Marco, a celebrated traveller, was son to Nicholas Paulo, a Venetian, who went with his brother Matthew, about the year 1255, to Constantinople, in the reign of Baldwin II. Nicholas, at his departure, left his wife big with child; and she brought to the world the famous Marco Paulo, the subject of this memoir. The two Venetians, having taken leave of the emperor, crossed the Black sea, and travelled into Armenia; whence they passed over land to the court of Barca, one of the greatest lords of Tartary, who loaded them with honours. This prince having been defeated by one of his neighbours, Nicholas and Matthew made the best of their way through the deserts, and arrived at the city where Kublai, grand khan of the Tartars, resided. Kublai was entertained with the account which they gave him of the European manners and customs; and appointed them ambassadors to the pope, in order to demand of his holiness a hundred missionaries. They came accordingly to Italy, obtained from the Roman pontiff two Dominicans, the one an Italian, the other an Afiatic, and carried along with them young Marco, for whom Kublai expressed a singular affection. This young man, having learned the different dialects of Tartary, was employed in embassies which gave him the opportunity of traversing Tartary, China, and other eastern countries. At length, after a residence of seventeen years at the court of the grand khan, the three Venetians returned to their own country, in the year 1295, with immense fortunes. A short time after his return, Marco serving his country at sea against the Genoese, his galley, in a great naval engagement, was sunk, and himself taken prisoner, and carried to Genoa. He remained there many years in confinement; and, as well to amuse his melancholy as to gratify those who desired it from him, he sent for his notes from Venice, and composed the history of his own and his father's voyages in Italian, under this title, Delle maraviglie del mondo da lui viste, &c.; the first edition of which appeared at Venice, in 8vo, 1496. His work was translated into different languages, and inserted in various collections. The editions most esteemed are the Latin one published by Andrew Muller at Cologne, in 4to, 1671; and that in French, to be found in the collection of voyages published by Bergeron, at the Hague, 1735, in 2 vols 4to.

In the writings of Marco Paulo, there are some things true and others highly incredible. It is indeed difficult to believe, that as soon as the grand khan was informed of the arrival of two Venetian merchants, who were come to sell theriac (or treacle) at his court, he sent before them an escort of 40,000 men, and afterwards dispatched these Venetians ambassadors to the Pope, to beseech his holiness to send him a hundred missionaries. It is equally difficult to believe that the pope, who doubtless had an ardent zeal for the propagation of the faith, instead of a hundred, should have sent him only two missionaries. There are therefore some errors and exaggerations in Marco Paulo's narrative; but many other things which were afterwards verified, and which have been of service to succeeding travellers, prove that in several respects his relation is valuable. He not only gave better accounts of China than had been before received; but likewise furnished a description of Japan, of many of the islands of the East Indies, of Madagascar, and the coasts of Africa; so that from his work it might be easily collected, that a direct passage by sea to the Indies was not only possible, but practicable. may be worth while to add, that, in the opinion of the authors of the Universal History, what he wrote from his own knowledge is both curious and true, so that where he has erred his father and uncle must have deceived him.