The term BEZANT is used by Polo always (I believe) as it is by Joinville, by Marino Sanudo, and by Pegolotti, for the Egyptian gold dinar, the intrinsic value of which varied somewhat, but can scarcely be taken at less than 10_s._ 6_d._ or 11_s._ (See Cathay, pp. 440-441; and see also J.  As. ser.  VI. tom. xi. pp. 506-507.) The exchange of Venice money for the Bezant or Dinar in the Levant varied a good deal (as is shown by examples in the passage in Cathay just cited), but is always in these examples a large fraction (1/6 up to 1/3) more than the Zecchin.  Hence, when Joinville gives the equation of St. Lewis’s ransom as 1,000,000 bezants or 500,000 livres, I should have supposed these to be livres Parisis rather than Tournois, as M. de Wailly prefers.

There were a variety of coins of lower value in the Levant called Bezants,[11] but these do not occur in our Book.

* * * * *

The Venice SAGGIO, a weight for precious substances was 1/6 of an ounce, corresponding to the weight of the Roman gold solidus, from which was originally derived the Arab MISKAL And Polo appears to use saggio habitually as the equivalent of Miskal.  His POIS or PESO, applied to gold and silver, seems to have the same sense, and is indeed a literal translation of Miskal. (See vol. ii. p. 41.)

* * * * *

For measures Polo uses the palm rather than the foot.  I do not find a value of the Venice palm, but over Italy that measure varies from 9-1/2 inches to something over 10.  The Genoa Palm is stated at 9.725 inches.

Jal (Archeologie Nav. I. 271) cites the following Table of

Old Venice Measures of Length.

4 fingers = 1 handbreadth. 4 handbreadths = 1 foot. 5 feet = 1 pace. 1000 paces = 1 mile. 4 miles = 1 league.

[1] See (Dupre de St. Maur) Essai sur les Monnoies, &c.
    Paris, 1746, p. xv; and Douet d’Arcq, pp. 5, 15, &c.

[2] He takes the silver value of the gros Tournois (the sol
    of the system) at 0.8924 fr., whence the Livre = 17.849
    fr. And the gold value of the golden Agnel, which
    passed for 12-1/2 sols Tournois, is 14.1743 fr. Whence
    the Livre = 22.6789 fr. Mean = 20.2639 fr.

[3] The Mark was 2/3 of a pound.  The English POUND STERLING of the period
    was in silver value = 3_l._ 5_s._ 2_d._ Hence the MARK
    = 2_l._ 3_s._ 5.44_d._ The Cologne Mark, according to
    Pegolotti, was the same, and the Venice Mark of silver was = 1 English
    Tower Mark + 3-1/2 sterlings (i.e. pence of the period), =
    therefore to 2_l._ 4_s._ 4.84_d._ The French Mark of
    Silver, according to Dupre de St. Maur, was about 3 Livres, presumably
    Tournois, and therefore 2_l._ 2_s._ 11-1/2_d._