Of the citie of Fuco.
TRAVELING more eastward, I came unto a city named Fuco,1which containeth 30 miles in circuit, wherein be exceeding great & faire cocks,and al their hens are as white as the very snow, having wool in stead of feathers, like unto sheep. It is a most stately & beautiful city & standeth up the sea. Then I went 18 daies journey on further, & passed by many provinces & cities, and in the way I went over a certain great mountaine, upon ye one side whereof I beheld al living creatures to be as black as a cole, & the men and women on that side differed somewhat in maner of living from others; howbeit, on the other side of the said hil every living thing was snow-white & the inhabitants in their maner of living, were altogether unlike unto others. There, al maried women cary in token that they haue husbands, a great trunk of horne upon their heads. From thence I traveled 18 dayes journey further and came unto a certaine great river, and entered also into a city, whereunto belongeth a mighty bridge to passe the said river. Andmine hoste with whom I sojourned, being desirous to show me some sport, said unto me, Sir, if you will see any fish taken, goe with me. Then hee led me unto the foresaid bridge, carrying in his armes certain dive-doppers2or water-foules, bound unto a company of poles, and about every one of their necks he tied a thread, lest they should eat the fish as fast as they took them: and he carried three great baskets with him also; then loosed he the dive-doppers from the poles, which presently went into the water, & within lesse then the space of one houre, caught as many fishes as filled the 3 baskets: which being full, mine hoste untied the threeds from about their neckes, and entering a second time into the river they fed themselves with fish, and being satisfied they returned and suffered themselves to be bound unto the said poles as they were before. And when I did eate of those fishes, we thought they were exceeding good. Travailing thence many dayes journeys, at length I arrived at another city called Canasia,3which signifieth in our language, the city of heaven. Never in all my life did I see so great a city: for it containeth in circuit an hundreth miles; neither sawe I any plot thereof, which was not throughly inhabited: yea, I sawe many houses of tenne or twelve stories high, one aboue the other. It hath mightie large suburbs containing more people then the citie it selfe. Also it hath twelue principall gates: and about the distance of 8 miles, in the high way unto euery one of the saide gates standeth a city as big by estimation as Venice, and Padua. The aforesaide city of Canasia is situated in waters or marshes, which always stand still, neither ebbing norflowing: howbeit it hath a defence for the winde like unto Venice. In this citie there are mo than 10002 bridges, many whereof I numbered and passed over them: and upon every of those bridges stand certaine watchmen of the citie, keeping continuall ward and watch about the saide citie, the great Can the Emperour of Catay. The people of this countrey say, that they haue one duetie injoyned unto them by their lord: for euery fire payeth one Balis in regard of tribute: and a Balis is five papers or pieces of silk, which are worth one floren and an halfe of our coine. Tenne or twelue housholds are accompted for one fire, and so pay tribute but for one fire only. Al those tributary fires amount unto the number of 85 Thuman, with other foure Thuman of the Saracens, which make 89 in al: And one Thuman consisteth of 10000 fires. The residue of the people of the city are some of them Christians, some marchants, and some traveilers through the countrey. Whereupon I marveiled much how such an infinite number of persons could inhabite and liue together. There is great aboundance of victuals in this city, as namely of bread and wine, and especially of hogs-flesh with other necessaries.
1:Probably Fuchau in Fokien.2:Cormorants.3:Now Hangchau.
1:Probably Fuchau in Fokien.
2:Cormorants.
3:Now Hangchau.