The friendly people were soon after

made slaves by the Spaniards,

and in a few years were

almost all dead from the cruel treatment of

their masters.

for it; but on the contrary inviting us to ask them. They exhibit great love towards all others in preference to themselves: they also give objects of great value for trifles, and content themselves with very little in return. I, however, forbade that these trifles and articles of no value, such as pieces of dishes, plates, and glass, keys, and leather straps should be given to them; although if they could obtain them, they imagined themselves to be possessed of the most beautiful trinkets in the world.

On my arrival in the new world I took some Indians by force from the first island to which I came, in order that they might learn our language. These men are still travelling with me, and although they have been with us now for a long time, they continue to entertain the idea that I have descended from heaven. heaven. On our arrival at any new place they publish this, crying out immediately with a loud voice to the other Indians, "Come, come and look upon beings of a celestial race": upon which both women and men, children and adults, young men and old, when they get rid of the fear they at first entertain, will come out in throngs, crowding the roads to see us, some bringing food and others drink, with astonishing affection and kindness.

3. A Father dressed in Silk

BY TWO ITALIAN GENTLEMEN (1497)

LONDON, 23d August, 1497.

and a

John Cabot

was sent out

by Henry

VII, King of England, and first English voyage to

this was the

America.
A league
three miles.

=

OUR Venetian, John Cabot, who went with a small ship from Bristol to find new islands, has come back, and says that he has discovered, seven hundred leagues off, the mainland of the country of China. He coasted along it for three hundred leagues, and landed but did not see any people. But he has brought here to the king certain snares spread to take game, needle for making nets. He found some notched trees, from which he judged that people lived about there. Being in doubt, he came back to the ship. He had been away three months on the voyage, and, in returning, he saw two islands to the right; but he did not wish to land, lest he should lose time, for he was in want of provisions. The king of this country Henry VII of England. has been much pleased. He has promised for another time ten armed ships such as Cabot desires, and has given him all the prisoners, except such as Ie. let Cabot are confined for high treason, to go with him. The king has granted him money also, with which to amuse himself till then. Meanwhile, he is with his relieve the Venetian wife and his sons at Bristol. His name is English John Cabot and he is called the Great Admiral; prisons. great honor is paid to him, and he goes about dressed Rascals in silk. The English are ready to go with him, and so are many of our rascals. As discoverer of these things, Cabot has planted a large cross in the ground with a banner of England, and one of St. Mark, as he is a Venetian; so that our flag has been hoisted very far away.

take them as seamen,

so as to

overcrowded

=

poor men.

St. Mark is the patron

saint of

Venice.

It was still supposed

that the coast of America was a part

of China or Japan.

These two letters were written to the

18th December, 1497.

Perhaps amidst so many occupations of your Excellency it will not be unwelcome to learn how the King of England has gained a part of Asia without drawing his sword. In this kingdom there is a certain Venetian named John Cabot, of gentle disposition, very expert in navigation, who, seeing that the most serene Kings of Portugal and Spain had occupied unknown islands, wished to gain new territory for the English king. Having obtained the king's promise that he might have the lordship of the dominions which he might discover, Cabot embarked in a small vessel with a crew of eighteen persons, and set out from Bristol, a port in the western part of this kingdom. He wandered for a long time; at length he came to land, where he hoisted the royal standard, and took possession for his Highness; then, having governments obtained various proofs of his discovery, he returned. Since John was a foreigner and poor, he would not have been believed if the crew, who are nearly all English, and belong to Bristol, had not testified that what he said was the truth. This Cabot has the description of the world on a chart, and also on a solid sphere which he has made. On this he shows where he has been. They say that the new land is excellent and the climate is temperate; they also say that perhaps dye-wood and silk grow there. They affirm that the sea is full of fish, which are taken not only with a net, but also with a basket, which has a stone fastened to it in order to keep it in the water. This I have heard John Cabot himself say. People look upon him as a prince.

of Venice and Milan.

The first

man to sug

gest the name of America

was a

German school

4. The Name America

BY HYLACOMYLUS (1507)

AND the fourth part of the world having been discovered by Americus, it may be called Amerige; that

master whose is, the land of Americus or America.

name means "Miller of

the Wood Pond."

Really

Americus

Vespucius

discovered very little, and does not deserve to have the continents named for him.

The South
Sea, which

we call the
Pacific
Ocean,
which

washed the eastern shores of India and China, was

Now truly, since these regions are more widely explored, and another fourth part is discovered by Americus Vesputius, as may be learned from the following letters, I do not see why any one may justly forbid it to be named Amerige, that is, Americ's Land, after Americus the discoverer, who is a man of sagacious mind; or call it America, since both Europa and Asia derived their names from women.

5. How to find an Ocean

BY ANTONIO HERRERA (1513)

BALBOA, having resolved to march over to the South Sea, and having provided all things necessary for it, set out from Darien in the beginning of September, 1513. He went by sea as far as the land of the Cacique Careta. There he left the brigantines and the canoes and advanced towards the mountain. Careta who was friendly to him commanded some of his subjects to attend Balboa. A neighboring Cacique, Ponca, by name, who had spies abroad, was informed that the Spaniards were coming up his mountain, and hid himexplorers set self in an out of the way part of his territory. Balboa sent some of the Careta Indians to assure him that he was doing no harm but would be his friend as he was Careta's. So Ponca came, bringing a present of gold.

what most of the early European

out to find.

Balboa, a Spanish officer, had

heard from a