The Noble City of Tauris

Tauris is a great and noble city, situated in a great province called Yrac, in which are many other towns and villages.

• But as Tauris is the most noble.

The men of Tauris get their living by trade and handicrafts.

They weave many kinds of beautiful and valuable stuffs of silk and gold.

The city has such a good position that merchandize is brought thither from India, Baudas, Cremesor, and many other regions.

It attracts many Latin merchants, especially Genoese, to buy goods and transact other business there.

The more as it is also a great market for precious stones. It is a city in fact where merchants make large profits.

The people of the place are themselves poor and are a great medley of different classes.

There are Armenians, Nestorians, Jacobites, Georgians, Persians, and finally the natives of the city themselves, who are worshippers of Mahommet.

These last are a very evil generation; they are known as Taurizi.

The city is all girt round with charming gardens, full of many varieties of large and excellent fruits.{5}

Now we will quit Tauris, and speak of the great country of Persia. [From Tauris to Persia is a journey of twelve days.]

CHAPTER 12. The Monastery of St. Barsamo on the Borders of Tauris.

On the borders of (the territory of) Tauris there is a monastery called after Saint Barsamo, a most devout Saint.

There is an Abbot, with many Monks, who wear a habit like that of the Carmelites.

To avoid idleness, they are continually knitting woollen girdles.

These they place upon the altar of St. Barsamo during the service, and when they go begging about the province (like the Brethren of the Holy Spirit) they present them to their friends and to the gentlefolks, for they are excellent things to remove bodily pain; wherefore every one is devoutly eager to possess them.{1}

CHAPTER 13. The Great Country of Persia; with some account of the Three Kings.

Persia is a great country, which was in old times very illustrious and powerful; but now the Tartars have wasted and destroyed it.

In Persia is the city of Saba, from which the Three Magi set out when they went to worship Jesus Christ; and in this city they are buried, in three very large and beautiful monuments, side by side.

Above them there is a square building, carefully kept. The bodies are still entire, with the hair and beard remaining.

One of these was called Jaspar, the second Melchior, and the third Balthasar.

Marco Polo asked many questions of the people of that city as to those 3 Magi. But never one could he find that knew aught of the matter, except that these were three kings who were buried there in days of old.

However, at a place three days’ journey distant he heard of what I am going to tell you. He found a village there which goes by the name of Cala Ataperistan,{1} which is as much as to say, “The Castle of the Fire-worshippers.” And the name is rightly applied, for the people there do worship fire, and I will tell you why.

They relate that in old times three kings of that country went away to worship a Prophet that was born, and they carried with them three manner of offerings, Gold, and Frankincense, and Myrrh; in order to ascertain whether that Prophet were God, or an earthly King, or a Physician. For, said they, if he take the Gold, then he is an earthly King; if he take the Incense he is God; if he take the Myrrh he is a Physician.

So it came to pass when they had come to the place where the Child was born, the youngest of the Three Kings went in first, and found the Child apparently just of his own age; so he went forth again marvelling greatly.

The middle one entered next, and like the first he found the Child seemingly of his own age; so he also went forth again and marvelled greatly. Lastly, the eldest went in, and as it had befallen the other two, so it befell him.

He went forth very pensive.

When the 3 had rejoined one another, each told what he had seen; and then they all marvelled the more.

So they agreed to go in all 3 together. And so they beheld the Child which was some 13 days old.

Then they adored, and presented their Gold and Incense and Myrrh.

The Child took all the 3 offerings, and then gave them a small closed box; whereupon the Kings departed to return into their own land.

CHAPTER 14: What happened to the 3 Kings returned to their own Country

When they had ridden many days they said they would see what the Child had given them.

They opened the little box and found a stone.

They wondered what it was.

When they presented their offerings, the Child had accepted all 3.

They had no understanding at all of the meaning of the gift of the stone. So they threw it into a well.

Then straightway, a fire from Heaven descended into that well.

The 3 Kings beheld this marvel.

So they took back the stone and carried it into their own country, and placed it in a rich and beautiful church.

And there the people keep it continually burning, and worship it as a god, and all the sacrifices they offer are kindled with that fire.

If ever the fire becomes extinct they go to other cities round about where the same faith is held, and obtain of that fire from them, and carry it to the church.

This is why the people of this country worship fire.*

They will often go ten days’ journey to get of that fire.{2}

Such was the story told by the people of that Castle to Marco Polo.

They declared to him for a truth that such was their history, and that one of the 3 kings was of the city called Saba and the second of Ava, and the third of that very Castle where they still worship fire, with the people of all the country round about.