The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano

I find that Messer Andrea Polo of San Felice had three sons, the first of whom was Messer Marco, the second Maffio, the third Nicolo. The two last were those who went to Constantinople first, and afterwards to Cathay, as has been seen. Messer Marco the elder being dead, the wife of Messer Nicolo who had been left at home with child, gave birth to a son, to whom she gave the name of Marco in memory of the deceased, and this is the Author of our Book. Of the brothers who were born from his father’s second marriage, viz. Stephen, John, and Matthew, I do not find that any of them had children, except Matthew. He had five sons and one daughter called Maria; and she, after the death of her brothers without offspring, inherited in 1417 all the property of her father and her brothers. She was honourably married to Messer AZZO TREVISANO of the parish of Santo Stazio in this city, and from her sprung the fortunate and honoured stock of the Illustrious Messer DOMENICO TREVISANO, Procurator of St. Mark’s, and valorous Captain General of the Sea Forces of the Republic, whose virtue and singular good qualities are represented with augmentation in the person of the Most Illustrious Prince Ser MARC’ANTONIO TREVISANO, his son.[9] “Such has been the history of this noble family of the Ca’ Polo, which lasted as we see till the year of our Redemption 1417, in which year died childless Marco Polo, the last of the five sons of Maffeo, and so it came to an end. Such be the chances and changes of human affairs!” [Illustration: Arms of the Ca’ Polo.] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] The Preface is dated Venice, 7th July, 1553. Fracastorius died in the same year, and Ramusio erected a statue of him at Padua. Ramusio himself died in July, 1557. [2] The Geography of De Barros, from which this is quoted, has never been printed. I can find nothing corresponding to this passage in the Decades. [3] A grievous error of Ramusio’s. [4] See the decorated title-page of this volume for an attempt to realise the scene. [5] At first sight this fantastic tradition seems to have little verisimilitude; but when we regard it in the light of genuine Mongol custom, such as is quoted from Rubruquis, at p. 389 of this volume, we shall be disposed to look on the whole story with respect. [6] This curious statement is confirmed by a passage in the records of the Great Council, which, on a late visit to Venice, I was enabled to extract, through an obliging communication from Professor Minotto. (See below, p. _67_.) [7] This rather preposterous skit at the Genoese dialect naturally excites a remonstrance from the Abate Spotorno. (_Storia Letteraria della Liguria_, II. 217.) [8] _Jackdaws_, I believe, in spite of some doubt from the imbecility of ordinary dictionaries in such matters. They are under this name made the object of a similitude by Dante (surely a most unhappy one) in reference to the resplendent spirits flitting on the celestial stairs in the sphere of Saturn:— “E come per lo natural costume _Le Pole_ insieme, al cominciar del giorno, Si muovono a scaldar le fredde piume: Poi altre vanno vià senza ritorno, Altre rivolgon sè, onde son mosse, Ed altre roteando fan soggiorno.”—_Parad._ XXI. 34. There is some difference among authorities as to the details of the Polo blazon. According to a MS. concerning the genealogies of Venetian families written by Marco Barbaro in 1566, and of which there is a copy in the Museo Civico, the field is _gules_, the bend _or_. And this I have followed in the cut. But a note by S. Stefani of Venice, with which I have been favoured since the cut was made, informs me that a fine 15th-century MS. in his possession gives the field as _argent_, with no _bend_, and the three birds _sable_ with beaks _gules_, disposed thus ∵. [Illustration: Arms of the Polo[A]] [A] [This coat of arms is reproduced from the Genealogies of Priuli, Archivio di Stato, Venice.—H. C.] [9] Marco Antonio Trevisano was elected Doge, 4th June, 1553, but died on the 31st of May following. We do not here notice Ramusio’s numerous errors, which will be corrected in the sequel. [See p. 78.] II. SKETCH OF THE STATE OF THE EAST AT THE TIME OF THE JOURNEYS OF THE POLO FAMILY.