vpon their lord, and euery one of them weareth a garment
of gold and precious stones, which is woorth ten thousand
Florens. His court is kept in very good order,
by gouernours of tens, gouernours of hundreds, and
gouernours of thousands, insomuch that euery one in
his place performeth his duetie committed vnto him,
neither is there any defect to bee found. I Frier
Odoricus was there present in person for the space
of three yeeres, and was often at the sayd banquets;
for we friers Minorites haue a place of aboad appointed
out for vs in the emperors court, and are enioined
to goe and to bestow our blessing vpon him. And
I enquired of certaine Courtiers concerning the number
of persons pertaining to the emperors court?
And they answered mee that of stage-players, musicians,
and such like, there were eighteene Thuman at the least,
and that the keepers of dogs, beasts and foules were
fifteene Thuman, and the physicians for the emperours
body were foure hundred; the Christians also were
eight in number, together with one Saracen. At
my being there, all the foresayd number of persons
had all kind of necessaries both for apparell and
victuals out of the emperors court. Moreouer,
when he will make his progresse from one countrey
to another, hee hath foure troupes of horsemen, one
being appointed to goe a dayes iourney before, and
another to come a dayes iourney after him, the third
to march on his right hand, and the fourth on his
left, in the manner of a crosse, he himselfe being
in the midst, and so euery particular troupe haue
their daily iourneys limited vnto them, to the ende
they may prouide sufficient victuals without defect.
Nowe the great Can himselfe is caried in maner following;
hee rideth in a chariot with two wheeles, vpon which
a maiesticall throne is built of the wood of Aloe,
being adorned with gold and great pearles, and precious
stones, and foure elephants brauely furnished doe drawe
the sayd chariot, before which elephants, foure great
horses richly trapped and couered doe lead the way.
Hard by the chariot on both sides thereof, are foure
Barons laying hold and attending thereupon, to keepe
all persons from approaching neere vnto their emperour.
Vpon the chariot also two milke-white Ier-falcons
doe sit, and seeing any game which hee would take,
hee letteth them flie, and so they take it, and after
this maner doeth hee solace himselfe as hee rideth.
Moreover, no man dare come within a stones cast of
the chariot, but such as are appointed. The number
of his owne followers, of his wiues attendants, and
of the traine of his first begotten sonne and heire
apparent, would seeme incredible vnto any man, vnlesse
hee had seene it with his owne eyes. The foresayd
great Can hath diuided his Empire into twelue partes
or Prouinces, and one of the sayd prouinces hath two
thousand great cities within the precincts thereof.
Whereupon his empire is of that length and breadth,
that vnto whatsoeuer part thereof he intendeth his
iourny, he hath space enough for six moneths continual
progresse, except his Islands which are at the least
5000.


