Latest / The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1 / 041 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 29 to 34 Concerning the rice-wine drunk by the people of Cathay Concerni

Transcript

041 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 29 to 34 Concerning the rice-wine drunk by the people of Cathay Concerni · The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section forty one of the Book of ser Marcopolo the
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, Volume one.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer pleaded
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: it LibriVox dot org. Recording by Anossimon. The Book of
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Sir Marcopolo the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the East, Volume one by Rosicello da Pisa, translated by
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Henry Yule, Book second part one, chapters twenty nine to
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: thirty four. Chapter twenty nine concerning the rice wine drunk
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: by the people of Gatai. Most of the people of
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Cathai drink wine of the kind that I shall now describe.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: It is a liquor which they brew of rice with
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: a quantity of excellent spice, in such fashion that it
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: makes better drink than any other kind of wine. It
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: is not only good, but clearer and pleasing to the eye,
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: and being very whole stuff, it makes one drunk sooner
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: than any other wine. Chapter thirty concerning the black stones
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: that are dug in can tie and are burned for fuel.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: It is a fact that all over the country of Caadtai,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: there is a kind of black stones existing in beds
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: in the mountains, which they dig out and burn like
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: fire wood. If you supply the fire with them at night,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: and see that they are well kindled, you will find
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: them still a light in the morning. And they make
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: such capital fuel that no other is used throughout the country.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: It is true that they have plenty of wood also,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: but they do not burn it, because those stones burn
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: better and cost less. Moreover, with that vast number of
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: people and the number of hot baths that they maintain,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: for every one has such a bath at least three
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: times a week, and in winter, if possible, every day.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Whilst every nobleman and men of wealth has a private
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: bath for his own use, the wood would not suffice
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: for the purpose. Chapter thirty one, How the Great Khan
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: causes stores of corn to be made to help his
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: people with all in time of dearth. You must know
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: that when the Emperor sees that corn is cheap and abundant,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: he buys up large quantities and has it stored in
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: all his provinces in great granaries, where it is so
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: well looked after that it will keep for three or
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: four years, and this applies. Let me tell you to
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: all kinds of corn, whether wheat, barley, millet, rice, panic,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: or what not. And when there is any scarcety of
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: a particular kind of corn, he causes that to be issued.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: And if the prize of corn is at one bezan
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: the measure, he lets them have it at a byzant
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: for four measures, or at whatever prize will produce general cheapness.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: And every one can have food. In this way, and
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: by this providence of the Emperors, his people can never
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: suffer from dearth. He does the same over his whole empire,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: causing these supplies to be stored everywhere according to calculation
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: of the wants and necessities of the people. Chapter thirty
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: two of the Charity of the Emperor to the Poor.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I have told you how the Great Khunt provides for
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: the distribution of necessaries to his people in time of
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: dearth by making store in time of cheapness. Now I
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: will tell you of his alms and great charity to
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: the poor of his city of cambaluc You see, he
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: causes a selection to be made of a number of
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: families in the city which are in a state of indigence,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: and of such families, some may consist of six in
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: the house, some of eight, some of ten, more or
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: fewer in each as it may have, but the whole
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: number being very great. And each family he causes annually
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: to be supplied with wheat and other corn, sufficient for
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: the whole year, And this he never fails to do
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: every year. Moreover, all, those who choose to go to
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: the daily doll at the court receive a great loaf
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: of peace hot from the baking, and nobody is denied,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: for so the Lord hath ordered, and so some thirty
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: thousand people go for it every day from year's end
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: to year's end. Now this is a great goodness in
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: the Emperor to take pity of his poor people thus,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: and they benefit so much by it that they worship
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: him as he wear a god. He also provides the
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: poor with clothes, for he lays a tithe upon all wool, silk, hemp,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: and the like from which clothing can be made, and
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: he has these woven and laid up in a building
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: set apart for the purpose. And as all artisans are
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: bound to give a day's labor weekly, in this way,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: the Khan has these tuffs made into clothing for those
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: poor families, suitable for summer or winter according to the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: time of year. He also provides the clothing for his
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: troops and has wounds woven for them in every city,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: the material for which is furnished by the tithe. Aforesaid,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: you should know that the Tartars, before they were converted
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: to the religion of the Idelators, never practiced alms giving. Indeed,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: when any poor man begged of them, they would tell
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: him go with God's curse, for if he loved you
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: as he loves me, he would have provided for you.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: But the sages of the Idolators, that especially the Baksies
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: mentioned before, told the Great Khan that it was a
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: good work to provide for the poor, and that his
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: idols would be greatly pleased if he did so. And
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: since then he has taken to do for the poor.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: So much as you've heard chapter thirty three concerning the
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: astrologers in the city of Kambaluk, there are in the
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: city of Kambaluk, what with Christians, Saracens and Cathayians, some
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: five thousand astrologers and soothsayers, whom the Great Khan provide
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: with annual maintenance and clothing, just as He provides the
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: poorer of whom we spoken, And they are in the
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: constant exercise of their art. In this city. They have
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: a kind of astrolabe, on which are inscribed the planetary signs,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: the hours and critical points of the whole year. And
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: every year these Christians, Saracen and Cathayan astrologers, each sect apart,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: investigate by means of this astrolabe, the cause and character
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: of the whole year, according to the indications of each
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: of its moons, in order to discover, by the natural
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: cause and disposition of the planets and the other circumstances
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: of the heavens, what shall be the nature of the weather,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: and what peculiarities shall be produced by each moon of
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: the year, as for example, under which moon there shall
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: be thunderstorms and tempests, under which there shall be disease, moraine, wars, disorders,
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: and treasons, and so on, according to the indications of each,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: but always adding that it lies with God to do
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: less or more according to His pleasure. And they write
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: down the results of their examination in certain little pamphlets
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: for the year, which are called takun, and these are
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: sold for growth to all who desire to know what
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: is coming. Those of the astrologists, of course, whose predictions
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: are found to be most exact, are held to be
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: the greatest adepts in their art, and got the greater fame.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: And if any one, having some great matter in hand,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: or proposing to make a long journey for traffic or
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: other business, desires to know what will be the opshot,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: he goes to one of these astrologers and says, turn
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: up your books and see what is the present aspect
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: of the heavens, for I am going away on such
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: and such a business. Then the astrologer will reply that
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: the applicant must also tell the year, month, and hour
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: of his birth, And when he has got that information, he'll
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: see how the horoscope of his nativity combines with the
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: indications of the time when the question is put, and
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: then he predicts the result, good or bad, according to
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: the aspect of the heavens. You must know too, that
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: the tartars reckon their years by twelves, the sign of
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: the first year being the lion of the second, the
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: ox of the third, the dragon of the fourth, the dog,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: and so forth up to the twelfth, so that when
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: one is asked the year of his birth. He answers
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: that it was in the year of the Lion. Let
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: us say on such a day or night, at such
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: an hour and such a moment. And the father of
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: a child always takes care to write these particulars down
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: in a book. When the twelve yearly symbols have been
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: gone through, then they come back to the first and
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: go through with them again in the same succession. Chapter
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: thirty four concerning the religion of the Cathayans, their refuses
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: through the soul, and their customs. As we've sat before,
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: these people are idolaters, and as regards their gods, each
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: has a tablet fixed high up on the wall of
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: his chamber, on which is inscribed a name which represents
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: the most high and heavenly God. And before this they
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: pay daily worship, offering incense from a thurible, raising their
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: hands aloft and glashing their teeth three times, praying him
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: to grant them health of mind and body. But of
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: him they ask naught else. And below on the ground
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: there is a figure which they call Nattigai, which the
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: god of things terrestrial. To him, they give a wife
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: and children, and they worship him in the same manner
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: with incense, and ganashing of teeth, and lifting up of hands,
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: And of him they ask seasonable weather and the fruits
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: of the earth children, and so forth. Their view of
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: the immortality of the soul is after this fashion. They
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: believe that as soon as a man dies, his soul
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: enters into another body, going from a good to a better,
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: or from a bad to a worse, according as he
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: has conducted himself well or ill, that's to say, a
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: poor man. If he passed through life good and sober,
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: shall be born again of a gentlewoman, and shall be
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: a gentleman, And on a second occasion shall be born
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: of a princess, and shall be a prince, and so on,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: always rising till he be absorbed into the deity. But
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: if he have borne himself ill, he, as the son
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: of a gentleman, shall be born as the son of
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: a boer, and from a boer shall become a dog,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: always going down, lower and lower. The people have an
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: ornate style of speech. They salute each other with a
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: cheerful countenance and with great politeness. They behave like gentlemen,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: and eat with great propriety. They show great respect to
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: their parents, and should there be any son who offenses
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: parents or fails to minister to their necessities. There is
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: a public office which has no other charge but that
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: of punishing unnatural children who are proved to have acted
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: with ingratitude towards their parents. Criminals of sundry kinds who
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: have been imprisoned are released at a time fixed by
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: the Great Khan, which occurs every three years. But on
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: leaving prison they are branded on one cheek that they
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: may be recognized. The Great Khan hath prohibited all gambling
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: and sharping things more prevalent there than in any other
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: part of the world. In doing this, he said, I
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: have conquered you by force of arms, and all that
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: you have is mine. If therefore you gamble away your property,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: it is in fact my property that you are gambling away,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: not that he took anything from them. However, I must
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: not omit to tell you of the orderly way in
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: which the Khan's barons and others conduct themselves in coming
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: to his presence. In the first place, within a half
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: mile of the place where he is out of reference
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: for his exalted majesty, everybody preserves a mien of the
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: greatest meekness and quiet, so that no noise of shrill
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: voices or loud talk shall be heard. And every one
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: of the chiefs and nobles carries always with him a
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: handsome little vessel to spit in whilst he remained in
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: the hall of audience, for no one dares spit on
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: the floor of the hall, And when he has spitten,
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: he covers it up and puts it aside. So also
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: they all have certain handsome buskins of white leather, which
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: they carry with them. And when some by the Sovereign,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: on arriving at the entrance to the hall, they put
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: on these white buskins, and gave their others in charge
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: to the servants, in order that they may not foul
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: the fine carpets of silk and gold and diverse colors.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: End of Section forty one, end of the Book of
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: ser Marcopolo the Venician concerning the Kingdoms of Marvels of
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: the East, Volume one by Rasicello da Pisa, translated by
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Henry Yule,