- ral Inns or Lodging-places, where they may have
all things for their Money, till they come to the King himself. Here every one brings forth his respective Ware, and offers it the King, whose Privilege it is, to buy what Ware he pleaseth in the first Place; and then they sell the rest to the best Chapman. This they must do within certain limits of Time, and then they must return; for the Carthayans cannot endure that Strangers should live long amongst them, for fear they should infect their Country-Manners. Thus the Merchants are dismissed in a very friendly Manner, and return by the same Stages they went.
This Traveller told me, that they were a very wise People, and lived in good Order and Government, having a distinct Religion of their own, differing from the Christian, Jewish or Mahometan; but nearest to the Jewish, except their Ceremonies.
Printing hath been in use among them for many Ages, as appears by their several printed Books: For Paper, they use the Cases of Silk-*worms; it is so thin that it will bear Printing on one side only, the other is blank. In this City, he said, there were a great many Shops full of Musk, which was the fresh foame of a certain Beast as big as a Kid. A Lion is highly prized amongst them; there are none of them in that Country, and therefore they value it at a great Rate, and will pay well for it. This is what I could learn of this Wanderer concerning Cathay; believe it as you please. I asked him further, whether he had brought back any rare Root, Fruit or Stone, out of that Country? He told me, he had brought nothing but a little Root for his own Use, which he bit and eat a little of, when he was faint or cold, and it would presently warm
