. /^<^* ^^-n^ ^C .^^ .> \' '^ A- <-> ' « . s ^ ^'V -* 1? '■>. - o o , •.-^<'' ,0^ % ""5W!>° /\ -^-l *■* ^"^ \^ ^- ■- -^ •'■> ' ^♦>f>^^-,. * a:^ -^ * v^ .V r^0 ^■^0* o '^ .4. P .S^ ^ V \^ .5> * a „ O ' -0," o > ^0 9, A* -> o "^ ♦J . >3 "^^ O '^^ °o o V .^^ .„/^-:^^;-/- '^ .0 ■I -^^— ^ s ttUts ^ ^ Cv n I EDWARD BRANDOS & CO., 114 FIFTH AVINUe, NEW YORK. COPVRiaHT 1»»3. SOUVENIR OF Trie MONASTERY OF LA RABIUA, WoftLo'i Fair aROUNBS, • HICAflO. El It \^L.etter of Cohonbus: to Nicolo Oderigo, March 21, IS02.'] Sir The solitude in which you have left us cannot be described, I gave Micer Francis de Ribarol the book containing m^' deeds (or grants, or concessions), and, also, copies of the letters and mes- sages sent to me ; and, I pray you, as a great favor to me, to write to Don Diego and inform him of the place in which you keep those documents, and the use you make of them. A dupli- cate of all of them will be made, and sent to 3'ou in the same way and through the same channel of Francisco. You will find there a new concession. Their Highnesses promise therein, as you will see, to give me all that belongs to me, and put Don Diego in pos- session thereof. I have written to Micer Juan I^uys, and to Madam Madona Catalina the letter I enclose. I .shall start out, in the name of the Most H0I5' Trinity, with a good equipment, at the first moment of good weather. If Jerome de Santi Estebau comes, he must wait for me, and not to commit himself to au}'- thing ; because they will try to get out of him all that they can, and afterwards thej'- v/ill leave him in the cold. Let him come here, and the King and Queen will entertain him until I come. May our I^ord keep you in His holy guard. Done on the 21st of March, at Sevii,LK, 1502. I am, for what you may order, Your servant, X. M. Y. XPO FKRENS. ,'rt-or^ ^/'^l pyi€ »wv// (T/ O-v C3 '>^ r5^-«'^^<^-<^ y:Tj V- v ' THE RECOVERY OE THE HOLY CITY OE JERUSALEM. (Thf origins! i'. in the Rook of Prophf-cie? in the Colombiua Libtai y at Seville ) Most Christian and High Princes : The reason why I desire the restitution of the Holy Hon.?? lo the militant church is the following : Most High Kings: At a very early age I began to navigate the seas, and have f\f,r since continued to do so. The art of navigation itself renders its adepts inclined to investigate the secrets of this world. More than fort}' years have i:>a''-'^t;d since I have been in this habit. Every place which has been thus far navigated by others li;is been also navigated by me. I have dealt and talked with karned people, both Laymen and Kcclesiastical, Greek and Latin, Jews and Moors, and Sectarians of many other creeds. To this aspiration of mine I always found the Lord very pro- pitious. He gave me an intelligent spirit; He made me abun- dantly qualified for the office of a sailor ; He caused me to know nil that sufficed for my purpose of Astrology, Geometry and Arithmetic ; and I received from Him the gift of having ability in my mind and my hands to draw a sphere and mark on it — everything in its ])roper place — the cities, rivers, mountains, islands and ports. During the time referred to I have been careful to study what has been written on Cosmography, History, Chronicles, Pliilo.soph}'- and other arts ; and it was in this way tliat our I,nrd, whose hand in this affair I palpably sec, put in m\- mind the idea that it was practicable to navigate from here to the Indies, and kindled in my heart the desire to accomplish it. Urged by this fire, I came before Your Highnesses. (over) esarm T^t^-^ jRa^'iT'^^'ut Tycyn/iY*~" r-ypuiuif>mo«tuu.^rt(»«» rt\-A/l-o906 S\^iuUi>6 JfupwtPn ^<;ttj^2«f "l*^ S. 4 ^^c SVf,U «U «u Sip. o\c^-^ • i»W^ V" CT>uf uu> Kuri Fx ni0fuct!tv I utc tswr-A p'i^i 7^ JL fBI|UOTro('tftl^«un|im« tl|o-fa-rtf» life £"»»», ««'*P" *'"^t First part of an autograph letter of Columbus to the Catholic Kings (p. 4). Every one who heard of my undertaking laughed at me and denied its soundness. Neither the knowledge I possessed of the sciences aforenamed nor their own intrinsic authority was of any avail to me. Only in Your Highnesses I found faith and per- severance. Who doubts that this light came to Your Highnesses, as it had come to me, from that very Holy Spirit who so loudly and clearly has given consolation to the world, by means of the wonderful rays of light emanating from the Holy and Sacred Scripture, in 44 books of the Old Testament, and the 4 Gospels and 23 Epistles of the Blessed Apostles. Was not that Spirit the one who urged me to go on constantly, without stopping a moment, and is still urging me, and hastening my steps ? Your Highnesses must remember how little money Your Highnesses could dispose of when the Siege of Granada was undertaken. The determination to undertake all things was left by our I^ord to the free will of every one of us. He gives admo- nition to many ; but he denies to none the human power which he may need to engage in the undertaking. Oh ! the goodness of the Lord, who wishes the people to do those things which will prove to be to their own advantage! Day and night, and at all moments, men should be thanking Him with the greatest devotion. I said before that many things contained in the prophecies have not been fulfilled as yet. And I say now that they are great things, and that according to all signs our Lord is hasten- ing its fulfillment. The preaching of the Gospel in so many lands, in such a short time as we have lately seen, proves that to me. Cardinal Petrus de Ayliaco writes much about the end of the Mahometan sect, and the advent of the Anti-Christ, in a book which he wrote with the title (in latin) "On the Harmony of Astronomic Truth with the Historical Statements. ' ' He refutes in that book the opinions of many astronomers on the ten revolu- tions of Saturn. This he does especially at the end of said book, in the last nine chapters of the same. Abb6 Joachim, of Calabria, said that the one who was to rebuild the house of Mount Sion would come from Spain. ^ '-w^ ♦♦v<,».«^ /ttf1« /K tf«4n^(^>9»// ^^nlm^ a h nf,(«ttui %c(ihUi4 8^' rLff^iun^lr \ytifajnJ^( diwl^-^U*^ (fkt^ 9^tyt*^£S9- «^ itJOKijf /■ ^^ M Last part of an autograph letter of Columbus to the Catholic Kings (p. 6). \Letter of Colimibtis to the Bank of St. George, April 2, 1302.'] High, Nobi.e Lords : Although the body walks about here, the heart is constantly over there. Our L,ord has conferred \\\^on me the greatest favor ever granted to any since David. The results of my undertaking already appear, and would shine greatly, were they not concealed by the blindness of the Government. I am going to the Indies again under the auspices of the Trinity, soon to return ; and, since I am mortal, I leave it with my son Diego that you receive every year, forever, one-tenth of the entire revenue, such as it may be, for the purpose of reducing the tax upon com, wine and other provisions. If that tenth amounts to something, collect it. If not, at least take the will for the deed. I beg you to entertain regard for the son I have recommended to you. Mr. Nicolo de Oderigo knows more about my own affairs than I do myself, and I have sent by him the transcripts of my privileges and letters for safe keeping. I should be glad if you would keep them. My lyords, the King and Queen endeavor to honor more than ever. May the Holy Trinity preserve your noble persons and increase the most magnificent House (of St. George). Done in Sbvii^lR, on the second day of April, 1502. The Chief Admiral of the Ocean, Viceroy and Governor General of the islands and continents of Asia, and the Indies, of my Lords the King and Queen, their Captain General of the Sea and of their Councils. S. S. A. S. X. M. Y. XPO KERENS. .uw -«v.f.^j, ;,H-,,^, «.»*«.- ^./r .-.,^,,, j.'J^,; .^"^ : •; " "-rr-v-J^ V j- Yr *^^f: fi*.r*^» Copy of the letter of Toscanclli to the Portuguese priest Ferdinand Martiues, made )>j Cohimlnis on a fly leaf of the book " Historia reruni ubiquc gestarum," etc. \_Lctter of ColumbHs to Nicolo Oderigo, from Seville, December 2y, 1504.. Original in the City Hall at Genoa.'] Virtuous Sir : When I started on my voyage to the places from where I have just come, I spoke at length with you. I understand that 3-ou remember well all that then was said. When returning here, I was in hopes to find some letters from you, or some niessenger who would tell me verbally some- thing in your name. At al)out the same time of my departure from here, I sent tn you by Franci:;co de Ri])arol a book containing copies of several letters, and another in which all the grants and privileges given me were also copied, the whole enclosed in a red-morocco case, with a silver lock. I also sent, with the same man, two letters for the St. George gentlemen, in which I assigned to them the tenth of my revenue in consideration of and compensation for the re- duction made on the duties on wdicat and the other supplies. To nothing of this I have had any reply. Micer Francisco says that ever}thing arrived safely. If this is the case, the failure of the St. George gentlemen to an.swer to my letters is an act of discour- tes3% for which the treasurj^ is by no means better off. This is the reason why it is generally said that to serve common people is .serving no one.* Another book of my privileges, equal to the one above men- tioned, was left by me at Cadiz, with Franco Catanio (who is the bearer of this letter), with instructions to send it to yon, in order that you would keep it, together with the other, in some safe place, at your discretion. At the time of my departure I received a letter from the King and Queen, my Lord and Lad>-. It is written there. Look at it, and you w'ill find it very good. Nevertheless, Don Diego was not given possession, as it was promised. While I was in the Indies, I wrote to Their Highnesses, through three or four channels, about ray voyage. One of these letters came back to me, and sealed as it was. I enclose it in this and send it to you. In another letter I enclo.se also a supplement to the above description of my voyage, and I pray you to give both to Micer Juan Luis, to whom I also have written and said that you will be the reader and interpreter of the said letters. * "Quien sirve a comun, no sirve a ningun.'" I am anxious to hear from you, especially about the plan which we agreed to. I arrived here very sick, and at about the time in which the Queen, my Lady (whom God has with Him), died, and I could not see her. Up to the present, it is impossible for me to tell you what will be the practical result of all my doings. I suppose that Her Highness has properly provided in her will for everything con- cerning this matter, and the King, my Lord, always gives good answers. Franco Caianio will verbally explain to you, at length, all the rest. May our Lord keep you in His guard. From Seville, December 27th, 1504. S. S. A. S. X. M. Y. XPO FERENS. 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