Since My Residence In The University Of Coimbra, In
The Service Of Your Highness, I Have Joined Together All These
Informations; Which, Together With The Duties Of My Office, Have
Caused Much Toil Both Of Body And Mind.
Having now accomplished the
composition of this book and others, I most humbly offer the same to
your highness;
And, after many and most fortunate years of governing,
I pray God to take you from the transitory seignory of this earth, and
to receive you into the perpetual joys of Heaven.
_Hernan Lopes de Castaneda._
SECTION I.
_Previous steps taken by the King of Portugal, John II. preparatory to
the Discovery of India._
Don John, the second of that name, and thirteenth king of Portugal,
considering that all spices, drugs, precious stones, and other riches
which came from Venice, were brought out of the east, and being a prince
of great penetration, and high emprize, he was greatly desirous to
enlarge his kingdom, and to propagate the knowledge of the Christian
faith to distant regions. He resolved, therefore, to discover the way by
sea to the country whence such prodigious riches were brought, that his
subjects might thereby be enriched, and that his kingdom might acquire
those commodities which had hitherto been brought by way of Venice. He
was much encouraged to this enterprise, by learning that there were
Christians in India, governed by a powerful monarch called Presbyter John,
who was reported to be a Christian prince, and to whom he thought proper
to send ambassadors, that an intercourse of friendship might be
established between them and their subjects. He consulted, therefore,
with the cosmographers of the time, whom he directed to proceed according
to the example already given in sailing along the coast of Guinea, which
had been formerly discovered by command of the prince his uncle, Master
of the order of Christ. Accordingly, Bartholomew Diaz, one of the
officers of the royal storehouse at Lisbon, was sent upon this expedition,
who discovered that great and monstrous cape, now called of Good Hope,
which was unknown to our ancestors. Finding it both terrible and
dangerous, he yet passed 140 leagues beyond, to a river which he named
_Rio del Infante_, whence he returned into Portugal. In this voyage, Diaz
gave those names which they still retain, to the ports, harbours, and
rivers where he took in fresh water, and erected certain marks, with
crosses, and the royal arms of Portugal, the last of which was placed on
a rock named _El pennol de la Cruz_, fifteen leagues on this side of the
before mentioned river. Diaz returned from this voyage without having
procured any intelligence concerning India, as all the inhabitants of the
coast which he visited and discovered were ignorant black savages.
On the return of Diaz, king John resolved to attempt the discovery of
India by land; for which purpose he had formerly sent friar Antonio de
Lisboa by land, in company with a lay person; but as they were ignorant
of the Arabic language, they could not travel into those parts, and went
no farther than Jerusalem, whence they returned into Portugal, without
having acquired any knowledge of the object of their journey.
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