HOW THE TWO BROTHERS CAME TO THE CITY OF ACRE.

[Ilustration: ACRE AS IT WAS WHEN LOST (A.D. 1291). FROM THE PLAN GIVEN BY
MARINO SANUTO]

They departed from Layas and came to ACRE, arriving there in the month of
April, in the year of Christ 1269, and then they learned that the Pope was
dead. And when they found that the Pope was dead (his name was Pope * *),
[NOTE 1] they went to a certain wise Churchman who was Legate for the
whole kingdom of Egypt, and a man of great authority, by name THEOBALD OF
PIACENZA, and told him of the mission on which they were come. When the
Legate heard their story, he was greatly surprised, and deemed the thing
to be of great honour and advantage for the whole of Christendom. So his
answer to the two Ambassador Brothers was this: "Gentlemen, ye see that
the Pope is dead; wherefore ye must needs have patience until a new Pope
be made, and then shall ye be able to execute your charge." Seeing well
enough that what the Legate said was just, they observed: "But while the
Pope is a-making, we may as well go to Venice and visit our households."
So they departed from Acre and went to Negropont, and from Negropont they
continued their voyage to Venice.[NOTE 2] On their arrival there, Messer
Nicolas found that his wife was dead, and that she had left behind her a
son of fifteen years of age, whose name was MARCO; and 'tis of him that
this Book tells.[NOTE 3] The Two Brothers abode at Venice a couple of
years, tarrying until a Pope should be made.

NOTE 1.--The deceased Pope's name is omitted both in the Geog. Text and in
Pauthier's, clearly because neither Rusticiano nor Polo remembered it. It
is supplied correctly in the Crusca Italian as _Clement_, and in Ramusio
as _Clement IV._

It is not clear that _Theobald_, though generally adopted, is the
ecclesiastic's proper name. It appears in different MSS. as _Teald_ (G.
T.), _Ceabo_ for _Teabo_ (Pauthier), _Odoaldo_ (Crusca), and in the
Riccardian as _Thebaldus de Vice-comitibus de Placentia_, which
corresponds to Ramusio's version. Most of the ecclesiastical chroniclers
call him _Tedaldus_, some _Thealdus_. _Tedaldo_ is a real name, occurring
in Boccaccio. (Day iii. Novel 7.)

NOTE 2.--After the expulsion of the Venetians from Constantinople,
Negropont was the centre of their influence in Romania. On the final
return of the travellers they again take Negropont on their way. [It was
one of the ports on the route from Venice to Constantino