The waters are abundant, though they are eighty-eight cisterns and one hundred and fourteen tanks on the roads. What indicates the prosperity of this city is that its population is always increasing and flourishing, its land is expanding, and its buildings are being completed and improved. The inhabitants, meaning the permanent residents, number about a million souls, and its circumference is seven Persian leagues. The city's transport animals are mostly from the lands of France, and carriages. However, they are numerous and varied here, and you will constantly hear the rattling of carriages day and night without interruption. The details of this will be discussed elsewhere.

Chapter Two: On the People of Paris Know that the Parisians, among many Christians, are distinguished by their sharp intellect, depth of understanding, and their ability to delve into subtleties. They are not like the common Christians who are naturally inclined towards ignorance and heedlessness, nor are they bound by tradition at all. Rather, they always seek to know the origin of things and to deduce them. Even their common people know how to read and write and engage with others in complex matters, each according to their station. The common people in this land are not like cattle, as in most other lands. All sciences and crafts are documented in books, even manual crafts. Therefore, a craftsman must know his craft. Every craftsman loves to pursue something that has not been done before or to complete what others have started. What helps them in this, in addition to earning a living, is the love of fame, reputation, and lasting remembrance. They follow the saying of the poet: "I saw a man after his passing, Being spoken of for what he used to do and make."