The Natives Of The City Are Men Of Peaceful Character, Both From Education
And From The Example Of Their Kings, Whose Disposition Was The Same.
They
know nothing of handling arms, and keep none in their houses.
You hear of
no feuds or noisy quarrels or dissensions of any kind among them. Both in
their commercial dealings and in their manufactures they are thoroughly
honest and truthful, and there is such a degree of good will and
neighbourly attachment among both men and women that you would take the
people who live in the same street to be all one family.[NOTE 8]
And this familiar intimacy is free from all jealousy or suspicion of the
conduct of their women. These they treat with the greatest respect, and a
man who should presume to make loose proposals to a married woman would be
regarded as an infamous rascal. They also treat the foreigners who visit
them for the sake of trade with great cordiality, and entertain them in
the most winning manner, affording them every help and advice on their
business. But on the other hand they hate to see soldiers, and not least
those of the Great Kaan's garrisons, regarding them as the cause of their
having lost their native kings and lords.
On the Lake of which we have spoken there are numbers of boats and barges
of all sizes for parties of pleasure. These will hold 10, 15, 20, or more
persons, and are from 15 to 20 paces in length, with flat bottoms and
ample breadth of beam, so that they always keep their trim. Any one who
desires to go a-pleasuring with the women, or with a party of his own sex,
hires one of these barges, which are always to be found completely
furnished with tables and chairs and all the other apparatus for a feast.
The roof forms a level deck, on which the crew stand, and pole the boat
along whithersoever may be desired, for the Lake is not more than 2 paces
in depth. The inside of this roof and the rest of the interior is covered
with ornamental painting in gay colours, with windows all round that can
be shut or opened, so that the party at table can enjoy all the beauty and
variety of the prospects on both sides as they pass along. And truly a
trip on this Lake is a much more charming recreation than can be enjoyed
on land. For on the one side lies the city in its entire length, so that
the spectators in the barges, from the distance at which they stand, take
in the whole prospect in its full beauty and grandeur, with its numberless
palaces, temples, monasteries, and gardens, full of lofty trees, sloping
to the shore. And the Lake is never without a number of other such boats,
laden with pleasure parties; for it is the great delight of the citizens
here, after they have disposed of the day's business, to pass the
afternoon in enjoyment with the ladies of their families, or perhaps with
others less reputable, either in these barges or in driving about the city
in carriages.[NOTE 9]
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 201 of 701
Words from 104188 to 104721
of 370046
