Here, again, Pauthier's text has bleu. The Crusca in the
description of the Sensin omits the colours altogether; in the two other
passages referred to it has bioda, biodo.
["The Tao-sze, says Marco Polo, wear dresses of black and blue linen; i.e.
they wear dresses made of tatters of black and blue linen, as can be seen
also at the present day." (Palladius, 30.) - H. C.]
NOTE 19. - ["The idols of the Tao-sze, according to Marco Polo's statement,
have female names; in fact, there are in the pantheon of Taoism a great
many female divinities, still enjoying popular veneration in China; such
are Tow Mu (the 'Ursa major,' constellation), Pi-hia-yuen Kiun (the
celestial queen), female divinities for lying-in women, for children, for
diseases of the eyes; and others, which are to be seen everywhere. The
Tao-sze have, besides these, a good number of male divinities, bearing the
title of Kiun in common with female divinities; both these circumstances
might have led Marco Polo to make the above statement." (Palladius, p.
30.) - H. C.]
[1] This distance is taken from a tracing of the map prepared for Dr.
Bushell's paper quoted below. But there is a serious discrepancy
between this tracing and the observed position of Dolon-nor, which
determines that of Shang-tu, as stated to me in a letter from Dr.
Bushell.
