Book Two, Chapters 61–65

Of the City of Cingianfu. Chap. LXI.

Cingianfu is a city in the province of Mangi, where many beautiful works of gold and silk are made. It has several churches of Nestorian Christians, built by the Nestorian Marsarus when he was governor of the city under the Great Khan, namely in the year of our salvation one thousand two hundred eighty-eight.

Of the City of Cingingui, and the Slaughter of Its Citizens. Chap. LXII.

Leaving Cingianfu, after three days’ journey one reaches Cingingui, although along the way there are many small towns and villages where people carry on various trades and make ingenious, beautiful works. Cingingui is a large and prosperous city, rich in wealth and in every kind of food. When Baiam, commander of the Tartar army, was pursuing the conquest of the province of Mangi, he sent several companies of Christians called Alans to besiege Cingingui. After summoning the city to surrender, they pressed and assaulted it so fiercely that its citizens were forced to surrender of their own accord. Once inside, the Alans neither wounded nor wronged nor offended any of the inhabitants, for they had submitted willingly, without compulsion, to the Great Khan. Yet they found such excellent wine in the city, and so much of it, that they drank until they were all drunk. Overcome with sleep that night, they neglected to post or keep any watch. The citizens, who had previously received them in peace, saw their chance to carry out their evil intent: they fell upon the sleeping men and killed them all, leaving not one able to save himself or escape. Baiam, however, was later informed of this outrage and breach of faith. He sent another great army against the people of Cingingui; in a short time it took the city by assault and exacted such vengeance for their treachery and disloyalty that it put them all to death without exception.

Of the City of Singui. Chap. LXIII.

Singui is a very beautiful, large, and celebrated city, about twenty leagues in circumference. It has a great multitude of inhabitants, as indeed the whole province of Mangi is thickly populated. These people, however, are not warlike; almost all are merchants and artisans. There are also many physicians and philosophers. In Singui there are about six thousand stone bridges whose arches rise so high that large ships can easily pass beneath without lowering or bending their masts. In the mountains around the city, rhubarb and ginger grow in great quantities. Under its jurisdiction are sixteen other fine towns, subject to its authority, where much trade is carried on; there are also many artisans there who make excellent works. The citizens of Singui commonly wear garments of silk and taffeta, for a great quantity of silk cloth is made there. The name Singui means in their language “city of the earth”; they have another city called Quinsai, meaning “city of the sun,” for these two cities are the noblest and finest in all the country of the East.

Of the City of Quinsai. Chap. LXIIII.

Five days’ journey from Singui stands another beautiful and renowned city called Quinsai, meaning in their language “city of heaven.” It is so vast and spacious that in my judgment no other city in the world equals it in size. I, Marco Polo, can attest to this, having been there and carefully examined all its notable features, especially the customs and manners of its inhabitants. What I was able to see and learn, I shall briefly and faithfully declare. Quinsai is about thirty-four leagues in circumference. It has twelve thousand stone bridges, so high-arched and elevated that large ships can pass easily beneath them with masts raised and sails spread. The city lies on marshy ground, much like Venice; without these bridges, one could not go from one street to another. Its artisans and merchants are beyond number—so many that any definite count I gave would seem unbelievable. The master craftsmen do not work at their trades themselves but have servants appointed to do so. The citizens live in great luxury and pleasure, especially the women, who are consequently more beautiful and finely dressed than in any other country. On the southern side, within the city walls, lies a great lake about ten leagues around. Along its shores stand many splendid houses belonging to the nobles of the country, magnificent and sumptuous both inside and out; there are also temples dedicated to idols. In the middle of the lake are two small islands, each with a fine, large palace or castle. In these are kept and carefully preserved all the furnishings, vessels, and equipment needed for weddings and other solemn feasts and banquets. If any citizen wishes to hold a magnificent feast, he brings his guests to one of these palaces, where they are honorably received and entertained. In Quinsai there are very beautiful and sumptuous houses. In addition, along the streets there are public towers to which neighbors carry their belongings when a fire breaks out, to save them from the flames. Many houses in the city are made of wood alone, so fires break out very often and consume them. The inhabitants worship idols and eat without distinction the flesh of horses, dogs, and other filthy and unclean beasts. They use the Great Khan’s currency. To forestall rebellion, the Khan always keeps a large garrison there, and especially to prevent and suppress murders and thefts: on every bridge, ten men are stationed as guards by day and night. Within the city walls there is a hill on which a high tower has been built. At its summit are wooden boards set in such a way that blows from a hammer make them sound loudly. They are reserved for this purpose: if a fire breaks out anywhere in the city, the watchmen stationed in the tower, as soon as they see it, strike the boards with hammers. The inhabitants can easily hear the sound and run to the fire to put it out. They also sound these boards whenever sedition, tumult, or popular unrest arises in the city. All its streets and squares are entirely paved with stone, so the city is clean in every season. There are about three thousand public buildings in the city devoted to baths and steam baths, where the inhabitants go to bathe in public and cleanse themselves, for they take particular care to keep their bodies clean. The city is only about eight or ten leagues from the great Ocean Sea, as far as the place where Canfu stands upon the seashore. Canfu has a very convenient harbor, into which countless ships come from the Indies and other regions. Moreover, the river flowing through Quinsai runs down and empties into the sea at the port of Canfu; thus immense quantities of merchandise are carried there. Because the province of Mangi is so extensive, the Great Khan divided it into nine kingdoms and appointed a king over each. These kings are all rich and powerful, yet subject to the Great Khan, to whom every year they pay an established duty and tribute from the revenues of their kingdoms, and render an account of them. One of these kings lives in Quinsai and has under his rule and government one hundred forty cities belonging to his kingdom. The whole province of Mangi contains about twelve hundred towns and cities. In each, the Great Khan has stationed a garrison to forestall any uprisings and rebellions that might occur. These garrisons consist of many sorts of men brought together from different nations, including soldiers and paid troops drawn from various companies of the Great Khan’s army. In this country, especially in the province of Mangi, they study the motions of the heavens with painstaking care. They even carefully observe each child’s horoscope and ascendant at birth, the day and hour of its nativity, and which planet was then dominant. Thus in all their works, journeys, and undertakings, they govern themselves by the counsel and judgment of their astrologers. Another custom in the country is that, when someone dies, his relatives, covered with great sacks of hempen cloth, lift up the body and carry it to burial, singing and crying aloud. They paint on tablets the likenesses of their servants and maids, horses and riches, and burn all these with the body, believing that the dead person will enjoy all these things in the next world and have as many servants in his service. Afterward they sound certain musical instruments, believing their gods receive the dead person with the same pomp and honor his relatives bestow upon him at his funeral rites. In Quinsai there is a splendid and magnificent palace where Facfur, formerly king of the province of Mangi, ordinarily held his court. The outermost wall, enclosing the castle in a square, measures more than three leagues around and rises to a fitting height. Within this enclosure are excellent gardens with every kind of tree and remarkable fruit. There are also beautiful fountains and fishponds well stocked with fish. In the center stands the royal palace, vast and spacious; scarcely could its equal in splendor or magnificence be found anywhere in the world. It has twenty halls of equal size, each of which can seat and comfortably entertain ten thousand men at once; all these halls, moreover, are painted and hung with tapestries in royal fashion. It is estimated that within Quinsai there are six hundred thousand hearths, or households, each such as might consist of a man with his wife, children, and servants. It has only one Christian church, and that a Nestorian one. There is another custom in the city, and indeed throughout the province of Mangi: every head of a household has his name, his wife’s name, and the names of all his family inscribed at his house’s entrance and on its doorframes, together with the number of his horses. When a member of the family dies or moves to another house, that person’s name is erased, and in its place they put the name of a newborn child or a servant newly taken into service. In this way the number of all the city’s inhabitants can be learned without great difficulty. Likewise, innkeepers and tavern keepers write on boards fixed to their doors the names of their guests and foreign travelers lodging with them, and the day and month on which they arrived.

Of the Great Tribute and Revenue the Great Khan Receives Each Year from the City of Quinsai and the Province of Mangi. Chap. LXV.

Each year the Great Khan levies eight hundred thousand écus on the salt made in and around Quinsai. From other things, especially merchandise, he draws such vast sums that they could scarcely be counted. This province produces a great quantity of sugar and many other aromatic spices, of which the Great Khan takes three and a half percent; he takes as much from all the other goods and assets of the merchants. He likewise draws great revenue from wine made artificially from rice and other spices. Moreover, he draws great profit from the artisans, especially those of the twelve trades. As for silk, of which there is a great abundance in the province of Mangi, he takes ten out of every hundred ells as his due. And I, Marco Polo, have sometimes heard a reckoning made of each and every revenue and subsidy drawn each year by the Great Khan from the kingdom of Quinsai—which is only the ninth part of the province of Mangi. The sum was found, without counting the salt, to exceed fifteen million six hundred thousand écus.

Of the City of Tampingui. Chap. LXVI.

Beyond Quinsai, heading toward the southeast, one continually encounters beautiful, well-tended orchards and gardens; after a day’s journey one reaches Tampingui, a very beautiful and celebrated city. Beyond it, for three days along the same road, there are so many towns and castles that from afar one would think them a single city made up of castles, so close together are they built. Food is also plentiful there. The canes and reeds grow so large that some are seven and eight toises long and four handspans in girth. Traveling another three days, one comes to the large and beautiful city of Gengui. Beyond it, still traveling toward the southeast wind, one sees many towns and castles across the country. In this region there are many great and fierce lions. No sheep are found there, any more than in the rest of the province of Mangi, but oxen, goats, billy goats, and pigs are abundant. Traveling a further four days, one arrives at another beautiful city called Ciangian, situated on the crest of a mountain that divides a great river in two, so that from there onward it extends into two different regions. Three days farther on is Cugui, the last city on the border of the kingdom of Quinsai.

Of the Kingdom of Concha. Chap. LXVII.

Leaving Cugui behind and continuing on, one enters the kingdom of Concha, whose capital is called Fuguy. During the six days’ journey through it, the land is very uneven, a succession of hills and valleys, though it holds many towns and castles. The country is abundant in provisions, and there is particularly fine hunting of beasts and fowl. There are also many lions. Ginger grows in great abundance, as does a certain flower that resembles saffron but is of another species, although it is used as saffron. The people of the country are very fond of eating human flesh, provided it does not come from someone who died of disease. When they go to war, each man brands a certain mark on his forehead with a hot iron; none of them would dare bring a horse to war except the leader and captain of the army. They use swords, lances, or javelins as weapons. They drink the blood and eat the flesh of those they kill in war: a cruel and inhuman people.

Of the Cities of Quelinfu and Unquen. Chapitre LXVIII.

After the six days’ journey through the kingdom of Concha mentioned above, one arrives at Quelinfu, a large and renowned city situated beside a beautiful river that circles all around it. It has three great bridges of dressed stone, their upper sides adorned with beautiful marble columns. Each bridge is four toises wide and five hundred long. Silk, ginger, and galangal are plentiful in this city. Its inhabitants, men and women alike, are very handsome. One finds hens there that have fur like cats instead of feathers; they are commonly black but lay very good eggs. Because there are great numbers of lions in this region, travel through it is dangerous and perilous. Five leagues from this city lies another called Unquen, where much sugar is made from the canes growing around it and then carried to the court of the Great Khan, who ordinarily resides in Cambaluc.

Of the City of Fugui. Chap. LXX.

Continuing another five leagues, one comes to Fugui, the capital and chief city of the kingdom of Concha, one of the nine kingdoms into which the province of Mangi was divided. In this city the Great Khan keeps large garrisons and a great company of men-at-arms to hold the province secure and defend it against all incursions by enemies, and also to suppress any seditions and disturbances that might arise and cause rebellion against the emperor. A great river passes through the city, its course almost half a league wide. The city lies quite near the open sea, into which this river empties, and through its mouth many goods are brought from the Indies, especially pearls and other precious stones. The city is a great center of commerce, where much trade is carried on; it also has plentiful sugar and sufficient food.

Of the Cities of Zartem and Figui. Chap. LXV.

Beyond this river one travels for five days to Zartem, passing through a country of many towns and castles and plentiful provisions, with many mountains and forests whose trees yield great quantities of pitch. Zartem is a very large city situated on a convenient seaport where countless ships arrive from the Indies laden with goods. Indeed, it is as commercial a city as any in the world: the pepper and other aromatic spices that western merchants obtain from Alexandria are first brought to the markets and fairs of Zartem. From this city the Great Khan draws immense tribute, for no ship enters its port without paying him a large sum or bringing him considerable profit in duties; he demands nearly half of each kind of spice. In this region is another city called Figui, renowned throughout the country for the beautiful bowls and vessels made there. Its inhabitants have a language of their own. What has been said above about the province of Mangi will suffice for now. Although we have described only two of its kingdoms, we have deliberately omitted the others in order to return to the description of India, where we spent some time and saw with our own eyes many memorable things worthy of great wonder—things that, so to speak, we handled and touched with our own hands.

END OF THE SECOND BOOK.

The city of Cingianfu. Chap. LXI.

Cingianfu is a city in the province of Mangi. People make many fine objects of gold and silk there. It has some churches of Nestorian Christians. Marsarus the Nestorian had them built while he was governor of the city under the Great Khan, in the year of our salvation one thousand two hundred and eighty-eight.

The city of Cingingui and the killing of its citizens. Chap. LXII.

After leaving Cingianfu and traveling for three days, one reaches Cingingui. Along the way there are many small towns and villages where people trade goods and make fine, skillful objects. Cingingui is a large, prosperous city, rich in both wealth and every kind of food. When Baiam, the leader of the Tartar army, was pursuing the conquest of Mangi, he sent several bands of Christians called Alans to besiege Cingingui. After calling on the city to surrender, they pressed and attacked it so fiercely that its citizens had to surrender of their own accord. Once inside, the Alans did not wound or mistreat any of the inhabitants, because they had submitted willingly, without being forced, to the Great Khan. But the Alans found a great deal of very good wine in the city and drank so much that they all got drunk. The next night, heavy with sleep, they took no care to set a watch. The citizens, who had earlier received them peacefully, saw this and seized their chance to carry out their evil intentions. They fell on the sleeping men and killed them all. Not one escaped. Baiam later learned of this outrage and betrayal. He sent another large army against the people of Cingingui. It soon took the city by assault and punished their treachery and disloyalty by putting every one of them to death, without exception.

The city of Singui. Chap. LXIII.

Singui is a very beautiful, large, and famous city. Its circuit is about twenty leagues. A great many people live there, as the whole province of Mangi is densely populated. But they are not warlike. Almost all are merchants or artisans. There are also many doctors and philosophers. Singui has about six thousand stone bridges. Their arches are so high that large ships can easily pass underneath without lowering or bending their masts. A great deal of rhubarb and ginger grows in the mountains around the city. Sixteen other fine towns fall under its authority. There is much trade in these towns and many artisans who make excellent goods. The citizens of Singui usually wear silk and taffeta, because a great deal of silk cloth is made there. In their language, the name Singui means the city of the earth. They also have a city called Quinsai, meaning the city of the sun. These are the two most distinguished and outstanding cities in the whole eastern country.

The city of Quinsai. Chap. LXIIII.

Five days from Singui stands another beautiful and famous city called Quinsai, which in their language means the city of heaven. It is so large and spacious that I believe no other city in the world matches its size. I, Marco Polo, can say this because I have been there and carefully investigated everything notable about it, especially the customs and ways of its inhabitants. I will briefly and faithfully describe everything I could see and learn. Quinsai has a circuit of about thirty-four leagues. It has twelve thousand stone bridges, with arches so high that large ships can easily pass beneath them with their masts raised and sails spread. The city lies on marshy ground, like Venice. Without these bridges, people could not get from one street to another. It has countless artisans and merchants, so many that it would be unbelievable if I gave an exact number. The master craftsmen do not work at the crafts themselves. They have servants appointed to do the work. The citizens live in great luxury and pleasure, especially the women. For this reason the women are more beautiful and more splendidly dressed than those of any other country. On the southern side, inside the city walls, there is a great lake with a circuit of about ten leagues. Many splendid houses belonging to the country's nobles stand along its shores. They are magnificent and lavish, inside and out. There are also some temples dedicated to idols. In the middle of the lake are two small islands. Each has a fine large palace or castle where all the decorations, dishes, and equipment needed for weddings and other formal feasts and banquets are carefully kept. If one of the city's citizens wants to hold a magnificent feast, he takes his guests to one of these palaces, where they receive generous hospitality and are treated with honor. Quinsai has very fine and luxurious houses. There are also public towers along its streets. When a fire breaks out, neighbors carry their belongings into them to keep them safe from the flames. Many houses in the city are made entirely of wood, so they catch fire quite often and burn down. The inhabitants worship idols and eat horse, dog, and the meat of other animals they consider filthy and unclean without distinction. They use the Great Khan's currency. To prevent rebellions, he always keeps a large garrison there. It also prevents and stops murders and thefts: day and night, ten men are stationed to guard each bridge. Inside the city walls is a mountain with a tall tower built on it. At the top are wooden boards arranged so that striking them with a hammer makes a loud sound. They use them when a fire breaks out anywhere in the city. As soon as the watchmen stationed in the tower see it, they strike the boards with hammers. The inhabitants can easily hear the noise and run to put out the fire. The boards are also sounded when a riot, disturbance, or popular uprising occurs in the city. All the streets and squares are paved with stone, which keeps the city clean at all times. There are about three thousand public bathhouses and steam baths in the city. The inhabitants go there to bathe in public and wash themselves. They attach particular importance to keeping their bodies clean. The city lies only about eight or ten leagues from the great ocean, at the place where Canfu stands on the seashore. Canfu has a very convenient harbor, where countless ships from the Indies and other regions dock. The river that passes through Quinsai also runs into the sea at this port of Canfu, allowing countless goods to be carried there. Because Mangi is so extensive, the Great Khan has divided it into nine kingdoms and appointed a king to each. All these kings are rich and powerful, but they are subject to the Great Khan. Every year they pay him a fixed sum and tribute from the income of their kingdoms and give him an account of it. One of them lives in Quinsai. He governs one hundred and forty towns belonging to his kingdom. The entire province of Mangi has about twelve hundred towns and cities. In each of them, the Great Khan has stationed a garrison to prevent any revolts or rebellions that might arise. These garrisons consist of many different kinds of people gathered from various nations, especially paid soldiers drawn from different units of the Great Khan's army. In this country, especially in Mangi, they observe the movements of the heavens carefully and diligently. They even take great care to record each child's horoscope and rising sign, the day and hour of birth, and which planet was dominant then. They use their astrologers' advice and judgments to direct the child's affairs, journeys, and ventures throughout life. There is another custom in the country. When someone dies, relatives put on large sacks of hemp cloth and carry the dead body to its burial place, singing and shouting loudly. They paint images of their servants, maids, horses, and possessions on tablets and burn everything with the body. They believe that the dead person will enjoy all these things in the next world and have just as many servants. They then play musical instruments. They think their gods receive the dead person with the same ceremony and honor that the relatives give at the funeral. In Quinsai there is a splendid, magnificent palace where Facfur, formerly king of Mangi, usually kept his court. The outer wall enclosing the castle in a square measures more than three leagues around and rises to a suitable height. Inside the wall are excellent gardens with all kinds of unusual trees and fruit. There are also beautiful fountains and fishponds full of fish. At the center stands the royal palace, large and spacious. It would be hard to find its equal anywhere in the world for luxury and magnificence. It contains twenty halls of the same size. Each one can seat and comfortably entertain ten thousand men at once. All these halls are painted and hung with tapestries fit for a king. It is estimated that Quinsai has six hundred thousand hearths, or households, each of which can consist of a man with his wife, children, and servants. There is only one Christian church in the city, and it belongs to Nestorians. Another custom in the city and throughout Mangi is for each head of a household to have his name, his wife's name, and the names of his entire household inscribed at the entrance and on the doorposts of his home, along with the number of his horses. When anyone in the household dies or moves out, that person's name is erased. The name of a newborn child or a newly hired servant is put in its place. In this way the number of all the city's inhabitants can easily be known. Likewise, innkeepers and tavern keepers write on signs posted at their doors the names of the guests and foreign travelers staying with them, along with the day and month they arrived.

The large tribute and income the Great Khan receives each year from Quinsai and Mangi. Chap. LXV.

Every year the Great Khan takes eight hundred thousand écus from the salt produced in Quinsai and the surrounding area. He takes so much money from other things, especially merchandise, that it would be hard to count. A great deal of sugar and many other aromatic spices are found in this province. The Great Khan takes three and a half percent of these, and the same share of all the merchants' other goods and possessions. He also receives a large income from the wine made from rice and other spices. He makes a large profit from the artisans as well, especially from the twelve trades. As for silk, which is very plentiful in Mangi, he takes ten out of every hundred ells as his due. I, Marco Polo, once heard all the annual income and taxes that the Great Khan took from the kingdom of Quinsai calculated. This kingdom is only a ninth of Mangi. The total, not counting salt, was found to exceed fifteen million six hundred thousand écus.

The city of Tampingui. Chap. LXVI.

Beyond Quinsai, traveling toward the southeast wind, one passes a continuous stretch of beautiful, well-kept orchards and gardens. After one day's journey one reaches the fine and famous city of Tampingui. Continuing on the same route for three more days, one finds so many towns and castles that, seen from far away, they look like a single city made up of castles built close together. There is also plenty of food. The canes and reeds grow so large that some are seven or eight toises long and four handspans around. Three days farther on stands the large and beautiful city of Gengui. Beyond it, still traveling toward the southeast wind, one can see towns and castles scattered across the countryside. Many large, fierce lions live in this region. There are no sheep here, as in all of Mangi, but there are plenty of oxen, goats, male goats, and pigs. After traveling four days farther, one arrives at another fine city called Ciangian. It stands on the crest of a mountain that divides a large river in two; from there, the river runs into two different regions. Three days farther on is Cugui, the last city on the border of the kingdom of Quinsai.

The kingdom of Concha. Chap. LXVII.

Leaving Cugui behind, one enters the kingdom of Concha, whose capital is called Fuguy. Traveling through this kingdom for six days, one finds a very uneven country, with one hill and valley after another, but also many towns and castles. Food is plentiful. There is especially good hunting for land animals and birds. There are also many lions. Ginger grows in abundance, as does a certain flower that looks like saffron. It is a different species, although people use it as saffron. The inhabitants are very fond of human flesh, provided it comes from someone who did not die of disease. When they go to war, each man stamps a mark on his forehead with a hot iron. None of them dares take a horse to war except the army's chief and commander. Their weapons are swords and spears or javelins. They drink the blood and eat the flesh of those they kill in war. They are very cruel and inhuman people.

The cities of Quelinfu and Unquen. Chapitre LXVIII.

After traveling through Concha for the six days mentioned above, one reaches the large and famous city of Quelinfu. It stands on a beautiful river that runs all the way around it, with three great bridges of cut stone. Beautiful marble columns decorate their upper sides. Each bridge is four toises wide and five hundred toises long. There is a great deal of silk in the city, as well as ginger and galangal. Its inhabitants, men and women alike, are very handsome. There are chickens whose plumage is hair like a cat's fur. They are usually black, but they lay very good eggs. So many lions live in this region that it is dangerous to travel through it. Five leagues from Quelinfu stands another city called Unquen. It produces a great deal of sugar from the canes growing around it. The sugar is taken from there all the way to the Great Khan's court, which is usually in Cambaluc.

The city of Fugui. Chap. LXX.

Five leagues farther on stands Fugui, the capital and chief city of the kingdom of Concha. This is one of the nine kingdoms into which Mangi was divided. The Great Khan keeps large garrisons and many soldiers in the city to keep the province secure and defend it from enemy raids. They also suppress any riots or disturbances that might arise and lead to rebellion against the emperor. A large river passes through the city and is almost half a league wide. The city is quite close to the open sea, where this river empties. Goods are brought from the Indies through its mouth, especially pearls and other precious stones. The city does a great deal of business, with extensive trade. It also has a great deal of sugar and enough food.

The cities of Zartem and Figui. Chap. LXV.

Beyond this river, one travels for five days to Zartem. Along the way one encounters many towns and castles and plenty of food. There are also many mountains and forests whose trees yield a great deal of pitch. Zartem is a very large city on a convenient seaport, where countless ships from the Indies arrive carrying goods. It is as busy a trading city as any in the world. The pepper and other aromatic spices that Western merchants obtain from Alexandria are first brought to the markets and fairs of Zartem. The Great Khan collects an enormous tribute from the city. No ship enters its port without paying him a large sum or bringing him a large profit through his duties. He demands nearly half of every kind of spice. Another city in this region is called Figui. It is famous in the country for the fine bowls and dishes made there. Its inhabitants speak a language of their own. What has been said above about Mangi will do for now. Although we have described only two of its kingdoms, we have deliberately left out the others so that we can return to the description of India. We stayed there for some time and saw with our own eyes many remarkable things worthy of great admiration. We even handled them and touched them with our hands, so to speak.

END OF THE SECOND BOOK.