Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-10-08

was admltted st all times to the rUyal
presence, and the queen delighted to con
verse with him on the subject Of his en-
terprlses. The king, too, appeared occa-
slonally on horseback. with Prince Juan
on one side and Columbus on the other
To perpetuate in his family the glory Of
his achievement a coat Of arms was as
signed him, in which THE royal arms
the castle and the lion, were quartered
with his proper bearings, which were a
group Of islands surrounded by waves.
To these arms was afterward annexed
the motto.
A Castillo 4 Leon,
Nneyo mundo dio Colon.
TO CASTLE and Leon
Columbus gave new worldly
The pension which had been decreed
by the sovereigns to him who in the first
voyage should discover land was ad-
judged to Columbus for having first seen
the light on the shore. 1t is said that
the seaman who first deserted the land
was so incensed at being disappointed Of
what he conceived his merited reward.
that he renounced his country and his
faith, and going into Africa turned Mus
sulman; an anecdote which rests merely
on the authority Of Oviedo, who is ex-
tremely incorrect in his narration Of this
voyage, and inserts many falsehoods
told him by the enemies Of the admiral.
1t may at first sight appear but little
accordant with the acknowledged mag
nanimity Of Columbus to have borne
away the prize from this poor sailor, bnt
this was a subject in which his whole
ambition was involved, and he was
doubtless proud of the honor of being
personally the discoverer Of the land as
well as protector Of the enterprise.
Next to the countenance shown him
by the king and queen may be mentioned
that Of Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, Tile
grand cardinal Of Spain and first subject
of the realm, a man whose elevated char
acter for piety, learning and high prince
like qualities gave signal value to LII
favors. He invited Columbus to a ban
quet, where he assigned him the most
honorable place at table and had him
served with the ceremonials which III
those punctilious times were observed
toward soyereigns. At this repast is
said to have occurred the well known
anecdote Of the egg. A shallow courtier
present, impatient Of the honors paid to
Columbus and meanly jealous Of him US
foreigner, abruptly asked him whether
he thought that, III case he had not dis
covered the Indies. there were not other
men in Spain who would have been ca
pable of the enterprise? To this Columbus
made no immediate reply, but taking an
egg invited the company to make it stand
on one end. Every one attempted It, but
in vain; whereupon no struck it upon
the table so as to break the end and left
it standing on the broken part, iIlustrat-
ing in this simple manner that when be
had once shown the way to the New
World nothing was easier than to fol-
low it.
The favor shown Columbus by TIE
sovereigns insured him for a time the
caresses of the nobility. For in court
every one vies with his neighbor III Law
ishing attentions upon the man when
the king dehghteth to honor" Colum-
bus bore all these caresses and distinctions
with becoming modesty. though he must
have felt proud satisfaction ID the idea
that they had been wrested. as it were,
from the nation by his courage and per
severance. One can hardly recognize in
the individual thus made the companion
Of princes and the theme Of general
wonder and admiration the same OBJ
-r,7ro e+,-,,,rra- ,,-,1, I,4,4 "a rb.-t t-,,,. l..
fore had been a common scott and Jest I'D
this very court, delided by some ~ All
adventurer and pointed at by others as a
mailman. Those who had treated him
with contumely during lis long course
Of solicitation now sought to etTace the
remembrance Of it by adulations
Every one who had given him little
cold countenance or a few courtly smiles
now a1rogated to himself the credit Of
having been a patron and of having pro
NOTED the discovery Of the New World
Scarce a great man about the court but
has been enrolled by his historian or
biographer among the beneFactors of
Columbus, though had one tenth part Of
this boasted patronage been really ex-
erted he would never have had to hnger
seven years soliciting for an armament
Of three caravels Columbus knew well
the weakness Of the patronage that had
been given him The only friends men
toned BY him with gratitude III his
after letters as having been really zeal
GUS and effective We're those two worthy
friars, Diego de Deza. afterward bishop
Of Palencia and Seville and JHran Perez
the prior Of the convent ~ La Rabida.
Thus honored by the soyereigns.
courted by the great. idolized by the
people. Columbus for time drank tine
honeyed draft Of popularity before en-
nifty and detraction had time to drug
it with bitterness. His discovery burst
with such sudden splendor upon the
world as to dazzle envy itself and To call
forth the general acclamations of man
kind Well would it Ike for the honor of
human nature could history, ike 70
nance, close with the consumnation Of
the hero's wishes; we should then leave
Columbus In the full fruition Of great
and well merited prosperity, bat his
history il destined To furnish another
proof, If proof be wanting, ef tile incon-
stancy Of public favor, even when won
by distinguished services. No greatness
was ever acquired by more incontestahle,
unalloyed aud exalted benefits rendered
to mankind, yet none ever drew on
its possessor more unrymitting jeal-
ousy and defamation, or involved him
IN more unmerited distress and difficult
ty. Thus 1t is with illustrious merit
its very effulgence draws forth the ran
corous passions Of low and groveling
minds, which too often have tempo
rary influence ia obscuring 1t to the
world; as the sun, emerging with full
splendor into the heavens. calls up, by
the very fervor Of its rays. the rank and
noxious Yapcrs. which, for time, De-
cloud its glory.
THE END.
FIGS AND THISTLES.
The less we have the more it costs us to
1,r.