国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

his *Libellus de notitia orbis*, part of which has been published for the first time by A. Kern in
*Arch. Fratr. Praedic.*, VIII [1938], 82-123; a notice on « Ethiopia » occurs in p. 120-121. There
can be no doubt that the true Ethiopia is meant. Archbishop John says that « Orientals call her
Habassy », and that the country lay in *superiore parte Egipti*. The notice adds that the Ethiopians
were favourably disposed towards the Church of Rome, that he knew from experience that they
were eager to receive instruction from Rome, and that he would have gone there himself if he had
not been prevented by his work with Tamerlane (*per filium Themur*; I take *filius* to be a translation
of Pers. *pusār*, Turk. *oyul*, Mong. *kö'ün*, all meaning « son », but used in the sense of « prince »;
in the same way, Āljigidāi's letter to St. Louis was addressed *filio regi Francie*; cf. *Pel*, 162, 168).
« But, if it would please the Lord, and as I have promised them (= the Ethiopians), I shall go [there]
as I am bound to them by the Apostolic See, since they are under the jurisdiction of the archbishop
of Sultanieh, as is stated in the bull of John XXII. » The archbishop of Sultanieh must be supposed
to have known the area of his own jurisdiction, and since he says in 1404, that Ethiopia, *i. e.* true
Ethiopia, had been placed by Pope John XXII under the authority of the see of Sultanieh, there
can be no doubt, I think, that the « Imperator Aethiopum » to whom the same John XXII addressed
his letter of December 1, 1329, was no other than the negus of Abyssinia.


225. EUFRATES

*eufrate* FB *eufrautes* F *hufrates* VB
*eufrates* FA, L, P, VA, VL, Z; G *fites* V

Polo mentions the Euphrates only once, and as one of the rivers flowing into the Caspian,
together with the Tigris and the « Gion ». Polo's « Tigris » is the Volga (see « Tigri ») and his « Gion »
must be the Oxus (see « Gion »). But he passed south of the Caspian and probably had a very
hazy idea of the rivers he names. Moreover, like most of his contemporaries, he must have been
influenced by the belief of the four rivers that flowed from Paradise. It would be vain to try and
decide here in favour of any particular stream like the Araxes (or Kur) or the Ural. Instead of
« Eufrates », Ramusio gives « Cur, Araz », Kur et Araxes (or Kur-Araxes), and this would be a good
solution if it did not go against all known Mss. As *B*, 17, says it looks like a textual correction
due to Ramusio himself.


226. EUROPE

*europa* Z

« Europa » occurs only in the title-preamble of Z (cf. Vol. I, 93; II, v), and it is not certain that
the word was used in Rustichello's original text. If it be the original, the only point of interest
for the present notes would be the determination of Polo's conception of our continent, but we lack