The familiar things of every-day life were in
this way brought into connection with solemn biblico-historical
subjects.
There is no doubt that at all times a certain keen perception of the
beauty of nature has been inherent in some favoured individuals; but the
universally accepted opinion that only the supernal was really
beautiful, and that terrestrial beauty was merely its reflected glory,
was too strong even for them. Thus we have seen Suso translating the
beauty of the earthly spring to the kingdom of heaven.
At the same time men were beginning to travel to distant countries for
the sole purpose of seeing new scenes and acquiring fresh knowledge. The
famous Venetian, Marco Polo, was the first European who (in 1300)
visited Central Asia, crossed China and Thibet, and brought news to
Europe of the fairyland of Japan. Sight-seeing as an end in itself was
discovered. Long sea-voyages for commercial purposes were no novelty,
but no human foot had ever trod the summits of the Lower Alps, unless it
had been the foot of a peasant whose cattle had strayed.
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