tly copied from the original
as it came from M. Marco's own hand, has been often consulted by me
and compared with that which we now publish, having been lent me by a
nobleman of this city, belonging to the Ca' Ghisi."

[19] For a moment I thought I had been lucky enough to light on a part of
the missing original of Ramusio in the Barberini Library at Rome.
A fragment of a Venetian version in that library (No. 56 in our list
of MSS.) bore on the fly-leaf the title "_Alcuni primi capi del Libro
di S. Marco Polo, copiati dall esemplare manoscritto di PAOLO
RANNUSIO._" But it proved to be of no importance. One brief passage of
those which have been thought peculiar to Ramusio; viz., the reference
to the Martyrdom of St. Blaize at Sebaste (see p. 43 of this volume),
is found also in the Geographic Latin.

It was pointed out by Lazari, that another passage (vol. i. p. 60) of
those otherwise peculiar to Ramusio, is found in a somewhat abridged
Latin version in a MS. which belonged to the late eminent antiquary
Emanuel Cicogna. (See List in Appendix F, No. 35.) This fact induced
me when at Venice in 1870 to examine the MS. throughout, and, though I
could give little time to it, the result was very curious.

I find that this MS. contains, not one only, but at least _seven_ of
the passages otherwise peculiar to Ramusio, and must have been one of
the elements that went to the formation of his text. Yet of his more
important interpolations, such as the chapter on Ahmad's oppressions
and the additional matter on the City of Kinsay, there is no
indication. The seven passages alluded to are as follows; the words
corresponding to Ramusian peculiarities are in italics, the references
are to my own volumes.

1. In the chapter on Georgia:

"Mare quod dicitur Gheluchelan _vel ABACU_"....

"Est ejus stricta via et dubia. Ab una parte est mare _quod dixi de
ABACU_ et ab alia nemora invia," etc. (See I. p. 59, note 8.)

2. "Et ibi optimi austures _dicti AVIGI_" (I. 50).

3. After the chapter on Mosul is another short chapter, already
alluded to:

"_Prope hanc civitatem (est) alia provincia dicta MUS e MEREDIEN in
qua nascitur magna quantitas bombacis, et hic fiunt bocharini et alia
multa, et sunt mercatores homines et artiste_." (See i. p. 60.)

4. In the chapter on _Tarcan_ (for Carcan, i.