The Coasts of Illusion: A Study of Travel TalesHarper & Brothers, 1924 - 410 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
adventure Africa Amazons America ancient animals Arab Asia Atlantis Azores beasts believed birds body called Celts century Chinese Christian classic coast Columbus continent creatures Ctesias dæmons death desert dragon dream dwarfs earth east Egypt elephant Ethiopia Europe expedition eyes fable feet fish forest geography giants Gog and Magog gold golden Greek hair head Herodotus horn horse human hundred Ichthyophagi Indian island Isle journey king land legend living magic Marco Marco Polo marvel Maundeville Megasthenes mountain myth natives night ocean Omaguas Ophir palace passed Peru Pliny Prester John pygmies races river Roman Samoyeds satyrs savage says Scythian lamb seemed serpent ships shore skins Solinus Spain Spaniards Spanish stone story Strabo tail tale tells temple things thought thousand told tradition tree tribes unicorn voyage wild wings woman women wonder
Popular passages
Page 122 - It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation ; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
Page 65 - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth ; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Page 203 - Thus sunrise was the revelation of nature, awakening in the human mind that feeling of dependence, of helplessness, of hope, of joy and faith in higher powers, which is the source of all wisdom, the spring of all religion. But if sunrise inspired the first prayers, called forth the first sacrificial flames, sunset was the other time when, again, the whole frame of man would tremble.
Page 224 - Thro' every hollow cave and alley lone Round and round the spicy downs the yellow Lotos-dust is blown. We have had enough of action, and of motion we, Roll'd to starboard, roll'd to larboard, when the surge was seething free, Where the wallowing monster spouted his foam -fountains in the sea.
Page 224 - Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind, In the hollow Lotos-land to live and lie reclined On the hills like Gods together, careless of mankind.
Page 65 - And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Page 63 - Now, these animals are so swift, they declare, that there is nothing in the world like them : if it were not, therefore, that the Indians get a start while the ants are mustering, not a single gold-gatherer could escape. During the flight the male camels, which are not so fleet as the females, grow tired, and begin to drag...
Page 123 - Though we pursued the men we could not seize any of them ; but all fled from us, escaping over the precipices, and defending themselves with stones. Three women were however taken ; but they attacked their conductors with their teeth and hands, and could not be prevailed upon to accompany us. Having killed them, we flayed them, and brought their skins with us to Carthage.
Page 93 - ... large as the masts of middle-sized vessels. " It seems these are the creature's arms, and it is said if they were to lay hold of the largest man-of-war, they would pull it down to the bottom.
Page 368 - He that would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry out the wealth of the Indies.