The ruins of the city occupy a large space.
(Langlois, V. en Cilicie, pp. 429-31; see also Beaufort's Karamania,
near the end.) A plan of Ayas will be found at the beginning of Bk. I.
- H. Y. and H. C.
CHAPTER IX.
HOW THE TWO BROTHERS CAME TO THE CITY OF ACRE.
[Ilustration: ACRE AS IT WAS WHEN LOST (A.D. 1291). FROM THE PLAN GIVEN BY
MARINO SANUTO]
They departed from Layas and came to ACRE, arriving there in the month of
April, in the year of Christ 1269, and then they learned that the Pope was
dead. And when they found that the Pope was dead (his name was Pope * *),
[NOTE 1] they went to a certain wise Churchman who was Legate for the
whole kingdom of Egypt, and a man of great authority, by name THEOBALD OF
PIACENZA, and told him of the mission on which they were come. When the
Legate heard their story, he was greatly surprised, and deemed the thing
to be of great honour and advantage for the whole of Christendom. So his
answer to the two Ambassador Brothers was this: "Gentlemen, ye see that
the Pope is dead; wherefore ye must needs have patience until a new Pope
be made, and then shall ye be able to execute your charge." Seeing well
enough that what the Legate said was just, they observed: "But while the
Pope is a-making, we may as well go to Venice and visit our households."
So they departed from Acre and went to Negropont, and from Negropont they
continued their voyage to Venice.[NOTE 2] On their arrival there, Messer
Nicolas found that his wife was dead, and that she had left behind her a
son of fifteen years of age, whose name was MARCO; and 'tis of him that
this Book tells.[NOTE 3] The Two Brothers abode at Venice a couple of
years, tarrying until a Pope should be made.
NOTE 1. - The deceased Pope's name is omitted both in the Geog. Text and in
Pauthier's, clearly because neither Rusticiano nor Polo remembered it. It
is supplied correctly in the Crusca Italian as Clement, and in Ramusio
as Clement IV.
It is not clear that Theobald, though generally adopted, is the
ecclesiastic's proper name. It appears in different MSS. as Teald (G.
T.), Ceabo for Teabo (Pauthier), Odoaldo (Crusca), and in the
Riccardian as Thebaldus de Vice-comitibus de Placentia, which
corresponds to Ramusio's version. Most of the ecclesiastical chroniclers
call him Tedaldus, some Thealdus. Tedaldo is a real name, occurring
in Boccaccio. (Day iii. Novel 7.)
NOTE 2. - After the expulsion of the Venetians from Constantinople,
Negropont was the centre of their influence in Romania. On the final
return of the travellers they again take Negropont on their way. [It was
one of the ports on the route from Venice to Constantinople, Tana,
Trebizond. - H. C.]
NOTE 3. - The edition of the Soc. de Geographie makes Mark's age
twelve, but I have verified from inspection the fact noticed by Pauthier
that the manuscript has distinctly xv. like all the other old texts. In
Ramusio it is nineteen, but this is doubtless an arbitrary correction to
suit the mistaken date (1250) assigned for the departure of the father
from Constantinople.
There is nothing in the old French texts to justify the usual statement
that Marco was born after the departure of his father from Venice. All
that the G. T. says is: "Meser Nicolau treuve que sa fame estoit morte, et
les remes un filz de xv. anz que avoit a nom Marc," and Pauthier's text is
to the same effect. Ramusio, indeed, has: "M. Nicolo trovo, che sua moglie
era morta, la quale nella sua partita haveva partorito un figliuolo," and
the other versions that are based on Pipino's seem all to have like
statements.
CHAPTER X.
HOW THE TWO BROTHERS AGAIN DEPARTED FROM VENICE, ON THEIR WAY BACK TO THE
GREAT KAAN, AND TOOK WITH THEM MARK, THE SON OF MESSER NICOLAS.
When the Two Brothers had tarried as long as I have told you, and saw that
never a Pope was made, they said that their return to the Great Kaan must
be put off no longer. So they set out from Venice, taking Mark along with
them, and went straight back to Acre, where they found the Legate of whom
we have spoken. They had a good deal of discourse with him concerning the
matter, and asked his permission to go to JERUSALEM to get some Oil from
the Lamp on the Sepulchre, to carry with them to the Great Kaan, as he had
enjoined.[NOTE 1] The Legate giving them leave, they went from Acre to
Jerusalem and got some of the Oil, and then returned to Acre, and went to
the Legate and said to him: "As we see no sign of a Pope's being made, we
desire to return to the Great Kaan; for we have already tarried long, and
there has been more than enough delay." To which the Legate replied:
"Since 'tis your wish to go back, I am well content." Wherefore he caused
letters to be written for delivery to the Great Kaan, bearing testimony
that the Two Brothers had come in all good faith to accomplish his charge,
but that as there was no Pope they had been unable to do so.
NOTE 1. - In a Pilgrimage of date apparently earlier than this, the Pilgrim
says of the Sepulchre: "The Lamp which had been placed by His head (when
He lay there) still burns on the same spot day and night. We took a
blessing from it (i.e. apparently took some of the oil as a beneficent
memorial), and replaced it." (Itinerarium Antonini Placentini in
Bollandists, May, vol.
