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.

❧ Howe and by what occasion Themperoure layde the Ilandes of the Malucas to pledge to the kynge of Portugale.

WHen the kynge of Portugale Don Iuan the thyrde of that name, had knowleage that the Cosmographers and pylottes of Castile hadde drawen the line from the place before named, and that he could not denye the truth, fearing also therby to liese the trade of Spices, made sute and request to Themperoure that he shulde not send furth Loaisa nor Sebastian Cabote to the Malucas,* 1.1 and that the Castilians shulde not attempte the trade of spices nor see such euyls and miseries as his capitaynes had shewed in those I∣landes to them that aduentured that viage with Magalanes. Which thynge he greatly couered, although he payde all the charges of those two fleetes, and made other great bargens. In the meane tyme, Themperoure maryed the Lady Isabell syster to kynge Iohn: and kynge Iohn maryed the lady Ca∣tharine syster to Themperour:* 1.2 whereby this matter waxed coulde although the kynge ceased not to speake hereof, euer mouynge the particion. Themperour by the meanes of a cer∣teine Biscaine that was with Magallanes in the gouernours shyppe, had knowleage what the Portugales had doone to the Castilians in the Iland of Tidore,* 1.3 wherof he tooke great displeasure, and brought the sayde maryner face to face be∣fore thambassadours of Portugale, who denyed all that he sayde, one of them beinge the chiefe capitayne and gouernour of India when the Portugales tooke the Castilians in Tido∣re and robbed them of theyr Cloues and Cinamome and such other thynges as they had in the shyppe named the Trinitie. But as the kynge of Portugales trade was greate, and owre necessitie greater, in the meane tyme Themperoure (who was nowe goinge into Italie to bee crowned in the yeare .1529) gagied the Malucas and the spicerie to the kynge of Portu∣gale* 1.4

for three hundreth and fiftie thousande ducades with∣owt any tyme determyned otherwyse then the controuersie was defined vppon the brydge of the ryuer of Caya:* 1.5 for the which thynge, kynge Iohn punyshed the licentiate Azeuedo bycause he payde the money withowt declaration of the time. The couenaunt of the pledge was blyndely made and great∣ly ageynst the myndes of the Castilians, as men that wel vn∣derstode the profite, commoditie, and rychesse of that trade: Affirmynge that the trade of spices myght haue byn rented for one yeare or for two, for syxe tymes as much as the kinge gaue for it. Peter Ruiz of Uillegas who was twyse cauled to the bargeyne, as once at Granada and an other tyme at Madrid, sayde that it had byn muche better to haue pledged Estremadura or Serena, or other greater landes and cities, ra¦ther then the Malucas, Zamatra, or Malaca, or other riche landes and ryuers in the Easte not yet well knowen: foras∣muche as it maye so chaunce, that eyther by continuaunce of tyme, or aliance, the pledge myght bee forgotten as thowgh it perteyned to the ryght of Portugale. In fine, Themperour considered not the iewel that he pledged, nor the kyng what he receaued. Themperour was often tymes counsayled to re∣lease the pledge of those Ilandes in cōsideration of the great vantage he myght haue therby in fewe yeares. Furthermore, in the yeare .1548. the procuratoures of Cortes being in Ual¦ladolid, made peticion to Themperour to surrender the spice∣••ie to the kyngedoome of Castile for .vi. yeares, and that they wold repay to the kyng of Portugale his .350. thousād crow∣nes, and after those yeares, restore the trade to the crowne, that his maiestie myght inioye the same as was agreed at the begynnynge. But Themperour beinge then in Flaunders, sente woorde to the counsayle that they shulde not assēt to Cortes his request, nor speake any more hereof. Wherat, sum marueyled, other were sory, & all held theyr peace.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sebastian Cabote.
• * 1.2

  Themperour and the kinge of portugale ioyned i•• ali∣ance by ma∣riage.
• * 1.3

  The portu∣gales robbe the Castilians
• * 1.4

  The corona∣tion of Them¦perour.
• * 1.5

  The gageing of the Ilands of Malucas. zamatra and Malaca.