Latest / The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1 / 034 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 5 to 7 How the great Kaan caused Nayan to be put to death How the great

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034 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 5 to 7 How the great Kaan caused Nayan to be put to death How the great · The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty four of the Book of Sir Marco Polo,
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  Speaker 1: the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East,
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  Speaker 1: Volume one. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or the volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Annossimon. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of ser Marco Polo, the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and
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  Speaker 1: Marvels of the East, Volume one by Risicello da Pisa,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Henry Yule, Book second part one, Chapters five
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  Speaker 1: to seven. Chapter five, How the Great Khan caused Nayan
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  Speaker 1: to be put to death? And when the Great Khan
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  Speaker 1: learned that Nayan was taken right glad was he and
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  Speaker 1: commanded that he should be put to death straightway and
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  Speaker 1: in secret, lest endeavors should be made to obtain pity
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  Speaker 1: and pardon for him, because he was of the Khan's
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  Speaker 1: own flesh and blood. And this was the way in
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  Speaker 1: which he was put to death. He was wrapped in
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  Speaker 1: a carpet and tossed to and fro so mercilessly that
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  Speaker 1: he died, and the Khan caused him to be put
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  Speaker 1: to death in this way, because he would not have
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  Speaker 1: the blood of his lying imperial spilt upon the ground
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  Speaker 1: or exposed in the eye of heaven and before the sun.
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  Speaker 1: And when the Great Khan had gained this battle, as
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  Speaker 1: you have heard, all the barons and people of Nayan's
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  Speaker 1: provinces renewed their fealty to the Khan. Now, these provinces
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  Speaker 1: that had been under the lordship of Nayan were four
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  Speaker 1: in number, to wit, the first called Hrja, the second Kauli,
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  Speaker 1: the third Barskol, the fourth sick Tindu. Of all these
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  Speaker 1: four great provinces, had Nayan been lord, it was a
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  Speaker 1: very great dominion. And after the Great Khan had conquered Nayan,
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  Speaker 1: as you have heard, it came to pass that the
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  Speaker 1: different kinds of people who were present, Saracens and Autolatters,
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  Speaker 1: and Jews and many others that believed not in God,
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  Speaker 1: did gibe those that were Christians because of the cross
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  Speaker 1: that Nayan had borne on his standard, and that so
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  Speaker 1: grievously that there was no bearing it. Thus they would
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  Speaker 1: say to the Christians, see now, what precious help this
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  Speaker 1: God's cross of yours hath rendered. Nayan, who was a
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  Speaker 1: Christian and a worshipper thereof, and such ad dinn arose
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  Speaker 1: about the matter that had reached the Great Khan's own ears.
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  Speaker 1: When it did so, he sharply rebuked those who cast
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  Speaker 1: these gibes at the Christians. And he also bade the
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  Speaker 1: Christians be of good heart, for if the cross had
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  Speaker 1: rendered no help to Nayan in that it had done
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  Speaker 1: right well, nor could that which was good as it
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  Speaker 1: was have done otherwise. For Nayan was a disloyal and
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  Speaker 1: traitorous rebel against his Lord, and well deserved that which
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  Speaker 1: had befallen him. Wherefore the cross of your God did
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  Speaker 1: well in that it gave him no help against the right.
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  Speaker 1: And this he said so loud that everybody heard him.
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  Speaker 1: The Christians then replied to the Great Khan, Great King,
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  Speaker 1: you say the truth, indeed, for our cross can render
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  Speaker 1: no one help in wrong doing. And therefore it was
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  Speaker 1: that it aided not Nayan, who was guilty of crime
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  Speaker 1: and disloyalty, for it would take no part in his
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  Speaker 1: evil deeds. And so thenceforward no more was heard of
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  Speaker 1: the floutings of the unbelievers against the Christians, for they
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  Speaker 1: heard very well what the Sovereign said to the latter
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  Speaker 1: about the cross on Nayan's banner and its giving him
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  Speaker 1: no help. Chapter six, how the Great Khan went back
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  Speaker 1: to the city of Kambaluk. And after the Great Khan
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  Speaker 1: had defeated Nayan in the way you have heard, he
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  Speaker 1: went back to his capital city of Kambaluk and abode there,
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  Speaker 1: taking his ease and making facivity. And the other Tartar
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  Speaker 1: lord called Kaidu, greatly troubled when he heard of the
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  Speaker 1: defeat and death of Nayan, had held himself in readiness
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  Speaker 1: for war, but he stood greatly in fear of being
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  Speaker 1: handled as Nayan had been. I told you that the
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  Speaker 1: Great Khan never went on a campaign but once, and
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  Speaker 1: it was on this occasion. In all other cases of need,
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  Speaker 1: he sent his sons or his barons into the field.
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  Speaker 1: But this time he would have none go in command
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  Speaker 1: but himself, for he regarded the presumptuous rebellion of Nayan
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  Speaker 1: as far too serious and perilous an affair to be
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  Speaker 1: otherwise dealt with. Chapter seven, How the Khan rewarded the
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  Speaker 1: valor of his captains. So we will have done with
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  Speaker 1: this matter of Nayan and go on with our account
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  Speaker 1: of the great state of the Great Khan. We have
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  Speaker 1: already told you of his lineage and of his age.
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  Speaker 1: But now I must tell you what he did after
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  Speaker 1: his return. In regard to those barons who had behaved
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  Speaker 1: well in the battle, him who was before captain of
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  Speaker 1: one hundred, he made captain of one thousand, and him
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  Speaker 1: who was captain of one thousand men, he made to
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  Speaker 1: be captain of ten thousand, advancing every man according to
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  Speaker 1: his deserts and to his previous rank. Besides that, he
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  Speaker 1: also made them presents of fine silver, plate and other
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  Speaker 1: rich appointments, gave them tablets of authority of a higher
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  Speaker 1: degree than they held before, and bestowed upon them fine
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  Speaker 1: jewels of gold and silver, and pearls and precious stones,
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  Speaker 1: in so much that the amount that fell to each
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  Speaker 1: of them was something astonishing. And yet twas not so
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  Speaker 1: much as they had deserved. For never were men seen
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  Speaker 1: who did such feats of arms for the love and
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  Speaker 1: honor of their lord as these had done on that
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  Speaker 1: day of the battle. Now those tablets of authority of
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  Speaker 1: which I have spoken are ordered in this way. The
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  Speaker 1: officer who is a captain of one hundred had a
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  Speaker 1: tablet of silver. The captain of one thousand hath the
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  Speaker 1: tablet of gold or silver gilt. The commander of ten
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  Speaker 1: thousand hath a tablet of gold with the lion's head
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  Speaker 1: on it. And it will tell you the weight of
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  Speaker 1: the different tablets and what they denote. The tablets of
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  Speaker 1: the captains one hundred and one thousand weigh each of
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  Speaker 1: them one hundred twenty sagi. And the tablet with a
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  Speaker 1: lion's head engraven on it, which is that of the
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  Speaker 1: commander of ten thousand, weighs two hundred twenty sagi. And
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  Speaker 1: on each of the tablets is inscribed a device which
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  Speaker 1: runs by the strength of the great God and of
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  Speaker 1: the great grace which he hath accorded to our Emperor.
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  Speaker 1: May the name of the Khan be blessed, and let
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  Speaker 1: all such as will not obey him be slain and
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  Speaker 1: be destroyed. And I will tell you besides, that all
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  Speaker 1: who hold these tablets likewise receive warrants in writing declaring
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  Speaker 1: all their powers and privileges. I should mention too, that
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  Speaker 1: an officer who holds the chief command of one hundred
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  Speaker 1: thousand men, or who is general in chief of a
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  Speaker 1: great host, is entitled to a tablet that weighs three
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  Speaker 1: hundred Saggi. It has an inscription thereon to the same
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  Speaker 1: purport that I have told you already, And below the
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  Speaker 1: inscription there is the figure of a lion, and below
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  Speaker 1: the lion the sun and moon. They have warrants also
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  Speaker 1: of their high rank, command and power. Every One moreover,
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  Speaker 1: who holds a tablet of this exalted degree is entitled
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  Speaker 1: whenever he goes abroad, to have a little golden canopy,
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  Speaker 1: such as is called an umbrella, carried on a spear
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  Speaker 1: over his head, in token of his high command. And
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  Speaker 1: whenever he sits, he sits in a silver chair. To
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  Speaker 1: certain very great lords. Also there is given a tablet
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  Speaker 1: with gau falcons on it. This is only to the
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  Speaker 1: very greatest of the Khan's barons, and it confers on
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  Speaker 1: them his own full power and authority, so that if
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  Speaker 1: one of those chiefs wishes to send a messenger any
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  Speaker 1: whither and seize the horses of any man, be he
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  Speaker 1: even a king, and any other chattels at his pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: End of Section thirty four