To the Reader.
I Found this Booke translated by Master Hakluyt out of the Latine. But where the blind leade the blind both fall: as here the corrupt Latine could not but yeeld a corruption of truth in English. Ra∣musio, Secretarie to the Decemviri in Venice, found a better Copie and published the same, whence you haue the worke in manner new: so renewed, that I haue found the Prouerbe true, that it is better to pull downe an old house and to build it anew, then to repaire it; as I also should haue done, had I knowne that which in the euent I found. The Latine is Latten, compared to Ramusios Gold. And hee which [ 20] hath the Latine hath but Marco Polos Carkasse, or not so much, but a few bones, yea, sometime stones rather then bones; things diuers, auerse, aduerse, peruerted in manner, disioynted in manner, beyond beliefe. I haue seene some Authors maymed, but neuer any so mangled and so mingled, so present and so absent, as this vulgar Latine of Marco Polo; not so like himselfe, as the three Polos were at their returne to Venice, where none knew them, as in the Discourse yee shall find. Much are wee beholden to Ramusio, for restoring this Pole and Load-starre of Asia, out of that mirie poole or puddle in which he lay drowned. And, O that it were possible to doe as much for our Countriman Mandeuill, who next this (if next) was the greatest Asian Traueller that euer the World had, & hauing falne amongst theeues, neither Priest, nor Leuite can know him, neither haue we hope of a Samaritan to releeue him. In this I haue indeuoured to giue (in what I giue) the truth; but haue abridged some things to preuent prolixitie [ 30] and tautologie in this so voluminous a Worke, leauing out nothing of substance, but what elsewhere is to be found, in this Worke: and seeking rather the sense then a stricter verball following our Authours words and sentence. As for the Chapters I find them diuersly by diuers expressed, and therefore haue followed our owne method.