and two more about ten in the morning, and long streams of weeds floated
from east to west. That morning the pilot of the admiral's ship said that
they were now five hundred seventy-eight leagues west from the island
of Ferro. In his public account the admiral said they were five hundred
eighty-four leagues to the west; but in his private journal he made the
real distance seven hundred seven leagues, or one hundred twenty-nine
more than was reckoned by the pilot. The other two ships differed much in
their computation from each other and from the admiral's pilot. The pilot
of the Nina, in the afternoon of the Wednesday following, said they
had only sailed five hundred forty leagues, and the pilot of the Pinta
reckoned six hundred thirty-four. Thus they were all much short of the
truth; but the admiral winked at the gross mistake, that the men, not
thinking themselves so far from home, might be the less dejected.
The next day, being Tuesday, October 2d, they saw abundance of fish,
caught one small tunny, and saw a white bird with many other small birds,
and the weeds appeared much withered and almost fallen to powder. Next
day, seeing no birds, they suspected that they had passed between some
islands on both hands, and had slipped through without seeing them, as
they guessed that the many birds which they had seen might have been
passing from one island to another. On this account they were very
earnest to have the course altered one way or the other, in quest of
these imaginary lands. But the admiral, unwilling to lose the advantage
of the fair wind which carried him due west, which he accounted his
surest course, and afraid to lessen his reputation by deviating from
course to course in search of land, which he always affirmed that he well
knew where to find, refused his consent to any change. On this the people
were again ready to mutiny, and resumed their murmurs and cabals against
him. But it pleased God to aid his authority by fresh indications of
land.
On Thursday, October 4th, in the afternoon, above forty sparrows together
and two alcatrases flew so near the ship that a seaman killed one of
them with a stone. Several other birds were seen at this time, and many
flying-fish fell into the ships. Next day there came a rabo-de-junco and
an alcatras from the westward, and many sparrows were seen. About sunrise
on Sunday, October 7th, some signs of land appeared to the westward, but
being imperfect no person would mention the circumstance. This was owing
to fear of losing the reward of thirty crowns yearly for life which
had been promised by their Catholic majesties to whoever should first
discover land; and to prevent them from calling out "Land, land!" at
every turn without just cause, it was made a condition that whoever said
he saw land should lose the reward if it were not made out in three days,
even if he should afterward actually prove the first discoverer. All on
board the admiral's ship, being thus forewarned, were exceedingly careful
not to cry out "Land!" on uncertain tokens; but those in the Niña, which
sailed better and always kept ahead, believing that they certainly saw
land, fired a gun and hung out their colors in token of the discovery;
but the farther they sailed, the more the joyful appearance lessened,
till at last it vanished away. But they soon afterward derived much
comfort by observing great flights of large fowl and others of small
birds going from the west toward the southwest.
Being now at a vast distance from Spain, and well assured that such small
birds would not go far from land, the admiral now altered his course
from due west which had been hitherto, and steered to the southwest. He
assigned as a reason for now changing his course, although deviating
little from his original design, that he followed the example of the
Portuguese, who had discovered most of their islands by attending to the
flight of birds, and because these they now saw flew almost uniformly in
one direction. He said likewise that he had always expected to discover
land about the situation in which they now were, having often told them
that he must not look to find land until they should get seven hundred
fifty leagues to the westward of the Canaries, about which distance he
expected to fall in with Hispaniola, which he then called Cipango;[17]
and there is no doubt that he would have found this island by his direct
course, if it had not been that it was reported to extend from north to
south. Owing therefore to his not having inclined more to the south, he
had missed that and others of the Caribbee islands, whither those birds
were now bending their flight, and which had been for some time upon his
larboard hand. It was from being so near the land that they continually
saw such great numbers of birds; and on Monday, October 8th, twelve
singing birds of various colors came to the ship, and after flying round
it for a short time held on their way. Many other birds were seen from
the ship flying toward the southwest, and that same night great numbers
of large fowl were seen, and flocks of small birds proceeding from the
northward, and all going to the southwest. In the morning a jay was seen,
with an alcatras, several ducks, and many small birds, all flying the
same way with the others, and the air was perceived to be fresh and
odoriferous as it is at Seville in the month of April. But the people
were now so eager to see land and had been so often disappointed that
they ceased to give faith to these continual indications; insomuch that
on Wednesday, the 10th, although abundance of birds were continually
passing both by day and night, they never ceased to complain. The admiral
upbraided their want of resolution, and declared that they must persist
in their endeavors to discover the Indies, for which he and they had been
sent out by their Catholic majesties.
It would have been impossible for the admiral to have much longer
withstood the numbers which now opposed him; but it pleased God that, in
the afternoon of Thursday, October 11th, such manifest tokens of being
near the land appeared that the men took courage and rejoiced at their
good-fortune as much as they had been before distressed. From the
admiral's ship a green rush was seen to float past, and one of those
green fish which never go far from the rocks. The people in the Pinta saw
a cane and a staff in the water, and took up another staff very curiously
carved, and a small board, and great plenty of weeds were seen which
seemed to have been recently torn from the rocks. Those of the Niña,
besides similar signs of land, saw a branch of a thorn full of red
berries, which seemed to have been newly torn from the tree.
From all these indications the admiral was convinced that he now drew
near to the land, and after the evening prayers he made a speech to the
men, in which he reminded them of the mercy of God in having brought them
so long a voyage with such favorable weather, and in comforting them with
so many tokens of a successful issue to their enterprise, which were now
every day becoming plainer and less equivocal. He besought them to be
exceedingly watchful during the night, as they well knew that in the
first article of the instructions, which he had given to all the three
ships before leaving the Canaries, they were enjoined, when they should
have sailed seven hundred leagues west without discovering land, to lay
to every night from midnight till daybreak. And, as he had very confident
hopes of discovering land that night, he required every one to keep watch
at their quarters; and, besides the gratuity of thirty crowns a year for
life, which had been graciously promised by their sovereigns to him that
first saw the land, he engaged to give the fortunate discoverer a velvet
doublet from himself.
After this, as the admiral was in his cabin, about ten o'clock at night,
he saw a light on shore; but it was so unsteady that he could not
certainly affirm that it came from land. He called to one Pedro Gutierrez
and desired him to try if he could perceive the same light, who said he
did; but one Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, on being desired to look the
same way, could not see it, because he was not up time enough, as neither
the admiral nor Gutierrez could see it again above once or twice for a
short space, which made them judge it to proceed from a candle or torch
belonging to some fisherman or traveller, who lifted it up occasionally
and lowered it again, or perhaps from people going from one house to
another, because it appeared and vanished again so suddenly. Being now
very much on their guard, they still held on their course until about two
in the morning of Friday, October 12th, when the Pinta, which was always
far ahead, owing to her superior sailing, made the signal of seeing land,
which was first discovered by Rodrigo de Triana at about two leagues from
the ship. But the thirty crowns a year were afterward granted to the
admiral, who had seen the light in the midst of darkness, a type of the
spiritual light which he was the happy means of spreading in these dark
regions of error. Being now so near land, all the ships lay to, everyone
thinking it long till daylight, that they might enjoy the sight they had
so long and anxiously desired.
When daylight appeared, the newly discovered land was perceived to
consist of a flat island fifteen leagues in length, without any hills,
all covered with trees, and having a great lake in the middle. The island
was inhabited by great abundance of people, who ran down to the shore
filled with wonder and admiration at the sight of the ships, which they
conceived to be some unknown animals. The Christians were not less
curious to know what kind of people they had fallen in with, and the
curiosity on both sides was soon satisfied, as the ships soon came to
anchor. The admiral went on shore with his boat well armed, and having
the royal standard of Castile and Leon displayed, accompanied by the
commanders of the other two vessels, each in his own boat, carrying the
particular colors which had been allotted for the enterprise, which were
white with a green cross and the letter F on one side, and on the other
the names of Ferdinand and Isabella crowned.
The whole company kneeled on the shore and kissed the ground for joy,
returning God thanks for the great mercy they had experienced during
their long voyage through seas hitherto unpassed, and their now happy
discovery of an unknown land.
The admiral then stood up, and took formal possession in the usual words
for their Catholic majesties of this island, to which he gave the name
of San Salvador. All the Christians present admitted Columbus to the
authority and dignity of admiral and viceroy, pursuant to the commission
which he had received to that effect, and all made oath to obey him as
the legitimate representative of their Catholic majesties, with such
expressions of joy and acknowledgment as became their mighty success; and
they all implored his forgiveness of the many affronts he had received
from them through their fears and want of confidence. Numbers of the
Indians or natives of the island were present at these ceremonies; and,
perceiving them to be peaceable, quiet, and simple people, the admiral
distributed several presents among them. To some he gave red caps, and
to others strings of glass beads, which they hung about their necks, and
various other things of small value, which they valued as if they had
been jewels of high price.
After the ceremonies, the admiral went off in his boat, and the Indians
followed him even to the ships, some by swimming and others in their
canoes, carrying parrots, clews of spun cotton yarn, javelins, and other
such trifling articles, to barter for glass beads, bells, and other
things of small value. Like people in the original simplicity of nature,
they were all naked, and even a woman who was among them was entirely
destitute of clothing. Most of them were young, seemingly not above
thirty years of age, of a good stature, with very thick black lank hair,
mostly cut short above their ears, though some had it down to their
shoulders, tied up with a string about their head like women's tresses.
Their countenances were mild and agreeable and their features good; but
their foreheads were too high, which gave them rather a wild appearance.
They were of a middle stature, plump, and well shaped, but of an olive
complexion, like the inhabitants of the Canaries, or sunburnt peasants.
Some were painted with black, others with white, and others again with
red; in some the whole body was painted, in others only the face, and
some only the nose and eyes. They had no weapons like those of Europe,
neither had they any knowledge of such; for when our people showed them a
naked sword, they ignorantly grasped it by the edge. Neither had they any
knowledge of iron, as their javelins were merely constructed of wood,
having their points hardened in the fire, and armed with a piece of
fish-bone. Some of them had scars of wounds on different parts, and,
being asked by signs how these had been got, they answered by signs that
people from other islands came to take them away, and that they had been
wounded in their own defence. They seemed ingenious and of a voluble
tongue, as they readily repeated such words as they once heard. There was
no kind of animals among them excepting parrots, which they carried to
barter with the Christians among the articles already mentioned, and in
this trade they continued on board the ships till night, when they all
returned to the shore.
In the morning of the next day, being October 13th, many of the natives
returned on board the ships in their boats or canoes, which were all of
one piece hollowed like a tray from the trunk of a tree; some of these
were so large as to contain forty or forty-five men, while others were so
small as only to hold one person, with many intermediate sizes between
these extremes. These they worked along with paddles formed like a
baker's peel or the implement which is used in dressing hemp. These oars
or paddles were not fixed by pins to the sides of the canoes like ours,
but were dipped into the water and pulled backward as if digging. Their
canoes are so light and artfully constructed that if overset they soon
turn them right again by swimming; and they empty out the water by
throwing them from side to side like a weaver's shuttle, and when half
emptied they ladle out the rest with dried calabashes cut in two, which
they carry for that purpose.
This second day the natives, as said before, brought various articles to
barter for such small things as they could procure in exchange. Jewels or
metals of any kind were not seen among them, except some small plates of
gold which hung from their nostrils; and on being questioned from whence
they procured the gold, they answered by signs that they had it from
the south, where there was a king who possessed abundance of pieces and
vessels of gold; and they made our people to understand that there were
many other islands and large countries to the south and southwest. They
were very covetous to get possession of anything which belonged to the
Christians, and being themselves very poor, with nothing of value to give
in exchange, as soon as they got on board, if they could lay hold of
anything which struck their fancy, though it were only a piece of a
broken glazed earthen dish or porringer, they leaped with it into the sea
and swam on shore with their prize. If they brought anything on board
they would barter it for anything whatever belonging to our people, even
for a piece of broken glass; insomuch that some gave sixteen large clews
of well-spun cotton yarn, weighing twenty-five pounds, for three small
pieces of Portuguese brass coin not worth a farthing. Their liberality in
dealing did not proceed from their putting any great value on the things
themselves which they received from our people in return, but because
they valued them as belonging to the Christians, whom they believed
certainly to have come down from heaven, and they therefore earnestly
desired to have something from them as a memorial. In this manner all
this day was spent, and the islanders, as before, went all on shore at
night.
[Footnote 1: In the other editions this part of the sentence reads,
"concerning the islands of India beyond the Ganges, recently
discovered."]
[Footnote 2: The name of Isabella (Helisabet) is also omitted in the
title of one of Plannck's editions; it is found in the two other Roman
editions.]
[Footnote 3: The correct form is Gabriel Sanchez.]
[Footnote 4: April 29th.]
[Footnote 5: A mistake of the Latin translator. Columbus sailed from
Palos, August 3, 1492; on September 8th he left the Canaries, and on
October 11th, or thirty-three days later, he reached the Bahamas.]
[Footnote 6: In Spanish, San Salvador, one of the Bahama Islands. It
has been variously identified with Grand Turk, Cat, Watling, Mariguana,
Samana, and Acklin Islands. Watling's Island seems to have much in its
favor.]
[Footnote 7: Perhaps Crooked Island, or, according to others, North
Caico.]
[Footnote 8: Identified by some with Long Island, by others with Little
Inagua.]
[Footnote 9: Identified variously with Fortune Island and Great Inagua.]
[Footnote 10: The island of Cuba.]
[Footnote 11: China.]
[Footnote 12: Hispaniola, or Hayti.]
[Footnote:13 From Catalonia by the sea-coast to Fontarabia in Biscay.]
[Footnote 14: Identified with Dominica.]
[Footnote 15: Supposed to be Martinique.]
[Footnote 16: March 14, 1493.]
[Footnote 17: The name given by Marco Polo to an island or islands
supposed to be the modern Japan, for outlying portions of which Columbus
mistook the West Indies.]
CONSPIRACY, REBELLION, AND EXECUTION OF PERKIN WARBECK
A.D. 1492
FRANCIS BACON
Soon after his accession to the throne of England, Henry VII married
Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, uniting the rival houses of
York and Lancaster. But notwithstanding this adjustment of the rival
interests, the rule of Henry, the Lancastrian, failed to satisfy the
Yorkists; and this party, with the aid of Margaret of Burgundy--sister of
Edward IV--and James IV of Scotland, set up two impostors, one after the
other, to claim the English throne. At the same time there was living a
real heir of the house of York--young Edward, Earl of Warwick, son of the
Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward IV. Henry had taken the precaution to
keep this genuine Yorkist in the Tower.
In 1487 a spurious earl of Warwick appeared in Ireland. Receiving
powerful support in that country, he was actually crowned in the
Cathedral of Dublin. In order to defeat this imposture Henry exhibited
the real earl to the people of London. He also vanquished the army of
the pretender at Stoke, in June, 1487. This false earl was found to be
Lambert Simnel, son of an Oxford joiner. He became a scullion in King
Henry's kitchen.
The second of these impostors, known as Perkin Warbeck, contrived to make
himself a figure of some importance in the history of England. Supposedly
born in Flanders, he first appears upon the historic stage in 1492, when
he landed at Cork. Going soon after to France, he was recognized by the
court as Duke of York, according to his claim. How he was coached for his
part, and how the drama in which he played it was acted out, are told by
Bacon in what is perhaps the best specimen we have of that great author's
style in historical composition.
Warbeck was executed in 1499, and, although Bacon gives us no dates,
the whole history, covering about seven years, may be said to form
a practically continuous series of incidents. The character of this
adventurer has been made quite prominent in literature, having been the
subject of Ford's tragedy, _The Chronicle History of Perkin Warbeck_
(1634), of a play by Charles Macklin, _King Henry VII, or the Popish
Impostor_ (1716), and of Joseph Elderton's drama, _The Pretender_.
This youth of whom we are now to speak was such a mercurial as the like
hath seldom been known, and could make his own part if at any time he
chanced to be out. Wherefore, this being one of the strangest examples of
a personation that ever was in elder or later times, it deserveth to be
discovered and related at the full--although the King's manner of showing
things by pieces and by dark lights hath so muffled it that it hath been
left almost as a mystery to this day.
The Lady Margaret,[1] whom the King's friends called Juno, because she
was to him as Juno was to Aeneas, stirring both heaven and hell to do him
mischief, for a foundation of her particular practices against him, did
continually, by all means possible, nourish, maintain, and divulge the
flying opinion that Richard, Duke of York, second son to Edward IV, was
not murdered in the Tower, as was given out, but saved alive. For that
those who were employed in that barbarous act, having destroyed the elder
brother, were stricken with remorse and compassion toward the younger,
and set him privily at liberty to seek his fortune.
There was a townsman of Tournai, that had borne office in that town,
whose name was John Osbeck, a convert Jew, married to Catherine de Faro,
whose business drew him to live for a time with his wife at London, in
King Edward's days. During which time he had a son[2] by her, and being
known in the court, the King, either out of a religious nobleness because
he was a convert, or upon some private acquaintance, did him the honor to
be godfather to his child, and named him Peter. But afterward, proving a
dainty and effeminate youth, he was commonly called by the diminutive
of his name, Peterkin or Perkin. For as for the name of Warbeck, it was
given him when they did but guess at it, before examinations had been
taken. But yet he had been so much talked of by that name, as it stuck by
him after his true name of Osbeck was known.
While he was a young child, his parents returned with him to Tournai.
There he was placed in the house of a kinsman of his called John
Stenbeck, at Antwerp, and so roved up and down between Antwerp and
Tournai, and other towns of Flanders, for a good time, living much in
English company and having the English tongue perfect. In which time,
being grown a comely youth, he was brought by some of the espials of the
Lady Margaret into her presence. Who, viewing him well, and seeing that
he had a face and personage that would bear a noble fortune, and finding
him otherwise of a fine spirit and winning behavior, thought she had now
found a curious piece of marble to carve out an image of a Duke of York.
She kept him by her a great while, but with extreme secrecy.
The while she instructed him by many cabinet conferences. First, in
princely behavior and gesture, teaching him how he should keep state, and
yet with a modest sense of his misfortunes. Then she informed him of all
the circumstances and particulars that concerned the person of Richard,
Duke of York, which he was to act, describing unto him the personages,
lineaments, and features of the King and Queen, his pretended parents;
and of his brother and sisters, and divers others, that were nearest him
in his childhood; together with all passages, some secret, some common,
that were fit for a child's memory, until the death of King Edward. Then
she added the particulars of the time from the King's death, until he and
his brother were committed to the Tower, as well during the time he was
abroad as while he was in sanctuary. As for the times while he was in the
Tower, and the manner of his brother's death, and his own escape, she
knew they were things that a very few could control. And therefore she
taught him only to tell a smooth and likely tale of those matters,
warning him not to vary from it.
It was agreed likewise between them what account he should give of his
peregrination abroad, intermixing many things which were true, and such
as they knew others could testify, for the credit of the rest, but still
making them to hang together with the part he was to play. She taught him
likewise how to avoid sundry captious and tempting questions which were
like to be asked of him. But, this she found him so nimble and shifting
as she trusted much to his own wit and readiness, and therefore labored
the less in it.