CHAPTER III.

EUROPE AND CATHAY.

Why the voyages of the Northmen were not followed up 256

Ignorance of their geographical significance 257

Lack of instruments for ocean navigation 257

Condition of Europe in the year 1000 258, 259

It was not such as to favour colonial enterprise 260

The outlook of Europe was toward Asia 261

Routes of trade between Europe and Asia 262

Claudius Ptolemy and his knowledge of the earth 263

Early mention of China 264

The monk Cosmas Indicopleustes 265

Shape of the earth, according to Cosmas 266, 267

His knowledge of Asia 268

The Nestorians 268

Effects of the Saracen conquests 269

Constantinople in the twelfth century 270

The Crusades 270-274

Barbarizing character of Turkish conquest 271

General effects of the Crusades 272

The Fourth Crusade 273

Rivalry between Venice and Genoa 274

Centres and routes of mediaeval trade 275, 276

Effects of the Mongol conquests 277

Cathay, origin of the name 277

Carpini and Rubruquis 278

First knowledge of an eastern ocean beyond Cathay 278

The data were thus prepared for Columbus; but as yet nobody reasoned from these data to a practical conclusion 279

The Polo brothers 280

Kublai Khan's message to the Pope 281

Marco Polo and his travels in Asia 281, 282

First recorded voyage of Europeans around the Indo-Chinese peninsula 282

Return of the Polos to Venice 283

Marco Polo's book, written in prison at Genoa, 1299; its great contributions to geographical knowledge 284, 285

Prester John 285

Griffins and Arimaspians 286

The Catalan map, 1375 288, 289

Other visits to China 287-291

Overthrow of the Mongol dynasty, and shutting up of China 291

First rumours of the Molucca islands and Japan 292

The accustomed routes of Oriental trade were cut off in the fifteenth century by the Ottoman Turks 293

Necessity for finding an "outside route to the Indies" 294