In A Later Note M. Pauthier Speaks Of 1284 As The Date At Which The Sing
Of The Province Of Kiang-Che Was Transferred From Yang-Chau To Hang-Chau;
This Is Probably To Be Taken As A Correction Of The Former Citations, And
It Better Justifies Polo's Statement.
(Pauthier, pp.
467, 492.)
I do not think that we are to regard Marco as having held at any time the
important post of Governor-General of Kiang-che. The expressions in the G.
T. are: "Meser Marc Pol meisme, celui de cui trate ceste livre,
seingneurie ceste cite por trois anz." Pauthier's MS. A. appears to read:
"Et ot seigneurie, Marc Pol, en ceste cite, trois ans." These
expressions probably point to the government of the Lu or circuit of
Yang-chau, just as we find in ch. lxxiii. another Christian, Mar Sarghis,
mentioned as Governor of Chin-kiang fu for the same term of years, that
city being also the head of a Lu. It is remarkable that in Pauthier's
MS. C., which often contains readings of peculiar value, the passage runs
(and also in the Bern MS.): "Et si vous dy que ledit Messire Marc Pol,
cellui meisme de qui nostre livre parle, sejourna, en ceste cite de
Janguy. iii. ans accompliz, par le commandement du Grant Kaan," in which
the nature of his employment is not indicated at all (though sejourna
may be an error for seigneura). The impression of his having been
Governor-General is mainly due to the Ramusian version, which says
distinctly indeed that "M. Marco Polo di commissione del Gran Can n' ebbe
il governo tre anni continui in luogo di un dei detti Baroni," but it is
very probable that this is a gloss of the translator.
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