442 / 1060
•
Royal
Commentaries.
BooKI.
CH
AP.
he Authour proceeds in his Difcourfe concerning
the
f
mall
quantity of Money
which
was
in
ancient days, and
how
111ucb there
is
now
in
theje.
T
HE which Treatife being of the fame nature
with
the Qreceding Chapter
co avoid
tedioufuefs
to the Reader, we have
thought fit
to
omit.
And
fo proceed unto the next Chapter.
.
.
.
Shewing
how
little the Conq
ifi
of the
new
World cofl
u11to
the Kings of
Caftile.
-
·BEing
come now to our ultirna e Argument
to
prove the finall qeanticy of
Mo·
ney
which was then
in
Spain,
before
the time that
the
Conqueft
of my
Countrey
was
effelted;
we
cannot give a more pregnant
inllance ,
chan
by
de·
monftrating
how little the moil: ricq Empire
of
Pent,
and all the new
World,
not
before
known, coll:
the
Kings of
Ceflile.
Francia
~qpez:.
in
his
General
Hillory
of
the
Indies,
having recounted
many
remarkable pa{fages, we fhall
faithfully recite
fuch of chem as are
moll: pertinent to
our purpofe; as
namely, That
Chriftopher
Columbm
treated with
Henry
the
7th,
IGng of
England,
about the Difcovery
of
che
Indie.r,
as
alfo with
Alfonfo
the
)th
King
of
Portugal,
with
the Dukes of
MeJj–
na Sidonia,
and
Medina
Celi,
who
not receiving with good
approbation the
Propo·
fals made them, Friar
'/ohn
Perez:.,
and
Friar
Francia
de
la Rabida,
which
Jafi
was
the
King's Cofmographer, encouraged him
to
make his Applications ro the Court of
S;ain,
where
they believed
his Propofitions might find a gratious reception:
By
thefe means
Co!umhm
was introduced
into
the Court of
Ca.ftile,
in the Year
1486.
where he delivered his Propofals and Petition to
Fernando
and
Jfabella,
King
and
Queen
of
Sp111in,
but they
being embroiled at
that
time
in
their Wars
agJinfi:
the
Moors
in
the
Countrey of
Granada,
had linle leifure to
convert their
cboughrs
co
Proje& of this nature. And
Co/t;tmfnu
being but a {hanger, and poor in
habir,
and without other
Credit
or Interefi: than that of a poor Friar, whom
they
would
neither
vouchfafe to lend an
ar unto, much
lefs
to
believe, was the
caufe of
great Difcouragement
and
Affiietion
to
Co!umbm.
Onely
Alonfo
de
~intani!IA,
who
was
Auditor General, gave him
his Diet
at his Caterer's
Houfe,
raking great
pleafure to hear
him difcourfe,
and promife high
Matters,
and Riches,
which
were to be
fetched
from
unknm\
n Countries; and
therefore
to keep up his.Spi–
rics
he gave him hope one
day co
prevail
with his
Catholick
Majefiy
in,
Dis
be–
half; the
\vhich
he
accordingly
effettecl for
him,
by
introducing him
firfl-
to che
knowledge of
Cardinal de
Mendora,
ArchbHhop of
Toledo,
who had a
gt·e
c:
power
and authority both
\~· ith
the King and Ql!een of
Spain.
This No le
Perfon
ha–
ving maturely
examined and coofidered
of
the
Propofals which
Cob1mb11.J
m~de,
procured
him
an Audience "ith the King, to
\:
horn at firfi his
Propofiuonds
feeme