National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

I have said also, under « Caraunas », why I attach no authority to the form « Nukodar » used
once by RAMSTEDT for the name of Čayatai's grandson. Rašidu-'d-Dīn names a granddaughter
of Arīq-bögä called Nägüdär or Tägüdär; BLOCHET (Bl, II, 563) says that Nägüdär is the correct
form, but this is arbitrary.

297. NEGREPONT

negentpont FB negroponte TA¹, TA², V, nigropons L, LT
negrepont F, FA, FB VA, VL nigroponte VB, VL
negreponte F niger pons L

Negropont. The form with e in the second syllable, always used in F and FA, is often met
with in mediaeval texts. Cf., for instance, Hist. des Crois., Arm., II, 406, 508; BRĂTIANU, Actes
des notaires, 137. The place was a regular port of call between Venice and Constantinople.

298. NESCRADIN (< *NESORADIN)

nascardus G nescardin LT nestardin R
naschardim, nischardim VA nescardyn P nestraidin FA
nastabun V nescradin F, FB nistradin VB

The name is Arabic نصر الدين Naṣru-'d-Dīn, and one might suppose that the reading « Nes-
cradin » of the Mss. gives another example of the notation of ص ṣ by -sc- which seems to occur in
« Bascra », but I have tried to show that the proper reading is « Basora » (see « Basora »). Here
Polo has probably followed the same vulgar pronunciation which is represented by the Chinese
transcription 納 速 剌 丁 Na-su-la-ting, *Nasuradin; I have restored the original form accord-
ingly.

Naṣru-'d-Dīn was the eldest of the five sons of that famous Sayyid Ajall, Šamsu-'d-Dīn 'Omar,
who had been sent to govern the province of Yün-nan in 1273 and who died there in 1279. His
father's position, when appointed in 1273, was difficult because of the fact that Prince Tuyluy,
who had received supreme authority in Yün-nan sometime after Prince Hügäči's death in 1271
(see « Cogacin »), was reluctant to yield up a whit of his power. Naṣru-'d-Dīn was very helpful in
overcoming the difficulty. Soon he was given command of the troops at Yün-nan-fu. Transferred
to Ta-li in 1277, he led an army against the « Zardandān » (see « Zardandan ») and Burma, and, on
his return, went to the Court to offer 12 tame elephants. There the news of his father's death
reached him (1279). Gradually, he became yu-ch'êng and tso-ch'êng of the province of Yün-nan.