Of the river Caramoran ; and of certain other cities visited by Friar Odoric.

Quitting that city and travelling by fresh water channels, I passed many cities and towns, and after eight ³ days I came to a certain city named Lenzin ⁴ , which standeth on a river 213called Caramoran ¹ . This river passeth through the very midst of Cathay, and doth great damage to that country when it breaks its banks, just as the Po does by 214Ferrara ¹ . And as I travelled by that river towards the east, and passed many towns and cities, I came to a certain city which is called Sunzumatu ² , which hath a greater plenty of silk than perhaps any other place on earth, for when silk there is at its dearest you can still have forty pounds for less than eight groats ¹ . There is in the place likewise great store of all kinds of merchandize, and likewise of bread and wine, and all other good things ² . [And seeing that there were in this place more people than I had seen in any other, when I asked how that came to pass, they told me that it was because the air of the place was so salubrious, insomuch that there were few that died of aught but old age ³ .]