The Travels of Marco Polo Volume II Part 80

"And let none deem this task to be vain and unprofitable; for I am of opinion that the perusal of the Book by the Faithful may merit an abounding Grace from the Lord; whether that in contemplating the variety, beauty, and vastness of G.o.d's Creation, as herein displayed in His marvellous works, they may be led to bow in adoring wonder before His Power and Wisdom; or, that, in considering the depths of blindness and impurity in which the Gentile Nations are involved, they may be constrained at once to render thanks to G.o.d Who hath deigned to call His faithful people out of such perilous darkness into His marvellous Light, and to pray for the illumination of the hearts of the Heathen. Hereby, also, the sloth of undevout Christians may be put to shame, when they see how much more ready the nations of the unbelievers are to worship their Idols, than are many of those who have been marked with Christ's Token to adore the True G.o.d. Moreover, the hearts of some members of the religious orders may be moved to strive for the diffusion of the Christian Faith, and by Divine Aid to carry the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, forgotten among so vast mult.i.tudes, to those blinded nations, among whom the harvest is indeed so great, and the labourers so few.

"But lest the inexperienced Reader should regard as beyond belief the many strange and unheard of things that are related in sundry pa.s.sages of this Book, let all know MESSER MARCO POLO, the narrator of these marvels, to be a most respectable, veracious, and devout person, of most honourable character, and receiving such good testimony from all his acquaintance, that his many virtues claim entire belief for that which he relates. His Father, Messer Nicolo, a man of the highest respectability, used to relate all these things in the same manner. And his uncle, Messer Maffeo, who is spoken of in the Book, a man of ripe wisdom and piety, in familiar conversation with his Confessor when on his death-bed, maintained unflinchingly that the whole of the contents of this Book were true.

"Wherefore I have, with a safer conscience, undertaken the labour of this Translation, for the entertainment of my Readers, and to the praise of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things visible and invisible."

APPENDIX F.--_Note of MSS. of Marco Polo so far as they are known._

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF MSS.

Latin French Italian German Irish Total GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 16 Cambridge 3 ... ... ... ...

Dublin 1 ... ... ... ...

Lismore Castle ... ... ... ... 1 Glasgow 2 ... ... ... ...

London 4 2 1 ... ...

Oxford 1 1 ... ... ...

FRANCE ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 Paris 4 7 1 ... ...

LUXEMBOURG . . 1 ... ... ... ... ... ..... 1

BELGIUM ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Brussels ... 1 ... ... ...

ITALY ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 29 Venice 4 ... 2 ... ...

Ferrara ... ... 1 ... ...

Milan 1 ... ... ... ...

Modena 1 ... ... ... ...

Florence 1 ... 8 ... ...

Lucca .... ... 1 ... ...

Siena ... ... 1 ... ...

Rome 4 1 4 ... ...

SPAIN ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Escurial 1 ... ... ... ...

Toledo 1 ... 1 ... ...

SWITZERLAND ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 3 Bern ... 1 1 ... ...

Vevey ... 1 ... ... ...

GERMANY ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 16 Munich 4 ... ... 4 ...

Wolfenb.u.t.tel 2 ... ... ... ...

Berlin 1 ... ... 1 ...

Wurzburg 1 ... ... ... ...

Giessen 1 ... ... ... ...

Jena 1 ... ... ... ...

Mentz 1 ... ... ... ...

AUSTRIA ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Prague 1 ... ... ... ...

Vienna ... ... ... 1 ...

SWEDEN ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Stockholm ... 2 ... ... ...

____________________________________________________________________ 41 16 21 6 1 85 ____________________________________________________________________

I add Lists of the Miniatures in two of the finer MSS. as noted from examination.

LIST OF MINIATURES IN THE GREAT VOLUME OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY, COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'LE LIVRE DES MERVEILLES' (Fr. 2810) WHICH BELONG TO THE BOOK OF MARCO POLO.

1. Frontispiece. "Comment les deux freres se partirent de Constantinople pour cherchier du monde."

2. Conversation with the Amba.s.sadors at Bokhara (fol. 2).

3. The Brothers before the G. Kaan (f. 2 _v._).

4. The Kaan giving them Letters (f. 3).

5. " " " " a Golden Tablet (f. 3 _v._).

6. The Second Departure from Venice (f. 4).

7. The Polos before Pope Gregory (f. 4 _v._)

8. The two elder Polos before the Kaan presenting Book and Cross (f. 5).

9. The Polos demand _conge_ (f. 6).

10. (Subject obscure) (f. 7).

11. Georgians, and Convent of St. Leonard (f. 8).

12. The Calif shut up in his Treasury (f. 9).

13. The Calif ordering Christians to move the Mountain (f. 10).

14. Miracle of the Mountain (G.o.d is seen pushing it) (f. 10 _v._)

15. The three Kings _en route_ (f. 11 _v._).

16. " " " adoring the Fire (f. 12).

17. (Subject obscure--Travelling in Persia?) (f. 12 _v._)

18. Cattle of Kerman (f. 13 _v._).