The Century of Columbus   By: James J. Walsh (1865-1942)

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[Illustration: SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (METROPOLITAN MUSEUM. NEW YORK)]

The Century of Columbus

BY

JAMES J. WALSH, K.C.St.G., M.D., Ph.D., LL.D. LITT.D. (Georgetown), Sc.D. (Notre Dame)

PROFESSOR OP PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY AT THE CATHEDRAL COLLEGE; LIFE MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE. OF THE GERMAN AND FRENCH SOCIETIES OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE. OF THE ITALIAN SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF THE NATURAL AND THE MEDICAL SCIENCES, OF THE ST. LOUIS MEDICAL HISTORY CLUB, THE NEW ORLEANS PARISH MEDICAL SOCIETY, A.M.A., A.A.A.S., ETC.

WITH EIGHTY SIX ILLUSTRATIONS

CATHOLIC SUMMER SCHOOL PRESS New York, 1914

Copyright, 1914 James J. Walsh

THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS

RAMWAY, N. J.

To The Knights of Columbus

for whom the material here presented in book form was originally gathered for lectures in many parts of the country and whose hearty interest in the dissemination of historical truth has encouraged its completion, this book is fraternally and respectfully dedicated by the author.

"There come from time to time, eras of more favorable conditions, in which the thoughts of men draw nearer together than is their wont, and the many interests of the intellectual world combine in one complete type of general culture. The fifteenth century ... is one of these happier eras; and what is sometimes said of the age of Pericles is true of that of Lorenzo it is an age productive of personalities, many sided, centralized, complete. Here, artists and philosophers and those whom the action of the world has elevated and made keen, do not live in isolation, but breathe a common air, and catch light and heat from each other's thoughts. There is a spirit of general elevation and enlightenment in which all alike communicate. ... That solemn fifteenth century can hardly be studied too much, not merely for its positive results in the things of the intellect and the imagination, its concrete works of art, its special and prominent personalities, with their profound aesthetic charm, but for its general spirit and character, for the ethical qualities of which it is a consummate type."

Walter Pater, The Renaissance.

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PREFACE