probable, are his piercing Wit, iudicious obseruation of Occurrents, learning in the Mathema∣tikes, and the speciall instinct of Diuine Prouidence, without which no humane patience could haue sustained such magnanimous Indeuours, so long contemned, so much, so variously condemned. Experience of the Portugals, amongst whom he dwelt, had taught him the va∣nitie of Antiquitie touching the Antipodes, the Torrid Zone not habitable, and that the Sea was euery way Nauigable. Art instructed him of the roundnesse of this inferior Globe (which in the Moones Ecclipse is visible) and the proportionablenesse of the Earth to the Water, that as much dry Land might be as well on that, as on this side the Line: neyther was it likely, that so huge a quantitie of the Globe should be couered with Waters, which was made princi∣pally [ 10] for the vse and habitation of Man; or that this Globe was not equally poyzed on both sides that Centre, which is one to it and the Water; or that there should be such huge Lands (if they were Lands) in this old Age of the World, no•• inhabited by Man, whose Blessing from the Creator was to fill or replenish the Earth, renewed againe after the Floud; or that the Indies in the East might not in the Earths Globositie be as readily found out by the West, following the Sunne in his dayly Iourney, which with all his Night-watch of Starres was as vnlike to be there appointed a continuall course and circular Race for the Seas or Desart Lands. Experi∣ments had also taught him, both by relation of the Portugals in their longer Voyages, and in his owne on the West of Spaine, that the Westerne Winds holding a constant course yeerely, and that also farre off at Sea, could not but arise from some Lands further Westward, then any yet [ 20] knowne: And Martin Vincent, a Mariner which vsed the Azores or Terceras, had told him, that he was once carried foure hundred and fiftie leagues to the West of Cape S. Vincent, and there tooke vp a piece of Wood or Timber, wrought by mans hand, and that, as farre as he could iudge, without Iron, which he imagined had come from some Westerne Iland. Pedro Correa, which had married his Wiues sister, had likewise signified to him, that at Puerto Santo he had seene the like Peece driuen thither by the Westerne Winds, wrought in the same fashion: and besides, he had seene great Canes, which in each knot might containe aboue two gallons of Wa∣ter, which he also sent to him to see; which being vnlikely to grow in the knowne parts of the West, and hauing read of such growing in India, he supposed, that some long and violent Westerne Winds had brought them thither from thence. The inhabitants also of the Azores [ 30] had told him, that strong West and Northwest Winds had brought by Sea vpon Graciosa and Fayal certaine Pine trees, two dead men also on the Coast of Flores, with larger faces then are vsuall in these parts, and of other fauor, and two Canoas another time driuen also by the Wind. Antonio Leme of Madera had related, that being carried in his Caruile farre Westward, he had seemed to see three Ilands: And another of that Iland had sued to the King of Portugall in the yeere 1484. for licence to discouer certaine Land which he sware he had seene euery yeere ouer-against the Azores. Diego Velazques had fortie yeeres before beene carried farre into the West, and there obserued the Seas and Winds such, as if the Land were not farre off, as he affir∣med to Columbus: and another Mariner told him of Land hee had seene farre West from Ire∣land, which is supposed to be New-found-Land. Petro de Velasco had signified the like, in his [ 40] going for Ireland; and Vincent Diaz, a Portugall Pilot, had seemed to himselfe, in his returne from Guinea, to see an Iland in the height of Madera, for which also search was after made, but no discouerie.
These things argue his laborious industrie and diligent enquirie: his readings of Marco Polo and other Iournals (that I mention not the Ancients) did not a little animate him, as may ap∣peare in his enquirie for Zipango, mentioned by Polo, supposed now to be Japan; and naming Hispaniola Ophir, thinking, or seeming to thinke, that he had found out the East Indies. And for that cause was this New World called the Indies also, with distinction of West: and this was his maine argument to such Princes as he sought to patronize this his discouerie, the riches of the East Indies, promised by a Westerne Nauigation. And herein his resolution was admi∣rable, [ 50] that howsoeuer some derided as folly, others reiected as impossible, his suit, yet he neuer desisted.
Hee first propounded it to his Countreymen the Genuois, and found, that a Prophet found no profit at home; he seconded it in Portugall where he dwelt, and was married at Lisbone, and had learned most of his Art and Intelligence, confirmed therein also by Martin Bohemus the Mathematician; but Iohn the second did not second his desires, as adiudged vaine by Rode∣rigo and Ioseph the Iewes, before mentioned, with other Committees; which yet moued with his reasons, counselled the King secretly to send a Caruell, vnder colour of a Voyage, to Cape Verde, to make this Discouerie; wherein crossed with foule Weather, they effected nothing. This made him out of loue with Portugall, and to send his brother Bartholomew to King Henry the seuenth of England with the same suit: who falling into the hands of Pyrats, was forced [ 60] to sustaine himselfe with making Sea-Cards, and so long deferred for want of sutable suites, to make his suit and petition to the King, that when it was granted, and his brother sent for, hee had sped before in Spaine. Thither had hee himselfe repaired in the yeere 1484. secretly, and by Sea, for feare of the Portugals, which had before deluded him: Ferdinand and Isabel the