It will have been seen that there is nothing in the amounts mentioned in
Marco's will to bear out the large reports as to his wealth, though at the
same time there is no positive ground for a deduction to the contrary.[33]
The mention in two of the documents of Agnes Loredano as the sister of the
Lady Donata suggests that the latter may have belonged to the Loredano
family, but as it does not appear whether Agnes was maid or wife this
remains uncertain.[34]
Respecting the further history of the family there is nothing certain, nor
can we give unhesitating faith to Ramusio's statement that the last male
descendant of the Polos of S. Giovanni Grisostomo was Marco, who died
Castellano of Verona in 1417 (according to others, 1418, or 1425),[35] and
that the family property then passed to Maria (or Anna, as she is styled
in a MS. statement furnished to me from Venice), who was married in 1401
to Benedetto Cornaro, and again in 1414 to Azzo Trevisan. Her descendant
in the fourth generation by the latter was Marc Antonio Trevisano,[36] who
was chosen Doge in 1553.
[Illustration: Arms of the Trevisan family.]
The genealogy recorded by Marco Barbaro, as drawn up from documents by
Ramusio, makes the Castellano of Verona a grandson of our Marco by a son
Maffeo, whom we may safely pronounce not to have existed, and makes Maria
the daughter of Maffeo, Marco's brother - that is to say, makes a lady
marry in 1414 and have children, whose father was born in 1271 at the very
latest! The genealogy is given in several other ways, but as I have
satisfied myself that they all (except perhaps this of Barbaro's, which we
see to be otherwise erroneous) confound together the two distinct families
of Polo of S. Geremia and Polo of S. Giov. Grisostomo, I reserve my faith,
and abstain from presenting them. Assuming that the Marco or Marcolino
Polo, spoken of in the preceding page, was a near relation (as is
probable, though perhaps an illegitimate one), he is the only male
descendant of old Andrea of San Felice whom we can indicate as having
survived Marco himself; and from a study of the links in the professed
genealogies I think it not unlikely that both Marco the Castellano of
Verona and Maria Trevisan belonged to the branch of S. Geremia.[37] [See
vol. ii., App. C, p. 510.]
[49. bis. - It is interesting to note some of the reliques left by our
traveller.
I. The unfortunate Doge of Venice, Marino Faliero, seems to have possessed
many souvenirs of Marco Polo, and among them two manuscripts, one in the
handwriting of his celebrated fellow-citizen(?), and one adorned with
miniatures.
