- Pauthier's text has: "Chascun Roy fait chascun an le compte de
son royaume aux comptes du grant siege," where I suspect the last word is
again a mistake for sing or scieng. (See supra, Bk. II. ch. xxv.,
note 1.) It is interesting to find Polo applying the term king to the
viceroys who ruled the great provinces; Ibn Batuta uses a corresponding
expression, sultan. It is not easy to make out the nine kingdoms or
great provinces into which Polo considered Manzi to be divided. Perhaps
his nine is after all merely a traditional number, for the "Nine
Provinces" was an ancient synonym for China proper, just as Nau-Khanda,
with like meaning, was an ancient name of India. (See Cathay, p. cxxxix.
note; and Reinaud, Inde, p. 116.) But I observe that on the portage
road between Chang-shan and Yuh-shan (infra, p. 222) there are stone
pillars inscribed "Highway (from Che-kiang) to Eight Provinces," thus
indicating Nine. (Milne, p. 319.)
NOTE 11. - We have in Ramusio: "The men levied in the province of Manzi are
not placed in garrison in their own cities, but sent to others at least 20
days' journey from their homes; and there they serve for four or five
years, after which they are relieved. This applies both to the Cathayans
and to those of Manzi.
"The great bulk of the revenue of the cities, which enters the exchequer
of the Great Kaan, is expended in maintaining these garrisons.
