In Short, This
City Abounds In All Kind Of Provisions.
Travelling from thence through many cities, I came at length to a city
called Caitan or Zaiton[4], in which the minorite friars have two places of
abode, unto which I transported the bones of the dead friars formerly
mentioned, who suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ.
In this city,
which is twice as long as Bologna, there are abundance of provisions, and
it contains many monasteries of religious persons, who are devoted to the
worship of idols. I was in one of these monasteries, which was said to
contain 3000 religious men, and 11,000 idols, one of the smallest of which
was as large as our St Christopher. These religious men feed their idols
daily, serving up a banquet of good things before them, smoking hot, and
they affirm that their gods are refreshed and fed by the steam of the
victuals, which are afterwards carried away, and eaten up by the priests.
[1] Otherwise Mangi, or Southern China. - E.
[2] This place, which on the margin is corrected by the equally unknown
name of Ceuskala, was probably Canton; but having endeavoured to
explain the distorted names of places in China, in the travels of
Marco Polo, it is unnecessary to resume the almost impossible task in
these much less interesting, and perhaps fabricated travels of
Oderic. - E.
[3] Oderic here means pelicans, called alca-trarzi by the Spaniards.
- Hakluyt.
[4] Called in p. 404. Carchan. - E.
SECTION XI.
Of the City of Fuko, or Foquien.
Continuing my journey still farther to the east, I came to the city of
Foquien, which is thirty miles in circuit. The poultry here are very large,
and as white as snow, but have wool like sheep instead of feathers. This is
a stately and most beautiful city, and standeth on the sea. Travelling
onwards for eighteen days, I passed through many provinces and cities; and
in my way, I passed over a certain great mountain, on one side of which all
living creatures were quite black, whereas, on the other side, all were as
white as snow; and the inhabitants of the two sides of the mountain
differed exceedingly from each other, in their manners and customs. In
these parts, all the married women wear a large tire or cap of horn, like a
small barrel, on their heads, as a mark that they have husbands.
Journeying onwards for other eighteen days, I came to a city on a large
river, over which there is a prodigiously great bridge. The host with whom
I lodged in that city, willing to amuse me, carried me along with him to
this bridge, taking with him in his arms certain diving birds bound to
poles, and he tied a thread about every one of their necks, lest they might
swallow the fish they were to catch. He carried likewise three large
baskets to the river side. He then loosed his divers from the poles, on
which they went into the water, and in less than an hour, they caught as
many fish as filled the three baskets.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 345 of 425
Words from 179708 to 180231
of 222093
