2?8
and purchafed in the places where they grew, or wherethey were manufactured, by the merchants of Ptriia,who (till continued their voyages to every pare of the baft;while the Egyptian merchants, in making up their cargoes,depended upon the affortment of goods brought to theMalabar ceaft by the natives. To Lome perfons in his ownage, what Marco Polo related concerning the numerousarmies and immenfe revenues of the Eaftern princes,appeared fo extravagant, (though perfedtly confonant towhat we now know concerning the population of China ,and the wealth of Indollan ,) that they gave him the nameof Alejfer Marco MiUioni. Prefat. de Ramuf p. 4. Butamong perfons better informed, the reception he metwith was very different. Columbus , as well as the menof fcience with whom he correfponded, placed fuch confi-dence in the veracity of his relations, that upon them,the fpeculations and theories, which led to the difeoveryof the New World, were in a great meafure founded. Lifeof Columbus by his Son, c. 7, and 8-
NOTE XLVIT. Sect. III. p. 1J7.
In the year 1501, Joanna of Navarre, the wife ofPhilip le Bel , king of France , having been fome days inBruges , was fo much ftruck with the grandeur and wealthof that city, and particularly with the Tplendid appearanceof the citizens’ wives, that fhe was moved (fays Guiccar-dini) by female envy to exclaim with indignation, “ Itc thought that I had been the only queen here, but I<l find there are many hundreds more. ” Defcriz. de’ PaefiBafii, p. 408.