The Voyages of Marco Polo. Марко Поло
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gli animali si chiamano Rondes" (and there the perverted one).
We may further remark that Ramusio's version betrays indications that one of its bases either was in the Venetian dialect, or had passed through that dialect; for a good many of the names appear in Venetian forms, e.g., substituting the z for the sound of ch, j, or soft g, as in Goza, Zorzania, Zagatay, Gonza (for Giogiu), Quenzanfu, Coiganzu, Tapinzu, Zipangu, Ziamba.
[Sidenote: Summary in regard to Text of Polo.]
64. To sum up. It is, I think, beyond reasonable dispute that we have, in what we call the Geographic Text, as nearly as may be an exact transcript of the Traveller's words as originally taken down in the prison of Genoa. We have again in the MSS. of the second type an edition pruned and refined, probably under instructions from Marco Polo, but not with any critical exactness. And lastly, I believe, that we have, imbedded in the Ramusian edition, the supplementary recollections of the Traveller, noted down at a later period of his life, but perplexed by repeated translation, compilation, and editorial mishandling.
And the most important remaining problem in regard to the text of Polo's work is the discovery of the supplemental manuscript from which Ramusio derived those passages which are found only in his edition. It is possible that it may still exist, but no trace of it in anything like completeness has yet been found; though when my task was all but done I discovered a small part of the Ramusian peculiarities in a MS. at Venice.[19]
65. Whilst upon this subject of manuscripts of our Author, I will give some particulars regarding a very curious one, containing a version in the Irish language.
[Sidenote: Notice of a curious Irish Version of Polo.]
This remarkable document is found in the Book of Lismore, belonging to the Duke of Devonshire. That magnificent book, finely written on vellum of the largest size, was discovered in 1814, enclosed in a wooden box, along with a superb crozier, on opening a closed doorway in the castle of Lismore. It contained Lives of the Saints, the (Romance) History of Charlemagne, the History of the Lombards, histories and tales of Irish wars, etc., etc., and among the other matter this version of Marco Polo. A full account of the Book and its mutilations will be found in O'Curry's Lectures on the MS. Materials of Ancient Irish History, p. 196 seqq., Dublin, 1861. The Book of Lismore was written about 1460 for Finghin MacCarthy and his wife Catharine Fitzgerald, daughter of Gerald, Eighth Earl of Desmond.
The date of the Translation of Polo is not known, but it may be supposed to have been executed about the above date, probably in the Monastery of Lismore (county of Waterford).
From the extracts that have been translated for me, it is obvious that the version was made, with an astounding freedom certainly, from Friar Francesco Pipino's Latin.
Both beginning and end are missing. But what remains opens thus; compare it with Friar Pipino's real prologue as we give it in the Appendix![20]
"[Irish uncial text: riguib ocus tassech na cathar sin. bai bratair rigui anaibit san fnses inn cathr intansin. ba eoluc dano ss' nahilberlaib fransiscus aainm. bhur iarum du ambant na maste ucut ocus cuingst fair inleabor doclod fcula otengaid natartaired cg inteng laitanda]." &c.
—"Kings and chieftains of that city. There was then in the city a princely Friar in the habit of St. Francis, named Franciscus, who was versed in many languages. He was brought to the place where those nobles were, and they requested of him to translate the book from the Tartar (!) into the Latin language. 'It is an abomination to me,' said he, 'to devote my mind or labour to works of Idolatry and Irreligion.' They entreated him again. 'It shall be done,' said he; 'for though it be an irreligious narrative that is related therein, yet the things are miracles of the True God; and every one who hears this much against the Holy Faith shall pray fervently for their conversion. And he who will not pray shall waste the vigour of his body to convert them.' I am not in dread of this Book of Marcus, for there is no lie in it. My eyes beheld him bringing the relics of the holy Church with him, and he left [his testimony], whilst tasting of death, that it was true. And Marcus was a devout man. What is there in it, then, but that Franciscus translated this Book of Marcus from the Tartar into Latin; and the years of the Lord at that time were fifteen years, two score, two hundred, and one thousand" (1255).
It then describes Armein Bec (Little Armenia), Armein Mor (Great Armenia), Musul, Taurisius, Persida, Camandi, and so forth. The last chapter is that on Abaschia:—
"ABASCHIA also is an extensive country, under the government of Seven Kings, four of whom worship the true God, and each of them wears a golden cross on the forehead; and they are valiant in battle, having been brought up fighting against the Gentiles of the other three kings, who are Unbelievers and Idolaters. And the kingdom of ADEN; a Soudan rules over them.
"The king of Abaschia once took a notion to make a pilgrimage to the Sepulchre of Jesus. 'Not at all,' said his nobles and warriors to him, 'for we should be afraid lest the infidels through whose territories you would have to pass, should kill you. There is a Holy Bishop with you,' said they; 'send him to the Sepulchre of Jesus, and much gold with him'"—
The rest is wanting.
[1] In the following citations, the Geographic Text (G. T.) is quoted by page from the printed edition (1824); the Latin published in the same volume (G. L.) also by page; the Crusca, as before, from Bartoli's edition of 1863. References in parentheses are to the present translation:—
A. Passages showing the G. L. to be a translation from the Italian, and derived from the same Italian text as the Crusca.
Page
(1). G.T. 17 (I. 43). Il hi se laborent le souran tapis dou monde. Crusca, 17 .. E quivi si fanno i sovrani tappeti del mondo. G.L. 311 .. Et ibi fiunt soriani et tapeti pulcriores de mundo. (2). G.T. 23 (I. 69). Et adonc le calif mande par tuit les cristiez … que en sa tere estoient. Crusca, 27 .. Ora mandò lo aliffo per tutti gli Cristiani ch' erano di lá. G.L. 316 .. Or misit califus pro Christianis qui erant ultra fluvium (the last words being clearly a misunderstanding of the Italian di là). (3). G.T. 198 (II. 313). Ont sosimain (sesamum) de coi il font le olio. Crusca, 253 .. Hanno sosimai onde fanno l' olio. G.L. 448 .. Habent turpes manus (taking sosimani for sozze mani "Dirty hands"!). (4). Crusca, 52 (I. 158). Cacciare e uccellare v' è lo migliore del mondo. G.L. 332 .. Et est ibi optimum caciare et ucellare. (5). G.T. 124 (II. 36). Adonc treuve … une Provence qe est encore de le confin dou Mangi. Crusca, 162–3 .. L' uomo truova una Provincia ch' è chiamata ancora delle confine de' Mangi. G.L. 396 .. Invenit unam Provinciam quae vocatur Anchota de confinibus Mangi. (6). G.T. 146 (II. 119.) Les dames portent as jambes et es braces, braciaus d'or et d'arjent de grandisme vailance. Crusca, 189 .. Le donne portano alle braccia e alle gambe bracciali d'oro e d'ariento di gran valuta. G.L. 411 .. Dominae eorum portant ad brachia et ad gambas brazalia de auro et de argento magni valoris.
B. Passages showing additionally the errors, or other peculiarities of a translation from a French original, common to the Italian and the Latin.
(7). G.T. 32 (I. 97.) Est celle plaingne mout chaue (chaude). Crusca, 35 .. Questo piano è molto cavo. G.L. 322 .. Ista planities est multum cava. (8). G.T. 36 (I. 110). Avent por ce que l'eive hi est amer. Crusca, 40 .. E questo è per lo mare che vi viene. G.L. 324 .. Istud est propter mare quod est ibi. (9). G.T. 8 (I. 50.) Un roi qi est apelés par tout tens Davit Melic, que veut à dir en fransois Davit Roi. Crusca, 20 .. Uno re il quale si chiama sempre David Melic, ciò è a dire in francesco David Re. G.L. 312 .. Rex qui semper vocatur David Mellic, quod sonat in gallico David Rex.
These passages, and many more that might be quoted, seem to me to demonstrate (1) that the Latin and the Crusca have had a common original, and (2) that this original was an Italian version from the French.
[2] Thus the Pucci MS. at Florence, in the passage regarding the Golden King (vol. ii. p. 17) which begins in G. T. "Lequel fist faire jadis un rois qe fu apellés le Roi Dor," renders "Lo quale