Again there was Hakluyt,[117] who was a church official over in Bristol, and who compiled _Voyages_ of English seamen which are in every well-appointed library. Dr. Robertson says in his _History_, “England is more indebted [to Hakluyt] for its American possessions than to any man of that age.” Of so much worth is it to be a good geographer! The “Hakluyt Society” of England will be his enduring monument. There was also living in those last days of the sixteenth century a strange, conceited, curious travelling man, Thomas Coryat[118] by name, who went on foot through Europe, and published (in 1611) what he called--with rare and unwitting pertinence--_Coryat’s Crudities_. He affixed to them complimentary mention of himself--whimseys by the poets, even by so great a man as Ben Jonson--a budget of queer, half-flattering, half-ironical rigmarole, which (having plenty of money) he had procured to be written in his favor; and so ushered his book into the world as something worth large notice. He would have made a capital showman. He had some training at Oxford, and won his way by an inflexible persistence into familiarity with men of rank, who made a butt of him. With a certain gift for language he learned Arabic in some one of his long journeyings, was said to have knowledge of Persian, and made an oration in that speech to the Great Mogul--with nothing but language in it. His _Crudities_ are rarely read; but some letters and fragments relating to later travels of his, appear in Purchas’ _Pilgrims_. He lays hold upon peculiarities and littlenesses of life in his work which more sensible men would overlook, and which give a certain quaint piquancy to what he told; and we listen, as one might listen to barbers or dressmakers who had just come back from Paris, and would tell us things about cravats and hair-oil and street sights that we could learn no otherwheres. Coryat says:-- “I observe a custom in all those Italian Cities, and tounes thro’ the which I passed, that is not used in any other countrie that I saw--nor do I think that any other nation of Christendom doth use it, but only Italy. The Italian and most other strangers that are _cormorant_ in Italy doe always at their meales use a little forke, when they cut their meate. For while, with their knife which they hold in one hand they cut the meate out of the dish, they fasten the forke which they hold in their other hand upon the same dish, so that whatsoever he be that sitting in the companie of any others at meale, should unadvisidly touch the dish of meate with his fingers from which alle at the table doe cut, he will give occasion of offence unto the company, as having transgressed the laws of good manners. “This forme of feeding is, I understand, common in all places of Italy--their forkes being for the most part made of iron or steele, and some of silver--but _these_ are used only by gentlemen.