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 (p. xxvii) 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 mediæval 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 (p. xxviii) CHAPTER IV. THE SEARCH FOR THE INDIES. EASTWARD OR PORTUGUESE ROUTE.

Question as to whether Asia could be reached by sailing around Africa 295 Views of Eratosthenes 296 Opposing theory of Ptolemy 297 Story of the Phœnician voyage in the time of Necho 298-300 Voyage of Hanno 300, 301 Voyages of Sataspes and Eudoxus 302 Wild exaggerations 303 Views of Pomponius Mela 304, 305 Ancient theory of the five zones 306, 307 The Inhabited World, or Œcumene, and the Antipodes 308 Curious notions about Taprobane (Ceylon) 309 Question as to the possibility of crossing the torrid zone 309 Notions about sailing "up and down hill" 310, 311 Superstitious fancies 311, 312 Clumsiness of ships in the fifteenth century 312 Dangers from famine and scurvy 313 The mariner's compass; an interesting letter from Brunetto Latini to Guido Cavalcanti 313-315 Calculating latitudes and longitudes 315 Prince Henry the Navigator 316-326 His idea of an ocean route to the Indies, and what it might bring 318 The Sacred Promontory 319 The Madeira and Canary islands 320-322 Gil Eannes passes Cape Bojador 323 Beginning of the modern slave-trade, 1442 323 Papal grant of heathen countries to the Portuguese crown 324, 325 Advance to Sierra Leone 326 Advance to the Hottentot coast 326, 327 Note upon the extent of European acquaintance with (p. xxix) savagery and the lower forms of barbarism previous to the fifteenth century 327-329 Effect of the Portuguese discoveries upon the theories of Ptolemy and Mela 329, 330 News of Prester John; Covilham's journey 331 Bartholomew Dias passes the Cape of Good Hope and enters the Indian ocean 332 Some effects of this discovery 333 Bartholomew Columbus took part in it 333 Connection between these voyages and the work of Christopher Columbus 334