Larry Wilson
speaker
52 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard Aug 2026
last heard 14 Aug
Larry Wilson’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
Trend
recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 1.
Appearances
The extravagance of hope and the fever of adventure knew no bounds, nor is it surprising that amid such waking marvels the imagination should run wild in romantic dreams, that between the possible and the impossible the line of distinction should be but faintly drawn.
and that men should be found ready to stake life and honor in pursuit of the most insane fantasies.
Such a man was the veteran cavalier Juan Ponce de Leon.
Greedy of honors and of riches, he embarked at Puerto Rico with three brigantines bent on schemes of discovery.
But that which gave the chief stimulus to his enterprise was a story current among the Indians of Cuba and Hispaniola, that on the island of Bimini, said to be one of the Bahamas, there was a fountain of such virtue that bathing in its waters old men resumed their youth.
It was said, moreover, that on a neighbouring shore might be found a river gifted with the same beneficent property.
and believed by some to be no other than the Jordan.
Ponce de Leon found the island of Bimini, but not the fountain.
Farther westward in the latitude of thirty degrees in eight minutes.
He approached an unknown land which he named Florida.
and steering southward explored its coast as far as the extreme point of the peninsula.
When after some further explorations he retraced his course to Puerto Rico.
Ponce de Leon had not regained his youth, but his active spirit was unsubdued.
Nine years later he attempted to plant a colony in Florida.
The Indians attacked him fiercely, he was mortally wounded and died soon afterward in Cuba.
The voyages of Gare and Vasquez de Alon threw new light on the discoveries of Ponce, and the general outline of the coasts of Florida became known to the Spaniards.
Meanwhile, Cortez had conquered Mexico, and the fame of that iniquitous but magnificent exploit rang through all Spain.
Many of the impatient cavalier burned to achieve a kindred fortune.
To the excited fancy of the Spaniards, the unknown land of Florida seemed the seat of surpassing wealth, and Panfilo de Navarez essayed to possess himself of its fancied treasures.
Landing on its shores and proclaiming destruction to the Indians unless they acknowledged the sovereignty of the Pope and the Emperor, he advanced into the force with three hundred men.
Showing 21–40 of 52 · page 2 of 3
← Previous
Next →