In This Measure, The Philosophical Genius And
Enlarged Political Views Of Don Henry Are Plainly Evinced; And,
Undismayed By The
Obstacles which had so long opposed his grand project
of discoveries, and the length of time which had been employed
In making
so very small progress, he shewed himself to have looked steadily
forwards to the full accomplishment of his hopes of discovering the route
by sea from Europe to India, around the still unknown shores of Southern
Africa. The date of this papal grant does not certainly appear. De Barros
and Lafitau are of opinion that it must have been posterior to 1440;
Purchas places it in 1441; and de Guyon in 1444. But Martin V. died in
1431; and these writers seem to have confounded the original grant from
that pontiff, with subsequent confirmations by his successors Eugenius IV.
Nicholas V. and Sextus IV[9].
The gradual progress of these discoveries were interrupted for a time by
an unsuccessful attempt of Edward I. or _Duarte_, king of Portugal, to
gain possession of Tangier in the kingdom of Fez. But the history of this
war, in which the Portuguese arms suffered much misfortune and dishonour,
are quite irrelevant to the present subject. The plague likewise, which
raged at Lisbon in 1438, contributed to the suspension of the patriotic
enterprizes of Don Henry. At length, in 1440, Don Henry resumed his
project of maritime discovery, and dispatched two caravels from Sagres,
which were forced back by unfavourable weather, apparently without even
reaching the coast of Africa.
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