214 Journal of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal. |[N.S., XIX, 1923.] 
being a very ignorant person, never saw India.' It would, 
however, be interesting if we had the explanation of the 
words which the itinerary says should be known by one 
travelling between Jerusalem and the country of Prester John 
Presto Giovanni) ; to my knowledge, they are certainly neither 
Arabic, nor Turkish, nor Indian, nor similar to any of those 
languages. The author of the itinerary says they belong to 
the Ethiopic language; I should think they are Persian, 
because of the word fars used for‘ horse,’ which, though called in 
Persian esp (Sanscr. agua ; Zend, acpa), might have been 
designated as ‘ Persian,’ since the best horses were brought 
from Persia; but, as for the other words in the itinerary, 
either they do not sound at all like Persian, or, if they do, as 
perhaps the word chabul, We cannot find in Persian anything 
O 
mas on who had been in the Fidias. is 
de Gubernatis At cit., p. 98) still mentions as dedicated 
to Philip of Valois a Directorium ad faciendum pisengiall 
transmarinum per iionnie fratrem O.P. scribentem experta et 
visa potius quam audita | Directory for the journey across sea, 
published ‘by a certain Friar of the Order of Preachers, who 
writes of what he has experienced and seen rather than of 
what has heard. 
are only some of the many sources yet unexplored 
by our historians. There are besides a number of legendaries, 
such as John of Hese’s Itinerary, the contents of which about 
St. Thomas, borrowed may be from earlier works and however 
extravagant, — perhaps be made to yield meanings unsus- 
pected heretofor 
uch work, radia we say it, cannot be attempted in India. 
It requires “amotio Yule in Europe. 
| Tha shoe § be examined. At any rate, his descriptions of Malabar 
and Mylapore would be worth having, even if obtained at second-hand. 
‘* Anyhow, those wishing to consult the ae codex of the Maglia- 
bactlasiie will find it arma in the Catalogue ath the numbers II, IV. 
109.”’ <Not ote by de Gace 
claims, however, rat ‘have visited the East. Cf. Yule’s Cathay, 
IL (1866), p. 326. 

