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
z
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD, GIRAFFES & OSTRICHES • I 9 3 .
hinl and were gathered at a strong pass; but it was all in vain that they should be y
able to keep them off[and]guard the passes, but they were always defeated and were z VA
killed and dead in great abundance. Now I tell [94b1 you that when the king of
the Christians had stayed indeed in the land of the enemy about one' month and
when they have much wasted and destroyed it for many days, •setting all on fire, and z VB
when they have put a very great multitude of Saracens to death, then he says that z
the shame of his bishop which was done iii his despite is already well avenged and that FB
they can well return thence with honour to their country. And again I tell you
that he saw also that he could not hurt the enemy more because they had too strong z
passes which he was bound to cross, and because a few people could do them great z
harm at those places or evil passes; and for this reason they set off from the kingdom z
of Aden and put themselves on the road and go so far without stopping that
they were come to Abasce into their land. Now you have heard how the bishop
was well and highly avenged on those Saracen dogs, for indeed so many of them
were dead and killed that the number could hardly be told, and many lands also
were wasted and destroyed by them for this thing. And this was no wonder, for it z
is not a fit thing that the Saracen dogs must be superior to the Christians. And
now that we have told you this we will leave it' then and will tell you forward of
the other things, and of the same province of Abasce. Now you may know quite z
truly that this province aforesaid of Abasce is very rich and greatly abounding in all L z
the things of life. And they live on rice, wheat, and on flesh, and on milk, and on y z
sesame. And they have oil made of the seed of sesame plant. They have many elephants, G LT
but not that they are much' bred there, but they have them from many parts of the z z
islands of the other Indie. But the giraffes [9q.c] are indeed bred there and they have z
them in great abundance. They have bears & lions and leopards and lynxes enough; FB
and they have many other beasts also in multitudes very different from those of L
our countries. And wild asses enough are also bred there. They have likewise birds v VB
of many kinds totally distinct from all the others. They have hens the most beautiful L
in the world to see. And they have great ostriches4 not at all smaller than an ass. FB
They have also many other different things of which we will not tell you here z
because it would be too long a matter to mention. But you may know well that
they have hunting and chase of beasts and of birds in great abundance. And they y z
have popinjays or parrots enough and very beautiful & of different kinds. •And they LT TA LT z
1 FB: "two" L: anno integro
2 il en lairon for nos en lairon
3 Z (p. cii): pauci nascuntur
4 P:" dogs„
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