1st Edition

Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China, Volumes I-II

    1000 Pages
    by Hakluyt Society

    Volume I: 'Translated and Edited with a Preliminary Essay on the Intercourse between China and the Western Nations previous to the Discovery of the Cape Route'. Containing the travels of Friar Odoric of Pordenone, 1316-30, and letters and reports from missionary friars from Cathay and India, 1292-1338, in English translation. With a list of 'illustrations from drawings by the author'. The supplementary material includes the 1866 annual report. Volume II: Contains contemporary notices of Cathay under the Mongols, from Rashiduddin; Pegolotti's notices of the land route to Cathay and of Asiatic trade in the fourteenth century; Marignolli's recollections of eastern travel; Ibn Battuta's travels in Bengal and China; the journey of Benedict Goës from Agra to Cathay; all in English translation, with Latin and Italian texts of Odoric's narrative. For a revised version of the whole work, see Second Series 33, 37, 38, 41. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volumes first published in 1866.

    Contents: Volume I: Dedication and preface; Preliminary essay on the intercourse of China and the Western nations previous to the discovery of the sea-route by the Cape ; Earliest Traces of Intercourse, Greek and Roman knowledge of China; Chinese Knowledge of the Roman Empire; Communication with India; Intercourse with the Arabs; Intercourse with Armenia and Persia, etc; Nestorian Christianity in China; Literary Information regarding China previous to the Mongol era; China, known under the Mongol dynasty as Cathay; Cathay passing into China, Conclusion and Supplementary notes. Cathay and the Way Thither: The travels of Friar Odoric of Pordenone (1316-1330); Letters and reports of missionary friars from Cathay and India (1292-1338); Cathay under the Mongols: Extracted from Rashiduddin's History (circa 1300-1307); Pegolotti's Notices of the Land route to Cathay, etc (circa 1330-1340); John de Marignolli's recollections of Eastern travel (1338-1353); Ibn Battuta's travels in Bengal and China (circa 1347);The journey of Benedict Goes from Agra to Cathay (1602-1607). Volume II: Cathay under the Mongols, extracted from Rashiduddin: Introductory notices;Text. Notices of the land route to Cathay and of Asiatic trade in the first half of the 14th century by Francis Balducci Pegliotti :Introductory notices;Text. John de' Marignolli's recollections of eastern travel : Biographical and Introductory Notices; Text. Ibn Battuta's travels in Bengal and China ; Introductory notice; Text. The journey of Benedict Goës from Agra to Cathay ; Introductory notice; Text; Appendix; Index.

    Biography

    Henry Yule