S i r J o h n
M a n d e v il l e .
Forfier, for the detail of his travels. He gives a molt fplendid
account of thè court o f his mafter, and ihews the ftate of the
polite arts in China in thofe early days; mentions the ufe of
the filk-worm, the ,knowiege of the making o f paper from
the Morus Papyrifer-a ; the. diftillation o f brandy from the milk
of mares, and numbers o f other curious circumftances beyond
the limits of my plan. Marco was affo attentive to the natural
hiftory o f the country ; mentions -coals, which he calls black
combuftible ftones ; defcribes fome forts of falcons and cranes ;
the Argus pheafant, or pheafants with tails thirty inches long,
and in particular fpeaks about the number of partridges and
quails. He takes notice o f the Muß animal, Hiß. ®uqd. i.
N" 65. The Thibet cows with long filky tails, N" 8. The
Argali, N° 13, or wild iheep with enormous horns ; and feveral
other matters, both natural and oeconomical, which have fince
been confirmed by more modern travellers,
I s h a l l now fpeak of the celebrated T\x John Mandeville.
Sir John was born at St. Albans, and became the greateft traveller
o f his or any other-age, having been out thirty-four years, and
in the character o f pilgrim, knight-errant, and man of obferva-
tion, vifited the greateft part o f Africa and A fa then known. It is
probable that he penetrated as far as China. He left an account
o f his travels, which were ihamefully falfified by the monks,
who deftroyed much of their credit, by mingling with them
legendary tales, and ftories out of Pliny ; but itili truth appears
fo frequently, that the authenticity of the ground work is by no
means impaired.' He was called Johannes de Mandevile aliter
dictus ad-Barham, from his forked beard; he found a grave at
Liege, in the convent of the Gulielmites in 1371.
on his tomb, armed, and treading on a lion. At his head, the
hand o f one bleffing h im ; and thefe words in the French of
the time, “ Vos ki pafeis for mi pour I’amour Deix proies par
“ mi.” His knives, horfe furniture, and fpurs, were, in the
time of Ortelius, preferved at Liege by the monks, and ihewn
to ftrangers.
T h e intercourfe which the Mufcovites had by their caravans R u s s i a n s .
with this part of the eaftern world, will be given in a future volume.
I lhall not therefore introduce it here, but proceed to the firft discovery
o f China by fea, by the Europeans, in the bufy fixteenth
century. In the year 1515 Alvarenga, the Portuguefe viceroy o f P o r t u g u e s e *
the Indies, turned his thoughts towards a fettlement in China;
and bellowed on Ferdinand Pedro Andrada, an able officer, the
conduit o f the expedition. In June 1517 he fet fail from Malacca,
with three lhips, and arrived at the illand o f Tamanlabua,
four leagues from the main land o f China. At that time the
coait was infefted with pirates; and fortunately Andrada fell in,
fays Oforio *, with the imperial fleet, who on fight o f him (thinking
him a pirate) prepared for battle ; but how great was their
furprize When they found that he gave no fign of hoftile intention,
but failed peaceably with them till they anchored off the
file of Tama. I believe this to be the fame which Mr. Nieuboff f
calls Heytamon, and poffibly that on which Macao was built.
The Chinefe admiral there fent to enquire who thefe ftrange
people were, and received fuch an anfwer as quite gained his
confidence. Andrada then failed with them for the port of
* Vcl. ii.t p. 244. | f Voy. p, 36.
V o l . III. Q Nanto,