Latest / The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1 / 032 - Book First Chapters 59 to 61 Concerning the province of Tenduc and the descendants of Prester John C

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032 - Book First Chapters 59 to 61 Concerning the province of Tenduc and the descendants of Prester John C · The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty two 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 to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Anna Roberts. The
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  Speaker 1: Book of Sir Marco Polo, the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms
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  Speaker 1: and Marvels of the East, Volume one by Rousticello de Pisa,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Henry Yule, Book first chapters fifty nine to
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  Speaker 1: sixty one, Chapter fifty nine concerning the Province of Tenduc
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  Speaker 1: and the descendants of Prester John. Tinduk is a province
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  Speaker 1: which lies towards the east, and contains numerous towns and villages,
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  Speaker 1: among which is the chief city, also called Tinduk. The
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  Speaker 1: king of the province is of the lineage of Prester
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  Speaker 1: John George by name, and he holds the land under
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  Speaker 1: the Great Khan, not that he holds anything like the
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  Speaker 1: whole of what Prester John possessed. It is a custom
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  Speaker 1: I made tell you that these kings of the lineage
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  Speaker 1: of Prester John always obtained to wife, either daughters of
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  Speaker 1: the Great Khan or other princesses of his family. In
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  Speaker 1: this province is found the stone from which azure is made.
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  Speaker 1: It is obtained from a kind of vein in the earth,
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  Speaker 1: and is of very fine quality. There is also a
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  Speaker 1: great manufacture of fine camlets of different colors from camel's hair.
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  Speaker 1: The people get their living by their cattle and tillage,
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  Speaker 1: as well as by trade and handicraft. The rule of
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  Speaker 1: the province is in the hands of the Christians, as
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  Speaker 1: I have told you. But there are also plenty of
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  Speaker 1: idolaters and worshippers of Mahomet. And there is also here
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  Speaker 1: a class of people called argons, which is as much
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  Speaker 1: as to say in French guassmule, or in other words,
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  Speaker 1: sprung from two different races, to wit, of the race
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  Speaker 1: of the idolators of tin Duc and of that of
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  Speaker 1: the worshippers of Mahomet. They are handsomer men than the
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  Speaker 1: other natives of the country, and having more ability, they
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  Speaker 1: come to have authority, and they are also capital merchants.
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  Speaker 1: You must know that it was in this same capital
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  Speaker 1: city of tin Duc that Prester John had the seat
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  Speaker 1: of his government when he ruled over the Tartars and
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  Speaker 1: his heirs still abide there. For as I have told you,
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  Speaker 1: this King George is of his line. In fact, he
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  Speaker 1: is the sixth in descent from Prester John. Here also
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  Speaker 1: is what we call the country of Gog and Magog.
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  Speaker 1: They however, call it ung and Mungal, after the names
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  Speaker 1: of two races of people that existed in that province
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  Speaker 1: before the migration of the Tartars. Ung was the title
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  Speaker 1: of the people of the country, and Mungul a name
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  Speaker 1: sometimes applied to the Tartars. And when you have ridden
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  Speaker 1: seven days eastward through this province you can get near
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  Speaker 1: the provinces of Cathay. You find throughout those seven days
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  Speaker 1: journey plenty of towns and villages, the inhabitants of which
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  Speaker 1: are Mohametans, but with a mixture also of Idolaters and
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  Speaker 1: Historian Christians. They get their living by trade and manufactures,
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  Speaker 1: weaving those fine cloths of gold, which are called nasich
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  Speaker 1: and nukes, besides silk stuffs of many other kinds. For
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  Speaker 1: just as we have cloths of wool in our country,
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  Speaker 1: manufactured in a great variety of kinds, so in those
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  Speaker 1: regions they have stuffs of silk and gold in like variety.
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  Speaker 1: All this region is subject to the Great Khan. There
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  Speaker 1: is a city you come to called Sindhachu, where they
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  Speaker 1: carry on a great many crafts, such as provide for
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  Speaker 1: the equipment of the Emperor's troops. In a mountain of
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  Speaker 1: the province there is a very good silver mine from
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  Speaker 1: which much silver has got. The place is called Idifu.
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  Speaker 1: The country is well stocked with game, both beast and bird.
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  Speaker 1: Now we will quit that province and go three days
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  Speaker 1: journey forward chapter sixty concerning the Khan's palace of Chaganor.
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  Speaker 1: At the end of those three days you find a
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  Speaker 1: city called chagan Noor, which is as much as to
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  Speaker 1: say white pool, at which there is a great palace
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  Speaker 1: of the Grand Khans. And he likes much to reside
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  Speaker 1: there on account of the lakes and rivers in the neighborhood,
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  Speaker 1: which are the haunt of swans, and of a great
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  Speaker 1: variety of other birds. The adjoining plains too, abound with cranes, partridges, pheasants,
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  Speaker 1: and other game birds, so that the Emperor takes all
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  Speaker 1: the more delight in staying there in order to go
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  Speaker 1: a hawking with his gair falcons and other falcons, a
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  Speaker 1: sport of which he is very fond. There are five
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  Speaker 1: different kinds of cranes found in those tracks, as I
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  Speaker 1: shall tell you. First, there is one which is very
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  Speaker 1: big and all over as black as a crow. The
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  Speaker 1: second kind, again is all white, and is the biggest
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  Speaker 1: of all. Its wings are really beautiful, for they are
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  Speaker 1: adorned with round eyes, like those of a peacock, but
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  Speaker 1: of a resplendent golden color, whilst the head is red
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  Speaker 1: and black on a white ground. The third kind is
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  Speaker 1: the same as ours. The fourth is a small kind,
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  Speaker 1: having at the ears beautiful long pendant feathers of red
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  Speaker 1: and black. The fifth kind is gray all over and
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  Speaker 1: of great size, with a handsome head red and black.
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  Speaker 1: Near this city there is a valley in which the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor has had several little houses erected, in which he
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  Speaker 1: keeps in Meu a large number of kators, which are
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  Speaker 1: what we call the great partridge. You would be astonished
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  Speaker 1: to see what a quantity there are with men to
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  Speaker 1: take charge of them. So whenever the Khan visits the place,
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  Speaker 1: he is furnished with as many as he wants. Chapter
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  Speaker 1: sixty one of the City of Chandu and the Khan's
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  Speaker 1: palace there. And when you have ridden three days from
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  Speaker 1: the city last mentioned, between northeast and north, you come
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  Speaker 1: to a city called Chandhu, which was built by the
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  Speaker 1: Khan now reigning. There is at this place a very
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  Speaker 1: fine marble palace, the rooms of which are all gilt
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  Speaker 1: and painted with figures of men and beasts and birds,
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  Speaker 1: and with a variety of trees and flowers, all executed
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  Speaker 1: with such exquisite art that you regard them with delight
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  Speaker 1: and astonishment. Round this palace a wall is built, enclosing
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  Speaker 1: a compass of sixteen miles, and inside the park there
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  Speaker 1: are fountains and rivers and brooks and beautiful meadows with
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  Speaker 1: all kinds of wild animals, excluding such as are of
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  Speaker 1: ferocious nature, which the Emperor has procured and placed there
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  Speaker 1: to supply food for his geir falcons and hawks, which
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  Speaker 1: he keeps there in mew. Of these there are more
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  Speaker 1: than two hundred jeer falcons alone, without reckoning the other hawks.
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  Speaker 1: The Khan himself goes every week to see his bird
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  Speaker 1: sitting in mew, and sometimes he rides through the park
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  Speaker 1: with a leopard behind him on his horse's croup. And
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  Speaker 1: then if he sees any animal that takes his fancy,
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  Speaker 1: he slips his leopard at it, and the game, when taken,
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  Speaker 1: is made over to feed the hawks in mew. This
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  Speaker 1: he does for diversion. Moreover, at a spot in the
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  Speaker 1: park where there is a charming wood. He has another
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  Speaker 1: palace built of cane, of which I must give you
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  Speaker 1: a description. It is gilt all over and most elaborately finished. Inside,
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  Speaker 1: it is stayed on gilt and lacquered columns, on each
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  Speaker 1: of which is a dragon all guilt, the tail of
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  Speaker 1: which is attached to the column, whilst the head supports
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  Speaker 1: the architrave, and the claws, likewise are stretched out right
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  Speaker 1: and left to support the architrave. The roof, like the rest,
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  Speaker 1: is formed of canes covered with a varnish so strong
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  Speaker 1: and excellent that no amount of rain will rot them.
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  Speaker 1: These canes are a good three palms in girth, and
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  Speaker 1: from ten to fifteen paces in length. They are cut
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  Speaker 1: across at each knot, and then the pieces are split
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  Speaker 1: so as to form from each two hollow tiles, and
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  Speaker 1: with these the house is roofed. Only every such tile
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  Speaker 1: of cane has to be nailed down to prevent the
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  Speaker 1: wind from lifting it. In short, the whole palace is
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  Speaker 1: built of these canes, which I may mention serve also
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  Speaker 1: for a great variety of other useful purposes. The construction
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  Speaker 1: of the palace is so devised that it can be
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  Speaker 1: taken down and put up again with great celerity, and
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  Speaker 1: it can all be taken to pieces and removed whithersoever
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor may command. When erected, it is braced against
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  Speaker 1: mishaps from the wind by more than two hundred cords
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  Speaker 1: of silk. The Lord abides at this park of his dwelling,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes in the Marble Palace and sometimes in the Cane Palace,
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  Speaker 1: for three months of the year to wit June, July
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  Speaker 1: and August, preferring this residence because it is by no
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  Speaker 1: means hot. In fact, it is a very cool place.
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  Speaker 1: When the twenty eighth day of the moon of August arrives,
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  Speaker 1: he takes his departure, and the Cane Palace is taken
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  Speaker 1: to pieces. But I must tell you what happens when
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  Speaker 1: he goes away from this palace every year on the
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  Speaker 1: twenty eighth of the August moon. You must know that
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  Speaker 1: Ba Khan keeps an immense stud of white horses and mares.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, more than ten thousand of them, and all
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  Speaker 1: pure white without a speck. The milk of these mares
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  Speaker 1: is drunk by himself and his family, and by none
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  Speaker 1: else except by those of one great tribe that have
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  Speaker 1: also the privilege of drinking it. This privilege was granted
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  Speaker 1: them by chinghis Khan on account of a certain victory
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  Speaker 1: that they helped him to win long ago. The name
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  Speaker 1: of the tribe is Horiad. Now, when these mares are
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  Speaker 1: passing across the country, and any one falls in with them,
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  Speaker 1: be he the greatest lord in the land, he must
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  Speaker 1: not presume to pass until the mares have gone by.
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  Speaker 1: He must either tarry where he is, or go a
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  Speaker 1: half day's journey round if need so, be so as
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  Speaker 1: not to come nigh them, for they are to be
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  Speaker 1: treated with the greatest respect. Well, when the Lord sets
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  Speaker 1: out from the park on the twenty eighth of August,
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  Speaker 1: as I told you, the milk of all those mares
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  Speaker 1: is taken and sprinkled on the ground. And this is
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  Speaker 1: done on the injunction of the idolaters and idle priests,
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  Speaker 1: who say that it is an excellent thing to sprinkle
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  Speaker 1: that milk on the ground. Every twenty eighth of August
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  Speaker 1: so that the earth and the air, and the false
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  Speaker 1: gods shall have their share of it, and the spirits
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  Speaker 1: likewise that inhabit the air and the earth, And thus
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  Speaker 1: those beings will protect and bless the Khan and his children,
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  Speaker 1: and his wives, and his folk, and his gear, and
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  Speaker 1: his cattle, and his horses, his corn, and all that
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  Speaker 1: is his. After this is done, the Emperor is off
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  Speaker 1: and away. But I must now tell you a strange
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  Speaker 1: thing that hitherto I have forgotten to mention. During the
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  Speaker 1: three months of every year that the Lord resides at
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  Speaker 1: that place. If it should happen to be bad weather,
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  Speaker 1: there are certain crafty enchanters and astrologers in his train
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  Speaker 1: who are such adepts in necromancy and the diabolic arts
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  Speaker 1: that they are able to prevent any cloud or storm
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  Speaker 1: from passing over the spot on which the Emperor's palace stands.
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  Speaker 1: The sorcerers who do this are called Tebet and Kessimour,
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  Speaker 1: which are the names of two nations of idolaters. Whatever
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  Speaker 1: they do in this way is by the help of
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  Speaker 1: the devil, but they make those people believe that it
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  Speaker 1: is compassed by dint of their own sanctity and the
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  Speaker 1: help of God. They always go in a state of
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  Speaker 1: dirt and uncleanness, devoid of respect for themselves or for
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  Speaker 1: those who see them, unwashed, unkempt, and sordidly attired. These
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  Speaker 1: people also have a custom which I must tell you.
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  Speaker 1: If a man is condemned to death and executed by
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  Speaker 1: the lawful authority, they take his body, cook and eat it.
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  Speaker 1: But if any one die a natural death, then they
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  Speaker 1: will not eat the body. There is another marvel performed
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  Speaker 1: by those backsa of whom I have been speaking as
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  Speaker 1: knowing so many enchantments. For when the Great Khan is
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  Speaker 1: at his capital and in his great palace, seated at
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  Speaker 1: his table, which stands on a platform some eight cubits
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  Speaker 1: above the ground, his cups are set before him on
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  Speaker 1: a great buffet in the middle of the hall pavement,
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  Speaker 1: at a distance of some ten paces from his table,
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  Speaker 1: and filled with wine or other good spiced liquors, such
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  Speaker 1: as they use now. When the Lord desires to drink,
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  Speaker 1: those enchanters, by the power of their enchantments, cause the
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  Speaker 1: cups to move from their place without being touched by anybody,
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  Speaker 1: and to present themselves to the Emperor. This every one
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  Speaker 1: present may witness, And there are ofttimes more than ten
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  Speaker 1: thousand persons. Thus present tis a truth and no lie.
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  Speaker 1: And so will tell you the sages of our own
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  Speaker 1: country who understand necromancy, for they also can perform it.
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  Speaker 1: And when the idle festivals come, these Baksi go to
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  Speaker 1: the Prince and say, Sire, the feast of such a
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  Speaker 1: god is come, naming him my lord. You know, the
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  Speaker 1: enchanter will say that this god, when he gets no offerings,
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  Speaker 1: always sends bad weather and spoils our seasons. So we
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  Speaker 1: pray you to give us such and such a number
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  Speaker 1: of black faced sheep, naming whatever number they please. And
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  Speaker 1: we beg also, good, my Lord, that we may have
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  Speaker 1: such a quantity of incense, and such a quantity of lignalos,
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  Speaker 1: and so much of this, so much of that, and
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  Speaker 1: so much of the other, according to their fancy, that
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  Speaker 1: we may perform a solemn service and a great sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: to our idols, and that so they may be induced
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  Speaker 1: to protect us and all that is ours. The Baksi
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  Speaker 1: say these things to the barons entrusted with the stewardship,
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  Speaker 1: who stand round the Great Khan, and these repeat them
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  Speaker 1: to the Khan, and he then orders the barons to
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  Speaker 1: give everything that the Baksi have asked for, And when
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  Speaker 1: they have got the articles, they go make a great
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  Speaker 1: feast in honor of their God, and hold great ceremonies
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  Speaker 1: of worship with grand illuminations and quantities of incense of
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  Speaker 1: a variety of odors, which they make up from different
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  Speaker 1: aromatic spices. And then they cook the meat and set
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  Speaker 1: it before the idols, and sprinkle the broth hither and thither,
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  Speaker 1: saying that in this way the idols get their bellyful.
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  Speaker 1: Thus it is that they keep their festivals. You must
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  Speaker 1: know that each of the idols has a name of
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  Speaker 1: his own and a feast day, just as our saints
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  Speaker 1: have their anniversaries. They also have immense minsters and abbeys,
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  Speaker 1: some of them as big as a small town, with
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  Speaker 1: more than two thousand monks, that is, after their fashion,
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  Speaker 1: in a single abbey. These monks dress more decently than
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the people, and have the head and
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  Speaker 1: beard shaven. There are some among these Baksa who are
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  Speaker 1: allowed by their rule to take wives, and who have
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  Speaker 1: plenty of children. Then there is another kind of devotees
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  Speaker 1: called sensin, who are men of extraordinary abstinence. After their
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  Speaker 1: fashion and lead a life of such hardship as I
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  Speaker 1: will describe all their life long. They eat nothing but bran,
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  Speaker 1: which they take mixed with hot water. That is their food.
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  Speaker 1: Bran and nothing but bran and water for their drink
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  Speaker 1: tis a life long fast, so that I may well
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  Speaker 1: say their life is one of extraordinary asceticism. They have
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  Speaker 1: great idols, and plenty of them, but they sometimes also
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  Speaker 1: worship fire. The other idolators, who are not of this sect,
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  Speaker 1: call these people heretics patarius, as we would say, because
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  Speaker 1: they do not worship their idols in their own fashion.
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  Speaker 1: Those of whom I am speaking would not take a
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  Speaker 1: wife on any consideration. They wear dresses of hempen stuff
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  Speaker 1: black and blue, and sleep upon mats. In fact, their
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  Speaker 1: asceticism is something astonishing. Their idols are all feminine, that
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  Speaker 1: is to say, they have women's names. Now let us
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  Speaker 1: have done with this subject, and let me tell you
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  Speaker 1: of the great state and wonderful magnificence of the great
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  Speaker 1: Lord of lords. I mean that great Prince who is
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  Speaker 1: the sovereign of the Tartars Kublai by name, the most
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  Speaker 1: noble and poissant lord. End of Section thirty two