curing for him the title of
Geographer to the King, it shows his own aspiration to be a geographer.
Navigation can be regarded either as a science or a trade. For
Champlain it was plainly a science, demanding care in observation and
faithfulness of narrative. The _Bref Discours_ was written immediately
upon his return from the West Indies, while the events it describes
were still fresh in mind. Appearing at a time when colonial secrets
were carefully guarded, it gave France a glimpse of Spanish America
from French eyes. For us it preserves Champlain's impressions of
Mexico, Panama, and the Antilles. For Champlain himself it was a
profession of faith, a statement that he had entered upon the
honourable occupation of navigator; in other words, that {10} he was to
be classed neither with ship-captains nor with traders, but with
explorers and authors.

It was in March 1601 that Champlain reached France on his return from
the West Indies. The next two years he spent at home, occupied partly
with the composition of his _Bref Discours_ and partly with the quest
of suitable employment. His avowed preference for the sea and the
reputation which he had already gained as a navigator left no doubt as
to the sphere of his future activities, but though eager to explore
some portion of America on behalf of the French crown, the question of
ways and means presented many difficulties. Chief among these was the
fickleness of the king. Henry IV had great political intelligence, and
moreover desired, in general, to befriend those who had proved loyal
during his doubtful days. His political sagacity should have led him
to see the value of colonial expansion, and his willingness to advance
faithful followers should have brought Champlain something better than
his pension and the title of Geographer. But the problems of France
were intricate, and what most appealed to the judgment of Henry was the
need of domestic reorganization after a {11} generation of slaughter
which had left the land desolate. Hence, despite momentary impulses to
vie with Spain and England in oversea expansion, he kept to the path of
caution, avoiding any expenditure for colonies which could be made a
drain upon the treasury, and leaving individual pioneers to bear the
cost of planting his flag in new lands. In friendship likewise his
good impulses were subject to the vagaries of a mercurial temperament
and a marked willingness to follow the line of least re