614 COSMOS. 



And yet it was of this " uom della Liguria" that the great 

 Portuguese historical writer, Johannes Barros*, whose first 

 decade appeared in 1552, simply remarked that he was a vain 

 and fanciful babbler (homem fattador e glorioso em mostrar 

 suas habilidades, e mais fantastico, e de imaginagoes com sua 

 Ilha Cypangd). Thus, through all ages and through all 

 stages of civilization, national hatred has striven to obscure 

 the glory of honourable names. 



The discovery of the tropical regions of America by Chris- 

 topher Columbus, Alonso de Hojeda, and Alvarez Cabral, 

 cannot be regarded in the history of the contemplation of the 

 universe as one isolated event. Its influence on the extension 

 of physical science, and on the increase of materials yielded 

 to the ideal world generally, cannot be correctly understood 

 without entering into a brief consideration of the period 

 which separates the epoch of the great maritime expeditions 

 from that of the maturity of scientific culture amongst the 

 Arabs. That which imparted to the age of Columbus its 

 peculiar character of uninterrupted and successful efforts 

 towards the attainment of new discoveries and extended 

 geographical knowledge, was prepared slowly and in various 

 ways. The means which contributed most strongly to favour 

 these efforts were a small number of enterprising men, who 

 early excited a simultaneous and general freedom of 

 thought, and an independence of investigation into the sepa- 

 rate phenomena of nature; the influence exercised 011 the 

 deepest sources of mental vigour by the renewed acquaintance 

 formed in Italy with the works of ancient Greek literature ; 

 the discovery of an art which lent to thought at once wings of 

 speed and powers of perpetuity; and the more extended 

 knowledge of Eastern Asia acquired by travelling merchants, 

 and by monks who had been sent on embassies to the Mogul 

 rulers, and which was diffused by them amongst those nations 

 of the south-west of Europe who maintained extensive com- 

 mercial relations with other countries, and who were there- 

 fore most anxious to discover a nearer route to the Spice 

 Islands. To these means, which most powerfully facilitated 

 the accomplishment of the wishes so generally entertained at 

 the close of the fifteenth century, we must add the advance in 



* Da Asia de Joao de Barros e de Diego de Couto, dec. i. liv. iii. 

 cap. 11 (Parte i. Lisboa, 1778, p. 250). 



