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.

¶ To the moste noble Prince and Catholike kynge, Charles, Peter Martyr of Angleria wysheth perpetuall felicitie.

THe diuine prouidence, frome the tyme that he fyrste created the worlde, hathe reserued vnto this day the knowleage of the great and large Ocean sea: In the which tyme he hath opened the same, chiefely vnto yowe (moste mightie Prince) by the good fortune and happie suc∣cesse of yowr grandfather by yowr mothers syde. The same prouidence (I knowe not by what destenie) hath brought me owt of my natiue countrey of Milane, and owt of the citie of Rome (where I continued almost .x. yeares) into Spaine, that I myght particularlye collecte, these marueylous and newe thynges, which shoulde otherwyse perhappes haue line drow¦ned in the whirlepoole of obliuion: forasmuch as the Spany∣ardes (men woorthy greate commendation) had onely care to the generall inuentions of these thynges. Notwithstandinge, I doo not chalenge vnto me only, the thankes of the trauaile bestowed herein, wheras the chiefe rewarde therof is due to Ascanius vicounte Cardinal, who perceauynge that I was wylling to departe owt of the citie to be present at the warres of Granatum, dissuaded me from my purpose. But seing that I was fully resolued to departe, exhorted and required me to wryte vnto hym such newes as were famous in Spayne and woorthy to be noted. I tooke therfore my iorney into Spaine chiefely for the desyre I had to see thexpedition whiche was prepared ageynst the enemies of the fayth: forasmuche as in Italye, by reason of the dissention amonge the Princes, I coulde fynde nothynge wherewith I myght feede my wytte, beinge a younge man desyrous of knowleage and experience of thynges. I was therefore presente at the warres: frome whense I writte to Cardinal Ascanius, and by sundry epistels

certifyed hym of such thynges as I thought moste woorthye to be put in memorie. But when I perceaued that his fortun•• was turned from a naturall moother to a steppedame, I cea∣sed from wrytynge. Yet after I sawe, that by thouerthrowe of the enemies of owre faythe, Spayne was pourged of the Moores as of an euyll weede plucked vp by the rootes, Leaste I shulde bestowe my slippery yeares in vnprofitable Idlenesse I was mynded to returne to Italie. But the singuler benig∣nitie of bothe the Catholyke kynge and queene nowe depar∣ted, and theyr large promises towarde me vppon my returne frome my legacie of Babilon, deteyned me frome my purpose. Yet dooth it not repent me that I drewe backe my foote: As∣wel for that I see in no other place of the worlde at this time the lyke woorthy thinges to bee done: As also that in maner throwgh owt all Italy, by reason of the discorde of the Chri∣stian Princes, I perceaued all thynges to runne headelonge into ruine, the countreys to be destroyed and made fatte with humane bludde: The cities sacked, virgines and matrones with theyr gooddes and possessions caried away as capt••ues and miserable innocentes without offence to be slayne vnar∣med within theyr owne houses. Of the which calamities, I dyd not onely heare the lamentable owtcryes, but dyd also feele the same. For euen the bludde of mine owne kinsfolkes and frendes, was not free from that crueltie. As I was ther¦fore musynge with my selfe of these thynges, the Cardinal of Arragonie, after that he had seene the two fyrste bookes of my Decades wrytten to Ascanius, required me in the name of kynge Frederike his vncle, to put foorth the other eyght epistell bookes, In the meane tyme also, while I was voyde of all care as touchynge the matters of the Ocean, the Apo∣stolicall messengers of the bysshopppe of Rome Leo the tenth, (by whose holsome counsayle and autoritie we truste the cala∣mities of Italy shalbe fynysshed) raysed me as it were frome sleape, and encoraged me to proceade as I had begunne. To his holynesse I writte two Decades cōprysed in short bokes after the maner of epistels, and added them to the fyrst, which was printed withowt myne aduise, as shall further appeare by the preface folowynge. But nowe I returne to yow (most noble Prince) from whom I haue sumwhat digressed. Ther∣fore wheras yowr graundefathers by yowre moothers syde,

haue subdued all Spayne vnder yowr dominion except onely one corner of the same, and haue also lefte yowe the kynge∣dome of Naples with the frutefull Ilandes of owr seas, it is suerly a greate thynge and woorthy to be noted in owre cro∣nacles. But not offendynge the reuerence due to owre predi∣cessours, what so euer frome the begynnynge of the worlde hath byn doone or wrytten to this day, to my iudgement see∣meth but lyttle, if we consyder what newe landes and coun∣treys, what newe seas, what sundry nations and tounges, what goldemynes, what treasuries of perles they haue lefte vnto yowre hyghnesse, besyde other reuenues. The whiche, what they are and howe greate, these three Decades shall de∣clare. Come therfore moste noble Prince elected of God, and enioy that hyghe estate of thynges not yet vnderstode to men. We offer vnto yowe the Equinoctiall line hetherto vnknow∣en and burnte by the furious heate of the soonne and vnhabi∣table after the opinion of the owlde wryters a fewe excepted: But nowe founde to bee most replenisshed with people, faire, frutefull, and moste fortunate, with a thowsande Ilandes crowned with golde and bewtifull ••erles, besyde that greate port••on of earth supposed to bee parte of the firme lande, ex∣cedynge in quantitie three Europes. Come therfore and embrase this newe worlde, and suffer vs no longer to consume in desyre of yowr presence. From hense, from hense I saye (mooste noble younge Prince) shall instrumentes be prepared for yow, whereby al the worlde shalbe vnder yowr obeysaunce.

And thus I byd yowr maiestie farewell: To whose taste if I shal perceaue the fruites of this my tyllage to be delectable, I wyll hereafter doo my endeuoure that yowe maye receaue the same more a∣bundauntly. From Madrid. The day before the Calendes of Oc∣tober, In the yeare of Chryste. M. D. XVI.

FINIS.

Notes

• The largenes of the Ocean vnknowen to this day.
• Cardinal As∣canius.
• The warres of Granatum ageynst the Moores.
• The autour was ••ent am∣bassadour to the Soltane of Alcayr in Egypte.
• Italy disqui••¦ted with warres.
• The sequeles of water.
• Kynge Frede∣rike.
• Leo the tenth▪ byshoppe of Rome.
• Spayne sub∣dued from the Moores,
• The kyndome of Naples.
• Note, frome the begynning of the worlde
• The temperat¦nes of the E∣quinoctial vn¦knowen to the owlde wry∣ters.
• Continente or firme lande as bygge as thre Europes
• Ryches are the instru∣mentes of con∣questes.