the story of mankind-第43章

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poisons　the　blood　until　the　patient　dies　of　sheer　exhaustion。



Under　those　circumstances　you　will　understand　that　the　sea

did　not　attract　the　best　elements　of　the　population。　Famous

discoverers　like　Magellan　and　Columbus　and　Vasco　da　Gama

travelled　at　the　head　of　crews　that　were　almost　entirely　composed

of　ex…jailbirds；　future　murderers　and　pickpockets　out

of　a　Job。



These　navigators　certainly　deserve　our　admiration　for　the

courage　and　the　pluck　with　which　they　accomplished　their

hopeless　tasks　in　the　face　of　difficulties　of　which　the　people　of

our　own　comfortable　world　can　have　no　conception。　Their

ships　were　leaky。　The　rigging　was　clumsy。　Since　the　middle

of　the　thirteenth　century　they　had　possessed　some　sort　of　a

compass　（which　had　come　to　Europe　from　China　by　way　of

Arabia　and　the　Crusades）　but　they　had　very　bad　and　incorrect

maps。　They　set　their　course　by　God　and　by　guess。　If　luck

was　with　them　they　returned　after　one　or　two　or　three　years。

In　the　other　case；　their　bleeched　bones　remained　behind　on

some　lonely　beach。　But　they　were　true　pioneers。　They　gambled

with　luck。　Life　to　them　was　a　glorious　adventure。　And

all　the　suffering；　the　thirst　and　the　hunger　and　the　pain　were

forgotten　when　their　eyes　beheld　the　dim　outlines　of　a　new　coast

or　the　placid　waters　of　an　ocean　that　had　lain　forgotten　since

the　beginning　of　time。



Again　I　wish　that　I　could　make　this　book　a　thousand　pages

long。　The　subject　of　the　early　discoveries　is　so　fascinating。

But　history；　to　give　you　a　true　idea　of　past　times；　should　be

like　those　etchings　which　Rembrandt　used　to　make。　It　should

cast　a　vivid　light　on　certain　important　causes；　on　those　which

are　best　and　greatest。　All　the　rest　should　be　left　in　the　shadow

or　should　be　indicated　by　a　few　lines。　And　in　this　chapter　I

can　only　give　you　a　short　list　of　the　most　important　discoveries。



Keep　in　mind　that　all　during　the　fourteenth　and　fifteenth

centuries　the　navigators　were　trying　to　accomplish　just　ONE

THINGthey　wanted　to　find　a　comfortable　and　safe　road　to　the

empire　of　Cathay　（China）；　to　the　island　of　Zipangu　（Japan）

and　to　those　mysterious　islands；　where　grew　the　spices　which

the　mediaeval　world　had　come　to　like　since　the　days　of　the

Crusades；　and　which　people　needed　in　those　days　before　the

introduction　of　cold　storage；　when　meat　and　fish　spoiled　very

quickly　and　could　only　be　eaten　after　a　liberal　sprinkling　of

pepper　or　nutmeg。



The　Venetians　and　the　Genoese　had　been　the　great　navigators

of　the　Mediterranean；　but　the　honour　for　exploring　the

coast　of　the　Atlantic　goes　to　the　Portuguese。　Spain　and　Portugal

were　full　of　that　patriotic　energy　which　their　age…old

struggle　against　the　Moorish　invaders　had　developed。　Such

energy；　once　it　exists；　can　easily　be　forced　into　new　channels。

In　the　thirteenth　century；　King　Alphonso　III　had　conquered

the　kingdom　of　Algarve　in　the　southwestern　corner　of　the

Spanish　peninsula　and　had　added　it　to　his　dominions。　In　the

next　century；　the　Portuguese　had　turned　the　tables　on　the

Mohammedans；　had　crossed　the　straits　of　Gibraltar　and　had

taken　possession　of　Ceuta；　opposite　the　Arabic　city　of　Ta'Rifa

（a　word　which　in　Arabic　means　‘‘inventory''　and　which　by　way

of　the　Spanish　language　has　come　down　to　us　as　‘‘tariff；''）　and

Tangiers；　which　became　the　capital　of　an　African　addition　to

Algarve。



They　were　ready　to　begin　their　career　as　explorers。



In　the　year　1415；　Prince　Henry；　known　as　Henry　the

Navigator；　the　son　of　John　I　of　Portugal　and　Philippa；　the

daughter　of　John　of　Gaunt　（about　whom　you　can　read　in

Richard　II；　a　play　by　William　Shakespeare）　began　to　make

preparations　for　the　systematic　exploration　of　northwestern

Africa。　Before　this；　that　hot　and　sandy　coast　had　been　visited

by　the　Phoenicians　and　by　the　Norsemen；　who　remembered　it

as　the　home　of　the　hairy　‘‘wild　man''　whom　we　have　come　to

know　as　the　gorilla。　One　after　another；　Prince　Henry

and　his　captains　discovered　the　Canary　Islandsre…discovered

the　island　of　Madeira　which　a　century　before　had　been　visited

by　a　Genoese　ship；　carefully　charted　the　Azores　which　had

been　vaguely　known　to　both　the　Portuguese　and　the　Spaniards；

and　caught　a　glimpse　of　the　mouth　of　the　Senegal　River　on

the　west　coast　of　Africa；　which　they　supposed　to　be　the　western

mouth　of　the　Nile。　At　last；　by　the　middle　of　the　Fifteenth

Century；　they　saw　Cape　Verde；　or　the　Green　Cape；　and　the

Cape　Verde　Islands；　which　lie　almost　halfway　between　the

coast　of　Africa　and　Brazil。



But　Henry　did　not　restrict　himself　in　his　investigations　to

the　waters　of　the　Ocean。　He　was　Grand　Master　of　the　Order

of　Christ。　This　was　a　Portuguese　continuation　of　the　crusading

order　of　the　Templars　which　had　been　abolished　by

Pope　Clement　V　in　the　year　1312　at　the　request　of　King

Philip　the　Fair　of　France；　who　had　improved　the　occasion　by

burning　his　own　Templars　at　the　stake　and　stealing　all　their

possessions。　Prince　Henry　used　the　revenues　of　the　domains

of　his　religious　order　to　equip　several　expeditions　which　explored

the　hinterland　of　the　Sahara　and　of　the　coast　of　Guinea。



But　he　was　still　very　much　a　son　of　the　Middle　Ages　and

spent　a　great　deal　of　time　and　wasted　a　lot　of　money　upon　a

search　for　the　mysterious　‘‘Presser　John；''　the　mythical　Christian

Priest　who　was　said　to　be　the　Emperor　of　a　vast　empire

‘‘situated　somewhere　in　the　east。''　The　story　of　this　strange

potentate　had　first　been　told　in　Europe　in　the　middle　of　the

twelfth　century。　For　three　hundred　years　people　had　tried

to　find　‘‘Presser　John''　and　his　descendants　Henry　took　part

in　the　search。　Thirty　years　after　his　death；　the　riddle　was

solved。



In　the　year　1486　Bartholomew　Diaz；　trying　to　find　the　land

of　Prester　John　by　sea；　had　reached　the　southernmost　point

of　Africa。　At　first　he　called　it　the　Storm　Cape；　on　account　of

the　strong　winds　which　had　prevented　him　from　continuing　his

voyage　toward　the　east；　but　the　Lisbon　pilots　who　understood

the　importance　of　this　discovery　in　their　quest　for　the　India

water　route；　changed　the　name　into　that　of　the　Cape　of　Good

Hope。



One　year　later；　Pedro　de　Covilham；　provided　with　letters

of　credit　on　the　house　of　Medici；　started　upon　a　similar　mission

by　land。　He　crossed　the　Mediterranean　and　after　leaving

Egypt；　he　travelled　southward。　He　reached　Aden；　and　from

there；　travelling　through　the　waters　of　the　Persian　Gulf　which

few　white　men　had　seen　since　the　days　of　Alexander　the　Great；

eighteen　centuries　before；　he　visited　Goa　and　Calicut　on　the

coast　of　India　where　he　got　a　great　deal　of　news　about　the

island　of　the　Moon　（Madagascar）　which　was　supposed　to　lie

halfway　between　Africa　and　India。　Then　he　returned；　paid

a　secret　visit　to　Mecca　and　to　Medina；　crossed　the　Red　Sea

once　more　and　in　the　year　1490　he　discovered　the　realm　of

Prester　John；　who　was　no　one　less　than　the　Black　Negus　（or

King）　of　Abyssinia；　whose　ancestors　had　adopted　Christianity

in　the　fourth　century；　seven　hundred　years　before　the　Christian

missionaries　had　found　their　way　to　Scandinavia。



These　many　voyages　had　convinced　the　Portuguese　geographers

and　cartographers　that　while　the　voyage　to　the　Indies

by　an　eastern　sea…route　was　possible；　it　was　by　no　means　easy。

Then　there　arose　a　great　debate。　Some　people　wanted　to　continue

the　explorations　east　of　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope。　Others

said；　‘‘No；　we　must　sail　west　across　the　Atlantic　and　then　we

shall　reach　Cathay。''



Let　us　state　right　here　that　most　intelligent　people　of　that

day　were　firmly　convinced　that　the　earth　was　not　as　flat　as　a

pancake　but　was　round。　The　Ptolemean　system　of　the　universe；

invented　and　duly　described　by　Claudius　Ptolemy；　the　great

Egyptian　geographer；　who　had　lived　in　the　second　century　of

our　era；　which　had　served　the　simple　needs　of　the　men　of　the

Middle　Ages；　had　long　been　discarded　by　the　scientists　of　the

Renaissance。　They　had　accepted　the　doctrine　of　the　Polish

mathematici