ABSTRACT
Ye shall know then that after I had sailed eastward over the Ocean Sea for many days I came to that noble 177province 1 Manzi 2 , which we call Upper India 3 . And as 178to that India I made diligent inquiry from Christians, Saracens, and idolaters, and from all the great Khan’s officers, and they all told me, with one consent as it were, that the province of Manzi 1 hath two thousand great cities 2 ; cities I mean of such magnitude that neither Treviso nor Vicenza 3 would be entitled to be numbered among them 4 . Indeed in that country the number of the people is so great that among us here it would be deemed incredible; [and in many parts I have seen the population more dense than the crowds you see at Venice on the Ascension Day] 5 . And the land hath great store of bread, of wine, of rice, of flesh, and of fish of sorts, and of all manner of victuals whatever that are used by mankind. And all the people of this country are traders and artificers 1 , and no man ever seeketh alms, however poor he be, as long as he can do anything with his own hands to help himself 2 . [But those who are fallen into indigence and infirmity are well looked after and provided with necessaries 3 .]
