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	Second India. Its principal king is a Christian. Of the		Second India. Its principal king is a Christian. Of the
	others, who are six in number, and tributary to the first, three		others, who are six in number, and tributary to the first, three
	are Christians and three are Saracens. 3 I was informed that		are Christians and three are Saracens. I was informed that
	the Christians of these parts, in order to be distinguished as		the Christians of these parts, in order to be distinguished as
	such, make three signs or marks (on the face), namely, one on		such, make three signs or marks (on the face), namely, one on
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	The capital of the principal Christian king is in the interior		The capital of the principal Christian king is in the interior
	of the country. 1 The dominions of the Saracen princes He		of the country. The dominions of the Saracen princes He
	towards the province of Aden. 2 The conversion of these		towards the province of Aden. The conversion of these
	people to the Christian faith was the work of the glorious		people to the Christian faith was the work of the glorious
	apostle, St. Thomas, who having preached the gospel in the		apostle, St. Thomas, who having preached the gospel in the

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	The Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian, ed. E. Rhys (London: 1908).		The Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian, ed. E. Rhys (London: 1908).

			[[Category:Literary Sources]]
			[[Category:Occidental]]

Adam Simmons: Created page with "Marco Polo ''(c. 1300)'' ''Venetian traveller. Travels co-authored with Rustichello da Pisa.'' ''Old French.'' Chapter XXXIX OF THE SECOND OR MIDDLE INDIA, NAMED ABASCIA..."

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Created page with "Marco Polo ''(c. 1300)'' ''Venetian traveller. Travels co-authored with Rustichello da Pisa.'' ''Old French.'' Chapter XXXIX OF THE SECOND OR MIDDLE INDIA, NAMED ABASCIA..."

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Marco Polo

''(c. 1300)''

''Venetian traveller. Travels co-authored with Rustichello da Pisa.''

''Old French.''

Chapter XXXIX

OF THE SECOND OR MIDDLE INDIA, NAMED ABASCIA (OR ABYSSINIA)

ABASCIA is an extensive country, termed the Middle or
Second India. Its principal king is a Christian. Of the
others, who are six in number, and tributary to the first, three
are Christians and three are Saracens. 3 I was informed that
the Christians of these parts, in order to be distinguished as
such, make three signs or marks (on the face), namely, one on
the forehead, and one on each cheek, which latter are imprinted with a hot iron and this may be considered as a
second baptism with fire, after the baptism with water. The
Saracens have only one mark, which is on the forehead, and
reaches to the middle of the nose. The Jews, who are likewise
numerous here, have two marks, and these upon the cheeks.

The capital of the principal Christian king is in the interior
of the country. 1 The dominions of the Saracen princes He
towards the province of Aden. 2 The conversion of these
people to the Christian faith was the work of the glorious
apostle, St. Thomas, who having preached the gospel in the
kingdom of Nubia, and converted its inhabitants, afterwards
visited Abascia, and there, by the influence of his discourses
and the performance of miracles, produced the same effect.
He subsequently went to abide in the province of Maabar;
where, after converting an infinite number of persons, he
received, as we have already mentioned, the crown of martyrdom, and was buried on the spot. These people of Abascia are
brave and good warriors, being constantly engaged in hostility
with the sultan of Aden, the people of Nubia, and many others
whose countries border upon theirs. In consequence of this
unceasing practice in arms, they are accounted the best soldiers
in this part of the world.

In the year 1288, as I was informed,, this great Abyssinian
prince adopted the resolution of visiting in person the Holy
Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem, a pilgrimage that is every
year performed by vast numbers of his subjects; but he was
dissuaded from it by the officers of his government, who represented to him the dangers to which he would be exposed in
passing through so many places belonging to the Saracens, his
enemies. He then determined upon sending thither a bishop
as his representative, a man of high reputation for sanctity,
who, upon his arrival at Jerusalem, recited the prayers and
made the offerings which the king had directed. Returning,
however, from that city, through the dominions of the sultan
of Aden, the latter caused him to be brought into his presence,
and endeavoured to persuade him to become a Mahometan.
Upon his refusing with becoming firmness to abandon the
Christian faith, the sultan, making light of the resentment of
the Abyssinian monarch, caused him to be circumcised, and
then suffered him to depart. Upon his arrival, and making a
report of the indignity and violence to which he had been subjected, the king immediately gave orders for assembling an
army, at the head of which he marched, for the purpose of
exterminating the sultan; who on his part called to his assistance two Mahometan princes, his neighbours, by whom he
was joined with a very large force. In the conflict that ensued,
the Abyssinian king was victorious, and having taken the city
of Aden, he gave it up to pillage, in revenge for the insult he
had sustained in the person of his bishop.

The inhabitants of this kingdom live upon wheat, rice, flesh,
and milk. They extract oil from sesame, and have abundance
of all sorts of provisions. In the country there are elephants,
lions, camelopards, and a variety of other animals, such as wild
asses, and monkeys that have the figure of men, together with
many birds, wild and domestic. It is extremely rich in gold, and much frequented by merchants, who obtain large
profits. We shall now speak of the province of Aden.

'''Selected editions'''

The Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian, ed. E. Rhys (London: 1908).

Marco Polo - Revision history

Adam Simmons at 17:26, 26 March 2015

Adam Simmons at 17:25, 26 March 2015

Adam Simmons: Created page with "Marco Polo ''(c. 1300)'' ''Venetian traveller. Travels co-authored with Rustichello da Pisa.'' ''Old French.'' Chapter XXXIX OF THE SECOND OR MIDDLE INDIA, NAMED ABASCIA..."