NOTE 1. So Sanang Setzen relates that Chinghiz, on returning from one of his great campaigns, busied himself in reorganizing his forces and bestowing rank and title, according to the deserts of each, on his nine Orlok, or marshals, and on all who had done good service. "He named commandants over hundreds, over thousands, over ten thousands. over hundred thousands, and opened his treasury to the multitude of the people" (p. 91).

NOTE 2. We have several times already had mention of these tablets (see Prologue, chapters viii. and xviii.). The earliest European allusion to them is in Rubruquis: "And Mangu gave to the Moghul (whom he was going to send to the King of France) a bull of his, that is to say, a golden plate of a palm in breadth and half a cubit in length, on which his orders were inscribed. Whosoever is the bearer of that may order what he pleases, and his order shall be executed straightway."

These golden bulls of the Mongol Kaans appear to have been originally tokens of high favour and honour, though afterwards they became more frequent and conventional. They are often spoken of by the Persian historians of the Mongols under the name of Páïzah, and sometimes Páïzah Sir-i-Sher, or "Lion's Head Paizah." Thus, in a firmán of Ghazan Khan, naming a viceroy to his conquests in Syria, the Khan confers on the latter "the sword, the august standard, the drum, and the Lion's Head Paizah." Most frequently the grant of this honour is coupled with Yarligh; "to such an one were granted Yarligh and Paizah," the former word (which is still applied in Turkey to the Sultan's rescripts) denoting the written patent which accompanies the grant of the tablet, just as the sovereign's warrant accompanies the badge of a modern Order. Of such written patents also Marco speaks in this passage, and as he uttered it no doubt the familiar words Yarligh u Paizah were in his mind. The Armenian history of the Orpelians, relating the visit of Prince Sempad, brother of King Hayton, to the court of Mangu Kaan, says: "They gave him also a P'haiza of gold, i.e. a tablet whereon the name of God is written by the Great Kaan himself; and this constitutes the greatest honour known among the Mongols. Farther, they drew up for him a sort of patent, which the Mongols call Iarlekh," &c.

Under the Persian branch of the house at least the degree of honour was indicated by the number of lions' heads upon the plate, which varied from 1 to 5. The Lion and Sun, a symbol which survives, or has been revived, in the modern Persian decoration so called, formed the emblem of the Sun in Leo, i.e. in highest power. It had already been used on the coins of the Seljukian sovereigns of Persia and Iconium; it appears on coins of the Mongol Ilkhans Ghazan, Oljaïtu, and Abusaid, and it is also found on some of those of Mahomed Uzbek Khan of Kipchak.

Seljukian Coin with the
Lion and Sun.

Hammer gives regulations of Ghazan Khan's on the subject of the Paizah, from which it is seen that the latter were of different kinds as well as degrees. Some were held by great governors and officers of state, and these were cautioned against letting the Paizah out of their own keeping; others were for officers of inferior order; and, again, “for persons travelling on state commissions with post-horses, particular paizah (which Hammer says were of brass) are appointed, on which their names are inscribed." These last would seem therefore to be merely such permissions to travel by the Government post-horses as are still required in Russia, perhaps in lineal derivation from Mongol practice. The terms of Ghazan's decree and other contemporary notices show that great abuses were practised with the Paizah, as an authority for living at free quarters and making other arbitrary exactions.

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The word Paizah is said to be Chinese, Pai-tseu, a tablet." A trace of the name and the thing still survives in Mongolia. The horseBai is the name applied to a certain ornament on the horse caparison, which gives the rider a title to be furnished with horses and provisions on a journey.

Where I have used the Venetian term saggio, the French texts have here and elsewhere saics and saies, and sometimes pois. Saic points to saiga, which, according to Dupré de St. Maur, is in the Salic laws the equivalent of a denier or the twelfth part of a sol. Saggio is presumably the same word, but the saggio was a recognized Venetian weight equal to of an ounce. We shall see hereafter that Polo appears to use it to indicate the miskál, a weight which may be taken at 74 grains Troy. On that supposition the smallest tablet specified in the text would weigh 18 ozs. Troy.

I do not know if any gold Paizah has been discovered, but several of silver have been found in the Russian dominions; one near the Dnieper, and two in Eastern Siberia. We give a plate of one of these, which was found in the Minusinsk circle of the Government of Yenisei in 1846, and is now in the Asiatic Museum of the Academy of St. Petersburg. For the sake of better illustration of our text, I have taken the liberty to represent the tablet as of gold, instead of silver with the inscription only gilt. The moulded ring inserted in the orifice, to suspend the plate by, is of iron. On the reverse side the ring bears some Chinese characters engraved, which are interpreted as meaning "Pub. lication No. 42." The inscription on the plate itself is in the Mongol language and Baspa character (supra, Prologue, note 1, ch. xv.), and its purport is a remarkable testimony to the exactness of Marco's account, and almost a proof of his knowledge of the language and character in which the inscriptions were engraved. It runs, according to Schmidt's version : "By the strength of the eternal Heaven! May the name of the Khagan be holy! Who pays him not reverence is to be slain, and must die !” The inscriptions on the other plates discovered were essentially similar in meaning. One was in the Uighur character.

The superficial dimensions of the Yenisei tablet, as taken from Schmidt's full-size drawing, are 12°2 in. by 3'65 in. The weight is not given.

In the French texts nothing is said of the size of the tablets. But Ramusio's copy, in the Prologue where the tablets given by Kiacatu are mentioned (supra, p. 33), says that they were a cubit in length and 5 fingers in breadth, and weighed 3 to 4 marks each, í.e. 24 to 32 ounces.

(Dupré de St. Maur, Essai sur les Monnoies, &c., 1746, p. viii; also (on saiga) see Pertz, Script. XVII. 357; Rubruq. 312; Gold. Hord. 219-20; Ilck. II. 166 segg., 355-6; D'Ohsson, III. 412-13; Q. R. 177-180; Ham. Wassáf, 154, 176; Makrizi, IV. 158; St. Martin, Mém. sur l'Armenie, II. 137, 169; J. As. ser. 5, tom. xvii. 536 seqq.; Schmidt, über eine Mongol. Quadratinschrift, &c., Acad. St. P., 1847 ; Russian paper by Grigorieff on same subject, 1846.)

NOTE 3.-Umbrella. The phrase in Pauthier's text is "Palieque que on dit ombrel." The Latin text of the Soc. de Géographie has "unum pallium de auro," which I have adopted as probably correct, looking to Burma, where the old etiquettes as to umbrellas are in full force. These etiquettes were probably in both countries of old Hindu origin. Pallium, according to Muratori, was applied in the Middle Ages to a kind of square umbrella, but by that is probably meant rather a canopy on four staves, which was sometimes assigned by authority as an honourable privilege.

But the genuine umbrella would seem to have been used also, for Polo's contemporary, Martino da Canale, says that, when the Doge goes forth of his palace, “ si vait apres lui un damoiseau qui porte une umbrele de dras à or sur son chief," which umbrella had been given by “Monseigneur l'Apostoille." There is a picture by Girolamo Gambarota, in the Sala del Gran Consiglio, at Venice, which represents the investiture of the Doge with the umbrella by Pope Alexander III. and Frederick Barbarossa (concerning which see Sanuto Junior, in Muratori XXII. 512).

The word Parasol also occurs in the Petrarchian vocabulary (14th century) as the equivalent of saioual (Pers. sáyában or sáiwán, an umbrella). Carpini notices that umbrellas (solinum vel tentoriolum in hasta) were carried over the Tartar nobles and their wives, even on horseback; and a splendid one, covered with jewels, was one of the presents made to Kuyuk Kaan on his enthronement.

With respect to the honorary character attaching to umbrellas in China, I may notice that recently an English resident of Ningpo, on his departure for Europe, was presented by the Chinese citizens, as a token of honour, with a pair of Wanmin san, umbrellas of enormous size. The umbrella must have gone through some curious vicissitudes; for at one time we find it familiar, at a later date apparently unknown, and then reintroduced as some strange novelty. Arrian speaks of the σkiádia, or umbrellas, as used by all Indians of any consideration : but

(Half the Length and Breadth of the Original)

Table d'or de

Commandement”

THE PAÏZA OF THE MONGOLS,

from a Specimen found in E. Siberia

The superficial dimensions of the Yenisei tablet, as taken from Schmidt's full-size drawing, are 12.2 in. by 3.65 in. The weight is not given.

In the French texts nothing is said of the size of the tablets. But Ramusio's copy, in the Prologue where the tablets given by Kiacatu are mentioned (supra, p. 33), says that they were a cubit in length and 5 fingers in breadth, and weighed 3 to 4 marks each, i.e. 24 to 32 ounces.

(Dupré de St. Maur, Essai sur les Monnoies, &c., 1746, p. viii; also (on saiga) see Pertz, Script. XVII. 357; Rubruq. 312; Gold. Hord. 219-20; Ilch. II. 166 seqq., 355-6; D'Ohsson, III. 412-13; Q. R. 177-180; Ham. Wassáf, 154, 176; Makrizi, IV. 158; St. Martin, Mém. sur l'Armenie, II. 137, 169; J. As. ser. 5, tom. xvii. 536 seqq.; Schmidt, über eine Mongol. Quadratinschrift, &c., Acad. St. P., 1847; Russian paper by Grigorieff on same subject, 1846.)

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NOTE 3.-Umbrella. The phrase in Pauthier's text is "Palieque que on dit ombrel." The Latin text of the Soc. de Géographie has unum pallium de auro," which I have adopted as probably correct, looking to Burma, where the old etiquettes as to umbrellas are in full force. These etiquettes were probably in both countries of old Hindu origin. Pallium, according to Muratori, was applied in the Middle Ages to a kind of square umbrella, but by that is probably meant rather a canopy on four staves, which was sometimes assigned by authority as an honourable privilege.

But the genuine umbrella would seem to have been used also, for Polo's contemporary, Martino da Canale, says that, when the Doge goes forth of his palace, “si vait apres lui un damoiseau qui porte une umbrele de dras à or sur son chief," which umbrella had been given by “Monseigneur l'Apostoille." There is a picture by Girolamo Gambarota, in the Sala del Gran Consiglio, at Venice, which represents the investiture of the Doge with the umbrella by Pope Alexander III. and Frederick Barbarossa (concerning which see Sanuto Junior, in Muratori XXII. 512).

The word Parasol also occurs in the Petrarchian vocabulary (14th century) as the equivalent of saioual (Pers. sáyában or sáiwán, an umbrella). Carpini notices that umbrellas (solinum vel tentoriolum in hasta) were carried over the Tartar nobles and their wives, even on horseback; and a splendid one, covered with jewels, was one of the presents made to Kuyuk Kaan on his enthronement.

With respect to the honorary character attaching to umbrellas in China, I may notice that recently an English resident of Ningpo, on his departure for Europe, was presented by the Chinese citizens, as a token of honour, with a pair of Wanmin san, umbrellas of enormous size.

The umbrella must have gone through some curious vicissitudes ; for at one time we find it familiar, at a later date apparently unknown, and then reintroduced as some strange novelty. Arrian speaks of the σkiádia, or umbrellas, as used by all Indians of any consideration; but