Download The travels of Ludovico di Varthema in Egypt, Syria, Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix, in Persia, India, and Ethiopia, A.D. 1503 to 1508 PDF book (1863)





This translation made from the first Italian edition of 1510; the truthfulness of Varthema's narrative, and simplicity of his style; later - editions more or less faulty; the present version intended to be a faithful representation of the original text; Varthema's work immediately attracted attention, i-iii. Different editions and translations enumerated: Italian; Latin; German; Spanish; French; Dutch; English. Deficiency of all the authorities as to Varthema's antecedents, xvii; not supplied by allusions in his dedication, xix; notice of the Lady Agnesian, Duchess of Albi and Tagliacozzo, to whom he dedicates, xix; Eamusio's preface has no information, and his edition a third-hand version, xxi; particulars derivable with more or less certainty from the narrative itself, xxii;his motives for traveling, xxiii; the character of his narrative, xxiii; scanty recompense, xxiv. Date of his leaving Europe, xxv; remarks on his notices of Cairo and -Egypt under the Mamluks, ib. ; Syria and Damascus, xxvi; his enrollment as a Mamliik, and reserve as to his profession of Islam, his Mus- Sulman name (Tunas or Jonah), and his knowledge of Muhammedanism, xxvi; remarks on such conformity to Islamism, xxvii;he joins the Hajj Caravan from Damascus, ib. ; the only European who has reached Meccah by that route, xxvii; his sketches of the desert and Bedawin, xxviii; his notice of a colony of Jews near El-Medinah, and the fact authenticated, ib. ; his description of El-Medinah and correction of fables about Mukam- med's coffin, xxix;his journey on to Meccah, xxx; his notice of the politics of the time confirmed by Arabic authorities, the Kurrat El- Ay Cm and Riuih er-Ruah, xxx-xxxv; his account of Meccah, its visitors, holy places, and ceremonies, xxxv; wonderful truth of his descriptions, as confirmed incidentally by Burckhardt and expressly by Burton, xxxvby Varthema, Lodovico de, 15th cent; Jones, John Winter, 1805-1881; Badger, George Percy, 1815-1888