Roger Bacon, Whilst Lamenting The
Exceeding Deficiency Of Geographical Knowledge In The Latin World, And
Purposing To Essay An Exacter Distribution Of Countries, Says He Will Not
Attempt To Do So By Latitude And Longitude, For That Is A System Of Which
The Latins Have Learned Nothing.
He himself, whilst still somewhat
burdened by the authoritative dicta of "saints and sages" of past times,
ventures at
Least to criticise some of the latter, such as Pliny and
Ptolemy, and declares his intention to have recourse to the information of
those who have travelled most extensively over the Earth's surface. And
judging from the good use he makes, in his description of the northern
parts of the world, of the Travels of Rubruquis, whom he had known and
questioned, besides diligently studying his narrative,[7] we might have
expected much in Geography from this great man, had similar materials been
available to him for other parts of the earth. He did attempt a map with
mathematical determination of places, but it has not been preserved.[8]
It may be said with general truth that the world-maps current up to the
end of the 13th century had more analogy to the mythical cosmography of
the Hindus than to any thing properly geographical. Both, no doubt, were
originally based in the main on real features. In the Hindu cosmography
these genuine features are symmetrised as in a kaleidoscope; in the
European cartography they are squeezed together in a manner that one can
only compare to a pig in brawn.
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