For the registrar:
A. de Muciarellis.
Collator, L. Amerinus.
Extension of the Apostolic Grant and Donation of the Indies--September
25
Alexander, Bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the illustrious
sovereigns, his very dear Son in Christ Fernando [Ferdinand], King,
and his very dear Daughter in Christ Isabel, Queen of Castile, Leon,
Aragon, Granada, health and Apostolic benediction. A short while
ago through our own accord, certain knowledge, and fulness of our
Apostolic power, we gave, conveyed, and assigned forever to you and
your heirs and successors, kings of Castile and Leon, all islands
and mainlands whatsoever, discovered and to be discovered towards the
west and south, that were not under the actual temporal rule of any
Christian owner. Moreover, investing therewith you and your aforesaid
heirs and successors, we appointed and deputed you as owners of them
with full and free power, authority, and jurisdiction of every kind,
as more fully appears in our letters given to that effect, the terms
whereof we wish to be understood the same as if they had been inserted
word for word in these presents. But it may happen that your Envoys,
Captains, or vassals, while voyaging towards the west or south might
land and touch in eastern waters and there discover islands and
mainlands that at one time belonged or even yet belong to India.
With the desire then to give you token of our graciousness, through
similar accord, knowledge, and fulness of our power, by tenor of these
presents and our apostolic authority, we do extend and enlarge our
aforesaid gift, grant, assignment, and letters, with all and singular
the clauses contained therein, so as to secure to you all islands and
mainlands whatsoever that are found and to be found, discovered and to
be discovered, are or were or seem to be in the route by sea or land
to the west or south, but are now recognized as being in the waters
of the west or south and east and India Moreover in all and through
all, the same as if in the aforesaid letters full and express mention
had been made thereof, we convey to you and your aforesaid heirs and
successors full and free power through your own authority, exercised
through yourselves or by the action of another or of others, to take
corporal possession of the said islands and countries and to hold them
forever, as well as to defend your right thereto against whomsoever
may seek to prevent it. With this strict prohibition however to all
persons, of no matter what rank, estate, degree, order or condition,
that under penalty of excommunication _latae sententiae_, wherein
such as contravene are to be considered as having fallen _ipso facto_,
no one without your express leave or that of your aforesaid heirs and
successors shall, for no matter what reason or pretense, presume in
any manner to go or send to the aforesaid regions for the purpose of
fishing, or of searching for any islands or mainlands. Notwithstanding
any apostolic constitutions and ordinances or whatsoever gifts, grants,
powers, and assignments of the aforesaid regions, seas, islands and
countries, or any portion of them, may have been made by us or our
predecessors in favor of whatsoever kings, princes, infantes, or
whatsoever other persons, orders or knighthoods, who for any reason
whatever may now be there, even for motives of charity or the faith,
or the ransom of captives. Nor shall it matter how urgent these reasons
may be, even though, based on repealing clauses, they may appear of the
most positive, mandatory, and unusual character; nor even should there
be contained therein sentences, censures, and penalties of any kind
whatever, providing however these have not gone into effect through
actual and real possession; nay even though it may have happened on
occasion that the persons, to whom such gifts and grants were made,
or their envoys, sailed thither through chance. Wherefore should any
such gifts or grants have been made, considering the terms of our
present decree to have been sufficiently expressed and inserted, we
through similar accord, knowledge, and fulness of our power do wholly
revoke the former. Moreover as regards countries and islands not in
actual possession of others, we wish this to be considered as of no
effect, notwithstanding what may appear in the aforesaid letters,
or anything else to the contrary. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, on
the twenty-fifth day of September in the year of the Incarnation of
our Lord one thousand four hundred and ninety-three, the second year
of our pontificate.