The Travels of Marco Polo Volume II Part 85

Then follows.

1 _Marco Polo_: "Cy apres commence le liure de Marc Paule des merveilles daise la grant et dinde la maiour et mineur Et des diuerses regions du monde."--_Begins_: "Pour sauoir la pure verite de diuerses regions du monde. Si prenez ce liure cy et le faictes lire. Si y trouuerez les grandismes merueilles qui y sont escriptes...."

_Ends_ (Fol. 96 verso): "Et a tant fine messire marc pol son liure de la diuision du monde et des merueilles dicelluy."

Of the 266 _histoires_ or miniatures in this splendid book, 84 belong to the story of Polo. We have given engravings of several of them. Its value is estimated in the catalogue of the Library of the Duc de Berry in 1416 (quoted by Pauthier) at 125 _livres_, equivalent (if _parisis_) to about 115_l._ This is Pauthier's MS. B. See vol. i., _Int._, _Various Types of the Text_.

Large folio on vellum.

[_H. Cordier, Odoric_, pp. cviii-cxiii.].

19 PARIS Bib. Nationale, No. 10260 (now Fr. 5631) French.

"Ci commencement les rebriches de cest Livre qui est appelez le Deuis.e.m.e.nt du Monde, lequel je Gringoires contrefais du Livre de Messire Marc Pol le meilleur citoien de Venisse creant Crist."

At the beginning of the Text is a coa.r.s.e drawing of Kublai on his _bretesche_, carried by four elephants (vol. i., p. 337); and after the prologue another apparently representing the Princess Aijaruc wrestling with her wooer (vol. ii. p. 465).

This is Pauthier's MS. A. (vol. i, _Int., Various Types of the Text_), and also was in the Duc de Berry's Library, values at 6 _livres 5 sols_.

[Second half of the 14th cent.].

20 PARIS Bib. nationale, No. 10,270 (now Fr. 5649) French.

This is Pauthier's MS. C. (See as before.) It is that which has the certificate about the original presented to the Seigneur de Cepoy; see _Int._, p. 69.

At the end is _Bertran Pichart scripsit hoc_. Small 4to, parchment, in a clear enough half-current hand; 134 ff.

Came from the library of the Archb. of Rheims. [Middle of the 15th century.]

21 PARIS Bib. nationale (675)?

French.

I know nothing of this MS. except its readings of names given in the Table appended to the Geographic Text. It then belonged to the Comte d'Artois. Lazari has it entered as belonging to the Bibl. Imp., I know not if correctly. [I have been unable to find it in the Bibliotheque nationale.--H.C.]

See _preceding column_.

22 PARIS Bib. nationale, Fr. nonv. acq. 1880 French.

This is a copy of the time of King Louis XII., made apparently for Admiral Louis Malet de Graville, Governor of Honfleur, who died in 1516; it bears the arms of the Urfe family; it is at times modernized, but less is suppressed in it than in MSS. 5631 and 2810. The MS. ends: "_Et sa auchuns disdaine qui a lui_ ..." about the middle of ch.

cxcix of Pauthier's ed., p. 738, line 4. These are also the last words of the Stockholm MS. of which it is a copy.

Purchased in 1870.

_L. Delisle, Bib. Ec. Chartes_, xliii. p. 219.

23 PARIS Bib. de l'a.r.s.enal, No. 5219 French.

Translated by Robert Frescher.--Fol. 1. "_Prologue du present livre, V.

p. 163. par maistre Robert Frescher, bacheloir forme en theologie translateur.--Berose, ainsi que Josephe nous a laisse par enscript, fut natif de la cite de Babilone_...."--Fol. 9. Begins: "_Pour scavoir la pure verite des diverses regions du monde, lises au faictes lire ce livre_...." Incomplete; ends: "... _Argon fui filz de Abaga mon frere, et sa aucun disoit que a luy_." (See Pauthier's ed., p. 738.)

Parchment; ff. 168; end of the 15th or beginning of 16th century. From the libraries of Charles Adrien Picard and de Paulmy. With miniatures some of which are engraved in _Moeurs, Usages of Costumes du Moyen Age, par les Bibliophile Jacob_, pp. 411-413.

_Cat. des MSS. de l'a.r.s.enal_, V. p. 163.

24 PARIS Bib. nationale, No. 3195 Latin.

This is the old Latin version, published by the Soc. de Geog., and which I have cited as _Geographic Latin_ or G.L. (See vol. i., _Int. Various Types of the Text_.) [Contains: _Petri Amphusi clericalis disciplina; Odoric; Marco Polo; Bernardi cujusdam ad Raymundum Castri Ambrosii epistola de modo rei familiaris utilius gubernandae_. Cf. _Cat. Cod. MSS.

Bib. Reg. Pars tertia_., t. iii. Paris, 1744, p. 385. Parchment, small fol., 15th century.--_H. Cordier, Odoric_, p. lx.x.xiii--H.C.].

_Printed Text.--H. Cordier_.

25 PARIS Bib. nationale, No. 1616 Latin.

Pipino's. [Paper; fol. cccvii et seqq.].

_Table in the G.T._

26 PARIS Bib. nationale, No. 6244 A.

Latin.

Pipino's. [Paper.]

_Table in the G.T._

27 PARIS Bib. Nationale, Codd. Ital., No. 10,259 [now 434]

Italian.

Paper, 4to, of 14th century. Seen, but not examined with any care, which I regret, as the readings suggest that it may have been that text from which Pipino translated [pp. 100.].

[Begins f. 2 recto: "_Signori Imperadori Re e Duci e tutte altre gienti che || uolete sapere le diuerse gienerationi delle gienti || elle diuersita delle regioni del mondo leggiete que || sto libro doue retrouerrete tutte le grandissime marauigle_," etc.

Ends: "_Explicit Liber de Milione per Messe Marcho Polo di Vinegia.

Deo gratias._"]

_I Manoscritti Italiani ... della R. Bib. Parigina ... dal Ant.