“But lest the inexperienced Reader should regard as beyond belief the many strange and unheard of things that are related in sundry passages of this Book, let all know MESSER MARCO POLO, the narrator of these marvels, to be a most respectable, veracious, and devout person, of most honourable character, and receiving such good testimony from all his acquaintance, that his many virtues claim entire belief for that which he relates.  His Father, Messer Nicolo, a man of the highest respectability, used to relate all these things in the same manner.  And his uncle, Messer Maffeo, who is spoken of in the Book, a man of ripe wisdom and piety, in familiar conversation with his Confessor when on his death-bed, maintained unflinchingly that the whole of the contents of this Book were true.

“Wherefore I have, with a safer conscience, undertaken the labour of this Translation, for the entertainment of my Readers, and to the praise of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things visible and invisible.”

APPENDIX F.—­Note of MSS. of Marco Polo so far as they are known.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF MSS.

                Latin French Italian German Irish Total
GREAT BRITAIN
and IRELAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
 Cambridge 3 ... ... ... ... 
 Dublin 1 ... ... ... ... 
 Lismore Castle ... ... ... ... 1
 Glasgow 2 ... ... ... ... 
 London 4 2 1 ... ... 
 Oxford 1 1 ... ... ...

FRANCE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
Paris            4       7         1        ...       ...

LUXEMBOURG  . .   1   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1

BELGIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1
Brussels        ...      1        ...       ...       ...

ITALY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  29
Venice           4      ...        2        ...       ... 
Ferrara         ...     ...        1        ...       ... 
Milan            1      ...       ...       ...       ... 
Modena           1      ...       ...       ...       ... 
Florence         1      ...        8        ...       ... 
Lucca           ....    ...        1        ...       ... 
Siena           ...     ...        1        ...       ... 
Rome             4       1         4        ...       ...

SPAIN   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
Escurial         1      ...       ...       ...       ... 
Toledo           1      ...        1        ...       ...

SWITZERLAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
Bern            ...      1         1        ...       ... 
Vevey           ...      1        ...       ...       ...