214 A Century of Science 



with which these palefaces had seized and were 

 holding the continent. It is a well-rounded tale, 

 and as complete as anything in real history, where 

 completeness and finality are things unknown. 



Between the beginning and the end of this well- 

 rounded tale a mighty drama is wrought out in all 

 its scenes. The struggle between France and Eng- 

 land for the soil of North America was one of the 

 great critical moments in the career of mankind, 

 no less important than the struggle between Greece 

 and Persia, or between Rome and Carthage. Out 

 of the long and complicated interaction between 

 Roman and Teutonic institutions which made up 

 the history of the Middle Ages, two strongly con- 

 trasted forms of political society had grown up and 

 acquired aggressive strength when in the course 

 of the sixteenth century a New World beyond the 

 sea was laid open for colonization. The maritime 

 nations of Europe were naturally the ones to be 

 attracted to this new arena of enterprise ; and 

 Spain, Portugal, France, England, and Holland 

 each played its interesting and characteristic part. 

 Spain at first claimed the whole, excepting only 

 that Brazilian coast which Borgia's decree gave to 

 Portugal. But Spain's methods, as well as her 

 early failure of strength, prevented her from mak- 

 ing good her claim. Spain's methods were limited 



