NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

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and purchased in the places where they grew, or wherethey were manufactured, by the merchants of Persia,who still continued their voyages to every part of the East;while the Egyptian merchants, in making up their cargoes,depended upon the assortment of goods brought to theMalabar coast by the natives. To some persons in his ownage, what Marco Polo related concerning the numerousarmies and immense revenues of the Eastern princes,appeared so extravagant, (though perfectly consonant towhat we now know concerning the population of Chipa,and the wealth of Indostan ,) that they gave him the nameof Mejser Marco MilHoni. Prefat. de Ram us. p. 4. Butamong persons better informed, the reception he metwith was very different. Columbus, as well as the menof science with whom he corresponded, placed such confi-dence in the veracity of his relations, that upon them,the speculations and theories, which led to the discoveryof the New 'World , were in a great measure founded. Lifeof Columbus by his Son, c. 7, and 8-

NOTE XLVIT. Sect. III. P . 137*

In the year i;ot, Joanna of Navarre, the wife ofPhilip le Bel, king of France, having been some days inBruges , was so much struck with the grandeur and wealth,of that city , and particularly with the splendid appearanceof the citizens’ wives, that she was moved (fays Guiccar-dini) by female envy to exclaim with indignation, “ I“ thought that I had beet) the only queen here, but I“ find there are many hundreds more. " Defcriz. de’ PaesiBaffi, p. 408.