165-166, and the Court of the Emperor Frederic II., in Kington's
Life of that prince, I. 470. (See also N. et E. XIV. 410; Cathay,
143; Ysb. Ides, p. 95.)
CHAPTER XIV.
CONCERNING THE GREAT FEAST HELD BY THE GRAND KAAN EVERY YEAR ON HIS
BIRTHDAY.
You must know that the Tartars keep high festival yearly on their
birthdays. And the Great Kaan was born on the 28th day of the September
moon, so on that day is held the greatest feast of the year at the Kaan's
Court, always excepting that which he holds on New Year's Day, of which
I shall tell you afterwards.[NOTE 1]
Now, on his birthday, the Great Kaan dresses in the best of his robes, all
wrought with beaten gold;[NOTE 2] and full 12,000 Barons and Knights on
that day come forth dressed in robes of the same colour, and precisely
like those of the Great Kaan, except that they are not so costly; but
still they are all of the same colour as his, and are also of silk and
gold. Every man so clothed has also a girdle of gold; and this as well as
the dress is given him by the Sovereign. And I will aver that there are
some of these suits decked with so many pearls and precious stones that a
single suit shall be worth full 10,000 golden bezants.
And of such raiment there are several sets. For you must know that the
Great Kaan, thirteen times in the year, presents to his Barons and Knights
such suits of raiment as I am speaking of.[NOTE 3] And on each occasion
they wear the same colour that he does, a different colour being assigned
to each festival. Hence you may see what a huge business it is, and that
there is no prince in the world but he alone who could keep up such
customs as these.
On his birthday also, all the Tartars in the world, and all the countries
and governments that owe allegiance to the Kaan, offer him great presents
according to their several ability, and as prescription or orders have
fixed the amount. And many other persons also come with great presents to
the Kaan, in order to beg for some employment from him. And the Great Kaan
has chosen twelve Barons on whom is laid the charge of assigning to each
of these supplicants a suitable answer.
On this day likewise all the Idolaters, all the Saracens, and all the
Christians and other descriptions of people make great and solemn
devotions, with much chaunting and lighting of lamps and burning of
incense, each to the God whom he doth worship, praying that He would save
the Emperor, and grant him long life and health and happiness.
And thus, as I have related, is celebrated the joyous feast of the Kaan's
birthday.[NOTE 4]
Now I will tell you of another festival which the Kaan holds at the New
Year, and which is called the White Feast.
NOTE 1. - The Chinese Year commences, according to Duhalde, with the New
Moon nearest to the Sun's Passage of the middle point of Aquarius;
according to Pauthier, with the New Moon immediately preceding the Sun's
entry into Pisces. (These would almost always be identical, but not
always.) Generally speaking, the first month will include part of February
and part of March. The eighth month will then be September-October
(v. ante, ch. ii. note 2).
[According to Dr. S. W. Williams (Middle Kingdom, II. p. 70): "The year
is lunar, but its commencement is regulated by the sun. New Year falls on
the first new moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which makes it come not
before January 21st nor after February 19th." "The beginning of the civil
year, writes Peter Hoang (Chinese Calendar, p. 13), depends upon the
good pleasure of the Emperors. Under the Emperor Hwang-ti (2697 B.C.) and
under the Hsia Dynasty (2205 B.C.), it was made to commence with the 3rd
month yin-yueeh [Pisces]; under the Shang Dynasty (1766 B.C.) with the
2nd month ch'ou-yueeh [Aquarius], and under the Chou Dynasty (1122 B.C.)
with the 1st month tzu-yueeh [Capricorn]." - H. C.]
NOTE 2. - The expression "a or batuz" as here applied to robes, is common
among the mediaeval poets and romance-writers, e.g. Chaucer: -
"Full yong he was and merry of thought,
And in samette with birdes wrought
And with gold beaten full fetously,
His bodie was clad full richely."
- Rom. of the Rose, 836-839.
M. Michel thinks that in a stuff so termed the gold wire was beaten out
after the execution of the embroidery, a process which widened the
metallic surface and gave great richness of appearance. The fact was
rather, however, according to Dr. Rock, that the gold used in weaving such
tissues was not wire but beaten sheets of gold cut into narrow strips.
This would seem sufficient to explain the term "beaten gold," though Dr.
Rock in another passage refers it to a custom which he alleges of sewing
goldsmith's work upon robes. (Fr. Michel, Recherches, II. 389, also I.
371; Rock's Catalogue, pp. xxv. xxix. xxxviii. cvi.)
NOTE 3. - The number of these festivals and distributions of dresses is
thirteen in all the old texts, except the Latin of the Geog. Soc., which
has twelve. Thirteen would seem therefore to have been in the original
copy. And the Ramusian version expands this by saying, "Thirteen great
feasts that the Tartars keep with much solemnity to each of the thirteen
moons of the year."[1] It is possible, however, that this latter sentence
is an interpolated gloss; for, besides the improbability of munificence so
frequent, Pauthier has shown some good reasons why thirteen should be
regarded as an error for three.
