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『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

(c. 69)

alaton FA alcon TA¹ antorcha VB
alau LT alton F, FB, L esu R
alchom TA³ altu, hoccata (cor.) V roton P

Note : VL : hanel signor dociente el quele andaue al grande alau signor de tartari sorascrito. «alau» is sorascrito
on the same page.

« Alau » is the only reading in F, and sporadically occurs in Z and R, although « Vlau » is Z's
usual spelling and is also more frequent in R. « Vlau » (= « Ulau ») is of course more satisfactory,
and cannot well be accidental. Perhaps we ought to admit that the « Ulau » form, given by Polo,
was altered to « Alau » under the influence of the form then most in use in the West and due to
others than Polo; but the alteration must be more ancient than almost the whole of Polo's Mss.
tradition, with the exception of the prototypes of R and Z. Georgian texts write « Ulo », very
close to Polo's « Ulau » (cf. BROSSET, Hist. de la Géorgie, I, 538-541).

In 1260 (or 1261), a Pontifical letter is sent « Olaoni Regi » (MOSHEIM, Hist. Tart. Eccl., 66;
BN, Lat. 14173, 24); from it derives « Olaon » in ZURITA, Indices rerum, 1578, p. 148. A letter
of 1261 or 1262, from the Templar Great Master Thomas Berard names twice « Halan » (read
« Halau »?); cf. LUARD, Ann. Burd., 492. « Helay », in the transcript of a letter from Abaγa
(cf. G. SORANZO, Il Papato, 220), must be a wrong reading of the copyist. « Hulau », remarkably
correct, appears c. 1266-1291 in Fidenzio da Padua (GOLUBOVICH, Bibl. bio-bibl., II, 34). But
the Latin translation of Aryun's letter of 1285 to Honorius IV reads « Alaum » (acc.; cf. CHABOT,
Hist. de Mar Jabalaha III, 190); Pachymeres and Gregoras use Χαλαὺ and Χαλοῦ (Y, I, 8); and
« Halaon » (var. « Haloon ») was made popular in 1307 by Hethum's Flor des estoires (cf. Hist.
des Crois., Arm., II, 167, 299); Les Gestes des Ciprois also give « Halaon » (ibid., 750). The Persian
transcriptions are هلاگو Hülägü and هولاگو Hülāwü (cf. Juwaini, I, 268; Bl, II, 214; in Syriac,
we find « Hūlāgū » (BUDGE, The monks of Kûblâi Khân, 324; but, for p. 153, MONTGOMERY,
Hist. of Yaballaha III, p. 47, says that the Ms. has « Hūlābū », which is perhaps to be compared
with « Hūlāwū »). The Armenian form is « Hulawu ». The Chinese transcriptions are 旭 烈 兀
Hsü-lieh-wu and Hsü-lieh.

The original Mongol form is Hülägü, Hülä'ü, with that initial h- which has an etymological
value and was really heard in Polo's time, but which the Uiguro-Mongol writing did not note;
the written Mongol form is only Ülägü, Üla'ü, which means « surplus » (cf. JA, 1925, I, 236-237).
While the Chinese, Persian, and the Armenian Hethum have marked the h-, Polo has dropped it,
as he does generally (the exceptions are « Cogacin », q. v., for Hügäči and « Curmos », q. v., for
Hormuz).

Hülägü, Tolui's fifth son, born about 1216, arrived in Persia in February 1256, captured
Bagdad on Febr. 5, 1258, and died on Febr. 8, 1265.

In a paragraph dealing with Chinghiz-khan's successors, BENEDETTO (B, 53) establishes Polo's