Onthispointhelaidstressinhisgreatwork，theYmagoMundi，andaneditionofithavingbeenpublishedinthedayswhenColumbuswasthinkingmostcloselyupontheproblemofawestwardvoyage，itnaturallyexercisedmuchinfluenceuponhisreasonings。AmongthetreasuresofthelibraryatSeville，thereisnothingmoreinterestingthanacopyofthisworkannotatedbyColumbushimself：fromthisverycopyitwasthatColumbusobtainedconfirmationofhisbeliefthatthepassageacrosstheoceantoMarcoPolo’slandofZipangoinAsiawasshort。Butforthiserror，baseduponatextsupposedtobeinspired，itisunlikelythatColumbuscouldhavesecuredthenecessarysupportforhisvoyage。Itisacuriousfactthatthissingletheologicalerrorthuspromotedaseriesofvoyageswhichcompletelydestroyednotonlythisbuteveryotherconceptionofgeographybaseduponthesacredwritings。[37]

　　[37]Forthiserror，sofruitfulindiscovery，seeD’Ailly，YmagoMundi；thepassagereferredtoisfol。12verso。ForthepassagefromEsdras，seechap。vi，verses42，47，50，and52；seealsoZockler，GeschichtederBeziehungenzwischenTheologieundNaturweissenschaft，vol。i，p。461。Foroneofthebestrecentstatements，seeRuge，Gesch。desZeitaltersderEntdeckungen，Berlin，1882，pp。221etseq。ForaletterofColumbusacknowledginghisindebtednesstothismistakeinEsdras，seeNavarrete，ViajesyDescubrimientos，Madrid，1825，tomei，pp。

　　242，264；alsoHumboldt，Hist。delaGeographieduNouveauContinent，vol。i，pp。68，69。

　　V。THECHARACTEROFTHEEARTH’SSURFACE。

　　ItwouldbehardlyjusttodismissthestruggleforgeographicaltruthwithoutreferringtoonepassagemoreinthehistoryoftheProtestantChurch，foritshowsclearlythedifficultiesinthewayofthesimpleststatementofgeographicaltruthwhichconflictedwiththewordsofthesacredbooks。

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