CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAMBALUC.
Now there was on that spot in old times a great and noble city called
CAMBALUC, which is as much as to say in our tongue "The city of the
Emperor."[NOTE 1] But the Great Kaan was informed by his Astrologers that
this city would prove rebellious, and raise great disorders against his
imperial authority. So he caused the present city to be built close beside
the old one, with only a river between them.[NOTE 2] And he caused the
people of the old city to be removed to the new town that he had founded;
and this is called TAIDU. [However, he allowed a portion of the people
which he did not suspect to remain in the old city, because the new one
could not hold the whole of them, big as it is.]
As regards the size of this (new) city you must know that it has a compass
of 24 miles, for each side of it hath a length of 6 miles, and it is
four-square. And it is all walled round with walls of earth which have a
thickness of full ten paces at bottom, and a height of more than 10
paces;[NOTE 3] but they are not so thick at top, for they diminish in
thickness as they rise, so that at top they are only about 3 paces thick.
And they are provided throughout with loop-holed battlements, which are
all whitewashed.
There are 12 gates, and over each gate there is a great and handsome
palace, so that there are on each side of the square three gates and five
palaces; for (I ought to mention) there is at each angle also a great and
handsome palace. In those palaces are vast halls in which are kept the
arms of the city garrison.[NOTE 4]
The streets are so straight and wide that you can see right along them
from end to end and from one gate to the other. And up and down the city
there are beautiful palaces, and many great and fine hostelries, and fine
houses in great numbers. [All the plots of ground on which the houses of
the city are built are four-square, and laid out with straight lines; all
the plots being occupied by great and spacious palaces, with courts and
gardens of proportionate size. All these plots were assigned to different
heads of families. Each square plot is encompassed by handsome streets for
traffic; and thus the whole city is arranged in squares just like a
chess-board, and disposed in a manner so perfect and masterly that it is
impossible to give a description that should do it justice.][NOTE 5]
Moreover, in the middle of the city there is a great clock - that is to
say, a bell - which is struck at night.
