[Sidenote: Ramusio's Account Of Marco's Liberation And Marriage.]
7. "The captivity of Messer Marco greatly disturbed the minds of Messer
Maffio and his father Messer Nicolo.
They had decided, whilst still on
their travels, that Marco should marry as soon as they should get to
Venice; but now they found themselves in this unlucky pass, with so much
wealth and nobody to inherit it. Fearing that Marco's imprisonment might
endure for many years, or, worse still, that he might not live to quit
it (for many assured them that numbers of Venetian prisoners had been
kept in Genoa a score of years before obtaining liberty); seeing too no
prospect of being able to ransom him, - a thing which they had attempted
often and by various channels, - they took counsel together, and came to
the conclusion that Messer Nicolo, who, old as he was, was still hale
and vigorous, should take to himself a new wife. This he did; and at the
end of four years he found himself the father of three sons, Stefano,
Maffio, and Giovanni. Not many years after, Messer Marco aforesaid,
through the great favour that he had acquired in the eyes of the first
gentlemen of Genoa, and indeed of the whole city, was discharged from
prison and set free. Returning home he found that his father had in the
meantime had those three other sons. Instead of taking this amiss, wise
and discreet man that he was, he agreed also to take a wife of his own.
He did so accordingly, but he never had any son, only two girls, one
called Moreta and the other Fantina.
"When at a later date his father died, like a good and dutiful son he
caused to be erected for him a tomb of very honourable kind for those
days, being a great sarcophagus cut from the solid stone, which to this
day may be seen under the portico before the Church of S. Lorenzo in
this city, on the right hand as you enter, with an inscription denoting
it to be the tomb of Messer Nicolo Polo of the contrada of S. Gio.
Chrisostomo. The arms of his family consist of a Bend with three birds
on it, and the colours, according to certain books of old histories in
which you see all the coats of the gentlemen of this city emblazoned,
are the field azure, the bend argent, and the three birds sable.
These last are birds of that kind vulgarly termed Pole,[8] or, as the
Latins call them, Gracculi.
[Sidenote: Ramusio's account of the Family Polo and its termination.]
8. "As regards the after duration of this noble and worthy family, I
find that Messer Andrea Polo of San Felice had three sons, the first of
whom was Messer Marco, the second Maffio, the third Nicolo. The two last
were those who went to Constantinople first, and afterwards to Cathay,
as has been seen. Messer Marco the elder being dead, the wife of Messer
Nicolo who had been left at home with child, gave birth to a son, to
whom she gave the name of Marco in memory of the deceased, and this is
the Author of our Book.
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