"It
seems clear, upon reviewing the whole problem, that if Chaucer used Marco
Polo's narrative, he either carelessly or intentionally confused all the
features of the setting that could possibly be confused, and retained not
a single really characteristic trait of any person, place or event. It is
only by twisting everything that any part of Chaucer's story can be
brought into relation with any part of Polo's. To do this might be
allowable, if any rational explanation could be given for Chaucer's
supposed treatment of his 'author,' or if there were any scarcity of
sources from which Chaucer might have obtained as much information about
Tartary as he seems really to have possessed; but such an explanation
would be difficult to devise, and there is no such scarcity. Any one of
half a dozen accessible accounts could be distorted into almost if not
quite as great resemblance to the Squire's Tale as Marco Polo's can."
Mr. A. W. Pollard, in his edition of The Squire's Tale (Lond., 1899)
writes: "A very able paper, by Prof. J. M. Manly, demonstrates the
needlessness of Prof. Skeat's theory, which has introduced fresh
complications into an already complicated story. My own belief is that,
though we may illustrate the Squire's Tale from these old accounts of
Tartary, and especially from Marco Polo, because he has been so well
edited by Colonel Yule, there is very little probability that Chaucer
consulted any of them. It is much more likely that he found these details
where he found more important parts of his story, i.e. in some lost
romance. But if we must suppose that he provided his own local colour, we
have no right to pin him down to using Marco Polo to the exclusion of
other accessible authorities." Mr. Pollard adds in a note (p. xiii.):
"There are some features in these narratives, e.g. the account of the
gorgeous dresses worn at the Kaan's feast, which Chaucer with his love of
colour could hardly have helped reproducing if he had known them." - H. C.]
[1] See Ferrazzi, Manuele Dantesca, Bassano, 1865, p. 729.
[2] In Quaritch's catalogue for Nov. 1870 there is only one old edition of
Polo; there are nine of Maundevile. In 1839 there were nineteen MSS.
of the latter author catalogued in the British Museum Library. There
are now only six of Marco Polo. At least twenty-five editions of
Maundevile and only five of Polo were printed in the 15th century.
[3] I have made personal enquiry at the National Libraries of Naples and
Palermo, at the Communal Library in the latter city, and at the
Benedictine Libraries of Monte Cassino, Monreale, S. Martino, and
Catania.
In the 15th century, when Polo's book had become more generally
diffused we find three copies of it in the Catalogue of the Library of
Charles VI. of France, made at the Louvre in 1423, by order of the
Duke of Bedford.
The estimates of value are curious. They are in sols parisis, which
we shall not estimate very wrongly at a shilling each: -
"No. 295. Item. Marcus Paulus; en ung cahier escript de lettre
formee en francois, a deux coulombes. Commt. ou ii'e fo. 'deux freres
prescheurs,' et ou derrenier 'que sa arrieres.' X. s. p.
"No. 334. Item. Marcus Paulus. Couvert de drap d'or, bien escript &
enlumine, de lettre de forme en francois, a deux coulombes. Commt. ou
ii'e fol.; 'il fut Roys,' & ou derrenier 'propremen,' a deux
fermouers de laton. XV. s. p.
"No. 336. Item. Marcus Paulus; non enlumine, escript en francois,
de lettre de forme. Commt. ou ii'e fo. 'vocata moult grant,' & ou
derrenier 'ilec dist il.' Couvert de cuir blanc, a deux fermouers de
laton. XII. s. p."
(Inventaire de la Bibliotheque du Roi Charles VI., etc.
Paris, Societe des Bibliophiles, 1867.)
[4] See Del Reggimento e de' Costumi delle donne di Messer Francesco da
Barberino, Roma, 1815, pp. 166 and 271. The latter passage runs thus,
on Slavery: -
"E fu indutta prima da Noe,
E fu cagion lo vin, perche si egge:
Ch' egli e un paese, dove
Son molti servi in parte di Cathay:
Che per questa cagione
Hanno a nimico il vino,
E non ne beon, ne voglion vedere."
The author was born the year before Dante (1264), and though he lived
to 1348 it is probable that the poems in question were written in his
earlier years. Cathay was no doubt known by dim repute long before
the final return of the Polos, both through the original journey of
Nicolo and Maffeo, and by information gathered by the Missionary
Friars. Indeed, in 1278 Pope Nicolas III., in consequence of
information said to have come from Abaka Khan of Persia, that Kublai
was a baptised Christian, sent a party of Franciscans with a long
letter to the Kaan Quobley, as he is termed. They never seem to have
reached their destination. And in 1289 Nicolas IV. entrusted a similar
mission to Friar John of Monte Corvino, which eventually led to very
tangible results. Neither of the Papal letters, however, mentions
Cathay. (See Mosheim, App. pp. 76 and 94.)
[5] See Muratori, IX. 583, seqq.; Bianconi, Mem. I. p. 37.
[6] This Friar makes a strange hotch-potch of what he had read, e.g.:
"The Tartars, when they came out of the mountains, made them a king,
viz., the son of Prester John, who is thus vulgarly termed Vetulus de
la Montagna!" (Mon. Hist. Patr. Script. III. 1557.)
[7] G. Villani died in the great plague of 1348. But his book was begun
soon after Marco's was written, for he states that it was the sight of
the memorials of greatness which he witnessed at Rome, during the
Jubilee of 1300, that put it into his head to write the history of the
rising glories of Florence, and that he began the work after his
return home. (Bk.
