inhabitants, though we knew very well, by the many signs we
saw, that the country was peopled. We took possession of it,
in the name of his most serene majesty, and found it to be
pleasant and verdant, and situated five degrees south of the
equinoctial line. This much we ascertained and then returned
to the ships. On the next day, while we were ashore, we saw
people looking at us from the summit of a mountain, but they
did not venture to descend. They were naked, and of the same
color and figure as those heretofore discovered by me for
the King of Spain. We made much exertion to persuade them to
come and speak with us, but could not assure them
sufficiently to trust us. Seeing their obstinacy, as it was
growing late we returned to the ships, leaving on shore for
them many bells, looking-glasses, and other things, in
places where they could find them. When we had gone away
they descended from the mountain and took possession of the
things we had left, appearing to be filled with wonder while
viewing them. The next morning we saw from the ships that
the people of the land were making many bonfires, and,
taking them for signals to go ashore, we went and found that
many had arrived; but they kept always at a distance, though
they made signs that they wished us to accompany them
inland. Whereupon two Christians were induced to ask the
captain's permission to brave the danger and go with them,
in order to see what kind of people they were, and whether
they had any kind of riches, spices, or drugs. They
importuned him so much that he finally consented, and after
having been fitted out with many articles for trade they
left us, with orders not to be absent more than five days,
as we should expect them with great anxiety. So they took
their way into the country, and we returned to the ships to
wait for them, which we did for six days; but they never
came back, though nearly every day there came people to the
shore, who would not, however, speak with us.
"On the seventh day we landed and found that they had
brought their wives with them, whom they commanded, as we
reached the shore, to speak with us. We observed that they
hesitated to obey the order, and accordingly determined to
send one of our people, a very courageous young man, to
address them. In order to encourage them, we entered the
boats while he went to speak with the women. When he arrived
they formed themselves into a great circle around him,
touching and looking at him as with astonishment. While all
this was going on, we saw a woman coming from the mountains
carrying a large club in her hands. When she arrived where
our young Christian stood she came up behind him and,
raising the bludgeon, gave him such a blow with it that she
laid him dead on the spot, and immediately the other women
took him by the feet and dragged him away towards the
mountain. The men ran towards the shore forthwith and began
to assail us with their arrows, throwing our people into a
great fright, in consequence of the boats having grounded,
many arrows reaching them. No one resorted to arms, but for
a time all was terror and panic. After a while, however, we
discharged four swivels at them, which had no other effect
than to make them flee towards the mountain, when they heard
the report. There we saw that the women had already cut the
young Christian in pieces, and at a great fire which they
had made were roasting him in our sight, showing us the
several pieces as they ate them. The men also made signs to
us indicating that they had killed the other two Christians
and eaten them in the same manner, which grieved us very
much.
" ... We departed from this place and sailed along in a
southeasterly direction, on a line parallel with the coast,
making many landings, but never finding any people with whom
to converse. Continuing in this manner, we found at length
that the line of the coast made a turn to the south, and
after doubling a cape, which we called St. Augustine, we
began to sail in a southerly direction. This cape is a
hundred and fifty leagues distant, easterly, from the
aforementioned land where the three Christians were
murdered, and eight degrees south of the equinoctial line.
While sailing on this course, we one day saw many people
standing on the shore, apparently in great wonder at the
sight of our ships. We directed our course towards them,
and, having anchored in a good place, proceeded to land in
the boats, and found the people better disposed than those
we had passed. Though it cost us some exertion to tame them,
we nevertheless made them our friends and treated with them.
In this place we stayed five days, and here we found
cassia-stems very large and green, and some already dried on
the tops of the trees. We determined to take a couple of men
from the place, in order that they might learn the language,
and three of them came with us voluntarily, wishing to visit
Portugal.
"Being already wearied with so much writing, I will delay no
longer the information that we left this port and sailed
continually in a southerly direction in sight of the shore,
making frequent landings and treating with a great number of
people. We went so far to the south that we were beyond the
tropic of Capricorn, where the south pole is elevated
thirty-two degrees above the horizon. We had then entirely
lost sight of Ursa Minor, and even Ursa Major was very low,
nearly on the edge of the horizon; so we steered by the
stars of the south pole, which are many, and much brighter
than those of the north. I drew the figures of the greater
part of them, particularly those of the first and second
magnitude, with a description of the circles which they made
around the pole, and an account of their diameters and
semi-diameters, as may be seen in my _Quattro Giornate_, or
_Four Journeys_.
"We ran on this coast about seven hundred and fifty leagues:
one hundred and fifty from Cape St. Augustine towards the
west, and six hundred towards the south. If I were to relate
all the things that I saw on this coast, and others that we
passed, as many more sheets as I have already written upon
would not be sufficient for the purpose. We saw nothing of
utility here, save a great number of dye-wood and cassia
trees, and also of those trees which produce myrrh. There
were, however, many natural curiosities, which cannot be
recounted.
"Having been already full ten months on the voyage, and
seeing that we had found no minerals in the country, we
concluded to take leave of it, and attempt the ocean in some
other part. It was determined in council to pursue whatever
course of navigation appeared best to me, and I was invested
with full command of the fleet. I ordered that all the
people and the fleet should be provided with wood and water
for six months--as much as the officers of the ship should
deem prudent to sail with. Having laid in our provisions, we
commenced our navigation with a southeasterly wind, on the
15th of February, when the sun was already approaching the
equinoctial line, and tending towards this, our northern
hemisphere. We were in such high southern latitude at this
time that the south pole was elevated fifty-two degrees
above the horizon, and we no longer saw the stars either of
Ursa Minor or Major.
"On the 3d of April we had sailed five hundred leagues from
the port we had left, and on this day commenced a storm so
violent that we had to take in all our sails and run under
bare poles. It was so furious that the whole fleet was in
apprehension. The nights were very long, being fifteen hours
in duration, the sun then being in Aries, and winter
prevailing in this region. While driven by this storm, on
the 7th of April, we came in sight of new land, and ran
within twenty leagues of it, finding the coast wild, and
seeing neither harbor nor inhabitants. The cold was so
severe that no one in the fleet could withstand or endure
it--which I conceive to be the reason for this want of
population. Finding ourselves in great danger, and the storm
so violent that we could scarce distinguish one ship from
another, on account of the high seas that were running and
the misty darkness of the weather, we agreed that the
superior captain should make signals to the fleet to turn
about, leave the country, and steer direct for Portugal.
"This proved to be very good counsel, for certain it is, if
we had delayed that night, we should all have been lost. We
took the wind aft, and during the night and next day the
storm increased so much that we were apprehensive for our
safety, and made many vows of pilgrimage, and the
performance of other ceremonies usual with [superstitious]
mariners in such weather. We ran five days, making about two
hundred and fifty leagues, and continually approaching the
equinoctial line, finding the air more mild and the sea less
boisterous; till at last it pleased God to deliver us from
this our great danger.
"It was our intention to go and reconnoitre the coast of
Ethiopia, which was thirteen hundred leagues distant from
us, through the great Atlantic sea, and by the grace of God
we arrived at it, touching at a southern port called Sierra
Leone, where we stayed fifteen days, obtaining refreshments.
From this place we steered for the Azore Islands, about
seven hundred and fifty leagues distant, where we arrived in
the latter part of July, and stayed another fifteen days,
taking some recreation. Then we departed for Lisbon, three
hundred leagues farther, which port we entered on the 7th of
September, 1502--for which the All-Powerful be
thanked!--with only two ships, having burned the other in
Sierra Leone because it was no longer sea-worthy.
"In this voyage we were absent about fifteen months, and
sailed eleven of them without seeing the north star, or
either of the constellations Ursa Major and Minor (which are
called the "horn"), steering meanwhile by the stars of the
other pole. The above is what I saw in this my third voyage,
made for his Serene Highness the King of Portugal."
XII
THE "FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH"
The following letter from Vespucci to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de
Medici, his friend and patron in Florence, was probably written in the
spring of 1503.
"_To my most Excellent Patron, Lorenzo:_
"My last letter to your excellency was written from a place
on the coast of Guinea called Cape Verde, and in it you were
informed of the commencement of my voyage. The present
letter will advise you of its continuation and termination.
"We started from the above-mentioned cape, having first
taken in all necessary supplies of wood, water, etc., to
discover new lands in the ocean. We sailed on a
southwesterly course until, at the end of sixty-four days,
we discovered land, which, on many accounts, we concluded to
be Terra Firma. We coasted this land about eight hundred
leagues, in a direction west by south. It was well
inhabited, and I noticed many remarkable things, which I
will attempt to narrate.
"We sailed in those seas until we entered the torrid zone,
and passed to the south of the equinoctial line and the
tropic of Capricorn, so that we were fifty degrees south of
the line. We navigated four months and twenty-seven days,
seeing neither the arctic pole nor Ursa Major or Minor. We
discovered here many beautiful constellations, invisible in
the northern hemisphere, and noted their marvellous
movements and their grandeur.... To proceed, now, to a
description of the country, the plants therein, and of the
customs of the inhabitants, I would observe that this region
is most delightful, and covered with immense forests which
never lose their foliage, and throughout the year yield
aromatic odors and produce an infinite variety of fruit,
grateful to the taste and healthful for the body. In the
fields flourish so many sweet flowers and herbs, and the
fruits are so delicious and fragrant, that I fancied myself
near the terrestrial paradise. What shall I tell you of the
birds and the brilliant colors of their plumage? What of
their variety, their sweet songs, and their beauty? I dare
not enlarge upon this theme, for I fear I should not be
believed. How shall I enumerate the infinite variety of
sylvan animals: lions, catamounts, panthers--though not like
those of our regions--wolves, stags, and baboons of all
kinds? We saw more wild animals--such as wild hogs, kids,
deer, hares, and rabbits--than could ever have entered the
ark of Noah; but we saw no domestic animals whatever.
"Now, consider reasoning animals. We found the whole region
inhabited by people who were entirely naked, both men and
women. They were well proportioned in body, with black,
coarse hair, and little or no beard. I labored much to
investigate their customs, remaining twenty-seven days for
that purpose, and the following is the information I
acquired. They have no laws and no religious beliefs, but
live according to the dictates of nature alone. They know
nothing of the immortality of the soul; they have no private
property, but everything in common; they have no boundaries
of kingdom or province; they obey no king or lord, for it is
wholly unnecessary, as they have no laws, and each one is
his own master. They dwell together in houses made like
bells, in the construction of which they use neither iron
nor any other metal. This is very remarkable, for I have
seen houses two hundred and twenty feet long and thirty feet
wide, built with much skill, and containing five or six
hundred people. They sleep in hammocks made of cotton,
suspended in the air, without any covering; they eat seated
upon the ground, and their food consists of roots and herbs,
fruits and fish. They eat also lobsters, crabs, oysters, and
many other kinds of mussels and shell-fish which are found
in the sea. As to their meat, it is principally human flesh.
It is true that they devour the flesh of four-footed animals
and birds; but they do not catch many, because they have no
dogs, and the woods are thick and so filled with wild beasts
that they do not care to go into them, except in large
bodies and armed. The men are in the habit of decorating
their lips and cheeks with bones and stones, which they
suspend from holes they bore in them. I have seen some of
them with three, seven, and even as many as nine holes,
filled with white or green alabaster--a most barbarous
custom, which they follow in order, as they say, to make
themselves appear ferocious.... They are a people of great
longevity, for we met with many who had descendants of the
fourth degree. Not knowing how to compute time, and counting
neither days, months, nor years--excepting in so far as they
count the lunar months--when they wanted to signify to us
any particular duration of time, they did it by showing us a
stone for each moon; and, computing in this manner, we
discovered that the age of one man that we saw was seventeen
hundred moons, or about one hundred and thirty-two years,
reckoning thirteen moons to the year.
"They are a warlike race and extremely cruel. All their
weapons are, as Petrarch says, "committed to the winds"--for
they consist of spears, arrows, stones, and javelins. They
use no shields for the body, going to battle almost wholly
naked. There is no order or discipline in their fights,
except that they follow the counsels of the old men. Most
cruelly do they combat, and those who conquer in the field
bury their own dead, but cut up and eat the dead of their
enemies. Some who are taken prisoners are carried to their
villages for slaves. Females taken in war they frequently
marry, and sometimes the male prisoners are allowed to marry
the daughters of the tribe; but occasionally a diabolical
fury seems to come over them, and, calling together their
relations and the people, they sacrifice these slaves, the
children with the parents, accompanied by barbarous
ceremonies. This we know of a certainty, for we found much
human flesh in their huts, hung up to smoke, and we
purchased ten poor creatures from them, both men and women,
whom they were about to sacrifice, to save them from such a
fate. Much as we reproached them on this account, I cannot
say that they amended at all. The most astounding thing in
all their wars and cruelty was that we could not find out
any reason for them. They made war against each other,
although they had neither kings, kingdoms, nor property of
any kind, without any apparent desire to plunder, and
without any lust for power--which always appeared to me to
be the moving causes of wars and anarchy. When we asked them
about this they gave no reason other than that they did so
to avenge the murder of their ancestors. To conclude this
disgusting subject: one man confessed to me that he had
eaten of the flesh of over two hundred bodies, and I believe
it was the truth.
"In regard to the climate of this region, I should say it
was extremely pleasant and healthful; for in all the time
that we were there, which was ten months, not one of us
died, and only a few were sick. They suffer from no
infirmity, pestilence, or corruption of the atmosphere, and
die only natural deaths, unless they fall by their own hands
or in consequence of accident. In fact, physicians would
have a bad time in such a place.
"As we went solely to make discoveries, and started with
that view from Lisbon, without intending to look for any
profit, we did not trouble ourselves to explore the country
much, and found nothing of great value; though I am inclined
to believe that it is capable, from its climate and general
appearance, of containing every kind of natural wealth. It
is not to be wondered at that we did not discover at once
everything that might be turned to profit there, for the
inhabitants think nothing of gold or silver or precious
stones, and value only feathers and bones. But I hope that I
shall be sent again by the king to visit these regions, and
that many years will not elapse before they will bring
immense profits and revenue to the kingdom of Portugal.
"We found great quantities of dye-wood, enough to load all
the ships that float, and costing nothing. The same may be
said of cassia, crystals, spices, and drugs; but the
qualities of the last are unknown. The inhabitants of the
country tell of gold and other metals; but I am one of those
who, like St. Thomas, are slow to believe. Time will show
all, however. Most of the time of our stay the heavens were
serene and adorned with numerous bright and beautiful stars,
many of which I observed, with their revolutions.
"This may be considered a schedule, or, as it were, a
_capita rerum_, of the things which I have seen in these
parts. Many things are omitted which are worthy of being
mentioned, in order to avoid prolixity, and because they are
found in my account of the voyage. As yet I tarry at Lisbon,
waiting the pleasure of the king to determine what I shall
do. May it please God that I do whatever is most to His
glory and the salvation of my soul."
A third and fuller account of the third voyage, written to Lorenzo di
Pier Francesco de Medici:
"In days past I gave your excellency a full account of my
return, and, if I remember aright, wrote you a description
of all those parts of the New World which I had visited in
the ships of his Highness the King of Portugal. Carefully
considered, they appear truly to form another world, and
therefore we have, not without reason, called it the _New
World_.
"Not one of all the ancients had any knowledge of it, and
the things which have been lately ascertained by us
transcend all their ideas. They thought there was nothing
south of the equinoctial line but an immense sea and some
poor and barren islands. The sea they called the Atlantic,
and if sometimes they confessed that there might be land in
that region, they contended that it must be sterile, and
could not be otherwise than uninhabitable. The present
navigation has controverted their opinions, and openly
demonstrated to all that they were very far from the truth.
For, beyond the equinoctial line I found countries more
fertile and more densely inhabited than I have ever found
anywhere else, even in Asia, Africa, and Europe--as will be
more fully manifested by duly attending to the following
narration. Setting aside all minor matters, I shall relate
only those of the greatest importance, which are well worthy
of commemoration, and those which I have _personally seen_,
or heard of from men of credibility. I shall now speak with
much care concerning those parts most recently discovered,
and without any romantic addition to the truth.
"With happy omens of success, we sailed from Lisbon with
three armed caravels, on the 13th of May, 1501, to explore,
by command of the king, the regions of the New World.
Steering a southwest course, we sailed twenty months in a
manner which I shall now relate. In the first place, we went
to the Fortunate Islands, which are now called the Grand
Canaries. After navigating the ocean we ran along the coast
of Africa and the country of the blacks as far as the
promontory which is called by Ptolemy Etiopia, by our people
Cape Verde, and by the negroes Biseneghe, while the
inhabitants themselves call it Madanghan. The country is
situated within the torrid zone, in about fourteen degrees
south latitude, and is inhabited by the blacks. Here we
reposed awhile to refresh ourselves, took in every kind of
provision, and set sail, directing our course towards the
antarctic pole....
"To shorten my relation as much as possible, your excellency
must know that we sailed ninety-seven days, experiencing
harsh and cruel fortune. During forty-four days the heavens
were in great commotion, and we had nothing but thunder and
lightning and drenching rains. Dark clouds covered the sky,
so that by day we could see but little better than we could
in ordinary nights without moonshine. The fear of death came
over us, and the hope of life almost deserted us. After all
these heavy afflictions at last it pleased God in His mercy
to have compassion on us and save our lives. On a sudden,
the land appeared in view, and at the sight of it our
courage, which had fallen very low, and our strength, which
had become weakness, immediately revived. Thus it usually
happens to those who have passed through great afflictions,
and especially to those who have been preserved from the
rage of evil fortune.
"On the 17th of August, in the year 1501, we anchored by the
shore of that country, and rendered to the Supreme Being our
most sincere thanks, according to the Christian custom. The
land we discovered did not appear to be an island, but a
continent, as it extended far away in the distance, without
any appearance of termination. It was beautifully fertile
and very thickly inhabited, while all sorts of wild animals,
which are unknown in our parts, were there found in
abundance.... We were unanimously of the opinion that our
navigation should be continued along this coast and that we
should not lose sight of it. We sailed, therefore, till we
arrived at a certain cape, which makes a turn to the south,
and which is perhaps three hundred leagues distant from the
place where we first saw land. In sailing this distance we
often landed and held intercourse with the natives, and I
have omitted to state that this newly discovered land is
about seven hundred leagues distant from Cape Verde, though
I was persuaded that we had sailed at least eight hundred.
This was partly owing to a severe storm, our frequent
accidents, and partly to the ignorance of the pilot.
"We had arrived at a place which, if I had not possessed
some knowledge of cosmography, by the negligence of the
pilot would have finished the course of our lives. There was
no pilot who knew our situation within fifty leagues, and we
went rambling about, and should not have known whither we
were going if I had not provided, in season for my own
safety and that of my companions, the astrolabe and
quadrant, my astrological instruments. On this occasion I
acquired no little glory for myself, so that from that time
forward I was held in such estimation by my companions as
the learned are held in by people of quality....