prevailed the peculiar and entertaining custom of the _couvade_, wherein

Chinese go to bed
And lie in, in their ladies' stead.[18]

'The Prince, in consequence,' says Marco, 'held them for no better than
fools and dolts and would say, "I had far liever hearken about the
strange things and the manners of the different countries you have seen
than merely be told of the business you went upon,"'

Very different was the habit of the Venetian, who as a lad, had lent ear
so readily to swarthy sailors on the Rialto. He quickly picked up
several of the languages current in the Great Khan's empire, and here is
his account of his proceedings when on a mission to foreign parts:

Perceiving that the Great Khan took a pleasure in hearing
accounts of whatever was new to him respecting the customs
and manners of people, and the peculiar circumstances of
distant countries, he endeavoured, wherever he went, to
obtain correct information on these subjects and made notes
of all he saw and heard, in order to gratify the curiosity of
his master. In short, during seventeen years that he
continued in his service, he rendered himself so useful, that
he was employed on confidential missions to every part of the
empire and its dependencies; and sometimes also he travelled
on his own private account, but always with the consent and
sanctioned by the authority of the Grand Khan. In such
circumstances it was that Marco Polo had the opportunity of
acquiring a knowledge, either by his own observation or by
what he collected from others, of so many things until his