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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
z 7 7 . PEARLS FROM SOLI • DIVINATION BY SHADOWS rMARCO POLO
TA over their right shoulder and then tie it under' the other arm so that the thread of 7_ LT cotton comes to be seen in front of their breast and by the back. And they are all
v known by this token through all the places where they go through all the world. Moreover I tell you that they have a king rich and mighty in treasure. And this
v FB king buys many pearls of great value and all other precious stones very gladly. Moreover he has agreed with all the merchants of his land that for all the pearls which they bring hint from the kingdom of Maabar which is called Soli;2 and this z z is the best province and the richest and the most civilized that is to b! found in Indie
v and where the best pearls of the world are found; that he will give them for them' z v twice as much as they buy them for. And these merchant Braaman go for this to the FB kingdom of Maabar and buy all the good pearls which they find & can obtain and then bring them to their king and say [83d] by their truth what they cost. And the king immediately makes one give them twice as much for them as that which they cost, nor did less ever come to them from it. And for this reason they have brought FB him very good and large ones in very great quantities, so that he has very great treasure R VL of them. These Braaman are great idolaters and pay great attention to the art of divination z and go more by augury and by actions and movements of beasts and of' birds than any men in the world . And so I will tell you of them a part of those things which vs z they do with it. I tell you that among the rest they have such a custom as this among vs them. For on the names of all the days of the week they have set a sign such as I VB VA shall tell you. And if it happened that they were to wish to make any purchase of VB any merchandise, immediately he who wishes to buy it rises erect and looks at his VB shadow in the sun and says, What is to day? Such an one. And considers the sign VB which the current day has, and he has his shadow measured for them4 in the sun, how long FB it is. And if he sees his shadow is as long as it ought to be on that day he finishes FB the purchase immediately, and if the shadow is not' so long as it ought to be he does
1 sour Z: sub so probably read sout TA seems to be the only text which defines the shoulder, and is mistaken, for the thread passes over the left shoulder and under the right arm as I learn from the Rev. C. E. SELL and from a photograph kindly shown me by Mrs. LL. PRICE of Guilden Morden. FA,FB,VA,P,V,VL omit altogether; Z,L follow F; LT: sub sinistra ... sub alia; VB says "over the shoulder and make it come forward under that arm and tie it underneath by the other arm."
2 qe sapelent soli V: the vien apela sali Z p. lxxxi. Others omit. See PN.
3 quil endra for Perhaps quil rendra for or, as B., quil en dora for
4 & dit qe for hui be tel for fait mesurer lonbre soe Z (p. lxxxii) on the whole supports the version. V omits.
5 FB: et si ont entre euiz vng jour en la sepmaine establi la ou il font vne merueilleuse chose, car cellui
jour
.r0Z
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