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The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.
MARCO POLO AND HIS BOOK.
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| Obscurities in the History of his Life and Book. Ramusio’s Statements | 1 |
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| § 1. Obscurities, etc. 2. Ramusio his earliest Biographer; his Account of Polo. 3. He vindicates Polo’s Geography. 4. Compares him with Columbus. 5. Recounts a Tradition of the Traveller’s Return to Venice. 6. Recounts Marco’s Capture by the Genoese. 7. His statements about Marco’s liberation and marriage. 8. His account of the Family Polo and its termination. | ||
| Sketch of the State of the East at the Time of the Journeys of the Polo Family | 8 |
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| § 9. State of the Levant. 10. The various Mongol Sovereignties in Asia and Eastern Europe. 11. China. 12. India and Indo-China. | ||
| The Polo Family. Personal History of the Travellers till their final Return from the East | 13 |
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| § 13. Alleged origin of the Polos. 14. Claims to Nobility. 15. The Elder Marco Polo. 16. Nicolo and Maffeo Polo commence their Travels. 17. Their intercourse with Kúblái Kaan. 18. Their return home, and Marco’s appearance on the scene. 19. Second Journey of the Polo Brothers, accompanied by Marco. (See App. L. 1.) 20. Marco’s Employment by Kúblái Kaan; and his Journeys. 21. Circumstances of the departure of the Polos from the Kaan’s Court. 22. They pass by Persia to Venice. Their relations there. | ||
| Digression concerning the Mansion of the Polo Family at S. Giovanni Grisostomo | 26 |
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| § 23. Probable period of their establishment at S. Giovanni Grisostomo. 24. Relics of the Casa Polo in the Corte Sabbionera. 24a. Recent corroboration as to traditional site of the Casa Polo. | ||
| Digression concerning the War-Galleys of the Mediterranean States in the Middle Ages | 31 |
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| § 25. Arrangement of the Rowers in Mediæval Galleys; a separate Oar to every Man. 26. Change of System in 16th Century. 27. Some details of 13th-Century Galleys. 28. Fighting Arrangements. 29. Crew of a Galley and Staff of a Fleet. 30. Music and miscellaneous particulars. | ||
| The Jealousies and Naval Wars of Venice and Genoa. Lamba Doria’s Expedition to the Adriatic; Battle of Curzola; and Imprisonment of Marco Polo by the Genoese | 41 |
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| § 31. Growing Jealousies and Outbreaks between the Republics. 32. Battle in Bay of Ayas in 1294. 33. Lamba Doria’s Expedition to the Adriatic. 34. The Fleets come in sight of each other at Curzola. 35. The Venetians defeated, and Marco Polo a Prisoner. 36. Marco Polo in Prison dictates his Book to Rusticiano of Pisa. Release of Venetian Prisoners. 37. Grounds on which the story of Marco Polo’s capture at Curzola rests. | ||
| Rusticiano or Rustichello of Pisa, Marco Polo’s Fellow-Prisoner at Genoa, the Scribe who wrote down the Travels | 55 |
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| § 38. Rusticiano, perhaps a Prisoner from Meloria. 39. A Person known from other sources. 40. Character of his Romance Compilations. 41. Identity of the Romance Compiler with Polo’s Fellow-Prisoner. 42. Further particulars regarding Rusticiano. | ||
| Notices of Marco Polo’s History after the Termination of his Imprisonment at Genoa | 64 |
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| § 43. Death of Marco’s Father before 1300. Will of his Brother Maffeo. 44. Documentary Notices of Polo at this time. The Sobriquet of Milione. 45. Polo’s relations with Thibault de Cepoy. 46. His Marriage, and his Daughters. Marco as a Merchant. 47. His Last Will; and Death. 48. Place of Sepulture. Professed Portraits of Polo. 49. Further History of the Polo Family. 49 bis. Reliques of Marco Polo. | ||
| Marco Polo’s Book; and the Language in which it was first written | 80 |
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| § 50. General Statement of what the Book contains. 51. Language of the original Work. 52. Old French Text of the Société de Géographie. 53. Conclusive proof that the Old French Text is the source of all the others. 54. Greatly diffused employment of French in that age. | ||
| Various Types of Text of Marco Polo’s Book | 90 |
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| § 55. Four Principal Types of Text. First, that of the Geographic or Oldest French. 56. Second, the Remodelled French Text; followed by Pauthier. 57. The Bern MS. and two others form a sub-class of this type. 58. Third, Friar Pipino’s Latin. 59. The Latin of Grynæus, a Translation at Fifth Hand. 60. Fourth, Ramusio’s Italian. 61. Injudicious Tamperings in Ramusio. 62. Genuine Statements peculiar to Ramusio. 63. Hypothesis of the Sources of the Ramusian Version. 64. Summary in regard to Text of Polo. 65. Notice of a curious Irish Version. | ||
| Some Estimate of the Character of Polo and His Book | 104 |
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| § 66. Grounds of Polo’s Pre-eminence among Mediæval Travellers. 67. His true claims to glory. 68. His personal attributes seen but dimly. 69. Absence of scientific notions. 70. Map constructed on Polo’s data. 71. Singular omissions of Polo in regard to China; historical inaccuracies. 72. Was Polo’s Book materially affected by the Scribe Rusticiano? 73. Marco’s reading embraced the Alexandrian Romances. Examples. 74. Injustice long done to Polo. Singular Modern Example. | ||
| Contemporary Recognition of Polo and his Book | 116 |
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| § 75. How far was there diffusion of his Book in his own day? 76. Contemporary References to Polo. T. de Cepoy; Pipino; Jacopo d’Acqui; Giov. Villani. 77. Pietro d’Abano; Jean le Long of Ypres. 78. Curious borrowings from Polo in the Romance of Bauduin de Sebourc. 78 bis. Chaucer and Marco Polo. | ||
| Nature of Polo’s Influence on Geographical Knowledge | 129 |
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| § 79. Tardy operation, and causes thereof. 80. General characteristics of Mediæval Cosmography. 81. Roger Bacon as a Geographer. 82. Arab Geography. 83. Marino Sanudo the Elder. 84. The Catalan Map of 1375, the most complete mediæval embodiment of Polo’s Geography. 85. Fra Mauro’s Map. Confusions in Cartography of the 16th Century from the endeavour to combine new and old information. 86. Gradual disappearance of Polo’s nomenclature. 87. Alleged introduction of Block-printed Books into Europe by Marco Polo in connexion with the fiction of the invention of Printing by Castaldi of Feltre. 88. Frequent opportunities for such introduction in the Age following Polo’s. | ||
| Explanations regarding the Basis adopted for the Present Translation | 141 |
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| § 89. Texts followed by Marsden and by Pauthier. 90. Eclectic Formation of the English Text of this Translation. 91. Mode of rendering Proper Names. | ||
THE BOOK OF MARCO POLO.
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| Preliminary Address of Rusticiano of Pisa | 1 |
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| —How the Two Brothers Polo set forth from Constantinople to traverse the World | 2 |
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| Notes.—1. Chronology. 2. “The Great Sea.” The Port of Soldaia. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers went on beyond Soldaia | 4 |
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| Notes.—1. Site and Ruins of Sarai. 2. City of Bolghar. 3. Alau Lord of the Levant (i.e. Hulaku). 4. Ucaca on the Volga. 5. River Tigeri. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers, after crossing a Desert, came to the City of Bocara, and fell in with certain Envoys there | 9 |
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| Notes.—1. “Bocara a City of Persia.” 2. The Great Kaan’s Envoys. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers took the Envoys’ counsel, and went to the Court of the Great Kaan | 11 |
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| —How the Two Brothers arrived at the Court of the Great Kaan | 11 |
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| —How the Great Kaan asked all about the manners of the Christians, and particularly about the Pope of Rome | 12 |
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| Note.—Apostoille. The name Tartar. | ||
| —How the Great Kaan sent the two Brothers as his Envoys to the Pope | 13 |
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| Notes.—1. The Great Kaan’s Letter. 2. The Seven Arts. 3. Religious Indifference of the Mongol Princes. | ||
| —How the Great Kaan gave them a Tablet of Gold, Bearing his Orders in their behalf | 15 |
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| Notes.—1. The Tablet. 2. The Port of Ayas. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers came to the City of Acre; and thence to Venice | 17 |
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| Notes.—1. Names of the deceased Pope and of the Legate. 2. Negropont. 3. Mark’s age. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers again departed from Venice, on their Way back to the Great Kaan, and took with them Mark, the Son of Messer Nicolo | 19 |
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| Note.—Oil from the Holy Sepulchre. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers set out from Acre, and Mark along with them | 20 |
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| Note.—Pope Gregory X. and his Election. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers presented themselves before the new Pope | 22 |
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| Notes.—1. William of Tripoli. 2. Powers conceded to Missionary Friars. 3. Bundúḳdár and his Invasion of Armenia; his character. 4. The Templars in Cilician Armenia. | ||
| —How Messer Nicolo and Messer Maffeo Polo, accompanied by Mark, travelled to the Court of the Great Kaan | 25 |
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| Note.—The City of Kemenfu, Summer Residence of Kúblái. | ||
| —How Messer Nicolo and Messer Maffeo Polo and Marco presented themselves before the Great Kaan | 26 |
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| Notes.—1. Verbal. 2. “Vostre Homme.” | ||
| —How the Lord sent Mark on an Embassy of his | 27 |
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| Notes.—1. The four Characters learned by Marco, what? 2. Ramusio’s addition. 3. Nature of Marco’s employment. | ||
| —How Mark returned from the Mission whereon he had been sent | 30 |
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| —How Messer Nicolo, Messer Maffeo, and Messer Marco, asked Leave of the Great Kaan to go their way | 31 |
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| Notes.—1. Risks to Foreigners on a change of Sovereign. 2. The Lady Bolgana. 3. Passage from Ramusio. | ||
| —How the Two Brothers and Messer Marco took Leave of the Great Kaan, and returned to their own Country | 34 |
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| Notes.—1. Mongol Royal Messengers. 2. Mongol communication with the King of England. 3. Mediæval Ships of China. 4. Passage from China to Sumatra. 5. Mortality among the party. 6. The Lady Cocachin in Persian History. 7. Death of the Kaan. 8. The Princess of Manzi. |
Account of Regions Visited or heard of on the Journey from the Lesser
Armenia to the Court of the Great Kaan at Chandu.
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| —Here the Book begins; and first it speaks of the Lesser Hermenia | 41 |
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| Notes.—1. Little Armenia. 2. Meaning of Chasteaux. 3. Sickliness of Cilician Coast. 4. The phrase “fra terre.” | ||
| —Concerning the Province of Turcomania | 43 |
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| Notes.—1. Brutality of the people. 2. Application of name Turcomania. Turcoman Hordes. | ||
| —Description of the Greater Hermenia | 45 |
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| Notes.—1. Erzingan. Buckrams, what were they? 2. Erzrum. 3. Baiburt. 4. Ararat. 5. Oil wells of Baku. | ||
| —Of Georgiania and the Kings thereof | 50 |
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| Notes.—1. Georgian Kings. 2. The Georgians. 3. The Iron Gates and Wall of Alexander. 4. Box forests. 5. Goshawks. 6. Fish Miracle. 7. Sea of Ghel or Ghelan. Names ending in -án. 8. Names of the Caspian, and navigation thereon. 9. Fish in the Caspian. | ||
| —Of the Kingdom of Mausul | 60 |
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| Notes.—1. Atabeks of Mosul. 2. Nestorian and Jacobite Christians. 3. Mosolins. 4. The Kurds. 5. Mush and Mardin. | ||
| —Of the Great City of Baudas, and how it was taken | 63 |
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| Notes.—1. Baudas, or Baghdad. 2. Island of Kish. 3. Basra. 4. Baldachins and other silk textures; Animal patterns. 5, 6. Hulákú’s Expedition. 7. The Death of the Khalíf Mosta’sim. 8. Froissart. | ||
| —How the Calif of Baudas took counsel to slay all the Christians in his Land | 68 |
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| Notes.—1. Chronology. 2. “Ses Regisles et ses Casses.” | ||
| —How the Christians were in great dismay because of what the Calif had said | 70 |
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| Note.—The word “cralantur.” | ||
| —How the One-eyed Cobler was desired to pray for the Christians | 71 |
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| —How the Prayer of the One-eyed Cobler caused the Mountain to move | 72 |
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| Note.—The Mountain Miracle. | ||
| —Of the Noble City of Tauris | 74 |
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| Notes.—1. Tabriz. 2. Cremesor. 3. Traffic at Tabriz. 4. The Torizi. 5. Character of City and People. | ||
| —Of the Monastery of Saint Barsamo on the Borders of Tauris | 77 |
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| Note.—The Monastery of Barsauma. | ||
| —Of the Great Country of Persia; with some account of the Three Kings | 78 |
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| Notes.—1. Kala’ Atishparastán. 2. The Three Kings. | ||
| —How the Three Kings returned to their own Country | 79 |
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| Notes.—1. The three mystic Gifts. 2. The Worshipped Fire. 3. Sávah and Ávah. The Legend in Mas’udi. Embellishments of the Story of the Magi. | ||
| —Of the Eight Kingdoms of Persia, and how they are named | 83 |
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| Notes.—1. The Eight Kingdoms. 2. Export of Horses, and Prices. 3. Persian Brigands. 4. Persian wine. | ||
| —Concerning the Great City of Yasdi | 88 |
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| Notes.—1. Yezd. 2. Yezd to Kerman. The Woods spoken of. | ||
| —Concerning the Kingdom of Kerman | 90 |
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| Notes.—1. City and Province of Kerman. 2. Turquoises. 3. Ondanique or Indian Steel. 4. Manufactures of Kerman. 5. Falcons. | ||
| —Of the City of Camadi and its Ruins; also touching the Carauna Robbers | 97 |
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| Notes.—1. Products of the warmer plains. 2. Humped oxen and fat-tailed sheep. 3. Scarani. 4. The Karaunahs and Nigudarian Bands. 5. Canosalmi. | ||
| —Of the Descent to the City of Hormos | 107 |
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| Notes.—1. Site of Old Hormuz and Geography of the route from Kerman to Hormuz. 2. Dates and Fish Diet. 3. Stitched Vessels. “One rudder,” why noticed as peculiar. 4. Great heat at Hormuz. 5. The Simúm. 6. History of Hormuz, and Polo’s Ruomedan Acomat. 7. Second Route between Hormuz and Kerman. | ||
| —Of the Wearisome and Desert Road that has now to be Travelled | 123 |
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| Notes.—1. Kerman to Kúbenán. 2. Desert of Lút. 3. Subterraneous Canals. | ||
| —Concerning the City of Cobinan and the things that are made there | 125 |
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| Notes.—1. Kuh-Banán. 2. Production of Tútíá. | ||
| —Of a certain Desert that continues for eight days’ Journey | 127 |
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| Notes.—1. Deserts of Khorasan. 2. The Arbre Sol or Arbre Sec. | ||
| —Concerning the Old Man of the Mountain | 139 |
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| Note.—The Assassins, Hashíshîn, or Muláhidah. | ||
| —How the Old Man used to train his Assassins | 142 |
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| Notes.—1. The story widely spread. Notable murders by the Sectaries. 2. Their different branches. | ||
| —How the Old Man came by His End | 145 |
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| Note.—History of the apparent Destruction of the Sect by Hulákú; its survival to the present time. Castles of Alamut and Girdkuh. | ||
| —Concerning the City of Sapurgan | 149 |
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| Note.—Shibrgân, and the route followed. Dried Melons. | ||
| —Of the City of Balc | 151 |
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| Notes.—1. Balkh. 2. Country meant by Dogana. 3. Lions in the Oxus Valley. | ||
| —Of Taican, and the Mountains of Salt. Also of the Province of Casem | 153 |
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| Notes.—1. Talikan. 2. Mines of Rock-salt. 3. Ethnological characteristics. 4. Kishm. 5. Porcupines. 6. Cave dwellings. 7. Old and New Capitals of Badakhshan. | ||
| —Of the Province of Badashan | 157 |
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| Notes.—1. Dialects of Badakhshan. Alexandrian lineage of the Princes. 2. Badakhshan and the Balas Ruby. 3. Azure Mines. 4. Horses of Badakhshan. 5. Naked Barley. 6. Wild sheep. 7. Scenery of Badakhshan. 8. Repeated devastation of the Country from War. 9. Amplitude of feminine garments. | ||
| —Of the Province of Pashai. | 164 |
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| Note.—On the country intended by this name. | ||
| —Of the Province of Keshimur | 166 |
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| Notes.—1. Kashmir language. 2. Kashmir Conjurers. (See App. L. 2.) 3. Importance of Kashmir in History of Buddhism. 4. Character of the People. 5. Vicissitudes of Buddhism in Kashmir. 6. Buddhist practice as to slaughter of animals. 7. Coral. | ||
| —Of the Great River of Badashan; and Plain of Pamier | 170 |
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| Notes.—1. The Upper Oxus and Wakhan. The title Nono. (See App. L. 3.) 2. The Plateau of Pamir. (See App. L. 4 and 5.) The Great Wild Sheep. Fire at great altitudes. 3. Bolor. | ||
| —Of the Kingdom of Cascar | 180 |
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| Note.—Kashgar. | ||
| —Of the Great City of Samarcan | 183 |
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| Notes.—1. Christians in Samarkand. 2. Chagatai’s relation to Kúblái mis-stated. 3. The Miracle of the Stone. | ||
| —Of the Province of Yarcan | 187 |
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| Note.—Yarkand. Goître prevalent there. | ||
| —Of a Province called Cotan | 188 |
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| Notes.—1. Government. 2. “Adoration of Mahommet.” 3. Khotan. | ||
| —Of the Province of Pein | 191 |
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| Notes.—1. Position of Pein (App. L. 6.) 2. The Yu or Jade. 3. Temporary marriages. | ||
| —Of the Province of Charchan | 194 |
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| Note.—Position of Charchan and Lop. | ||
| —Of the City of Lop, and the Great Desert | 196 |
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| Notes.—1. Geographical discrepancy. 2. Superstitions as to Deserts: their wide diffusion. The Sound of Drums on certain sandy acclivities. 3. Sha-chau to Lob-nor. | ||
| —Concerning the Great Province of Tangut | 203 |
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| Notes.—1. Tangut. 2. Buddhism encountered here. 3. Kalmak superstition, the “Heaven’s Ram.” 4. Chinese customs described here. 5. Mongol disposal of the Dead. 6. Superstitious practice of avoiding to carry out the dead by the house-door; its wide diffusion. | ||
| —Of the Province of Camul | 209 |
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| Notes.—1. Kamul. 2. Character of the people. 3. Shameless custom. 4. Parallel. | ||
| —Of the Province of Chingintalas | 212 |
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| Notes.—1. The Country intended. 2. Ondanique. 3. Asbestos Mountain. 4. The four elements. 5 and 6. The Story of the Salamander. Asbestos fabrics. | ||
| —Of the Province of Sukchur | 217 |
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| Notes.—1. Explanatory. 2. The City of Suhchau. 3. Rhubarb country. 4. Poisonous pasture. | ||
| —Of the City of Campichu | 219 |
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| Notes.—1. The City of Kanchau. 2. Recumbent Buddhas. 3. Buddhist Days of Special Worship. 4. Matrimonial Customs. 5. Textual. | ||
| —Of the City of Etzina | 223 |
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| Notes.—1. Position of Yetsina. 2. Textual. 3. The Wild Ass of Mongolia. | ||
| —Of the City of Caracoron | 226 |
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| Notes.—1. Karakorum. 2. Tartar. 3. Chorcha. 4. Prester John. | ||
| —Of Chinghis, and how he became the First Kaan of the Tartars | 238 |
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| Notes.—1. Chronology. 2. Relations between Chinghiz and Aung Khan, the Prester John of Polo. | ||
| —How Chinghis mustered his People to march against Prester John | 240 |
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| —How Prester John marched to meet Chinghis | 241 |
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| Notes.—1. Plain of Tanduc. 2. Divination by Twigs and Arrows. | ||
| —The Battle between Chinghis Kaan and Prester John. Death of Chinghis | 244 |
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| Note.—Real circumstances and date of the Death of Chinghiz. | ||
| —Of Those who did Reign after Chinghis Kaan, and of the Customs of the Tartars | 245 |
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| Notes.—1. Origin of the Cambuscan of Chaucer. 2. Historical Errors. 3. The Place of Sepulture of Chinghiz. 4. Barbarous Funeral Superstition. | ||
| —Concerning the Customs of the Tartars | 251 |
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| Notes.—1. Tartar Huts. 2. Tartar Waggons. 3. Pharaoh’s Rat. 4. Chastity of the Women. 5. Polygamy and Marriage Customs. | ||
| —Concerning the God of the Tartars | 256 |
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| Notes.—1. The old Tartar idols. 2. Kumiz. | ||
| —Concerning the Tartar Customs of War | 260 |
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| Notes.—1. Tartar Arms. 2. The Decimal Division of their Troops. 3. Textual. 4. Blood-drinking. 5. Kurút, or Tartar Curd. 6. The Mongol military rapidity and terrorism. 7. Corruption of their Nomade simplicity. | ||
| —Concerning the Administering of Justice among the Tartars | 266 |
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| Notes.—1. The Cudgel. 2. Punishment of Theft. 3. Marriage of the Dead. 4. Textual. | ||
| —Sundry Particulars on the Plain beyond Caracoron | 269 |
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| Notes.—1. Textual. 2. Bargu, the Mecrit, the Reindeer, and Chase of Water-fowl. 3. The bird Barguerlac, the Syrrhaptes. 4. Gerfalcons. | ||
| —Of the Kingdom of Erguiul, and Province of Sinju | 274 |
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| Notes.—1. Erguiul. 2. Siningfu. 3. The Yak. 4. The Musk Deer. 5. Reeves’s Pheasant. | ||
| —Of the Kingdom of Egrigaia | 281 |
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| Notes.—1. Egrigaia. 2. Calachan. 3. White Camels, and Camlets: Siclatoun. | ||
| —Concerning the Province of Tenduc, and the Descendants of Prester John | 284 |
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| Notes.—1. The name and place Tenduc. King George. 2. Standing Marriage Compact. The title Gurgán. 3. Azure. 4. The terms Argon and Guasmul. The Dungens. 5. The Rampart of Gog and Magog. 6. Tartary cloths. 7. Siuen-hwa fu. | ||
| —Concerning the Kaan’s Palace of Chagannor | 296 |
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| Notes.—1. Palace. 2. The word Sesnes. 3. Chagan-nor. 4. The five species of Crane described by Polo. 5. The word Cator. | ||
| —Of the City of Chandu, and the Kaan’s Palace there | 298 |
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| Notes.—1. Two Roads. 2. Chandu, properly Shangtu. 3. Leopards. 4. The Bamboo Palace. Uses of the Bamboo. 5. Kúblái’s Annual Migration to Shangtu. 6. The White Horses. The Oirad Tribe. 7. The Mare’s Milk Festival. 8. Weather Conjuring. 9. Ascription of Cannibalism to Tibetans, etc. 10. The term Bacsi. 11. Magical Feats ascribed to the Lamas. 12. Lamas. 13. Vast extent of Lama Convents. 14. Married Lamas. 15. Bran. 16. Patarins. 17. The Ascetics called Sensin. 18. Textual. 19. Tao-sze Idols. |