Chap. II. 
e/ Marco Polo. 
Places full of People and Trades ; and in this Part of 
Mangi are no Sheep, but Beavers, Buffaloes, Goats, and 
Swine in great Plenty. At the End of four Days Jour- 
ney farther is the City Zengian , built on a Hill in the 
Midft of a River, which, dividing into two Branches, en- 
compafles it, and then runs one to the South-Eaft, the 
other to the North- Weft. This City is in the Jurifdic- 
tion of Quinfai, and its Inhabitants are Merchants, alfo 
and Idolaters •, this Country abounds with all Sorts of 
Game. Three Days Journey from thence, through a moft 
pleafant Country, exceeding well inhabited, Hands Gieza , 
a great City, which is thelaft of the Quinfai Kingdom •, af- 
ter which you enter into another Kingdom of Mangi , 
called Concha *, the principal City thereof is Fugiu , by 
which you travel fix Days Journey South-Eaft, through 
Hills and Dales, always finding Places inhabited, and 
Plenty of Game, of Beafts, and Fowl ; they are Idolaters, 
Merchants fubjedt to the Khan. There are ftout Lions : 
and here grow Ginger, and Galingale in great Plenty, with 
other Sorts of Spices *, eight Pounds of Ginger are fold for 
a Venetian Groat. There is an Herb, whofe Fruit hath 
the Effedt, and gives the Colour and Smell of Saffron, but 
Is not Saffron, which is ufed in their Meats. They com- 
monly eat Man’s Flefh, if the Perfons die not of Sicknefs, 
as better rafted than others. When they go into the 
Field, they fhaveto the Ears, and paint their Faces with 
Azure; they ferve on hoot, except the Captain, who 
rides, and ufes a Sword and Lance *, they are very cruel, 
and when they kill an Enemy prefently drink his Blood, 
and afterwards eat his Flefh. 
After fix Days Journey is Quelinfu , a great City with 
three Bridges, each eight Paces broad, and above an hun- 
dred long : The Women fair and delicately fhaped. They 
have abundance of Silk and Cotton, are great Merchants, 
have Plenty of Ginger and Galingale. I was told, but 
faw them not, that they have Hens without Feathers, 
hairy like Cats, which yet lay Eggs, and are good to eat. 
Here are many Lions, which make the Way very dan- 
gerous. After three Days Journey, you arrive in a popu- 
lous Country, inhabited by Idolaters, who make abundance 
of filk Manufactures, the chief City is XJnguem , where is 
great Plenty of Sugar, fent thence to Cambalu , which they 
knew not how to make good till they became fubjeCt to 
the Khan, in whofe Court were Babilonians , which taught 
them to refine it with Allies of certain Trees, they only 
boiling it before into a black Pafte. Fifteen Miles farther 
lies Cangiu^ ftiil in die Realm of Concha , and here the 
Khan keeps an Army in Readinefs for a Guard of the 
Country. Through this City paftes a Rivera Mile broad, 
fairly built on both Sides, and abounding with Ships carrying 
Sugar, and other Lading. This River difembogues from 
hence five - Days Journey South-Eaft at Zaetum , a Sea- 
port, from which the rich Ships of India come to this 
pleafant City, as is all the Country betwixt, in which are 
Trees and Shrubs of Camphire. Zaitum is a famous Port, 
where all the Ships arrive with Merchandize, thence dif- 
perfed through all India. There is here fuch a Quantity 
of Pepper, that what comes by Alexandria to the Weft is 
little to it, and, as it were, one of a hundred. The 
Concourfe of Merchants is incredible, it being one of the 
moft commodious Ports in the World, exceeding profita- 
ble to the Khan, who receives Cuftom at the rate of ten 
• in the Hundred of all Merchandize. They pay fo much 
for Hire of Ships alfo, that there is not above one half of 
their Merchandize remaining entire to themfelves, and yet 
thatMoiety yields vaft Profit to them. The Citizens are ido- 
latrous, given to Plqafure ; in it are many Artificers in em- 
broidered and Arras Work. The River is great, very wide, 
and Iwift, and one Arm of it runs to Fhunfai , at the part- 
ing of which is Fringui fituated, where Porcelane Difhes 
are made. I was told of a certain Earth, which they call 
up in Hills, and fo let lie expofed to ail Weathers for thirty 
or forty Years without ftirring •, after which, refining by 
Time, they make Difhes, paint them, and then put 
them in the Furnace. You may there have eight Dillies 
for one Venetian Groat. In this Kingdom of Concha , the 
Khan has as great a Revenue almoft as that of the Kingdom 
of Quinfai. In thefe two Matter Marco was, and in none of 
the other nine Kingdoms of Mangi , in all which one 
Language is ufed, widiVariety of Dialed!, and but one Sort: 
of Writing ; and therefore we will fpeak no more of 
them, but in the next Book diffourfe of India the Greater, 
the Middle, and the Eels, in which he was both in the 
Service of the Khan, and alfo in his Return with th« 
Queen to Argon. 
22. We will now enter into the Affairs of India , and 
begin with their Ships, which are made of Firr, with one 
Deck, on which are twenty Cabins, more or lefs, according 
to the Bignefs of the Ships, each for one Merchant. 
They have a good Rudder, and four Malts with four 
Sails, and lome two Malts, which they either raife or take 
down at Pleafure. Some greater Ships have thirteen Di- 
vifions on the Infide, made with Boards inchafed, fo that 
if by a Blow of a whale, or Touch of a Rock, Water gets 
in, it can go no farther than that Divifion, and the Leak 
being found, is foon flopped. They are double, that is, 
have two Courfes of Boards, one within the other, and are 
well calked with Oakam, and nailed with Iron, but not 
pitched, for they have no Pitch, but anointed with an Oil 
of a certain Tree mixed with Lime and Hemp, beaten 
fmall, which binds fatter than Pitch or Lime. The greater 
Ships have three hundred Mariners, the others two hun- 
dred, or one hundred and fifty, as they are in Bignefs and 
in Burthen, from five to fix thou land Bags of Pepper d ; 
and they were wont to be larger than now they are, the 
Sea having broken into Parts and Hands, that the Defect 
of Water in fome Places, caufeth them to build lels. 
They ule alfo Oars in thefe Ships, four Men to one Oar ; 
and the greater Ships have with them two or three lefs 
Ships, able to carry a thoufand Bags of Pepper, having 
fixty Mariners, or upwards, on board -, which fmall Ships 
ferve fometimes to tow the greater. They have alfo with 
them ten fmall Boats for Fifhing and other Services, fa- 
ttened to the Sides of the larger Ships, and let down when 
they pleafe to ufe them. They fheath their Ships alfo af- 
ter a Year’s Ufage, fo that then they have three Courfes 
of Boards, and they proceed in this Manner fometimes 
till there be fix Courfes, after which they break them up. 
Having fpoken of the Ships, we will fpeak of India> and 
firft, of certain Hands. 
Zipangu , i. e. Japan , is an Hand on the Eaft, one 
thoufand five hundred Miles diftant from the Shores of 
Mhngi , very great, the People of white Complexion, 
of gentle Behaviour, in Religion Idolaters, and have a 
King of their own. They have Gold in great Plenty, for 
few Merchants come thither, and the King permits no Ex- 
portation of it ; and they which have carried on Com- 
merce there, fpeak of the King’s Houfe covered with 
Gold, as Churches here with Lead, gilded Windows, 
Floors of Gold. There are alfo many Pearls. Once the 
Fame of thefe Riches made Cublai-Khan to fend to con- 
quer it, two of his Barons with a great Fleet of Ships, one 
named Abbaca , and the other Venfanjin , who going 
from Zaitum and Quinfai , arrived there, but falling out 
between themfelves, could take but one City, and there 
beheaded all they took, except eight Perfons, which, by 
an inchanted precious Stone, inclofed in the Right-arm 
between the Skin and Flefh, could not be wounded with 
Iron ; whereupon, with wooden Clubs, at the Command 
of the two Barons, they were (lain. It happened one 
Day, that a northern Wind blew hard, which was dange- 
rous to the Ships riding there, fo that fome were loft, fome 
put out farther to Sea, and others, with the two Leaders 
and a few principal Perfons, returned home. Out of many 
broken Ships fome efcaped by Boards and fwimming to an 
Ifland not inhabited, four Miles off Zipangu , and were 
about thirty thoufand, without Provifions or Arms, againffe 
whom the Zipanguaners , after the Tempeft was calmed* 
fet out a Fleet of Ships, and an Army,, Thefe coming 
on Land to feek the wrecked Far tars without Order* 
gave Occafion to the Fartars to wheel about, the Hand 
being high in the Midft, and to get unfeen to their Ships* 
d This Account of the Ships ufed in the Trade of the Eaft- Indies, agrees exactly with the modern Relations ; and though, without doubt, they fall 
very far fnort of our Ships for many' Purpoies ; yet for fome, and the Nature of fiiofe Seas confidered, they may be, and very probably are, mots 
convenient. 
which-.. 
