IN the province of Cathay towards the East, is an olde citie & beside that citie the Tartariens have made an other citie that men call Cadon,[1] y^t hathe xii[2] gates, and betwene eche two gates is a great myle, so those two cities the olde and the new is round about xx myle. In this citie is the palaice and sege of y^e great Caane in a full faire place and great, of which the wals about is two myle, and within that are many fayre places, and in the gardeyne of that palaice is a right greate hill on the which is an other palaice, and it is the fayrest that may bee founde in any place, and all about that hyll are many trees berynge divers fruites, and about that hyll is a great dyche, and there nere are many rivers on eche syde, and in those are many wylde foules that he may take and not go out of the palayce. Within y^e hall of that palaice are xxiiii pillers of gold and all the walks are covered with rych skynnes of beastes that men call Panthera. Those are fayre beastes and well smelling and of the smell of those skynnes, none evyll smell may come to the palayce, those skynnes are as redde as bloude, and they shine so against the Sonne that a man can scarcely beholde them and those skynnes are estemed there as much as golde. In the myddest of the palace is a place made that they call the Monture[3] for the great Caane, that is well made with precious stones and great hanging about, and at the foure corners of that Montour are foure nedders[4] of golde, & under that mountour and about are conduites of bevrage that they drink in the Emperour's courte. And the hall of that palayce is richly dight and wel, and firste at the upper ende of the hall is the throne of the Emperour right hie where he sitteth at meate (_at a_) table that is well bordered with gold and that bordure is full of precious stones and great pearles, and the greces on which he goeth up are of diverse precious stones bordred with golde.