Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

— 94 —

Of another legend, placed near a lake called Coroma
lacus on Waldseemidler's map of 1507 (J 27), only the
following words are still legible:—

vil long dj . . . .

The legend may have referred to the presence of the
rhinoceros or unicorn in Mien (mod. Awa), which is not,
however, named on the globe (M. Polo II 43). Another
legend is of too general a tenour to be allotted to a
particular district:—

hirin find vil ftadt und waiter von
fpecerej auxh vil konik und mancher
lei landes (J 5).

Here are many towns and woods
of spices, also many kings and
various kinds of land.

The following are the rivers of Chatai and of Mangi :—

quiian dafwaffer, quian ft, quinen (K 45-48), M. Polo
II 35, 59, the Yangtsekiang.

brinf fl,. (K 30), M. Polo II 38 : brius, Kin-sha or Upper
Yang-tse-kiang.

kirumaru (K 37), M. Polo II 31 : caramoran, the
Karamuran or Hwang-ho.

The following names are not mentioned by M. Polo :

jndia (K 29), jndie ptolemaus (K 27), jn hoch jndia
(J 5), and jndia silva im orient (K 26).

Hoch jndia (Indian superior) is a term used vaguely
by mediaeval authors. On the Borgia map (1450) it
begins beyond the Indus and includes St. Thomas' Land,
but the mendicant friar, who wrote about the same time,
shifts it far to the east, and makes it to include Mangi.

As to Indie ptolemaus I can give no explanation,
unless ptolemaus stands for toloman.

Murr, instead of the unintelligible India silva im
Orient of the original, ventures to emend : India sive pars
Indie extra Gangem.

mazin, mazin (H 22), which Behaim places to the
west of the Ganges, is in reality a contraction of Maha
Chin, the " great China," the Macinus or Mangi of N. de
Conti, the Mieng of M. Polo, the capital of which was Ava.

birma (K 45).

sandida (K 41), a tributary of the Caramoran or
Hwang-ho.

Ophir and Havilah.

The following legend is placed immediately to
south of the mouths of the Ganges (H 19):—

the

jn dem buck genefis findt man da/g
difs landtdader gauges laujf't gehaiffen
ijl hevilla da foil da foil wachfen daf
beft golt in der welt ifl jn der heilige
gefchrift im 3 buck der konik in den
9 und 10 cajiitel ifl gefchriebe daft
konik Salomon feine fchiff hie her
fchicket und lief) holen difes goldles
und koftliche verhin und edelgestain
von ophir gen jenfaiem difs landt
gulat und ophir da der fluff ganges
oder daf waffer gion durch fleuft hat
zusamm gehort.

In the Book of Genesis it is stated
that this country through which
flows the Ganges is called Havilla.
The best gold in the world is said
to grow there. In Holy Writ, in
the 3rd book of Kings, chapters 9
and 10, it Js written, that King
Solomon sent his ships hither and
had brought, from Ophir to Jerusalem
of this gold and valuable pearls and
precious stones. This country of
Giilat and Ophir, through which
flows the river Ganges or the water
of Gion, belonged together.

In Genesis ii. 11, we are told that the Pison
" encompasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is
gold." From the 1st (not the 3rd) Book of Kings we
learn that the " navy of Tharshish " came from Ophir
once every three years bringing gold and precious stones
and other merchandise. Pearls are not mentioned.
Havilah or Hevilka is called Evilath, of which the Gulat
of the legend is a corruption, in the' Rudimentum noviti-
orum.' The Gihon (Gion) is not the Ganges, but the
Nile (Gen. ii. 13), " which encompasseth the whole land of
Ethiopia." Certain Fathers of the Church have identified
Havilah with Ptolemy's Avalita, but I have never heard
of Havilah and Ophir being placed in juxtaposition.
Colonel C. R. Conder identifies the Gihon with the
Araxes, the Pison with the Acampsis of Colchis; he
places Havilah in Armenia, and Ophir in Southern
Arabia.

St. Thomas.

The history of St. Thomas is referred to in several
legends to be found upon our globe. This apostle is
popularly supposed to have been martyred in India, and
upon St. Thomas' Mount, near Madras, the supposed site
of his martyrdom, a church has been built by the Portuguese
. St. Thomas, however, never wore the crown of
the martyr, but died a natural death at Edessa.1 His
supposed missionary activity has caused his name to be
introduced into the history of the Three Kings, for he is
supposed to have converted one of them, King Gathaspar
or Caspar, who has been identified with Gundaphoras, a
Parthian ruler at Peshawar.2

Maabar, ein konikreich (I 35).
jn difen konikreich war S. thomas
mil ein pfeil erschof/en.

Maabar, a kingdom.
In this kingdom St. Thomas was
killed with an arrow.

Maabar lies on the S.E. coast of India, and in it is
St. Thome Mount. The information is from Marco Polo,
III 27.

calmia (I 20 s), the Calamina of ecclesiastical tradition,3
where St. Thomas was martyred and buried according to
Mandeville. This tabulator places it in Maabar (Mabaron),
but Behaim has shifted it to northern Coilur.

coilur (I 24 s), the koulam of Ramusio's version
(III 25).

jndifer jnfel coylur ift xant thomas
der zwelif bot gemartert vorden.

In this island Coilur St. Thomas
the Apostle was martyred.

Coilur, the Coylu of Pipino's version of Marco Polo
(III 31), is identified by Yule with Quillon. Neither
Marco Polo nor Mandeville are responsible for the statement
that St. Thomas was martyred at that place.

1 Thilo, 'Acta S. Thomae apostoli,' Leiden, 1823. R. A. Lipsius,
' Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten,' Leipzig, 1883, I., 223.
a Gutschmid, Rhein, ' Mus. f. Philologie,' 18G4.

3 Pseudo Tsidor, ' De vita et obitu ... Sanctorum.' (Monum. S. Patr.
orthod., liasilea, 1539, p. 598.)