e union real, and the energy, courage and wisdom of
both made their reign successful and glorious. Of all its glories the
greatest, as it has proved, was connected with the life and discoveries
of the sailor who was now to approach them. He had been disloyally
treated by Portugal, he had been dismissed by Genoa. He had not
succeeded with the great dukes. Now he was to press his adventure upon
a king and queen who were engaged in a difficult war with the Moors, who
still held a considerable part of the peninsula of Spain.

The king and queen were residing at Cordova, a rich and beautiful city,
which they had taken from the Moors. Under their rule Cordova had been
the most important seat of learning in Europe. Here Columbus tarried at
the house of Alonso de Quintinilla, who became an ardent convert to
his theory, and introduced him to important friends. By their agency,
arrangements were made, in which Columbus should present his views to
the king. The time was not such as he could have wished. All Cordova was
alive with the preparation for a great campaign against the enemy. But
King Ferdinand made arrangements to hear Columbus; it does not appear
that, at the first hearing, Isabella was present at the interview. But
Ferdinand, although in the midst of his military cares, was interested
in the proposals made by Columbus. He liked the man. He was pleased by
the modesty and dignity with which he brought forward his proposals.
Columbus spoke, as he tells us, as one specially appointed by God
Himself to carry out this discovery. The king did not, however, at once
adopt the scheme, but gave out that a council of men of learning should
be called together to consider it.

Columbus himself says that he entered the service of the sovereigns
January 26, 1486. The council to which he was referred was held in
the university city of Salamanca, in that year. It gave to him a full
opportunity to explain his theory. It consisted of a fair representation
of the learning of the time. But most of the men who met had formed
their opinions on the subjects involved, and were too old to change
them. A part of them were priests of the church, in the habit of looking
to sacred Scripture as their only authority, when the pope had given no
instruction in detail. Of these some took literally expressions in the
Old Testament, which they supposed to be fatal to the plans of Columbus.
Such was the phrase in the 104th Psalm, that God stretches out the