It Has Many Large Suburbs, Which Contain More Inhabitants
Than Even The City Itself.
There are twelve principal gates; and at the
distance of about eight miles from every one of these there is a large
city, each of them larger, in my opinion, than Venice or Padua.
The city of
Canasia is situated among waters or lakes, which are always stagnant,
without flux or reflux, and it is defended against the violence of the wind
in the same manner as Venice. In this city there are more than 10,002
bridges[2], many of which I counted and passed over; and on every one of
these, there stand certain watchmen, constantly keeping guard for the great
khan, or emperor of Cathay. The people of the country informed me that they
have to pay, as tribute to their lord, one balis for every fire. Now one
balis consists of five pieces of silken paper, which are worth one florin
and a half of our coin. Ten or twelve households are counted as one fire,
and only pay accordingly. All these tributary fires amount to eighty-five
tomans, besides four tomans of the Saracens, making in all eighty-nine
tomans; and one toman contains 10,000 fires[3]. The residue of the people
consist of some Christians, some merchants, and some who travel through the
country. I marvelled how it were possible for such an infinite number of
people to live together, and get food; yet there is great abundance of
provisions, such as bread and wine, and other necessaries, especially hogs
flesh.
[1] Cansai, Quinzay, or Quinsay. - Hakluyt.
[2] In the Italian copy, published by Ramusio, the number of bridges is
extended to 11,000. - Hakluyt.
[3] This enumeration would give 890,000 fires, or almost ten millions of
households; which at four persons to each, would produce an aggregate
population of 39 millions of people for Quinsay alone. The tribute, as
stated by Oderic, amounts to 6,675,000 florins. - E.
SECTION XII.
Of a Monastery, having many different kinds of Animals on a certain Hill.
In this city of Quinsay, four of our friars had converted a powerful man to
the Christian faith, in whose house I abode all the time I remained in that
place. This man once addressed me, by the name of Ara or father, asking
me to visit the city. Embarking in a boat, he carried me to a certain
monastery, where he spoke to one of the priests of his acquaintance,
saying, "this Raban, or religious man of the Francs, coming from the
western parts of the earth, is on his way to Cambalu to pray for the life
of the great khan, and you must shew him some rare thing, that he may be
able to say on his return to his own country, what strange and novel sights
he has beheld in our city of Quinsay." Then the priest took two great
baskets full of broken victuals, and led me to a small walled inclosure, of
which he had the key, the door of which he unlocked, and we went into a
pleasant green plot, in which stood a small hillock like a steeple, all
adorned with fragrant herbs and trees. He then beat upon a cymbal, at the
sound of which many animals of various kinds came down, from the mount,
some like apes, some like cats, others like monkeys, and some having human
faces, which gathered around him to the number of four thousand, and placed
themselves in seemly order. He set down the broken victuals for them to
eat; and when they had eaten, he rung again upon his cymbal, and they all
returned to their places of abode. Wondering greatly at this strange sight,
this man informed me that these creatures were animated by the souls of
departed persons of rank, and that they were fed by him and his brethren
out of love for the God that governs the world. He added, that, when a man
was noble in this life, his soul entered, after death, into the body of
some excellent beast, while the souls of the deceased common rude people,
possess the bodies of vile animals. I then endeavoured to refute that gross
error, but my arguments were all in vain, as he could not believe that any
soul could exist without a body.
From Quinsay I went to the city of Chilenso, which is forty miles round,
and contains 360 stone bridges, the fairest I ever saw. This place is well
inhabited, has a vast number of ships, and abundance of provisions and
commodities. From thence I went to a great river called Thalay, which is
seven miles broad where narrowest, and it runs through the midst of the
land of the Pigmies, whose chief city is Kakam, one of the finest of the
world. These Pigmies are only three spans in height, yet they manufacture
larger and better cloths of cotton and silk, than any other people. Passing
that river, I came to the city of Janzu, in which there is a house for the
friars of our order, and there are also three churches belonging to the
Nestorians. This Janzu is a great and noble city, having forty-eight tomans
of tributary fires, and abounds in all manner of victuals, flesh, fish, and
fowl. The lord of this city has fifty tomans of balis in yearly revenue
from salt alone; and as every bali is worth a florin and a half of our
money, one toman is worth 15,000 florins, and the salt revenue of this city
is 750,000 florins. This lord has been known to forgive 200 tomans of
arrears at one time to his people, or three millions of florins, lest they
should be reduced to distress. There is a strange fashion in this city,
when any one inclines to give a banquet to his friends: He goes about to
certain taverns or cooks shops, informing each of the landlords, that such
and such of his friends are to come there for entertainment in his name,
and that he will allow a certain sum for the banquet.
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