Aftre passe men overthwart a gret ryvere, that men clepen Dalay: and that is the grettest ryvere of fressche water, that is in the world. For there, as it is most narow, it is more than a myle of brede. And thanne entren men azen into the lond of the grete Chane. That ryvere gothe thorghe the lond of Pigmaus: where that the folk ben of litylle stature, that ben but 3 span long: and thei ben right faire and gentylle, aftre here quantytees, bothe the men and the wommen. And thei maryen hem, whan thei ben half zere of age, and geten children. And thei lyven not, but 6 zeer or 7 at the moste. And he that lyvethe 8 zeer men holden him there righte passynge old. Theise men ben the beste worcheres of gold, sylver, cotoun, sylk, and of alle suche thinges, of ony other, that be in the world. And thei han often tymes werre with the briddes of the contree, that thei taken and eten. This litylle folk nouther labouren in londes ne in vynes. But thei han grete men amonges hem, of oure stature, that tylen the lond, and labouren amonges the vynes for hem. And of tho men of oure stature, han thei als grete skorne and wondre, as we wolde have among us of geauntes, zif thei weren amonges us. There is a gode cytee, amonges othere, where there is duellynge gret plentee of tho lytylle folk: and it is a gret cytee and a faire, and the men ben grete, that duellen amonges hem: but whan thei geten ony children, thei ben als litylle as the pygmeyes: and therfore thei ben alle, for the moste part, alle pygmeyes; for the nature of the lond is suche. The grete Cane let kepe this cytee fulle wel: for it is his. And alle be it, that the pygmeyes ben lytylle, zit thei ben fulle resonable, aftre here age, and connen bothen wytt and gode and malice, y now.
Fro that cytee, gon men be the contree, be many cytees and many townes, unto a cytee, that men clepen Jamchay: and it is a noble cytee and a riche, and of gret profite to the lord: and thidre go men to sechen marchandise of alle manere of thing. That cytee is fulle moche worthe zerly to the lord of the contree. For he hathe every zere to rente of that cytee (as thei of the cytee seyn) 50000 cumantz of floreyns of gold: for thei cownten there alle be cumanz: and every cumant is 10000 floryns of gold. Now may men wel rekene, how moche that it amountethe. The kyng of that contree is fulle myghty: and zit he is undre the grete Cane. And the gret Cane hathe undre him 12 such provynces. In that contree, in the gode townes, is a gode custom. For whoso wille make a feste to ony of his frendes, there ben certeyn innes in every gode toum; and he that wil make the feste, wil seye to the hostellere, arraye for me, to morwe, a gode dyner, for so many folk; and tellethe him the nombre; and devysethe him the viaundes: and he seythe also, thus moche I wil dispende, and no more. And anon the hostellere arrayethe for him, so faire and so wel and so honestly, that ther schalle lakke no thing. And it schalle be don sunnere, and with lasse cost, than and a man made it in his owne hous.
And a 5 myle fro that cytee, toward the hed of the ryvere of Dalay, is another cytee, that men clepen Menke. In that cytee is strong navye of schippes; and alle ben white as snow, of the kynde of the trees, that thei ben made offe. And thei ben fulle grete schippes, and faire, and wel ordeyned, and made with halles and chambres, and other eysementes, as thoughe it were on the lond.
Fro thens go men be many townes and many cytees, thorghe the contree, unto a cytee, that men clepen Lanteryne: and it is an 8 iourneyes from the cytee aboveseyd. This cytee sitt upon a faire ryvere, gret and brood, that men clepen Caramaron. This ryvere passethe thorghe out Cathay: and it dothe often tyme harm, and that fulle gret, whan it is over gret.
Of the grete Chane of Chatay. Of the Rialtee of his Palays, and how he sitt at Mete; and of the grete nombre of Officeres, that serven hym.
[Sidenote: Cap. XX.] Chatay is a gret contree and a faire, noble and riche, and fulle of marchauntes. Thidre gon marchaundes alle zeres, for to sechen spices and alle manere of marchandises, more comounly than in ony other partye. And zee schulle undirstonde, that marchaundes, that comen fro Gene or fro Venyse or fro Romanye, or other partyes of Lombardye, thei gon be see and be lond 11 monethes, or 12, or more sum tyme, or thei may come to the yle of Cathay, that is the princypalle regyoun of alle partyes bezonde; and it is of the grete Cane.
Fro Cathay go men toward the est, be many iourneyes: and than men fynden a gode cytee, betwene theise othere, that men clepen Sugarmago. That cytee is on of the beste stored of sylk and other marchandises, that is in the world. Aftre go men zit to another old cytee, toward the est: and it is in the provynce of Cathay. And besyde that cytee, the men of Tartarye han let make another cytee, that is clept Caydon; and it hathe 12 zates: and betwene the two zates, there is alle weyes a gret myle; so that the 2 cytees, that is to seyne, the olde and the newe, han in circuyt more than 20 myle.
CAPVT. 34.
De pallatio Imperatoris Grand Can.
Palatium Imperatoris Grand Can, quod est in Caydo ciuitate, continet in circuitu proprij muralis vltrà duas leucas, et sunt in eo aulæ quàm plures, in forma nobiles, et in materia nobiliores. Aula autem sedis, quæ est maxime cæterarum, habet intrinsecus pro sui sustentatione 24. aereas columnas factas opere fusorio, de auro puro, et omnes parietes ab intus opertas pellibus quorundam animalium, quæ vocantur Pantheres: hæ sanguinei sunt coloris, et ita remicantes, vt Sole desuper relucente; vix oculus valeat humanus sufferre splendorem, tantæque fragantiæ, vt illi approximare non posset aer infectus, vnde et ista opertura parietum appreciatur super tegmen aurearum laminarum.