Politeness; they behave like
gentlemen, and eat with great propriety.[NOTE 4] They show great respect
to their parents; and should there be any son who offends his parents, or
fails to minister to their necessities, there is a public office which has
no other charge but that of punishing unnatural children, who are proved
to have acted with ingratitude towards their parents.[NOTE 5]
Criminals of sundry kinds who have been imprisoned, are released at a time
fixed by the Great Kaan (which occurs every three years), but on leaving
prison they are branded on one cheek that they may be recognized.
The Great Kaan hath prohibited all gambling and sharping, things more
prevalent there than in any other part of the world. In doing this, he
said: "I have conquered you by force of arms, and all that you have is
mine; if, therefore, you gamble away your property, it is in fact my
property that you are gambling away." Not that he took anything from them
however.
I must not omit to tell you of the orderly way in which the Kaan's Barons
and others conduct themselves in coming to his presence.
