Identifier: bookofsermarcopo00polo (find matches)
Title: The book of Ser Marco Polo : the Venetian concerning the kingdoms and marvels of the East
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Polo, Marco, 1254-1323? Cordier, Henri, 1849-1925 Yule, Amy Frances Yule, Henry, Sir, 1820-1889
Subjects: Polo, Marco, 1254-1323? Yule, Henry, Sir, 1820-1889 Genghis Khan, 1162-1227 Polo family Inscriptions, Chinese Early maps Mongols Voyages and travels
Publisher: London : John Murray
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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140.) § This is an error of Riccis, as Mr. Wylie observes, or of his reporter. The Chinese divide their year into 24 portions of 15 days each. Of these 24 divisions twelve calledKung mark the twelve places in which the sun and moon come into conjunction, and are thus in somedegree analogous to our 12 signs of the Zodiac. The names of these Kung are entirely different fromthose of our signs, though since the 17th century the Western Zodiac, with paraphrased names, hasbeen introduced in some of their books. But besides that, they divide the heavens into 28 stellarspaces. The correspondence of this division to the Hindu system of the 28 Lunar Mansions, calledNakshat?as, has given rise to much discussion. The Chinese sieu or stellar spaces are excessivelyunequal, varying from 240 in equatorial extent down to 24. (Williams, op. cit.) (See P. Hoang,supra p. 449. ) ;; Mr. Wylie is inclined to distrust the accuracy of this remark, as the only city nearly on the 36thparallel is Ping-yang fu.
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(To face f. 452. Chap. XXXIII. THE ASTROLOGERS OF CAMBALUC 453 Some years afterwards Father Matteo saw similar instruments at Peking, orrather the same instruments, so exactly alike were they, insomuch that they hadunquestionably been made by the same artist. And indeed it is known that theywere cast at the period when the Tartars were dominant in China ; and we may with-out rashness conjecture that they were the work of some foreigner acquainted with ourstudies. But it is time to have done with these instruments. (Lib. IV. cap. 5.) In this interesting description it will be seen that the Armillary Sphere (B) agreesentirely with that represented in illustration facing p. 450. And the second of hisphotographs in my possession, but not, I believe, yet published, answers perfectlyto the curious description of the 4th instrument (D). Indeed, I should scarcelyhave been able to translate that description intelligibly but for the aid of thephotograph before me. It shows the three astrolabes

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