The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 424 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

0424	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

We know too well that there is a very different aspect of the matter. All exten-
sive intercourse between two races far asunder in habits and ideas, seems to be
demoralising in some degrees to both parties, especially to the weaker. But can we
say that deterioration has been all on one side? In these days of lying labels and
plastered shirtings does the character of English trade and English goods stand as
high in Asia as it did half a century ago? (Pel. Boudd. II. 83; Jordanus, p. 22;
Ayeen Akb. III. 8; P. Vincenzo, p. 114; Pallas, Beyträge, III. 85; Rambles and
Recns. II. 143.)

Note 2.—The kingdom of Maabar called Solî is Chola or Soladesam, of
which Kanchi (Conjeveram) was the ancient capital.* In the Ceylon Annals the
continental invaders are frequently termed Solîs. The high terms of praise applied to
it as "the best and noblest province of India," seem to point to the well-watered
fertility of Tanjore; but what is said of the pearls would extend the territory inclu-
ded to the shores of the Gulf of Manár.

Note 3.—Abraham Roger gives from the Calendar of the Coromandel Brahmans
the character, lucky or unlucky, of every hour of every day of the week; and there is
also a chapter on the subject in Sonnerat (I. 303 seqq.). For a happy explanation of
the term Choiach I am indebted to Dr. Caldwell: "This apparently difficult word
can be identified much more easily than most others. Hindu astrologers teach that
there is an unlucky hour every day in the month, i.e. during the period of the moon's
abode in every nâkshatra, or lunar mansion, throughout the lunation. This in-
auspicious period is called Tyâjya, 'rejected.' Its mean length is one hour and
thirty-six minutes, European time. The precise moment when this period com-
mences differs in each nakshatra, or (which comes to the same thing) in every day in
the lunar month. It sometimes occurs in the daytime and sometimes at night;—see
Colonel Warren's Kala Sankalita, Madras, 1825, p. 388. The Tamil pronunciation
of the word is tiydcham, and when the nominative case-termination of the word is
rejected, as all the Tamil case-terminations were by the Malhomedans, who were
probably Marco Polo's informants, it becomes tiytch, to which form of the word
Marco's Choiach is as near as could be expected." (MS. Note.) †

The phrases used in the passage from Ramusio to express the time of day are
taken from the canonical hours of prayer. The following passage from Robert de
Borron's Romance of Merlin illustrates these terms: Gauvain "quand il se levoit le
matin, avoit la force al millor chevalier del monde; et quant vint à heure de prime si
li doubloit, et à heure de tierce aussi; et quant il vint à cure de midi si revenoit à sa
première force ou il avoit esté le matin; et quant vint à cure de nonne et à toutes les
seures de la nuit estoit-il toudis en sa première force." (Quoted in introd. to Messir
Gauvain, etc., edited by C. Hippeau, Paris, 1862, pp. xii.-xiii.) The term Half-
Tierce is frequent in medieval Italian, e.g. in Dante:—

"Levati su, disse'l Maestro, in piede:
La via è lunga, e'l cammino è malvagio:
E già il Sole a mezza terza riede." (Inf. xxxiv.)

Half-prime we have in Chaucer:—

"Say forth thy tale and tary not the time
Lo Depeford, and it is half way prime."
—(Reeve's Prologue.)

Definitions of these terms as given by Sir H. Nicolas and Mr. Thomas Wright
(Chron. of Hist. p. 195, and Marco Polo, p. 392) do not agree with those of Italian
authorities; perhaps in the north they were applied with variation. Dante dwells on

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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