All these commodities would grew by following this our discovery
without injury done to any Christian prince by crossing them in any
of their used trades, whereby they might take any just occasion of
offence.
Thus have I briefly showed you some part of the grounds of my
opinion, trusting that you will no longer judge me fantastic in this
matter, seeing I have conceived no hope of this voyage, but am
persuaded thereunto by the best cosmographers of our age, the same
being confirmed both by reason and certain experiences.
Also this discovery hath been divers times heretofore by others both
proposed, attempted, and performed.
It hath been proposed by Stephen Gomez unto Carolus, the fifth
emperor in the year of our Lord 1527, as Alphonse Ullva testifieth
in the story of Carolus' life, who would have set him forth in it
(as the story mentioneth) if the great want of money, by reason of
his long wars, had not caused him to surcease the same.
And the King of Portugal, fearing lest the emperor would have
persevered in this his enterprise, gave him, to leave the matter
unattempted, the sum of 350,000 crowns; and it is to be supposed
that the King of Portugal would not have given to the emperor such
sums of money for eggs in moonshine.
