Asia -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Mongols -- History; Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?; Voyages and travels
_Item_ 1 tenturam de pannis indicis, quam habuit praedictus MARCUS.
_Item_ de itineribus MARCI praedicti liber in corio albo cum multis
figuris.
_Item_ aliud volumen quod vocatur _de locis mirabilibus Tartarorum,
scriptum manu praedicti_ MARCI.
• • • • •
II. There is kept at the Louvre, in the very valuable collection
of China Ware given by M. Ernest Grandidier, a white porcelain
incense-burner said to come from Marco Polo. This incense-burner, which
belonged to Baron Davillier, who received it, as a present, from one of
the keepers of the Treasury of St. Mark’s at Venice, is an octagonal
_ting_ from the Fo-kien province, and of the time of the Sung Dynasty.
By the kind permission of M. P. Grandidier, we reproduce it from Pl.
II. 6, of the _Céramique chinoise_, Paris, 1894, published by this
learned amateur.—H. C.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] 1. The Will is made in prospect of his voyage to Crete.
2. He had drafted his will with his own hand, sealed the draft,
and made it over to Pietro Pagano, priest of S. Felice and Notary,
to draw out a formal testament in faithful accordance therewith
in case of the Testator’s death; and that which follows is the
substance of the said draft rendered from the vernacular into
Latin. (“Ego Matheus Paulo ... volens ire in Cretam, ne repentinus
casus hujus vite fragilis me subreperet intestatum, mea propria
manu meum scripsi et condidi testamentum, rogans Petrum Paganum
ecclesie Scti. Felicis presbiterum et Notarium, sana mente et
integro consilio, ut, secundum ipsius scripturam quam sibi tunc
dedi meo sigillo munitam, meum scriberet testamentum, si me de hoc
seculo contigeret pertransire; cujus scripture tenor translato
vulgari in latinum per omnia talis est.”)
3. Appoints as Trustees Messer Maffeo Polo his uncle, Marco Polo
his brother, Messer Nicolo Secreto (or Sagredo) his father-in-law,
and Felix Polo his cousin (_consanguineum_).
4. Leaves 20 _soldi_ to each of the Monasteries from Grado to Capo
d’Argine; and 150 _lire_ to all the congregations of Rialto, on
condition that the priests of these maintain an annual service in
behalf of the souls of his father, mother, and self.
5. To his daughter Fiordelisa 2000 _lire_ to marry her withal. To
be invested in safe mortgages in Venice, and the interest to go to
her.
Also leaves her the interest from 1000 _lire_ of his funds in
Public Debt (? _de meis imprestitis_) to provide for her till she
marries. After her marriage this 1000 _lire_ and its interest shall
go to his male heir if he has one, and failing that to his brother
Marco.
6. To his wife Catharine 400 _lire_ and all her clothes as they
stand now. To the Lady Maroca 100 _lire_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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