na of Cosmas, surnamed
Indicopleustes, or the Indian navigator, l. iii. p. 178, 179, l. xi.
p. 337. The entire work, of which some curious extracts may be found in
Photius, (cod. xxxvi. p. 9, 10, edit. Hoeschel,) Thevenot, (in the 1st
part of his Relation des Voyages, &c.,) and Fabricius, (Bibliot. Graec.
l. iii. c. 25, tom. ii. p. 603-617,) has been published by Father
Montfaucon at Paris, 1707, in the Nova Collectio Patrum, (tom. ii. p.
113--346.) It was the design of the author to confute the impious heresy
of those who maintained that the earth is a globe, and not a flat,
oblong table, as it is represented in the Scriptures, (l. ii. p. 138.)
But the nonsense of the monk is mingled with the practical knowledge of
the traveller, who performed his voyage A.D. 522, and published his book
at Alexandria, A.D. 547, (l. ii. p. 140, 141. Montfaucon, Praefat.
c. 2.) The Nestorianism of Cosmas, unknown to his learned editor, was
detected by La Croze, (Christianisme des Indes, tom. i. p. 40--55,) and
is confirmed by Assemanni, (Bibliot. Orient. tom. iv. p. 605, 606.)]

[Footnote 117: In its long progress to Mosul, Jerusalem, Rome, &c., the
story of Prester John evaporated in a monstrous fable, of which some
features have been borrowed from the Lama of Thibet, (Hist. Genealogique
des Tartares, P. ii. p. 42. Hist. de Gengiscan, p. 31, &c.,) and were
ignorantly transferred by the Portuguese to the emperor of Abyssinia,
(Ludolph. Hist. Aethiop. Comment. l. ii. c. 1.) Yet it is probable that
in the xith and xiith centuries, Nestorian Christianity was professed
in the horde of the Keraites, (D'Herbelot, p. 256, 915, 959. Assemanni,
tom. iv. p. 468--504.) Note: The extent to which Nestorian Christianity
prevailed among the Tartar tribes is one of the most curious questions
in Oriental history. M. Schmidt (Geschichte der Ost Mongolen, notes,
p. 383) appears to question the Christianity of Ong Chaghan, and his
Keraite subjects.--M.]

[Footnote 118: The Christianity of China, between the seventh and the
thirteenth century, is invincibly proved by the consent of Chinese,
Arabian, Syriac, and Latin evidence, (Assemanni, Biblioth. Orient.
tom. iv. p. 502--552. Mem. de l'Academie des Inscript. tom. xxx. p.
802--819.) The inscription of Siganfu which describes the fortunes of
the Nestorian church, from the first mission, A.D. 636, to the current
year 781, is accused of forgery by La Croze, Voltaire, &c., who become
the dupes of their own cun