No one would on any account touch the vessel with his mouth, nor
give a stranger drink with it. But if the stranger have no vessel of his
own they will pour the drink into his hands and he may thus drink from his
hands as from a cup.]
They are very strict in executing justice upon criminals, and as strict in
abstaining from wine. Indeed they have made a rule that wine-drinkers and
seafaring men are never to be accepted as sureties. For they say that to
be a seafaring man is all the same as to be an utter desperado, and that
his testimony is good for nothing.[1] Howbeit they look on lechery as no
sin.
[They have the following rule about debts. If a debtor shall have been
several times asked by his creditor for payment, and shall have put him
off from day to day with promises, then if the creditor can once meet the
debtor and succeed in drawing a circle round him, the latter must not pass
out of this circle until he shall have satisfied the claim, or given
security for its discharge. If he in any other case presume to pass the
circle he is punished with death as a transgressor against right and
justice. And the said Messer Marco, when in this kingdom on his return
home, did himself witness a case of this. It was the King, who owed a
foreign merchant a certain sum of money, and though the claim had often
been presented, he always put it off with promises. Now, one day when the
King was riding through the city, the merchant found his opportunity, and
drew a circle round both King and horse. The King, on seeing this, halted,
and would ride no further; nor did he stir from the spot until the
merchant was satisfied. And when the bystanders saw this they marvelled
greatly, saying that the King was a most just King indeed, having thus
submitted to justice.[NOTE 14]]
You must know that the heat here is sometimes so great that 'tis something
wonderful. And rain falls only for three months in the year, viz. in June,
July, and August. Indeed but for the rain that falls in these three
months, refreshing the earth and cooling the air, the drought would be so
great that no one could exist.[NOTE 15]
They have many experts in an art which they call Physiognomy, by which
they discern a man's character and qualities at once. They also know the
import of meeting with any particular bird or beast; for such omens are
regarded by them more than by any people in the world. Thus if a man is
going along the road and hears some one sneeze, if he deems it (say) a
good token for himself he goes on, but if otherwise he stops a bit, or
peradventure turns back altogether from his journey.[NOTE 16]
As soon as a child is born they write down his nativity, that is to say
the day and hour, the month, and the moon's age. This custom they observe
because every single thing they do is done with reference to astrology,
and by advice of diviners skilled in Sorcery and Magic and Geomancy, and
such like diabolical arts; and some of them are also acquainted with
Astrology.
[All parents who have male children, as soon as these have attained the
age of 13, dismiss them from their home, and do not allow them further
maintenance in the family. For they say that the boys are then of an age
to get their living by trade; so off they pack them with some twenty or
four-and-twenty groats, or at least with money equivalent to that. And
these urchins are running about all day from pillar to post, buying and
selling. At the time of the pearl-fishery they run to the beach and
purchase, from the fishers or others, five or six pearls, according to
their ability, and take these to the merchants, who are keeping indoors
for fear of the sun, and say to them: "These cost me such a price; now
give me what profit you please on them." So the merchant gives something
over the cost price for their profit. They do in the same way with many
other articles, so that they become trained to be very dexterous and keen
traders. And every day they take their food to their mothers to be cooked
and served, but do not eat a scrap at the expense of their fathers.]
In this kingdom and all over India the birds and beasts are entirely
different from ours, all but one bird which is exactly like ours, and that
is the Quail. But everything else is totally different. For example they
have bats, - I mean those birds that fly by night and have no feathers of
any kind; well, their birds of this kind are as big as a goshawk! Their
goshawks again are as black as crows, a good deal bigger than ours, and
very swift and sure.
Another strange thing is that they feed their horses with boiled rice and
boiled meat, and various other kinds of cooked food. That is the reason
why all the horses die off.[NOTE 17]
They have certain abbeys in which are gods and goddesses to whom many
young girls are consecrated; their fathers and mothers presenting them to
that idol for which they entertain the greatest devotion. And when the
[monks] of a convent[2] desire to make a feast to their god, they send
for all those consecrated damsels and make them sing and dance before the
idol with great festivity.
