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‘‘expression'' had begun。
Here and now let me say that I am sorry that I must use
so many ‘‘big words。'' I wish that I could write this history in
words of one syllable。 But it cannot be done。 You cannot
write a text…book of geometry without reference to a hypotenuse
and triangles and a rectangular parallelopiped。 You
simply have to learn what those words mean or do without
mathematics。 In history （and in all life） you will eventually
be obliged to learn the meaning of many strange words of
Latin and Greek origin。 Why not do it now？
When I say that the Renaissance was an era of expression；
I mean this： People were no longer contented to be the
audience and sit still while the emperor and the pope told
them what to do and what to think。 They wanted to be actors
upon the stage of life。 They insisted upon giving ‘‘expression''
to their own individual ideas。 If a man happened to be interested
in statesmanship like the Florentine historian； Niccolo
Macchiavelli； then he ‘‘expressed'' himself in his books which
revealed his own idea of a successful state and an efficient
ruler。 If on the other hand he had a liking for painting； he
‘‘expressed'' his love for beautiful lines and lovely colours in
the pictures which have made the names of Giotto； Fra Angelico；
Rafael and a thousand others household words wherever
people have learned to care for those things which express
a true and lasting beauty。
If this love for colour and line happened to be combined with
an interest in mechanics and hydraulics； the result was a Leonardo
da Vinci； who painted his pictures； experimented with
his balloons and flying machines； drained the marshes of the
Lombardian plains and ‘‘expressed'' his joy and interest in all
things between Heaven and Earth in prose； in painting； in
sculpture and in curiously conceived engines。 When a man of
gigantic strength； like Michael Angelo； found the brush and
the palette too soft for his strong hands； he turned to sculpture
and to architecture； and hacked the most terrific creatures out
of heavy blocks of marble and drew the plans for the church
of St。 Peter； the most concrete ‘‘expression'' of the glories
of the triumphant church。 And so it went。
All Italy （and very soon all of Europe） was filled with
men and women who lived that they might add their mite to
the sum total of our accumulated treasures of knowledge and
beauty and wisdom。 In Germany； in the city of Mainz； Johann
zum Gansefleisch； commonly known as Johann Gutenberg； had
just invented a new method of copying books。 He had studied
the old woodcuts and had perfected a system by which individual
letters of soft lead could be placed in such a way that
they formed words and whole pages。 It is true； he soon lost
all his money in a law…suit which had to do with the original
invention of the press。 He died in poverty； but the ‘‘expression''
of his particular inventive genius lived after him。
Soon Aldus in Venice and Etienne in Paris and Plantin in
Antwerp and Froben in Basel were flooding the world with
carefully edited editions of the classics printed in the Gothic
letters of the Gutenberg Bible； or printed in the Italian type
which we use in this book； or printed in Greek letters； or in
Hebrew。
Then the whole world became the eager audience of those
who had something to say。 The day when learning had been
a monopoly of a privileged few came to an end。 And the
last excuse for ignorance was removed from this world； when
Elzevier of Haarlem began to print his cheap and popular
editions。 Then Aristotle and Plato； Virgil and Horace and
Pliny； all the goodly company of the ancient authors and
philosophers and scientists； offered to become man's faithful
friend in exchange for a few paltry pennies。 Humanism had
made all men free and equal before the printed word。
THE GREAT DISCOVERIES
BUT NOW THAT PEOPLE HAD BROKEN
THROUGH THE BONDS OF THEIR NARROW
MEDIAEVAL LIMITATIONS； THEY HAD TO
HAVE MORE ROOM FOR THEIR WANDERINGS。
THE EUROPEAN WORLD HAD
GROWN TOO SMALL FOR THEIR AMBITIONS。
IT WAS THE TIME OF THE GREAT
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY
THE Crusades had been a lesson in the liberal art of travelling。
But very few people had ever ventured beyond the well…
known beaten track which led from Venice to Jaffe。 In the
thirteenth century the Polo brothers； merchants of Venice；
had wandered across the great Mongolian desert and after
climbing mountains as high as the moon； they had found their
way to the court of the great Khan of Cathay； the mighty
emperor of China。 The son of one of the Polos； by the name
of Marco； had written a book about their adventures； which
covered a period of more than twenty years。 The astonished
world had gaped at his descriptions of the golden towers of
the strange island of Zipangu； which was his Italian way of
spelling Japan。 Many people had wanted to go east； that
they might find this gold…land and grow rich。 But the trip was
too far and too dangerous and so they stayed at home。
Of course； there was always the possibility of making the
voyage by sea。 But the sea was very unpopular in the Middle
Ages and for many very good reasons。 In the first place； ships
were very small。 The vessels on which Magellan made his
famous trip around the world； which lasted many years； were
not as large as a modern ferryboat。 They carried from twenty
to fifty men； who lived in dingy quarters （too low to allow any
of them to stand up straight） and the sailors were obliged to
eat poorly cooked food as the kitchen arrangements were very
bad and no fire could be made whenever the weather was the
least bit rough。 The mediaeval world knew how to pickle herring
and how to dry fish。 But there were no canned goods
and fresh vegetables were never seen on the bill of fare as
soon as the coast had been left behind。 Water was carried in
small barrels。 It soon became stale and then tasted of rotten
wood and iron rust and was full of slimy growing things。 As
the people of the Middle Ages knew nothing about microbes
（Roger Bacon； the learned monk of the thirteenth century
seems to have suspected their existence； but he wisely kept
his discovery to himself） they often drank unclean water and
sometimes the whole crew died of typhoid fever。 Indeed the
mortality on board the ships of the earliest navigators was
terrible。 Of the two hundred sailors who in the year 1519 left
Seville to accompany Magellan on his famous voyage around
the world； only eighteen returned。 As late as the seventeenth
century when there was a brisk trade between western Europe
and the Indies； a mortality of 40 percent was nothing unusual
for a trip from Amsterdam to Batavia and back。 The greater
part of these victims died of scurvy； a disease which is caused
by lack of fresh vegetables and which affects the gums and
poisons the blood until the patient dies of sheer exhaustion。
Under those circumstances you will under