an interest such as it could
not have had for his immediate ancestors. Searching the palace he found
a few grimy old letters and a map or sailing chart, rotten with age,
which had been made or at any rate brought home by his ancestor Antonio.
Nicolo drew a fresh copy of this map, and pieced together the letters as
best he could, with more or less explanatory text of his own, and the
result was the little book which he published in 1558.[282]

[Footnote 281: "All these letters were written by Messire
Antonio to Messire Carlo, his brother; and I am grieved that
the book and many other writings on these subjects have, I
don't know how, come sadly to ruin; for, being but a child when
they fell into my hands, I, not knowing what they were, tore
them in pieces, as children will do, and sent them all to ruin:
a circumstance which I cannot now recall without the greatest
sorrow. Nevertheless, in order that such an important memorial
should not be lost, I have put the whole in order, as well as I
could, in the above narrative." Major, p. 35.]

[Footnote 282: Nicolo Zeno, _Dello scoprimento dell' isole
Frislanda, Eslanda, Engronelanda, Estotilanda, & Icaria, fatto
per due fratelli Zeni, M. Nicolo it Caualiere, & M. Antonio.
Libro Vno, col disegno di dette Isole._ Venice, 1558. Mr.
Major's book contains the entire text, with an English
translation.]

[Illustration: Zeno Map, cir. 1400--western half.]

[Illustration: Zeno Map, cir. 1400--eastern half.]

[Sidenote: Queer transformations of names.]

[Sidenote: "Frislanda."]

Unfortunately young Nicolo, with the laudable purpose of making it all
as clear as he could, thought it necessary not simply to reproduce
the old weather-beaten map, but to amend it by putting on here and there
such places and names as his diligent perusal of the manuscript led him
to deem wanting to its completeness.[283] Under the most favourable
circumstances that is a very difficult sort of thing to do, but in this
case the circumstances were far from favourable. Of course Nicolo got
these names and places into absurd positions, thus perplexing the map
and damaging its reputation. With regard to names, there was obscurity
enough, to begin with. In the first place, they were Icelandic names
falling upon the Italian ears of old Nicolo and Antonio, and spelled by