Travelers from history and their famous sea voyages

ordered his astrologers to declare whether he should gain the battle and
get the better of his enemies
And when he had got ready this handful (as it were) of his troops, he
ordered his astrologers to declare whether he should gain the battle and
get the better of his enemies. After they had made their observations,
they told him to go on boldly, for he would conquer and gain a glorious
victory: whereat he greatly rejoiced.

aperture made in the wall to the right hand side of the door, in the
absurd opinion of _cheating the devil_, whom these islanders believe to
lie in wait in the ordinary passage
[’The body [of the Queen of Bali, 17th century] was drawn out of a large
aperture made in the wall to the right hand side of the door, in the
absurd opinion of _cheating the devil_, whom these islanders believe to
lie in wait in the ordinary passage.’ (_John Crawfurd, Hist. of the Indian
Archipelago_, II. p. 245.)–H. C.]

from Acre to return to the Grand Kaan, and got as far as Layas
When the Two Brothers had received the Legate”s letters, they set forth
from Acre to return to the Grand Kaan, and got as far as Layas. But
shortly after their arrival there they had news that the Legate aforesaid
was chosen Pope, taking the name of Pope Gregory of Piacenza; news which
the Two Brothers were very glad indeed to hear. And presently there
reached them at Layas a message from the Legate, now the Pope, desiring
them, on the part of the Apostolic See, not to proceed further on their
journey, but to return to him incontinently. And what shall I tell you?
The King of Hermenia caused a galley to be got ready for the Two
Ambassador Brothers, and despatched them to the Pope at Acre.[NOTE 1]

from Kermn to Shrz, called even to-day M”aden-i-fld (steel mine);
they are not worked now
[’Marco Polo”s steel mines are probably the Parpa iron mines on the road
from Kermn to Shrz, called even to-day M”aden-i-fld (steel mine);
they are not worked now. Old Kermn weapons, daggers, swords, old
stirrups, etc., made of steel, are really beautiful, and justify Marco
Polo”s praise of them’ (_Houtum-Schindler_, l.c. p. 491)–H. C.]

Tenduc to _Tou Ch”eng_ or _Toto Ch”eng_, called _Togto_ or _Tokto_ by the
Mongols
[The following evidence shows, I think, that we must look for the city of
Tenduc to _Tou Ch”eng_ or _Toto Ch”eng_, called _Togto_ or _Tokto_ by the
Mongols. Mr. Rockhill (_Diary_, 18) passed through this place, and 5 _li_
south of it, reached on the Yellow River, Ho-k”ou (in Chinese) or Dugus or
Dugei (in Mongol). Gerbillon speaks of Toto in his sixth voyage in
Tartary. (_Du Halde_, IV. 345.) Mr. Rockhill adds that he cannot but think
that Yule overlooked the existence of Togto when he identified Kwei-hwa
Ch”eng with Tenduc. Tou Ch”eng is two days” march west of Kwei-hwa Ch”eng,
‘On the loess hill behind this place are the ruins of a large camp,
Orch”eng, in all likelihood the site of the old town’ (l.c. 18). M. Bonin
(_J. As._ XV. 1900, 589) shares Mr. Rockhill”s opinion. From Kwei-hwa
Ch”eng, M. Bonin went by the valley of the Hei Shui River to the Hwang Ho;
at the junction of the two rivers stands the village of Ho-k”au (Ho-k”ou)
south of the small town To Ch”eng, surmounted by the ruins of the old
square Mongol stronghold of Tokto, the walls of which are still in a good
state of preservation.–(_La Gographie_, I. 1901, p. 116.)

NOTE 7.–’Nevertheless,’ adds the Ramusian, ‘there does exist I know not
what uneasiness about the people of Cathay.’

NOTE 2.–’_Ou demeurent_ sesnes.’ _Sesnes, Cesnes, Cecini, Cesanae_, is a
mediaeval form of _cygnes, cigni_, which seems to have escaped the
dictionary-makers. It occurs in the old Italian version of _Brunetto
Latini”s Tresor_, Bk. V. ch. xxv., as _cecino_; and for other examples,
see _Cathay_, p. 125.

CHAPTER XLVI.

Ricold, Matthew Paris, and many more
These legends are referred to by Rabbi Benjamin, Hayton, Rubruquis,
Ricold, Matthew Paris, and many more. Josephus indeed speaks of the Pass
which Alexander fortified with gates of steel. But his saying that the
King of Hyrcania was Lord of this Pass points to the Hyrcanian Gates of
Northern Persia, or perhaps to the Wall of Gomushtapah, described by
Vmbry.

NOTE 5.–It has often been cast in Marco”s teeth that he makes no mention
of the Great Wall of China, and that is true; whilst the apologies made
for the omission have always seemed to me unsatisfactory. [I find in Sir
G. Staunton”s account of Macartney”s Embassy (II. p. 185) this most
amusing explanation of the reason why Marco Polo did not mention the wall:
‘A copy of Marco Polo”s route to China, taken from the Doge”s Library at
Venice, is sufficient to decide this question. By this route it appears
that, in fact, that traveller did not pass through Tartary to Pekin, but
that after having followed the usual track of the caravans, as far to the
eastward from Europe as Samarcand and Cashgar, he bent his course to the
south-east across the River Ganges to Bengal (!), and, keeping to the
southward of the Thibet mountains, reached the Chinese province of
Shensee, and through the adjoining province of Shansee to the capital,
without interfering with the line of the Great Wall.’–H. C.] We shall see
presently that the Great Wall is spoken of by Marco”s contemporaries
Rashiduddin and Abulfeda. Yet I think, if we read ‘between the lines,’ we
shall see reason to believe that the Wall _was_ in Polo”s mind at this
point of the dictation, whatever may have been his motive for withholding
distincter notice of it.[7] I cannot conceive why he should say: ‘Here is
what we call the country of Gog and Magog,’ except as intimating ‘Here we
are _beside the_ GREAT WALL known as the Rampart of Gog and Magog,’ and
being there he tries to find a reason why those names should have been
applied to it. Why they were really applied to it we have already seen.
(Supra, ch. iv. note 3.) Abulfeda says: ‘The Ocean turns northward along
the east of China, and then expands in the same direction till it passes
China, and comes opposite to the Rampart of Yjj and Mjj;’ whilst the
same geographer”s definition of the boundaries of China exhibits that
country as bounded on the west by the Indo-Chinese wildernesses; on the
south, by the seas; on the east, by the Eastern Ocean; on the north, by
the _land of Yjj and Mjj_, and other countries unknown. Ibn Batuta,
with less accurate geography in his head than Abulfeda, maugre his
travels, asks about the Rampart of Gog and Magog (_Sadd Yjj wa Majj_)
when he is at Sin Kaln, i.e. Canton, and, as might be expected, gets
little satisfaction.