There Are Three Allusions To Maps
In The Course Of His Work (II.
245, 312, 424).
In his own bearings, at least on land journeys, he usually carries us
along a great general traverse line, without much caring about small
changes of direction. Thus on the great outward journey from the frontier
of Persia to that of China the line runs almost continuously "entre
Levant et Grec" or E.N.E. In his journey from Cambaluc or Peking to Mien
or Burma, it is always Ponent or W.; and in that from Peking to Zayton
in Fo-kien, the port of embarkation for India, it is Sceloc or S.E. The
line of bearings in which he deviates most widely from truth is that of
the cities on the Arabian Coast from Aden to Hormuz, which he makes to run
steadily vers Maistre or N.W., a conception which it has not been very
easy to realise on the map.[9]
[Sidenote: Singular omissions of Polo in regard to China; Historical
inaccuracies.]
71. In the early part of the Book we are told that Marco acquired several
of the languages current in the Mongol Empire, and no less than four
written characters. We have discussed what these are likely to have been
(i. pp. 28-29), and have given a decided opinion that Chinese was not one
of them. Besides intrinsic improbability, and positive indications of
Marco's ignorance of Chinese, in no respect is his book so defective as in
regard to Chinese manners and peculiarities.
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