next to the nostrils, as a swan has, but they have[it]much larger than swans. And again I tell you that this town of Fugiu is near to the port of Çaiton by six days journeys, z z
and this port of Çaiton is in the Ocean sea, and many ships come there from Indic with many goods. And then from this side' come the ships by the great river of which I have told you above, which carry various things as far as to the city of Fugiu L
and they transfer them thence by river and land to different places. And in this way many L
dear things come there from Indie. They have moreover great abundance of all things z
which are necessary to the body of man for life, and very cheap. They have also
beautiful gardens and delectable, abounding with many good fruits. It is so good a z
city and so well ordered in all things that it is a marvel which could not be told. And z
let this be clear about it. We will say one thing which Master Marc recounted, which is fitting to tell. When indeed Master Mafeu, uncle of Master Marc Pol, and Master Marc himself were in the said city of Fugiu, and in their company a certain wise Saracen.—And he said to the same, In such a place is a certain manner of people whose religion no one understands. For it is not idolatry because they keep no idols, they do not worship fire; it does not profess Mahomet; nor also does it seem to have the Christian rule. May it please you that we go to them and to speak with them; perhaps you will learn something about their life. They went there and began to speak with them and to examine them and to inquire about their life and religion. But they seemed as it were to fear that they were examining them with a view to taking away their religion from them. And then the said Masters Mafeu and Marc, observing that they were afraid, began to cheer them and to say, Do not be afraid, for we did not come here for your harm at all but only for good and the improvement of your condition. For they were afraid that they might have been deputed by the great lord to make this examination, and that they might get some harm from it. But Masters Mafeu and Marc frequented that place so much from day to
1 de cest part Z: abinde FB: et du port au fl um V: a questo porta L: et habens portum B.'s correction de cest port is very probably right.
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