The Caliph is in his palace with his princes, taking his ease at a window.  Suddenly he starts up exclaiming: 

  “’Seignour, par Mahoumet que j’aoure et tieng chier,
  Le Mont de Thir enportent le deable d’enfeir!’
  Li Califes s’ecrie:  ’Seignour, franc palasin,
  Voies le Mont de Thir qui ch’est mis au chemin! 
  Ves-le-la tout en air, par mon Dieu Apolin;
  Ja bientost le verrons ens ou val Joaquin!’” P. 345.

The Caliph is converted, releases Polibans, and is baptised, taking the name of Bauduin, to whom he expresses his fear of the Viex de la Montagne with his Hauts-Assis, telling anew the story of the Assassin’s Paradise, and so enlarges on the beauty of Ivorine that Bauduin is smitten, and his love heals his malady.  Toleration is not learned however: 

  “Bauduins, li Califes, fist baptisier sa gent,
  Et qui ne voilt Dieu crore, li teste on li pourfent!” P. 350.

The Caliph gives up his kingdom to Bauduin, proposing to follow him to the Wars of Syria.  And Bauduin presents the Kingdom to the Cobler.

Bauduin, the Caliph, and Prince Polibans then proceed to visit the Mountain of the Old Man.  The Caliph professes to him that they want help against Godfrey of Bouillon.  The Viex says he does not give a bouton for Godfrey; he will send one of his Hauts-Assis straight to his tent, and give him a great knife of steel between fie et poumon!

After dinner they go out and witness the feat of devotion which we have quoted elsewhere.[23] They then see the Paradise and the lovely Ivorine, with whose beauty Bauduin is struck dumb.  The lady had never smiled before; now she declares that he for whom she had long waited was come.  Bauduin exclaims: 

  “‘Madame, fu-jou chou qui sui le vous soubgis?’
  Quant la puchelle l’ot, lors li geta. j. ris;
  Et li dist:  ‘Bauduins, vous estes mes amis!’” Pp. 362-363.

The Old One is vexed, but speaks pleasantly to his daughter, who replies with frightfully bad language, and declares herself to be a Christian.  The father calls out to the Caliph to kill her.  The Caliph pulls out a big knife and gives him a blow that nearly cuts him in two.  The amiable Ivorine says she will go with Bauduin: 

  “‘Se mes peres est mors, n’en donne. j. paresis!’” P. 364.

We need not follow the story further, as I did not trace beyond this point any distinct derivation from our Traveller, with the exception of that allusion to the incombustible covering of the napkin of St. Veronica, which I have quoted at p. 216 of this volume.  But including this, here are at least seven different themes borrowed from Marco Polo’s book, on which to be sure his poetical contemporary plays the most extraordinary variations.

[Sidenote:  Chaucer and Marco Polo.]