Reigning In Arragon, The Chronicles Of
His Age Reported, That About This Time The Island Of Madeira Was
Discovered By One Macham, An Englishman.
It must be confessed that an
objection arises against this history which is not easily removed.
We are
told that, immediately after the death of Macham, his companions sailed
over to Morocco, and that Morales was in prison when they arrived.
Supposing the discovery by Macham to have been made about 1344, as
related by Galvano, from the Castilian chronicles, Morales must have been
no less than seventy-six years a prisoner when redeemed, and when he was
detained by Gonsalvo in 1420. Herbert places the adventure of Macham in
1328, which would increase the captivity of Morales to ninety-two years.
Alcaforado places the event in the reign of Edward III. of England, which
began in 1327 and ended in 1378; Even supposing it to have happened in
the last year of Edward, Morales must have remained forty-two years in
captivity; which is not only highly improbable, but is even contrary to
the sense of the historian, who supposes but a small space to have
elapsed between the two events; besides, the records quoted by Galvano
are said expressly to assert that Macham went himself into Africa, whence
he was sent to the king of Castile. This last circumstance may have been
invented by the Spaniards, to give them a better title to the island of
Madeira: But the former objection remains in full force, and can only be
obviated by supposing that either Morales advanced a falsehood in
asserting, that he had the account of this discovery from the English
themselves, instead of learning it from the other slaves, among whom the
tradition might have been current for many years after the event; or
Alcaforado may have mistaken the report of Morales in this particular.
The following is the substance of the narrative, as given by Alcaforado.
In the glorious reign of Edward III. Robert a Machin, of Macham, a
gentleman of the second degree of nobility, whose genius was only
equalled by his gallantry and courage, beheld and loved the beautiful
Anna d'Arfet[5]. Their attachment was mutual, but the pleasing indulgence
of ardent hope gratified and betrayed the secret of their passion. The
pride of the illustrious family of d'Arfet was insensible to the
happiness of their daughter, and they preferred the indulgence of their
own ambition to the voice of love. The feudal tyranny of the age was
friendly to their cruelty, and a royal warrant seemed to justify the
vanity of her parent. The consolation of an ingenious mind supported
Machin under confinement, and enabled him to seek after redress without
yielding to despondency. On his releasement from prison, he learned that
the beloved cause of his persecution had been forced to marry a nobleman,
whose name he could not discover, but who had carried her to his castle
near Bristol. The friends of Machin made his misfortune their own, and
one of them had the address to get introduced into the service of the
afflicted Anna under the character of a groom. The prospect of the ocean
during their rides, suggested or matured the plan of escape and the hope
of a secure asylum counteracted the imagined dangers of a passage to the
coast of France. Under pretence of deriving benefit from the sea air, the
victim of parental ambition was enabled to elude suspicion, and embarked
without delay, in a vessel procured for the purpose, along with her lover.
In the successful completion of this anxious design, Machin was alike
insensible to the unfavourable season of the year, and to the portentous
signs of an approaching storm, which in a calmer moment he would have
duly observed. The gradual rising of a gale of wind, rendered the
astonished fugitives sensible of their rashness; and, as the tempest
continued to augment, the thick darkness of night completed the horrors
of their situation. In their confusion, the intended port was missed, or
could not be attained, and their vessel drove at the mercy of the winds
and waves. In the morning they found themselves in the midst of an
unknown ocean, without skill to determine their situation, and destitute
of knowledge or experience to direct their course towards any known land.
At length, after twelve anxious mornings had dawned without sight of land,
with the earliest streaks of day an object dimly appeared to their eager
watchfulness in the distant horizon, and when the grey haze, which had
alternately filled them with hope and despondency was dissipated by the
rising sun, the certainty of having discovered land was welcomed by a
general burst of joy. A great luxuriancy of trees of unknown species,
was soon observed to overspread the land, whence unknown birds of
beautiful plumage came off in flocks to the vessel, and gave the
appearance of a pleasing dream to their unexpected deliverance.
[Illustration: Chart of North Western Africa]
The boat was hoisted out to examine the new found island, and returned
with a favourable account. Machin and his friends accompanied their
trembling charge on shore, leaving the mariners to secure the vessel at
an anchor. The wilderness and rich scenery of the adjacent country
possessed great charms to these thankful guests, just escaped from
apparently inevitable destruction. An opening in the extensive woods,
which was encircled with laurels and other flowering shrubs, presented a
delightful retreat to the tempest-worn voyagers; a venerable tree, of
ancient growth, offered its welcome shade on an adjoining eminence, and
the first moments of liberty were employed in forming a romantic
residence, with the abundant materials which nature supplied all around.
The novelty of every object they beheld, induced curiosity to explore
their new discovery, and they spent three days in wandering about the
woods, when the survey was interrupted by an alarming hurricane, which
came on during the night, and rendered them extremely anxious for the
safety of their companions, who had been left in charge of the vessel.
The ensuing morning destroyed all prospect of being ever enabled to get
away from the island; the vessel had broke from her moorings by the
violence of the storm, and was wrecked on the coast of Morocco, where all
on board were immediately seized as slaves.
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