On the cheapness of slaves in Bengal, see Ibn Batuta, IV. 211-212.  He says people from Persia used to call Bengal Duzakh pur-i ni’amat, “a hell crammed with good things,” an appellation perhaps provoked by the official style often applied to it of Jannat-ul-balad or “Paradise of countries.”

Professor H. Blochmann, who is, in admirable essays, redeeming the long neglect of the history and archaeology of Bengal Proper by our own countrymen, says that one of the earliest passages, in which the name Bangalah occurs, is in a poem of Hafiz, sent from Shiraz to Sultan Gbiassuddin, who reigned in Bengal from 1367 to 1373.  Its occurrence in our text, however, shows that the name was in use among the Mahomedan foreigners (from whom Polo derived his nomenclature) nearly a century earlier.  And in fact it occurs (though corruptly in some MSS.) in the history of Rashiduddin, our author’s contemporary. (See Elliot, I. p. 72.)

NOTE 2.—­“Big as elephants” is only a facon de parler, but Marsden quotes modern exaggerations as to the height of the Arna or wild buffalo, more specific and extravagant.  The unimpeachable authority of Mr. Hodgson tells us that the Arna in the Nepal Tarai sometimes does reach a height of 6 ft. 6 in. at the shoulder, with a length of 10 ft. 6 in. (excluding tail), and horns of 6 ft. 6 in. (J.A.S.B., XVI. 710.) Marco, however, seems to be speaking of domestic cattle.  Some of the breeds of Upper India are very tall and noble animals, far surpassing in height any European oxen known to me; but in modern times these are rarely seen in Bengal, where the cattle are poor and stunted.  The Ain Akbari, however, speaks of Sharifabad in Bengal, which appears to have corresponded to modern Bardwan, as producing very beautiful white oxen, of great size, and capable of carrying a load of 15 mans, which at Prinsep’s estimate of Akbar’s man would be about 600 lbs.

CHAPTER LVI.

DISCOURSES OF THE PROVINCE OF CAUGIGU.

Caugigu is a province towards the east, which has a king.[NOTE 1] The people are Idolaters, and have a language of their own.  They have made their submission to the Great Kaan, and send him tribute every year.  And let me tell you their king is so given to luxury that he hath at the least 300 wives; for whenever he hears of any beautiful woman in the land, he takes and marries her.

They find in this country a good deal of gold, and they also have great abundance of spices.  But they are such a long way from the sea that the products are of little value, and thus their price is low.  They have elephants in great numbers, and other cattle of sundry kinds, and plenty of game.  They live on flesh and milk and rice, and have wine made of rice and good spices.  The whole of the people, or nearly so, have their skin marked with the needle in patterns representing lions, dragons, birds, and what not, done in such a way that it can never be obliterated.  This work they cause to be wrought over face and neck and chest, arms and hands, and belly, and, in short, the whole body; and they look on it as a token of elegance, so that those who have the largest amount of this embroidery are regarded with the greatest admiration.