The Travels of Marco Polo
Chapter 40 : The Caliph accordingly sends for Maistre Thumas, the Priest of the Christians, and tell

The Caliph accordingly sends for Maistre Thumas, the Priest of the Christians, and tells him the stone must be given up:

"Il a. c. ans ut plus c'on i mist a solas Mahon, le nostre Dieu: dont che n'est mie estas Que li vous monstiers soit fais de nostre harnas!" P. 324.

Master Thomas, in great trouble, collects his flock, mounts the pulpit, and announces the calamity. Bauduin and his convert Polibans then arrive.

Bauduin recommends confession, fasting, and prayer. They follow his advice, and on the third day the miracle occurs:

"L'escripture le dist, qui nous achertefie Que le pierre Mahon, qui ou mur fut fiquie, Sali hors du piler, coi que nul vous en die, Droit enmi le monstier, c'onques ne fut brisie.

Et demoura li traus, dont le piere ert widie, Sans piere est sans quailliel, a cascune partie; Chou deseure soustient, par divine maistrie, Tout en air proprement, n'el tenes a falie.

Encore le voit-on en ich.e.l.le partie: Qui croire ne m'en voelt, si voist; car je l'en prie!" P. 327.

The Caliph comes to see, and declares it to be the Devil's doing. Seeing Polibans, who is his cousin, he hails him, but Polibans draws back, avowing his Christian faith. The Caliph in a rage has him off to prison.

Bauduin becomes very ill, and has to sell his horse and arms. His disease is so offensive that he is thrust out of his hostel, and in his wretchedness sitting on a stone he still avows his faith, and confesses that even then he has not received his deserts. He goes to beg in the Christian quarter, and no one gives to him; but still his faith and love to G.o.d hold out:

"Ens.e.m.e.nt Bauduins ch.e.l.le rue cherqua, Tant qu'a .j. chavetier Bauduins s'arresta, Qui chavates cousoit; son pain en garigna: Jones fu et plaisans, apertement ouvra.

Bauduins le regarde, c'onques mot ne parla." P. 334.

The cobler is charitable, gives him bread, shoes, and a grey coat that was a foot too short. He then asks Bauduin if he will not learn his trade; but that is too much for the knightly stomach:

"Et Bauduins respont, li preus et li membrus: J'ameroie trop miex que je fuisse pendus!" P. 335.

The Caliph now in his Council expresses his vexation about the miracle, and says he does not know how to disprove the faith of the Christians. A very sage old Saracen who knew Hebrew, and Latin, and some thirty languages, makes a suggestion, which is, in fact, that about the moving of the Mountain, as related by Marco Polo.[22] Master Thomas is sent for again, and told that they must transport the high mountain of _Thir_ to the valley of _Joaquin_, which lies to the westward. He goes away in new despair and causes his clerk to _sonner le clocke_ for his people. Whilst they are weeping and wailing in the church, a voice is heard desiring them to seek a certain holy man who is at the good cobler's, and to do him honour. G.o.d at his prayer will do a miracle. They go in procession to Bauduin, who thinks they are mocking him. They treat him as a saint, and strive to touch his old coat. At last he consents to pray along with the whole congregation.

The Caliph is in his palace with his princes, taking his ease at a window.

Suddenly he starts up exclaiming:

"'Seignour, par Mahoumet que j'aoure et tieng chier, Le Mont de Thir enportent le deable d'enfeir!'

Li Califes s'ecrie: 'Seignour, franc palasin, Voes le Mont de Thir qui ch'est mis au chemin!

Ves-le-la tout en air, par mon Dieu Apolin; Ja bientost le verrons ens ou val Joaquin!'" P. 345.

The Caliph is converted, releases Polibans, and is baptised, taking the name of Bauduin, to whom he expresses his fear of the Viex de la Montagne with his _Hauts-a.s.sis_, telling anew the story of the a.s.sa.s.sin's Paradise, and so enlarges on the beauty of Ivorine that Bauduin is smitten, and his love heals his malady. Toleration is not learned however:

"Bauduins, li Califes, fist baptisier sa gent, Et qui ne voilt Dieu crore, li teste on li pourfent!" P. 350.

The Caliph gives up his kingdom to Bauduin, proposing to follow him to the Wars of Syria. And Bauduin presents the Kingdom to the Cobler.

Bauduin, the Caliph, and Prince Polibans then proceed to visit the Mountain of the Old Man. The Caliph professes to him that they want help against G.o.dfrey of Bouillon. The Viex says he does not give a _bouton_ for G.o.dfrey; he will send one of his _Hauts-a.s.sis_ straight to his tent, and give him a great knife of steel between _fie et poumon!_

After dinner they go out and witness the feat of devotion which we have quoted elsewhere.[23] They then see the Paradise and the lovely Ivorine, with whose beauty Bauduin is struck dumb. The lady had never smiled before; now she declares that he for whom she had long waited was come.

Bauduin exclaims:

"'Madame, fu-jou chou qui sui le vous soubgis?'

Quant la puch.e.l.le l'ot, lors li geta. j. ris; Et li dist: 'Bauduins, vous estes mes amis!'" Pp. 362-363.

The Old One is vexed, but speaks pleasantly to his daughter, who replies with frightfully bad language, and declares herself to be a Christian. The father calls out to the Caliph to kill her. The Caliph pulls out a big knife and gives him a blow that nearly cuts him in two. The amiable Ivorine says she will go with Bauduin:

"'Se mes peres est mors, n'en donne. j. paresis!'" P. 364.

We need not follow the story further, as I did not trace beyond this point any distinct derivation from our Traveller, with the exception of that allusion to the incombustible covering of the napkin of St. Veronica, which I have quoted at p. 216 of this volume. But including this, here are at least seven different themes borrowed from Marco Polo's book, on which to be sure his poetical contemporary plays the most extraordinary variations.

[Sidenote: Chaucer and Marco Polo.]

[78 _bis._--In the third volume of _The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer_, Oxford, 1894, the Rev. Walter W. Skeat gives (pp. 372 seqq.) an _Account of the Sources of the Canterbury Tales_. Regarding _The Squieres Tales_, he says that one of his sources was the Travels of Marco; Mr.

Keighley in his _Tales and Popular Fictions_, published in 1834, at p. 76, distinctly derives Chaucer's Tale from the travels of Marco Polo. (_Skeat, l. c._, p. 463, note.) I cannot quote all the arguments given by the Rev.

W. W. Skeat to support his theory, pp. 463-477.

Regarding the opinion of Professor Skeat of Chaucer's indebtedness to Marco Polo, cf. _Marco Polo and the Squire's Tale_, by Professor John Matthews Manly, vol. xi. of the _Publications of the Modern Language a.s.sociation of America_, 1896, pp. 349-362. Mr. Manly says (p. 360): "It seems clear, upon reviewing the whole problem, that if Chaucer used Marco Polo's narrative, he either carelessly or intentionally confused all the features of the setting that could possibly be confused, and retained not a single really characteristic trait of any person, place or event. It is only by twisting everything that any part of Chaucer's story can be brought into relation with any part of Polo's. To do this might be allowable, if any rational explanation could be given for Chaucer's supposed treatment of his 'author,' or if there were any scarcity of sources from which Chaucer might have obtained as much information about Tartary as he seems really to have possessed; but such an explanation would be difficult to devise, and there is no such scarcity. Any one of half a dozen accessible accounts could be distorted into almost if not quite as great resemblance to the _Squire's Tale_ as Marco Polo's can."

Mr. A. W. Pollard, in his edition of _The Squire's Tale_ (Lond., 1899) writes: "A very able paper, by Prof. J. M. Manly, demonstrates the needlessness of Prof. Skeat's theory, which has introduced fresh complications into an already complicated story. My own belief is that, though we may ill.u.s.trate the Squire's Tale from these old accounts of Tartary, and especially from Marco Polo, because he has been so well edited by Colonel Yule, there is very little probability that Chaucer consulted any of them. It is much more likely that he found these details where he found more important parts of his story, i.e. in some lost romance. But if we must suppose that he provided his own local colour, we have no right to pin him down to using Marco Polo to the exclusion of other accessible authorities." Mr. Pollard adds in a note (p. xiii.): "There are some features in these narratives, e.g. the account of the gorgeous dresses worn at the Kaan's feast, which Chaucer with his love of colour could hardly have helped reproducing if he had known them."--H. C.]

[1] See _Ferrazzi, Manuele Dantesca_, Ba.s.sano, 1865, p. 729.

[2] In Quaritch's catalogue for Nov. 1870 there is only one old edition of Polo; there are _nine_ of Maundevile. In 1839 there were nineteen MSS.

of the latter author _catalogued_ in the British Museum Library. There are _now_ only six of Marco Polo. At least twenty-five editions of Maundevile and only five of Polo were printed in the 15th century.

[3] I have made personal enquiry at the National Libraries of Naples and Palermo, at the Communal Library in the latter city, and at the Benedictine Libraries of Monte Ca.s.sino, Monreale, S. Martino, and Catania.

In the 15th century, when Polo's book had become more generally diffused we find three copies of it in the Catalogue of the Library of Charles VI. of France, made at the Louvre in 1423, by order of the Duke of Bedford.

The estimates of value are curious. They are in _sols parisis_, which we shall not estimate very wrongly at a s.h.i.+lling each:--

"No. 295. _Item_. Marcus Paulus; _en ung cahier escript de lettre formee en francois, a deux coulombes. Commt. ou ii'e fo._ 'deux freres prescheurs,' _et ou derrenier_ 'que sa arrieres.' _X. s. p._

"No. 334. _Item_. Marcus Paulus. _Couvert de drap d'or, bien escript & enlumine, de lettre de forme en francois, a deux coulombes. Commt. ou ii'e fol._; 'il fut Roys,' _& ou derrenier_ 'propremen,' _a deux fermouers de laton. XV. s. p._

"No. 336. _Item_. Marcus Paulus; _non enlumine, escript en francois, de lettre de forme. Commt. ou ii'e fo._ 'vocata moult grant,' _& ou derrenier_ 'ilec dist il.' _Couvert de cuir blanc, a deux fermouers de laton. XII. s. p._"

(_Inventaire de la Bibliotheque du Roi Charles VI._, etc.

Paris, Societe des Bibliophiles, 1867.)

[4] See _Del Reggimento e de' Costumi delle donne di Messer Francesco da Barberino_, Roma, 1815, pp. 166 and 271. The latter pa.s.sage runs thus, on _Slavery_:--

"E fu indutta prima da Noe, E fu cagion lo vin, perche si egge: Ch' egli e un paese, dove Son molti servi in parte di Cathay: Che per questa cagione Hanno a nimico il vino, E non ne beon, ne voglion vedere."

The author was born the year before Dante (1264), and though he lived to 1348 it is probable that the poems in question were written in his earlier years. _Cathay_ was no doubt known by dim repute long before the final return of the Polos, both through the original journey of Nicolo and Maffeo, and by information gathered by the Missionary Friars. Indeed, in 1278 Pope Nicolas III., in consequence of information said to have come from Abaka Khan of Persia, that Kublai was a baptised Christian, sent a party of Franciscans with a long letter to the Kaan _Quobley_, as he is termed. They never seem to have reached their destination. And in 1289 Nicolas IV. entrusted a similar mission to Friar John of Monte Corvino, which eventually led to very tangible results. Neither of the Papal letters, however, mentions _Cathay_. (See _Mosheim_, App. pp. 76 and 94.)

[5] See _Muratori_, IX. 583, seqq.; _Bianconi_, Mem. I. p. 37.

[6] This Friar makes a strange hotch-potch of what he had read, e.g.: "The Tartars, when they came out of the mountains, made them a king, viz., the son of Prester John, who is thus vulgarly termed _Vetulus de la Montagna!_" (_Mon. Hist. Patr._ Script. III. 1557.)

[7] G. Villani died in the great plague of 1348. But his book was begun soon after Marco's was written, for he states that it was the sight of the memorials of greatness which he witnessed at Rome, during the Jubilee of 1300, that put it into his head to write the history of the rising glories of Florence, and that he began the work after his return home. (Bk. VIII. ch. 36.)

[8] Book V. ch. 29.

[9] _Petri Aponensis Medici ac Philosophi Celeberrimi, Conciliator_, Venice, 1521, fol. 97. Peter was born in 1250 at Abano, near Padua, and was Professor of Medicine at the University in the latter city.

He twice fell into the claws of the Unholy Office, and only escaped them by death in 1316.

[10] [It is curious that this figure is almost exactly that which among oriental carpets is called a "cloud." I have heard the term so applied by Vincent Robinson. It often appears in old Persian carpets, and also in Chinese designs. Mr. Purdon Clarke tells me it is called _nebula_ in heraldry; it is also called in Chinese by a term signifying cloud; in Persian, by a term which he called _silen-i-khitai_, but of this I can make nothing.--_MS. Note by Yule_.]