“Who states distinctly what things he saw…”

“Who states distinctly what things he saw…” is the opening fragment of the epigraph that frames Part Three. Its significance lies in the standard it sets for narration: a truthful account should distinguish personal observation from information received from others.

Source and Placement

The epigraph is attributed to Marco Polo’s The Travels, Book 1, Prologue 1. It appears immediately before the heading “Roy Freeman” and the chapter numbered “One,” placing its concern with testimony at the threshold of Roy Freeman’s first-person narration.

The Claim to Truth

The complete passage reads: “Who states distinctly what things he saw and what things he heard from others. For this book will be a truthful one.” Its two clauses connect a method of reporting—marking the difference between sight and hearsay—to a claim of truthfulness. The promise is therefore not simply that an account will be true, but that it will make clear what kind of knowledge supports each statement.

Narrative Significance

Placed before Roy Freeman’s account begins, the epigraph offers a standard against which narration can be considered: who witnessed an event, who heard about it, and whether those sources are kept distinct. Its position gives the transition into Roy’s section a documentary emphasis, while the declaration of truthfulness remains a claim made by the quoted text rather than independent proof of any narrator’s reliability.