[418] Possibly the old tradition, "Prima dedit nautis usum magnetis Amalphis," is true so far as it means the modern form of compass card. See Beazley, loc. cit., Vol. II, p. 398. [419] R. C. Dutt, loc. cit., Vol. II, p. 312. [420] E. J. Payne, in _The Cambridge Modern History_, London, 1902, Vol. I, chap. i. [421] Geo. Phillips, "The Identity of Marco Polo's Zaitun with Changchau, in T'oung pao," _Archives pour servir a l'etude de l'histoire de l'Asie orientale_, Leyden, 1890, Vol. I, p. 218. W. Heyd, _Geschichte des Levanthandels im Mittelalter_, Vol. II, p. 216. The Palazzo dei Poli, where Marco was born and died, still stands in the Corte del Milione, in Venice. The best description of the Polo travels, and of other travels of the later Middle Ages, is found in C. R. Beazley's _Dawn of Modern Geography_, Vol. III, chap, ii, and Part II. [422] Heyd, loc. cit., Vol. II, p. 220; H. Yule, in _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, 9th (10th) or 11th ed., article "China." The handbook cited is Pegolotti's _Libro di divisamenti di paesi_, chapters i-ii, where it is implied that $60,000 would be a likely amount for a merchant going to China to invest in his trip. [423] Cunningham, loc. cit., p. 194. [424] I.e. a commission house. [425] Cunningham, loc. cit., p. 186. [426] J. R. Green, _Short History of the English People_, New York, 1890, p. 66. [427] W. Besant, _London_, New York, 1892, p. 43. [428] _Baldakin_, _baldekin_, _baldachino_. [429] Italian _Baldacco_. [430] J. K. Mumford, _Oriental Rugs_, New York, 1901, p. 18. [431] Or Girbert, the Latin forms _Gerbertus_ and _Girbertus_ appearing indifferently in the documents of his time. [432] See, for example, J. C. Heilbronner, _Historia matheseos universae_, p. 740. [433] "Obscuro loco natum," as an old chronicle of Aurillac has it. [434] N. Bubnov, _Gerberti postea Silvestri II papae opera mathematica_, Berlin, 1899, is the most complete and reliable source of information; Picavet, loc. cit., _Gerbert_ etc.; Olleris, _Oeuvres de Gerbert_, Paris, 1867; Havet, _Lettres de Gerbert_, Paris, 1889 ; H. Weissenborn, _Gerbert; Beitraege zur Kenntnis der Mathematik des Mittelalters_, Berlin, 1888, and _Zur Geschichte der Einfuehrung der jetzigen Ziffern in Europa durch Gerbert_, Berlin, 1892; Buedinger, _Ueber Gerberts wissenschaftliche und politische Stellung_, Cassel, 1851; Richer, "Historiarum liber III," in Bubnov, loc. cit., pp. 376-381; Nagl, _Gerbert und die Rechenkunst des 10. Jahrhunderts_, Vienna, 1888. [435] Richer tells of the visit to Aurillac by Borel, a Spanish nobleman, just as Gerbert was entering into young manhood. He relates how affectionately the abbot received him, asking if there were men in Spain well versed in the arts. Upon Borel's reply in the affirmative, the abbot asked that one of his young men might accompany him upon his return, that he might carry on his studies there. [436] Vicus Ausona. Hatto also appears as Atton and Hatton.