A history of the American nation . butthe doughty knight, real or fictitious, was a perfect princeamong story-tellers and was a very actual person to the menof that day, who read with eagerness the fascinating tales ofthe marvelous East. He told of pillars of gold and preciousstones half a foot in length, of golden birds that clapped theirwings by magic, of golden vines laden with costly jewels, ^ Cathay was the name by which China was known in Europe. Indiawas a very indefinite term, 2 Japan had the name Chipangu or Cipango in Marco Polos book. Aswe shall see, Columbus thought that he had rea
A history of the American nation . butthe doughty knight, real or fictitious, was a perfect princeamong story-tellers and was a very actual person to the menof that day, who read with eagerness the fascinating tales ofthe marvelous East. He told of pillars of gold and preciousstones half a foot in length, of golden birds that clapped theirwings by magic, of golden vines laden with costly jewels, ^ Cathay was the name by which China was known in Europe. Indiawas a very indefinite term, 2 Japan had the name Chipangu or Cipango in Marco Polos book. Aswe shall see, Columbus thought that he had reached it, and at onetime thought that Hayti was that famous land, where the lord of the islandhad a great palace which is entirely roofed with fine gold. . Moreover,all the pavement of the palace, and the floors of its chambers, are entirelyof gold in plates like slabs of stone, a good two fingers thick. 4 HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN NATION of the fountain of youth whose waters, if one drank themthrice, would make one ever young. ^. Sketch of the Ptolemy Map^ While men were interested, as they had not been for cen-turies before, in eastern traffic, and were annoyed and troubledby the appearance of the robber Turk, great stepsBeginning of were being taken by seamen of western Eu- Atlantic voyages; t^i. j^i, ^ results. rope. In the end, the great western ocean was opened up; men looked boldly out upon the rolling waters and thought of lands and of riches awaiting the ^ I, John Mandeville, says the old impostor, saw this well and drankthereof thrice, and all my fellows, and evermore since that time I feel thatI am better and haler. Marco Polos Travels were written in 1299 in theprison at Genoa. Read Marco Polos Account of Japan and Java, in OldSouth Leaflets, No. 32. It is noteworthy that Mandeville declares that men may well perceivethat the land and sea are of round shape and form, and that he tells of aman who wandered quite around the earth and returned to his own homeagain. ^ This
Size: 2162px × 1155px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidhistoryofame, bookyear1919
