honie and waxe which the Antes did make being somewhat bitter Vpon the sea coast also they found certaine fishes which commonly went vpright in the water hauing the faces and natures of women which the fishermen of those places were acquainted with In the yéere 355. before Christ it is said that the Spanyards sailed through the maine sea till they came vnto the flats of India Arabia and those coasts adioyning whereunto they caried diuers marchandises which trade they vsed in great ships And sailing to the northwest they came vnto certaine flats which with the flowing of the sea were couered and with the ebbe were discouered finding there many Tunnies of great bignes where they commonly vsed to fish them to their great profit because they were the first vntill that time that they had séene and were greatly esteemed The time of Alexander Magnus as appiereth by the ages of the world was before the comming of Christ 324. yéeres we all know that he was borne in Europe but he trauailed into Asia Africa and passed through Armenia Assyria Persia Bactria standing northerly in 44. degrées of latitude which is the farthest countrey in longitude wherein he was in all his iourneyes From thence he descended into India by the mountaines of Imaus and the valleyes of Paropanisus and prepared a nauie in the riuer Indus and therewith passed into the Ocean sea where he turned by the lands of Gedrosia Caramania Persia vnto the great citie of Babylon leauing Onesicritus and Nearcus captaines of his fléete which afterwards came vnto him by the straight of the Persian sea and vp the riuer of Euphrates leauing that countrey and coast discouered After this Ptolemey raigned king of Egypt who by some is reputed to haue béen bastard sonne vnto Philip father of the foresaid Alexander the great This Ptolemey imitating the forenamed kings Sesostris aud Darius made a trench or ditch of an hundred foote broad and of thirty foote déepe and ten or twelue leagues in length till he came to The bitter Welles pretending to haue his worke run into the sea from a mouth of the riuer Nilus called Pelusium passing now by the citie Damiata But this thing tooke none effect for that the Red sea was thought to be higher by thrée cubits then the land of Egypt which would haue ouerflowed all the countrey to the ruine and losse thereof In the yéere 277. before the incarnation succéeded in the gouernment of the kingdome one Philadelphus who brought to passe that the marchandises should come out of Europe to the citie of Alexandria vpwards by the riuer Nilus vnto a city named Coptus and from thence to be conueyed by land to a hauen standing vpon the Red sea called Myos-Hormos which way was trauailed in the night the pilots directing themselues by the stars which were expert in that practise And because water was scant that way they vsed to carrie it with them for all the companie till at the last to auoide that trouble they digged very déepe wels and made large cisterns for the receipt of raine water by which the way furnished with that commoditie which at the first it wanted grewe in continuance of time to be the more frequented But whereas the straight way was dangerons by reason of flats and islands the aforesaid king Philadelphus with his armies went on the side of Troglodytica and in an hauen called Berenice caused the ships to arriue which came out of India being a place of more suretie and lesse perill from whence they might easily carrie the wares to the citie of Coptus and so to Alexandria And by this meane Alexandria grew so famous and rich that in those daies there was no citie of the world comparable to it And to speake briefly and particularly of the abundance of trafficke there vsed it is left written for an assured truth that in the time of king Ptolemey Auletes father vnto Cleopatra it yéelded in customes vnto him yéerly seuen millions and an halfe of gold although the trafficke was not then scant twenty yéeres old by way of that citie But after that this prouince and countrey became subiect to the Emperours of Rome as they were greater in power and néerer in couetousnes so they enhansed the customes so that within a little time the citie yéelded double the foresaide summe For the traffike grew so excéeding great that they sent euery yéere into India 120. ships laden with wares which began to set saile from Myos-Hormos about the middle of Iuly and returned backe againe within one yéere The marchandise which they did carrie amounted vnto one million two hundred thousand crownes and there was made in returne of euery crowne an hundred In so much that by reason of this increase of wealth the matrones or noble women of that time and place spent infinitely in decking themselues with precious stones purple pearles muske amber and the like whereof the writers and historians of that age speake very greatly Cornelius Nepos alleaged by Plinie maketh report of a king of Egypt that raigned in his time called Ptolemaeus Lathyrus from whom one Eudoxus fled vpon occasion and the better to auoid and escape his hands he passed through the Arabicke gulfe and the sea all along the coast of Africa and the Cape of Bona Sperança till he came vnto the Island of Cadiz and this nauigation by that course was in those daies as often vsed as now it is if we may giue credit to the histories Which appiereth the more manifest by this that Caius Caesar the sonne of Augustus going into Arabia did finde in the Red sea certaine péeces of those ships which came thither out of Spaine It was a vse also long after those daies to passe to India by land For so did the kings of the Soldans and the princes of Bactria and other famous captaines who trauailing thither and into Scythia by land had the view of those prouinces and countreyes so farre till they came that way vnto the * West and to the seas thereof on the north part whereunto many marchants then did trauaile Marcus Paulus Venetus writeth much hereof And although at the first his booke was taken for a fabulous thing yet now there is better credit giuen vnto it for that by the late experiences of the trauailers and marchants of these daies into those parts the names of the countreyes cities and townes with their situations latitudes and commodities are now found true as he and other historiographers of that time haue reported In the 200. yéere before the incarnation it is written that the Romanes sent an armie by sea into India against the great Can of Cathaia which passing through the straight of Gibraltar and running to the northwest found right ouer against the Cape Finisterre ten Islands wherein was much tinne And they may be those which were called the Cassiterides being come to 50. degrées of
that made this discouerie was a seruant of the kings and his name was Sequeira Many suppose that than also there were those places countreyes and Islands discouered which before were neuer knowne to vs since the flood In the yéere 1480. the valiant king Don Alphonso died and left many things woorthy of memorie behinde him and his sonne Don Iohn the second succéeded him Who in the yéere 1481. gaue direction for the building of the castle De Mina to one Diego d'Azambuxa who did so and was made captaine of it In the yéere 1484. the foresaid king Iohn sent out one Diego Caon a knight of his Court to discouer and he went to the Riuer of Congo standing on the south side in 7. or 8. degrées of latitude where he erected a pillar of stone with the royall armes and letters of Portugall wherein he wrote the commandement that he had receiued from the king with the time and day of his being there From thence he went vnto a riuer néere the Tropicke of Capricorne setting still vp pillars of stone where he thought it conuenient and so came backe againe vnto Congo and to the king of that countrey who thereupon sent an ambassadour and men of credite into Portugall In the next yéere or the second following one Iohn Alonso d'Aueiro came from the kingdome of Benin and brought home pepper with a taile which was the first of that kinde séene in Portugall In the yéere 1487. king Iohn sent to discouer India ouer land In which iourney went one Pedro de Couillan a seruant of the kings and Alfonso de Payua because they could speake the Arabian toong They went out in the moneth of May and the same yeere they tooke shipping at Naples and arriued in the Isle of Rhodes and lodged in the house that was prouided for the Portugall knights of that order from thence they went to Alexandria and so to Cayro and thence to the hauen of Toro in the companie of the Carauans or carriers which were Moores There they tooke shipping and being on the Red sea they arriued at the citie of Aden and there they separated themselues for Alfonso de Payua went towards Aethiopia and Pedro de Couillan into India Who came vnto the cities of Cananor and Calicut and came backe vnto Goa where he tooke shipping vnto Sofala being on the coast of Africa in the southerne latitude of 20. degrées to sée the mines that were of so great name From Sofala he turned backe to Mosambique and vnto the cities of Quiloa Mombaza and Melinde till he came backe againe vnto the citie of Aden where he and Alfonso de Payua deuided themselues and thence he sailed againe through the Red sea vnto the citie of Cayro where he thought to haue met with his companion but there he heard that he was dead by the letters that he receiued from king Iohn his master in which letters he was farther commanded to trauaile into the countrey and dominions of Presbyter Iohn Vpon this commandement he prouided for his farther iourney and from Cairo went backe againe to the hauen of Toro and from thence to Aden where he had béen twise before and there hearing of the fame of the citie of Ormuz he determined to goe thither and therefore went along the coast of Arabia vnto the Cape Razalgate standing vnder the Tropicke of Cancer and from thence he went to Ormuz standing in 27. degrées on that side There he learned and vnderstood of the streigth of Persia and of that countrey and entred there into the Red sea and passed ouer to the realme of the Abassini which commonly is called Presbyter Iohns countrey or Aethiopia and there he was detained till the yéere 1520. when there came thither the ambassadour Don Roderigo de Lima This Pedro de Couillan was the first Portugall that euer knew and saw the Indias and those seas and other places adioyning thereunto In the yéere 1490. the king sent vnto Congo one Gonzalo de Sosa a gentleman with thrée ships and in them sent home the ambassadour of Congo which was sent into Portugall whom Diego Caon had brought from thence who at his being in Portugall was baptised both himselfe and others of his companie The aforesaid Gonzalo de Sosa died in that iourney by the way and in his roome they chose his nephew Ruy de Sosa for their captaine and so being come vnto Congo the king was very glad of their comming and yéelded himselfe and the greater part of his realme to be baptized whereof the Portugals had good cause to reioice séeing by them so many Infidels were conuerted from gentilitie and paganisme to Christianitie The first beginning of the Discoueries of the Spanyards with the continuation of the Discoueries of the Portugals IN the yéere 1492. in the time of Don Ferdinando king of Castile he being at the siege of Granada dispatched one Christopher Columbus a Genoway with three ships to goe and discouer Noua Spagna who first had offered his seruice for a westerne discouerie vnto king Iohn of Portugall but he would not entertaine him He being sufficiently furnished for this enterprise departed from the towne of Palos the third day of August hauing with him as captaines and pilots Martin Alfonso Pinzon Francis Martinez Pinzon Vincent Yannes Pinzon and Bartholomew Columbus his brother with 120. persons more in his companie and some affirme that they were the first that sailed by latitudes They tooke the Canaries in their way and there refreshed themselues taking their course thence towards Cipango but finding the sea by the way full of wéeds they were amazed and with great feare arriued at the Antiles the tenth day of October and the first Island that they descried was called Guanahany where they went on land and tooke possession of it and named it San Saluador This Island standeth in 25. degrées of northerly latitude And after that they found many Islands which they called the Princes because they were the first that they had discouered The Sauages of those parts call these Islands by the name of Lucaios hauing in déede seuerall names for them And they doe stand on the north side almost vnder the Tropicke of Cancer As for the Island of S. Iames or Iamaica it standeth betwéene 16. and 17. degrées Thence they went to the Island which the naturals of the countrey call Cuba and the Spanyards call it Ferdinandina bicause their kings name was Ferdinando standing in 22. degrées from whence the Indians conducted them vnto another Island which they call Hayti and the Spanyards called it Isabella in the memorie of the Quéene of Castile which was so called and they named it also Hispaniola In that Island the Admirall ship of Columbus was cast away of the timber and planks whereof they made a forte wherein they
left 38 men and a captaine called Roderigo de Arana to learne the language and customes of the countrey They brought from thence musters and shewes of gold pearles and other things which that countrey yéelded and ten Indians also whereof sixe died the rest were brought home and baptized Hereupon there grewe such a common desire of trauaile among the Spanyards that they were ready to leape into the sea to swim if it had béen possible into those new found parts The aforesaid company of Columbus at their comming home tooke in their way the Isles of the Açores and the 4. day of March in the yéere 1493. they entred into the bar of Lisbon which discouerie pleased not the king of Portugall Whereupon rose a contention betwéene those two kings Christopher Columbus being arriued went presently into Castile with the newes of all things and acquainted the king Fernando with the discontentednes of the king of Portugall whereupon he and the Quéene Isabella his wife sent streight word thereof vnto Pope Alexander the 6. whereat he and the Italians were in great admiration maruailing that there was any more land besides that which was vnder the Romanes But the end of this matter was this Alexander the Pope gaue these countreies by his iudgement vnto the kingdomes of Leon and Castile with this condition That they should labour to extirpate idolatrie and plant the Holy faith in those countreyes Fernando the king hauing receiued this answere was glad of it and sent Christopher Columbus againe on the former voiage hauing made him Admirall and giuen him other honors with particular armes and a posie written about his armes to this effect For Castile and for Leon A new world found out Colon. In the yéere 1493. the 25. of the moneth of October Christopher Columbus went backe vnto the Antiles and froÌ„ Cadiz he tooke his course hauing in his companie 17. ships and 1500. men in them with his brethren Bartholomew Columbus and Diego Columbus with other knights gentlemen men of law and religious men with chalices crosses rich ornaments and with great power and dignitie from Pope Alexander the 10. day after their setting foorth they arriued at the Canaries from thence in 25. or 30. daies they sailed vnto the Antiles the first Island that they saw standeth in 14. degrées towards the north due west from Cape Verde on the coast of Africa They say that the distance from thence to the Canaries is 800. leagues The name they gaue it was Deseada that is the Desired or wished Island for the great desire which the companie had to come to sight of land After that they discouered many more which they named the Virgines which the naturals of the countrey call the Caribas for that the men of that countrey are good warriers and shoote well in bowes They poison their arrowes with an herbe whereof he that is hurt dieth biting himselfe like as a mad dog doth From these Islands and others they went vnto the principall Island there which they of the countrey doe call Boriquen and the Spanyards call it S. Iohn and thence to Hispaniola or Isabella where they found all the men dead which there they had left Here the Admirall left the most part of the people to plant it and appointed his brethren to be gouernours there and so tooke two ships and went to discouer the other side of the Island of Cuba and from thence to Iamaica All these Islands stand from 16. vnto 20. degrées of northerly latitude In the meane time that the Admiralâ— sailed about his brethren and they that were left with them were much troubled because the Sauages did rise against them So that Christopher Colon went backe againe into Spaine to tell the king and Quéene of his aduentures In the yéere 1494. and in the moneth of Ianuarie there was an agréement made of the differences which were betwéene the two kings of Spaine and Portugall For the which agréement there were sent out of Portugall Ruy de Soâ—a and Don Iohn his sonne and the Doctor Ayres de Almada and for the king of Spaine there were Don Henry Henriques Don Iohn de Cardenas and the Doctor Maldonado All these met in the towne of Tordesillas and they deuided the world froÌ„ the north to the south by a meridian which standeth west from the Islands of Cape Verde 300. leagues so that the one halfe which lay vnto the east should belong vnto Portugall and that which lay to the west to the king of Spaine whereby notwithstanding libertie to trauell was left equall vnto both In the yéere following 1495. Iohn king of Portugall died and Emmanuel his cosen began to reigne In the yéere 1496. there was a Venetian in England called Iohn Cabota who hauing knowledge of such a new discouerie as this was and perceiuing by the globe that the Islands before spoken of stood almost in the same latitude with his countrey and much néerer to England then to Portugall or to Castile he acquainted king Henrie the seuenth then king of England with the same wherewith the saide king was greatly pleased and furnished him out with two ships and thrée hundred men which departed and set saile in the spring of the yéere and they sailed westward til they came in sight of land in 45. degrées of latitude towards the north and then went straight northwards till they came into 60. degrées of latitude where the day is 18. howers long and the night is very cléere and bright There they found the aire cold and great Islands of ice but no ground in an hundred fathoms sounding and so from thence finding the land to turne eastwards they trended along by it discouering all the Bay and riuer named Deseado to see if it passed on the other side Then they sailed backe againe till they came to 38. degrées towards the Equinoctiall line and from thence returned into England There he others which say that he went as far as the Cape of Florida which standeth in 25. degrées In the yéere 1497. The king of Spaine Don Fernando sent out Christopher Columbus with sixe ships and he himselfe prouided two ships at his owne cost and sending his brother before he made saile from the Bay of Cadiz carrying with him his sonne Don Diego Colon It was then reported that he went to take the Island of Madera because he mistrusted the French men and therefore sent thither thrée ships others say it was to the Canaries But howsoeuer it was this is true that he and thrée more went vnto the Islands of Cape Verde and ran along by the line finding great calmes and raine and the first land which they came vnto of the Antiles was an Island standing in 9. degrées of latitude towards the north ioining fast vnto the maine land which they called La Trinidada and so he entred into the Gulfe of Paria and came out of
ships vpon the commandement of Emmanuel the king to discouer the coast of Brasil and they sailed in the sight of the Canaries and from thence to Cape Verde where they refreshed themselues in the towne of Bezequiche and passed from thence beyond the line southward and fell with the land of Brasill in fiue degrées of latitude and so went forward till they came in 32. degrées little more or lesse according as they accounted it and from thence they came backe in the moneth of Aprill because it was there at that time cold and tempestuous They were in that voiage fifteene monethes and came to Lisbon againe in the beginning of September 1502. In the yâ—ere 1502. one Alfonso Hoieda went to discouer Terra firma and followed his course till he came to his prouince of Vraba The next yéere following also one Roderigo Bastidas of Siuill went out with two carauels at his owne cost and the first land of the Antiles that he saw was an Island which he named Isla Verde that is the Gréene Island standing fast by the Island of Guadalupe towards the land and from thence they tooke their course towards the west to Santa Martha and Cape De la Vela and to Rio Grande or the Great riuer and they discouered the hauen of Zamba the Coradas Carthagena and the Islands of S. Barnard of Baru and Islas de Arenas and went forward vnto Isla fuerte and to the point of Caribana standing at the end of the Gulfe of Vraba where they had sight of the Farrallones standing on the other side hard by the riuer of Darien and from Cape De la Vela vnto this place are two hundred leagues and it standeth in 9. degrées and two parts of latitude From thence they crossed ouer vnto the Island of Iamaica where they refreshed themselues In Hispaniola they graued their ships because of the holes which certaine wormes of the water had eaten in the planks In that countrey they got fower hundred markes of golde although the people there be more warlike then in Noua Spania for they poison their arrowes which they shoote In this same yéere 1502. Christopher Columbus entred the fourth time into his discouerie with fower ships at the commandement of Don Fernando to séeke the Streight which as they said did diuide the land from the other side and he carried with him Ferdinando his sonne They went first to the Island of Hispaniola to Iamaica to the riuer Azua to the Cape of Higueras and vnto the Islands Gamares and to the Cape of Hunduras that is to say the Cape of the Depthes from thence they sailed towards the east vnto the Cape Gracias a Dios and discouered the prouince and riuer of Veragua and Rio Grande and others which the Indians call Hienra And from thence he went to the riuer of Crocodiles which now is called Rio de Chagres which hath his springs néere the South Sea within fower leagues of Panama and runneth into the North Sea and so he went vnto the Island which he called Isla de Bastimentos that is the Isle of Victuailes and then to Puerto Bello that is the Faire hauen and so vnto Nombre de Dios and to Rio Francisco and so to the hauen of Retrete and then to the Gulfe of Cabesa Cattiua and to the Islands of Caperosa and lastly to the Cape of Marble which is two hundred leagues vpon the coast from whence they began to turne againe vnto the Island of Cuba and from thence to Iamaica where he grounded his ships being much spoiled and eaten with wormes In this yéere also 1502 Don Vasques de Gama being now Admirall went againe into India with 19. or 20. Carauels He departed from Lisbon the tenth day of Februarie and by the last day of that moneth he came to an anker at Cape Verde and from thence he went vnto Mosambique and was the first that crost from that Island into India and he discouered another in 4. degrées of latitude which he called the Island of the Admirall and there he tooke his lading of pepper and drugs and left there one Vincent Sodre to kéepe the coast of India with fiue ships These were the first Portugals that with an armie did run along the coast of Arabia Foelix It is there so barren that their cattell and camels are onely maintained with drie fish brought from the sea whereof there is such plenty and abundance that the cats of the countrey doe vse to take them In the yeere following as it is reported one Antonie de Saldanta discouered the Island which in old time was called Coradis and now Socotora and the Cape of Guardafu which adioineth vnto that countrey In the yéere 1504. Roderigo de Bastidas obtained licence of king Ferdinando and by the meanes of Iohn de Lodesma and others of Siuill armed and furnished out two ships hauing for his pilot one Iohn de Cosa of Saint Marie Port and he went to discouer that part of Tierra firma where now standeth Carthagena being in ten degrées and a halfe of northerly latitude And it is said that they found the captaine Luis de la Guerra and they together tooke land in the Isle of Codego where they tooke sixe hundred persons of the Sauages And going farther along the coast they entred into the Gulfe of Vraba where they found sand mingled with gold being the first that was brought to the king Don Ferdinando from thence they returned to the citie of Santo Domingo laden with slaues without victuailes because they of the countrey would not bargaine with them which grew to their great trouble and griefe In the later end of this yéere died Ladie Isabella Quéene of Castile Which Quéene while she liued would not suffer any man of Arragon Catalunia Valencia nor any borne in the countrey of Don Fernando her husband to enter into these discoueries saue those which were their seruants or by speciall commandement but only the Castillians Biscaines those which were of her owne Signiories by whom all the lands aforesaid were discouered In the yéere 1505. vpon our Lady day in March Francisco de Almeida Viceroy of India tooke his course with 22. sailes towards India as now is accustomed He came vnto the citie of Quiloa where he built a fort appointing one Peter Fereira to be captaine thereof and beyond Melinde he trauersed to the Island of Angediua where he placed as captaine one Emmanuell Passauia In Cananor also he built another fort giuing the captainship of it to Laurence de Brito In Cochin he did the like where Don Alfonso de Noronia was made captaine This yéere one Peter de Anhaya did build the fortresse of Sofala whereof also himselfe was made captaine In the later end of this yéere the Viceroy commanded his sonne whose name was Don Laurenço to make some
and came to an anker in an hauen of it called Guliguli where they went on land and tooke a village standing by the riuer where they found dead men hanging in the houses for the people there are eaters of mans flesh Here the Portugals burnt the ship wherein Francis Serrano was for she was old and rotten They went to a place on the other side standing in 8. degrées toward the south where they laded cloues nutmegs and mace in a Iunco or barke which Francis Serrano bought here They say that not farre from the Islands of Banda there is an Island where there bréedeth nothing else but snakes and the most are in one caue in the middest of the land This is a thing not much to be woondred at for as much as in the Leuant sea hard by the Isles of Maiorca and Minorca there is another Island of old named Ophiâ—sa and now Formentera wherein there is great abundance of these vermine and in the rest of the Islands lying by it there are none In the yéere 1512. they departed from Banda toward Malacea and on the baxos or flats of Luçapinho Francis Serrano perished in his Iunke or barke from whence escaped vnto the Isle of Mindanao nine or ten Portugals which were with him and the kings of Maluco sent for them These were the first Portugals that came to the Islands of Cloues which stand from the Equinoctiall line towardes the north in one degrée where they liued seuen or eight yeeres The Island of Gumnape now called Ternate is much to be admired for that it casteth out fire There were some princes of the Moores and couragious Portugals which determined to goe néere to the firie place to sée what it was but they could neuer come néere it But Antonie Galuano hearing of it vndertooke to goe vp to it and did so and found a riuer so extreme cold that he could not suffer his hand in it nor yet put any of the water in his mouth And yet this place standeth vnder the line where the sunne continually burneth In these Islands of Maluco there is a kinde of men that haue spurres on their ankles like vnto cocks And it was told me by the king of Tydore that in the Islands of Batochina there were people that had tailes and had a thing like vnto a dug betwéen their cods out of the which there came milke There are smal hennes also which lay their egges vnder the ground aboue a fathome and an halfe and the egges are bigger then ducks egges and many of these hennes are blacke in their flesh There are hogs also with hornes and parats which prattle much which they call Noris There is also a riuer of water so hot that whatsoeuer liuing creature coÌ„meth into it their skins will come off and yet fish bréede in it There are crabs which be very swéete and so strong in their clawes that they will breake the iron of a pikâ—axe There be others also in the sea little and hairie but whosoeuer eateth of them dieth immediately There be likewise certaine oisters which they doe call Bras the shels whereof haue so large a compasse that they doe Christen in them In the sea also there are liuely stones which doe grow and increase like vnto fish whereof very good lime is made and if they let it lie when it is taken out of the water it looseth the strength and it neuer burneth after There is also a certaine trée which beareth flowers at the sunne set which fall downe as soone as they be growne There is a fruit also as they say whereof if a woman that is conceaued of childe eateth the childe by by mooueth There is further a kinde of herbe there growing which followeth the sunne and remooueth after it which is a very strange and maruailous thing In the yéere 1512. in the moneth of Ianuarie Alfonsus de Albuquerque went backe from Malaca vnto Goa and the ship wherein he went was lost and the rest went from his companie Simon de Andrada and a few Portugals were driuen vnto the Islands of Maldiua being many full of palme trées and they stand lowe by the water which staied there till they knew what was become of their gouernour These were the first Portugals that had séene those Islands wherein there growe Cocos which are very good against all kinde of poison In this yéere 1512. there went out of Castile one Iohn de Solis borne in Lisbon and chiefe pilot vnto Don Fernando And he hauing licence went to discouer the coast of Brasill He tooke the like course that the Pinsons had done he went also to the Cape of S. Augustine and went forwards to the south coasting the shore and land and he came vnto The Port De Lagoa and in 35. degrées of southerly latitude he found a riuer which they of Brasill call Parana-guaçu that is The great Water He sawe there signes of siluer and therefore called it Rio de Plata that is The Riuer of siluer And it is said that at that time he went farther because he liked the countrey well but he returned backe againe into Spaine and made account of all things to Don Fernando demaunding of the king the gouernment thereof which the king granted him Whereupon he prouided thrée ships and with them in the yéere 1515. he went againe into that kingdome but he was there slaine These Solisses were great discouerers in those partes and spent therein their liues and goods In the same yéere 1512. Iohn Ponce of Leon which had béene goueruour of the Isle of S. Iohn armed two ships and went to séeke the Isle of Boyuca where the naturals of the countrey reported to be a Wel which maketh old men yoong Whereupon he laboured to finde it out and was in searching of it the space of sixe monethes but could finde no such thing He entred into the Isle of Bimini and discouered a point of the firme land standing in 25. degrées towards the north vpon Easter day and therefore he named it Florida And because the land séemed to yeeld gold and siluer and great riches he begged it of the king Don Fernando but he died in the discouerie of it as many more haue done In the yéere 1513. Vasco Nunnes de Valboa hearing spéech and newes of The south sea determined to goe thither although his companie dissuaded him from that action But being a man of good valure with those soldiers that he had being 290. he resolued to put himselfe into that ieoperdie He went therefore from Dariene the first day of September carrying some Indians of the countrey with him to be his guides and he marched ouerthwart the land sometimes quietly sometimes in war and in a certaine place called Careca he found Negroes captiues with curled haire This Valboa came to the sight of the South Sea on the 25. day of the said
moneth and on Saint Michaels day came vnto it where he imbarked himselfe against the will of Chiapes who was the Lord of that coast who wished him not to doe so because it was very dangerous for him But he desirous to haue it knowne that he had béene vpon those seas went forwards and came backe againe to land in safetie and with great contentment bringing with him good store of gold siluer and pearles which there they tooke For which good seruice of his Don Ferdinando the king greatly fauoured and honoured him This yéere 1513. in the moneth of Februarie Alfonsus de Albuquerque went froÌ„ the citie of Goa towards the streight of Mecha with twenty ships They arriued at the citie of Aden and battered it and passed forward and entred into the Streight They say that they saw a crosse in the element and worshipped it They wintered in the Island of Camaran This was the first Portugall captaine that gaue information of those seas and of that of Persia being things in the world of great account In the yéere 1514. and in the moneth of May there went out of Saint Luâ—ar one Pedro Arias de Auila at the commandement of Don Ferdinando He was the fourth gouernour of Castillia del Oro or Golden Castile for so they named the countreyes of Dariene Carthagena and Vraba and that countrey which was newly conquered He carried with him his wife the Lady Elizabeth and 1500. men in seuen ships and the king appointed Vasco Nunnez de Valboa gouernour of the South Sea and of that coast In the beginning of the yéere 1515. the gouernour Pedro Arias de Auila sent one Gaspar Morales with 150. men vnto the Gulfe of S. Michael to discouer the Islands of Tararequi Chiapes and Tumaccus There was a Casique Valboas friend which gaue him many Canoas or boates made of one trée to rowe in wherein they passed vnto The Island of pearles the Lord whereof resisted them at their comming on land But Chiapes and Tumaccus did pacifie him in such order that the captaine of the Isle had them home vnto his house and made much of them and receiued baptisme at their hands naming him Pedro Arias after the gouernours name and he gaue vnto them for this a basket full of pearles waying 110. pounds whereof some were as big as hasell nuts of 20. 25. 26. or 31. carats euery carat is fower graines There was giuen for one of them 1200. ducats This Island of Tararequi standeth in 5. degrées of latitude towards the north In this yéere 1515. in the moneth of March the gouernour sent one Gonsaluo de Badaios with 80. soldiers to discouer new lands and they went from Dariene to Nombre de Dios where came vnto them one Lewis de Mercado with fiftie men more which the gouernour sent to aide him They determined to discouer toward the South saying that that countrey was the richest They tooke with them Indians to be their guides and going along the coast they found slaues marked with irons as the Portugals doe vse and hauing marched a good way through the countreyes with great trauaile they gathered together much golde and fortie slaues to doe them seruice but one Casique named Pariza did set vpon them and slue and tooke the most part of them The gouernour hearing of these newes the same yéere 1515. sent foorth his sonne Iohn Arias de Auila to be reuenged and to discouer also by sea and by land They went westward to Cape De Guerra standing in little more then sixe degrées towards the north and from thence vnto Punta de Borica and to Cape Blanco or the White Cape standing in 8. degrées and an halfe they discouered 250. leagues as they affirme and peopled the citie of Panama In this very yéere 1515. in the moneth of May Alfonsus de Albuquerque gouernour of India sent from the citie of Ormuz one Fernando Gomes de Lemos as ambassadour vnto Xec or Shaugh Ismael king of Persia and it is declared that they trauailed in it 300. leagues and that it is a pleasant countrey like vnto France This Xeâ— or Shaugh Ismael went on hunting and fishing for troutes whereof there are many And there be the fairest women in all the world And so Alexander the great affirmed when he called them The women with golden eies And this yéere this woorthy Viceroy Alfonsus de Albuquerque died In the yéere 1416. and one hundred yéeres after the taking of Ceuta in Barbaâ—ie Lopez Suares being gouernour of India there was a dispatch made by the commandement of the kings highnes vnto one Fernando Perez de Andrada to passe to the great countrey and kingdome of China He went from the citie of Cochin in the moneth of Aprill They receiued pepper being the principal marchandise to be sold in all China of any value And he was farther commanded by the king Don Emmanuel to goe also to Bengala with his letter and dispatch to a knight called Iohn Coelo This was the first Portugall as farre as I know which drunke of the water of the riuer Ganges This yéere 1516. died Don Fernando king of Spaine In the yéere 1517. this Fernando Perez went vnto the citie of Malacha and in the moneth of Iune he departed from thence towards China with eight sailes fower Portugals and the others Malayans He arriued in China And because he could not come on land without an ambassage there was one Thomas Perez which had order for it and he went from the citie of Canton where they came to an anker They went by land fower hundred leagues and came vnto the citie of Pekin where the king was for this prouince and countrey is the biggest that is in the worlde It beginneth at Sailana in twentie degrées of latitude towards the north and it endeth almost in 50. degrées Which must be 500. leagues in length and they say that it containeth 300. leagues in bredth Fernando Perez was 14. moneths in the Isle Da Veniaga learning as much as he could of the countrey according as the king his master had commanded him And although one Raphael Perestrello had beene there in a Iunke or barke of certaine marchants of Malaca yet vnto Fernando Perez there ought to be giuen the praise of this discouerie as well for that he had commandement from the king as in discouering so much with Thomas Perez by land and George Mascarenhas by sea and for coasting vnto the citie of Foquiem standing in 24. degrees of latitude In this same yéere 1517. Charles which afterward was Emperour came into Spaine and tooke possession thereof And in the same yéere Francis Fernandes de Cordoua Christopher Morantes and Lopez Ochoa armed thrée ships at their owne proper charges from the Island of Cuba They had also with them a barke of Diego Velasques who then was gouernour They
them and the villages round about became his friends He went vnto the citie of Zempoallan there he heard newes that Francis Garay was on the coast with fower ships to come on land And by subtiltie he got nine of his men of whom he vnderstood that Garay had béene in Florida and came vnto the riuer Panuco where he got some golde determining to stay there in a towne which is now called Almeria Cortos ouerthrew the idols in Zempoallan the tombes of their kings whome they worshipped as Gods and tolde them that they were to worship the true God From thence he went toward Mexico the 16. day of August 1519. and trauailed thrée daies iourney and came to the citie of Zalapan and to another beyond it named Sicuchimatl where they were well receiued and offered to be conducted to Mexico because Muteçuma had giuen such commandement Beyond this place he passed with his companie a certaine hill of thrée leagues high wherein there were vines In another place they found aboue a thousand loades of wood ready cut and beyond they met with a plaine countrey and in going through the same he named it Nombre de Dios. At the bottome of the mountaine he rested in a towne called Teâ—hixuacan and from thence they went through a desolate countrey and so came to another mountaine that was very colde and full of snow and they lay in a towne named Zaclotan And so from towne to towne they were well receiued and feasted till they came into another realme named Tlaxcallan which waged warre against Muteçuma and being valiant they skirmished with Cortes but in the end they agréed and entred into league with him against the Mexicans and so they went from countrey to countrey till they came within fight of Mexico The king Muteçuma fearing them gaue them good entertainment with lodging and all things necessarie and they were with this for a time contented but mistrusting that he and his should be slaine he tooke Muteçuma prisoner and brought him to his lodging with good garde Cortes demanded how farre his realme did extend and sought to know the mines of gold and siluer that were in it and how many kings neighbours to Muteçuma dwelled therein requiring certaine Indians to be informed thereof whereof he had eight prouided and he ioined to them eight Spanyards and sent them two and two into fower countreyes namely into Zuçolla Malinaltepec Tenich Tututepec They which went vnto Zuçolla went 80. leagues for so much it was from Mexico thither They which went to Mahnaltepec went 70. leagues séeing goodly countries and brought examples of gold which the naturals of the countrey tooke out of great riuers and all this prouince belonged vnto Muteçuma The countrey of Tenich and vp the riuer were not subiect to Muteçuma but had warre with him and would not suffeâ— the Mexicans to enter into their territorie They sent ambassadors vnto Cortes with presents offering him their estate and amitie whereof Muteçuma was nothing glad They which went to Tututepec standing néere the South sea did also bring with them examples of gold and praised the pleasantnes of the countrey and the multitude of good harbours vpon that coast shewing to Cortes a cloth of cotton wooll all wouen with goodly workes wherein all the coast with the hauens and créekes were set foorth But this thing then could not be prosecuted by reason of the comming of Pamphilus de Naruaez into the countrey who set all the kingdome of Mexico in an vprore In this yéere 1519. the tenth day of August one Fernande de Magallanes departed from Siuill with fiue ships toward the Islands of Maluco he went along the coast of Brasill till he came vnto the riuer of Plate which the Castillians had before discouered From thence therefore he began his discouerie and came vnto an hauen which he called The Porte of Saint Iulian standing in 49. degrées and there he entred and wintred they endured much cold by reason of snow and ice the people of that countrey they found to be of great stature and of great strength taking men by the legs and renting them in the middest as easily as one of vs will rent an hen they liue by fruits and hunting They called them Patagones but the Brasilians doe call them Morcas In the yéere 1520. in the beginning of the moneth of September growing then somewhat temperate they went out of the port and riuer of Saint Iulian hauing lost in it one of their ships and with the other fâ—wer he came vnto the Streights named after the name of Magâ—llanes standing in 52. degrées and a halfe From thence one of the ships returned backe vnto Castile whereof was captaine and pilot one Stephen de Porto a Portugall and the other thrée went forward entring into a mightie sea called Pacificum without séeing any inhabited land till they came in 13. degrées towards the north of the Equinoctiall in which latitude they came vnto Islands which they called Los Iardines and from thence they sailed to the Archipelagus of S. Lazarus and in one of the Islands called Matan Magallanes was slaine and his ship was burnt and the other two went vnto Borneo and so from place to place they went backe vntill they came to the Islands of Malâ—cos leauing many others discouered which I rehearse not because I finde not this voiage exactly written About this time Pope Leo the tenth sent one Paulus Centurio as ambassadour to the greot Duke of Moscouie to wish him to send into India an armie along the coast of Tartarie And by the reasons of this ambassadour the said Duke was almost persuaded vnto that action if other inconueniences had not letted him In this same yéere 1520. in Februarie Diego Lopes de Sequeira gouernour of India went towards the Streight of Mecha and carried with him the ambassadour of Presbyter Iohn and Roderigo de Lima who also went as ambassadour to him They came vnto the Island of Maçua standing in the Red sea on the side of Africa in 17. degrées towards the north where he set the ambassadours on land with the Portugals that should goe with them Peter de Couillan had béene there before being sent thither by king Iohn the second of Portugall but yet Francis Aluarez gaue principall light and knowledge of that countrey In the yeere 1520. the licenciate Lucas Vasques de Aillon and other inhabitants of S. Domingo furnished two ships and sent them to the Isles of Lucayos to get slaues and finding none they passed along by the firme land beyond Florida vnto certaine countreyes called Chicora and Gualdapé vnto the riuer Iordan and the Cape of Saint Helena standing in 32. degrées toward the north They of the countrey came downe to the sea side to see the ships as hauing neuer before séene the like The Spanyards went on
light if my selfe had not vndertaken that heauie burden being neuer therein entertained to any purpose vntill I had recourse vnto your selfe by whose speciall fauour and bountifull patronage I haue been often much encouraged and as it were reuiued Which trauailes of our men because as yet they be not come to ripenes and haue been made for the most part to places first discouered by others when they shall come to more perfection and become more profitable to the aduenturers will then be more fit to be reduced into briefe epitomes by my selfe or some other endued with an honest zeale of the honour of our countrey In the meane season nothing doubting of your fauourable acceptation of this my labour I humbly beseech the authour of all goodnes to replenish and enrich you with his best blessings long to protect and preserue your Honour to the profitable seruice of her Maiestie and to the common benefit and good of the Realme From London this 29. of October 1061. Your Honors Chaplein in all dutie most readie to be commanded RICHARD HAKLVYT Francis de Sousa Tauares vnto the high and mightie Prince Don IOHN Duke of Aueiro ANtonie Galuano vpon his death bed left vnto me in his testament among his papers this booke And because I am certaine he ordained it to bee presented vnto your Grace I haue thought good herein to fulfill his wil testament though in other things I haue done nothing the fault remaining not in me And by all reason this treatie ought to be set foorth by a Portugall seeing it intreateth of the variable waies from whence the pepper and spices came in times past into our partes and also of all the nauigations and discoueries in the old time In both of which things the Portugals haue most trauailed In this treatie and in nine or ten bookes of things touching Maluco and India which the Cardinall willed me to giue to Damian de Goes saying that he should content me for otherwise I could not deliuer them this true Portugall occupied himselfe against the vnfortunate and sorrowâ—ull times which he had been in which were all ended before all our daies and times for when he receiued the captainship and fortresses of Maluco all the kings and gouernours of all the Ilands about being agreed to make war against the Portugals vntill such time as they might driue them all out of the countrey he fought against them all with onely 130. Portugals when they were all together and strong in Tidore and he gaue them the ouerthrow and killed their king and one â—ernate the principal author of that war and he tooke from them their fortresse so vpon this victorie they submitted themselues and came vnder the obeisance and seruice of our king of Portugall Herein two things happened of great admiration The first that all the kings and gouernours of Maluco agreed togither against vs a thing that neuer fell out nor yet credible to be like to happen for they are euer at variance among themselues The second that the captaine of Maluco with onely his ordinarie soldiers should haue the victorie against so many being all together For sometimes it happeneth that some of the captaines of Maluco with many extraordinarie soldiers besides their ordinarie yea and with the aide of al the Kings and Lords of Maluco in their fauour and aide went against one King onely of them and came backe againe with losse So there may be reckoned three notable things done in India I say of qualitie but of more quantitie and importance there haue been others which were the taking of Muar by Emmanuel Falcon and the winning of Bitam by Peter Mascarenas and this whereof we presently treate For all these three deedes seemed to be impossible to be atchieued considering the small quantitie of soldiers which the captaines had in giuing the enterprise against so many with the order and maner by them ordained how and which waies to obtaine their purpose as well by their enimies as by themselues And they could not be atchieued otherwise but by vsing a meane and order not thought of at the first by the Portugals nor yet euer suspected by their enimies And besides this his father and fower of his brethren were all slaine in the kings seruice And he now being the last of his linage caried with him into Maluco woorth ten thousand crusadoes which he spent not in idlenes nor yet in play but onely in bringing of many kings and innumerable townes vnto our holy faith and in the preseruing of Maluco employing all his power and strength that all the cloues might come vnto the hands of the kings highnes which with Maluco yeelded vnto him euery yeere fiue hundred thousand crusadoes being all to his great preiudice let and hinderance For if he had gathered cloues for himselfe as the captaines of Maluco haue done and doe then he had come home very rich But when he came home into Portugall in great hope such is the simplicitie of the best natures to be rewarded for his good seruice and to be more fauoured and honored then if he had brought home with him an hundred thousand crusadoes he was greatly deceiued For he found neither fauour nor yet honor but onely among the poore and miserable to wit in an hospitall where he was kept seuenteene yeeres vntill the hower of his death and there he had allowed vnto him his winding sheete to burie him in and the brotherhood of the Couent prepared for his buriall as for a poore courtier cast off by all men leauing himselfe indebted in two thousand crusadoes whereof part came out of India and part thereof many of his friends had lent him to maintaine him in the hospitall for in all these seuenteene yeeres he had not of his highnes for to helpe himselfe with so much as one riall of plate nor yet I of the bookes which I deliuered receiued any thing to discharge his will with Yet for all this euen as vpon the prosperitie of his victories he neuer made any boast so likewise in his aduersities his great stomacke did nothing abate his hart As there are good proofes that with so many and so continuall disgraces as he suffered he neuer vnto the hower of his death left off to raise and to augment the yeerely rent vnto a Counto which some made strange and would not giue eare vnto So that euen as he was extreme painfull in the performance of his seruice so he was the like in the things sounding vnto the perfecting of the same which was the cause that he was brought vnto the state that he died in For he could not see the qualitie of the time but onely those of his great seruice by reason of the great charges that it stood him in And his saying was That he was borne not for to say that his constellation was in the wars victorious but in the ouercomming of kings by the arte of warfare readines in resoluing prudence
lowe countreies but kept the hils And we reade of Nimrode who 130. yéeres after the flood built the Tower of Babell intending thereby to saue himselfe if there should come any more such floods Therefore it seemeth that they which first came to be sailers were those which dwell in the east in the prouince of China although others contrariwise hold them which dwell in the west as in Syria to haue vsed the trade of the sea soonest after the flood But this contention about the antiquitie of nauigation I leaue to the Scythians and Egyptians who were at great variance and difference in this matter for each of them chalenged vnto themselues the honour of the first sea trauaile But omitting all iars and differences thereabouts I will apply my selfe to my purposed discourse and speake of that which histories haue left in record THere be some wel séene in Antiquities which say that in the 143. yéere after the flood Tubal came by sea into Spaine whereby it séemeth that in those times nauigations were vsed into our parts out of Ethiopia And they also say farther that not long after this the Quéene Semyramis went against the Indians in that riuer wherof they tooke their name and therein gaue battaile vnto the king Stabrobates wherin he lost a thousand ships Which being credible by the ancient historie prooueth manifestly that in those parts in those times were many ships and the seas frequented in good numbers In the 650. yéere after the flood there was a king in Spaine named Hesperus who in his time as it is reported went and discouered as far as Cape Verde the Island of S. Thomas whereof he was prince And Gonsaluo Fernandes of Ouiedo the Chronicler of Antiquities affirmeth that in his time the Islands of the West Indies were discouered and called somewhat after his name Heâ—perides and he alleageth many reasons to prooue it reporting particularly that in 40. daies they sailed from Cape Verde vnto those Islands There are others that say that the like was done from this Cape vnto the Islands of S. Thomas and the Isle De Principe and that they be the Hesperides and not the Anâ—iles And they doe not differ far from reason seeing in those times and many yeeres after they did vse to saile onely along the coast not passing through the maine Ocean sea for they had neither altitude nor compasse then in vse nor any mariners so expert It cannot be denied but that there were many countries Islands Capes Isâ—hmos and points which now are grown out of knowledge because the names of them are found in histories But the age of the world and force of waters haue wâ—sted and consumed them and separated one countrey from another both in Europe Asia Afâ—ica New Spaine Peru and other places Plato saith in his dialogue of Timaeus that there were in ancient times in the Ocean sea Atlanticke certaine great Islands and countries named Atlantides greater then Afrike and Europe and that the kings of those parts were Lords of a great part of this our countrey but with certaine great tempests the sea did ouerflow it and it remained as mud and shingle so that in a long time after no ships could passe that way It is also recorded in histories that fast by the Island of Cadiz towards the Straights of Gibraltar there was a certaine Island which was called Aphrodisias well inhabited and planted with many gardens and orchards and yet at this day we haue no knowledge of this Aphrodisias but only a bare mention of it in ancient authors The said Island of Cadiz is further said to haue béen so large and big that it did ioine with the firme land of Spaine The Islands of the Açores were sometimes a point of the mountaines of Estrella which ioine vnto the sea ouer the towne of Syntra And also from Sierra Verde or the gréene mountaine which adioineth vnto the water hard by the citie of Sasin in the land of Cucu which is the selfe same Island of Mouchin where Algarbe is come the Islands of Porto Santo and Madera For it is held as a true and vndoubted veritie that all Islands haue their roots running from the firme land though they be neuer so farre from the continent for otherwise they could not stand firme There are other histories which say that from Spaine vnto Ceuta in Barbarie men sometimes trauailed on foote vpon drie land and that the Islands of Sardinia and Corsica did ioine the one with the other as also did Sicilia with Italie and Negroponto with Graecia We reade also that there were found hulles of ships ankers of iron and other memorials of shipping vpon the mountaines of Sussa farre within the land where as it seemeth now no salt water or sea euer came In India also and in the land of Malabar although now there be great store of people yet many writers affirme that it was once a maine sea vnto the foote of the mountaines and that the Cape of Comarim and the Island of Zeilan were all one thing As also that the Island of Samatra did ioine with the land of Malacca by the flats of Caypasia and not farre froÌ„ thence there stands now a little Island which few yéeres past was part of the firme land that is ouer against it Furthermore it is to be séene how Ptolemey in his tables dotâ— set the land of Malacca to the south of the line in thrée or fower degrées of latitude whereas now it is at the point thereof being called â—entana in one degrée on the north side as appéereth in the Straight of Cincapura where daily they doe passe through vnto the coast of Sian and China where the Island of Aynan standeth which also they say did ioine hard to the land of China and Ptolemey placeth it on the north side far from the line standing now aboue 20. degrées from it towards the north as Asia and Europe now stand Well it may be that in time past the land of Malacca and China did end beyond the line on the south side as Ptolemey doth set them foorth because it might ioine with the point of the land called â—entana with the Islands of Biâ—tan Banca Salitres being many that waies the land might be all slime oaze And so the point of China might ioine with the Islands of the Luçones Borneos Lequeos Mindanaos others which stand in this parallele they also as yet hauing in opinion that the Island of Samatra did ioine with Iaua by the chanell of Sunda and the Islands of Bali Aujaue çambaua Solor Hogaleao Maulua Vintara Rosalaguin and others that be in this parallele and altitude did all ioine with Iaua and so they séeme outwardly to those that descrie them For at this day the Islands stand so néere the one to the other that they séeme all but one firme land and whosoeuer passeth betwéene some of them
may touch with their hand the boughs of the trées on the one and on the other side also And to come néerer to the matter it is not long since that in the east the Islands of Banda were diuers of them ouerflowen and drowned by the sea And so likewise in China about nine score miles of firme ground is now become a lake as it is reported Which is not to be thought maruellous considering that which Ptolemey and others haue written in such cases which here I omit to returne to my purpose After the flood 800. yéeres we reade that the citie of Troy was builded by the Dardans and that before that time they brought out of the Indies into Europe by the Red sea spices drugs and many other kindes of marchandises which were there more abundant then now they be Whereunto if credit may be giuen we may conceaue that the sea was of old haunted and frequented séeing that then they of the East had so much and so great trafficke with them of the West that they brought their marchandise vnto an hauen which was named Arsinoe being that which at this day is called Suez standing in 30. degrées on the north part of the Arabian Gulfe It is also by authors farther written that from this hauen of Arsinoe or Suez these marchandises were carried by Carauans or great companies of carriers vpon camels asses and mules vnto the Leuant sea vnto a city called Cassou standing on the coast in 32. degrées of latitude yeelding vnto euery degrée 17. leagues and an halfe as the maner is And there are by account from the one sea to the other 35. leagues or 105. miles These carriers by reason of the heate of the countrey trauailed in the night onely directing themselues by stars and by marks of postes and canes which they vsed to sticke in the ground as they went But after that because this course and iourney had many inconueniences they changed and altered the same twise to finde out the most commodious way 900. yéeres or there about after the flood and before the destruction of Troy there was a king in Egypt called Sesostris who perceiuing that the former courses and passages for the carrying of marchandises by men beasts were chargeable to the one most painfull to the other prouided to haue a way or streame cut out of the land from the Red sea vnto an arme of the riuer Nilus which rūneth vnto the Citie Heroum that by the meanes thereof ships might passe and repasse with their marchandises from India into Europe and not be discharged till they came into Italie So that this Sesostris was the first king which built great caracks to trauaile this way But this enterprise for all that tooke little effect For if it had Africa had then béen made as an Island all compassed with water being no more ground betweene sea and sea then the space of 20. leagues or 60. miles About this time the Graecians gathered together an army or fléete which now is called Argonautica whereof Iason and Alceus were captains general Some say they went from the Isle of Creta others from Graecia But whence soeuer they departed they sailed through the Proponticke sea and Saint Georges Sleeue vnto the Euxine sea where some perished and Iason thereupon returned backe into Greece Alceus reported that he was driuen with a tempest to the lake Maeotis where he was forsaken of al his company and they which escaped with great trauaile passed through by land vnto the Ocean sea of Almaine where they tooke shipping passing the coasts of Saxonie Frisland Holland Flanders France Spaine Italie and so returned vnto Peloponesus and Greece discouering the most part of the coast of Europe Strabo alleaging Aristonicus the Grammarian sheweth that after the destruction of Troy Menelaus the king came out of the straights of the Leuant seas into the sea Atlanticke and coasted Africa and Guinea and doubled the Cape of Bona Sperança and so in time arriued in India Of which voyage of his there may be many more particulars gathered out of the histories This Mediterrane sea was also sometimes called The Adriaticke The Aegaean and the Herculean sea with other names according to the lands coasts Islands which it passeth by running into the great sea Atlanticke along the coast of Africa In the yéere 1300. after the flood Solomon caused a nauie to be prepared on the Red sea at an hauen called Ezeon Geber to saile to the East India where by opinion stande the Islands called Tharsis and Ophir This nauie was thrée yéeres on this voyage and then returned and brought with them gold siluer cypres c. Whereby it séemeth that those places and Islands were those which now be called the Luçones Lequeos and Chinaes For we know few other parts from whence some of those things are brought or wherein nauigation was so long since vsed It is left vs also in histories that a king of Egypt called Neco desiring greatly to ioyne the Red sea with the riuer Nilus commanded the Phoenicians to saile from the straight of Mecca to the farther end of the Mediterrane sea to sée if it did make any turne backe againe vnto Egypt Which commandement they obeied sailing towards the south all along the coast and countrey of Melinde Quiloa Sofala till they came to the Cape of Bona Esperança finding the sea continually on the left hand But when they had doubled the Cape and found the coast continually on the right hand they maruailed much at it Notwithstanding they continued their course forward toward the north al along the coast of Guiney and the Mediterrane sea till they came backe againe into Egypt whence they first went out In which discouerie they remained two yéeres And these are thought to be the first that compassed by sea all the coast of Afrike and sailed round about it In the yéere 590. before the incarnation of Christ there went out of Spaine a fléete of Carthaginian marchants vpon their owne proper costs and charges which sailed toward the west through the high seas to sée if they could finde any land and they sailed so farre that they found at last the Islands which we now call the Antiles and Noua Spagna which Gonzalo Fernandes de Quiedo saith were then discouered although Christopher Columbus afterwards by his trauaile got more exact knowledge of them and hath left vs an euident notice where they be But all these historians which wrote of these Antiles before as of doubtfull and vncertaine things and of places vndiscouered doe now plainly confesse the same to be the countrey of Noua Spagna In the yéere 520. before the incarnation and after the setting out of the aforesaid army Cambyses king of Persia tooke Egypt after whom succéeded Darius the sonne of Histaspis and he determined to make an end of the enterprise which king Sesostris had begun
The Island that they inhabited was Lancerota where they built in it a castle of stone for their better defence and securitie In the yéere 1418. one Iohn Gonzales Zarco and Tristam Vaz Teixera housholde gentlemen vnto Don Henry the kings third sonne perceiuing the desire that their master had to discouer new countreyes and willing in that course to doe him some seruice craued of him a barke and licence to vndertake the action which they obtained and sailed to the coast of Africa where they were ouertaken with a terrible tempest but they were succoured by falling with the land and entring into an hauen called Santo where they landed and remained two yéeres In the yéere 1420. they discouered the Island of Madera where they founde the chappell and the stone and tombe whereupon the foresaide Macham had grauen his name There are others that write that a certaine Castillian perceiuing the desire and fauour to nauigation which Don Henry had told him that they had found the Island of Porto Santo which being but a small thing they made no reckoning of it Don Henry sent Bartholomew Perestrello Iohn Conzales Zarco Tristam Vaz Teixera and by the signes and likelyhoods that they had receiued they went to Porto Santo and there remained two yéeres and after that namely in the yéere 1420. they sailed also to the Island of Madera where they found the memoriall and monument of the aforesaide Macham the English man As for Monsieur Betancourt who entred into the conquest of the Canaries as is aboue mentioned he was slaine in the middest of the action and left behind him for his heire a kinseman of his called Monsieur Menante who after that sold the said Islands of the Canaries vnto one Peter Barba of Siuill There are other which speake otherwise and say that Monsieur Iohn Betancourt went into France to prepare a new armie about this conquest and left there a nephew of his who because he heard no more of his vncle and sawe that he could not maintaine the warres any longer he solde the Canaries to Don Henry the king of Portugals third sonne for a certaine thing that he gaue him in the Island of Madera In the yéere 1424. they write that the saide Don Henry prepared a nauie and armie to conquer these Islands wherein there went as captaine generall one Don Fernando de Castro and by reason of the valiantnes and warlike behauiour of the people they had the repulse whereupon Don Ferdinando considering the great charge and little or no good successe he gaue ouer the action and returned backe againe After this Don Henry resigned ouer these Islandes to the crowne of Castile in consideration of the aides which Betancouâ—t had receiued But the Castillians agrée not vnto this report For they say that neither the kings of Portugall nor Don Henry would render the Islands till they came in question before Pope Eugenius the fourth who fully vnderstanding the matter gaue the conquest of the Islands by order of iudgement vnto the king of Castile in the yéere 1431. whereupon this contention ceased touching the title of the Canaries betwéenâ— the kings of Portugall and of Castile These Islands being in number seuen were called by the name of Fortunatae standing in 28. degrées to the north where the longest day is but 13. howers and the longest night as much lying distant from Spaine 200. leagues and from the coast of Africa 18. leagues The people were idolaters and did eate their flesh raw for want of fire they had no iron and sowed without any toole they tilled and raised the ground with oxe hornes and goats hornes Euery Island did speake a seuerall language They tooke many wiues and knew them not carnally vntill they had deliuered them to the superiours They had diuers other Paganish customes but now the Christian faith is planted among them The commodities of these Islands are wheate barley sugar wine and certaine birdes called Canarie birdes much esteemed in Spaine and other places In the Island of Ferro they haue none other water but that which procéedeth in the night from a trée compassed with a cloud whence water issueth seruing the whole Island both men and cattell a thing notorious and knowne to very many In the yéere 1428. it is written that Don Peter the king of Portugals eldest sonne was a great traueller He went into England France Almaine and from thence into the Holy land and to other places and came home by Italie taking Rome Venice in his way from whence he brought a map of the world which had all the parts of the world and earth described The streight of Magelan was called in it The Dragons taile The Cape of Bona Sperança The forefront of Afrike and so foorth of other places by which map Don Henry the kings third sonne was much helped and furthered in his discoueries It was tolde me by Francis de Sosa Tauares that in the yéere 1528. Don Fernando the kings sonne and heire did shew him a map which was found in the studie of Alcobaza which had béene made 120. yéeres before which map did set foorth all the nauigation of the East Indies with the Cape of Bona Sperança according as our later maps haue described it Whereby it appéereth that in ancient time there was as much or more discouered then now there is Notwithstanding all the trauaile paines and expences in this action of Don Henry yet he was neuer wearie of his purposed discoueries At length there was a seruant of his called Gilianes that first passed the Cape Bojador a place before terrible to all men and he brought word that it was not so dangerous as it was reported for on the other side of it he went on land and in maner of taking possession set in the ground a crosse of wood to be as a marke and token afterwards of his discouery so farre In the yéere 1433. in the moneth of August Don Iohn died and his sonne Don Duarte or Edward succéeded him in the kingdome In the yéere 1434. Don Henry set out one Alfonso Gonsales Baldaia and Gilianes aforesaid and they went to another Cape which was beyond the former and going on land perceiued the countrey to be inhabited and because they were desirous to satisfie Don Henry with as much relation and knowledge as they could get they continued their voiage and went forward till they came to a certaine point of land from whence they turned backe againe In the yéere 1438. king Edward whom the Portugals call Don Duarte died and Don Alphonso the prince being yoong Don Peter his vncle gouerned the kingdome In the yéere 1441. Don Henry sent out two ships and the captaines were in the one Tristan and Antonie Gonsales in the other Being put to sea they tooke a prise vpon the coast and sailed on to Cape Blanco that is the White Cape standing
the mouth which they name Bocca de Dragone or the Dragons mouth and they tooke their course hard by the coast where they found thrée small Islands which they named Los Testigos that is to say The Witnesses beyond which standeth the Island of Cubagua where is great fishing of muscle pearles where also as they say there springeth a Well of aile and beyond that Island they came to the Isles of Frailes Roques Aruba and Curaçao with other small ones all along the Bay and they came to the point of Cabo de Vela and discouered along the coast almost 200. leagues from whence they crossed ouer to Hispaniola hauing had also sight of the Island called Beata In this same yéere 1497. on the 20. day of the moneth of Iune one Vasques de Gama sailed from Lisbon by the king Emmanuels commandement to India with 3. ships wherein there went for captaines Vasques de Gama Paulus de Gama his brother and Nicolas Coello with 120. men with whom also there went one ship laden only with vittailes and in 14. daies they came vnto Cape Verde vnto the Island of Saint Iago where they refreshed themselues and from thence they went along the coast beyond the Cape of Bona Sperança whereupon they erected certaine pillers of stone and so came vnto Mosambique standing in 15. degrées to the south of the line where they staied not long but went from thence to Mombaza and vnto Melinde where the king of that place gaue them pilots which conducted them into India in which discouerie they found out Los Baxos do Padua that is to say the flats of Padua In the yéere 1498. in the moneth of May they came to an anker before the citie of Calicut and Panana where they remained all the winter and the first day of September they set saile towards the north discouering the coast all along till they came to the Island of Angediua which standeth on that side in 15. degrées of latitude where they came to an anker in the beginning of October and so they departed from Angediua in Februarie in the yéere 1499. and came in sight of the coast of Africa about Melinde towards the north 3. or 4. degrées from thence they sailed vnto the said citie and so vnto Mosambique againe and to the Cape of Bona Sperança sailing along by the coast and then they came to the Islands of Cape Verde and last of al to the citie of Lisbon in the moneth of September hauing béene in the voiage 26. monethes In the yéere 1499 on the 13. day of the moneth of Nouember there departed frō Palos one Vincent Yannez Pinson and his nephew Aries Pinson with fower ships well appointed at their owne coast and charges to discouer the new world vnder the licence of the king of Castile and with commandement not to touch there where the Admirall Columbus had béene And so they went to the Islands of Cape Verde and passed the line to the southward and discouered the Cape of Saint Augustine standing on that side in 8. degrées of latitude and there they wrote on the rindes of pine trées the names of the king and of the Quéene also the yéere and day when they arriued there They fought with the people of Brasil but got nothing they tooke their course all along the coast towards the west vnto the riuer Maria Tambal and at that time they had taken thirty and odde prisoners The chiefe places where they touched were the Cape of S. Augustine and the angle or point of S. Luke and Tierra de los Humos the Riuers of Marannon and of the Amazones and Rio dolce or the Swéete riuer and other places along the coast and they came to ten degrées of latitude on the north side where they lost two ships and their companie and remained in that voiage of discouery ten moneths and 15. daies In the yéere 1500. and in the moneth of March one Pedro Aluarez Cabral sailed out of Lisbon with 13. ships with commandement not to come néere the coast of Africa to shorten his way and he losing the sight of one of his ships went to séeke her and in séeking of her lost his course and sailed till he came within sight of the land The Generall was so long in séeking his ship that the companie were wearie of it and entreated him to leaue his enterprise The next day they fell in sight of the coast of Brasil whereupon the Generall commanded a barke to goe to land and séeke an hauen which they did and found a good and safe hauen and they named it Puerto Seguro that is to say The Safe hauen standing on the south side in 17. degrées of latitude From thence they sailed towardes the Cape of Bona Sperança and Melinde and crossed ouer to the riuer of Cochin which before was not knowne where they laded themselues with pepper and at their returne Sancho de Thouar discouered the citie of Sofala vpon the coast of Africa In this same yéere 1500. it is reported that Gaspar Cortereal craued a generall licence of the king Emmanuel to discouer the New found land He went from the Island Terçera with two ships well appointed at his owne cost and he sailed vnto that climate which standeth vnder the north in 50. degrées of latitude which is a land nowe called after his name and he came home in safetie vnto the citie of Lisbon And making another time this voiage the ship was lost wherein he went and the other came backe into Portugall Wherefore his brother Michael Cortereal went to séeke him with thrée ships well appointed at his owne cost and when they came vnto that coast and found so many entrances of riuers and hauens euery ship went into her seuerall riuer with this rule and order that they all thrée should meete againe the 20. day of August The two other ships did so and they séeing that Michael Cortereal was not come at the day appointed nor yet afterwards in a certaine time returned backe into the realme of Portugall and neuer heard any more newes of him nor yet any other memorie But that countrey is called The land of Cortereall vnto this day In the yéere 1501. in the moneth of March Iohn de Noua departed from the citie of Lisbon with fower ships and passed the line on the south side into 8. degrees of latitude and he discouered an Island which he called the Isle de Ascension And he went vnto Mosambique and to Melinde and from thence he crossed ouer vnto the other side where they tooke lading and so came back and doubled the Cape and found an Island called Santa Helena being but a small thing but yet of great importance in respect of the situation thereof In this same yéere 1501. and in the moneth of May there departed out of Lisbon thrée
entrie vpon the Islands of Maldiua and with contrarie weather he arriued at the Islands which of ancient time were called Traganae but the Moores called them Ytterubenero and we call them Ceilan where he went on land and made peace with the people there and afterward came backe vnto Cochin sailing along the coast and fully discouering it In the middest of this Island there stands a rocke of stone very high hauing the signe of the foote of a man vpon the top of it which they say to be the footestep of Adam when he went vp into the heauens and the Indians haue it in great reuerence In the yéere 1506. after the death of the Quéene of Spaine king Philip and Quéene Ioan his wife came into Spaine to take possession thereof and king Don Fernando went into Arragon being his owne patrimonie In this same yeere the said king Philip died and then Fernando came againe to gouerne Spaine and he gaue licence vnto all Spanyards to goe vnto the New land and to the Aâ—tiles but not to the Portugals In this yéere and in the moneth of May Christopher Columbus died and his sonne Don Diego Columbus succeeded in his roome In the yéere 1506. and entring into the moneth of March Tristan de Acunna and Alfonso de Albuquerque went into India with 14. ships in their companie and sailed till they came to an anker at the towne of Bezequiche where they refreshed themselues and before they came to the Cape of Bona Sperança in 37. degrées they found certaine Islands which now are named the Isles of Tristan de Acunna where they had such a tempest that therewithall the fléete was dispersed Tristan de AcunÌ„a and Alfonso de Albuquerque went vnto Mosambique and Aluaro Telez ran so far that he came to the Island of Samatra and so backe againe vnto the Cape of Guardatu hauing discouered many Islands sea and land neuer séene before that time of any Portugall Emmanuel Telez de Meneses was also driuen without the great Island of S. Laurence and he ran along the coast thereof and arriued at last at Mosambique and there met with Tristan de AcunÌ„a who was the first captaine that wintred there and by them it was told that in this Island was much Ginger Cloues and siluer whereupon he went and discouered much of it within the land but finding nothing he came backe againe vnto Mosambique from whence he sailed vnto Melinde and ran along that coast and entred into Braua and from thence they crost ouer to the Island of Socotora where they built a fortresse and made one Don Antonio de Noronia captaine thereof In the yéere 1507. in the moneth of August Tristan de AcunÌ„a tooke shipping for India and Alfonso de Albuquerque remained there with fiue or sixe ships to kéepe the coast and entrie of the Streight but being not therewith satisfied he tooke his course ouer vnto Arabia and running along that coast he doubled the Cape of Rosalgate standing vnder the Tropicke of Cancer In the yeere 1509. one Diego Lopez de Sequeira went out of Lisbon with fower sailes vnto the Island of Saint Laurence and continued in his voiage almost a yéere and in the moneth of May the same yéere he arriued in Cochin where the Viceroy gaue him one ship more and in the beginning of the moneth of September he tooke his course vnto Malacca passing betwéene the Islands of Nicubar and many others He went also to the land of Samatra to the cities of Pedir and Pacem and all along by all that coast vnto the Island of A Poluoreira and the flats of Capacia and from thence he went ouer vnto Malacca standing in 2. degrées of latitude towards the north but in that citie the people killed and tooke as prisoners some of his men and thereupon he turned backe againe into India hauing discouered in this voiage fiue hundred leagues This Island of Samatra is the first land wherein we knew mans flesh to be eaten by certaine people which liue in the mountaines called Bacas who vse to gilde their téeth They hold opinion that the flesh of the blacke people is swéeter then the flesh of the white The buffes kine and hennes which are in that countrey are in their flesh as blacke as any inke They say that there are certaine people there called Daraqui Dara which haue tailes like vnto shéepe and some of their welles yéeld oile The king of Pedir is reported to haue a riuer in his land running with oile which is a thing not to be maruelled at séeing it is found written that in Bactria there is also a well of oile it is farther said that there groweth here a trée the iuice whereof is strong poison and if it touch the blood of a man he dieth immediately but if a man doe drinke of it it is a soueraigne remedie against poison so seruing both for life and death Here also they doe coine péeces of gold which they call Drachmas brought into the land as they say by the Romanes which séemeth to haue some resemblance of truth because that from that place forward there is no coined gold but that which is thus coined doth run currant in the buying of marchandise and other things In the yéere 1508. one Alfonso de Hoieda with the fauour of Don Fernando purposed to goe vnto Tierra firma to conquer the prouince of Darien He went foorth at his owne charges discouered The Firme land where it is called Vraba which he named Castilia del Oro that is Golden Castilia bicause of the gold which they found among the sand along the coast And they were the first Spanyards that did this Alfonso de Hoieda went first from the Island of Hispaniola and the citie of San Domingo with fower ships and thrée hundred soldiers leauing behinde him the bachiler Anciso who afterwards compiled a booke of these discoueries And after him there went also one ship with victuals munition and 150. Spanyards He went on land at Carthagena but there the people of the countrey tooke slew and eate 70. of his soldiers whereupon he grew very weake In this yéere 1508. one Drego de Niquesa prepared seuen ships in the port of Beata to goe vnto Veragua and carried in them almost 800. men When he came to Carthagena he found there Alfonso de Hoieda sore spoiled with his former losse but then they both ioined together and went on land and auenged themselues of the people And in this voiage Diego de Niquesa went and discouered the coast called Nombre de Dios and went vnto the sound of Darien and called it Puerto de Misas which is vpon the riuer of Pito When they were come vnto Veragua he went on shore with his armie his soldiers being out of hope to returne to Hispaniola Alfonso de Hoieda began a
came on land in Iucatan standing in 20. degrées of latitude at a point which they called Punta de las Duennas that is to say The point of Ladies which was the first place wherein they had séen Temples and buildings of lime and stone The people here goe better apparelled then in any other place They haue crosses which they worship setting them vpon their tombes when they be buried Wherby it séemeth that in times past they had in that place the faith of Christ among them And some say that thereabouts were The seuen Cities They went round about it towards the north which is on the right hand from whence they turned backe vnto the Island of Cuba with some examples of gold and men which they had taken And this was the first beginning of the discouerie of New Spaine In the yéere 1518. Lopez Suares commanded Don Iohn de Silueira to goe to the Islands of Maldiua and he made peace with them and from thence he went to the citie of Chatigam situated on the mouth of the riuer Ganges vnder the Tropicke of Cancer For this riuer and the riuer Indus which standeth an hundred leagues beyond the citie of Diu and that of Canton in China doe all fall in t the sea vnder one parallele or latitude And although before that time Fernan Perez had béen commanded to goe to Bengala yet notwithstanding Iohn de Silueira ought to beare away the commendation of this discouerie because he went as captaine generall and remained there longest learning the commodities of the countrey and maners of the people In the said yéere 1518. the first day of May Diego Velasques gouernour of the Island of Cuba sent his nephew Iohn de Grisalua with fower ships two hundred soldiers to discouer the land of Iucatan And they founde in their way the Island of Cosumel standing towards the north in 19. degrées and named it Santa Cruz because they came to it the third of May. They coasted the land lying vpon the left hand of the Gulfe and came to an Island called Ascension because they came vnto it vpon Ascension day They went vnto the end of it standing in 16. degrées of latitude from whence they came backe because they could finde no place to goe out at and from hence they went round about it to another riuer which they called The riuer of Grisalua standing in 17. degrées of latitude the people thereabout troubled them sore yet notwithstanding they brought from thence some gold siluer and feathers being there in great estimation and so they turned backe againe to the Island of Cuba In the same yéere 1518. one Francis Garay armed thrée ships in the Isle of Iamaica at his owne charges and went towards the point of Florida standing in 25. degrées towards the north séeming to them to be an Island most pleasant thinking it better to people Islands then the firme land because they could best conquere them and kéepe them They went there on land but the people of Florida killed many of them so that they durst not inhabite it So they sailed along the coast and came vnto the riuer of Panuco standing 500. leagues from the point of Florida in sailing along the coast but the people resisted them in euery place Many of them also were killed in Chila whom the Sauages flaied and eate hanging vp their skinnes in their Temples in memoriall of their valiantnes Notwithstanding all thiâ— Francis de Garay went thither the next yéere and begged the gouernment of that countrey of the Emperour because he sawe in it some shew of gold and siluer In the yeere 1519. in the moneth of Februarie Fernando Cortes went from the Island of Cuba to the land which is called Noua Spania with 11. ships and 550. Spanyards in them The first place where he went on land was the Island of Cosumel where they immediately destroied all the Idols and set crosses on the altars and the images of the virgine Marie From this Island they went and arriued on the firme land of Iucatan at the point De las Duenâ—as or the point of Ladies and went thence to the riuer of Tauasco and set vpon a citie fast by called Potoncian inuironed with wood and the houses were built with lime and stone and couered with tile they fought there egarly and there appeered vnto them S. Iames on horsebacke which increased their courage They called that citie Victoria and they were the first people which were subdued to the Spanyards obedience in all Newe Spaine From hence they went discouering the coast till they came vnto a place named S. Iohn de Vllhua distant as they said from Mexico where the king Muteçuma was 60. or 70. leagues and there was a seruant of his that gouerned that prouince named Tendilli which gaue them good entertainment although they vnderstood not one another But Cortes had 20. women whereof one was called Marine borne in thaâ— countrey They were the first that were baptized in New Spaine And from that time forward Marine and Aguilar serued as interpreters Tendilli presently gaue knowledge of this vnto Muteçuma that a kinde of bearded people were arriued in his countrey for so they called the Castillians But he was troubled vpon that newes for his Gods which are to be thought to be diuels had told him that such people as the Spanyards were should destroy his law and countrey and be Lords thereof And therefore he sent gifts vnto Cortes in value 20. thousand ducats but would not come to him Because S. Iohn de Vllhua was then no place for a nauie to ride in Cortes sent Francis de Montâ—io and the pilot Antonie Alaminos in two brigandines to discouer that coast who came to a place where they might ride without danger They came to Panuco standing in 23. degrées northward from whence they came backe vpon an agreement to goe vnto Culuacan being an hauen of more safetie They set saile but Cortes went by land westward with the most part of his men on horsebacke and they came vnto a citie called Zempoallan where they were well receiued And from thence he went to another towne called Chiauitztlan with the Lord of which towne as with all the countrey besides he made league to be against Muteçuma And when he knew that his ships were come he went vnto them and there builded a towne and called it Villa rica de la vera cruz From whence he sent vnto Charles the Emperour a present and made report of all that he had done and how he determined to goe to Mexico and to visite Muteçuma and besought the Emperour to giue him the gouernment of that countrey And because his people should not rise in mutinie as they began he destroied all his ships Cortes presently went from Villa rica de la vera Cruz leauing there 150. Spanish horsemen and many Indians to serue
land where they receiued good entertainment and had giuen vnto them such things as they lacked But they brought many of them into their ships and then set saile and brought them away for slaues but in the way one of their ships sunke and the other was also in great hazard By this newes the Licentiate Aillon knowing the wealth of the countrey begged the gouernment thereof of the Emperour and it was giuen him whither he went to get money to pay his debt About this time Diego Velasques gouernour of Cuba hearing the good successe of Cortes and that he had begged the gouernment of New Spaine which he held to be his he furnished out thither against Cortes 18. ships with 1000. men and 80. horses whereof he sent as Generall one Pamphilus de Naruaez He came vnto the towne called Villa rica de la vera Cruz where he tooke land and commanded those of the countrey to receiue him as gouernour thereof But they tooke his messenger prisoner and sent him to Mexico where Cortes was Which thing being knowne of Cortes he wrote letters vnto Naruaez not to raise any vprore in the countrey which he had discouered offering him obedience if he had any commission from the Emperour but he corrupted the people of the countrey with money Whereupon Cortes went from Mexico and tooke Naruaez prisoner in the towne of Zampoallan and put out one of his eies Naruaez being thus taken prisoner his armie submitted themselues to Cortes and obeied him Whereupon presently he dispatched 200. soldiers vnto the riuer of Garay and he sent Iohn Vasquez de Leon with other two hundred vnto Cosaalco and withall sent a Spanyard with the newes of his victorie vnto Mexico But the Indians being in the meane time risen hurt the messenger Which being knowne to Cortes he mustered his men and found a thousand footemen and two hundred horsemen with the which he went towards Mexico where he found Peter de Aluarado and the rest which he had left there aliue in safetie wherewith he was greatly pleased and Muteçuma made much of him But yet the Mexicans ceased not but made warre against him and the warre grew so hot that they killed their king Muteçuma with a stone and then there rose vp another king such an one as pleased them till such time as they might put the Spanyards out of the citie being no more then 504. footemen and fortie horsemen The Spanyards with great losse being driuen out of Mexico retired themselues with much adoe to Tlaxcallan where they were well receiued and so they gathered together 900. Spanyards 80. horsemen and two hundred thousand Indians their friends and allies and so they went backe againe to take Mexico in the moneth of August in the yéere 1521. Cortes obtaining still more and more victories defermined to sée further within the countrey and for this purpose in the yéere 1521. and in October he sent out one Gonsalo de Sandoual with 200. footemen and 35 horsemen and cortaine Indians his friends vnto Tochtepec and Coazacoalco which had rebelled but at length yéelded And they discouered the countrey and built a towne 120. leagues from Mexico and named it Medelin and another towne they made naming it Santo Spirito fewer leagues from the sea vpon a riuer and these two townes kept the whole countrey in obedience This yéere 1521. in December Emmanuell king of Portugall died and after him his sonne king Iohn the 3. reigned In the yéere 1521. there went from Maluco one of Magellans ships laden with clâ—ues they victualed themselues in the Island of Burro and from thence went to Timor which standeth in 11. degrées of southerly latitude Beyond this Island one hundred leagues they discouered certaine Islands and one named Eude finding the places from thence forward peopled Afterward passing without Samatra they met with no land till they fell with the Cape of Bona Sperança where they tooke in fresh water and wood So they came by the Islands of Cape Verde and from thence to Siuill where they were notably receiued as well for the cloues that they brought as that they had compassed about the world In the yéere 1522. in Ianuarie one Gilgonzales armed fower ships in the Island of Tararequi standing in the South sea with intent to discouer the coast of Nicaragâ—a and especially a streight or passage from the South sea into the North sea And sailing along the coast he came vnto an hauen called S. Vincent and there landed with 100. Spanyards and certaine horsemen and went within the land 200. leagues and he brought with him 200. pesoes of gold and so came backe againe to S. Vincent where he found his pilot Andrew Nigno who was as far as Tecoantepec in 16. degrées to the north and had sailed thrée hundred leagues from whence they returned to Panama and so ouer land to Hispaniola In the same yéere 1522. in the moneth of Aprill the other ship of Magallanes called The Trinitie went from the Island of Tidoré wherein was captaine Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa shaping their course toward Noua Spania and because winde was scant they stirred toward the northeast into 16. degrées where they found two Islands and named them the Isles of Saint Iohn and in that course they came to another Island in 20. degrées which they named La Griega where the simple people came into their ships of whom they kept some to shew them in Noua Spania They were in this course fower monethes vntill they came into 42. degrées of northerly latitude where they did sée sea fishes called Seales and Tunies And the climate séemed vnto them comming newly out of the heat to be so cold and vntemperate that they could not well abide it and therefore they turned backe againe to Tidore being thereunto enforced also by contrarie windes These were the first Spanyards which had béene in so high a latitude toward the north And there they found one Antonie de Briâ—to building a fortresse which tooke from them their goods and sent 48. of them prisoners to Malaca In this yéere 1522. Cortes desirous to haue some hauens on the South sea and to discouer the coast of â—oua Spania on that side whereof he had knowledge in Muteçuma his time bicause he thought by that way to bring the drugs from Maluco and Banda and the spiceris from Iaua with lesse trauaile and danger he sent fewer Spaniards with their guides to Tecoantepec Quaâ—utemallan and other hauens where they were wel receiued and brought some of the people with them to Mexico And Cortes made much of them and afterwards sent ten pilots thither to search the seas there about They went 70. leagues in the sea but found no hauen One Casique or Lord called Cuchataquir vsed them well sent with them to Cortes 200. of his men with a present of gold and siluer and
poore and eate snakes lisards spiders ants and al kinde of vermine and herewith they liue so well contented that commonly they sing and dance They buie the women of their enimies and kill their daughters because they would not haue them marrie with them whereby they might increase They trauailed through certaine places where the women gaue sucke vnto their children til they were ten or twelue yéeres of age and where certaine men being Hermaphrodites doe marrie one another These Spaniards trauailed aboue 800. leagues and there escaped aliue in this iourney not aboue seuen or eight of them They came vpon the coast of the South sea vnto a citie called Saint Michael of Culuacan standing in 23. degrées and vpward toward the north This yéere 1527. when Cortes vnderstood by the pinnesse aforesaide that Don Garcia de Loaisa was passed by the Streight of Magelan toward the Islands of cloues he prouided thrée ships to goe séeke him and to discouer by that way of New Spaine as farre as the Isles of Maluco There went as gouernour in those ships one Aluaro de Saavedra Ceron cosen vnto Cortes a man fit for that purpose He made saile from Ciuatlanejo now named S. Christopher standing in 20. degrées toward the north on All Saints day They arriued at the Islands which Magelan named The Pleasures and from thence sailed to the Islands which Gomes de Sequeira had discouered not knowing thereof they named thē Islas de los Reyes that is to say The Isles of the kings because they came vnto them on Twelfe day In the way Saavedra lost two ships of his company of which they neuer after heard newes But from Island to Island he still sailed and came to the Island of Candiga where he bought two Spanyards for 70. ducats which had béene of the companie of Frier Loaisa who was lost thereabout In the yéere 1528. in March Saavedra arriued at the Islands of Maluco and came to an anker before the Isle of Gilolo he found the sea calme and winde at will without any tempests and he tooke the distance from thence to Noua Spagna to be 2050. leagues At this time Martin Yn̄iguez de Carquiçano died and Fernando de la Torre was chosen their Generall who then was in the citie of Tidore who had there erected a gallows and had fierce warre with Don George de Meneses captaine of the Portugals and in a fight which they had the fourth day of May Saavedra tooke from him a galiotte and slew the captaine thereof called Fernando de Baldaya and in Iune he returned towards New Spaine hauing with him one Simon de Brito Patalin and other Portugals and hauing béene certaine monethes at sea he was forced backe vnto Tidore where Patalin was beheaded and quartered and his companions hanged In this yéere 1528. Cortes sent two hundred footemen and 60. horsemen and many Mexicans to discouer and plant the countrey of the Chichimecas for that it was reported to be rich of gold This being done he shipped himselfe and came into Castile with great pompe brought with him 250000. marks of gold and siluer and being come to Toledo where the Emperour then lay he was entertained according to his deserts and the Emperour made him Marques Del Valle and married him to the Lady Iane de Zuniga daughter vnto the Earle de Aguilar and then the Emperour sent him backe againe to be Generall of New Spaine In the yéere 1529. in May Saavedra returned back againe towards New Spaine and he had sight of a land toward the South in two degrées and he ran East along by it aboue fiue hundred leagues till the end of August The coast was cleane and of good ankerage but the people blacke and of curled haire from the girdle downward they did weare a certaine thing plaited to couer their lower parts The people of Maluco call them Papuas because they be blacke and friseled in their haire and so also doe the Portugals call them Saavedra hauing sailed 4. or 5. degrées to the South of the line returned vnto it and passed the Equinoctiall towards the north and discouered an Island which he called Isla de los Pintados that is to say The Isle of painted people for the people thereof be white and all of them marked with an iron and by the signes which they gaue he conceaued that they were of China There came vnto them from the shore a kinde of boate full of these men making tokens of threatnings to the Spanyards who séeing that the Spanyards would not obey them they began to skirmish with slinging of stones but Saavedra would suffer no shot to be shot at them because their stones were of no strength and did no harme A little beyond this Island in 10. or 12. degrées they found many small low Islands full of palme trées and grasse which they called Los Iardines and they came to an anker in the middest of them where they taried certaine daies The people séemed to descend from them of China but by reason of their long continuance there they are become so brutish that they haue neither law nor yet giue themselues to any honest labour They were white clothing which they make of grasse They stand in maruailous feare of fire because they neuer saw any They eate Cocos in stéede of bread breaking them before they be ripe and putting them vnder the sand and then after certaine daies they take them out and lay them in the sunne and then they will open They eate fish which they take in a kinde of boate called a Parao which they make of pine wood which is driuen thither at certaine times of the yéere they know not how nor from whence and the tooles wherewith they make their boates are of shels Saavedra perceiuing that the time and weather was then somewhat better for his purpose made saile towards the firme land and citie of Panama where he might vnlade the cloues and marchandise which he had that so in cartes it might be carried fower leagues to the riuer of Chagre which they say is nauigable running out into the North sea not far from Nombre de Dios where the ships ride which come out of Spaine by which way all kinde of goods might be brought vnto them in shorter time and with lesse danger then to saile about the Cape of Bona Sperança For from Maluco vnto Panama they saile continually betwéene the Tropickes and the line but they neuer found winde to serue that course and therefore they came backe againe to Maluco very sad because Saavedra died by the way who if he had liued meant to haue opened the land of Gastillia del Oro and New Spaine from sea to sea Which might haue béene done in fower places namely from the Gulfe of S. Michael to Vraba which is 25. leagues or from Panama to Nombre de Dios being 17. leagues distance or through Xaquator a riuer
Xalisco and told Nunnes de Gusman that they had found tokens of pearles he went into the ship and so went to séeke the pearles he discouered along the coast aboue 150. leagues They said that Ferdinando de Grijalua sailed thrée hundred leagues from Tecoantepec without seeing any land but onely one Island which he named The Isle of Saint Thomas because he came vnto it on that Saints day it standeth in 20. degrées of latitude In this yéere 1535. Pisarro builded the citie de los Reyes vpon the riuer of Lima. The inhabitants of Xauxa went to dwell there because it was a better countrey standing in 12. degrées of southerly latitude In this same yéere of 1535. he caused the citie of Truxillo to be builded on a riuers side vpon a fruitfull soile standing in 8. degrées on that side He built also the citie of Saint Iago in Porto Viejo besides many others along the sea coast and within the land where there bréede many horses asses mules kine hogs goates shéepe and other beasts also trées and plants but principally rosemary oranges limons citrons and other sower fruits vines wheate barlie and other graines radishes and other kinde of herbage and fruits brought out of Spaine thither to be sowne and planted In the same yéere 1535. one Diego de Almagro went from the citie of Culco to the prouinces of Arequipa and Chili reaching beyond Cusco towards the South vnto 30. degrées This voiage was long and he discouered much land suffering great hunger cold and other extremities by reason of the abundance of ice which stoppeth the running of the riuers so that men and horses die in those parts of the colde About this time Ferdinando Pilarro came out of Spaine to the citie de los Reyes and brought with him the title of Marquisate of Atanillos for his brother Francis Pisarro vnto Diego de Almagro he brought the gouernment of 100. leagues ouer and besides that which was discouered and named it The New kingdome of Toledo Ferdinando Pilarro went straight to the citie of Cusco and one Iohn de Rada went to Almagro into Chili with the Emperours patents Diego de Almagro hauing receiued the letters patents which the Emperour had sent him went straight from Chili vnto Cusco to haue it séeing it did appertaine vnto him Which was the cause of a ciuill warre They were mightily oppressed with want of victuailes and other things in this their returne and were enforced to eate the horses which had died fower moneths and a halfe before when they passed that way In this same yéere 1535. Nunnez DacunÌ„a being gouernour of India while he was making a fortresse at the citie of Diu he sent a fleete to the riuer of Indus being froÌ„ thence 90. or 100. leagues towards the north vnder the Tropicke of Cancer The captaines name was Vasques Perez de San Paio also he sent another armie against Badu the king of Cambaia the captaine whereof was Cosesofar a renegado They came to the barre of that mighty riuer in the moneth of December of the water whereof they found such trial as Quintus Curtius writeth of it when Alexander came thither In this yeere 1535. one Simon de Alcazaua went from Siuill with two ships and 240. Spaniards in them Some say they went to New Spaine others that they went to Maluco but others also say to China where they had béene with Ferdinando Perez de Andrada Howsoeuer it was they went first vnto the Canaries and from thence to the streight of Magelan without touching at the land of Brasill or any part at all of that coast They entred into the streight in the moneth of December with contrarie windes and cold weather The soldiers would haâ—â— had him turne backe againe but he would not He went into an hauen on the South side in 53. degrées There the captaine Simon of Alcazaua commanded Roderigo de Isla with 60. Spanyards to goe and discouer land but they rose vp against him and killed him and appointed such captaines and officers as pleased them and returned Comming thwart of Brasil they lost one of their ships vpon the coast and the Spanyards that escaped drowning were eaten by the Sauages The other ship went to Saint Iago in Hispaniola and from thence to Siuill in Spaine In this same yéere 1535. Don Pedro de Mendoça went from Cadiz towards the riuer of Plate with twelue ships and had with him two thousand men which was the greatest number of ships and men that euer any captaine carried into the Indies He died by the way returning homewards The most part of his men remained in that riuer and builded a great towne containing now two thousand houses wherein great store of Indians dwell with the Spanyards They discouered and conquered the countrey till they came to the mines of Potossi and to the towne La Plata which is 500. leagues distant from them In the yéere 1536. Cortes vnderstanding that his ship wherein Fortunio Ximenez was pilote was seased on by Nunnez de Guzman he sent foorth thrée ships to the place where Guzman was and he himselfe went by land well accompanied and found the ship which he sought all spoiled and rifled When his thrée other ships were come about he went aboord himselfe with the most part of his men and horses leauing for captaine of those which remained on land one Andrew de Tapia So he set saile and comming to a point the first day of May he called it Saint Philip and an Island that lieth fast by it he called Sant Iago Within three daies after he came into the bay where the pilot Fortunio Ximenez was killed which he called La plaia de Santa Cruz where he went on land and commanded Andrew de Tapia to discouer Cortes tooke shipping againe and came to the riuer now called Rio de San Pedro y San Paulo where by a tempest the ships were separated one was driuen to the bay de Santa Cruz another to the riuer of Guajaual and the third was driuen on shore hard by Xalisco and the men thereof went by land to Mexico Cortes long expected his two ships that he wanted but they not comming he hoised saile entred into the Gulfe now called Mar de Cortes Mar Vermejo or the Gulfe of California and shot himselfe 50. leagues within it where he espied a ship at anker sailing towards her he had béene lost if that ship had not succored him But hauing graued his ship he departed with both the ships from thence Hée bought victuals at a déere rate at Saint Michael of Culhuacan and from thence he went to the hauen of Santa Cruz where hée heard that Don Antonio de Mendoça was come out of Spaine to be Viceroy He therefore left to be captaine of his men one Francis de Vlloa to send him certaine ships to discouer that coast While he was
Gastro arriued at the Island of Mindanao sixe kings receiued the water of Baptisme with their wiues children and subiects and the most of them Antonie Galuano gaue commandement to be called by the name of Iohn in remembrance that king Iohn the third raigned then in Portugall The Portugals and Spaniards which haue béene in these Islands affirme that there be certaine hogs in them which besides the téeth which they haue in their mouthes haue other two growing out of their snouts and as many behinde their eares of a large span and an halfe in length Likewise they say there is a tree the one halfe whereof which standeth towards the east is a good medicine against all poyson the other side of the trée which standeth toward the west is very poison and the fruite on that side is like a bigge pease and there is made of it the strongest poyson that is in all the world Also they report that there is there another trée the fruite whereof whosoeuer doth eate shall be twelue houres besides himselfe and when he commeth againe vnto himselfe he shall not remember what he did in the time of his madnes Moreouer there are certaine crabs of the land whereof whosoeuer doth eate shall be a certaine space out of his wits Likewise the countrey people declare that there is a stone in these Islands whereon whosoeuer sitteth shall be broken in his bodie It is farther to be noted that the people of these Islands do gild their téeth In the yéere 1539. Cortes sent thrée ships with Francis Vlloa to discouer the coast of Coludean northward They vient from Acapulco and touched at S. Iago de buqna sperança and entred into the gulfe that Cortes had discouered and sailed till they came in 32. degrées which is almost the farthest end of that gulfe which place they named Ancon de Sane Andres because they came thither on that saints daie Then they came out a long the coast on the other side and doubled the point of California and entred in betwéene certaine Islands and the point and so sailed along by it till they came to 32. degrées from whence they returned to newe Spaine enforced thereunto by contrarie windes and want of victuals hauing béene out about a yéere Cortes according to his account spent 200000. ducates in these discoueries From Cabo del Enganno to another cape called Cabo de Liampo in China there are 1000. or 1200. leagues sayling Cortes and his captaines discouered new Spaine from 12. degrées to 32. from south to the north being 700. leagues finding it more warme then cold although snow do lie vpon certaine mountaines most part of the yéere In new Spaine there be many trées flowers and fruits of diuers sorts and profitable for many things The principall trée is named Metl It groweth not very high nor thicke They plant and dresse it as we do our vines They say it hath fortie kinde of leaues like wouen clothes which serue for many vses When they be tender they make conserues of them paper and a thing like vnto flaxe they make of it mantles mats shooes girdles and cordage These trées haue certaine prickles so strong and sharpe that they sewe with them The roots make fire and ashes which ashes make excellent good lie They open the earth from the roote and scrape it and the iuice which commeth out is like a sirrupe If you do féeth it it will become honie if you purifie it it will be sugar Also you may make wine and vineger thereof It beareth the Coco The rinde rosted and crushed vpon sores and hurts healeth and cureth The iuice of the tops and roots mingled with incense are good against poyson and the biting of a viper For these manifold benefits it is the most profitable trée knowne to growe in those parts Also there be there certaine small birds named Vicmalim Their bill is small and long They liue of the dewe and the iuice of flowers and roses Their feathers be verie small and of diuers colours They be greatly estéemed to worke golde with They die or sléepe euerie yéere in the moneth of October fitting vpon a little bough in a warme and close place they reuiue or wake againe in the moneth of Aprill after that the flowers be sprung and therefore they call them the reuiued birds Likewise there be snakes in these parts which sound as though they had bels when they créepe There be other which engender at the mouth euen as they report of the viper There be hogges which haue a nauell on the ridge of their backs which assoone as they be killed and cut out will by and by corrupt and stinke Besides these there be certaine fishes which make a noyse like vnto hogs and will snort for which cause they be named snorters In the yéere 1538. and 1539. after that Diego de Almagro was beheaded the Marques Francis Pisarro was not idle For he sent straight one Peter de Baldiuia with a good companie of men to discouer and conquere the countrey of Chili He was wel receiued of those of the countrey but afterwards they rose against him and would haue killed him by treason Yet for all the warre that he had with them he discouered much land and the coast of the sea toward the southeast till he came into 40. degrées and more in latitude While he was in these discoueries he heard newes of a king called Leucengolma which commonly brought to the field two hundred thousand fighting men against another king his neighbour and that this Leucengolma had an Island and a temple therein with two thousand priestes and that beyond them were the Amazones whose Quéene was called Guanomilla that is to say The goldeu heauen But as yet there are none of these things discouered About this time Gomez de Aluarado went to conquer the prouince of Guanuco and Francis de Chauez went to subdue the Conchincos which troubled the towne of Truxillo and the countreyes adioyning Peter de Vergara went to the Bracamores a people dwelling toward the north from Quito Iohn Perez de Vergara went against the Ciaciapoians Alfonsus de Mercadiglio went vnto Mulubamba Ferdinando and Gonzaluo Pisarros went to subdue Collao a countrey very rich in gold Peter de Candia went to the lower part of Collao Peranzures also went to conquer the said countrey And thus the Spanyards dispersed themselues and conquered aboue seuen hundred leagues of countrey in a very short space though not without great trauailes and losse of men The countreyes of Brasill and Peru stand east and west almost 800. leagues distant The néerest is from the Cape of Saint Augustine vnto the hauen of Truxillo for they stand both almost in one parallele and latitude And the farthest is 950. leagues reckoning from the riuer of Peru to the streits of Magellan which places lie directly north south through which countrey passe certaine mountaines named the
earthquake with raine and lightning which sunke 70. houses They passed ouer cold and snowie hils where they found many Indians frozen to death maruelling much of the great snowe that they found vnder the Equinoctiall line From hence they went to a prouince called Cumaco where they tarried two monethes because it rained continually And beyond they sawe the Cinamome-trées which be very great the leaues thereof resembling bay leeues both leaues branches rootes and all tasting of Cinamome The rootes haue the whole taste of Cinamome But the best are certaine knops like vnto Alcornoques or acornes which are good marchandise It appéereth to be wilde Cinamome and there is much of it in the East Indies and in the Islands of Iaoa or Iaua From hence they went to the prouince and citie of Coca where they rested fifty daies From that place forwards they trauailed along by a riuers side being 60. leagues long without finding of any bridge nor yet any foorde to passe ouer to the other side They found one place of this riuer where it had a fall of 200. fathoms déepe where the water made such a noise that it would make a man almost deafe to stand by it And not far beneath this fall they say they found a chanell of stone very smooth of two hundred foote broad and the riuer runneth by and there they made a bridge to passe ouer on the other side where they went to a countrey called Guema which was so poore that they could get nothing to eate but onely fruits and herbes From that place forward they found a people of some reason wearing certaine clothing made of cotton wooll where they made a brigandine there they found also certaine Canoas wherein they put their sicke men and their treasure and best apparell giuing the charge of them to one Francis de Orellana and Gonsaluo Pizarro went by land with the rest of the companie along by the riuers side and at night went into the boates and they trauailed in this order two hundred leagues as it appeereth When Pizarro came to the place where he thought to finde the brigandine and Canoas and could haue no sight of them nor yet heare of them he thought himselfe out of all hope because he was in a strange countrey without victuales clothing or any thing else wherefore they were faine to eate their horses yea and dogs also because the countrey was poore and barren and the iourney long to goe to Quito Yet notwithstanding taking a good hart to themselues they went on forwards in their iourney trauailing continually 18. monethes and it is reported that they went almost 5. hundred leagues wherein they did neither sée sunne nor any thing else whereby they might be comforted wherefore of two hundred men which went foorth at the first there returned not backe past ten vnto Quito and these so weake ragged and disfigured that they knew them not Orellana went fiue hundred or sixe hundred leagues downe the riuer séeing diuers countreyes and people on both sides thereof among whom he affirmed some to be Amazones He came into Castile excusing himselfe that the water and streames draue him downe perforce This riuer is named The riuer of Orellana other name it the riuer of the Amazones because there be women there which liue like vnto them In the yéere 1540. Cortes went with his wife into Spaine where he died of a disease seuen yéeres after In the yéere 1541. it is recorded that Don Stephan de Gama gouernour of India sailed toward the streit of Mecca He came with al his fléete vnto an anker in the Island of Maçua and from thence vpwards in small shipping he went along the coast of the Abassins and Ethiopia till he came to the Island of Suachen standing in 20. degrées towardes the north and from thence to the hauen of Cosâ—ir standing in 27. degrées and so he crossed ouer to the citie of Toro standing on the shore of Arabia and along by it he went vnto Suez which is the farthest ende of the streit and so he turned backe the same way leauing that countrey and coast discouered so far as neuer any other Portugall captaine had done although Lopez Suarez gouernour of India went to the hauen of Iuda and the hauen of Mecca standing on the coast of Arabia in 23. degrées of latitude and 150. leagues from the mouth of the streit Don Stephan de Gama crossing ouer from Cosâ—ir to the citie of Toro as it is reported found an Island of Brimstone which was dispeopled by the hand of Mahumet wherein many crabs doe bréede which increase nature wherefore they be greatly esteemed of such as are vnchaste Also they say that there are in this streit many roses which open when women are in their labour Iohn Leo writeth in the very end of his Geographie which he made of Africa that there is in the mountaines of Atlas a roote called Surnag ouer which if a maid chance to make water shée shall léese her virginitie In the same yéere 1541. Don Diego de Almagro killed the Marques Francis Pizarro and his brother Francis Martinez of Alcantara in the citie de los Reyes otherwise called Lima and made himselfe gouernour of that countrey In the yéere 1540. the Viceroy Don Antony de Mendoza sent one Francis Vasquez de Coronado by land vnto the prouince of Sibola with an armie of Spaniards and Indians They went out of Mexico and came to Culuacan and from thence to Sibola which standeth in 30. degrées of latitude They required peace with the people and some victuals being thereof destitute But they answered that they vsed not to giue any thing to those that came vnto them in warlike manner So the Spaniards assalted the towne and tooke it and called it Nueua Granada because the generall himselfe was borne in Granada The soldiers found themselues deceiued by the words of the Friers which had béene in those parts before and because they woulde not returne backe to Mexico againe with emptie hands they went to the towne of Acuco where they had knowledge of Axa and Quiuira where there was a king very rich that did worship a crosse of golde and the picture of the quéene of Heauen They indured many extremities in this iourney and the Indians fled away from them and in one morning they found thirtie of their horses dead From Cicuie they went to Quiuira which was two hundred leagues off according to their account passing all through a plaine countrey and making by the way certaine hillocks of cowe dung because thereby they might not loose their way in their returne They had there haile-stones as bigge as Oranges Now when they were come to Quiuira they found the king called Tatarrax which they sought for with a iewell of copper hanging about his necke which was all his riches They saw neither any crosse nor any image
in 20. degrées and informed Don Henry of the state of that couÌ„trey by the Moores which they brought from thence Whereupon he sent one Fernan Lopez de Sauado to giue knowledge thereof to Pope Martine trusting to make these things commodious to Holy Church Vpon which knowledge the Pope granted indulgences and euerlasting pardon and all other things demanded of him vnto those which should die in this enterprise After this in the yéere 1443. Don Henry commanded Antonie Gonsales to carrie backe the slaues which he had brought and to ransome them in their countrey Which he did and the Moores gaue them in trucke for them againe blacke Moores with curled haire and some gold so that now that place is called Rio de Oro that is the Golden Riuer whereby the desire of the discouerie might be the more increased Not long after he sent out another named Nunnez Tristan who came vnto the Islands of Arguin where he tooke more slaues and brought them to Portugall in the yéere 1444. Hereupon also one Lansarote a groome of Don Gilians chamber with others associated with him armed out certaine ships which went coasting til they came to the Islands of Garze where they tooke two hundred slaues which were the first that were brought from thence to Portugall In the yéere 1445. there went as captaine of a barke one Gonsalo de Syntra an esquire belonging to Don Henry into those parts and he went on land where he was taken with sixe or seuen more of his company which place was therefore called after his name Angra de Gonsaluo de Syntra This was the first losse which the Portugals receiued in their discoueries In the yéere following Don Henry sent out thrée carauels wherein went as captaines Antonie Gonsales Diego Aloizio and Gomes Perez who had their direction not to enter into Rio de Oro nor to beare themselues disorderly but to trauaile in peace and to conuert as many infidels as they could to Christianitie But none of these things were performed by them for they returned without doing any memorable act In the same yéere 1446. another esquire belonging to the king of Portugall called Denis Fernandes of the citie of Lisbon entred into these discoueries more to winne fame then to reape commoditie by them And he being in his voiage came to the riuer of Sanaga standing betwéene 15. and 16. degrées of latitude towards the north where he tooke certaine Negroes and not contented therewith he went forward and discouered Cape Verde standing in 14. degrees on the same side and there he set vp vpon the land a crosse of wood and then returned with great contentation In the yéere 1447. one Nunnez Tristan went foorth to discouer in a carauell and he passed the aforesaid Cape Verde and Rio Grande and went past it vnto another standing beyond it in 12. degrées where he was also taken with 18. Portugals more but the ship came home againe in safetie conducted by fower or fiue which escaped the hands of the Negroes In this yéere also 1447. it happened that there came a Portugall ship through the streight of Gibraltar and being taken with a great tempest was forced to runne westwards more then willingly the men would and at last they fell vpon an Island which had seuen cities and the people spake the Portugall toong and they demanded if the Moores did yet trouble Spaine whence they had fled for the losse which they receiued by the death of the king of Spaine Don Roderigo The boateswaine of the ship brought home a little of the sand and sold it vnto a goldsmith of Lisbon out of the which he had a good quantitie of gold Don Pedro vnderstanding this being then gouernour of the realme caused all the things thus brought home and made knowne to be recorded in the house of Iustice There be some that thinke that those Islands whereunto the Portugals were thus driuen were the Antiles or Newe Spaine alleaging good reasons for their opinion which here I omit because they serue not to my purpose But all their reasons séeme to agrée that they should be that countrey which is called Noua Spagna In the yéere 1449. the king Don Alfonso gaue licence vnto his vncle Don Henry to inhabit the Islands of the Açores which were long before discouered And in the yéere 1458. this king went into Africa and there he tooke the towne called Alcaçer And in the yéere 1461. he commanded Signior Mendez a gentleman of his house to build the castle of Arguin whereof he gaue vnto him the gouernment as to his lieutenant In the yéere 1462. there came into the realme of Portugall thrée Genowais of good parentage the chiefe of whom was called Antonie de Noli and of the other two the one was his brother the other was his nepâ—ew and each of these had his seuerall ship crauing libertie of Don Henry to discouer the Islands of Cape Verde which was granted them Others say that the places which they discouered were those which Antiquitie called the Gorgades Hesperides and Dorcades but they named them Mayo Sainct Iago and Sainct Philip because they discouered them on those Saints daies but they are also called by some the Islands of Antonio In the yéere following 1463. this good noble man Don Henry died leaning from Cape De Non discouered vnto the mountaine called Sierra Leona standing on this side the line in 8. degrées of latitude where no man had béene before that time In the yéere 1469. the king of Portugall did let out for yéerely rent the trade of Guiney vnto one called Fernan Gomez which countrey afterwards was called The Mine He let it out for fiue yéeres for two hundred thousand Reyes by the yéere which is of our English money 138. l. 17. â— 9. d. ob and added vnto his lease this condition that euery yéere he should discouer an hundred leagues In the yéere following which was 1470. this king went into Africa with his sonne Prince Iohn where they tooke the towne of Arzila and the people of the citie of Tanger fled out for feare and that he tooke also It séemeth that good fortune followeth a couragious attempt In the yéere 1471. Fernan Gomes gaue commandement that the coast should be discouered as it lay Which was vndertaken by Iohn de S. Aren and Iohn de Scouar and they went and found the Mine in 5. degrées of latitude And the next yéere which was 1472. one Fernando da Poo discouered the Island now called after his name Also about this time the Islands of Sainct Thomas and Del Principe were discouered standing vnder the line with the firme land also wherein is the kingdome of Benin reaching to the Cape de Santa Catarina standing on the south side of the line in 3. degrées The man