Of how the Infant Don Henry required of the King the right over the
Canaries.
In the year 1446 the Infant began to make ready his ships to return to
the said conquest, but before doing aught in the same, he requested the
Infant Don Pedro, his brother, who at that time was ruling the Kingdom
in the name of the King, to give him a Letter forbidding all the
subjects of these realms from daring to go to the Canary Islands, to
make war or treat of merchandise, without the command of the said
Infant. This letter was granted him, and beside this he was privileged
to enjoy a fifth of whatever should be brought from there; and this was
very rightly given him, considering the great expense which that noble
Prince had incurred in the matter of the said conquest. And though we
found the substance of that letter set forth in the former book written
by Affonso Cerveira, by aid of which we prosecute this history, yet we
care not to transcribe it, for it is no new thing to any one of
experience to see such writings, and well we know that their style would
rather induce weariness in readers, so trite is it, than the desire to
see their accustomed reasonings.[N201a]