A Portuguese Pilot, Who Had Often Made The Voyage To Guinea, Had The
Temerity To Assert, That Any Kind Of
Ship could make this redoubted
voyage, as safely as the royal caravels, and was sent for to court by the
King, who gave him a public reprimand for his ignorance and presumption.
Some months afterwards, the same pilot appeared again at court, and told
the king, "That being of an obstinate disposition, he had attempted the
voyage to Guinea in a different kind of vessel from those usually
employed, and found it to be impossible." The king could not repress a
smile at this solemn nonsense; yet honoured the politic pilot with a
private audience, and gave him money to encourage him to propagate the
deception. About this period, likewise, hearing that three Portuguese
seamen, who were conversant in the navigation of the coast of Africa, had
set out for Spain, intending to offer their services in that country,
John immediately ordered them to be pursued as traitors. Two of them were
killed, and the third was brought a prisoner to Evora, where he was broke
on the wheel. Hearing that the Portuguese seamen murmured at the severity
of this punishment, the king exclaimed, "Let every man abide by his own
element, I love not travelling seamen."
Encouraged by the successful progress of Diego Cam in 1484 and 1485, King
John became sanguine in his hopes of completing the discovery of a
maritime route to India, around the continent of Africa, and determined
upon using every exertion for this purpose.
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