The Naming of America. 211 



■disenchanted of his golden delusion, may be compared to a 

 Californian pioneer bringing to the mint a load of glittering 

 specimens from far off placers^ and there convinced that they 

 were one and all iron pyrites, — fool's gold and nothing more. 



Columbus fancying America to be Asia lay under a mistake 

 analogous to that of the Northmen in the tenth century. They 

 sought no collective name for their great discovery, because 

 they were convinced the America they had found was no more 

 than an outlying fragment of Europe. 



But hoW was greatness thrust upon Americus? How did 

 his name, at first too plebeian to appear on title-pages, or to in- 

 dicate a cape or bay, make its way into books and maps, and, 

 supplanting all other appellations of the New "World, gain a 

 glory eclipsing whatever is reflected from all such names as 

 New Spain, New England, New France, etc. ? 



Americus wrote several private letters, about his voyages, 

 to friends in Italy and France, perhaps in 1502, but made no 

 claims to give his name to any locality. These accounts of his 

 discoveries were soon published, and were sometimes headed 

 with his name, as Nouo Hondo da Alherico VespiUio^ Milan 

 1508. More commonly their titles were complimentary to 

 some sovereign, for that servility was then ubiquitous, which, 

 to- Jay, in British army bulletins forbids naming any non- 

 commissioned officer, even though a victory should be alto- 

 gether due to him. 



Thus the title-page of the earliest German edition of the 

 letters of Americus (1509) is: "This little book relates how 

 the two most illustrious Lords, Ferdinand King of Castile, and 

 Emanuel King of Portugal, have searched through the vast 

 seas, — discovered many islands, and a new world," etc. (Dies 

 Bilchlein saget wie die zwei durchlilchtigsten Herren Fer- 

 nandus, K. zii Castilien und Herr Emanuel, K. zu Portugal 

 haben das weyte mor erziichet und funden vil Insulen, und 

 ein Neiiwe welt von wilden nackenden Leiiten, vormals un 

 bekannt.) 



