Mine Host Then Untied The Threads
From Their Necks, And Sent Them Again Into The Water, Where They Fed
Themselves With Fish.
And, when satisfied, they returned to their master,
allowing themselves to be fastened to the poles as before.
I eat of these
fish, and found them very good.
Travelling thence many days, I came to another city named Canasia[1], which
signifies in their language the city of Heaven. I never saw so great a
city, for it is an hundred miles in circumference, and every part of it is
thoroughly inhabited, yea, many of its houses are ten or even twelve
stories high. 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.
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