king, but by judges whom they appoint at their pleasure. Each
householder has a tower to his house, and at times of strife they
fight from the tops of the towers with each other. They have command
of the sea. They build ships which they call galleys, and make
predatory attacks upon Edom and Ishmael[19] and the land of Greece as
far as Sicily, and they bring back to Genoa spoils from all these
places. They are constantly at war with the men of Pisa. Between them
and the Pisans there is a distance of two days' journey.

Pisa is a very great city, with about 10,000 turreted houses for
battle at times of strife. All its inhabitants are mighty men. They
possess neither king nor prince to govern them, but only the judges
appointed by themselves. In this city are about twenty Jews, at their
head being R. Moses, R. Chayim, and R. Joseph. The city is not
surrounded by a wall. It is about six miles from the sea; the river
which flows through the city provides it with ingress and egress for
ships.

From Pisa it is four parasangs to the city of Lucca, which is the
beginning of the frontier of Lombardy. In the city of Lucca are about
forty Jews. It is a large place, and at the head of the Jews are R.
David, R. Samuel, and R. Jacob.

[p.8]

Thence it is six days' journey to the great city of Rome. Rome is the
head of the kingdoms of Christendom, and contains about 200 Jews, who
occupy an honourable position and pay no tribute, and amongst them are
officials of the Pope Alexander, the spiritual head of all
Christendom. Great scholars reside here, at the head of them being R.