[1:] Or China.
[2:] Thsiuanchau or Chiuchau, the great mediæval port of China.
[3:] Bologna.
Of the citie of Fuco.
TRAVELING more eastward, I came unto a city named Fuco,[1] which containeth 30 miles in circuit, wherein be exceeding great & faire cocks, and al their hens are as white as the very snow, having wool in stead of feathers, like unto sheep. It is a most stately & beautiful city & standeth up the sea. Then I went 18 daies journey on further, & passed by many provinces & cities, and in the way I went over a certain great mountaine, upon ye one side whereof I beheld al living creatures to be as black as a cole, & the men and women on that side differed somewhat in maner of living from others; howbeit, on the other side of the said hil every living thing was snow-white & the inhabitants in their maner of living, were altogether unlike unto others. There, al maried women cary in token that they haue husbands, a great trunk of horne upon their heads. From thence I traveled 18 dayes journey further and came unto a certaine great river, and entered also into a city, whereunto belongeth a mighty bridge to passe the said river. And mine hoste with whom I sojourned, being desirous to show me some sport, said unto me, Sir, if you will see any fish taken, goe with me. Then hee led me unto the foresaid bridge, carrying in his armes certain dive-doppers[2] or water-foules, bound unto a company of poles, and about every one of their necks he tied a thread, lest they should eat the fish as fast as they took them: and he carried three great baskets with him also; then loosed he the dive-doppers from the poles, which presently went into the water, & within lesse then the space of one houre, caught as many fishes as filled the 3 baskets: which being full, mine hoste untied the threeds from about their neckes, and entering a second time into the river they fed themselves with fish, and being satisfied they returned and suffered themselves to be bound unto the said poles as they were before. And when I did eate of those fishes, we thought they were exceeding good. Travailing thence many dayes journeys, at length I arrived at another city called Canasia,[3] which signifieth in our language, the city of heaven. Never in all my life did I see so great a city: for it containeth in circuit an hundreth miles; neither sawe I any plot thereof, which was not throughly inhabited: yea, I sawe many houses of tenne or twelve stories high, one aboue the other. It hath mightie large suburbs containing more people then the citie it selfe. Also it hath twelue principall gates: and about the distance of 8 miles, in the high way unto euery one of the saide gates standeth a city as big by estimation as Venice, and Padua. The aforesaide city of Canasia is situated in waters or marshes, which always stand still, neither ebbing nor flowing: howbeit it hath a defence for the winde like unto Venice. In this citie there are mo than 10002 bridges, many whereof I numbered and passed over them: and upon every of those bridges stand certaine watchmen of the citie, keeping continuall ward and watch about the saide citie, the great Can the Emperour of Catay. The people of this countrey say, that they haue one duetie injoyned unto them by their lord: for euery fire payeth one Balis in regard of tribute: and a Balis is five papers or pieces of silk, which are worth one floren and an halfe of our coine. Tenne or twelue housholds are accompted for one fire, and so pay tribute but for one fire only. Al those tributary fires amount unto the number of 85 Thuman, with other foure Thuman of the Saracens, which make 89 in al: And one Thuman consisteth of 10000 fires. The residue of the people of the city are some of them Christians, some marchants, and some traveilers through the countrey. Whereupon I marveiled much how such an infinite number of persons could inhabite and liue together. There is great aboundance of victuals in this city, as namely of bread and wine, and especially of hogs-flesh with other necessaries.
[1:] Probably Fuchau in Fokien.
[2:] Cormorants.
[3:] Now Hangchau.
Of a Monastery where many strange beastes of divers kindes doe live upon an hill.
IN the foresaide citie foure of our friers had converted a mighty and rich man unto the faith of Christ, at whose house I continually abode, for so long time as I remained in the citie, Who upon a certain time said unto me: Ara, that is to say, Father, will you go and behoulde the citie? And I said, yea. Then embarked we ourselves, and directed our course unto a certaine great Monastery: where being arrived, he called a religious person with whom he was acquainted, saying unto him concerning me: this Raban Francus, that is to say, this religious Frenchman commeth from the Westerne parts of the world and therefore you must show him some rare things, that when he returnes into his owne countrey, he may say, this strange sight or novelty haue I seene in the citie of Canasia. Then the said religious man tooke two greate baskets full of broken reliques which remained of the table, & led me unto a little walled parke, the doore whereof he unlocked with his key, and there appeared unto us a pleasant faire green plot, into the which we entred. In the said greene stands a litle mount in forme of a steeple, replenished with fragrant herbes, and fine shady trees. And while we stood there, he tooke a cymbal or bell, and rang therewith, as they used to ring to dinner or bevoir in cloisters, at the sound whereof many creatures of divers kindes came downe from the mount, some like apes, some like cats, some like monkeys, and some having faces like men. And while I stood beholding of them, they gathered themselves together about him, to the number of 4200 of those creatures, putting themselues in good order, before whom he set a platter, and gaue them the saide fragments to eate. And when they had eaten he rang upon his cymbal the second time, and they all returned unto their former places. Then, wondring greatly at the matter, I demanded what kind of creatures those might be? They are (quoth he) the Soules of noble men which we do here feed, for the love of God who governeth the world: and as a man was honorable or noble in this life, so his soule after death, entreth into the body of some excellent beast or other, but the soules of simple and rusticall people do possesse the bodies of more vile and brutish creatures. Then I began to refute that foule error: howbeit my speech did nothing at all to prevaile with him, for hee could not be perswaded that any soule might remaine without a body. From thence I departed unto a certaine citie named Chilenso, the walls whereof contained 40 miles in circuit. In this citie there are 360 bridges of stone, the fairest that euer I saw, and it is wel inhabited, having a great navie belonging thereunto, & abounding with all kinds of victuals and other commodities. And thence I went unto a certaine river called Thalay which where it is most narrow, is 7 miles broad: and it runneth through the midst of the land of the Pygmœi whose chiefe city is called Cakam, and is one of the goodliest cities in the world. These Pygmœans are three of my spans high, and they make larger and better cloth of cotton and silke, then any other nation under the sunne. And coasting along by the said river, I came unto a certaine city named Janzu, in which citie there is one receptacle for the Friers of our order, and there be also three Churches of the Nestorians. This Janzu is a noble and great citie, containing 48 Thumans of tributarie fires, and in it are all kindes of victuals, and great plenty of such beastes, foules, and fishes, as Christians doe usually liue upon. The lord of the same citie hath in yeerely revenues for salt onely, fiftie Thuman of Balis, & one balis is worth a floren and a halfe of our coyne: insomuch that one Thuman of balis amounteth unto the value of 15000 florens. Howbeit the sayd lord, favoureth his people in one respect, for sometimes he forgiveth them frely 200 Thuman, lest there should be any scarcity or dearth among them. There is a custome in this citie, that when any man is determined to banquet his friends, going about unto certaine tavernes or cookes houses appointed for the same purpose, he sayth unto euery particular hoste, you shall haue such and such of my friends, whom you must entertain in my name, and so much I will bestowe upon the banquet. And by that means his friendes are better feasted at diverse places, then they should haue beene at one. Tenne miles from the sayde citie, about the head of the foresayd river of Thalay, there is a certaine other citie called Montu, which hath the greatest navy that I saw in the whole world. All their ships are as white as snow, & they haue banquetting houses in them, and many other rare things also, which no man would beleeve unlesse he had seene them with his owne eyes.
Of the citie of Cambaleth.
TRAVELING eight dayes journey further by divers territories and cities, at length I came by fresh water unto a certaine citie named Leucyn, standing upon a river of Karavoran[1] which runneth through the midst of Cataie, and doeth great harme in the countrey when it overfloweth the bankes, or breaketh foorth of the chanell. From thence passing along the river Eastward, after many dayes travell, and the sight of divers cities, I arrived at a citie called Sumakoto,[2] which aboundeth more with silke then any other citie in the worlde: for when there is a great scarcity of silke, fortie pound is solde for lesse then eight groates. In this citie there is abundance of all merchandize, and all kinds of victuals also, as of bread, wine, flesh, fish, with all choise and delicate spices. Then travelling on still towards the East by many cities, I came unto the noble and renowned citie of Cambaleth, which is of great antiquitie, being situate in the province of Cataie. This citie the Tartars tooke, & neere unto it within the space of halfe a mile, they built another citie called Caido. The citie of Caido hath twelve gates, being each of them two miles distant from another. Also the space lying in the midst betweene the two foresayde cities is very well and thoroughly inhabited, so that they make as it were but one citie betweene them both. The whole compasse or circuit of both cities together is 40 miles. In this citie the great emperour Can hath his principall seat, and his Imperiall palace, the wals of which palace containe foure miles in circuit: and neere unto this his palace are many other palaces and houses of his nobility which belong unto his court. Within the precincts of the said palace Imperiall, there is a most beautifull mount, set and replenished with trees, for which cause it is called the Greene mount, having a most royall and sumptuous palace standing thereupon, in which, for the most part, the great Can is resident. Upon the one side of the sayde mount there is a great lake, whereupon a most stately bridge is built, in which lake a great abundance of geese, ducks, & all kinds of water foules, and in the wood growing upon the mount, there is a great store of all birdes and wilde beastes. And therefore when the great Can will solace himselfe with hunting or hauking, he needs not so much as once to step forth of his palace. Moreover, the principall palace, wherein he maketh his abode, is very large, having within it 14 pillers of golde, and all the walles thereof are hanged with red skinnes, which are said to be the most costly skinnes in all the world. In the midst of the palace stands a cisterne of two yards high, which consisteth of a precious stone called Merdochas, and is wreathed about with golde, & at ech corner thereof is the golden image of a serpent, as it were furiously shaking and casting forth his head. This cisterne also hath a kinde of network of pearle wrought about it. Likewise by the sayd cisterne there is drinke conveyed thorow certaine pipes and conducts such as useth to be drunke in the emperours court, upon the which also there hang many vessels of golde, wherein whosoever will may drinke of the said licour. In the foresayd palace there are many peacockes of golde: & when any Tartar maketh a banquet unto his lorde, if the guests chance to clap their hands for joy and mirth the said golden peacocks also will spread their wings abroad, and lift up their traines, seeming as if they danced, and this I suppose to be done by arte magicke or by some secret engine under the grounde.
[1:] Karamoron.
[2:] Sumacoto.