castles and villages which are there.

[p.21]

And the like of this wealth is not to be found in any other church in
the world. And in this church there are pillars of gold and silver,
and lamps of silver and gold more than a man can count. Close to the
walls of the palace is also a place of amusement belonging to the
king, which is called the Hippodrome, and every year on the
anniversary of the birth of Jesus the king gives a great entertainment
there. And in that place men from all the races of the world come
before the king and queen with jugglery and without jugglery, and they
introduce lions, leopards, bears, and wild asses, and they engage them
in combat with one another; and the same thing is done with birds. No
entertainment like this is to be found in any other land.

This King Emanuel built a great palace for the seat of his Government
upon the sea-coast, in addition to the palaces which his fathers
built, and he called its name Blachernae[45]. He overlaid its columns
and walls with gold and silver, and engraved thereon representations
of the battles before his day and of his own combats. He also set up a
throne of gold and of precious stones, and a golden crown was
suspended by a gold chain over the throne, so arranged that he might
sit thereunder[46].

[p.22]

It was inlaid with jewels of priceless value, and at night time no
lights were required, for every one could see by the light which the
stones gave forth. Countless other buildings are to be met with in the