88. Mr. Curzon’s own observations, which I have italicised about the resemblance of the two systems are, however, very striking, and seem clearly to indicate the derivation of the art from China. But I should suppose that in the tradition, if there ever was any genuine tradition of the kind at Feltre (a circumstance worthy of all doubt), the name of Marco Polo was introduced merely because it was so prominent a name in Eastern Travel. The fact has been generally overlooked and forgotten[24] that, for many years in the course of the 14th century, not only were missionaries of the Roman Church and Houses of the Franciscan Order established in the chief cities of China, but a regular trade was carried on overland between Italy and China, by way of Tana (or Azov), Astracan, Otrar and Kamul, insomuch that instructions for the Italian merchant following that route form the two first chapters in the Mercantile Handbook of Balducci Pegolotti (_circa_ 1340).[25] Many a traveller besides Marco Polo might therefore have brought home the block-books. And this is the less to be ascribed to him because he so curiously omits to speak of the art of printing, when his subject seems absolutely to challenge its description. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] “They draw nowadays the map of the world in a laughable manner, for they draw the inhabited earth as a circle; but this is impossible, both from what we see and from reason.” (_Meteorolog. Lib._ II. cap. 5.) Cf. _Herodotus_, iv. 36. [2] In Dante’s Cosmography, Jerusalem is the centre of our οἰκουμένη, whilst the Mount of Purgatory occupies the middle of the Antipodal hemisphere:— “Come ciò sia, se’ l vuoi poter pensare, Dentro raccolto immagina Sion Con questo monte in su la terra stare, Sì, ch’ambodue hann’un solo orrizon E diversi emisperi”.... —_Purg._ IV. 67. [3] The belief, with this latter ground of it, is alluded to in curious verses by Jacopo Alighieri, Dante’s son:— “_E molti gran Profeti_ _Filosofi e Poeti_ Fanno il colco dell’Emme Dov’è Gerusalemme; _Se le loro scritture_ _Hanno vere figure:_ _E per la Santa fede_ _Cristiana ancor si vede_ _Che’ l’ suo principio Cristo_ Nel suo mezzo _conquisto_ _Per cui prese morte_ _E vi pose la sorte_.” —(_Rime Antiche Toscane_, III. 9.)