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 discouerynge of the lande of Floryda.

THe gouernour of the Ilande of Boriquena Iohn Ponce of Leon beinge discharged of his office and very ryche,* 1.1* 1.2 furnysshed and sente foorth two car∣uels to seeke the Ilandes of Boyuca in the which the Indians affirmed to be a fontayne or springe

Whose water is of vertue to make owlde men younge. Whyle he trauayled syxe monethes with owtragious desyre amonge many Ilandes to fynde that he sought, and coul••e fynde no token of any such fountayne, he entered into Bimini and dis∣couered the lande of Florida in the yeare .1512. on Easter day which the Spanyardes caule the florysshyng day of Pascha,* 1.3 wherby they named that lande Florida. And supposyng that great rych••s myght be browght from thense, he returned in∣to Spayne and conuenaunted with kynge Ferdinando as tou¦chynge the trade: and by thintercession of Nicolas de Quan∣do and Peter Nunez de Guzman, the kynge dyd not onely make hym gouernoure of Bemini and Florida, but also sente furthe with hym three shippes from Siuile toward his second vyage in the yeare .1515. He touched in the Ilande of Guaca∣na otherwyse cauled Guadalupe,* 1.4 and sent to lande certeyne of his men with the landresses of the shyppes: whom the Ca∣nibales lyinge in ambusshe,* 1.5 assayled with theyr inuenemed ar¦rowes: and slaying the most parte, caryed away the women. With this euyll begynnynge, Iohn Ponce departed frome hense to Boriquen and from thense to Florida wher he went alaude with his souldyers to espie a place moste commodious to inhabite and plant a colonie.* 1.6 But the Indians commynge furth ageynst hym to defende the enterance, assayled the Spa∣nyardes fiercely and slewe and wounded many of them. At which conflicte also he hym selfe beinge wounded with an ar∣rowe, dyed shortely after in the Ilande of Cuba:* 1.7 and so en∣dynge his lyfe, consumed a great parte of the rychesse he had before begotten at saynt Iohannes of Boriquen. This Iohn Ponce had before sayled with Chrystopher Colon to the I∣lande of Hispaniola in the yeare .1493. He was a gentel soul¦dier in the warres of this Ilande, and capitayne of the pro∣uince of Niguei for Nycolas de Quando ••hat conquested the same. The region of Floryda is a poynt or cape of lande rea∣chynge into the sea lyke vnto a tounge:* 1.8 beinge a famous and notorious place amonge the Indians by rea••on of many Spa¦nyardes that haue bin slayne there. But wheras by same this Floryda was estemed a ryche lande, many valient and noble men desyred the conquest therof, amonge whome Ferdinando de Soto (who had before byn a capitayne in Peru and great∣ly inryched by thimprisonment of kynge Atabaliba) attēpted* 1.9

a vyage thyther with a good bande of men, and spente fyue yeare in seekynge of golde mynes, supposynge that this lande hadde byn lyke vnto Peru.

In fine, he dyed there and was the destruction and vndoinge of all that went with hym withowt inhabytynge that lande.* 1.10 in the which the conquestours had hytherto neuer good suc∣cesse, forasmuche as these Indians are valiente archers and stronge and hardy men. But the valiant myndes of the Spa∣nyardes not discouraged by these mysaduentures, after the death of Ferdinando Soto,* 1.11 many woorthy gentelmen desy∣red this conquest in the yeare .1544. amonge whom was Iu¦lyan Samano, and Peter de Ahumada beinge brotherne and men of sufficient abilitie for such an enterprise. But neyther themprour beinge then in Germanie, neyther the prince Don Phylippe his sonne who gouerned all the kyngedomes of Castile and Aragonie, neyther yet the counsayle of the Indies wolde in any case agree to the conqueste.* 1.12 Neuerthelesse not vtterly contemnynge the matter which they were partly per∣suaded myght otherwyse bee browght to passe, they sent thy¦ther fryer Luys Cancell of Baluastro with other fryers of the order of saynt Dominike who offered them selues to conuerte the nations of that lande from theyr gentilitie to the fayth of Chryst and obedience to Themperoure, onely with woordes. The fryer therfore goinge forwarde on his vyage at the kyn∣ges charges in the yeare .1549. went aland with foure other fryers which he tooke with hym and certeyne maryners with owt harnesse or weapons: vnto whom as he began his prea∣chynge,* 1.13 many of the Indians of the sayd Florida resorted to the sea syde, where withowt gyuynge audience to his woor∣des, they caryed hym away with three other of his company∣ons and dyd eate them, whereby they suffered martyrdom•• for the fayth of Chryst. The resydue that escaped, made hast to the shyppe and kept them selues for confessours as sum say Many that fauoure thintente of the fryers, doo nowe consy∣der that by that meanes the Indians coulde not be browght to owre frendeshippe and religion. Neuerthelesse, that if it coulde so haue byn browght to passe,* 1.14 it had byn better. There came of late from that shippe, one that had byn the page of Ferdinando de Sodo, who declared that the Indians han∣ged vp the skynnes with the heades and crownes of the sayd fryers in one of theyr temples.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn Ponce.
• * 1.2

  water of great vertue, of this reade in the De∣••ades.
• * 1.3

  Bemmin••.
• * 1.4

  Guacana.
• * 1.5

  The Cani∣bales.
• * 1.6

  Boriquena.
• * 1.7

  The dea•••• of Iohn Ponce.
• * 1.8

  The land of Floryda.
• * 1.9

  Ferdinando de Soto.
• * 1.10

  The valiente myndes of the Spany∣ardes.
• * 1.11

  The thyrde attempte of the conqueste of Florida.
• * 1.12

  ••erteine fry∣ers attempte the conquest onely with woordes, but with euyll successe.
• * 1.13

  The fryers are slayne and eaten.
• * 1.14

  A new kynde of disgrading