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brought to a period, it would be imprudent to engage in any new and expenfive enterprise.

Whatever care was taken to foften the harfhnefs of this declaration, Columbus confidered it as a final rejection of his propofals. But happily for mankind, the fuperiority of genius, which is capable of forming great and uncommon defigns, is ufually accompanied with an ardent enthusiasm, which can neither be cooled by delays, nor damped by difappointment. Columbus was of this fanguine temper. Though he felt deeply the cruel blow given to his hopes, and retired immediately from a court, where he had been amused fo long with vain expectations, his confidence in the juftness of his own fyftem did not diminish, and his impatience to demonftrate the truth of it by an actual experiment became greater than ever. Having courted the protection of fovereign ftates without fuccefs, he applied, next, to perfons of inferior rank, and addreffed fucceffively the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and Medina Celi, who, though fubjects, were poffeffed of power and opulence more than equal to the enterprise which he projected. His negociations with them proved as fruitless, as thofe in which he had been hitherto engaged; for these noblemen were either as little convinced by Columbus's arguments as their fuperiors, or they were afraid of alarming the jealoufy, and offending the pride of Ferdinand, by countenancing a scheme which he had rejected.

Amid the painful fenfations occafioned by fuch a fucceffion of difap pointments, Columbus had to fuftain the additional diftrefs, of having received no accounts from his brother, whom he had fent to the court of England. In his voyage to that country, Bartholomew had been fo unfortunate as to fall into the hands of pirates, who having ftripped him of every thing, detained him a prisoner for feveral years. At length, he made his escape, and arrived in London, but in such extreme indigence, that he was obliged to employ himself, during a confiderable time, in drawing and felling maps, in order to pick up as much money as would purchase a decent dress, in which he might venture to appear at court. He then laid before the king the propofals, with which he had been entrusted by his brother, and, notwithstanding Henry's exceffive caution and parfimony, which rendered him averfe to new or expenfive undertakings, he received Columbus's overtures, with more approbation, than any monarch to whom they had hitherto been prefented.

Meanwhile, Columbus being unacquainted with his brother's fate, and having now no profpect of encouragement in Spain, refolved to vifit the court of England in perfon, in hopes of meeting with a more favourable reception there. He had already made preparations for this

purpose,

purpose, and taken measures for the disposal of his children during his abfence, when Juan Perez, the guardian of the monaftery of Rabida, near Palos, in which they had been educated, earnestly folicited him to defer his journey for a fhort time. Perez was a man of confiderable learning, and of fome credit with Queen Ifabella, to whom he was known perfonally. He was warmly attached to Columbus, with whofe abilities as well as integrity he had many opportunities of being ac quainted. Prompted by curiofity or by friendship, he entered upon an accurate examination of his fyftemn, in conjunction with a phyfician fettled in the neighbourhood, who was a confiderable proficient in mathematical knowledge. This inveftigation fatisfied them fo thoroughly, with refpect to the folidity of the principles on which Columbus founded his opinion, and the probability of fuccefs in executing the plan which he propofed, that Perez, in order to prevent his country from being deprived of the glory and benefit, which must accrue to the patrons of fuch a grand enterprise, ventured to write to Isabella, conjuring her to confider the matter anew, with the attention which it merited.

Moved by the reprefentations of a perfon whom she refpected, Ifabella defired Perez to repair immediately to the village of Santa Fé, in which, on account of the fiege of Granada, the court refided at that time, that fhe might confer with him upon this important fubject. The first effect of their interview was a gracious invitation of Columbus back to court, accompanied with the prefent of a small fum to equip him for the journey. As there was now a certain profpect, that the war with the Moors would speedily be brought to an happy iffue by the reduction of Granada, which would leave the nation at liberty to engage in new undertakings; this, as well as the mark of royal favour, with which Columbus had been lately honoured, encouraged his friends to appear with greater confidence than formerly in fupport of his fcheme. The chief of thefe, Alonfo de Quintanilla, comptroller of the finances in Caftile, and Luis de Santangel, receiver of the ecclefiaftical revenues in Arragon, whofe meritorious zeal in promoting this great defign entitles their names to an honourable place in history, introduced Columbus to many perfons of high rank, and interested them warmly in his behalf.

But it was not an easy matter to infpire Ferdinand with favourable fentiments. He ftill regarded Columbus's project as extravagant and chimerical; and in order to render the efforts of his partizans ineffectual, he had the addrefs to employ in this new negociation with him, fome of the perfons who had formerly pronounced his fcheme to be impracticable. To their aftonifhment, Columbus appeared before them with the fame confident hopes of fuccefs as formerly, and infifted upon

the

the fame high recompence. He propofed that a fmall fleet fhould be fitted out, under his command, to attempt the discovery, and demanded to be appointed hereditary admiral and viceroy of all the feas and lands which he fhould discover, and to have the tenth of the profits arifing from them, fettled irrevocably upon himself and his defcendants. At the fame time, he offered to advance the eighth part of the fum neceffary for accomplishing his defign, on condition that he should be entitled to a proportional fhare of benefit from the adventure. If the enterprise fhould totally miscarry, he made no ftipulation for any reward or emolument whatever. Inftead of viewing this conduct as the clearest evidence of his full perfuafion with respect to the truth of his own system, or being ftruck with that magnanimity which, after fo many delays and repulfes, would stoop to nothing inferior to its original claims, the perfons with whom Columbus treated, began meanly to calculate the expence of the expedition, and the value of the reward which he demanded. The expence, moderate as it was, they represented to be too great for Spain, in the prefent exhausted state of its finances. They contended, that the honours and emoluments claimed by Columbus, were exorbitant, even if he should perform the utmost of what he had promised; and if all his fanguine hopes should prove illufive, fuch vaft conceffions to an adventurer would be deemed not only inconfiderate, but ridiculous. In this impofing garb of caution and prudence, their opinion appeared fo plaufible, and was fo warmly fupported by Ferdinand, that Ifabella declined giving any countenance to Columbus, and abruptly broke off the negociation with him which she had begun.

This was more mortifying to Columbus than all the disappointments. which he had hitherto met with. The invitation to court from Ifabella, like an unexpected ray of light, had opened fuch profpects of fuccefs, as encouraged him to hope that his labours were at an end; but now darkness and uncertainty returned, and his mind, firm as it was, could hardly fupport the fhock of fuch an unforeseen reverfe. He withdrew in deep anguish from court, with an intention of profecuting his voyage to England, as his last resource.

About that time Granada furrendered, and Ferdinand and Isabella, in triumphal pomp, took poffeffion of a city, the reduction of which extirpated a foreign power from the heart of their dominions, and rendered them mafters of all the provinces, extending from the bottom of the Pyrenees to the frontiers of Portugal. As the flow of fpirits which accompanies fuccefs elevates the mind, and renders it enterprising, Quintanilla and Santangel, the vigilant and difcerning patrons of Columbus, took advantage of this favourable fituation, in order to make one effort

more

more in behalf of their friend. They addreffed themselves to Ifabella, and, after expreffing fome furprife, that the, who had always been the munificent patronefs of generous undertakings, fhould hefitate fo long to countenance the most splendid scheme that had ever been propofed to any monarch; they reprefented to her, that Columbus was a man of a sound understanding and virtuous character, well qualified, by his experience in navigation, as well as his knowledge of geometry, to form juft ideas with refpect to the ftructure of the globe and the fituation of its various regions; that, by offering to risk his own life and fortune in the execution of his scheme, he gave the most fatisfying evidence both of his integrity and hope of fuccefs; that the fum requifite for equipping fuch an armament as he demanded was inconfiderable, and the advantages which might accrue from his undertaking were immense; that he demanded no recompence for his invention and labour, but what was to arife from the countries which he fhould discover; that, as it was worthy of her magnanimity to make this noble attempt to extend the sphere of human knowledge, and to open an intercourse with regions hitherto unknown, so it would afford the highest fatisfaction to her piety and zeal, after re-establishing the Christian faith in thofe provinces of Spain from which it had been long banished, to discover a new world, to which fhe might communicate the light and bleffings of divine truth; that if now fhe did not decide inftantly, the opportunity would be irretrievably loft; that Columbus was on his way to foreign countries, where fome prince, more fortunate or adventurous, would clofe with his propofals, and Spain would for ever bewail the fatal timidity which had excluded her from the glory and advantages that she had once in her power to have enjoyed.

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These forcible arguments, urged by perfons of fuch authority, and at a juncture fo well chofen, produced the defired effect. They difpelled all Isabella's doubts and fears; the ordered Columbus to be instantly recalled, declared her refolution of employing him on his own terms, and regretting the low state of her finances, generously offered to pledge her own jewels, in order to raise as much money as might be needed in making preparations for the voyage. Santangel, in a transport of gratitude, kiffed the queen's hand, and in order to fave her from having recourse to fuch a mortifying expedient for procuring money, engaged to advance immediately the fum that was requifite.

Columbus had proceeded fome leagues on his journey, when the mefsenger from Isabella overtook him. Upon receiving an account of the unexpected revolution in his favour, he returned directly to Santo Fc, though fome remainder of diffidence ftill mingled itself with his joy.

But

But the cordial reception which he met with from Ifabella, together with the near profpect of fetting out upon that voyage which had fo long been the object of his thoughts and wishes, foon effaced the remembrance of all that he had fuffered in Spain, during eight tedious years of folicitation and fufpenfe. The negociation now went forward with facility and dispatch, and a treaty of capitulation with Columbus was figned on the feventeenth of April, one thousand four hundred and ninety-two. The chief articles of it were, 1. Ferdinand and Ifabella, as fovereigns of the ocean, constituted Columbus their high admiral in all the feas, islands, and continents which should be discovered by his industry; and ftipulated, that he and his heirs for ever fhould enjoy this office, with the fame powers and prerogatives which belonged to the high admiral of Caftile, within the limits of his jurifdiction. 2. They appointed Co lumbus their viceroy in all the islands and continents which he fhould difcover; but if, for the better adminiftration of affairs, it fhould hereafter be neceffary to establish a separate governor in any of thofe coun trics, they authorised Columbus to name three perfons, of whom they would chufe one for that office; and the dignity of viceroy, with all its immunities, was likewife to be hereditary, in the family of Columbus, 3. They granted to Columbus and his heirs for ever the tenth of the free profits accruing from the productions and commerce of the countries which he should difcover. 4. They declared, that if any controversy or law-fuit shall arise with respect to any mercantile transaction in the countries which fhould be discovered, it should be determined by the fole authority of Columbus, or of judges to be appointed by him. 5. They permitted Columbus to advance one-eighth part of what should be expended in preparing for the expedition, and in carrying on commerce with the countries which he fhould discover, and intitled him, in return, to an eighth part of the profit.

Though the name of Ferdinand appears conjoined with that of Isabella in this tranfaction, his distrust of Columbus was ftill fo violent that he refused to take any part in the enterprife as king of Arragon. As the whole expence of the expedition was to be defrayed by the crown of Caftile, Ifabella referved for her fubjects of that kingdom an exclufive right to all the benefits which might redound from its fuccefs.

As foon as the treaty was figned, Ifabella, by her attention and activity in forwarding the preparations for the voyage, endeavoured to make fome reparation to Columbus for the time which he had loft in fruitless folicitation. By the twelfth of May, all that depended upon her was adjusted; and Columbus waited on the king and queen, in order to receive their final inftructions. Every thing refpecting the deftination

and

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