77. Vivarini, St. Clare Opposite page 341 78. Titian, Paracelsus On page 386 {xxiii} 79. Holbein, Dr. William Butts Opposite page 413 80. Cima da Conegliano, Christ (Dresden) Opposite page 431 81. Titian, Ariosto Opposite page 443 82. Palma Vecchio, Poet (sometimes called Ariosto) Opposite page 449 83. Francia, Virgin Weeping over Body of Christ (London) Opposite page 477 84. Page from early printed book, with woodcut On page 487 85. Theatre, Title Page of Terence On page 491 86. Mantegna, St. George Opposite page 501 87. Correggio, Blessed Virgin and St Sebastian Opposite page 508 88. Cima da Conegliano, Incredulity of St Thomas (Venice) Opposite page 519 89. Tory, Francis I's Court On page 534 {xxiv} {xxv} INTRODUCTION To many people the date of the discovery of America must seem somewhat out of place. At least it must be hard for them to understand just how it came about that before the fifteenth century closed so great a discovery as this of a new continent could be made. The Middle Ages are usually said to end with the Fall of Constantinople (1453), though a number of historians in recent years have begun to date the close of mediaeval history with the discovery of America itself. It scarcely seems consonant with the usually accepted ideas of widespread ignorance, lack of scientific curiosity with dearth of initiative and absence of great human interests during the Middle Ages, that so important an achievement as the discovery of America should have come at this time. In spite of the growing knowledge that has revealed the wonderful achievements of the mediaeval period, there are still a great many people who think themselves well informed, for whom the thousand years from about 500 to 1500 seem almost a series of blank pages and it cannot but be very surprising to them that anyone should have been able to rise out of the slough of despond so far as regards human knowledge and enterprise which these times are often declared to represent, to the climax of energy and daring and conscious successful purpose required for the discovery of the Western Hemisphere. Apparently only a special dispensation of Providence preparing the modern time could possibly have brought this important discovery out of the Nazareth of the so-called "Dark Ages."