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

CHAPTER XXV.

HOW THE OLD MAN CAME BY HIS END. Now it came to pass, in the year of Christ’s Incarnation, 1252, that Alaü, Lord of the Tartars of the Levant, heard tell of these great crimes of the Old Man, and resolved to make an end of him. So he took and sent one of his Barons with a great Army to that Castle, and they besieged it for three years, but they could not take it, so strong was it. And indeed if they had had food within it never would have been taken. But after being besieged those three years they ran short of victual, and were taken. The Old Man was put to death with all his men [and the Castle with its Garden of Paradise was levelled with the ground]. And since that time he has had no successor; and there was an end to all his villainies.{1} Now let us go back to our journey. NOTE 1.—The date in Pauthier is 1242; in the G. T. and in Ramusio

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Chapter 1 Ch.1
episode, which was afterwards published as a coloured lithograph by Ch.2
1864. From this point, Yule made a very interesting excursion to the Ch.3
introduction and notes to Wood’s _Journey_. Soon after his return to Ch.4
1890. Amongst those present were witnesses of every stage of his Ch.5
1886. Signed M. P. V.) Ch.6
27. Some details of 13th-Century Galleys. 28. Fighting Ch.7
32. Battle in Bay of Ayas in 1294. 33. Lamba Doria’s Ch.8
67. His true claims to glory. 68. His personal attributes Ch.9
76. Contemporary References to Polo. T. de Cepoy; Pipino; Ch.10
introduction of Block-printed Books into Europe by Marco Polo Ch.11
introduction in the Age following Polo’s. Ch.12
PROLOGUE. Ch.13
3. _Alau Lord of the Levant (i.e. |Hulaku|)._ 4. Ch.14
3. _Religious Indifference of the Mongol Princes._ Ch.15
2. _Negropont._ 3. _Mark’s age._ Ch.16
2. _Ramusio’s addition._ 3. _Nature of Marco’s Ch.17
2. _The Lady Bolgana._ 3. _Passage from Ramusio._ Ch.18
5. _Mortality among the party._ 6. _The Lady Cocachin Ch.19
5. _Goshawks._ 6. _Fish Miracle._ 7. _Sea of Ghel Ch.20
4. _The_ Torizi. 5. _Character of City and People._ Ch.21
3. _|Ondanique| or Indian Steel._ 4. _Manufactures of Ch.22
7. _Second Route between Hormuz and Kerman._ Ch.23
8. _Repeated devastation of the Country from War._ 9. Ch.24
3. _Khotan._ Ch.25
4. _Prester John._ Ch.26
4. _The five species of Crane described by Polo._ 5. Ch.27
3. _Leopards._ 4. _The Bamboo Palace. Uses of the Ch.28
6. _The White Horses. The Oirad Tribe._ 7. _The Ch.29
PART I. Ch.30
4. _Nayan and his true relationship to Kúblái._ Ch.31
8. _Wide diffusion of the kind of Palace here Ch.32
12. “Roze de l’açur.” 13. _The Green Mount._ 14. Ch.33
7. _Addition from Ramusio._ Ch.34
3. _The Buffet of Liquors._ 4. _The superstition of Ch.35
3. _Tame Lions._ Ch.36
7. _The Kaan’s Great Tents._ 8. _The Sable and Ch.37
4. _Politeness._ 5. _Filial Piety._ 6. _Pocket Ch.38
1. Marco Polo’s Itineraries, No. I. WESTERN ASIA. This includes Ch.39
4. Plan of part of the remains of the same city. Reduced from a Ch.40
41. Plan of position of DILÁWAR, the supposed site of the Dilavar Ch.41
114. Marco Polo’s Itineraries, No. II. Routes between KERMAN and Ch.42
178. Marco Polo’s Itineraries, No. III. Regions on and near the Ch.43
305. Heading, in the old Chinese seal-character, of an INSCRIPTION Ch.44
319. The CHO-KHANG. The grand Temple of Buddha at _Lhasa_, from _The Ch.45
352. “_Table d’Or de Commandement_;” the PAÏZA of the MONGOLS, from Ch.46
355. Second Example of a Mongol Païza with superscription in the Ch.47
426. BANK-NOTE of the MING Dynasty, on one-half the scale of the Ch.48
454. Observatory Instruments of the Jesuits. All these from Ch.49
PROLOGUE. Ch.50
3. Remains of the Castle of SOLDAIA or Sudák. After _Dubois de Ch.51
7. Ruins of BOLGHAR. After _Demidoff, Voyage dans la Russie Ch.52
15. The GREAT KAAN delivering a GOLDEN TABLET to the two elder Ch.53
18. Plan of ACRE as it was when lost (A.D. 1291). Reduced and Ch.54
21. Portrait of Pope GREGORY X. After _J. B. de Cavaleriis Ch.55
37. Ancient CHINESE WAR VESSEL. From the Chinese Encyclopædia Ch.56
42. Coin of King HETUM I. and Queen ISABEL of Cilician Armenia. Ch.57
51. Mediæval GEORGIAN FORTRESS. From a drawing by Padre CRISTOFORO Ch.58
55. View of DERBEND. After a cut from a drawing by M. Moynet in the Ch.59
61. Coin of BADRUDDÍN LOLO of Mosul (A.H. 620). After _Marsden’s Ch.60
76. GHÁZÁN Khan’s Mosque at TABRIZ. Borrowed from _Fergusson’s Ch.61
95. KASHMIR SCARF with animals, etc. After photograph from the Ch.62
100. Humped Oxen from the Assyrian Sculptures at Kouyunjik. From Ch.63
102. Portrait of a Hazára. From a Photograph, kindly taken for the Ch.64
118. Ages. 7 figures, viz., No. 1, The Navicella of Giotto in Ch.65
134. The _ARBRE SEC_, and _ARBRES DU SOLEIL ET DE LA LUNE_. From Ch.66
137. The CHINÁR or Oriental Plane, viz., that called the Tree of Ch.67
147. Portrait of H. H. AGHA KHÁN MEHELÁTI, late representative of Ch.68
159. Ancient SILVER PATERA of debased Greek Art, formerly in the Ch.69
167. Ancient BUDDHIST Temple at Pandrethan in KÁSHMIR. Borrowed from Ch.70
176. Horns of the _OVIS POLI_, or Great Sheep of Pamir. Drawn by Ch.71
177. Figure of the _OVIS POLI_ or Great Sheep of Pamir. From a Ch.72
180. Head of a native of KASHGAR. After Verchaguine. From the _Tour Ch.73
184. View of SAMARKAND. From a Sketch by Mr. D. IVANOFF, engraved Ch.74
221. Colossal Figure; BUDDHA entering NIRVANA. Sketched by the Ch.75
222. Great LAMA MONASTERY, viz., that at Jehol. After _Staunton’s Ch.76
224. The _Kyang_, or WILD ASS of Mongolia. After a plate by Wolf in Ch.77
230. Entrance to the Erdeni Tso, Great Temple. From MARCEL MONNIER’S Ch.78
244. Death of Chinghiz Khan. From a Miniature in the _Livre des Ch.79
253. Dressing up a Tent, from MARCEL MONNIER’S _Tour d’Asie_, by Ch.80
255. Mediæval TARTAR HUTS and WAGGONS. Drawn by Sig. QUINTO CENNI, Ch.81
258. Tartar IDOLS and KUMIS Churn. Drawn by the Editor after data in Ch.82
273. The _SYRRHAPTES PALLASII; Bargherlac_ of Marco Polo. From a Ch.83
280. REEVES’S PHEASANT. After an engraving in _Wood’s Illustrated Ch.84
293. The RAMPART of GOG and MAGOG. From a photograph of the Great Ch.85
307. A PAVILION at Yuen-Ming-Yuen, to illustrate the probable style Ch.86
317. CHINESE CONJURING Extraordinary. Extracted from an engraving in Ch.87
326. A TIBETAN BACSI. Sketched from the life by the Editor. Ch.88
340. NAKKARAS. From a Chinese original in the _Lois des Empereurs Ch.89
341. NAKKARAS. After one of the illustrations in Blochmann’s edition Ch.90
352. Seljukian Coin, with the LION and the SUN (A.H. 640). After Ch.91
355. Sculptured GERFALCON from the Gate of Iconium. Copied from Ch.92
357. Portrait of the Great KAAN KÚBLÁI. From a Chinese engraving in Ch.93
367. Ideal Plan of the Ancient Palaces of the Mongol Emperors at Ch.94
369. The WINTER PALACE at PEKING. Borrowed from _Fergusson’s History Ch.95
371. View of the “GREEN MOUNT.” From a photograph kindly lent to the Ch.96
373. The _Yüan ch’eng_. From a photograph kindly lent to the present Ch.97
376. South GATE of the “IMPERIAL CITY” at Peking. From an original Ch.98
399. The BÚRGÚT EAGLE. After _Atkinson’s Oriental and Western Ch.99
409. The TENTS of the EMPEROR K’ien-lung. From a drawing in the Ch.100
413. Plain of CAMBALUC; the City in the distance; from the hills Ch.101
458. The Great TEMPLE OF HEAVEN at Peking. From _Michie’s Siberian Ch.102
463. MARBLE ARCHWAY erected under the MONGOL DYNASTY at Kiu-Yong Ch.103
1. With all the intrinsic interest of Marco Polo’s Book it may perhaps Ch.104
2. The first person who attempted to gather and string the facts of Ch.105
3. “Howbeit, during the last hundred years, persons acquainted Ch.106
4. Ramusio, then, after a brief apologetic parallel of the marvels Ch.107
prologue of Marco Polo’s book that he had derived from a recent piece Ch.108
6. “Not many months after the arrival of the travellers at Venice, Ch.109
7. “The captivity of Messer Marco greatly disturbed the minds Ch.110
8. “As regards the after duration of this noble and worthy family, Ch.111
9. The story of the travels of the Polo family opens in 1260. Ch.112
10. In Asia and Eastern Europe scarcely a dog might bark without Ch.113
11. For about three centuries the Northern provinces of China had been Ch.114
12. In India the most powerful sovereign was the Sultan of Delhi, Ch.115
13. In days when History and Genealogy were allowed to draw largely Ch.116
14. Till quite recently it had never been precisely ascertained whether Ch.117
15. Of the three sons of Andrea Polo of S. Felice, Marco seems to have Ch.118
16. Nicolo Polo, the second of the Brothers, had two legitimate sons, Ch.119
17. Kúblái had never before fallen in with European gentlemen. He was Ch.120
18. The Brothers arrived at Acre in April,[10] 1269, and found that Ch.121
19. The Papal interregnum was the longest known, at least since the Ch.122
20. Kúblái received the Venetians with great cordiality, and took Ch.123
21. Arghún Khan of Persia, Kúblái’s great-nephew, had in 1286 lost his Ch.124
22. The princess, whose enjoyment of her royalty was brief, wept as she Ch.125
1295. The date assigned to it, however, by Marco (ii. 477) is 1294, Ch.126
23. We have seen that Ramusio places the scene of the story recently Ch.127
24. The Court which was known in the 16th century as the Corte del Ch.128
25. And before entering on this new phase of the Traveller’s biography Ch.129
26. This system of grouping the oars, and putting only one man to an Ch.130
27. Returning then to the three-banked and two-banked galleys of the Ch.131
28. Midships in the mediæval galley a castle was erected, of the width Ch.132
29. We have already mentioned that Sanudo requires for his three-banked Ch.133
30. The musicians formed an important part of the equipment. Sanudo Ch.134
1503. The crew amounted to 200, of whom 150 were for working the Ch.135
31. Jealousies, too characteristic of the Italian communities, were, Ch.136
32. Truces were made and renewed, but the old fire still smouldered. In Ch.137
33. In 1298 the Genoese made elaborate preparations for a great blow at Ch.138
34. It was on the afternoon of Saturday the 6th September that the Ch.139
35. The battle began early on Sunday and lasted till the afternoon. The Ch.140
36. Howsoever they may have been treated, here was Marco Polo one of Ch.141
episode in Polo’s biography. Ch.142
37. Something further requires to be said before quitting this event in Ch.143
1278. On this occasion is recorded a remarkable anticipation of Ch.144
38. We have now to say something of that Rusticiano to whom all who Ch.145
39. Who, then, was Rusticiano, or, as the name actually is read in the Ch.146
40. Rustician’s literary work appears from the extracts and remarks of Ch.147
41. A question may still occur to an attentive reader as to the Ch.148
42. In Dunlop’s History of Fiction a passage is quoted from the Ch.149
353. The alleged gift to Rustician is also put forth by D’Israeli Ch.150
43. A few very disconnected notices are all that can be collected of Ch.151
44. In 1302 occurs what was at first supposed to be a glimpse of Ch.152
45. A little later we hear of Marco once more, as presenting a copy of Ch.153
46. When Marco married we have not been able to ascertain, but it was Ch.154
47. We catch sight of our Traveller only once more. It is on the 9th of Ch.155
48. He was buried, no doubt, according to his declared wish, in the Ch.156
49. From the short series of documents recently alluded to,[28] we Ch.157
2. He had drafted his will with his own hand, sealed the draft, Ch.158
3. Appoints as Trustees Messer Maffeo Polo his uncle, Marco Polo Ch.159
4. Leaves 20 _soldi_ to each of the Monasteries from Grado to Capo Ch.160
5. To his daughter Fiordelisa 2000 _lire_ to marry her withal. To Ch.161
6. To his wife Catharine 400 _lire_ and all her clothes as they Ch.162
7. To his natural daughter Pasqua 400 _lire_ to marry her withal. Ch.163
8. To his natural brothers Stephen and Giovannino he leaves 500 Ch.164
100. To Fiordelisa, wife of Felix Polo, 100. To Maroca, the Ch.165
10. To buy Public Debt producing an annual 20 _lire ai grossi_ to Ch.166
11. Should his wife prove with child and bear a son or sons they Ch.167
12. If he have no male heir his Brother Marco shall have the Ch.168
13. Should Daughter Fiordelisa die unmarried her 2000 _lire_ and Ch.169
14. Should his wife bear him a male heir or heirs, but these should Ch.170
15. Should his wife bear a daughter and she die unmarried, her Ch.171
16. Should the whole amount of his property between cash and goods Ch.172
1342. And some years later we have in the Sicilian Archives an Ch.173
50. The Book itself consists essentially of Two Parts. _First_, of Ch.174
51. As regards the language in which Marco’s Book was first Ch.175
52. The French Text that we have been quoting, published by the Ch.176
53. Another circumstance, heretofore I believe unnoticed, is in itself Ch.177
54. But, after all, the circumstantial evidence that has been adduced Ch.178
55. In treating of the various Texts of Polo’s Book we must necessarily Ch.179
56. II. The next Type is that of the French MSS. on which M. Pauthier’s Ch.180
57. There is another curious circumstance about the MSS. of this Ch.181
58. III. The next Type of Text is that found in Friar Pipino’s Latin Ch.182
59. The absence of effective publication in the Middle Ages led to a Ch.183
60. IV. We now come to a Type of Text which deviates largely from Ch.184
61. Thus we find substituted for the _Bastra_ (or _Bascra_) of the Ch.185
62. Of circumstances certainly genuine, which are peculiar to this Ch.186
63. Though difficulties will certainly remain,[17] the most probable Ch.187
64. To sum up. It is, I think, beyond reasonable dispute that we Ch.188
65. Whilst upon this subject of manuscripts of our Author, I will give Ch.189
1. The mention of the death of Kúblái (see note 7, p. 38 of this Ch.190
2. Mr. Hugh Murray objects that whilst in the old texts Polo Ch.191
3. The same editor points to the manner in which one of the Ch.192
1. In the chapter on Georgia: Ch.193
3. After the chapter on Mosul is another short chapter, already Ch.194
4. In the chapter on _Tarcan_ (for Carcan, _i.e._ Yarkand): Ch.195
5. In the Desert of Lop: Ch.196
7. “Et in medio hujus viridarii est palacium sive logia, _tota Ch.197
66. That Marco Polo has been so universally recognised as the King of Ch.198
67. Surely Marco’s real, indisputable, and, in their kind, unique Ch.199
68. What manner of man was Ser Marco? It is a question hard to answer. Ch.200
69. Of scientific notions, such as we find in the unveracious Ch.201
70. The Book, however, is full of bearings and distances, and I have Ch.202
71. In the early part of the Book we are told that Marco acquired Ch.203
72. A question naturally suggests itself, how far Polo’s narrative, Ch.204
73. On the other hand, though Marco, who had left home at fifteen Ch.205
74. We have seen in the most probable interpretation of the nickname Ch.206
Introduction, p. 55.) There is a curious parallel between the two Ch.207
75. But we must return for a little to Polo’s own times. Ramusio Ch.208
76. Of contemporary or nearly contemporary references to our Traveller Ch.209
77. Lastly, we learn from a curious passage in a medical work by PIETRO Ch.210
78. There is, however, a notable work which is ascribed to a rather Ch.211
79. Marco Polo contributed such a vast amount of new facts to the Ch.212
80. As regards the second cause alleged, we may say that down nearly to Ch.213
81. Even Ptolemy seems to have been almost unknown; and indeed had his Ch.214
82. Among the Arabs many able men, from the early days of Islám, Ch.215
83. Some distinct trace of acquaintance with the Arabian Geography is Ch.216
84. The first genuine mediæval attempt at a geographical construction Ch.217
85. In the following age we find more frequent indications that Polo’s Ch.218
86. The Maps of Mercator (1587) and Magini (1597) are similar in Ch.219
87. Before concluding, it may be desirable to say a few words on the Ch.220
88. Mr. Curzon’s own observations, which I have italicised about Ch.221
89. It remains to say a few words regarding the basis adopted for our Ch.222
90. It will be clear from what has been said in the preceding pages Ch.223
91. As regards the reading of proper names and foreign words, in which Ch.224
PROLOGUE. Ch.225
CHAPTER I. Ch.226
CHAPTER II. Ch.227
CHAPTER III. Ch.228
CHAPTER IV. Ch.229
CHAPTER V. Ch.230
CHAPTER VI. Ch.231
CHAPTER VII. Ch.232
CHAPTER VIII. Ch.233
CHAPTER IX. Ch.234
CHAPTER X. Ch.235
CHAPTER XI. Ch.236
1276. His character stood high to the last, and some of the Ch.237
CHAPTER XII. Ch.238
CHAPTER XIII. Ch.239
CHAPTER XIV. Ch.240
CHAPTER XV. Ch.241
CHAPTER XVI. Ch.242
CHAPTER XVII. Ch.243
CHAPTER XVIII. Ch.244
CHAPTER I. Ch.245
1198. The kingdom was at its zenith under Hetum or Hayton I., Ch.246
CHAPTER II. Ch.247
CHAPTER III. Ch.248
CHAPTER IV. Ch.249
1870. He wore the Russian uniform, and bore the title of Prince Ch.250
CHAPTER V. Ch.251
CHAPTER VI. Ch.252
CHAPTER VII. Ch.253
CHAPTER VIII. Ch.254
CHAPTER IX. Ch.255
CHAPTER X. Ch.256
CHAPTER XI. Ch.257
CHAPTER XII. Ch.258
CHAPTER XIII. Ch.259
CHAPTER XIV. Ch.260
CHAPTER XV. Ch.261
CHAPTER XVI. Ch.262
CHAPTER XVII. Ch.263
CHAPTER XVIII. Ch.264
CHAPTER XIX. Ch.265
1. From Kermán across a plain to the top of a Ch.266
3. A great plain, called _Reobarles_, in a much warmer Ch.267
5. A well-watered fruitful plain, which is crossed to Ch.268
1. From Kermán to the caravanserai of Deh Bakri in the Ch.269
2. Two miles _over very deep snow_ brought him to the Ch.270
3. “Clumps of date-palms growing near the village showed Ch.271
4. 6½ hours, “nearly the whole way over a most difficult Ch.272
5. Two long marches over a plain, part of which is Ch.273
1862. More recently Major St. John has shown the magnitude of this Ch.274
CHAPTER XX. Ch.275
CHAPTER XXI. Ch.276
CHAPTER XXII. Ch.277
CHAPTER XXIII. Ch.278
CHAPTER XXIV. Ch.279
1113. Maudúd, Prince of Mosul, in the chief Mosque of Damascus. Ch.280
CHAPTER XXV. Ch.281
1262. Neither is right, nor certainly could Polo have meant the Ch.282
1256. But an army had been sent long in advance under “one of Ch.283
CHAPTER XXVI. Ch.284
CHAPTER XXVII. Ch.285
CHAPTER XXVIII. Ch.286
CHAPTER XXIX. Ch.287
CHAPTER XXX. Ch.288
CHAPTER XXXI. Ch.289
CHAPTER XXXII. Ch.290
CHAPTER XXXIII. Ch.291
CHAPTER XXXIV. Ch.292
CHAPTER XXXV. Ch.293
CHAPTER XXXVI. Ch.294
CHAPTER XXXVII. Ch.295
CHAPTER XXXVIII. Ch.296
CHAPTER XXXIX. Ch.297
CHAPTER XL. Ch.298
CHAPTER XLI. Ch.299
CHAPTER XLII. Ch.300
1. Klaproth states that the Mongols applied to Tibet the name of Ch.301
2. Professor Vámbéry thinks that it is probably _Chingin Tala_, Ch.302
CHAPTER XLIII. Ch.303
CHAPTER XLIV. Ch.304
CHAPTER XLV. Ch.305
CHAPTER XLVI. Ch.306
CHAPTER XLVII. Ch.307
CHAPTER XLVIII. Ch.308
CHAPTER XLIX. Ch.309
CHAPTER L. Ch.310
CHAPTER LI. Ch.311
1464. [_Hwang ming ts’ung sin lu_.] In the time of the present Ch.312
CHAPTER LII. Ch.313
CHAPTER LIII. Ch.314
CHAPTER LIV. Ch.315
CHAPTER LV. Ch.316
CHAPTER LVI. Ch.317
1860. From the last our cut is taken. Ch.318
CHAPTER LVII. Ch.319
CHAPTER LVIII. Ch.320
CHAPTER LIX. Ch.321
CHAPTER LX. Ch.322
1. Radde mentions as a rare crane in South Siberia _Grus monachus_, Ch.323
2. _Grus leucogeranus_ (?) whose chief habitat is Siberia, but Ch.324
4. The colour of the pendants varies in the texts. Pauthier’s and Ch.325
5. Certainly the Indian _Sáras_ (vulgo Cyrus), or _Grus antigone_, Ch.326
CHAPTER LXI. Ch.327
CHAPTER I. Ch.328
CHAPTER II. Ch.329
1287. What followed will be found in a subsequent note (ch. iv. Ch.330
CHAPTER III. Ch.331
CHAPTER IV. Ch.332
CHAPTER V. Ch.333
CHAPTER VI. Ch.334
CHAPTER VII. Ch.335
CHAPTER VIII. Ch.336
CHAPTER IX. Ch.337
CHAPTER X. Ch.338
CHAPTER XI. Ch.339
CHAPTER XII. Ch.340
CHAPTER XIII. Ch.341
CHAPTER XIV. Ch.342
CHAPTER XV. Ch.343
CHAPTER XVI. Ch.344
CHAPTER XVII. Ch.345
CHAPTER XVIII. Ch.346
CHAPTER XIX. Ch.347
CHAPTER XX. Ch.348
CHAPTER XXI. Ch.349
CHAPTER XXII. Ch.350
CHAPTER XXIII. Ch.351
CHAPTER XXIV. Ch.352
CHAPTER XXV. Ch.353
CHAPTER XXVI. Ch.354
200. And if there chance to be some river or lake to be passed by the Ch.355
CHAPTER XXVII. Ch.356
CHAPTER XXVIII. Ch.357
CHAPTER XXIX. Ch.358
CHAPTER XXX. Ch.359
CHAPTER XXXI. Ch.360
CHAPTER XXXII. Ch.361
CHAPTER XXXIII. Ch.362
CHAPTER XXXIV. Ch.363
Prologue, note 1. Ch.364
introduction of plants from Asia into China, 16n; Ch.365
introduction of block-printing into Europe and Polo, _138–141_; Ch.366