Bauduin's prayer for help is miraculously granted; Polibans is beaten, and converted by a vision. He tells Bauduin that in his neighbourhood, beyond Baudas-

"ou v. liewes ou vi.

Che un felles prinches, orgoeilleus et despis,

De la Rouge Montaingne est Prinches et Marchis.
Or vous dirai comment il a ses gens nouris.

Je vous dis que chius Roys a fait un Paradis
Tant noble et gratieus, et plains de tels delis

*

Car en che Paradis est un riex establis

Qui se partist en trois, en che noble pourpris ;
En l'un coert li clarés, d'espises bien garnis;
Et en l'autre li miés, qui les a ressouffis ;
Et li vins di pieument i queant par droit avis-

Il n'i vente ne gèle. Che liés est de samis
De riches dras de soie, bien ouvrés a devis.
Et aveukes tout che que je chi vous devis,
I a ij-c. puchelles qui moult ont cler le vis
Carolans et tresquans, menans gales et ris;
Et si est li Dieuesse, dame et suppellatis,
Qui doctrine les autres et en fais et en dis ;

Celle est la fille au Roy c' on dist des Haus Assis.”

This Lady Ivorine, the Old Man's daughter, is described among other points as having

"Les iex vairs com faucons, nobles et agentis." †

The King of the Mountain collects all the young male children of the country, and has them brought up for nine or ten years:

"Dedens un lieu oscur: là les met-on toudis
Aveukes males bestes, kiens et cas et soris
Culoères et lisaerdes, escorpions petis.

La endroit ne peut nuls avoir joie ne ris."

And after this dreary life they are shown the Paradise, and told that such shall be their portion if they do their Lord's behest:

"S'il disoit à son homme: 'Va ten droit à Paris!
Si me fier d'un coutel le Roy de Saint Denis!'
Jamais n'aresteroit, né par nuit né par dis,
S'aroit tué le Roy, voiant tous ches marchis,
Et deuist estre à fources trainés et mal mis."

* Sce Polo, Vol. I. p. 146. Hashishi has got altered into Haus Assis,
See Vol. I. p. 349, note.

Bauduin determines to see this Paradise and the lovely Ivorine. The road led by Baudas:

"Or avoit a che tamps se l'histoire ne ment
En le chit de Baudas Kristiens, jusqu'à cent,
Qui manoient illoec par tréu d'argent
Que cascuns cristiens au Roy-Calife rent.

Li pères du Calife, qui regna longement,
Ama les Crestiens, et Dieu premièrement :

*

Et lor fist establir j. monstier noble et gent,
Ou Crestien faisoient faire lor sacrement.
Une mout noble pierre lor donna proprement
Ou on avoit posé Mahon moult longement.*

The story is, in fact, that which Marco relates of Samarkand. The Caliph dies. His son hates the Christians. His people complain of the toleration of the Christians and their minister; but he says his father had pledged him not to interfere, and he dared not forswear himself. If, without doing so, he could do them an ill turn, he would gladly. The people then suggest their claim to the stone:

"Or leur donna vos pères, dont che fu mesprisons.
Ceste pièrre, biaus Sire, Crestiens demandons :

Il ne porront rendre, pour vrai le vous disons,
Si le monstiers n'est mis et par pièches et par mons;

Et s'il estoit desfais, jamais ne le larons

Refaire chi endroit. Ensement averons
Faites et acomplies nostres ententions."

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 et plus c'on i mist à solas

Mahon le nostre Dieu : dont che n'est mie estas
Que li vous monstiers soit fais de nostre harnas!

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 a chertifie

Que le pierre Mahon, qui ou mur fut fiquie,
Salit hors du piler, coi que nul vous en die,
Droit en mis le moustier, c'onques ne fut brisie,
Et demoura li traus, dont le piere ert widie,

*See Vol. I. p. 196, note I.

† Vol. I. pp. 191–192.

Sans pierre est sans quailliel, a cascune partie
Chou deseure soustient par divine maistrie
Tout en air proprement, n'el tenés a failie.
Encore le voit-on en ichelle partie

Qui croire ne m'en voelt, si voist: car je l'en prie!

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 God hold out:

Ensement Bauduins chelle rue cherqua

Tant qu'à un chavetier Bauduins s'arresta
Qui chavates cousoit; son pain en garigna.
Jones fu et plaisans, apertement ouvra.

Bauduin le regarde, c'onques mot ne parla."

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 Bauduin respont, li preus et li membrus,
J'ameroie trop miex que je fusse pendus!"

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.* 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. God at his prayer will do a miracle. They go in procession

Vol. I. pp. 70, seqq. The virtuous cobler is not left out, but is made to play

second fiddle to the hero Bauduin.

to Bauduin, who thinks they are mocking him. him as a saint, and strive to touch his old coat.

consents to pray along with the whole congregation.

They treat

At last he

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 cher,

Le Mont de Thir enportent le deable d'enfer !'

Li Calife s'écrie: Seignour, franc palasin,
Voiés le Mont de Thir qui ch'est mis au chemin !
Vés-le-là tout en air, par mon Dieu Apolin !
Ja bientot le verrons ens ou val Joaquin !"

The Caliph is converted, releases Polibans, and is baptized, taking the name of Bauduin, to whom he expresses his fear of the Viex de la Montagne with his Hauts-Assis, telling anew the story of the Assassin'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:

"Bauduin, li Califes, fist baptiser sa gent

Et qui ne voilt Dieu croire li teste on li pourfent!"

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 Godfrey of Bouillon. The Viex says he does not give a bouton for Godfrey; he will send one of his Hauts-Assis 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.* 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 subgis?'
Quant la puchelle l'ot, lors si geta j. ris,

Et li dist: Bauduins, vous estes mes amis !'"

The Old One is vexed, but speaks pleasantly to his daughter, who replies with frightfully bad language, and declares herself

*Vol. I. p. 150.

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 pères est mors, n'en donne un paresis !'"

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. 218 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.

XIII. NATURE OF POLO'S INFLUENCE ON GEOGRAPHICAL

KNOWLEDGE.

79. Marco Polo contributed such a vast amount of new facts to the knowledge of the Earth's surface, that one might have expected his book to have had a sudden effect upon the Science of Geography: but no such result occurred speedily, nor was its beneficial effect of any long duration.

Tardy operation, and

causes thereof.

No doubt several causes contributed to the slowness of its action upon the notions of Cosmographers, of which the unreal character attributed to the Book, as a collection of romantic marvels rather than of geographical and historical facts, may have been one, as Santarem urges. But the essential causes were no doubt the imperfect nature of publication before the invention of the press; the traditional character which clogged geography as well as all other branches of knowledge in the Middle Ages; and the entire absence of scientific principle in what passed for geography, so that there was no organ competent to the assimilation of a large mass of new knowledge.

Of the action of the first cause no examples can be more striking than we find in the false conception of the Caspian as a gulf of the Ocean, entertained by Strabo, and the opposite error in regard to the Indian Sea held by Ptolemy, who regards it as an enclosed basin, when we contrast these with the cor