CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
AND HOW HE RECEIVED AND
IMPARTED THE SPIRIT
OF DISCOVERY
BY
JUSTIN WINSOR
They that go down to the sea in ships,
that do business in great waters, these
see the works of the Lord and his wonders
in the deep.—Psalms, cvii. 23, 24
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
The Riverside Press, Cambridge
1891
By JUSTIN WINSOR.
All rights reserved.
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co.
To FRANCIS PARKMAN, LL.D.,
The Historian of New France.
Dear Parkman:—
You and I have not followed the maritime peoples of western Europe in planting and defending their flags on the American shores without observing the strange fortunes of the Italians, in that they have provided pioneers for those Atlantic nations without having once secured in the New World a foothold for themselves.
When Venice gave her Cabot to England and Florence bestowed Verrazano upon France, these explorers established the territorial claims of their respective and foster motherlands, leading to those contrasts and conflicts which it has been your fortune to illustrate as no one else has.
When Genoa gave Columbus to Spain and Florence accredited her Vespucius to Portugal, these adjacent powers, whom the Bull of Demarcation would have kept asunder in the new hemisphere, established their rival races in middle and southern America, neighboring as in the Old World; but their contrasts and conflicts have never had so worthy a historian as you have been for those of the north.
The beginnings of their commingled history I have tried to relate in the present work, and I turn naturally to associate in it the name of the brilliant historian of France and England in North America with that of your obliged friend,
Cambridge, June, 1890.
CONTENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE CHAPTER I.Sources, and the Gatherers of Them 1
Illustrations: Manuscript of Columbus, 2; the Genoa Custodia, 5; Columbus's Letter to the Bank of St. George, 6; Columbus's Annotations on the Imago Mundi, 8; First Page, Columbus's First Letter, Latin edition (1493), 16; Archivo de Simancas, 24.
CHAPTER II.Biographers and Portraitists 30
Illustrations: Page of the Giustiniani Psalter, 31; Notes of Ferdinand Columbus on his Books, 42; Las Casas, 48; Roselly de Lorgues, 53; St. Christopher, a Vignette on La Cosa's Map (1500), 62; Earliest Engraved Likeness of Columbus in Jovius, 63; the Florence Columbus, 65; the Yañez Columbus, 66; a Reproduction of the Capriolo Cut of Columbus, 67; De Bry's Engraving of Columbus, 68; the Bust on the Tomb at Havana, 69.
CHAPTER III.The Ancestry and Home of Columbus
The Uncertainties of the Early Life of Columbus 79
Illustrations: Drawing ascribed to Columbus, 80; Benincasa's Map (1476), 81; Ship of the Fifteenth Century, 82.
CHAPTER V.The Allurements of Portugal 85
Illustrations: Part of the Laurentian Portolano, 87; Map of Andrea Bianco, 89; Prince Henry, the Navigator, 93; Astrolabes of Regiomontanus, 95, 96; Sketch Map of African Discovery, 98; Fra Mauro's World-Map, 99; Tomb of Prince Henry at Batalha, 100; Statue of Prince Henry at Belem, 101.
CHAPTER VI.Columbus in Portugal 103
Illustrations: Toscanelli's Map restored, 110; Map of Eastern Asia, with Old and New Names, 113; Catalan Map of Eastern Asia (1375), 114; Marco Polo, 115; Albertus Magnus, 120; the Laon Globe, 123; Oceanic Currents, 130; Tables of Regiomontanus (1474-1506), 132; Map of the African Coast (1478), 133; Martin Behaim, 134.
CHAPTER VII.Was Columbus in the North? 135
Illustrations: Map of Olaus Magnus (1539), 136; Map of Claudius Clavus (1427), 141; Bordone's Map (1528), 142; Map of Sigurd Stephanus (1570), 145.
CHAPTER VIII.Columbus Leaves Portugal for Spain 149
Illustrations: Portuguese Mappemonde (1490), 152; Père Juan Perez de Marchena, 155; University of Salamanca, 162; Monument to Columbus at Genoa, 163; Ptolemy's Map of Spain (1482),
The Final Agreement and the First Voyage, 1492 178
Illustrations: Behaim's Globe (1492), 186, 187; Doppelmayer's Reproduction of this Globe, 188, 189; the actual America in Relation to Behaim's Geography, 190; Ships of Columbus's Time, 192, 193; Map of the Canary Islands, 194; Map of the Routes of Columbus, 196; of his track in 1492, 197; Map of the Agonic Line, 199; Lapis Polaris Magnes, 200; Map of Polar Regions by Mercator (1509), 202; Map of the Landfall of Columbus, 210; Columbus's Armor, 211; Maps of the Bahamas (1601 and modern), 212, 213.
CHAPTER X.Among the Islands and the Return Voyage 218
Illustration: Indian Beds, 222.
CHAPTER XI.Columbus in Spain again; March To September, 1493 243
Illustrations: The Arms of Columbus, 250; Pope Alexander VI., 253; Crossbow-Maker, 258; Clock-Maker, 260.
CHAPTER XII.The Second Voyage, 1493-1494 264
Illustrations: Map of Guadaloupe, Marie Galante, and Dominica, 267; Cannibal Islands, 269.
CHAPTER XIII.The Second Voyage, continued, 1494 284
Illustrations: Mass on Shore, 298.
CHAPTER XIV.The Second Voyage, continued, 1494-1496 303
Illustrations: Map of the Native Divisions of Española,
In Spain, 1496-1498. Da Gama, Vespucius, Cabot 325
Illustrations: Ferdinand of Aragon, 328; Bartholomew Columbus, 329; Vasco Da Gama, 334; Map of South Africa 1513), 335; Earliest Representation of South American Natives, 336.
CHAPTER XVI.The Third Voyage, 1498-1500 347
Illustrations: Map of the Gulf of Paria, 353; Pre-Columbian Mappemonde, restored, 357; Ramusio's Map of Española, 369; La Cosa's Map (1500), 380, 381; Ribero's Map of the Antilles (1529), 383; Wytfliet's Cuba, 384, 385.
CHAPTER XVII.The Degradation and Disheartenment of Columbus (1500) 388
Illustrations: Santo Domingo, 391.
CHAPTER XVIII.Columbus again in Spain, 1500-1502 407
Illustrations: First Page of the Mundus Novus, 411; Map of the Straits of Belle Isle, 413; Manuscript of Gaspar Cortereal, 414; of Miguel Cortereal, 416; the Cantino Map, 419.
CHAPTER XIX.The Fourth Voyage, 1502-1504 437
Illustrations: Bellin's Map of Honduras, 443; of Veragua, 446.
CHAPTER XX.Columbus's Last Years. Death and Character 477
Illustrations: House where Columbus died, 490; Cathedral at Santo Domingo, 493; Statue of Columbus at Santo Domingo, 495.
CHAPTER XXI.The Descent of Columbus's Honors
Illustrations: Pope Julius II., 517; Charles the Fifth, 519; Ruins of Diego Colon's House, 521.
APPENDIX.The Geographical Results 529
Illustrations: Ptolemy, 530; Map by Donis (1482), 531; Ruysch's Map (1508), 532; the so-called Admiral's Map (1513), 534; Münster's Map (1532), 535; Title-Page of the Globus Mundi, 352; of Eden's Treatyse of the Newe India, 537; Vespucius, 539; Title of the Cosmographiæ Introductio, 541; Map in Ptolemy (1513), 544, 545; the Tross Gores, 547; the Hauslab Globe, 548; the Nordenskiöld Gores, 549; Map by Apianus (1520), 550; Schöner's Globe (1515), 551; Frisius's Map (1522), 552; Peter Martyr's Map (1511), 557; Ponce de Leon, 558; his tracks on the Florida Coast, 559; Ayllon's Map, 561; Balboa, 563; Grijalva, 566; Globe in Schöner's Opusculum, 567; Garay's Map of the Gulf of Mexico, 568; Cortes's Map of the Gulf of Mexico, 569; the Maiollo Map (1527), 570; the Lenox Globe, 571; Schöner's Globe (1520), 572; Magellan, 573; Magellan's Straits by Pizafetta, 575; Modern Map of the Straits, 576; Freire's Map (1546), 578; Sylvanus's Map in Ptolemy (1511), 579; Stobnieza's Map, 580; the Alleged Da Vinci Sketch-Map, 582; Reisch's Map (1515), 583; Pomponius Mela's World-Map, 584; Vadianus,