And All The
While They Are So Light That Ten Bezants' Worth Does Not Weigh One Golden
Bezant.
Furthermore all merchants arriving from India or other countries, and
bringing with them gold or silver or gems and pearls, are prohibited from
selling to any one but the Emperor.
He has twelve experts chosen for this
business, men of shrewdness and experience in such affairs; these appraise
the articles, and the Emperor then pays a liberal price for them in those
pieces of paper. The merchants accept his price readily, for in the first
place they would not get so good an one from anybody else, and secondly
they are paid without any delay. And with this paper-money they can buy
what they like anywhere over the Empire, whilst it is also vastly lighter
to carry about on their journeys. And it is a truth that the merchants
will several times in the year bring wares to the amount of 400,000
bezants, and the Grand Sire pays for all in that paper. So he buys such a
quantity of those precious things every year that his treasure is endless,
whilst all the time the money he pays away costs him nothing at all.
Moreover, several times in the year proclamation is made through the city
that any one who may have gold or silver or gems or pearls, by taking them
to the Mint shall get a handsome price for them. And the owners are glad
to do this, because they would find no other purchaser give so large a
price.
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