Des Mots
Espagnols, etc., 2nd ed., 1867, p. 73; and Boerio, Diz.
Del. Dial.
Venez.)
[F. Godefroy, Dict., s.v. Vernigal, writes: "Coupe sans anse, vernie ou
laquee d'or," and quotes, besides Marco Polo, the Regle du Temple,
p. 214, ed. Soc. Hist. de France:
"Les vernigaus et les escuelles."
About vernegal, cf. Rockhill, Rubruck, p. 86, note. Rubruck says
(Soc. de Geog. p. 241): "Implevimus unum veringal de biscocto et
platellum unum de pomis et aliis fructibus." Mr. Rockhill translates
veringal by basket.
Dr. Bretschneider (Peking, 28) mentions "a large jar made of wood
and varnished, the inside lined with silver," and he adds in a note
"perhaps this statement may serve to explain Marco Polo's verniques or
vaselle vernicate d'oro, big enough to hold drink for eight or ten
persons." - H. C.]
A few lines above we have "of the capacity of a firkin." The word is
bigoncio, which is explained in the Vocab. Univ. Ital. as a kind of
tub used in the vintage, and containing 3 mine, each of half a stajo.
This seems to point to the Tuscan mina, or half stajo, which is = 1/3
of a bushel. Hence the bigoncio would = a bushel, or, in old liquid
measure, about a firkin.
NOTE 3. - A buffet, with flagons of liquor and goblets, was an essential
feature in the public halls or tents of the Mongols and other Asiatic
races of kindred manners. The ambassadors of the Emperor Justin relate
that in the middle of the pavilion of Dizabulus, the Khan of the Turks,
there were set out drinking-vessels, and flagons and great jars, all of
gold; corresponding to the coupes (or hanas a mances), the
verniques, and the grant peitere and petietes peiteres of Polo's
account. Rubruquis describes in Batu Khan's tent a buffet near the
entrance, where Kumiz was set forth, with great goblets of gold and
silver, etc., and the like at the tent of the Great Kaan. At a festival at
the court of Oljaitu, we are told, "Before the throne stood golden buffets
... set out with full flagons and goblets." Even in the private huts of
the Mongols there was a buffet of a humbler kind exhibiting a skin of
Kumiz, with other kinds of drink, and cups standing ready; and in a
later age at the banquets of Shah Abbas we find the great buffet in a
slightly different form, and the golden flagon still set to every two
persons, though it no longer contained the liquor, which was handed round.
(Cathay, clxiv., cci.; Rubr. 224, 268, 305; Ilch. II. 183; Della
Valle, I. 654 and 750-751.)
[Referring to the "large and very beautiful piece of workmanship," Mr.
Rockhill, Rubruck, 208-209, writes: "Similar works of art and mechanical
contrivances were often seen in Eastern courts. The earliest I know of is
the golden plane-tree and grape vine with bunches of grapes in precious
stones, which was given to Darius by Pythius the Lydian, and which shaded
the king's couch.
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