New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-09
THE NEW WORLD
A sumptuous Edition Of a His
torical Classic.

| DE ORBE NOVO. Tho Eight Decades Of
Peter Martyr d'Anghera. Translated
from the Latin, with notes and intro
duction, by Francis Augustus MacNutt
vols, Svo, PIP. vii, 4ls; Az. G.. p. Put
MANS Sons.
This Is a handsome edition of one OF
the most important sources Of our
knowledge Of the early history OF the
New World. II is limited to BIS num-
bered copies. printed In large, clear
open font Of type on an excellent paper,
and bound in sober, dignified gray
cardboard, whose only concentrations
are the armorial bearings Of the ltalo-
Spanish chronicler, stamped in gold.
The illustrations, TO the number OF five,
from old medallons and prints, con-
sist of portraits Of Martyrs early pa
iron, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. and Leo
X, in the first volume, and, In the sec
ond, OF Adrian VI, the Emperor
Charles's old tutor. who might have
given ecclesiastical preferment TO
Martyr, but did not; Of francesca
Sforzs and Clement VII. The map OF
the West Indies reproduced In this SEQ
ond volume Is that printed In the odi-
ton Of the Decades" published at
Seville in 1911. An exhaustive bibliog-
raphy OF the works Of Peter Martyr
suggests the hope that the editor and
transla tor-and. the publishers-will see
their way clear to giving us uniform
edition Of his 'Legatio Babylonlca" and
his Opus Eplstolsrum" as well.
Mr.. MRcNutt's biographical introduc-
ton is a capital piece OF work. II pre-
sents Martyr as typical product OF
the Italian Renaissance, as ono OF its
earliest torch bearers in Spain, to-
gether with Siculo, and as q member
OF that brilliant company which Italy
gave 10 tho kingdom Of Ferdinand and
Isabella, at whose head stood Column
bus, and which counted tho Cabots
Guttinara, the Geraldini and Mariana
among It's numbers. The translation
reads smoothly, but. az Mr. MacNutt
points out, II Is their substance, not
their form, that gives Martyrs writ
ings their value. Teacher and scientist,
soldier and priest. author and diploma
list. Martyr was, indeed, a representa-
tive son Of his time and country. The
variations Of the magnetic pole, nauti-
cal calculations. the newly discovered
Gulf Stream, the existence Of a channel
linking the Atlantic TO the Pacific, the
fora and fauna OF the New World, It
all came within his scope:
Pages Of his writings ara devoted to
the Inhabitants OF the islands and or
the mainland. their customs and super
stitiOns. their religions and forms OF gov
eminent. He has tales Of giants, harpies,
mermaids and sea serpents. Wild men
living in trees. Amazons dwelling on
lonely Islands, cannloals securing seas
and forests in search OF human prey
figure in his narrative. he wrote
day 10 expand before the astonished eyes
OF men, revealing magic isles floating in
unknown seas. vaster horizons. mystic
rous ocean currents breaking upon the
shores OF continents inhabited BY strange
races living among conditions OF fabu-
lous wealth and Incredible barbarism.
The limits OF the possible receded.
No writer will ever again have such ma
teria at his disposition.
The glamour Of that era OF msrvels
and Ineligible credulity survives in
Peter Martyrs pages for a later gen
Grafton. II is in this, even more than
IN his historical facts. that lies tho real
interest OF his DE Novo Mundo" for
US, the inherltors Of the lands and seas
of u hich he wrote,