Chap. II. 
of Marco Polo 
chants, and Merchandifes of all forts are feen in Cambalu . 
The Money of the Great Khan is not made of Gold, or 
Silver, or other Metal •, but they take the middle Bark 
from the Mulberry-tree, and this they make firm, and cut 
into divers round Pieces, great and little, and imprint the 
King’s Mark thereon ; of this Paper-Money therefore the 
Emperor caufeth an huge Mafs to be made in the City of 
Cambalu , which fufficeth for the whole Empire, and no 
Man under Pain of Death may coin any other, or fpend 
any other Money, or refufe it in all his Kingdoms and 
Countries, nor any coming from another Kingdom dare 
■ fpend any other Money in the Empire of the Great Khan. 
Hence it follows, that Merchants often coming from re- 
mote Countries unto the City of Cambalu , bring with them 
Gold, Silver, Pearl, and Precious Stones, and receive the 
King’s Money for them ■, and becaufe this Money is not 
received in their Country, they change it again, in the Em- 
pire of the Great Khan, for Merchandize, which they carry 
away with them. He alfo payeth Stipends to his Officers, 
and Army, in the abovementioned Money. And laftly, 
whatever thing he needs in his Court, he buyeth with this 
Money. Wherefore there is not a King to be found in the 
World, who exceedeth him in Treafure, not expended on 
the Mint, as elfewhere. 
The Great Khan hath twelve Barons, as is faid, before 
which are the Council of War, who difpofe of martial Af- 
fairs, and the exalting or difgracing of Captains and Sol- 
diers. Their Office is called Thai, that is, the High Court, 
becaufe they have none above them but the Khan. Other 
twelve Barons are appointed Counfellors for the four*and- 
thirfy Provinces, which have a fair Palace in Cambalu , in 
which is for every Province a Judge, and many Notaries. 
Thefe have Power to chufe Governors of the faid Pro- 
vinces, and prefent their Names to the Khan, who con- 
firms them. Thefe alfo have the Charge of the Treafure to 
colled: and difpenfe the fame ; their Office is called Singh , 
that is, the fecorid Court, fubjed to none but the Khan, 
yet reputed lefs noble than the former, that being a military 
Eftabliffiment. 
There are many publick Roads from the City of Cam- 
balu , which conduit to the neighbouring Provinces, and 
In every one of them, at the End of five and twenty, or 
thirty Miles, are Lodgings or Inns built called Lambs , that 
is, Poft-houfes, with large and fair Courts, Chambers fur- 
niflied with Beds, and other Provifions, every way fit to 
entertain great Men, nay, even to lodge a King. The 
Provifions are laid in from the Country adjacent ; there are 
about four hundred Horfes, which are in Readinefs for 
Meffengers and EmbafTadors, who there leave their tired 
Horfes, and take frefli ; and in mountainous Places, where 
are no Villages, he fends People to inhabit, about ten 
thoufand at a Place, where thefe Lambs or Poft-Houfes 
are built, and they cultivating the Ground for their Provi- 
fions. Thefe excellent Regulations continue unto the ut- 
moft Limits of the Empire, fo that in the publick Ways 
throughout the whole Empire, about ten thoufand of the 
King’s Inns arc found •, and the Number of the Horfes ap- 
pointed for the Service of the Meffengers in thofe Inns, are 
more than two hundred thoufand, a thing almoft incredi- 
ble, hence it is that in a little while, with Change of Men and 
Horfe, Intelligence comes without Stop to the Court ; and 
if any wonder how fo many Men and Beafts ffiould be pro- 
vided for, he muff confider, that the Moors and Gentiles 
have many Women, and by them abundance of Children, 
forne having thirty Sons, which follow them, armed ; and 
for Victuals,- they fow three kinds of Seeds, Rice, Panike, 
and Millet, which yield an hundred Fold. They make no 
Bread, but boil thefe with Milk, or Flefh. Wheat will 
not fo increafe with them, nor fuffer they any Ground, 
which will bear, to lie untilled ; and the Cattle continually 
increafe, fo that each of them carries with him fix, eight, 
or more Horfes into the Field, for his own Perfon. The 
Horfes are employed by Turns, fo that of the four hundred, 
two hundred are in the Stables ready, the other two hun- 
dred at Grafs, each a Month at a Time. Their Cities alfo 
that are adjoining to Rivers or Lakes are appointed to have 
Ferry-boats in Readinefs for the Polls, and Cities on the 
Borders of Defarts' are directed to have Horfes and Pro- 
vifions-, for the Ufe of liich as pafs through thofe Defarts | 
but have a reafonabie Allowance • for this Service of the 
K han. In Cafes of great Cotifequence, the Poll rides with 
a Ger- Falcon Table j and is equipped fo, that he will ride 
. two hundred Miles in a Day, or two hundred and fifty 
fometimes ; alfo they ride all Night, Foot-Pdfts running 
by them with Lights, if the Moon does riot inline. 
They found a Horn, that the frefli Horfes may be 
brought forth for them to mount prefently, and having 
their Bellies and Heads girded, they run as faff, as the Horfe 
can go ; and thofe which are able to endure this exceffive 
riding, are on that Account in great Reputation among 
them, who admire nothing fo much as Horfenlanfhip. 
There are alfo between thefe Inns other Habitations, three 
or four Miles diftant one from another, in which there are 
a few Houfes, where Foot-Polls live, having each of them 
his Girdle hung full of fhrill founding Bells. Thefe keep' 
themfelves always ready, and as often as the Khan’s Let-r 
ters are fent to them, convey them fpeedily to the Foils 
at the next Village, who, hearing the Sound of the Foot- 
Poft coming, when at a Diftance, expeit him, and receive 
his Letters, prefently carry them to the next Watch , and fo 
the Letters pairing through feveral Elands, are conveyed, 
without Delay, to the Place whither they ought to come : 
And it often happens, that the King by this learns News, 
or receives new Fruits, from a Place, ten Days Journey Di- 
ftance in two Days. As for inftance. Fruits growing at 
Cambalu , in the Morning, by the next Day at Night are at 
Xandu •, but all the beforementioned Ports are free from all 
Tribute, and receive a great Recompence from their Labours 
from the King’s Rent- gatherers befides. Some alfo are ap- 
pointed to examine thefe Polls Monthly, and to pnnifli 
their Faults, if they are fairly convicted. 
He fends yearly to the divers Provinces of his Em- 
pire, to enquire whether any Prejudice be done to the Corn, 
by Tempefts, Locufts, Worms, or any other Means ; and 
when he hath Notice given him, that any Province or 
City hath fuftained any Damage, he remits his Tribute to 
that People for that Year, and fends Grain for Victual and 
for Seed out of his own Granaries ; for in a time of great 
Plenty the King buys abundance of Corn, and keeps it 
with great Care by his Officers, three or four Years in Gra- 
naries, that when there happens to be a Scarcity of Com in 
one Country, that DefeCt may be fupplied out of the 
King’s Store-houfes in another. Lie felleth his Grain for a 
fourth Part of the common Price, and always provides, that 
his Store-houfes are kept fully fupplied. Likewife when any 
Murrain lights among Cattle, he fends them other Cattle, 
which he has for Tenths in other Provinces ; and if a 
Thunderbolt has ftricken any Beaft of any Herd or Flock, 
he receives no Tribute from it for three Years, let the Herd 
be ever fo great ; neither will he receive any Cuftom of a 
Thunder-ftricken Sheep, as thinking God is angry with 
them that are fo ftricken. 
Likewife that Travellers may difcern all Places able to 
bear Trees, he hath caufed Trees to be planted, at a conve- 
nient Diftance one from another, near the principal Roads, 
and in the fandy and defart Places he hath caufed Stones and 
Pillars to be erected for that Purpofe, and Officers are ap- 
pointed to look to thefe things. He plants Trees the ra- 
ther becaufe his. Aftrologers tell him, that planting Trees 
lengthens the Life of Man. They make excellent Drink 
in the Province of Cathay , of Rice, and divers Spices, 
which in the 1 afte thereof excels the Flavour even of 
Wine ; and they who drink more greedily thereof than is 
fit, or the Nature of the Drinker can bear, become fooner 
intoxicated than if they had drank Wine. 
Through the whole Province of Cathay , certain black 
Stones are dug out of the Mountains, which put into the 
Fire, burn like Wood, and being kindled, preferve Fire 
a long Time, and if they be kindled in the Evening, they 
keep Fire all the Nighty and many ufe thofe Stones, 
Tiie Reader will eafily difcern, that what our Author fpeaks of here with fo much Wonder, is, in truth, nothing more than a Coal Mine whic 
might appear very ilrange to him, who very probably had never feen or heard of any fuch thing ; but feme of the Millenaries feem to be inexeufabls 
who have dreffed up this Matter with fuch pompous Expreffions, as might induce unwary Readers to believe, that the Chine fe dug Fire out of th 
&arth and that they laid it up m Cellars or Vaults j whereas after all, there is nothing ftranger in their digging and keeping Coals there, than wha 
t u lr ed ev «y Day m our own Country and very probably, if we were to examine other Wonders that are told us, as clofely and feverely a 
themfeive f s Ve,> WS e c ^ cover ^ ^ e y were rather rendered marvellous by the Ignorance of Relators, than by any thing fupernaturai i 
Numb. XI, II. 7 d , bscarf 
