This is made
of a certain herb which is gathered, and [after the roots have been
removed] is put into great vessels upon which they pour water and then
leave it till the whole of the plant is decomposed. They then put this
liquid in the sun, which is tremendously hot there, so that it boils and
coagulates, and becomes such as we see it. [They then divide it into
pieces of four ounces each, and in that form it is exported to our parts.]
[NOTE 4] And I assure you that the heat of the sun is so great there that
it is scarcely to be endured; in fact if you put an egg into one of the
rivers it will be boiled, before you have had time to go any distance, by
the mere heat of the sun!
The merchants from Manzi, and from Arabia, and from the Levant come
thither with their ships and their merchandise and make great profits both
by what they import and by what they export.
There are in this country many and divers beasts quite different from
those of other parts of the world. Thus there are lions black all over,
with no mixture of any other colour; and there are parrots of many sorts,
for some are white as snow with red beak and feet, and some are red, and
some are blue, forming the most charming sight in the world; there are
green ones too. There are also some parrots of exceeding small size,
beautiful creatures.[NOTE 5] They have also very beautiful peacocks,
larger than ours, and different; and they have cocks and hens quite
different from ours; and what more shall I say? In short, everything they
have is different from ours, and finer and better. Neither is their fruit
like ours, nor their beasts, nor their birds; and this difference all
comes of the excessive heat.
Corn they have none but rice. So also their wine they make from [palm-]
sugar; capital drink it is, and very speedily it makes a man drunk. All
other necessaries of man's life they have in great plenty and cheapness.
They have very good astrologers and physicians. Man and woman, they are
all black, and go naked, all save a fine cloth worn about the middle. They
look not on any sin of the flesh as a sin. They marry their cousins
german, and a man takes his brother's wife after the brother's death; and
all the people of India have this custom.[NOTE 6]
There is no more to tell you there; so we will proceed, and I will tell
you of another country called Comari.
NOTE 1. - Futile doubts were raised by Baldelli Boni and Hugh Murray as to
the position of COILUM, because of Marco's mentioning it before Comari or
Cape Comorin; and they have insisted on finding a Coilum to the east of
that promontory.
