Some for the city which is so great, some for the crowds of
Barons and Knights, some for the great hosts of the Emperor which are
quartered round about; and thus between court and city the quantity
brought in is endless.
As a sample, I tell you, no day in the year passes that there do not enter
the city 1000 cart-loads of silk alone, from which are made quantities of
cloth of silk and gold, and of other goods. And this is not to be wondered
at; for in all the countries round about there is no flax, so that
everything has to be made of silk. It is true, indeed, that in some parts
of the country there is cotton and hemp, but not sufficient for their
wants. This, however, is not of much consequence, because silk is so
abundant and cheap, and is a more valuable substance than either flax or
cotton.
Round about this great city of Cambaluc there are some 200 other cities at
various distances, from which traders come to sell their goods and buy
others for their lords; and all find means to make their sales and
purchases, so that the traffic of the city is passing great.
NOTE 1. - It would seem to have been usual to reckon twelve suburbs to
Peking down to modern times.
