And So Some 30,000 People Go For It Every Day From Year's End To
Year's End.
Now this is a great goodness in the Emperor to take pity of
his poor people thus!
And they benefit so much by it that they worship him
as he were God.
[He also provides the poor with clothes. For he lays a tithe upon all
wool, silk, hemp, and the like, from which clothing can be made; and he
has these woven and laid up in a building set apart for the purpose; and
as all artizans are bound to give a day's labour weekly, in this way the
Kaan has these stuffs made into clothing for those poor families, suitable
for summer or winter, according to the time of year. He also provides the
clothing for his troops, and has woollens woven for them in every city,
the material for which is furnished by the tithe aforesaid. You should
know that the Tartars, before they were converted to the religion of the
Idolaters, never practised almsgiving. Indeed, when any poor man begged of
them they would tell him, "Go with God's curse, for if He loved you as He
loves me, He would have provided for you." But the sages of the Idolaters,
and especially the Bacsis mentioned before, told the Great Kaan that it
was a good work to provide for the poor, and that his idols would be
greatly pleased if he did so. And since then he has taken to do for the
poor so much as you have heard.[NOTE 1]]
NOTE 1.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 1218 of 1256
Words from 331688 to 331953
of 342071
