The Travels of Marco Polo 124Part 1 · Concerning the Religion of the Cathayans;{1} Their Views As to the Soul; and Their Customs (part 1)
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Literature · Adventure
The Travels of Marco Polo 124
Part 1 · Concerning the Religion of the Cathayans;{1} Their Views As to the Soul; and Their Customs (part 1)
YuleEnglish
As we have said before, these people are Idolaters, and as regards their gods, each has a tablet fixed high up on the wall of his chamber, on which is inscribed a name which represents the Most High and Heavenly God; and before this they pay daily worship, offering incense from a thurible, raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth three times, praying Him to grant them health of mind and body; but of Him they ask nought else. And below on the ground there is a figure which they call Natigai, which is the god of things terrestrial. To him they give a wife and children, and they worship him in the same manner, with incense, and gnashing of teeth, and lifting up of hands; and of him they ask seasonable weather, and the fruits of the earth, children, and so forth.
Their view of the immortality of the soul is after this fashion. They believe that as soon as a man dies, his soul enters into another body, going from a good to a better, or from a bad to a worse, according as he hath conducted himself well or ill. That is to say, a poor man, if he have passed through life good and sober, shall be born again of a gentlewoman, and shall be a gentleman; and on a second occasion shall be born of a princess and shall be a prince, and so on, always rising, till he be absorbed into the Deity. But if he have borne himself ill, he who was the son of a gentleman shall be reborn as the son of a boor, and from a boor shall become a dog, always going down lower and lower.
The people have an ornate style of speech; they salute each other with a cheerful countenance, and with great politeness; they behave like gentlemen, and eat with great propriety. They show great respect to their parents; and should there be any son who offends his parents, or fails to minister to their necessities, there is a public office which has no other charge but that of punishing unnatural children, who are proved to have acted with ingratitude towards their parents.
Criminals of sundry kinds who have been imprisoned, are released at a time fixed by the Great Kaan (which occurs every three years), but on leaving prison they are branded on one cheek that they may be recognized.
The Great Kaan hath prohibited all gambling and sharping, things more prevalent there than in any other part of the world. In doing this, he said: “I have conquered you by force of arms, and all that you have is mine; if, therefore, you gamble away your property, it is in fact my property that you are gambling away.” Not that he took anything from them however.
I must not omit to tell you of the orderly way in which the Kaan’s Barons and others conduct themselves in coming to his presence. In the first place, within a half mile of the place where he is, out of reverence for his exalted majesty, everybody preserves a mien of the greatest meekness and quiet, so that no noise of shrill voices or loud talk shall be heard. And every one of the chiefs and nobles carries always with him a handsome little vessel to spit in whilst he remain in the Hall of Audience—for no one dares spit on the floor of the hall,—and when he hath spitten he covers it up and puts it aside. So also they all have certain handsome buskins of white leather, which they carry with them, and, when summoned by the sovereign, on arriving at the entrance to the hall, they put on these white buskins, and give their others in charge to the servants, in order that they may not foul the fine carpets of silk and gold and divers colours.]
NOTE 1.—Ramusio’s heading has Tartars, but it is manifestly of the Cathayans or Chinese that the author speaks throughout this chapter.
NOTE 2.—“Sbattendo i denti.” This is almost certainly, as Marsden has noticed, due to some error of transcription. Probably Battono i fronti, or something similar, was the true reading. [See following note, p. 461.—H. C.]
NOTE 3.—The latter part of this passage has, I doubt not, been more or less interpolated, seeing that it introduces again as a Chinese divinity the rude object of primitive Tartar worship, of which we have already heard in Bk. I. ch. liii. And regarding the former part of the passage, one cannot but have some doubt whether what was taken for the symbol of the Most High was not the ancestral tablet, which is usually placed in one of the inner rooms of the house, and before which worship is performed at fixed times, and according to certain established forms. Something, too, may have been known of the Emperor’s worship of Heaven at the great circular temple at Peking, called T’ien-t’ân, or Altar of Heaven (see p. 459), where incensed offerings are made before a tablet, on which is inscribed the name Yuh-Hwang Shang-ti, which some interpret as “The Supreme Ruler of the Imperial Heavens,” and regard as the nearest approach to pure Theism of which there is any indication in Chinese worship (See Doolittle, pp. 170, 625; and Lockhart in J. R. G. S., xxxvi. 142). This worship is mentioned by the Mahomedan narrator of Shah Rukh’s embassy (1421): “Every year there are some days on which the Emperor eats no animal food.... He spends his time in an apartment which contains no idol, and says that he is worshipping the God of Heaven.” (Ind. Antiquary, II. 81.)
The charge of irreligion against the Chinese is an old one, and is made by Hayton in nearly the same terms as it often is by modern missionaries: “And though these people have the acutest intelligence in all matters wherein material things are concerned, yet you shall never find among them any knowledge or perception of spiritual things.” Yet it is a mistake to suppose that this insensibility has been so universal as it is often represented. To say nothing of the considerable numbers who have adhered faithfully to the Roman Catholic Church, the large number of Mahomedans in China, of whom many must have been proselytes, indicates an interest in religion; and that Buddhism itself was in China once a spiritual power of no small energy will, I think, be plain to any one who reads the very interesting extracts in Schott’s essay on Buddhism in Upper Asia and China. (Berlin Acad. of Sciences, 1846.) These seem to be so little known that I will translate two or three of them. “In the years Yuan-yeu of the Sung (A.D. 1086–1093), a pious matron with her two servants lived entirely to the Land of Enlightenment. One of the maids said one day to her companion: ‘To-night I shall pass over to the Realm of Amita.’ The same night a balsamic odour filled the house, and the maid died without any preceding illness. On the following day the surviving maid said to the lady: ‘Yesterday my deceased companion appeared to me in a dream, and said to me: “Thanks to the persevering exhortations of our mistress, I am become a partaker of Paradise, and my blessedness is past all expression in words.”’ The matron replied: ‘If she will appear to me also then I will believe what you say.’ Next night the deceased really appeared to her, and saluted her with respect. The lady asked: ‘May I, for once, visit the Land of Enlightenment?’ ‘Yea,’ answered the Blessed Soul, ‘thou hast but to follow thy handmaiden.’ The lady followed her (in her dream), and soon perceived a lake of immeasurable expanse, overspread with innumerable red and white lotus flowers, of various sizes, some blooming, some fading. She asked what those flowers might signify? The maiden replied: ‘These are all human beings on the earth whose thoughts are turned to the Land of Enlightenment. The very first longing after the Paradise of Amita produces a flower in the Celestial Lake, and this becomes daily larger and more glorious, as the self-improvement of the person whom it represents advances; in the contrary case, it loses in glory and fades away.’ The matron desired to know the name of an enlightened one who reposed on one of the flowers, clad in a waving and wondrously glistening raiment. Her whilom maiden answered: ‘That is Yangkie.’ Then asked she the name of another, and was answered: ‘That is Mahu.’ The lady then said: ‘At what place shall I hereafter come into existence?’ Then the Blessed Soul led her a space further, and showed her a hill that gleamed with gold and azure. ‘Here,’ said she, ‘is your future abode. You will belong to the first order of the blessed.’ When the matron awoke she sent to enquire for Yangkie and Mahu. The first was already departed; the other still alive and well. And thus the lady learned that the soul of one who advances in holiness and never turns back, may be already a dweller in the Land of Enlightenment, even though the body still sojourn in this transitory world” (pp. 55–56).
What a singular counterpart the striking conclusion here forms to Dante’s tremendous assault on a still living villain,—or enemy!
——————“che per sua opra
In anima in Cocito già si bagna,
Ed in corpo par vivo ancor di sopra.”
—Infern. xxxiii. 155.
Again: “I knew a man who during his life had killed many living beings, and was at last struck with an apoplexy. The sorrows in store for his sin-laden soul pained me to the heart; I visited him, and exhorted him to call on the Amita; but he obstinately refused, and spoke only of indifferent matters. His illness clouded his understanding; in consequence of his misdeeds he had become hardened. What was before such a man when once his eyes were closed? Wherefore let men be converted while there is yet time! In this life the night followeth the day, and the winter followeth the summer; that, all men are aware of. But that life is followed by death, no man will consider. Oh, what blindness and obduracy is this!” (p. 93).
Again: “Hoang-ta-tie, of T’ancheu (Changshu-fu in Honan), who lived under the Sung, followed the craft of a blacksmith. Whenever he was at his work he used to call without intermission on the name of Amita Buddha. One day he handed to his neighbours the following verses of his own composing to be spread about:—
‘Ding dong! The hammer-strokes fall long and fast,
Until the Iron turns to steel at last!
Now shall the long long Day of Rest begin,
The Land of Bliss Eternal calls me in.’
Thereupon he died. But his verses spread all over Honan, and many learned to call upon Buddha” (103).
Once more: “In my own town there lived a physician by name Chang-yan-ming. He was a man who never took payment for his treatment from any one in poor or indifferent circumstances; nay, he would often make presents to such persons of money or corn to lighten their lot. If a rich man would have his advice and paid him a fee, he never looked to see whether it were much or little. If a patient lay so dangerously ill that Yanming despaired of his recovery, he would still give him good medicine to comfort his heart, but never took payment for it. I knew this man for many a year, and I never heard the word Money pass his lips! One day a fire broke out in the town, and laid the whole of the houses in ashes; only that of the physician was spared. His sons and grandsons reached high dignities” (p. 110).
Of such as this physician the apostle said: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.”
[“By the ‘Most High and Heavenly God,’ worshipped by the Chinese, as Marco Polo reports, evidently the Chinese T’ien, ‘Heaven’ is meant, Lao t’ien ye in the common language. Regarding ‘the God of things terrestrial,’ whose figure the Chinese, according to M. Polo, ‘placed below on the ground,’ there can also be no doubt that he understands the T’u-ti, the local ‘Lar’ of the Chinese, to which they present sacrifices on the floor, near the wall under the table.
“M. Polo reports, that the Chinese worship their God offering incense, raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth. Of course he means that they placed the hands together, or held kindled joss-stick bundles in their hands, according to the Chinese custom. The statement of M. Polo sbattendo i denti is very remarkable. It seems to me, that very few of the Chinese are aware of the fact, that this custom still exists among the Taouists. In the rituals of the Taouists the K’ow-ch’i (K’ow = ‘to knock against,’ch’i = ‘teeth’) is prescribed as a comminatory and propitiatory act. It is effected by the four upper and lower foreteeth. The Taouists are obliged before the service begins to perform a certain number of K’ow-ch’i, turning their heads alternately to the left and to the right, in order to drive away mundane thoughts and aggressions of bad spirits. The K’ow-ch’i repeated three times is called ming fa ku in Chinese, i.e. ‘to beat the spiritual drum.’ The ritual says, that it is heard by the Most High Ruler, who is moved by it to grace.
“M. Polo observed this custom among the lay heathen. Indeed, it appears from a small treatise, written in China more than a hundred years before M. Polo, that at the time the Chinese author wrote, all devout men, entering a temple, used to perform the K’ow-ch’i, and considered it an expression of veneration and devotion to the idols. Thus this custom had been preserved to the time of M. Polo, who did not fail to mention this strange peculiarity in the exterior observances of the Chinese. As regards the present time it seems to me, that this custom is not known among the people, and even with respect to the Taouists it is only performed on certain occasions, and not in all Taouist temples.” (Palladius, pp. 53–54.)—H. C.]
NOTE 4.—“True politeness cannot of course be taught by rules merely, but a great degree of urbanity and kindness is everywhere shown, whether owing to the naturally placable disposition of the people, or to the effects of their early instruction in the forms of politeness.” (Mid. Kingdom, II. 68.) As regards the “ornate style of speech,” a well-bred Chinaman never says I or You, but for the former “the little person,” “the disciple,” “the inferior,” and so on; and for the latter, “the learned man,” “the master,” or even “the emperor.” These phrases, however, are not confined to China, most of them having exact parallels in Hindustani courtesy. On this subject and the courteous disposition of the Chinese, see Fontaney, in Lett. Edif. VII. 287 seqq.; also XI. 287 seqq.; Semedo, 36; Lecomte, II. 48 seqq. There are, however, strong differences of opinion expressed on this subject; there is, apparently, much more genuine courtesy in the north than in the south.
NOTE 5.—“Filial piety is the fundamental principle of the Chinese polity.” (Amiot, V. 129.) “In cases of extreme unfilial conduct, parents sometimes accuse their children before the magistrate, and demand his official aid in controlling or punishing them; but such instances are comparatively rare.... If the parent require his son to be publicly whipped by the command of the magistrate, the latter is obliged to order the infliction of the whipping.... If after punishment the son remain undutiful and disobedient, and his parents demand it at the hands of the magistrate, the latter must, with the consent of the maternal uncles of the son, cause him to be taken out to the high wall in front of the yamun, and have him there publicly whipped to death.” (Doolittle, 102–103.)
NOTE 6.—[Mr. Rockhill writes to me that pocket-spitoons are still used in China.—H. C.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------- “In the worship carried on here the Emperor acts as a high priest. HE only worships; and no subject, however high in rank, can join in the adoration.” (Lockhart.) The actual temple dates from 1420–1430; but the Institution is very ancient, and I think there is evidence that such a structure existed under the Mongols, probably only restored by the Ming. [It was built during the 18th year of the reign of the third Ming Emperor Yung Loh (1403–1425); it was entirely restored during the 18th year of K’ien Lung; it was struck by lightning and burnt down in 1889; it is being rebuilt.—H. C.]
In 1871 I saw in Bond Street an exhibition of (so-called) “spirit” drawings, i.e. drawings alleged to be executed by a “medium” under extraneous and invisible guidance. A number of these extraordinary productions (for extraordinary they were undoubtedly) professed to represent the “Spiritual Flowers” of such and such persons; and the explanation of this as presented in the catalogue was in substance exactly that given in the text. It is highly improbable that the artist had any cognizance of Schott’s Essay, and the coincidence was assuredly very striking.
END OF VOL I.
MARCO POLO’S ITINERARIES Nᵒ. IV. (Book I, Chapter 36 to end & chief part of Book II.)
PLAN OF SHANGTU From an Eye-Sketch by Dʳ. S. W. Bushell, 1872
Crossing of the HWANG-HO on road to SINGAN-FU]
---------------------------------------------------------------------- On the walls of this archway is engraved the inscription in six characters, of which a representation accompanies ch. xv. of Prologue, note 1.
INDEX
- Numbers in italics refer to Prefatory Material in volume I
- ‘i.’ and ‘ii.’ indicate volume referred to
- ‘n’ indicates item is in Notes on that page
- Index has been duplicated from volume II to volume I
- Only links for this volume are enabled
Aás, Asu, see Alans
Abacan, a Tartar general, ii. 255, 261n, 596n
Ábah, see Ávah
Abaji, Kúblái’s son, i. 361n
Abáḳa (Abaga), Khan of Persia, i. 33n, 36n, 91n, 103n, ii. 465–467,
474, 475, 477n, 495n
Abano, Pietro of, his notice of Polo, 119
Abash (Habsh), see Abyssinia
Abba Gregory, ii. 433n
Abbás, Sháh, i. 90n
Abbott, Consul Keith E., i. 81n, 82n, 89n, 92n, 96n, 99n, 106n, 111n,
113n, 114n, 125n
Abdul Kuri islands, ii. 405n
—— Mejid, i. 175n
Abeskun (Baxon), on the Caspian, i. 59n
Abher, i. 38n, 82n
Abkashian forests, boxwood of the, i. 57n
Abnús, ebony, ii. 272n
Abraha, ruler of Yemen, ii. 434n
Abraiaman, see Brahmans
Abubakr, Atabeg of Fars, i. 85n, ii. 348n
—— Ibrahim, and Mahomed, engineers employed by Kúblái, ii. 168n
Abu’l Abbas Ahmed VII., Khalif of Baghdad, i. 69n
—— Fázl, i. 103n, 168n, 169n, ii. 367, 374n
Abulfeda, his geography, 4, i. 3n, 6n, 9n, 53n, 57n, 58n, 75n, 81n,
110n, 385n, ii. 237n, 286n, 367n, 377n, 486n, 489n;
at the siege of Acre, 165n
Abulfiez Khan, king of Bokhara, i. 88n
Abu Nasr Mohammed IX., Khalif of Baghdad, i. 69n
—— Saïd, i. 86n, ii. 347n
Abyssinia (Abash), ii. 427 seqq., 431n;
its king’s punishment of Soldan of Aden, 428–430;
dominion on the coast, mediæval history and chronology, 434n–437n;
table of kings, 435n;
wars with Mahomedan states, 436n
Acbalec Manzi, “White City of the Manzi frontier,” ii. 33, 34n, 35n
Acbalec or Acbaluc (Cheng-ting fu), ii. 13, 14n
Accambale, king of Champa, ii. 267, 270n
Achan, i. 66n
Achin, Acheh, Achem, ii. 283n, 286n, 295n, 296n, 300n, 303n, 305n,
307n;
its gold and lign-aloes, 287n;
conversion of, 288n;
its great power at one time, 289n;
elephants at, 289n
—— Head, ii. 300n, 307n
Achmath, the Bailo, see Ahmad
Acomat Soldan (Ahmad Sultan), seizes throne of Tabriz, ii. 467;
goes to encounter Argon, 468;
rejects his remonstrance, 469;
defeats and takes him, 470;
hears of Argon’s escape, is taken and put to death, 473;
notes on the history, 470n, 474n
Acorn bread, i. 122n
Acqui, Friar Jacopo d’, his notice of Polo, 54, 67, 119
Acre, i. 17, 22;
Broils at, between Venetians and Genoese, 42;
plan of, 18n;
captured by Saracens, ii. 165n, 441n;
wickedness of, 442n;
Polos at, 593n
Adam, Bishop and Pope of China, ii. 28n
—— Seth, and the Tree of Life, legend of, i. 135n
Adamodana, Castle of, i. 58n
Adam’s Apple, i. 99n
—— sepulchre on mountain (Adam’s Peak) in Ceylon, ii. 316, 328n;
rubies, 316n;
his teeth, hair, etc., 319–320;
the footmark, 321n–322n
Adel, apparently confused with Aden, ii. 433n, 435n, 440n
Aden, Horse and other Trade with India, ii. 340, 348n, 390, 407, 427,
431, 438;
Soldan’s treatment of a bishop, 428;
Vengeance of King of Abyssinia on him, 430;
confused with Adel, 433n;
account of Kingdom, 438, 439n–440n;
the Sultan, 438–439, 440n;
intercourse and trade with China, tanks, 440n;
view of, 441
Adoration of the Emperor, i. 391
Adulis, ii. 432n;
inscription of, 434n
Aegae, Ayas on the site of ancient, i. 16n
Aepyornis and its eggs, ii. 416n–417n
Aëtius, his prescription of musk, i. 279n, ii. 302n;
of camphor, 302n
Afghans, their use of the fat-tailed sheep, i. 100n
Africa, Sea surrounding to the South, ii. 415n
Agassiz, Professor, i. 100n
Agathocles, Coins of, i. 163n
Ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος, island, ii. 310n
Agha Ali Sháh, present representative of the Old Man of the Mountain,
i. 148n
—— Khan Meheláti, late representative of the Old Man, i. 147n
Aghrukji or Ukuruji, Kúblái’s son, i. 361n
Agricola, Governor of Cappadocia, etc., i. 45n
Aguil, Mongol general, ii. 136, 138n
Ahmad (Achmath), the Bailo, of Fenaket, his power, oppressions,
death, etc., i. 415 seqq., 421n
—— Sultan, Khan of Persia, see Acomat
Ahwaz, province, i. 65n
Aidhab, ii. 439n
Aidhej, or Mal-Amir, i. 85n
Aijaruc, Kaidu’s daughter, ii. 463;
her strength and prowess, 463 seqq.;
her name, 463
Aikah Nowin, Engineer in Chief of Chinghiz, ii. 168n
Ai-lao (afterwards Nan-chao), ancient name of the Shans, ii. 79n
Aín Akbari (Ayeen Akbery), i. 65n, 99n, 101n, 103n, 409n, ii.
116n
Ajmir, ii. 426n
Akbar and Kúblái, a parallel, i. 349n
Ak Bulák salt mines, i. 154n
Akhaltziké (Western Georgia), i. 58n
Akhtuba River, i. 5n, 6n
Ak-khoja, ii. 470n
Aksarai, or Ghori River, i. 152n
Aksu River, i. 172n, 175n
Aktár, i. 96n
Áktásh Valley, i. 172n, 175n
Alabastri, ii. 432n
Alacou, see Hulákú
Aladja, striped cotton cloth, i. 44n
Alamút, Castle of the Ismailites, i. 141n, 142n, 145n, 148n
Alan country, Alania, i. 57n, ii. 490, 491n
Alans, or Aas, massacre at Chang-chau of, ii. 178;
employed under Mongols, 179n
Alaone, the name, 56
Alarm Tower, at Cambaluc, i. 375, 378n;
at Kinsay, ii. 189
Alatcha, cotton stuff with blue and red stripes, i. 190n
Alau, see Hulákú
Alá’uddin (Alaodin), see Old Man of the Mountain
—— (Alawating of Mufali), an engineer in Kúblái’s service, ii. 167n
—— Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, i. 104n, ii. 163n, 169n, 333n, 398n, 400n
Albenigaras, Mt., ii. 362n
Al Biruni, i. 104n, 174n, ii. 400n
Albuquerque, see D’Alboquerque.
Alchemy, Kúblái’s, i. 423
Aleppo, i. 23n
Alexander the Great, allusions to legends and romances about, 113,
i. 14n, 129n–133n, ii. 322n, 485n;
his rampart (Iron Gate), i. 50, 53n, 56n, 57n;
the curtains at a banquet given by, 66n;
and the ferrum candidum, 93n;
site of his battle with Darius, 128, 138n;
his wife Roxana, 151;
kills a lion, 152n;
Princes claiming descent from (Zulcarniain), 157, 160n;
his horse Bucephalus, 158;
fixes chains on Adam’s Peak, ii. 322n;
said to have colonised Socotra, 409n;
his tower on the border of Darkness, 485n
Alexander III., Pope, i. 231n
Alexander IV., Pope, i. 8n
Alexandria, 9, ii. 235;
trade from India to, 390, 438
Alhinde, Alfinde, Alinde, Al-hint, i. 93n
’Ali and Aliites, i. 140n–141n
Alidada, i. 452n
Alihaiya, Kúblái’s general, ii. 167n
Alinak, ii. 474n
Alligator, in Carajan, ii. 76, 81n;
mode of killing, 77;
eaten, 78, 81n;
prophecy of Bhartpúr about, 149n
Almalik, ii. 462n
Almanacs, Chinese (Tacuin), i. 447, 448n
Almonds, i. 153, 155n
Aloes, Socotrine, ii. 409n
—— wood, see Lign-aloes
Alor, war cry, 43
Al-Ramni, Al-Ramin, see Sumatra
Altai (Altay) Mountains, i. 212, 215n;
the Khan’s burial-place, 246, 269;
used for the Khingan range, 247n, 306n
Altun-Khan, Mountain, i. 247n
—— sovereign, ii. 19n
Amazons, fable of, ii. 405n
Ambergris, ii. 308n, 406, 411, 423, 424n;
how got, 408n
Amber-rosolli, i. 114n
Amda Zion, king of Abyssinia, his wars v. Mahomedans, ii. 435n
seqq.;
not the king mentioned by Polo, 436n
Ament, Rev. W. S., i. 361n, 421n, ii. 6, 11, 12
Ameri, a kind of Brazil wood, ii. 301n, 380n
Amhara, ii. 436n
Amien, Mien (Burma), ii. 98, 99n
Amita Buddha, i. 460n
Ammianus Marcellinus, ii. 180n
Amoy, ii. 231n, 232n;
harbour, ii. 240n, 241n;
languages, 244n
Amphora, Anfora, ii. 417n
Amu, Aniu, see Anin
Amuki, devoted comrades of the king, ii. 347n
Anamis (Minao) River, i. 114n
Ananda, Kúblái’s grandson, ii. 29n, 31n
Anár, i. 90n
Anaurahta, king of Burma, ii. 99n, 329n
Ancestor Worship, ii. 85, 96n
Anchors, Wooden, ii. 386, 388n
Andaine, andena, andanicum, see Ondanique
Andaman (Angamanain) islands, ii. 306;
described, 307n, 309–312n;
people, 308n, 309, 311n;
form of the word, 310n
Andan, andun, Wotiak for steel, i. 94n
Andragiri, ii. 301n
Andreas, king of Abyssinia, ii. 435n, 436n
Andrew, Bishop of Zayton, ii. 237n
—— Grand Duke of Rostof and Susdal, i. 7n
Andromeda ovalifolia, poisonous, i. 218n
Angamanain, see Andaman
Angan, or Hanjám, i. 115n
’Angka, gryphon, see Ruc
Angkor, ruins of, 13
Ani in Armenia, i. 234n
Animal Patterns, see Patterns
Anin, province, ii. 119, 120n, 121n, 123, 128n, 129n, 266n
Annals of the Indo-Chinese States, ii. 106n
’An-nam, or Tong-king, ii. 120n
Anselmo, Friar, i. 131n
Anthropoides Virgo, the demoiselle, i. 297n
Antioch, i. 24n
Antongil Bay, Madagascar, ii. 414n
Aotonomoff, Spasski, his ascent of Ararat, i. 49n
Apostoille, word used for Pope, i. 12n
Apples of Paradise (Konars), i. 97, 99n, ii. 365
Apricots, ii. 210n
’Apuhota (Kapukada?), ii. 380n
Apushka (Apusca), Tartar envoy from Persia, i. 32, 33n
Arababni, ii. 436n
Arab geography, 132
—— colonies in Madagascar, ii. 414n
—— horses, early literary recognition of, ii. 349n;
trade in, see Horses
—— merchants, in Southern India, ii. 376
—— Seamen’s Traditions about Java, ii. 274n
Arabi (Arabs), i. 60
Arabia, ii. 438–451
Arabic character, i. 29n
Arachosía, arachoti, ii. 329n, 402n
Araines, ii. 461, 462n
Arakan, ii. 100n, 286n, 290n, 298n
Aram (Harám), Place of the, i. 139, 141n
Ararat, Mount, i. 46;
ascents of, 49n
Arblasts, crossbows, ii. 78, 82n, 161n
Arbre Sol, or Arbre Sec, Region of the (Khorasan), 113, i. 38n, 83,
127, 128n–139n, ii. 466, 474, 475;
tree described—Chínár or Oriental plane, i. 127, 128n–138n;
various readings, 129n;
Arbre seul, a wrong reading, i. 129n, 138n;
Tree of the Sun legend, 129n–131n;
Christian legend of the Dry Tree, 131n;
engrafted on legends of Alexander, 132n;
Trees of Grace in Persia, 134n;
Dry Trees in Mahomedan legend, 135n;
in Rabbinical and Buddhist stories, and legends of the Wood of the
Cross, 135n–136n;
Polo’s Arbre Sec to be sought near Damghan, 138n;
Sabaean apologue, 138n;
clue to the term Arbre Sec, 148n
Arcali, Arculin, see Erculin
Architectural remains in Indo-China, 13
Ardeshír Bábekán, first Sassanian king, i. 91n
Ardeshír, last sovereign of Shabánkára, i. 86n
Areca, ii. 309n, 374n
Areng Saccharifera, ii. 297n
Arezzo, i. 21n
Argaeus, Mount, i. 44n
Argali, ii. 483n
Arghún, Khan of Persia (Polo’s Argon, Lord of the Levant), 23–24,
i. 14n, ii. 50, 466–467;
sends an embassy to Kúblái for a wife, i. 32, 33n;
is dead when she arrives, 35, 36n, 38n, 101n;
his unhappy use of the elixir vitae, ii. 369n;
advances against his uncle Ahmad, 467;
harangues his chiefs, 468;
sends Ahmad a remonstrance, 469;
is taken prisoner, 470;
released by certain chiefs, 471;
obtains sovereignty, 472;
his death, 474;
his beauty, 478n
Argons (Arghún), half-breeds, i. 101n, 284, 290n
Arii, Ariana, ii. 402n
Arikbuga, Kúblái’s brother, i. 334n
Arimaspia, ii. 419n
Arimaspian gold, ii. 419n
Ariora-Keshimur, i. 86n, 98, 104n;
meaning of Ariora, 104n
Ariosto, i. 17n
Aripo, ii. 335n, 337n
Aristotle, 130, i. 87n, 130n, ii. 409n
Arjish (Arzizi), i. 45, 49n
Arkasun Noian, ii. 474n
Arkhaiun, applied to Oriental Christians or their Clergy, i. 290n
Armenia, Greater, i. 45, 98
Armenia (Hermenia), Lesser or Cilician, 10, i. 16, 20, 22, 23n, 41
Armenian Christians, i. 290n
Armenians, i. 43, 45, 75
Armillary Zodiacal Sphere, i. 450n
Armour of boiled leather, see Cuirbouly
Arms of Kerman, i. 90, 96n;
of the Tartars, i. 260, 263n, ii. 460
Arredon River, i. 54n
Arrow Divination, i. 243n
Arrows, Tartar, ii. 460
Artacki, i. 281n
Arts, the Seven, i. 13, 14n
Aru, Cumahā, ii. 303n
Arucki, i. 281n
Aruk, ii. 474n
Arulun Tsaghan Balghasun (Chagan-Nor), i. 297n, 306n
Arya Chakravarti, ii. 316n
Aryavartta, the Holy Lands of Indian Buddhism, i. 104n
Arzinga (Erzingan), i. 45, 46n
Arziron (Erzrum), i. 45, 48n
Arzizi (Arjísh), i. 45, 49n
Asbestos, and the Salamander, i. 212, 216n–217n
Asceticism of the Sensin, i. 303;
of the Jogis, ii. 365
Asedin Soldan (Ghaiassuddin Balban, Sultan of Delhi), i. 99, 104n,
105n
Ashar (Asciar), king of Cail, ii. 370, 373n
Ashishin, see Assassins
Ashod, founder of the Bagratid dynasty, i. 53n
Ashurada, i. 59n
Asikan, Mongol general, ii. 260n
Asoka, ii. 328
Asper, or akché, about a groat, ii. 22, 23n
Assai River, i. 54n
Assassins (Ashishin, Hashíshin), Ismailites, i. 84n, 140;
how the Old Man trained them, 142;
murders by, 144n;
their destruction, 145;
survival and recent circumstances of the sect, 146n
Asses, in Persia, i. 83, 87n, 88, 89n, 123, 225n;
in Mongolia, 224, 225n, 397;
in Madagascar, ii. 413, 421n;
in Abyssinia, 431;
in Far North, 479, 481n
Asterius, Bishop of Amasia in Pontus, i. 66n
Astrakhan (Gittarchan), i. 5n, 6n
Astrolabe, i. 446
Astrology, -ers, in Tangut, i. 205;
of Chinghiz, 241;
at Kúblái’s Court, 301, 391;
at Cambaluc, 446;
of Tibet, ii. 49;
at Kinsay, 191, 203;
in Maabar, 344;
in Coilum, 376
Astronomical instruments, ancient Chinese, i. 378n, 449n–454n
Atabegs, of Mosul, i. 61n;
of Lúr, 85n;
of Fars, 85n, 121n;
of Yezd, 88;
of Kerman, 91n
Atjeh, see Achin
Atkinson’s Narratives, and their credibility, i. 214n, 215n
Atlas, Chinese, in Magliabecchian Library, ii. 193n
Ἀτταγὰς (Black Partridge), i. 99
Attalus, King, i. 66n
At-Thaibi family, i. 121n
Auberoche, Siege of, ii. 163n, 165n
Audh (Oudh), ii. 427n
Aufat, Ifat, ii. 435n
Augury, see Omens
Aung Khan (Unc Can), see Prester John
Aurangzíb, i. 168n
Aurora, Ibn Fozlán’s account of, i. 8n
Aussa, ii. 435n
Ávah, Abah, Ava, one of the cities of the Magi, i. 80, 81n
Avarian, epithet of S. Thomas, ii. 353, 355n–356n
Avebury, Lord, on couvade, ii. 93n
Avicenna’s classification of Iron, i. 94n
Avigi, ′afçi (falco montanus), i. 50, 57n
Axum, Inscription, ii. 432n;
Church of, 433n;
Court of, 434n
Ayas (Layas, Aiazzo, etc.), port of
Cilician Armenia, 19, i. 16, 17n, 20, 22, 41;
Sea fight at, 43, 46, 54
Ayuthia, 13, ii. 278n, 279n
Azumiti, ii. 432n
Azure, Ultramarine (lapis armenus) Mines in Badakhshan, i. 157,
162n;
in Tenduc, 284;
ore, 365, 370n
Baba Buzurg, worshipped by the Lurs, i. 85n
Baber, E. C., on Ch’êng-tú, ii. 38n;
on wild oxen of Tibet, 52n;
Lolos, 61n–63n;
Gold River (Brius), 67n;
the word Caindu, 70n;
Talifu, 80n;
Mekong River 88n;
Zardandan, 89n;
site of battle between Kúblái and king of Mien, 105n;
descent of Mien, 108n
Baboons, etymology, ii. 385n, 431
Báb-ul-abwáh, “The Gate of Gates,” Pass of Derbend, i. 53n
Babylon, Babylonia (Cairo or Egypt), i. 22, 24n, ii. 226, 230n;
Sultan of, i. 22, ii. 439, 473
Babylonish garments, i. 66n
Baccadeo, indigo, ii. 382n
Baccanor, ii. 386n
Bacon, Roger, i. 94n, 426n;
as geographer, 114, 131
Bacsi, see Bakhshi
Bactria, its relation to Greece, i. 160n
Bacu, Sea of (Caspian), i. 59n
Badakhshan (Badashan), i. 98, 104n, 154, 157;
its population, 155n, 160n;
capitals of, 156n;
Mirs of, 156n, 160n;
legend of Alexandrian pedigree of its kings, 157, 160n;
depopulation of, 156n, 163n;
scenery, 158n;
dialects, 160n;
forms of the name, 161n;
great river of (Upper Oxus), 170
Badáún, ii. 427n
Badger, Rev. Dr. G. P., i. 65n, ii. 444n
Badghís, i. 150n, ii. 467
Badgír, Wind-catchers, ii. 452, 453n
Badruddín Lúlú, last Atabeg of Mosul, i. 61n
Báfk (Báft), i. 89n, 111n, 122n
Baghdad (Baudas), Baldac, taken by Alaü, Hulákú, i. 63;
its Khalif, 63, 64;
the miracle of the mountain, 69
—— Archbishop of, ii. 407
—— its indigo (baccadeo), ii. 382n
Bagratidae, of Armenia, i. 42n;
of Georgia, 52n
Bagration-Mukransky, Prince, i. 53n
Bahár, ii. 427n
Bahárak, plain, i. 156n
Bahá-uddin Ayaz, Wazir of Kalhát, i. 120n
Bahá-ul-hakh, the Saint of Multán, ii. 82n
Bahrámábád, i. 90n, 122n
Bahrámjird Village, i. 113n
Bahrein, ii. 348n
Baiberdon, i. 49n
Baiburt (Paipurth), Castle of, i. 48n, 49n
Baidu Khan, i. 14n, ii. 475n;
seizes throne of Persia, 476;
displaced and killed by Gházán, 476;
alleged to be a Christian, 476, 477n
Bailo, the title, i. 417;
etymology of, 421n
Bakhshi (Bacsi), Lamas, i. 414, 445;
their enchantments, 301, 302, 314n–318n;
various meanings of the word, 314n
Bakhtyáris of Lúristán, the, i. 87n
Baku, oil fields of, i. 46, 49n;
Sea of (Caspian), i. 59n
Balad-ul-Falfal (Malabar), ii. 377n
Baladi, ii. 381n
Balalaika, a two-stringed Tartar instrument, i. 339n
Balânjaríyah, devoted lieges, ii. 347n
Bala-Sagun, i. 232n
Balas rubies, i. 157, 161n, ii. 362n
Baldac, see Baghdad
Baldacchini (Baudekins), brocades made at Baghdad, i. 63, 65n
Baldwin II. (de Courtenay), last Latin Emperor of Constantinople, i.
2, 3n
Bali, Island of, ii. 287n
—— in Abyssinia, ii. 436n
Balios, i. 421n
Balish (a money of account), ii. 218n
Balista, always a crossbow in mediæval times, ii. 161n
Balkh (Balc), i. 151
Balkhash Lake, ii. 459n
Ballads, Genoese, on sea-fights at Ayas and Curzola, 43 seqq.
Ballard, Mr., ii. 382n, 387n
Balor, Balaur, Bilaur, Malaur, Bolor, i. 172, 178n–179n
Bâlos, Malacca boats with two rudders, i. 119n
Balsamodendron Mukul, ii. 397n
Balthazar, of the Magi, i. 78, 82n
Bálti, i. 160n, 178n
Balustrade, etymology of the word, 38
Bamboo (always called canes by Polo), its multifarious uses, i. 299,
307n;
Kúblái’s Chandu Palace made of, 299, 306n;
great, on banks of Caramoran river, ii. 220;
explode loudly when burning, 42, 43, 46n;
large in Tibet, 48n;
ropes of, 171, 174n;
in Che kiang, 221n
Bamian, caves at, i. 156n;
huge recumbent image at, 221n
Bám-i-Duniah, “Roof of the World,” i. 171, 174n
Bamm, i. 113n
Bandar Abbás (Bandar-Abbási), i. 86n, 89n, 106n, 122n
Bandith, i. 98, 100n, 151
Bangala, see Bengal
Banzaroff, Dorji, on Shamanism, i. 258n
Baptism, accompanied by branding, in Abyssinia, ii. 427, 432n
Bara, ii. 305n
Barac (Borrak), Khan of Chagatai, i. 9, 10n, 103n;
his war with Arghún, ii. 458n, 467
Baradaeus, Jacob, or James Zanzale, Bishop of Edessa, i. 61n
Barbaro, Josafat, i. 49n, 53n, 100n, 426n, 427n
Barbarossa, Frederic, 36, i. 82n
Barberino, Francesco da, 36, 118, i. 117n
Barda’at, saddle-cloths, i. 61n
Bardesir, i. 112n
Bardshír, Bardsír, Bard-i-Ardeshír, i. 92n
Bargu (Barguchin Tugrum, or Barguti), plain, i. 269, 270n
Barguerlac, Syrrhaptes Pallasii, a kind of sand grouse, i. 269,
272n;
its migration into England, 273n
Barguzinsk, i. 270n
Barin, Mongol tribe, ii. 148n
Bark, money made from, 108, i. 423;
fine clothes from, ii. 124, 127n
Barka (Barca), Khan, ruler of Kipchak, i. 4, 5n, 103n, ii. 491;
his war with Hulákú, i. 4, ii. 494 seqq.
Barkul, i. 345n
Barkút, búrgút (bearcoote), eagle trained to the chase, i. 397,
399n
Barlaam and Josaphat, Story of Saints, from Legend of Buddha, ii.
323n seqq.
Barley, huskless, i. 158, 162n
Baroch, ii. 367n
Baron-tala, name applied by Mongols to Tibet, i. 214n
Barons (Shieng or Sing), Kaan’s twelve, ii. 430
Barozzi, Nicolo, 30, 70
Barros, John de, i. 110n, 120n;
geography of, 3
Barsauma (St. Barsamo), i. 77
Barskul (Barscol), “Leopard Lake,” i. 343, 345n
Bartizan, Kúblái’s wooden, i. 337, 339n
Barus, Barros (Sumatra), its camphor, ii. 302n–303n, 304n
Barussae insulae, ii. 310n
Barygaza, ii. 397n, 408n
Bashai (Pashai), i. 165n
Bashkirds (Hungarians), i. 57n, ii. 492n
Bashpah, Lama, and the Mongol character called after him, i. 28n,
353n, ii. 46n
Basma, see Pasei
Basmuls (Guasmuls), half-breeds, i. 284, 292n
Basra (Bastra), noted for its date-groves, i. 63, 65n
Bathang, ii. 45n, 48n, 56n, 67n, 70n
Baths, natural hot, near Hormuz i. 110–122n;
in Cathay, 442;
public at Kinsay, ii. 189, 198n
Batigala, Batticalla, ii. 426n, 443n
Batochina, ii. 302n
Bats, large, in India, ii. 345
Battas of Sumatra, and cannibalism, ii. 288n, 298n
Batthála, Bettelar (Patlam in Ceylon), ii. 337n
Battles, Kúblái v. Nayan, i. 336;
Tartars v. king of Mien, ii. 101;
Caidu v. Khan’s forces, 461;
Borrak and Arghún, 467;
Arghún and Ahmad, 470n;
Hulákú and Barka, 496;
Toktai and Nogai, 499
Bátú, Khan of Kipchak, founder of Sarai, 11, i. 5n, 6n, 245, 247n;
invades Russia, 490, 493n;
made by Polo into two kings—Sain and Patu, 491, 492n;
his character and cruelty, 492n
Baudas, see Baghdad
Baudekins (baldacchini), brocades made at Baghdad, i. 63, 65n
Bauduin de Sebourc, 121 seqq., ii. 141, 144, 189, 216
Bavaria, Duke Ernest of, a mediæval Romance, ii. 418n
Bawárij, corsairs, ii. 410n
Bayan Chingsian, Kúblái’s greatest Captain, i. 10n, 334n, 361n, ii.
138n, 208n, 462n;
prophecy connected with his name, 145, 150n;
his conquest of Manzi or South China, 146;
his history and character, 148n, 149n;
his exceptional cruelty at Chang-chau, 179, 180n
Bayan, Khagan of the Avars, ii. 148n
Bayan (Baian), Kúblái’s Master of the Hounds, i. 400, 401n
Bayan, son of Nasruddin, ii. 104n
Bayezid Ilderim, i. 45n
Bdellium, ii. 397n
Beads, Hindu, ii. 338, 347n
Bears, i. 396, 397, 401, ii. 31, 37, 42, 78, 382, 411, 431;
white in Far North, 479, 481n
Beast and bird patterns, see Patterns
Beaten gold, i. 387, 388n
Beaujeu, William de, Master of the Temple, i. 25n
Beauty of—Georgians, i. 50, 53n;
Khorasan women, 128;
Kashmir women, 166;
Sinju women, 276;
Argons, or half-breeds, 284;
the Ungrat or Kungurat tribe, 357;
people of Coloman, ii. 122;
Kinsay women, 186;
Kaidu’s daughter, 463;
Arghún Khan, 478;
the Russians, 487
Beds, their arrangement in India, ii. 346, 352n
Beef, not eaten in Maabar, except by the Govi, ii. 341, 350n;
formerly eaten in India, 350n
Bejas of the Red Sea Coast, ii. 425, 432n, 434n
Belgutai, Chinghiz’s stepbrother, i. 334n
“Belic” for “Melic,” ii. 470n
Bell at Cambaluc, great, i. 375, 378n, 414
Bellál Rajas, ii. 367n
Belledi, balladi, ginger so called, ii. 381n;
Spanish use of the word, ib.
Benares, brocades of, i. 66n
Bendocquedar, see Bundúkdári, Bíbars
Benedict XII., Pope, ii. 179n
Bengal (Bangala), 12;
king of Mien (Burma) and, ii. 98;
why Polo couples these, 99n;
relations between Burma and, 99n, 114;
claim asserted by king of Burma to, 100n;
alleged Mongol invasion of, 115n;
its distance from Caugigu, 120;
its currency, 123;
confused with Pegu by Polo, 128n, 131n
Beni Búya dynasty, i. 91n
Benjamin of Tudela, on Alexander’s Rampart, i. 54n;
on the Gryphon, ii. 418n
Benzoin, etymology of, ii. 286n, 396n
Berard, Thos., Master of the Temple, i. 23, 24n
Berbera, Sea of, ii. 415n
Berchet, G., 27, ii. 507n
Bereké, Bátu Khan’s brother, i. 5n
Bernier, on Kashmir women’s beauty, i. 169n
Berrie, the Arabic Băríya, a desert, i. 237n
Bettelar, rendezvous of Pearl Fishers, ii. 331, 337n
Beyamini, wild oxen of Tibet, ii. 50, 52n
Bezant, i. 405, 424, 425, 426n, 427n, 444, ii. 41n, 186, 218n, 346n,
349n, 479;
value of, 592n
Bhagavata, ii. 346n
Bhamó, and River of, ii. 70n, 105n, 107n, 108n, 113n
Bhartpúr, prophecy about, ii. 149n
Bhattis, the, i. 104n
Bháwalpúr, i. 104n
“Bhim’s Baby,” colossal idol at Dhamnár caves, i. 221n
Bianco’s, Andrea, maps, i. 133n
Biar, ii. 305n
Bibars Bundúkdári, see Bundúkdári
Bielo Osero, ii. 486n
Bigoncio, a firkin, i. 384n
Bilúchis, i. 101n;
their robber raids, 106n;
Lumri or Numri, 114n
Binh Thuan (Champa), ii. 268n
Binkin, ii. 230n
Bintang (Pentam), ii. 280, 284
Birch-bark vessels, i. 309n;
books, ii. 124, 127n
Bír-dhúl, or Bujardawal, cap. of Ma’bar, ii. 335n
Bird-hunts, i. 269, 272n
Birdwood, Sir G., ii. 396n, 446n, 449n
Birhōrs of Chuta Nagpúr, ii. 298n
Bir-Pandi, or Pira-Bandi, ii. 333n, 334n
Birthday, celebration of Kúblái’s, i. 387
Bishbalik (Urumtsi), i. 214n, 440n
Bishop, of Male Island, ii. 404;
story of an Abyssinian, 428
Bitter bread, i. 110, 122n
—— water, i. 110, 122n, 194
Blac, Blachia (Lac, Wallach), ii. 489n
Black-bone, Chinese name for Lolos, ii. 63n
Black Crane (Kará Togorü), i. 296, 297n
—— Saints, White Devils in India, ii. 355, 359n
—— Sea, M. Maurum v. Nigrum, i. 2, 3n, 57n
—— Sect of Tibet, i. 324n
Blacker, the more beautiful, ii. 355
Blaeuw, map, i. 102n
Blochmann, Professor H., i. 114n, ii. 116n
Block-books, supposed to have been introduced from China, 139
Block-printing in Persia, i. 429n
Blood-sucking, Tartar, i. 261, 264n
Blous, bloies, i. 327n
Boar’s tusks, huge (Hipp.), ii. 413
Boccassini, i. 62n
Bode, Baron de, i. 85n
Bodhisatva Avalok., ii. 265n
Bodleian MS. of Polo, 18, 92, 94;
list of miniatures in, ii. 528n
Boeach, mistake for Locac, and its supposed position, ii. 280n
Boemond, Prince of Antioch and Tripoli, letter of Bibar to, i. 24n
Boga (Bukā), a great Mongol officer, delivers Arghún, ii. 471, 472,
474n
Boghra Khan, i. 188n
Bohea country, ii. 222n, 224n
Bohra, sect of W. India, i. 148n
Boikoff, Russian Envoy, i. 218n
Bokhara (Bocara), i. 9, 10
Boleyn, Anne, her use of buckram, i. 47n
Bolgana, Queen, see Bulughán
Bolgarskoye (called also Uspenskoye), i. 7n
Bolghar, borgal, borghal, Russia leather, i. 6n, 394, 395n
Bolghar (Bolgara), on the Volga, i. 4, 6n, ii. 481n, 486n, 493n;
ruins of, i. 7n;
court of, 384n
Bolivar, Padre, S. J., his account of the Condor (Rukh) of Africa,
ii. 420n, 597n
Bolor, i. 172, 178n, 179n
Bombay, ii. 396n, 449n
Bonaparte, Prince Roland, _Recueil des Documents de l’Époque
Mongole_, i. 14n, 28n
Bonga, ii. 96n
Bonheur, Rosa, i. 277n
Boniface VIII., Pope, 44, 52, 54, i. 23n
Bonin, C. E., i. 203n, 249n, 276n, 282n, 286n
Bonocio di Mestro, 67
Bonpos, old Tibetan Sect, i. 314n, 321n, 323n
Bonús, ebony, ii. 268, 272n
Bonvalot, i. 200n
Book of Marco Polo, its contents, 80;
original language, French, 81;
oldest Italian MS., 82;
“Geographic Text,” in rude French, 83 seqq.;
various types of Text—(1) “Geographic,” 90;
(2) Pauthier’s MSS., 92;
(3) Pipino s Latin, 95;
Preface to, ii. 525n;
Grynæus’ Latin, 95;
Müller’s reprint, 96;
(4) Ramusio’s Italian edition, its peculiarities, 96–101;
probable truth about it, 99;
bases of it, 100;
MS. and some of its peculiarities, 101;
general view of the relations of the texts, 101;
notice of an old Irish version, 102;
geographical data, 109;
how far influenced in form by Rustician, 112;
perhaps in description of battles, 113;
diffusion and number of MSS., 116;
basis of present version, 141 seqq.;
specimens of different recensions of text, ii. 522n–524n;
distribution of MSS., 526n;
miniatures in, 527n, 529n;
list of MSS., 532n–552n;
Tabular view of the filiation of chief MSS., 552;
Bibliography, 553n–582n;
titles of works cited, 582n–590n;
Spanish edition, 598n
Bore in Hang-chau Estuary, ii. 208n
Borgal, see Bolghar
Bormans, Stanislas, ii. 602n, 603n
Born, Bertram de, 44
Borneo, camphor, see Camphor
—— tailed men of, ii. 302n
Boro Bodor, Buddhist Monument, Java, 13, ii. 275n
Borrak, Amir, Prince of Kerman (Kutlugh Sultan?), i. 91n
—— Khan of Chaghatai, see Barac
Borús, the, ii. 310n
Bostam, i. 138n
Boswellia thurifera, ii. 396n, 446n, 448n;
serrata, 446n;
Carterii, 448n;
Bhauda-jiana, 448n;
papyrifera, 448n;
Frereana, 448n;
glabra, 396n
Bouqueran, see Buckram
Bourne, F. S. A., ii. 60n, 131n
Boxwood forests in Georgia, i. 50, 57n
Bozzí, i. 212n
Bra, the word, 45
Bracelets, in Anin, ii. 119
Bragadino, Marco, husband of Marco Polo’s daughter, Fantina, 76
—— Pietro, 76
Brahmanical thread, ii. 363
Brahmans (Abraiaman), fish-charmers to the pearl fishery, ii. 332,
337n;
their character and virtues, 363, 367n;
their king, 364;
their omens, 364, 368n, 369n;
longevity, 365;
Chughi, 365;
Palladian legend of, 405n
Brahma’s temple, Hang-chau, ii. 212n, 213n
Brahuis, i. 101n
Brakhimof, early capital of Bulgaria, i. 7n
Brambanan, ruins at, 13
Bran (Tibetan tsamba), parched barley, i. 303, 321n
Brazil wood, in Locac, ii. 276, 279n;
in Sumatra, 299;
manner of growth, ib., 309n;
in Ceylon, 313, 315n;
in Coilum (Coilumin), 375, 380n;
different kinds, ib.;
vicissitudes of the word, 380n;
its use prohibited by Painters’ Guild, 382n
Bread, bitter, i. 110, 122n
Brephung monastery, i. 319n
Bretesche, i. 339n
Bretschneider, Dr. Emil (Medical Researches), ruins of Bolghar,
i. 7n;
the Uíghúr character, 28n;
Caucasian Wall, 54n;
use of muslin in Samarkand, 62n;
on nakh and nachetti, 65n;
Hulákú’s expedition to West Asia, 66n, 85n, 146n, 148n;
an extract from the Yüan Si, 115n;
Badakhshan, 161n;
Kashgar, 183n;
Shachau, 206n;
Kamul, 211n;
Chingintalas, 214n;
the Stipa inebrians, 219n;
the Utikien Uigúrs, 227n;
Erdenidso Monastery, 228n;
Belasagun, 232n;
death of Chinghiz, 248n;
tung lo or kumiz, 259n;
Kúblái’s death, 334n;
Peking, 366n, 368n, 370n, 372n, 376n–378n, ii. 5n, 6n, 8n;
verniques, i. 384n;
clepsydra, 385n;
the Bularguchi, 408n;
Achmath’s biography, 421n;
paper-money, 430n;
post stations, 437n;
Chinese intoxicating drinks, 441n;
regulations for time of dearth, 444n;
Lu-Ku-K’iao Bridge, ii. 8n;
introduction of plants from Asia into China, 16n;
morus alba, 25n;
Tibet, 46n;
bamboo explosions, 46n;
the Si-fans, 60n;
Cara-jang and Chagan-jang, 73n;
Nasr-uddin, 104n;
the Alans, 180n;
rhubarb in Tangut, 183n;
Polo’s “large pears,” 210n;
on galangal, 229n;
on sugar, 230n;
on Zayton, 238n;
on wood-oil, 252n;
on ostrich, 437n;
on Si-la-ni, 316n;
on frankincense, 449n;
on Magyars, 492n;
on Mongol invasion of Poland and Silesia, 493n
Brichu (Brius, the Upper Kiang), ii. 67n
Bridges of Pulisanghin, ii. 3;
Sindafu (Ch’êngtu), 37;
Suchau, 181;
Kinsay, 185, 187, 194n, 201, 212;
Kien-ning fu, 225, 228n;
Fuchau, 233n, 234n;
Zayton, or Chinchau, 241n
Brine-wells, see Salt
Brius River (Kin-sha Kiang, Gold River), ii. 36, 40n, 56, 67n
Brown, G. G., ii. 35n
—— Sir Thomas, ii. 420n, 424n;
on Polo, 115
Bruce’s Abyssinian Chronology, ii. 435n seqq.
Brunetto Latini’s Book, Li Tresor, 88, 117
Brunhilda, ii. 466n
Bruun, Professor Ph., of Odessa, i. 6n, 54n, 232n–235n
Bucephala, of Alexander, i. 105n
Bucephalus, breed of, i. 158, 162n
Buckrams, of Arzinga, i. 45;
described, 47n;
etymology, 48n;
at Mardin, 61, 62n;
in Tibet, ii. 45;
at Mutfili, 361, 363n;
Malabar, 389, 395, 398, 431
Buddha, see Sakya Muni
Buddhism, Buddhists, see Idolatry, Idolaters
Buddhist Decalogue, i. 170n
Buffaloes in Anin, ii. 119
Buffet and vessels of Kúblái’s table, i. 382, 384n
Bugaei, ii. 432n
Buka (Boga), a great Mongol chief, ii. 471, 472, 474n
Buka Bosha, 1st Mongolian Governor of Bokhara, i. 10n
Búkú Khan, of the Hoei-Hu, or Uighúrs, i. 227n
Bularguji (Bularguchi), “The Keeper of Lost Property,” i. 403, 407n
Bulgaria, Great, ii. 286n
Bulughán (Bolgana), Queen, 23, i. 32, 33n, 38n, ii. 474n
—— another, ii. 475n
Bundúkdár, Amír Aláuddín Aidekín (“The Arblaster”), i. 24n
Bundúkdári, Malik Dáhir Ruknuddín Bíbars (Bendocquedar), Mameluke
Sultan of Egypt, i. 22, 23n–25n, 145n, ii. 424n, 433n, 436n, 494n;
killed by kumiz, 259n
Buraets, or Burgats, the, i. 258n, 283n
Búrkán Káldún, i. 247n
Burma (or Ava), King of, ii. 98, 99n.
(See also Mien.)
Burnell, Arthur, ii. 335n, 359n, 386n
Burning the Dead, see Cremation
—— heretical books, i. 321n
—— paper-money, etc., at funerals, i. 204, 208n, 267, 268n, ii. 191
—— Widows in South India, ii. 341, 349n
Burrough, Christopher, i. 9n
Burton, Captain R. F., ii. 597n
Bushell, Dr. S. W., his visit to Shang-tu, i. 26n, 304n, 305n, 412n;
on the Khitan Scripts, 28n;
Tangut rulers, 205n;
orders for post-horses, 353n
Butchers, in Kashmir, i. 167;
Tibet, 170n;
S. India, ii. 342
Butiflis (Mutfili), ii. 362n
Butler, Hudibras, ii. 92n
Buyid dynasty, i. 86n
Ca’ Polo, Ca’ Milion, Corte del Millioni, the house of the Polos at
Venice, 4, 26 seqq., 53, 70, 77
Caaju, castle of, i. 244
Cabs, Peking, ii. 211n
Cacanfu (Hokiang-fu), ii. 127, 132
Cachanfu (P’uchau-fu, Ho-chung-fu), ii. 22, 25n
Cachar Modun, i. 404, 408n
Cachilpatnam, ii. 387n
Cadmia, i. 126n
Caesalpinia, ii. 380n;
and see Brazil
Caesarea of Cappadocia (Casaria, Kaisaríya), i. 43, 44n
Caichu, castle of (Kiai-chau, or Hiai-chau?), ii. 17, 19n, 26n
Caidu, see Kaidu
Caiju, on the Hwang-Ho, ii. 142
—— on the Kiang, Kwachau, ii. 171, 174
Cail (Káyal), ii. 370, 372n–373n;
a great port of Commerce, 370, 373n;
the king, ib.;
identified, 372;
meaning of name, ib.;
remains of, ib.
Caindu (K’ien-ch’ang), a region of Eastern Tibet, ii. 53, 70n
Caingan (Ciangan, Kiahing), ii. 184n, 185n
Cairo, ii. 439n;
museum at, 424n;
ventilators at, 452n.
(See Babylon.)
Caiton, see Zayton
Cala Ataperistan (Kala’ Atishparastán), “Castle of the Fire
Worshippers,” i. 78
Calachan (Kalaján), i. 281, 282n
Calaiate, Calatu, see Kalhát
Calamanz, the word, ii. 272n
Calamina, city, ii. 357n
Caldwell, Rev. Dr. R., on devil-dancing among the Shanars, ii. 97n;
on name of Ceylon, 314n;
on Shahr-Mandi and Sundara Pandi, 333n;
on the Tower at Negapatam, 336n;
etymology of Chilaw, 337n;
on Pacauta, 346n;
Govis, 349n;
singular custom of arrest, 350n–351n;
rainy season, 351n;
food of horses, ib.;
Shanar devil-images, 359n;
choiach, 368n;
Cail, or Kayál city, 372n, 373n;
Kolkhoi, 373n;
King Ashar of Cail, ib.;
Kollam 377n;
Pinati, 380n;
etymology of Sapong, ib.;
Cape Comorin, 383n
Calendar, Ecclesiastical Buddhist, i. 220, 222n;
the Tartar, 447, 448n;
of Brahmans, ii. 368n–369n;
of Documents relating to Marco Polo and his family, 505n seqq.
Calicut, ii. 380n, 381n, 388n, 391n, 440n;
King of, and his costume, 346n
Calif, see Khalif
Caligine, Calizene (Khálij, a canal from Nile), ii. 439n
Camadi (City of Dakiánús), ruined, i. 97, 113n
Cambaluc (Khanbaligh, or Peking), capital of Cathay, 12, i. 38n,
ii. 3, 132, 213n, 320;
Kúblái’s return thither after defeating Nayan, i. 348;
the palace, 362;
the city, 374;
its size, walls, gates, and streets, the Bell Tower, etc.,
375n–378n;
period of khan’s stay there, 411;
its suburbs and hostelries, 412;
cemeteries, women, patrols, 414;
its traffic, 415;
the Emperor’s Mint, 423;
palace of the Twelve Barons, 431;
roads radiating from, 433;
astrologers of, 446
Cambay (Cambaet, Cambeth, Kunbáyat), kingdom of, ii. 394n, 397, 398n,
403n, 426n, 440n, 443n
Cambuscan, of Chaucer, corruption of Chinghiz, i. 247n
Camel-bird, see Ostrich
Camels, mange treated with oil, i. 46;
camlets from wool of, 281, 284;
white, 281, 283n;
incensing, 309n;
alleged to be eaten in Madagascar, ii. 411;
really eaten in Magadoxo, 413n;
ridden in war, 423, 425n
Camexu, Kamichu, see Campichu
Camlets (cammellotti), i. 281, 283n, 284
Camoens, ii. 266n
Camphor (Laurus Camphora) trees in Fo-kien, ii. 234, 237n
—— of Sumatra, ii. 287n;
Fansuri, 299, 302n;
earliest mention of, 302n;
superstitions regarding, 303n;
description of the tree, Dryabalanops Camphora, 303n–304n;
value attached by Chinese to, 304n;
recent prices of, ib.;
its use with betel, 371, 374n
—— oil, ii. 304n
Campichu (Kanchau), city of, i. 219, 220n
Camul (Kamul), province, i. 209, 211n, 214n
Camut, fine shagreen leather, i. 394, 395n
Canal, Grand, of China, ii. 132, 139, 140, 141n, 143n, 152n, 154n,
209n, 222n;
construction of, 174, 175n
Canale, Cristoforo, MS. by, 34, 37
—— Martino da, French Chronicle of Venice by, 88
Cananor, kingdom, ii. 388n
Cananore, ii. 386n, 387n
Canara, ii. 390n, 397n
Cancamum, ii. 397n
Canela brava, ii. 390n
Canes, Polo’s name for bamboos, q.v.
Cannibalism, ii. 293, 294, 298n, 311n, 312n;
ascribed to Tibetans, Kashmiris, etc., i. 301, 312n, 313n;
to Hill-people in Fo-kien, ii. 225, 228n;
to islanders in Seas of China and India, 264;
in Sumatra, 284, 288n;
regulations of the Battas, 288n;
ascribed to Andaman islanders, 309, 311n
Cannibals, i.e. Caribs, ii. 311n, 405n
Canonical Hours, ii. 368–369n
Cansay, see Kinsay
Canton, 3, ii. 199n, 237n
Cape Comorin, see Comari, Temple at, 76
—— Corrientes (of Currents), ii. 415n, 417n, 426n
—— Delgado, ii. 424n
—— of Good Hope, ii. 417n
Capidoglio (Capdoille), sperm-whale, ii. 414n
Cappadocian horses, i. 44n
Capus, G., i. 129n 162n
Caracoron (Kará Korum), i. 66n, 226, 227n, 269, ii. 460, 462n
Carajan (Caraian, Karájang, or Yun-nan), province, 21, ii. 64, 66,
67n, 72n, 76, 86
Caramoran River (Hwang-Ho), ii. 142, 143n, 144n, 151
Carans, or Scarans, i. 100n
Caraonas (Karaunahs), a robber tribe, i. 98, 101n, 121n
Carats, i. 359n
Carbine, etymology of, i. 101n
Cardinal’s Wit, i. 21n
Caribs, i.e. cannibals, ii. 311n, 405n
Carpets, of Turcomania (Turkey), i. 43, 44n;
Persian, 66n;
Kerman, 96n
Carriages, at Kinsay, ii. 205, 206;
Chinese, 211n
Carrion, shot from engines, ii. 163n
Carta Catalana, Catalan Map of 1375, 134, i. 57n, 59n, 82n, 161n,
ii. 221n, 243n, 286n, 362n, 386, 396n, 494n
Carte, à la, ii. 486n
Carts, Mongol, i. 254n
Casan, see Gházán Khan
Casaria (Caesarea of Cappadocia), i. 43, 44n
Cascar (Kashgar), i. 180, 182n;
Chaukans of, 193n
Casem, see Kishm
Caspian Sea (Sea of Ghel or Ghelan), ancient error about, 2, 129;
its numerous names, i. 52, 58n, 59n, ii. 494n
Cassay, see Kinsay
Cassia, ii. 59n, 60n, 390n, 391n
—— buds, ii. 59n, 391n
—— fistula, ii. 398n
Castaldi, Panfilo, his alleged invention of movable types, 139–140
Castambol, i. 45n
Castelli, P. Cristoforo di, i. 52n, 53n
Casvin (Kazvín), a kingdom of Persia, i. 83, 84n, 101n, 141n
Catalan Navy, 38–39
Cathay (Northern China), 3;
origin of name, 11, 15, i. 60, 76n, 285, 414, 418, 441, ii. 10,
127, 132, 135, 139, 140, 192, 391n, 457;
coal in, i. 442;
idols, ii. 263;
Cambaluc, the capital of, see Cambaluc
Cathayans, v. Ahmad, i. 415 et seqq.;
their wine, 441;
astrologers, 446;
religion, 456;
politeness, filial duty, gaol deliveries, gambling, 457
Catholics, ii. 407;
Catholicos, of Sis, i. 42n;
of the Nestorians, 61n, 62n
Cators (chakors), great partridges, i. 296, 297n
Cat’s Head Tablet, i. 356n
Cats in China, ii. 350n
Caucasian Wall, i. 53n, 54n
Caugigu, province, ii. 116, 120, 123, 128n, 131n
Caulking, of Chinese ships, ii. 250, 251n
Cauly, Kauli (Corea), i. 343, 345n
Causeway, south of the Yellow River, ii. 153n
Cauterising children’s heads, ii. 432n
Cave-houses, i. 154, 156n, ii. 150n
Cavo de Eli, ii. 386n
—— de Diab, ii. 417n
Cayu (Kao-yu), ii. 152
Celtic Church, ii. 370n
Census, of houses in Kinsay, ii. 192;
tickets, ib.
Ceremonial of Mongol Court, see Etiquette
Ceylon (Seilan), ii. 312–314;
circuit of, 310n;
etymology of, 314n;
customs of natives, 315;
mountain of Adam’s (alias Sagamoni Borcan’s) Sepulchre, 316,
321n;
history of Buddha, 317;
origin of idolatry, 318 seqq.;
subject to China, 392n
Ceylon, King of, his pearl-ponds, ii. 337n
Chachan (Charchan, Charchand), i. 192n, 194, 195n, 196n
Chagatai (Sigatay), Kúblái’s uncle, son of Chinghiz, 10, i. 10n,
14n, 98, 102n, 183, 186n, ii. 457, 458n, 459
Chaghán-Jáng, ii. 72n, 73n
Chaghan-Kuren, ii. 23n
Chaghan-Nor (“White Lake”), N.E. of Kamul, i. 214n
—— (Chaghan, or Tsaghan Balghasun), site of Kúblái’s palace, i. 296,
297n, 306n, 422n, ii. 14n
Chairs, silver, i. 351, 355n
Chakor (cator), great partridges, i. 296, 297n
Chalcedony and jasper, i. 191, 193n
Chalukya Malla kings, ii. 336n
Champa (Chamba), kingdom of, ii. 266, 268n, 424, 426n, 596n;
Kúblái’s expedition v., 267;
the king and his wives, 268, 271n;
products, 268, 271n–272n;
locality, 269–270n;
invaded by king of Lukyn, 279n
Chandra Banu, ii. 315n
Chandu (Shangtu), city of peace of Kúblái, i. 25, 298, 304n, 410–411,
435
Changan, ii. 182, 184n
Chang-chau (Chinginju), ii. 178, 179n
—— in Fo-kien, ii. 233n, 238n;
Zayton(?), 238n;
Christian remains at, 240n–241n
Ch’ang Ch’un, travels, i. 62n
Changgan (Chang-ngan), ii. 27–29n
Chang-kia-Kau, the gate in the Great Wall, i. 56n
Chang K’ien, ii. 16n
Chang-shan (Chanshan), ii. 198n, 199n, 219, 221n, 222n, 224n
Ch’ang Te (the Chinese traveller), Si Shi Ki, i. 64n, 66n
Chang Te-hui, a Chinese teacher, i. 309n
Chang-y (Chenchu), i. 417–419, 422n
Chang Yao, Chinese general, i. 211n
Cháo de Bux (Cavo di Bussi), boxwood, i. 57n
Chaohien, Sung Prince, ii. 150n
Cháo-Khánahs, bank-note offices in Persia, i. 429n
Cháo Naiman Sumé Khotan, or Shangtu, “city of the 108 temples,”
i. 304n
Cháo, paper-money, i. 426n, 429n
Cháo, title of Siamese and Shan Princes, ii. 73n
Chaotong, ii. 130n
Chapu, ii. 199n
Characters, written, four acquired by Marco Polo, i. 27;
one in Manzi, but divers spoken dialects, ii. 236
Charchan (Chachan of Johnson, Charchand), i. 192n, 194, 195n, 196n
Charcoal, store in Peking, palace garden of, i. 370n
Charities, Kúblái’s, i. 439, 443, 444;
Buddhistic and Chinese, 446n;
at Kinsay, ii. 188, 198n
Charles VIII., of France, i. 398n
Chau dynasty, i. 347n
Chaucer, quoted, i. 3n, 5n, 17n, 161n, 247n, 386n, ii. 11n
Chaukans, temporary wives at Kashgar, i. 193
Chaul, ii. 367n
Cheapness in China, ii. 202
Cheetas, or hunting leopards, i. 397, 398n
Cheh-kiang, cremation common during Sung dynasty in, ii. 135n;
