The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

¶ The reparticion and diuision of the Indies and newe worlde betwene the Spany∣ardes and the Portugales.

THis matter concernyng the trade of spices and the newe worlde of the Indies, by reason of the great ryches therof was of greate impor∣taunce and very difficultie to bee limitted and drawen foorth by l••nes. By reason wherof, it was necessarie and conuenient to seeke wyse & woorshypful men expert in nauigations, in Cosmographie, and the mathematicall sciences. Themproure for his syde, chose and named for iudges of the possession, the licentiate Acuna, one of the kynges consayle. Also the licentiate Barri¦entos

of the counsayle of the orders: The licentiate Petro Manuel auditour of the courte of the Chauncerie in Uallado∣l••th. For iudges of the propertie, he chose Don Fernando Colonuo the soonne of Christopher Colonus: Also doctor Sancho Salaya, Peter Ruiz of Uillegas, fryre Thomas Du¦ran, Simon of Alcazaua, and Iohn Sebastian of Cano. His aduocate & atturney, he made the licentiate Iohn Rodriguez of Pisa: & for his fyscal doctor Ribera, & his secretarie, Bar∣thalome Ruiz of Castaneda. He also apoynted that Sebastian Cabote, Steuē Gomes, Nunnio Garcia, Diego Riuero, being al expert pilots & cunning in making cardes for the sea, shuld be present, & brynge foorth theyr globes and mappes with other instrumentes necessarie to declare the situation of the Ilandes of the Malucas abowt the which was al the conten¦tion and stryfe. But order was taken that they shulde shewe theyr myndes on neyther syde, nor enter into the coompany of the other but when they were cauled. Al these and diuers other, wente togyther to a towne cauled Badaioz: and as many Portugales came to Elbes, or rather more. For they browght with them two fiscals and two aduocates. The principall of theym, was the licentiate Antonie de Asseuedo, Diego Lopes of Sequeyra the clarke of the weightes and re∣ceptes, who had before byn gouernour in India. Also Peral∣fonso of Melo, clerke: Simon of Tauira, with dyuers other whose names I knowe not. Before they mette togyther, the one parte remaynynge at Badaioz and the other in Elbes, there was much a doo amonge them beefore they coulde agree vppon the place where they shulde mete and who shuld speke fy••ste. For the Portugales doo greatly weight suche circum∣stances. At the last, they concluded to meete togyther at Caya a lyttle ryuer which diuideth Castile from Portugale, stan∣dynge in the mydde way betwene Badaioz and Elbes. And when they were a••••embled togyther one day at Badaioz and an other daye at Elbes and saluted the one the other, bothe parties were sworne that they shulde proceade and speake ac∣cordynge to truth, iustice, and ••quitie. The Portugales re∣fused Simon de Alcazaua because he was a Portugale: and fryer Thomas Duran bycause he had sumetyme byn preacher to theyr kynge. So th••t Simon was by consent put owte of the coompany, in whose roome was placed master Antonie of

Alcaraz. Yet fell they not to reasonynge the matter vntyll the fryer was put owt. They were manye dayes in beholdynge globes, mappes, and cardes of the sea, and hearynge what myght bee sayde, both sydes all••agynge for the ryght which they pretended. But the Portugales standynge in vayne con¦tention, sayde very angerly the Ilandes of Malaca whereup¦pon theyr meetynge and resonynge was at that presence, fell of theyr parte and was of theyr conquest. And that they both had byn there, and had them in theyr possession before Iohn Sebastian had euer seene them. Lykewyse that the line shulde bee drawen from the Ilande of Bonauista, or the Iland cau¦led de la Sal, which are the most Easterly Ilandes from Ca∣bouerde, and not from the Ilande of Santanton or saynt An∣tonie, which lyeth towarde the West, and are .lxxxx. leaques the one from the other. Al this was no more but to contend: and the other of the Malucas, is vntrewe. But they that haue a nawghtie matter must set it foorth with woordes and brabelynge. Here they founde howe greatly they were decea¦ued in that they demaunded that the line shulde bee drawen three hundreth .lxx. leaques more to the West from the Ilan∣des of Cabouerde (as appeareth hereafter) and not one hun∣dreth accordyng to thassignement of the popes bul. The Spa¦nyardes on the contrary parte affirmed and made demonstra∣tion, that not only the Ilandes of Burney, Gilolo, Zubut, and Tidore, with the other Ilandes of the Malucas. But as well Samatra, Malacha, and a great parts of China, shuld belonge to the Cast••lians: and that those countreys fell on theyr syde and on the parte of theyr conquest: Also that Ma∣gallanes and Iohn Sebastian were the fyrste Christian men that founde them and obteyned them for Themperour, as the letters and presentes of Almanzor doo testifie. And although the Portugales had byn there fyrste, yet wente they thyther after the donation of the pope: neyther got they any ryght or iuste tytle thereby. For althowgh they shulde drawe the line by Buena Uista, what inconuenience shulde folowe thereof, sith aswell by the one way as the other, the Ilandes of the Malucas must perteyne to the Castilians: yea and moreouer, the Ilandes of Cabo verde shulde also perteine to the Castili∣ans, forsomuch as drawynge the line by Buena Uista, the I∣landes of the Malucas doo remayne within the line on the

Emperours syde. They continued in these controuersies for the space of two moonethes without anye resolution or ende made. For the Portugales prolonged and put of the matter, flying from the sentence with cauillations and could reasons to thende that they myght dissolue that assemble without any conclusion or determination: for so it stoode them vppon. The Castilians which were the Iudges of the propertie, drewe a line in the great globe three hundreth and .lxx. leaques from saynt Antonies Ilande, lyinge by Weste Cabo Uerde accor∣dynge to the intreatie and determination whiche was agreed vppon betwene the Catholike princes and the kynge of Por∣tugale. These iudges gaue sentence vppon this matter, cau∣lynge the con••rary parte before them vpon the bridge of Caya in the yeare. ••524. The Portugales coulde neyther disturbe or deferre the sentence, nor yet wolde they alowe it to bee iust and accordynge to ryght: Sayinge that there was not suffi∣cient processe made that they shulde passe to the gyuynge of sentence. And so departed threatenyng to sley the Castilians as many as they shulde fynde in the Ilandes of the Malucas. For they knewe ryght well that theyr contreymen the Por∣tugales had alredy taken the shyppe cauled the Trinitie and had also taken the Castilians in Tidore. Then also departed owre men, takynge theyr iorney to the courte gyuynge vp to Themperour all theyr wrytynges and declaration what they had doone. And accordynge to this declaration must bee sig∣ned and marked all globes and mappes which good Cosmo∣graphers and masters doo make. The line also of the reparti¦cion and last diuision of the newe world of the Indies, ought to passe (lyttle more or lesse) by the poyntes of Humos and Buen Abrigo, as I haue sayde in an other place. And thus shall it appeare euidently that the Ilandes of Spices, and al¦so the greate Ilande of Zamotra, do perteyne to Castile. But the lande of Brasile perteyneth to the kynge of Portugale where the cape of saynt Augustine is, beinge .viii. degrees be¦neth the Equinoctiall. This lande reacheth from the poynte of Humos to the poynte of Buen Abrigo: and is in lengthe North and South .viii. hundreth leaques. Beinge also sum way two hundreth leaques East and West.

And hereafter these serious matters, wee wyll rehearse ••ne mery thynge, which was this. It so chaunced that as

Frances de Melo, Diego Lopes of S••queyra, and other of those Portugales of this assemble, walked by the ryuer syde of Guadiana, a lyttle boy who stoode keepynge his mothers clothes which she had washed, demaunded of theym whether they were those men that parted the world with Themperour And as they answered, yea: he tooke vp his shert and shewed them his bare arse, sayinge: Coomme and drawe yowre line here throughe the myddest. Which sayinge was afterwarde in euery mans mouth and laughed at in the towne of Bada∣ioz: yea euen amonge the commissioners them selues, of whō sum were angry, and summe maruayled at the sayinge of the chylde.

Notes

• The arby∣••rers on the Empiour•• syde.
• Sebastian Cabote.
• Instruments of Cosmogra∣phic.
• The Ilandes of Maluca.
• Thearbitrers on the Por∣tugales syde.
• The place where they mette.
• Tho••der of theyr p••oces.
• The Portu∣gales.
• Contention for drawynge the line of the diuision.
• howe the portuga••es were decea∣ued.
• The Spany∣a••des allega∣tions.
• Samatra.
• Malacha.
• China.
• Magallanes.
• Buena Uista.
• The Ilandes of C••bo Uer∣de.
• The Portu∣gales cauil∣lations.
• The line of diuision.
• The sentēce.
• The Portu∣gales threa∣ten death to the Castilians
• The line of the last diui∣sion.
• The great Iland of Sa∣motra.
• The lande of Bra••ile, per∣te••neth to the portugales.
• A mery tale.