Qualiter et quare dominus | nicholaus
pauli de venetijs, et dominus marchus [rubric] | T [blue and red
illuminated initial with minute spread eagle in centre] Empore quo
transierunt ad partes [last three words rubric] | balduinus princeps
orientales. [last words rubric.]
Ends (14, 1 r'o, lines 26, 27): et diuersas prouincias deferuntur.
Explicit liber domini | marci pauli de venetis de diuisionibus et
consuetudinibus orientalium.
2. Odoric.
II., p. 534.
PARIS, see No. 18 - Bibliotheque Nationale Departement des
Manuscrits - Livre des Merveilles, Odoric de Pordenone, Mandeville, Hayton,
etc. - Reproduction des 265 miniatures du Manuscrit francais 2810 de la
Bibliotheque Nationale. Paris, Imprimerie Berthaud freres, 31, rue de
Bellefond, 2 vol. in 8.
Marco Polo, Planches, 1-84.
II., p. 539.
ANTWERP, Museum Plantin-Moretus. Exhibited in Room III., No. 61:
Extraits du Livre de Marco Polo de Venise et d'un livre sur l'origine de
quelques villes belges.
132 leaves; 185 x 270 millimeters, XVth Century. Adorned initials,
alternately blue and red. Headings of chapters underlined in red. Leather
binding XVIth century, with small flowers de luce; copper clasps and ten
nails. On the last leaf, in a running hand: Este liber partinet Nicholao
le buqueteur; the name of Abraham Vander Veken (Abra Vander Veque), and
the date 1600, 3/22, on the first and on the last but one leaves.
Fol. 2 recto. Extracta de libro dni Pauli de Venecijs de diver sis
provincijs et regnis maior[um] et de diversis moribus habitantiu[m] et de
multis mirabilibus in hijs locis et Asije. Eleven lines further: Quomodo
iverunt at Berchaman. Fol. 95 r: De Sancto Thoma apto ubi jacet et qno
mortu(us) est. Fol. 106 r: Epilogatio de maiori Yndia. F. 117 v, last
chapter: De dissentione orta inter Alandum Tartaror[um] et Bcha regem.
Ends, f. 118 r: Hii tamen reges proximi parentis erant et ambo ex
Chinchini imperialis progenie descendentes. Explicit.
The end of the MS. (f. 118-132) has for object the origin of Belgian
villages.
I owe this information to M.J. DENUCE.
II., p. 542.
FLORENCE, Riccardian Library, Catalan.
This manuscript has been discovered by Prof. Giovanni Vacca who has kindly
sent me the following information regarding this curious document not
mentioned by Yule, Amat di S. Filippo, or Uzielli: MS., 2048 cartac. sec.
XV. (?), bearing the following faulty title: Storia del Catay in lingua
spagnuola; 66 leaves, the last of which with a note by Piero Vaglienti.
Writing is pretty clear, much like that of the Catalan Map of 1375.
The text begins with the description of the city of Lop, and ends with
Georgia,
Fol. 65 v: "anaquesta provencia sisfa molta de seda evy ciutatz e viles
e castels assaiz e ay moltz bons azcos. Calre no se queus pusca dir er
perque fas vos si anaquest libre veus na sra benefit."
Somewhat similar to the end of MS. 2207, Ottob., sec. XIV., membr. of the
Vatican Library (reproduced by Amat di S. Filippo):
"En ycelle province fait on moult de soyt. Et si y a moult de villes,
cites et chasteaux, moult bons et beau. Autre chose ne vous en scay dire
par quoi je vous fais fins en ce livre."
Generally the text is correct; one does not find the great errors
contained in the Italian text given by Bartoli; it seems to follow very
closely the French text of the Societe de Geographie edited in 1824.
Here is a description of the city of Gambalech (fol. 20 r-20 v)
reproducing very closely a legend of the Catalan Map of 1375.
"Les ver que costa la ciutat de Camalech avia una grant Ciutat
antichament qui avi a nom garimbalu qui vol dir la Ciut del seyor e lo
gran cham troba per los strologians que aquesta ciutat se devia revelar
contra el axi que feila desabitar a feu fer la ciutat de Sambaleth e
axi .|. flum al miq evay fer venir poblar tota la jent que y staba, e ha
entorn a questa ciutat de Gambalech. XXIIIJ. legues e es ben murada e es
acayre sique ha de cascun cayre. VI. legues e a dalt lo mur XX. paces e
es de terre e ha. X. paces de gros e son totz los murs tant blanchs con
a neu e a en cascun cayre. IIJ. portes & en cascuna porta ha .|. palau dela
semblansa de les XII. que ditz vos aven e en cascun palau ha de beles
cambres e sales plenes darmatures ops da quells qui garden la ciutat los
carres son amples e lonchs e ayi que anant de la .|. porta alantre troba
hom de bells alberchs e de bels palaus qui son de gran seyors ayi que ela
es abitada de bells alberchs E en miss loch de la ciutat a 1. gran palau
en que ha 1'n. gran torra enquesta .|. gran seny | sona ho abans axique
pus que ha sonat no gosa anar ne gun per la vila si dons gran ops non ha
e ab lum e a cascuna porta garden. M. homes no per temensa que nayen
mes per honor del seyor e per latres e malfeitos.
"Per gardar la granea del seyor alo poder ell se fa gardar a XIJ'm homes a
Caval e ape-lense casitans, qui vol dir leyals cavalers a son seyor a
quests. XIJ'm. homes an. IIIJ. capitans ..."
The words underlined are included almost verbatim in the Catalan Map.
Cf. H. CORDIER, L'Extreme Orient dans l'Atlas Catalan, p. 14.
The manuscript begins, fol. I recto: "Aci comensa lo libre de les
provincies et de les encontrades que sont sotz la seyoria del gran
Emperador del Catay | lo qual ha la seyoria del Gamballech et seyor de los
Tartres ayi com ho reconta o messer March Pollo ciutada noble de Venecia.
Et primerament diun ay de la provincia de Tangut hon el stech XXVI. anys
per saber la veritat de les coses daval scrites."
Cf. Un manoscritto inedito del viaggi di Marco Polo.
