Chapter XXXIV (1)

CONCERNING THE RELIGION OF THE CATHAYANS;{1} THEIR VIEWS
AS TO THE SOUL; AND THEIR CUSTOMS.

As we have said before, these people are Idolaters, and as regards their gods, each has a tablet fixed high up on the wall of his chamber, on which is inscribed a name which represents the Most High and Heavenly God; and before this they pay daily worship, offering incense from a thurible, raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth{2} three times, praying Him to grant them health of mind and body; but of Him they ask nought else. And below on the ground there is a figure which they call _Natigai_, which is the god of things terrestrial. To him they give a wife and children, and they worship him in the same manner, with incense, and gnashing of teeth,{2} and lifting up of hands; and of him they ask seasonable weather, and the fruits of the earth, children, and so forth.{3}

Their view of the immortality of the soul is after this fashion. They believe that as soon as a man dies, his soul enters into another body, going from a good to a better, or from a bad to a worse, according as he hath conducted himself well or ill. That is to say, a poor man, if he have passed through life good and sober, shall be born again of a gentlewoman, and shall be a gentleman; and on a second occasion shall be born of a princess and shall be a prince, and so on, always rising, till he be absorbed into the Deity. But if he have borne himself ill, he who was the son of a gentleman shall be reborn as the son of a boor, and from a boor shall become a dog, always going down lower and lower.

The people have an ornate style of speech; they salute each other with a cheerful countenance, and with great politeness; they behave like gentlemen, and eat with great propriety.{4} They show great respect to their parents; and should there be any son who offends his parents, or fails to minister to their necessities, there is a public office which has no other charge but that of punishing unnatural children, who are proved to have acted with ingratitude towards their parents.{5}

Criminals of sundry kinds who have been imprisoned, are released at a time fixed by the Great Kaan (which occurs every three years), but on leaving prison they are branded on one cheek that they may be recognized.

The Great Kaan hath prohibited all gambling and sharping, things more prevalent there than in any other part of the world. In doing this, he said: “I have conquered you by force of arms, and all that you have is mine; if, therefore, you gamble away your property, it is in fact my property that you are gambling away.” Not that he took anything from them however.

I must not omit to tell you of the orderly way in which the Kaan’s Barons and others conduct themselves in coming to his presence. In the first place, within a half mile of the place where he is, out of reverence for his exalted majesty, everybody preserves a mien of the greatest meekness and quiet, so that no noise of shrill voices or loud talk shall be heard. And every one of the chiefs and nobles carries always with him a handsome little vessel to spit in whilst he remain in the Hall of Audience—for no one dares spit on the floor of the hall,—and when he hath spitten he covers it up and puts it aside.{6} So also they all have certain handsome buskins of white leather, which they carry with them, and, when summoned by the sovereign, on arriving at the entrance to the hall, they put on these white buskins, and give their others in charge to the servants, in order that they may not foul the fine carpets of silk and gold and divers colours.]

NOTE 1.—Ramusio’s heading has _Tartars_, but it is manifestly of
the Cathayans or Chinese that the author speaks throughout this
chapter.

NOTE 2.—“_Sbattendo i denti_.” This is almost certainly, as Marsden
has noticed, due to some error of transcription. Probably _Battono
i fronti_, or something similar, was the true reading. [See
following note, p. 461.—H. C.]

NOTE 3.—The latter part of this passage has, I doubt not, been
more or less interpolated, seeing that it introduces again as a
_Chinese_ divinity the rude object of primitive Tartar worship,
of which we have already heard in Bk. I. ch. liii. And regarding
the former part of the passage, one cannot but have some doubt
whether what was taken for the symbol of the Most High was not
the ancestral tablet, which is usually placed in one of the inner
rooms of the house, and before which worship is performed at fixed
times, and according to certain established forms. Something, too,
may have been known of the Emperor’s worship of Heaven at the
great circular temple at Peking, called _T’ien-t’ân_, or Altar of
Heaven (see p. 459), where incensed offerings are made before a
tablet, on which is inscribed the name Yuh-Hwang Shang-ti, which
some interpret as “The Supreme Ruler of the Imperial Heavens,”
and regard as the nearest approach to pure Theism of which there
is any indication in Chinese worship (See _Doolittle_, pp. 170,
625; and _Lockhart_ in _J. R. G. S._, xxxvi. 142). This worship is
mentioned by the Mahomedan narrator of Shah Rukh’s embassy (1421):
“Every year there are some days on which the Emperor eats no animal
food.... He spends his time in an apartment which contains no idol,
and says that he is worshipping the God of Heaven.”[1] (_Ind.
Antiquary_, II. 81.)

The charge of irreligion against the Chinese is an old one, and
is made by Hayton in nearly the same terms as it often is by
modern missionaries: “And though these people have the acutest
intelligence in all matters wherein material things are concerned,
yet you shall never find among them any knowledge or perception
of spiritual things.” Yet it is a mistake to suppose that this
insensibility has been so universal as it is often represented. To
say nothing of the considerable numbers who have adhered faithfully
to the Roman Catholic Church, the large number of Mahomedans
in China, of whom many must have been proselytes, indicates an
interest in religion; and that Buddhism itself was in China once
a spiritual power of no small energy will, I think, be plain to
any one who reads the very interesting extracts in Schott’s essay
on Buddhism in Upper Asia and China. (_Berlin Acad. of Sciences_,
1846.) These seem to be so little known that I will translate
two or three of them. “In the years _Yuan-yeu_ of the Sung (A.D.
1086–1093), a pious matron with her two servants lived entirely to
the Land of Enlightenment. One of the maids said one day to her
companion: ‘To-night I shall pass over to the Realm of Amita.’ The
same night a balsamic odour filled the house, and the maid died
without any preceding illness. On the following day the surviving
maid said to the lady: ‘Yesterday my deceased companion appeared
to me in a dream, and said to me: “Thanks to the persevering
exhortations of our mistress, I am become a partaker of Paradise,
and my blessedness is past all expression in words.”’ The matron
replied: ‘If she will appear to me also then I will believe what
you say.’ Next night the deceased really appeared to her, and
saluted her with respect. The lady asked: ‘May I, for once, visit
the Land of Enlightenment?’ ‘Yea,’ answered the Blessed Soul,
‘thou hast but to follow thy handmaiden.’ The lady followed her
(in her dream), and soon perceived a lake of immeasurable expanse,
overspread with innumerable red and white lotus flowers, of
various sizes, some blooming, some fading. She asked what those
flowers might signify? The maiden replied: ‘These are all human
beings on the earth whose thoughts are turned to the Land of
Enlightenment. The very first longing after the Paradise of Amita
produces a flower in the Celestial Lake, and this becomes daily
larger and more glorious, as the self-improvement of the person
whom it represents advances; in the contrary case, it loses in
glory and fades away.’[2] The matron desired to know the name of an
enlightened one who reposed on one of the flowers, clad in a waving
and wondrously glistening raiment. Her whilom maiden answered:
‘That is Yangkie.’ Then asked she the name of another, and was
answered: ‘That is Mahu.’ The lady then said: ‘At what place shall
I hereafter come into existence?’ Then the Blessed Soul led her a
space further, and showed her a hill that gleamed with gold and
azure. ‘Here,’ said she, ‘is your future abode. You will belong to
the first order of the blessed.’ When the matron awoke she sent
to enquire for Yangkie and Mahu. The first was already departed;
the other still alive and well. And thus the lady learned that the
soul of one who advances in holiness and never turns back, may be
already a dweller in the Land of Enlightenment, even though the
body still sojourn in this transitory world” (pp. 55–56).

What a singular counterpart the striking conclusion here forms to
Dante’s tremendous assault on a still living villain,—or enemy!

——————“che per sua opra
In anima in Cocito già si bagna,
Ed in corpo par vivo ancor di sopra.”
—_Infern._ xxxiii. 155.

Again: “I knew a man who during his life had killed many living
beings, and was at last struck with an apoplexy. The sorrows in
store for his sin-laden soul pained me to the heart; I visited
him, and exhorted him to call on the Amita; but he obstinately
refused, and spoke only of indifferent matters. His illness clouded
his understanding; in consequence of his misdeeds he had become
hardened. What was before such a man when once his eyes were
closed? Wherefore let men be converted while there is yet time! In
this life the night followeth the day, and the winter followeth
the summer; that, all men are aware of. But that life is followed
by death, no man will consider. Oh, what blindness and obduracy is
this!” (p. 93).

Again: “Hoang-ta-tie, of T’ancheu (Changshu-fu in Honan), who lived
under the Sung, followed the craft of a blacksmith. Whenever he
was at his work he used to call without intermission on the name
of Amita Buddha. One day he handed to his neighbours the following
verses of his own composing to be spread about:—

‘Ding dong! The hammer-strokes fall long and fast,
Until the Iron turns to steel at last!
Now shall the long long Day of Rest begin,
The Land of Bliss Eternal calls me in.’

Thereupon he died. But his verses spread all over Honan, and many
learned to call upon Buddha” (103).

Once more: “In my own town there lived a physician by name
Chang-yan-ming. He was a man who never took payment for his
treatment from any one in poor or indifferent circumstances; nay,
he would often make presents to such persons of money or corn to
lighten their lot. If a rich man would have his advice and paid
him a fee, he never looked to see whether it were much or little.
If a patient lay so dangerously ill that Yanming despaired of his
recovery, he would still give him good medicine to comfort his
heart, but never took payment for it. I knew this man for many a
year, and I never heard the word _Money_ pass his lips! One day
a fire broke out in the town, and laid the whole of the houses
in ashes; only that of the physician was spared. His sons and
grandsons reached high dignities” (p. 110).

Of such as this physician the apostle said: “Of a truth I perceive
that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that
feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.”

[“By the ‘Most High and Heavenly God,’ worshipped by the Chinese,
as Marco Polo reports, evidently the Chinese _T’ien_, ‘Heaven’ is
meant, _Lao t’ien ye_ in the common language. Regarding ‘the God
of things terrestrial,’ whose figure the Chinese, according to M.
Polo, ‘placed below on the ground,’ there can also be no doubt that
he understands the _T’u-ti_, the local ‘Lar’ of the Chinese, to
which they present sacrifices on the floor, near the wall under the
table.

“M. Polo reports, that the Chinese worship their God offering
incense, raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth.
Of course he means that they placed the hands together, or held
kindled joss-stick bundles in their hands, according to the Chinese
custom. The statement of M. Polo _sbattendo i denti_ is very
remarkable. It seems to me, that very few of the Chinese are aware
of the fact, that this custom still exists among the Taouists.
In the rituals of the Taouists the _K’ow-ch’i_ (_K’ow_ = ‘to
knock against,’_ch’i_ = ‘teeth’) is prescribed as a comminatory
and propitiatory act. It is effected by the four upper and lower
foreteeth. The Taouists are obliged before the service begins to
perform a certain number of _K’ow-ch’i_, turning their heads
alternately to the left and to the right, in order to drive away
mundane thoughts and aggressions of bad spirits. The _K’ow-ch’i_
repeated three times is called _ming fa ku_ in Chinese, _i.e._ ‘to
beat the spiritual drum.’ The ritual says, that it is heard by the
Most High Ruler, who is moved by it to grace.

“M. Polo observed this custom among the lay heathen. Indeed, it
appears from a small treatise, written in China more than a hundred
years before M. Polo, that at the time the Chinese author wrote,
all devout men, entering a temple, used to perform the _K’ow-ch’i_,
and considered it an expression of veneration and devotion to
the idols. Thus this custom had been preserved to the time of M.
Polo, who did not fail to mention this strange peculiarity in the
exterior observances of the Chinese. As regards the present time it
seems to me, that this custom is not known among the people, and
even with respect to the Taouists it is only performed on certain
occasions, and not in all Taouist temples.” (_Palladius_, pp.
53–54.)—H. C.]

NOTE 4.—“True politeness cannot of course be taught by rules
merely, but a great degree of urbanity and kindness is everywhere
shown, whether owing to the naturally placable disposition of the
people, or to the effects of their early instruction in the forms
of politeness.” (_Mid. Kingdom_, II. 68.) As regards the “ornate
style of speech,” a well-bred Chinaman never says _I_ or _You_, but
for the former “the little person,” “the disciple,” “the inferior,”
and so on; and for the latter, “the learned man,” “the master,”
or even “the emperor.” These phrases, however, are not confined
to China, most of them having exact parallels in Hindustani
courtesy. On this subject and the courteous disposition of the
Chinese, see _Fontaney_, in _Lett. Edif._ VII. 287 _seqq._; also
XI. 287 _seqq._; _Semedo_, 36; _Lecomte_, II. 48 _seqq._ There are,
however, strong differences of opinion expressed on this subject;
there is, apparently, much more genuine courtesy in the north than
in the south.

NOTE 5.—“Filial piety is the fundamental principle of the Chinese
polity.” (_Amiot_, V. 129.) “In cases of extreme unfilial conduct,
parents sometimes accuse their children before the magistrate, and
demand his official aid in controlling or punishing them; but such
instances are comparatively rare.... If the parent require his
son to be publicly whipped by the command of the magistrate, the
latter is obliged to order the infliction of the whipping.... If
after punishment the son remain undutiful and disobedient, and his
parents demand it at the hands of the magistrate, the latter must,
with the consent of the maternal uncles of the son, cause him to
be taken out to the high wall in front of the yamun, and have him
there publicly whipped to death.” (_Doolittle_, 102–103.)

NOTE 6.—[Mr. Rockhill writes to me that pocket-spitoons are still
used in China.—H. C.]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] “In the worship carried on here the Emperor acts as a high priest.
HE only worships; and no subject, however high in rank, can join
in the adoration.” (_Lockhart_.) The actual temple dates from
1420–1430; but the _Institution_ is very ancient, and I think
there is evidence that such a structure existed under the Mongols,
probably only _restored_ by the Ming. [It was built during the 18th
year of the reign of the third Ming Emperor Yung Loh (1403–1425);
it was entirely restored during the 18th year of K’ien Lung;
it was struck by lightning and burnt down in 1889; it is being
rebuilt.—H. C.]

[2] In 1871 I saw in Bond Street an exhibition of (so-called) “spirit”
drawings, _i.e._ drawings alleged to be executed by a “medium” under
extraneous and invisible guidance. A number of these extraordinary
productions (for extraordinary they were undoubtedly) professed to
represent the “Spiritual Flowers” of such and such persons; and the
explanation of this as presented in the catalogue was in substance
exactly that given in the text. It is highly improbable that the
artist had any cognizance of Schott’s Essay, and the coincidence
was assuredly very striking.

END OF VOL I.

]

PLAN OF SHANGTU From an Eye-Sketch by Dʳ. S. W. Bushell, 1872

Crossing of the HWANG-HO on road to SINGAN-FU]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] On the walls of this archway is engraved the inscription in six
characters, of which a representation accompanies ch. xv. of
Prologue, note 1.

INDEX

Transcriber’s Note:

- Numbers in _italics_ refer to Prefatory Material in volume I
- ‘i.’ and ‘ii.’ indicate volume referred to
- ‘n’ indicates item is in Notes on that page
- Index has been duplicated from volume II to volume I
- Only links for this volume are enabled

Aás, Asu, _see_ Alans
Abacan, a Tartar general, ii. 255, 261n, 596n
Ábah, _see_ Ávah
Abaji, Kúblái’s son, i. 361n
Abáḳa (Abaga), Khan of Persia, i. 33n, 36n, 91n, 103n, ii. 465–467,
474, 475, 477n, 495n
Abano, Pietro of, his notice of Polo, _119_
Abash (Habsh), _see_ Abyssinia
Abba Gregory, ii. 433n
Abbás, Sháh, i. 90n
Abbott, Consul Keith E., i. 81n, 82n, 89n, 92n, 96n, 99n, 106n, 111n,
113n, 114n, 125n
Abdul Kuri islands, ii. 405n
—— Mejid, i. 175n
Abeskun (Baxon), on the Caspian, i. 59n
Abher, i. 38n, 82n
Abkashian forests, boxwood of the, i. 57n
_Abnús_, ebony, ii. 272n
Abraha, ruler of Yemen, ii. 434n
Abraiaman, _see_ Brahmans
Abubakr, Atabeg of Fars, i. 85n, ii. 348n
—— Ibrahim, and Mahomed, engineers employed by Kúblái, ii. 168n
Abu’l Abbas Ahmed VII., Khalif of Baghdad, i. 69n
—— Fázl, i. 103n, 168n, 169n, ii. 367, 374n
Abulfeda, his geography, _4_, i. 3n, 6n, 9n, 53n, 57n, 58n, 75n, 81n,
110n, 385n, ii. 237n, 286n, 367n, 377n, 486n, 489n;
at the siege of Acre, 165n
Abulfiez Khan, king of Bokhara, i. 88n
Abu Nasr Mohammed IX., Khalif of Baghdad, i. 69n
—— Saïd, i. 86n, ii. 347n
Abyssinia (Abash), ii. 427 _seqq._, 431n;
its king’s punishment of Soldan of Aden, 428–430;
dominion on the coast, mediæval history and chronology, 434n–437n;
table of kings, 435n;
wars with Mahomedan states, 436n
Acbalec Manzi, “White City of the Manzi frontier,” ii. 33, 34n, 35n
Acbalec or Acbaluc (Cheng-ting fu), ii. 13, 14n
Accambale, king of Champa, ii. 267, 270n
Achan, i. 66n
Achin, Acheh, Achem, ii. 283n, 286n, 295n, 296n, 300n, 303n, 305n,
307n;
its gold and lign-aloes, 287n;
conversion of, 288n;
its great power at one time, 289n;
elephants at, 289n
—— Head, ii. 300n, 307n
Achmath, the Bailo, _see_ Ahmad
Acomat Soldan (Ahmad Sultan), seizes throne of Tabriz, ii. 467;
goes to encounter Argon, 468;
rejects his remonstrance, 469;
defeats and takes him, 470;
hears of Argon’s escape, is taken and put to death, 473;
notes on the history, 470n, 474n
Acorn bread, i. 122n
Acqui, Friar Jacopo d’, his notice of Polo, _54_, _67_, _119_
Acre, i. 17, 22;
Broils at, between Venetians and Genoese, _42_;
plan of, 18n;
captured by Saracens, ii. 165n, 441n;
wickedness of, 442n;
Polos at, 593n
Adam, Bishop and Pope of China, ii. 28n
—— Seth, and the Tree of Life, legend of, i. 135n
Adamodana, Castle of, i. 58n
Adam’s Apple, i. 99n
—— sepulchre on mountain (Adam’s Peak) in Ceylon, ii. 316, 328n;
rubies, 316n;
his teeth, hair, etc., 319–320;
the footmark, 321n–322n
Adel, apparently confused with Aden, ii. 433n, 435n, 440n
Aden, Horse and other Trade with India, ii. 340, 348n, 390, 407, 427,
431, 438;
Soldan’s treatment of a bishop, 428;
Vengeance of King of Abyssinia on him, 430;
confused with Adel, 433n;
account of Kingdom, 438, 439n–440n;
the Sultan, 438–439, 440n;
intercourse and trade with China, tanks, 440n;
view of, 441
Adoration of the Emperor, i. 391
_Adulis_, ii. 432n;
inscription of, 434n
Aegae, Ayas on the site of ancient, i. 16n
Aepyornis and its eggs, ii. 416n–417n
Aëtius, his prescription of musk, i. 279n, ii. 302n;
of camphor, 302n
Afghans, their use of the fat-tailed sheep, i. 100n
Africa, Sea surrounding to the South, ii. 415n
Agassiz, Professor, i. 100n
Agathocles, Coins of, i. 163n
Ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος, island, ii. 310n
Agha Ali Sháh, present representative of the Old Man of the Mountain,
i. 148n
—— Khan Meheláti, late representative of the Old Man, i. 147n
Aghrukji or Ukuruji, Kúblái’s son, i. 361n
Agricola, Governor of Cappadocia, etc., i. 45n
Aguil, Mongol general, ii. 136, 138n
Ahmad (Achmath), the Bailo, of Fenaket, his power, oppressions,
death, etc., i. 415 _seqq._, 421n
—— Sultan, Khan of Persia, _see_ Acomat
Ahwaz, province, i. 65n
Aidhab, ii. 439n
Aidhej, or Mal-Amir, i. 85n
Aijaruc, Kaidu’s daughter, ii. 463;
her strength and prowess, 463 _seqq._;
her name, 463
Aikah Nowin, Engineer in Chief of Chinghiz, ii. 168n
Ai-lao (afterwards Nan-chao), ancient name of the Shans, ii. 79n
_Aín Akbari_ (_Ayeen Akbery_), i. 65n, 99n, 101n, 103n, 409n, ii.
116n
Ajmir, ii. 426n
Akbar and Kúblái, a parallel, i. 349n
Ak Bulák salt mines, i. 154n
Akhaltziké (Western Georgia), i. 58n
Akhtuba River, i. 5n, 6n
Ak-khoja, ii. 470n
Aksarai, or Ghori River, i. 152n
Aksu River, i. 172n, 175n
Aktár, i. 96n
Áktásh Valley, i. 172n, 175n
_Alabastri_, ii. 432n
Alacou, _see_ Hulákú
_Aladja_, striped cotton cloth, i. 44n
Alamút, Castle of the Ismailites, i. 141n, 142n, 145n, 148n
Alan country, Alania, i. 57n, ii. 490, 491n
Alans, or Aas, massacre at Chang-chau of, ii. 178;
employed under Mongols, 179n
Alaone, the name, _56_
Alarm Tower, at Cambaluc, i. 375, 378n;
at Kinsay, ii. 189
_Alatcha_, cotton stuff with blue and red stripes, i. 190n
Alau, _see_ Hulákú
Alá’uddin (Alaodin), _see_ Old Man of the Mountain
—— (Alawating of Mufali), an engineer in Kúblái’s service, ii. 167n
—— Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, i. 104n, ii. 163n, 169n, 333n, 398n, 400n
Albenigaras, Mt., ii. 362n
Al Biruni, i. 104n, 174n, ii. 400n
Albuquerque, _see_ D’Alboquerque.
Alchemy, Kúblái’s, i. 423
Aleppo, i. 23n
Alexander the Great, allusions to legends and romances about, _113_,
i. 14n, 129n–133n, ii. 322n, 485n;
his rampart (Iron Gate), i. 50, 53n, 56n, 57n;
the curtains at a banquet given by, 66n;
and the _ferrum candidum_, 93n;
site of his battle with Darius, 128, 138n;
his wife Roxana, 151;
kills a lion, 152n;
Princes claiming descent from (Zulcarniain), 157, 160n;
his horse Bucephalus, 158;
fixes chains on Adam’s Peak, ii. 322n;
said to have colonised Socotra, 409n;
his tower on the border of Darkness, 485n
Alexander III., Pope, i. 231n
Alexander IV., Pope, i. 8n
Alexandria, _9_, ii. 235;
trade from India to, 390, 438
_Alhinde_, _Alfinde_, _Alinde_, _Al-hint_, i. 93n
’Ali and Aliites, i. 140n–141n
Alidada, i. 452n
Alihaiya, Kúblái’s general, ii. 167n
Alinak, ii. 474n
Alligator, in Carajan, ii. 76, 81n;
mode of killing, 77;
eaten, 78, 81n;
prophecy of Bhartpúr about, 149n
Almalik, ii. 462n
Almanacs, Chinese (Tacuin), i. 447, 448n
Almonds, i. 153, 155n
Aloes, Socotrine, ii. 409n
—— wood, _see_ Lign-aloes
_Alor_, war cry, _43_
Al-Ramni, Al-Ramin, _see_ Sumatra
Altai (Altay) Mountains, i. 212, 215n;
the Khan’s burial-place, 246, 269;
used for the Khingan range, 247n, 306n
Altun-Khan, Mountain, i. 247n
—— sovereign, ii. 19n
Amazons, fable of, ii. 405n
Ambergris, ii. 308n, 406, 411, 423, 424n;
how got, 408n
_Amber-rosolli_, i. 114n
Amda Zion, king of Abyssinia, his wars _v._ Mahomedans, ii. 435n
_seqq._;
not the king mentioned by Polo, 436n
Ament, Rev. W. S., i. 361n, 421n, ii. 6, 11, 12
_Ameri_, a kind of Brazil wood, ii. 301n, 380n
Amhara, ii. 436n
Amien, Mien (Burma), ii. 98, 99n
Amita Buddha, i. 460n
Ammianus Marcellinus, ii. 180n
Amoy, ii. 231n, 232n;
harbour, ii. 240n, 241n;
languages, 244n
_Amphora_, _Anfora_, ii. 417n
Amu, Aniu, _see_ Anin
_Amuki_, devoted comrades of the king, ii. 347n
_Anamis_ (Minao) River, i. 114n
Ananda, Kúblái’s grandson, ii. 29n, 31n
Anár, i. 90n
Anaurahta, king of Burma, ii. 99n, 329n
Ancestor Worship, ii. 85, 96n
Anchors, Wooden, ii. 386, 388n
_Andaine_, _andena_, _andanicum_, _see_ Ondanique
Andaman (Angamanain) islands, ii. 306;
described, 307n, 309–312n;
people, 308n, 309, 311n;
form of the word, 310n
_Andan_, _andun_, Wotiak for steel, i. 94n
Andragiri, ii. 301n
Andreas, king of Abyssinia, ii. 435n, 436n
Andrew, Bishop of Zayton, ii. 237n
—— Grand Duke of Rostof and Susdal, i. 7n
_Andromeda ovalifolia_, poisonous, i. 218n
Angamanain, _see_ Andaman
Angan, or Hanjám, i. 115n
_’Angka_, gryphon, _see_ Ruc
Angkor, ruins of, _13_
Ani in Armenia, i. 234n
Animal Patterns, _see_ Patterns
Anin, province, ii. 119, 120n, 121n, 123, 128n, 129n, 266n
Annals of the Indo-Chinese States, ii. 106n
’An-nam, or Tong-king, ii. 120n
Anselmo, Friar, i. 131n
_Anthropoides Virgo_, the demoiselle, i. 297n
Antioch, i. 24n
Antongil Bay, Madagascar, ii. 414n
Aotonomoff, Spasski, his ascent of Ararat, i. 49n
_Apostoille_, word used for Pope, i. 12n
Apples of Paradise (Konars), i. 97, 99n, ii. 365
Apricots, ii. 210n
_’Apuhota_ (Kapukada?), ii. 380n
Apushka (Apusca), Tartar envoy from Persia, i. 32, 33n
Arababni, ii. 436n
Arab geography, _132_
—— colonies in Madagascar, ii. 414n
—— horses, early literary recognition of, ii. 349n;
trade in, _see_ Horses
—— merchants, in Southern India, ii. 376
—— Seamen’s Traditions about Java, ii. 274n
Arabi (Arabs), i. 60
Arabia, ii. 438–451
Arabic character, i. 29n
_Arachosía, arachoti_, ii. 329n, 402n
_Araines_, ii. 461, 462n
Arakan, ii. 100n, 286n, 290n, 298n
Aram (Harám), Place of the, i. 139, 141n
Ararat, Mount, i. 46;
ascents of, 49n
Arblasts, crossbows, ii. 78, 82n, 161n
Arbre Sol, or Arbre Sec, Region of the (Khorasan), _113_, i. 38n, 83,
127, 128n–139n, ii. 466, 474, 475;
tree described—_Chínár_ or Oriental plane, i. 127, 128n–138n;
various readings, 129n;
_Arbre seul_, a wrong reading, i. 129n, 138n;
Tree of the Sun legend, 129n–131n;
Christian legend of the Dry Tree, 131n;
engrafted on legends of Alexander, 132n;
Trees of Grace in Persia, 134n;
Dry Trees in Mahomedan legend, 135n;
in Rabbinical and Buddhist stories, and legends of the Wood of the
Cross, 135n–136n;
Polo’s _Arbre Sec_ to be sought near Damghan, 138n;
Sabaean apologue, 138n;
clue to the term _Arbre Sec_, 148n
Arcali, Arculin, _see_ Erculin
Architectural remains in Indo-China, _13_
Ardeshír Bábekán, first Sassanian king, i. 91n
Ardeshír, last sovereign of Shabánkára, i. 86n
Areca, ii. 309n, 374n
_Areng Saccharifera_, ii. 297n
Arezzo, i. 21n
Argaeus, Mount, i. 44n
Argali, ii. 483n
Arghún, Khan of Persia (Polo’s Argon, Lord of the Levant), _23–24_,
i. 14n, ii. 50, 466–467;
sends an embassy to Kúblái for a wife, i. 32, 33n;
is dead when she arrives, 35, 36n, 38n, 101n;
his unhappy use of the elixir vitae, ii. 369n;
advances against his uncle Ahmad, 467;
harangues his chiefs, 468;
sends Ahmad a remonstrance, 469;
is taken prisoner, 470;
released by certain chiefs, 471;
obtains sovereignty, 472;
his death, 474;
his beauty, 478n
Argons (Arghún), half-breeds, i. 101n, 284, 290n
Arii, Ariana, ii. 402n
Arikbuga, Kúblái’s brother, i. 334n
Arimaspia, ii. 419n
Arimaspian gold, ii. 419n
Ariora-Keshimur, i. 86n, 98, 104n;
meaning of _Ariora_, 104n
Ariosto, i. 17n
Aripo, ii. 335n, 337n
Aristotle, _130_, i. 87n, 130n, ii. 409n
Arjish (Arzizi), i. 45, 49n
Arkasun Noian, ii. 474n
_Arkhaiun_, applied to Oriental Christians or their Clergy, i. 290n
Armenia, Greater, i. 45, 98
Armenia (Hermenia), Lesser or Cilician, _10_, i. 16, 20, 22, 23n, 41
Armenian Christians, i. 290n
Armenians, i. 43, 45, 75
Armillary Zodiacal Sphere, i. 450n
Armour of boiled leather, _see_ Cuirbouly
Arms of Kerman, i. 90, 96n;
of the Tartars, i. 260, 263n, ii. 460
Arredon River, i. 54n
Arrow Divination, i. 243n
Arrows, Tartar, ii. 460
Artacki, i. 281n
Arts, the Seven, i. 13, 14n
Aru, Cumahā, ii. 303n
Arucki, i. 281n
Aruk, ii. 474n
Arulun Tsaghan Balghasun (Chagan-Nor), i. 297n, 306n
Arya Chakravarti, ii. 316n
Aryavartta, the Holy Lands of Indian Buddhism, i. 104n
Arzinga (Erzingan), i. 45, 46n
Arziron (Erzrum), i. 45, 48n
Arzizi (Arjísh), i. 45, 49n
Asbestos, and the Salamander, i. 212, 216n–217n
Asceticism of the Sensin, i. 303;
of the Jogis, ii. 365
Asedin Soldan (Ghaiassuddin Balban, Sultan of Delhi), i. 99, 104n,
105n
Ashar (Asciar), king of Cail, ii. 370, 373n
Ashishin, _see_ Assassins
Ashod, founder of the Bagratid dynasty, i. 53n
Ashurada, i. 59n
Asikan, Mongol general, ii. 260n
Asoka, ii. 328
_Asper_, or _akché_, about a groat, ii. 22, 23n
Assai River, i. 54n
Assassins (Ashishin, Hashíshin), Ismailites, i. 84n, 140;
how the Old Man trained them, 142;
murders by, 144n;
their destruction, 145;
survival and recent circumstances of the sect, 146n
Asses, in Persia, i. 83, 87n, 88, 89n, 123, 225n;
in Mongolia, 224, 225n, 397;
in Madagascar, ii. 413, 421n;
in Abyssinia, 431;
in Far North, 479, 481n
Asterius, Bishop of Amasia in Pontus, i. 66n
Astrakhan (Gittarchan), i. 5n, 6n
Astrolabe, i. 446
Astrology, -ers, in Tangut, i. 205;
of Chinghiz, 241;
at Kúblái’s Court, 301, 391;
at Cambaluc, 446;
of Tibet, ii. 49;
at Kinsay, 191, 203;
in Maabar, 344;
in Coilum, 376
Astronomical instruments, ancient Chinese, i. 378n, 449n–454n
Atabegs, of Mosul, i. 61n;
of Lúr, 85n;
of Fars, 85n, 121n;
of Yezd, 88;
of Kerman, 91n
Atjeh, _see_ Achin
Atkinson’s Narratives, and their credibility, i. 214n, 215n
Atlas, Chinese, in Magliabecchian Library, ii. 193n
Ἀτταγὰς (Black Partridge), i. 99
Attalus, King, i. 66n
At-Thaibi family, i. 121n
Auberoche, Siege of, ii. 163n, 165n
Audh (Oudh), ii. 427n
Aufat, Ifat, ii. 435n
Augury, _see_ Omens
Aung Khan (Unc Can), _see_ Prester John
Aurangzíb, i. 168n
Aurora, Ibn Fozlán’s account of, i. 8n
Aussa, ii. 435n
Ávah, Abah, Ava, one of the cities of the Magi, i. 80, 81n
Avarian, epithet of S. Thomas, ii. 353, 355n–356n
Avebury, Lord, on _couvade_, ii. 93n
Avicenna’s classification of Iron, i. 94n
_Avigi, ′afçi (falco montanus)_, i. 50, 57n
Axum, Inscription, ii. 432n;
Church of, 433n;
Court of, 434n
Ayas (Layas, Aiazzo, etc.), port of
Cilician Armenia, _19_, i. 16, 17n, 20, 22, 41;
Sea fight at, _43_, _46_, _54_
Ayuthia, _13_, ii. 278n, 279n
_Azumiti_, ii. 432n
Azure, Ultramarine (_lapis armenus_) Mines in Badakhshan, i. 157,
162n;
in Tenduc, 284;
ore, 365, 370n

Baba Buzurg, worshipped by the Lurs, i. 85n
Baber, E. C., on Ch’êng-tú, ii. 38n;
on wild oxen of Tibet, 52n;
Lolos, 61n–63n;
Gold River (Brius), 67n;
the word Caindu, 70n;
Talifu, 80n;
Mekong River 88n;
Zardandan, 89n;
site of battle between Kúblái and king of Mien, 105n;
descent of Mien, 108n
Baboons, etymology, ii. 385n, 431
Báb-ul-abwáh, “The Gate of Gates,” Pass of Derbend, i. 53n
Babylon, Babylonia (Cairo or Egypt), i. 22, 24n, ii. 226, 230n;
Sultan of, i. 22, ii. 439, 473
Babylonish garments, i. 66n
_Baccadeo_, indigo, ii. 382n
Baccanor, ii. 386n
Bacon, Roger, i. 94n, 426n;
as geographer, _114_, _131_
Bacsi, _see_ Bakhshi
Bactria, its relation to Greece, i. 160n
Bacu, Sea of (Caspian), i. 59n
Badakhshan (Badashan), i. 98, 104n, 154, 157;
its population, 155n, 160n;
capitals of, 156n;
Mirs of, 156n, 160n;
legend of Alexandrian pedigree of its kings, 157, 160n;
depopulation of, 156n, 163n;
scenery, 158n;
dialects, 160n;
forms of the name, 161n;
great river of (Upper Oxus), 170
Badáún, ii. 427n
Badger, Rev. Dr. G. P., i. 65n, ii. 444n
Badghís, i. 150n, ii. 467
_Badgír_, Wind-catchers, ii. 452, 453n
Badruddín Lúlú, last Atabeg of Mosul, i. 61n
_Báfk_ (Báft), i. 89n, 111n, 122n
Baghdad (Baudas), Baldac, taken by Alaü, Hulákú, i. 63;
its Khalif, 63, 64;
the miracle of the mountain, 69
—— Archbishop of, ii. 407
—— its indigo (_baccadeo_), ii. 382n
Bagratidae, of Armenia, i. 42n;
of Georgia, 52n
Bagration-Mukransky, Prince, i. 53n
Bahár, ii. 427n
Bahárak, plain, i. 156n
Bahá-uddin Ayaz, Wazir of Kalhát, i. 120n
Bahá-ul-hakh, the Saint of Multán, ii. 82n
Bahrámábád, i. 90n, 122n
Bahrámjird Village, i. 113n
Bahrein, ii. 348n
Baiberdon, i. 49n
Baiburt (Paipurth), Castle of, i. 48n, 49n
Baidu Khan, i. 14n, ii. 475n;
seizes throne of Persia, 476;
displaced and killed by Gházán, 476;
alleged to be a Christian, 476, 477n
Bailo, the title, i. 417;
etymology of, 421n
Bakhshi (Bacsi), Lamas, i. 414, 445;
their enchantments, 301, 302, 314n–318n;
various meanings of the word, 314n
Bakhtyáris of Lúristán, the, i. 87n
Baku, oil fields of, i. 46, 49n;
Sea of (Caspian), i. 59n
_Balad-ul-Falfal_ (Malabar), ii. 377n
_Baladi_, ii. 381n
_Balalaika_, a two-stringed Tartar instrument, i. 339n
_Balânjaríyah, devoted lieges_, ii. 347n
Bala-Sagun, i. 232n
Balas rubies, i. 157, 161n, ii. 362n
Baldac, _see_ Baghdad
_Baldacchini_ (_Baudekins_), brocades made at Baghdad, i. 63, 65n
Baldwin II. (de Courtenay), last Latin Emperor of Constantinople, i.
2, 3n
Bali, Island of, ii. 287n
—— in Abyssinia, ii. 436n
_Balios_, i. 421n
_Balish_ (a money of account), ii. 218n
_Balista_, always a crossbow in mediæval times, ii. 161n
Balkh (Balc), i. 151
Balkhash Lake, ii. 459n
Ballads, Genoese, on sea-fights at Ayas and Curzola, _43_ _seqq._
Ballard, Mr., ii. 382n, 387n
Balor, Balaur, Bilaur, Malaur, Bolor, i. 172, 178n–179n
_Bâlos_, Malacca boats with two rudders, i. 119n
_Balsamodendron Mukul_, ii. 397n
Balthazar, of the Magi, i. 78, 82n
Bálti, i. 160n, 178n
_Balustrade_, etymology of the word, _38_
Bamboo (always called canes by Polo), its multifarious uses, i. 299,
307n;
Kúblái’s Chandu Palace made of, 299, 306n;
great, on banks of Caramoran river, ii. 220;
explode loudly when burning, 42, 43, 46n;
large in Tibet, 48n;
ropes of, 171, 174n;
in Che kiang, 221n
Bamian, caves at, i. 156n;
huge recumbent image at, 221n
_Bám-i-Duniah_, “Roof of the World,” i. 171, 174n
Bamm, i. 113n
Bandar Abbás (Bandar-Abbási), i. 86n, 89n, 106n, 122n
Bandith, i. 98, 100n, 151
Bangala, _see_ Bengal
Banzaroff, Dorji, on Shamanism, i. 258n
Baptism, accompanied by branding, in Abyssinia, ii. 427, 432n
Bara, ii. 305n
Barac (Borrak), Khan of Chagatai, i. 9, 10n, 103n;
his war with Arghún, ii. 458n, 467
Baradaeus, Jacob, or James Zanzale, Bishop of Edessa, i. 61n
Barbaro, Josafat, i. 49n, 53n, 100n, 426n, 427n
Barbarossa, Frederic, _36_, i. 82n
Barberino, Francesco da, _36_, _118_, i. 117n
_Barda’at_, saddle-cloths, i. 61n
Bardesir, i. 112n
Bardshír, Bardsír, Bard-i-Ardeshír, i. 92n
Bargu (Barguchin Tugrum, or Barguti), plain, i. 269, 270n
_Barguerlac, Syrrhaptes Pallasii_, a kind of sand grouse, i. 269,
272n;
its migration into England, 273n
Barguzinsk, i. 270n
Barin, Mongol tribe, ii. 148n
Bark, money made from, _108_, i. 423;
fine clothes from, ii. 124, 127n
Barka (Barca), Khan, ruler of Kipchak, i. 4, 5n, 103n, ii. 491;
his war with Hulákú, i. 4, ii. 494 _seqq._
Barkul, i. 345n
_Barkút, búrgút (bearcoote)_, eagle trained to the chase, i. 397,
399n
Barlaam and Josaphat, Story of Saints, from Legend of Buddha, ii.
323n _seqq._
Barley, huskless, i. 158, 162n
Baroch, ii. 367n
_Baron-tala_, name applied by Mongols to Tibet, i. 214n
Barons (Shieng or Sing), Kaan’s twelve, ii. 430
Barozzi, Nicolo, _30_, _70_
Barros, John de, i. 110n, 120n;
geography of, _3_
Barsauma (St. Barsamo), i. 77
Barskul (Barscol), “Leopard Lake,” i. 343, 345n
Bartizan, Kúblái’s wooden, i. 337, 339n
Barus, Barros (Sumatra), its camphor, ii. 302n–303n, 304n
_Barussae insulae_, ii. 310n
_Barygaza_, ii. 397n, 408n
Bashai (Pashai), i. 165n
Bashkirds (Hungarians), i. 57n, ii. 492n
Bashpah, Lama, and the Mongol character called after him, i. 28n,
353n, ii. 46n
Basma, _see_ Pasei
_Basmuls_ (Guasmuls), half-breeds, i. 284, 292n
Basra (Bastra), noted for its date-groves, i. 63, 65n
Bathang, ii. 45n, 48n, 56n, 67n, 70n
Baths, natural hot, near Hormuz i. 110–122n;
in Cathay, 442;
public at Kinsay, ii. 189, 198n
Batigala, Batticalla, ii. 426n, 443n
Batochina, ii. 302n
Bats, large, in India, ii. 345
Battas of Sumatra, and cannibalism, ii. 288n, 298n
Batthála, Bettelar (Patlam in Ceylon), ii. 337n
Battles, Kúblái _v._ Nayan, i. 336;
Tartars _v._ king of Mien, ii. 101;
Caidu _v._ Khan’s forces, 461;
Borrak and Arghún, 467;
Arghún and Ahmad, 470n;
Hulákú and Barka, 496;
Toktai and Nogai, 499
Bátú, Khan of Kipchak, founder of Sarai, _11_, i. 5n, 6n, 245, 247n;
invades Russia, 490, 493n;
made by Polo into two kings—Sain and Patu, 491, 492n;
his character and cruelty, 492n
Baudas, _see_ Baghdad
_Baudekins_ (baldacchini), brocades made at Baghdad, i. 63, 65n
_Bauduin de Sebourc_, _121_ _seqq._, ii. 141, 144, 189, 216
Bavaria, Duke Ernest of, a mediæval Romance, ii. 418n
Bawárij, corsairs, ii. 410n
Bayan Chingsian, Kúblái’s greatest Captain, i. 10n, 334n, 361n, ii.
138n, 208n, 462n;
prophecy connected with his name, 145, 150n;
his conquest of Manzi or South China, 146;
his history and character, 148n, 149n;
his exceptional cruelty at Chang-chau, 179, 180n
Bayan, Khagan of the Avars, ii. 148n
Bayan (Baian), Kúblái’s Master of the Hounds, i. 400, 401n
Bayan, son of Nasruddin, ii. 104n
Bayezid Ilderim, i. 45n
Bdellium, ii. 397n
Beads, Hindu, ii. 338, 347n
Bears, i. 396, 397, 401, ii. 31, 37, 42, 78, 382, 411, 431;
white in Far North, 479, 481n
Beast and bird patterns, _see_ Patterns
Beaten gold, i. 387, 388n
Beaujeu, William de, Master of the Temple, i. 25n
Beauty of—Georgians, i. 50, 53n;
Khorasan women, 128;
Kashmir women, 166;
Sinju women, 276;
_Argons_, or half-breeds, 284;
the Ungrat or Kungurat tribe, 357;
people of Coloman, ii. 122;
Kinsay women, 186;
Kaidu’s daughter, 463;
Arghún Khan, 478;
the Russians, 487
Beds, their arrangement in India, ii. 346, 352n
Beef, not eaten in Maabar, except by the Govi, ii. 341, 350n;
formerly eaten in India, 350n
Bejas of the Red Sea Coast, ii. 425, 432n, 434n
Belgutai, Chinghiz’s stepbrother, i. 334n
“Belic” for “Melic,” ii. 470n
Bell at Cambaluc, great, i. 375, 378n, 414
Bellál Rajas, ii. 367n
_Belledi, balladi_, ginger so called, ii. 381n;
Spanish use of the word, _ib._
Benares, brocades of, i. 66n
Bendocquedar, _see_ Bundúkdári, Bíbars
Benedict XII., Pope, ii. 179n
Bengal (Bangala), _12_;
king of Mien (Burma) and, ii. 98;
why Polo couples these, 99n;
relations between Burma and, 99n, 114;
claim asserted by king of Burma to, 100n;
alleged Mongol invasion of, 115n;
its distance from Caugigu, 120;
its currency, 123;
confused with Pegu by Polo, 128n, 131n
Beni Búya dynasty, i. 91n
Benjamin of Tudela, on Alexander’s Rampart, i. 54n;
on the Gryphon, ii. 418n
Benzoin, etymology of, ii. 286n, 396n
Berard, Thos., Master of the Temple, i. 23, 24n
Berbera, Sea of, ii. 415n
Berchet, G., _27_, ii. 507n
Bereké, Bátu Khan’s brother, i. 5n
Bernier, on Kashmir women’s beauty, i. 169n
_Berrie_, the Arabic Băríya, a desert, i. 237n
Bettelar, rendezvous of Pearl Fishers, ii. 331, 337n
_Beyamini_, wild oxen of Tibet, ii. 50, 52n
Bezant, i. 405, 424, 425, 426n, 427n, 444, ii. 41n, 186, 218n, 346n,
349n, 479;
value of, 592n
_Bhagavata_, ii. 346n
Bhamó, and River of, ii. 70n, 105n, 107n, 108n, 113n
Bhartpúr, prophecy about, ii. 149n
Bhattis, the, i. 104n
Bháwalpúr, i. 104n
“Bhim’s Baby,” colossal idol at Dhamnár caves, i. 221n
Bianco’s, Andrea, maps, i. 133n
Biar, ii. 305n
Bibars Bundúkdári, _see_ Bundúkdári
Bielo Osero, ii. 486n
_Bigoncio_, a firkin, i. 384n
Bilúchis, i. 101n;
their robber raids, 106n;
Lumri or Numri, 114n
Binh Thuan (Champa), ii. 268n
Binkin, ii. 230n
Bintang (Pentam), ii. 280, 284
Birch-bark vessels, i. 309n;
books, ii. 124, 127n
Bír-dhúl, or Bujardawal, cap. of Ma’bar, ii. 335n
Bird-hunts, i. 269, 272n
Birdwood, Sir G., ii. 396n, 446n, 449n
Birhōrs of Chuta Nagpúr, ii. 298n
Bir-Pandi, or Pira-Bandi, ii. 333n, 334n
Birthday, celebration of Kúblái’s, i. 387
Bishbalik (Urumtsi), i. 214n, 440n
Bishop, of Male Island, ii. 404;
story of an Abyssinian, 428
Bitter bread, i. 110, 122n
—— water, i. 110, 122n, 194
Blac, Blachia (Lac, Wallach), ii. 489n
_Black-bone_, Chinese name for Lolos, ii. 63n
Black Crane (Kará Togorü), i. 296, 297n
—— Saints, White Devils in India, ii. 355, 359n
—— Sea, M. Maurum _v._ Nigrum, i. 2, 3n, 57n
—— Sect of Tibet, i. 324n
Blacker, the more beautiful, ii. 355
Blaeuw, map, i. 102n
Blochmann, Professor H., i. 114n, ii. 116n
Block-books, supposed to have been introduced from China, _139_
Block-printing in Persia, i. 429n
Blood-sucking, Tartar, i. 261, 264n
_Blous, bloies_, i. 327n
Boar’s tusks, huge (Hipp.), ii. 413
_Boccassini_, i. 62n
Bode, Baron de, i. 85n
Bodhisatva Avalok., ii. 265n
Bodleian MS. of Polo, _18_, _92_, _94_;
list of miniatures in, ii. 528n
Boeach, mistake for Locac, and its supposed position, ii. 280n
Boemond, Prince of Antioch and Tripoli, letter of Bibar to, i. 24n
Boga (Bukā), a great Mongol officer, delivers Arghún, ii. 471, 472,
474n
Boghra Khan, i. 188n
Bohea country, ii. 222n, 224n
Bohra, sect of W. India, i. 148n
Boikoff, Russian Envoy, i. 218n
Bokhara (Bocara), i. 9, 10
Boleyn, Anne, her use of buckram, i. 47n
Bolgana, Queen, _see_ Bulughán
Bolgarskoye (called also Uspenskoye), i. 7n
_Bolghar_, _borgal_, _borghal_, Russia leather, i. 6n, 394, 395n
Bolghar (Bolgara), on the Volga, i. 4, 6n, ii. 481n, 486n, 493n;
ruins of, i. 7n;
court of, 384n
Bolivar, Padre, S. J., his account of the Condor (_Rukh_) of Africa,
ii. 420n, 597n
Bolor, i. 172, 178n, 179n
Bombay, ii. 396n, 449n
Bonaparte, Prince Roland, _Recueil des Documents de l’Époque
Mongole_, i. 14n, 28n
Bonga, ii. 96n
Bonheur, Rosa, i. 277n
Boniface VIII., Pope, _44_, _52_, _54_, i. 23n
Bonin, C. E., i. 203n, 249n, 276n, 282n, 286n
Bonocio di Mestro, _67_
Bonpos, old Tibetan Sect, i. 314n, 321n, 323n
Bonús, ebony, ii. 268, 272n
Bonvalot, i. 200n
Book of Marco Polo, its contents, _80_;
original language, French, _81_;
oldest Italian MS., _82_;
“Geographic Text,” in rude French, _83_ _seqq._;
various types of Text—(1) “Geographic,” _90_;
(2) Pauthier’s MSS., _92_;
(3) Pipino s Latin, _95_;
Preface to, ii. 525n;
Grynæus’ Latin, _95_;
Müller’s reprint, _96_;
(4) Ramusio’s Italian edition, its peculiarities, _96–101_;
probable truth about it, _99_;
bases of it, _100_;
MS. and some of its peculiarities, _101_;
general view of the relations of the texts, _101_;
notice of an old Irish version, 102;
geographical data, _109_;
how far influenced in form by Rustician, _112_;
perhaps in description of battles, _113_;
diffusion and number of MSS., _116_;
basis of present version, _141_ _seqq._;
specimens of different recensions of text, ii. 522n–524n;
distribution of MSS., 526n;
miniatures in, 527n, 529n;
list of MSS., 532n–552n;
Tabular view of the filiation of chief MSS., 552;
Bibliography, 553n–582n;
titles of works cited, 582n–590n;
Spanish edition, 598n
Bore in Hang-chau Estuary, ii. 208n
_Borgal_, _see_ _Bolghar_
Bormans, Stanislas, ii. 602n, 603n
Born, Bertram de, _44_
Borneo, camphor, _see_ Camphor
—— tailed men of, ii. 302n
Boro Bodor, Buddhist Monument, Java, _13_, ii. 275n
Borrak, Amir, Prince of Kerman (Kutlugh Sultan?), i. 91n
—— Khan of Chaghatai, _see_ Barac
Borús, the, ii. 310n
Bostam, i. 138n
_Boswellia thurifera_, ii. 396n, 446n, 448n;
_serrata_, 446n;
_Carterii_, 448n;
_Bhauda-jiana_, 448n;
_papyrifera_, 448n;
_Frereana_, 448n;
_glabra_, 396n
Bouqueran, _see_ Buckram
Bourne, F. S. A., ii. 60n, 131n
Boxwood forests in Georgia, i. 50, 57n
_Bozzí_, i. 212n
Bra, the word, _45_
Bracelets, in Anin, ii. 119
Bragadino, Marco, husband of Marco Polo’s daughter, Fantina, _76_
—— Pietro, _76_
Brahmanical thread, ii. 363
Brahmans (Abraiaman), fish-charmers to the pearl fishery, ii. 332,
337n;
their character and virtues, 363, 367n;
their king, 364;
their omens, 364, 368n, 369n;
longevity, 365;
_Chughi_, 365;
Palladian legend of, 405n
Brahma’s temple, Hang-chau, ii. 212n, 213n
Brahuis, i. 101n
Brakhimof, early capital of Bulgaria, i. 7n
Brambanan, ruins at, _13_
Bran (Tibetan _tsamba_), parched barley, i. 303, 321n
Brazil wood, in Locac, ii. 276, 279n;
in Sumatra, 299;
manner of growth, _ib._, 309n;
in Ceylon, 313, 315n;
in Coilum (_Coilumin_), 375, 380n;
different kinds, _ib._;
vicissitudes of the word, 380n;
its use prohibited by Painters’ Guild, 382n
Bread, bitter, i. 110, 122n
Brephung monastery, i. 319n
_Bretesche_, i. 339n
Bretschneider, Dr. Emil (_Medical Researches_), ruins of Bolghar,
i. 7n;
the Uíghúr character, 28n;
Caucasian Wall, 54n;
use of muslin in Samarkand, 62n;
on _nakh_ and _nachetti_, 65n;
Hulákú’s expedition to West Asia, 66n, 85n, 146n, 148n;
an extract from the _Yüan Si_, 115n;
Badakhshan, 161n;
Kashgar, 183n;
Shachau, 206n;
Kamul, 211n;
Chingintalas, 214n;
the _Stipa inebrians_, 219n;
the Utikien Uigúrs, 227n;
Erdenidso Monastery, 228n;
Belasagun, 232n;
death of Chinghiz, 248n;
_tung lo_ or _kumiz_, 259n;
Kúblái’s death, 334n;
Peking, 366n, 368n, 370n, 372n, 376n–378n, ii. 5n, 6n, 8n;
_verniques_, i. 384n;
clepsydra, 385n;
the Bularguchi, 408n;
Achmath’s biography, 421n;
paper-money, 430n;
post stations, 437n;
Chinese intoxicating drinks, 441n;
regulations for time of dearth, 444n;
Lu-Ku-K’iao Bridge, ii. 8n;
introduction of plants from Asia into China, 16n;
_morus alba_, 25n;
Tibet, 46n;
bamboo explosions, 46n;
the Si-fans, 60n;
Cara-jang and Chagan-jang, 73n;
Nasr-uddin, 104n;
the Alans, 180n;
rhubarb in Tangut, 183n;
Polo’s “large pears,” 210n;
on galangal, 229n;
on sugar, 230n;
on Zayton, 238n;
on wood-oil, 252n;
on ostrich, 437n;
on Si-la-ni, 316n;
on frankincense, 449n;
on Magyars, 492n;
on Mongol invasion of Poland and Silesia, 493n
Brichu (Brius, the Upper Kiang), ii. 67n
Bridges of Pulisanghin, ii. 3;
Sindafu (Ch’êngtu), 37;
Suchau, 181;
Kinsay, 185, 187, 194n, 201, 212;
Kien-ning fu, 225, 228n;
Fuchau, 233n, 234n;
Zayton, or Chinchau, 241n
Brine-wells, _see_ Salt
Brius River (Kin-sha Kiang, Gold River), ii. 36, 40n, 56, 67n
Brown, G. G., ii. 35n
—— Sir Thomas, ii. 420n, 424n;
on Polo, _115_
Bruce’s Abyssinian Chronology, ii. 435n _seqq._
Brunetto Latini’s Book, _Li Tresor_, _88_, _117_
Brunhilda, ii. 466n
Bruun, Professor Ph., of Odessa, i. 6n, 54n, 232n–235n
Bucephala, of Alexander, i. 105n
Bucephalus, breed of, i. 158, 162n
Buckrams, of Arzinga, i. 45;
described, 47n;
etymology, 48n;
at Mardin, 61, 62n;
in Tibet, ii. 45;
at Mutfili, 361, 363n;
Malabar, 389, 395, 398, 431
Buddha, _see_ Sakya Muni
Buddhism, Buddhists, _see_ Idolatry, Idolaters
Buddhist Decalogue, i. 170n
Buffaloes in Anin, ii. 119
Buffet and vessels of Kúblái’s table, i. 382, 384n
_Bugaei_, ii. 432n
Buka (Boga), a great Mongol chief, ii. 471, 472, 474n
Buka Bosha, 1st Mongolian Governor of Bokhara, i. 10n
Búkú Khan, of the Hoei-Hu, or Uighúrs, i. 227n
Bularguji (Bularguchi), “The Keeper of Lost Property,” i. 403, 407n
Bulgaria, Great, ii. 286n
Bulughán (Bolgana), Queen, _23_, i. 32, 33n, 38n, ii. 474n
—— another, ii. 475n
Bundúkdár, Amír Aláuddín Aidekín (“The Arblaster”), i. 24n
Bundúkdári, Malik Dáhir Ruknuddín Bíbars (Bendocquedar), Mameluke
Sultan of Egypt, i. 22, 23n–25n, 145n, ii. 424n, 433n, 436n, 494n;
killed by kumiz, 259n
Buraets, or Burgats, the, i. 258n, 283n
Búrkán Káldún, i. 247n
Burma (or Ava), King of, ii. 98, 99n.
(_See_ also Mien.)
Burnell, Arthur, ii. 335n, 359n, 386n
Burning the Dead, _see_ Cremation
—— heretical books, i. 321n
—— paper-money, etc., at funerals, i. 204, 208n, 267, 268n, ii. 191
—— Widows in South India, ii. 341, 349n
Burrough, Christopher, i. 9n
Burton, Captain R. F., ii. 597n
Bushell, Dr. S. W., his visit to Shang-tu, i. 26n, 304n, 305n, 412n;
on the Khitan Scripts, 28n;
Tangut rulers, 205n;
orders for post-horses, 353n
Butchers, in Kashmir, i. 167;
Tibet, 170n;
S. India, ii. 342
Butiflis (Mutfili), ii. 362n
Butler, _Hudibras_, ii. 92n
Buyid dynasty, i. 86n