| Show where columbus Columb ns got nis his idea mediaeval Media eval europe knew but very little of eastern and northeastern asia many of tho the most learnell learned cosmo grap hers of the time taught that asia str stretched etcheLl eastward indefinitely and no ono one imagined 0 that it had an eastern coast washed by the ocean it was seriously taught that eastern asia was a land of vast swamps inhabited by monster serpents and dragons this was the opinion that still prevailed up to within years of the time of columbus at this time two venetian merchants by the name of polo went on a vast tr trading adin expedition to the uttermost parts of asia they were gone many years upon their return tho the son of one of them a young 0 man named marco polo wrote out a full account of their travels described the empire of the grand khan the chinese emperor and revealed the fact that asia was bounded on the east by a vast ocean he described this eastern coast minutely with all its vast cities and its wealth of precious stones and spices it was from reading this book that the imagination of columbus was fired and he conceived the bold conception oi of reaching this eastern coast of asia by sailing bailing toward the west around the earth so when he discovered cuba lie he had not a doubt that he had landed upon the coast of asia and that ho he looked arpon upon the same scones scenes that marco polo had gazed upon years before yankee blade |
