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found in all the more important centres of trade。 Even today
our American pawn…shops display the three golden balls
which were part of the coat of arms of the mighty house of
the Medici； who became rulers of Florence and married their
daughters to the kings of France and were buried in graves
worthy of a Roman Caesar。
Then there was Genoa； the great rival of Venice； where
the merchants specialised in trade with Tunis in Africa and
the grain depots of the Black Sea。 Then there were more than
two hundred other cities； some large and some small； each a perfect
commercial unit； all of them fighting their neighbours and
rivals with the undying hatred of neighbours who are depriving
each other of their profits。
Once the products of the Orient and Africa had been
brought to these distributing centres； they must be prepared
for the voyage to the west and the north。
Genoa carried her goods by water to Marseilles； from where
they were reshipped to the cities along the Rhone； which in
turn served as the market places of northern and western
France。
Venice used the land route to northern Europe。 This ancient
road led across the Brenner pass； the old gateway for
the barbarians who had invaded Italy。 Past Innsbruck； the
merchandise was carried to Basel。 From there it drifted down
the Rhine to the North Sea and England； or it was taken to
Augsburg where the Fugger family （who were both bankers
and manufacturers and who prospered greatly by ‘‘shaving''
the coins with which they paid their workmen）； looked after
the further distribution to Nuremberg and Leipzig and the
cities of the Baltic and to Wisby （on the Island of Gotland）
which looked after the needs of the Northern Baltic and dealt
directly with the Republic of Novgorod； the old commercial
centre of Russia which was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible in
the middle of the sixteenth century。
The little cities on the coast of north…western Europe had
an interesting story of their own。 The mediaeval world ate a
great deal of fish。 There were many fast days and then people
were not permitted to eat meat。 For those who lived away
from the coast and from the rivers； this meant a diet of eggs
or nothing at all。 But early in the thirteenth century a Dutch
fisherman had discovered a way of curing herring； so that it
could be transported to distant points。 The herring fisheries
of the North Sea then became of great importance。 But some
time during the thirteenth century； this useful little fish （for
reasons of its own） moved from the North Sea to the Baltic and
the cities of that inland sea began to make money。 All the
world now sailed to the Baltic to catch herring and as that fish
could only be caught during a few months each year （the rest
of the time it spends in deep water； raising large families of
little herrings） the ships would have been idle during the rest
of the time unless they had found another occupation。 They
were then used to carry the wheat of northern and central Russia
to southern and western Europe。 On the return voyage
they brought spices and silks and carpets and Oriental rugs
from Venice and Genoa to Bruges and Hamburg and Bremen。
Out of such simple beginnings there developed an important
system of international trade which reached from the
manufacturing cities of Bruges and Ghent （where the almighty
guilds fought pitched battles with the kings of France and
England and established a labour tyranny which completely
ruined both the employers and the workmen） to the Republic
of Novgorod in northern Russia； which was a mighty city until
Tsar Ivan； who distrusted all merchants； took the town and
killed sixty thousand people in less than a month's time and
reduced the survivors to beggary。
That they might protect themselves against pirates and
excessive tolls and annoying legislation； the merchants of the
north founded a protective league which was called the
‘‘Hansa。'' The Hansa； which had its headquarters in Lubeck；
was a voluntary association of more than one hundred cities。
The association maintained a navy of its own which patrolled
the seas and fought and defeated the Kings of England and
Denmark when they dared to interfere with the rights and the
privileges of the mighty Hanseatic merchants。
I wish that I had more space to tell you some of the wonderful
stories of this strange commerce which was carried on
across the high mountains and across the deep seas amidst
such dangers that every voyage became a glorious adventure。
But it would take several volumes and it cannot be done here。
Besides； I hope that I have told you enough about the Middle
Ages to make you curious to read more in the excellent books
of which I shall give you a list at the end of this volume。
The Middle Ages； as I have tried to show you； had been a
period of very slow progress。 The people who were in power
believed that ‘‘progress'' was a very undesirable invention of
the Evil One and ought to be discouraged； and as they hap…
pened to occupy the seats of the mighty； it was easy to enforce
their will upon the patient serfs and the illiterate knights。
Here and there a few brave souls sometimes ventured forth into
the forbidden region of science； but they fared badly and were
considered lucky when they escaped with their lives and a jail
sentence of twenty years。
In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the flood of
international commerce swept over western Europe as the Nile
had swept across the valley of ancient Egypt。 It left behind
a fertile sediment of prosperity。 Prosperity meant leisure
hours and these leisure hours gave both men and women a
chance to buy manuscripts and take an interest in literature
and art and music。
Then once more was the world filled with that divine curiosity
which has elevated man from the ranks of those other
mammals who are his distant cousins but who have remained
dumb； and the cities； of whose growth and development I have
told you in my last chapter； offered a safe shelter to these
brave pioneers who dared to leave the very narrow domain
of the established order of things。
They set to work。 They opened the windows of their
cloistered and studious cells。 A flood of sunlight entered the
dusty rooms and showed them the cobwebs which had gathered
during the long period of semi…darkness。
They began to clean house。 Next they cleaned their gardens。
Then they went out into the open fields； outside the crumbling
town walls； and said； ‘‘This is a good world。 We are
glad that we live in it。''
At that moment； the Middle Ages came to an end and a new
world began。
THE RENAISSANCE
PEOPLE ONCE MORE DARED TO BE HAPPY
JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE ALIVE。 THEY
TRIED TO SAVE THE REMAINS OF THE
OLDER AND MORE AGREEABLE CIVILISATION
OF ROME AND GREECE AND THEY
WERE SO PROUD OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS
THAT THEY SPOKE OF A RENAISSANCE
OR RE…BIRTH OF CIVILISATION