m. Coussemaker, of Lille.
Several of these documents refer to persons bearing the same name as
the Traveller, e.g., in 1190, Thierry de Rubrouc; in 1202 and 1221,
Gauthier du Rubrouc; in 1250, Jean du Rubrouc; and in 1258, Woutermann
de Rubrouc. It is reasonable to suppose that Friar William was of the
same stock. See _Bulletin de la Soc. de Geographie_, 2nd vol. for
1868, pp. 569-570, in which there are some remarks on the subject by
M. d'Avezac; and I am indebted to the kind courtesy of that eminent
geographer himself for the indication of this reference and the main
facts, as I had lost a note of my own on the subject.

It seems a somewhat complex question whether a native even of _French_
Flanders at that time should be necessarily claimable as a
Frenchman;[A] but no doubt on this point is alluded to by M. d'Avezac,
so he probably had good ground for that assumption. [See also _Yule's_
article in the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, and _Rockhill's Rubruck_,
Int., p. xxxv.--H. C.]

That cross-grained Orientalist, I. J. Schmidt, on several occasions
speaks contemptuously of this veracious and delightful traveller,
whose evidence goes in the teeth of some of his crotchets. But I am
glad to find that Professor Peschel takes a view similar to that
expressed in the text: "The narrative of Ruysbroek [Rubruquis], almost
immaculate in its freedom from fabulous insertions, may be indicated
on account of its truth to nature as the greatest geographical
masterpiece of the Middle Ages." (_Gesch. der Erdkunde_, 1865, p.
151.)

[A] The County of Flanders was at this time in large part a fief of
the French Crown. (See _Natalis de Wailly_, notes to Joinville,
p. 576.) But that would not much affect the question either one
way or the other.

[2] High as Marco's name deserves to be set, his place is not beside the
writer of such burning words as these addressed to Ferdinand and
Isabella: "From the most tender age I went to sea, and to this day I
have continued to do so. Whosoever devotes himself to this craft must
desire to know the secrets of Nature here below. For 40 years now have
I thus been engaged, and wherever man has sailed hitherto on the face
of the sea, thither have I sailed also. I have been in constant
relation with men of learning, whether ecclesiastic or secular,