The bread in Kerman is bitter, says the G. T. “por ce que l’eive hi est amer,” because the water there is bitter.  The Crusca mistakes the last word and renders (p. 40) “e questi e per lo mare che vi viene.”

    “Sachies de voir qe endementiers,” know for a truth that whilst——­,
    by some misunderstanding of the last word becomes (p. 129) “Sappiate
    di vero sanza mentire.”

    “Mes de sel font-il monoie”—­“They make money of salt,” becomes (p.
    168) “ma fannole da loro,” sel being taken for a pronoun, whilst
in
    another place sel is transferred bodily without translation.

“Chevoil,” “hair” of the old French, appears in the Tuscan (p. 20) as cavagli, “horses.”—­“La Grant Provence Jereraus,” the great general province, appears (p. 68) as a province whose proper name is Ienaraus.  In describing Kublai’s expedition against Mien or Burma, Polo has a story of his calling on the Jugglers at his court to undertake the job, promising them a Captain and other help, “Cheveitain et aide.”  This has fairly puzzled the Tuscan, who converts these (p. 186) into two Tartar tribes, “quegli d’ Aide e quegli di Caveita.”

So also we have lievre for hare transferred without change; lait, milk, appearing as laido instead of latte; tres, rendered as “three”; bue, “mud,” Italianised as buoi, “oxen,” and so forth.  Finally, in various places when Polo is explaining Oriental terms we find in the Tuscan MS. “cioe a dire in Francesco.”

The blunders mentioned are intelligible enough as in a version from the French; but in the description of the Indian pearl-fishery we have a startling one not so easy to account for.  The French says, “the divers gather the sea-oysters (hostrige de Mer), and in these the pearls are found.”  This appears in the Tuscan in the extraordinary form that the divers catch those fishes called Herrings (Aringhe), and in those Herrings are found the Pearls!

[5] As examples of these Italianisms:  “Et ont del olio de la lanpe dou
    sepolchro de Crist”; “L’Angel ven en vision pour mesajes de Deu a
    un Veschevo qe mout estoient home de sante vite”; “E certes il
    estoit bien beizongno”; “ne trop caut ne trop fredo”; “la crense”
    (credenza); “remort” for noise (rumore) “inverno”; “jorno”;
    “dementique” (dimenticato); “enferme” for sickly; “leign” (legno);
    “devisce” (dovizia); “ammalaide” (ammalato), etc. etc.

    Professor Bianconi points out that there are also traces of Venetian
    dialect, as Pare for pere; Mojer for wife; Zabater, cobbler;
    cazaor, huntsman, etc.