登陆注册
5384600000054

第54章

The Greeks, quick and adventurous. skilled in mechanical art, had many of the qualities of successful navigators, and within the limits of their little inland sea ranged fearlessly and freely. But the conquests of Alexander did more to extend the limits of geographical science, and opened an acquaintance with the remote countries of the East. Yet the march of the conqueror is slow in comparison with the movements of the unencumbered traveller. The Romans were still less enterprising than the Greeks, were less commercial in their character. The contributions to geographical knowledge grew with the slow acquisitions of empire. But their system was centralizing in its tendency; and instead of taking an outward direction and looking abroad for discovery, every part of the vast imperial domain turned towards the capital at its head and central point of attraction. The Roman conqueror pursued his path by land, not by sea. But the water is the great highway between nations, the true element for the discoverer. The Romans were not a maritime people. At the close of their empire, geographical science could hardly be said to extend farther than to an acquaintance with Europe,--and this not its more northern division,--together with a portion of Asia and Africa;while they had no other conception of a world beyond the western waters than was to be gathered from the fortunate prediction of the poet.1Then followed the Middle Ages; the dark ages, as they are called, though in their darkness were matured those seeds of knowledge, which, in fulness of time, were to spring up into new and more glorious forms of civilization. The organization of society became more favorable to geographical science. Instead of one overgrown, lethargic empire, oppressing every thing by its colossal weight, Europe was broken up into various independent communities, many of which, adopting liberal forms of government, felt all the impulses natural to freemen; and the petty republics on the Mediterranean and the Baltic sent forth their swarms of seamen in a profitable commerce, that knit together the different countries scattered along the great European waters.

But the improvements which took place in the art of navigation, the more accurate measurement of time, and, above all, the discovery of the polarity of the magnet, greatly advanced the cause of geographical knowledge. Instead of creeping timidly along the coast, or limiting his expeditions to the narrow basins of inland waters, the voyager might now spread his sails boldly on the deep, secure of a guide to direct his bark unerringly across the illimitable waste. The consciousness of this power led thought to travel in a new direction; and the mariner began to look with earnestness for another path to the Indian Spice-islands than that by which the Eastern caravans had traversed the continent of Asia. The nations on whom the spirit of enterprise, at this crisis, naturally descended, were Spain and Portugal, placed, as they were, on the outposts of the European continent, commanding the great theatre of future discovery.

Both countries felt the responsibility of their new position. The crown of Portugal was constant in its efforts, through the fifteenth century, to find a passage round the southern point of Africa into the Indian Ocean;though so timid was the navigation, that every fresh headland became a formidable barrier; and it was not till the latter part of the century that the adventurous Diaz passed quite round the Stormy Cape, as he termed it, but which John the Second, with happier augury, called the Cape of Good Hope. But, before Vasco de Gama had availed himself of this discovery to spread his sails in the Indian seas, Spain entered on her glorious career, and sent Columbus across the western waters.

The object of the great navigator was still the discovery of a route to India, but by the west instead of the east. He had no expectation of meeting with a continent in his way, and, after repeated voyages, he remained in his original error, dying, as is well known, in the conviction that it was the eastern shore of Asia which he had reached. It was the same object which directed the nautical enterprises of those who followed in the Admiral's track; and the discovery of a strait into the Indian Ocean was the burden of every order from the government, and the design of many an expedition to different points of the new continent, which seemed to stretch its leviathan length along from one pole to the other. The discovery of an Indian passage is the true key to the maritime movements of the fifteenth and the first half of the sixteenth centuries. It was the great leading idea that gave the character to the enterprise of the age.

同类推荐
  • 圆觉经道场修证仪

    圆觉经道场修证仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 间书

    间书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 二林唱和詩

    二林唱和詩

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 不空罥索心咒王经

    不空罥索心咒王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Repertory of the Comedie Humaine

    Repertory of the Comedie Humaine

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 光昭日月十二枪

    光昭日月十二枪

    古道人烟稀。官道口,茶亭外,一名儒雅的刀客正向卖茶老人问路:“老人家,往鸡鸣驿去,可是走这条道?”说着,指了指左边的一条宽阔道路。卖茶老人看了对方一眼,点了点头。未等儒雅刀客踏上鸡鸣驿古道,一匹白色骏马急驰上前,挡住去路,一人喝道:“且慢!”儒雅刀客微微一惊,抬眼打量对方。马上端坐着一条大汉,红脸膛,扫帚眉,神情威猛。儒雅刀客冷冷问道:“阁下有何贵干?”红脸大汉道:“你可是要去鸡鸣驿?”儒雅刀客道:“为何要告诉你?”红脸大汉冷笑一声,霸气十足地说:“非说不可。”
  • 焚心似火

    焚心似火

    三人雄心勃勃白手创业,随着事业慢慢做大,问题接踵而来。同台竞争如履薄冰,为抢项目不择手段,甚至权色示人。创业过程中,蜘蛛精宋词经历了撕心裂肺的爱情,狐狸精夏初恋动了真心,而白骨精季晓岚却玩起了危险的暧昧游戏……在即将立足之际,公司却被暗处之敌全面封杀。战火连绵中,公司能否起死回生?一切是真是假?焚心似火,人生如戏,燃烧的究竟是什么?
  • 四方云动

    四方云动

    天下大势合久必分,分久必合。在鵼鹬大陆,百族和睦相处,互不侵犯,然而在这稳定大陆上,某一天与其相距甚远的黑暗大陆却撞击了鵼鹬大陆,打破了鵼鹬大陆的和平,由于黑暗大陆的撞击使得大陆上的生物都具有了邪恶因素,然而乱世中促进了各种生物的进化,灵长类中诞生出了高智慧的人类,从此人类与各族展开了竞争与互助等一系列现象在这个过程中,他们的修炼等级分为:入门,修炼,人级,黄级,玄级,地级,天级,尊级,圣级,每级九层
  • 眼病二首

    眼病二首

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 萌妃上位计

    萌妃上位计

    古语有言:“手如柔荑,肤如凝脂,领如蝤蛴,齿如瓠犀,螓首蛾眉,巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮。”是美人。而如今,正是北离盛世,元康一年。人人都传言说“洛府有女初长成,养在绣楼貌倾城。”于是,我就被稀里糊涂的赐给当今的晋王爷。道听途说得知这晋王爷,莫千尘,年龄不大,却是战功彪炳,可谓是前杀得了敌人,后把得住美人。为何这样说呢?人人都称他“貌比潘安,容胜宋玉。”本以为,这入了晋王府,做了着晋王妃,从此高枕无忧。那里想到这是“郎骑竹马来,绕床弄青梅。”人家和当今有名的花魁楚怜是恩爱有佳,哪里有我什么事!可是,青梅也难敌天降,各位看官就且看小女子如何将这位王爷揽入怀中!
  • 后山有座青牛楼

    后山有座青牛楼

    张严宿醉醒来,竟然发现自己穿了什么,一觉醒来我成了一门掌教什么,我的门派叫做青牛门啥玩意儿,整个门派还就我一个能打的什么,原主还是个无赖?还有个小萝莉女朋友?苍天啦,这不就是个极品么!坑爹啊…不管了,一路之上,张严决定开始他挂壁的人生,走向一条通天之路,只要挡在路上的,不管神魔仙佛,如有不服,统统打翻!
  • 老子大智慧

    老子大智慧

    老子哲学与古希腊哲学一起构成了人类哲学的两个源头,老子也因其深邃的哲学思想而被尊为“中国哲学之父”。本文从做人准则、处世准则、做事之道、修身养性四个方面对老子处世之道 进行了较为透辟的分析,以古今中外一些经典事例为背景,采用了浅显易懂的文字进行叙述。
  • 极品并肩王

    极品并肩王

    一位现代穿梭于人才市场的三流大学生穿越到一位自小不学无术、连家人都不容的坏人身上会发生怎么的蝴蝶效应?继续恶行,或是痛改前非?又或者有了其它变故?一切皆在极品并肩王中……极品并肩王1群:36135398;极品并肩王2群:125922760。欢迎各位有诚意的王爷们入住王爷群,热烈讨论王爷的私生活!
  • 褚主簿宅会毕庶子钱

    褚主簿宅会毕庶子钱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 和小奶狗谈恋爱

    和小奶狗谈恋爱

    如果人可以长尾巴~总会觉得有点难为情呢~因为只要和你在一起,我总会忍不住摇尾巴吧~