Marco Polo The Description of the World Volume II as Transcribed in the Original Latin by A. C. Moule and Paul Pelliot This is by far the most complete and most authoritative transcription of the work of Marco Polo (1254-1324). It was discovered in the Cathedral de Toledo in Spain. It bears the date M.CC.XCVIII, which is 1298. In that year, Marco Polo was a prisoner in Genoa. He dictated his description of the world to a fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa. It was then translated from the language of the common tongue into Latin by Francis Pipino of Bologna of the Order of Brothers Preachers. Francis Pipino explains that the need for this translation is that Latin is more widely understood than the common spoken tongue and the common tongue is offensive to some. He further states that he has personally spoken to the father of Marco Polo and has confirmed the accuracy of what is written here. Francis Pipino also states that when the Uncle of Marco Polo was at the point of death, he was asked by his confessor if the statements in this manuscript were true. He replied that they were true. This confession at the point of death just prior to his meeting with God is regarded as proof of the accuracy of the statements in this book. This translation into Latin was written during the lifetime of Marco Polo by a man who personally knew him and must be regarded as most authoritative. It is important to study this Latin original text, even among those of us who do not know Latin. This is because we need to know for sure exactly the names of the places where Marco Polo visited. Although many places retain their original names, some times a place has been named because that is the name given to it by Marco Polo.