Ptolemy wrote just a thousand years after Homer, when
the little world round the Mediterranean had become a great Empire
stretching from the British Isles to China.

Already the barbaric hordes which haunted the frontiers of the Roman
Empire were breaking across the ill-defended boundaries, desolating
streams were bursting over the civilised world, until at last the storm
broke, the unity of the Empire was ended, commerce broken up, and the
darkness of ignorance spread over the earth.

During this time little in the way of progress was made, and for the
next few centuries our only interest lies in filling up some of the
shadowy places of the earth, without extending its known bounds.

CHAPTER XI

PILGRIM TRAVELLERS

Meanwhile a new inspiration had been given to the world, which affected
travelling to no small extent.

In far-off Roman province of Syria, the Christ had lived, the Christ
had died. And His words were ringing through the land: "Go ye and make
disciples of all the nations, preach the gospel to every creature."
Here at once was a new incentive to travel, a definite reason for men
to venture forth into the unknown, to brave dangers, to endure hardship.
They must carry their Master's words "unto the ends of the world."
The Roman Empire had brought men under one rule; they must now be
brought to serve one God. So men passed out of Syria; they landed on
the islands in the Mediterranean, they made their way to Asia Minor
and across to Greece, until in the year 60 A.D. we get the graphic
account of Paul the traveller, one of the first and most famous of
the missionaries of the first century.

Jerusalem now became, indeed, the world centre. A very stream of
pilgrim travellers tramped to the Holy City from far-away lands to
see for themselves the land where the Christ had lived and died.

The pilgrim age begins with the journey of a woman--the beautiful and
learned daughter of the King of Britain, Helena, mother of the Emperor
Constantine. She was a student of divinity and a devoted Christian.
In the year 326 she undertook the difficult journey to Jerusalem, where
she is reported to have discovered the "true cross," which had been
buried, with Pilate's inscription in "Hebrew and Greek and Latin."
When the news of her discovery was noised abroad a very rush of pilgrims
took place from every part of the world. Indeed, one pilgrim--his name
is unknown--thought it worth while to write a guide-book for th