Indian Antiquary Vol 53

SR No.: 032545
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1985
Total Pages: 392
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 56

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MARCH, 1924
countries they visited, though every such traveller has, of course, something of value to tell the student of Indian bistory and religions. From that point of view this literature has as yet been far too much overlooked.
I will now deal shortly with two voyages by Vonetian merchants in the later half of the sixteenth century, which are certainly typical of this sort of literature. The chief reason why I have come to deal with them is the somewhat enigmatic position in which they stand to each other, which will be entered upon at the end of this paper. Little known as they seem to be, there may be some interest in first giving a short survey of their travels.
Cesare di Federici (or Fedrici) and Gasparo Balbi belonged to the merchant-class of the proud Venetian republio. Balbi was a jeweller, while his countryman has not, as far as I know, given us any direct intelligence concerning his chief business. In India he traded in jeweliery, precious stuffs, spioes, eto., and thus seems to have possessed some knowledge of the secrets of various commercial undertakings. Balbi dedicated his book to the clarissimo signor Theodoro Balbi nobile Venetiano, and seems to claim descent from the old and illustrious family of the Balbi, but I have not been able to obtain any knowledge whatsoever concerning the family to which Federici belonged. The years of their birth and death are alike unknown, and on the whole nothing more seems to be known of them than the facts connected with their respective voyages. Even encyclopaedias and biographical dictionaries, that I have been able to consult, do not give anything further : cf., e.g., Biographie universelle. XVI, 250 ff., 8.v. Federici, and III, 261 ff., 8.v. Balbi, or Boccardo, Nuova enciclopedia itali. ana, III, 117, 8.v. Balbi.' Tiraboschi, Storia della letteratura italiana, VII: 1, 212, only mentions il viaggio di Cesare Federici fatto nel 1563, and ibid., p. 216, he enumerates Gasparo Balbi among the less known travellers of the sixteenth century. Of other literature quoted as dealing with Federici I have not been able to consult Asiatick Miscellany, 1,8 and Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register, I, 332 (1823), nor for Balbi the work of Mazzucchelli, Degli scrittori d'Italia and of Ginguené, Histoire littéraire de l'Italie.
I have, however, been able to read the chapter dealing with them both in Zurla, Di Marco Polo, e degli altri viaggiatori veneziani pirt illustri, Venezia 1818, II, 252-264, and although it contains scarcely more than a summary of the two works, it does not appear to me to be wholly without value.
Federici's work first appeared at Venice in 1587 as a volume in 12° printed by Andrea Muschi,10 Later on it was reprinted in Ramusio, Navigationi et viaggi, III (ed. of 1606). foll. 3861-398r with the title : Viaggio de M. Cesare di Fedrici nell' India Orientale, et oltra l'India, per via di Soria. The last lines run thus : Io Don Bartholomeo Dionigi da Fano, da un memoriale del soprascritto M. Cesare, ha cavato il presente viaggio e fedelmente in questa forma disteso, che letto pis volte dall' istesso Authore, come vero e fedele, ha voluto a commune delettatione de utile, al mondo publicarlo. I have not the slightest idea who this D. Bartholomeo Dionigi da Fano was, nor have I had an opportunity of seeing the editio princeps of 1687. But from Zurla 11 I gather that the subscription was already in the first edition, and oonsequently da Fano must have brought some diary kept by Hederici into its present shape and edited it.
• In England this man is generally spoken of as Caesar Frederick, the form of his name teed by Hak huyt and Purchas.
1 In this Italian work there is no entry at all on Federici. • This periodioal apparently appeared at Calcutta in two vols. in 1785—1786.
. As for these works I have not even been able to get information concerning the volume and page, owing to the bad methods of quotation often adopted in the older books,
10 CI. Zurla L o. II, 252. 11 II, 269.