About The Middle Of The Book He Gives Some Account Of The Ideas Of The
Saracens Concerning Christ; And Then
Falls into a roaming description of
various countries, obviously compiled without consideration of time or
changes of people and names;
Deriving most of his materials from ancient
authors, particularly from Pliny, and describing Mesopotamia, Chaldea,
Albania, Hircania, Bactria, Iberia, and others, as if such had actually
existed in the geography of the fourteenth century. Where any thing like
modern appears, it is some childish fable, as that the ark of Noah was
still visible on mount Ararat. He even gives the ancient fable of the
Amazons, whom he represents as an existing female nation.
He next makes a transition to India, without any notice of his journey
thither; arid gravely asserts that he has often experienced, that if
diamonds be wetted with May-dew, they will grow to a great size in a course
of years. This probably is an improvement upon the Arabian philosophy or
the production of pearls by the oysters catching that superlative seminal
influence. The following singular article of intelligence respecting India,
may be copied as a specimen of the work: "In that countree growen many
strong vynes: and the women drynken wyn, and men not: and the women shaven
hire berdes, and the men not." From India he proceeds to the island of
Lamary, the Lambri of Marco Polo; and by using the Italian term "the star
transmontane," at once betrays the source of his plagiarism. His
descriptions seem disguised extracts from Polo, with ridiculous
exaggerations and additions; as of snail shells so large as to hold many
persons. His account of the pretended varieties of the human race, as of
nations of Hermaphrodites, and others equally ridiculous, which he places
in separate islands of the Indian ocean, are mere transcripts from Pliny.
His accounts of Mangi and Kathay, or southern and northern China, are most
inaccurately stolen from Marco Polo, and disguised or rather disfigured to
conceal the theft. "The city with twelve thousand bridges, has twelve
principal gates, and in advance from each of these a detached town, or
great city, extends for three or four miles." Though he pretends to have
resided three years in Cambalu, he does not seem to have known the name of
the khan, whom he served for fifteen months against the king of Mangi.
Leaving Cathay he goes into Tharsis, Turquescen, Corasine, and Kommania, in
which he seems to have transcribed from Oderic; and makes Prester John
emperor of India, a country divided into many islands by the great torrents
which descend from Paradise! He gives also an account of a sea of sand and
gravel, entirely destitute of water, the Mare arenosum of Oderic; to which
he adds that it moves in waves like the ocean. Though he makes Prester John
sovereign of India, he assigns Susa in Persia for his residence; constructs
the gates of his palace of sardonyx, its bars of ivory, its windows of rock
crystal, and its tables of emeralds; while numerous carbuncles, each one
foot in length, served infinitely better than lamps to illuminate the
palace by night.
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