Chapter I: Front Matter

By Justin Winsor.

NARRATIVE AND CRITICAL HISTORY OF AMERICA.
With Bibliographical and Descriptive Essays on its
Historical Sources and Authorities. Profusely
illustrated with portraits, maps, facsimiles, etc.
Edited by JUSTIN WINSOR, Librarian of Harvard
University, with the coöperation of a Committee
from the Massachusetts Historical Society, and with
the aid of other learned Societies. In eight royal
8vo volumes. Each volume, _net_, $5.50; sheep,
_net_, $6.50; half morocco, _net_, $7.50.
(_Sold only by subscription for the entire set._)

READER'S HANDBOOK OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
16mo, $1.25.

WAS SHAKESPEARE SHAPLEIGH?
16mo, rubricated parchment paper, 75 cents.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
With portrait and maps. 8vo.

HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & COMPANY,
BOSTON AND NEW YORK.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

AND HOW HE RECEIVED AND
IMPARTED THE SPIRIT
OF DISCOVERY

BY
JUSTIN WINSOR

They that go down to the sea in ships,
that do business in great waters, these
see the works of the Lord and his
wonders in the deep.--_Psalms_, cvii. 23, 24

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
The Riverside Press, Cambridge
1891

Copyright, 1891,
BY JUSTIN WINSOR.

_All rights reserved._

_The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A._
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co.

To FRANCIS PARKMAN, LL.D.,

THE HISTORIAN OF NEW FRANCE.

DEAR PARKMAN:--

You and I have not followed the maritime peoples of western Europe in planting and defending their flags on the American shores without observing the strange fortunes of the Italians, in that they have provided pioneers for those Atlantic nations without having once secured in the New World a foothold for themselves.

When Venice gave her Cabot to England and Florence bestowed Verrazano upon France, these explorers established the territorial claims of their respective and foster motherlands, leading to those contrasts and conflicts which it has been your fortune to illustrate as no one else has.

When Genoa gave Columbus to Spain and Florence accredited her Vespucius to Portugal, these adjacent powers, whom the Bull of Demarcation would have kept asunder in the new hemisphere, established their rival races in middle and southern America, neighboring as in the Old World; but their contrasts and conflicts have never had so worthy a historian as you have been for those of the north.

The beginnings of their commingled history I have tried to relate in the present work, and I turn naturally to associate in it the name of the brilliant historian of FRANCE AND ENGLAND IN NORTH AMERICA with that of your obliged friend,

CAMBRIDGE, _June, 1890_.

CONTENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE
CHAPTER I.

SOURCES, AND THE GATHERERS OF THEM 1

ILLUSTRATIONS: Manuscript of Columbus, 2; the Genoa Custodia, 5;
Columbus's Letter to the Bank of St. George, 6; Columbus's
Annotations on the _Imago Mundi_, 8; First Page, Columbus's
First Letter, Latin edition (1493), 16; Archivo de Simancas, 24.

CHAPTER II.

BIOGRAPHERS AND PORTRAITISTS 30

ILLUSTRATIONS: Page of the Giustiniani Psalter, 31; Notes of
Ferdinand Columbus on his Books, 42; Las Casas, 48; Roselly de
Lorgues, 53; St. Christopher, a Vignette on La Cosa's Map (1500),
62; Earliest Engraved Likeness of Columbus in Jovius, 63; the
Florence Columbus, 65; the Yañez Columbus, 66; a Reproduction of
the Capriolo Cut of Columbus, 67; De Bry's Engraving of Columbus,
68; the Bust on the Tomb at Havana, 69.

CHAPTER III.

THE ANCESTRY AND HOME OF COLUMBUS 71

CHAPTER IV.

THE UNCERTAINTIES OF THE EARLY LIFE OF COLUMBUS 79

ILLUSTRATIONS: Drawing ascribed to Columbus, 80; Benincasa's Map
(1476), 81; Ship of the Fifteenth Century, 82.

CHAPTER V.

THE ALLUREMENTS OF PORTUGAL 85

ILLUSTRATIONS: Part of the Laurentian Portolano, 87; Map of
Andrea Bianco, 89; Prince Henry, the Navigator, 93; Astrolabes
of Regiomontanus, 95, 96; Sketch Map of African Discovery, 98;
Fra Mauro's World-Map, 99; Tomb of Prince Henry at Batalha,
100; Statue of Prince Henry at Belem, 101.

CHAPTER VI.

COLUMBUS IN PORTUGAL 103

ILLUSTRATIONS: Toscanelli's Map restored, 110; Map of Eastern
Asia, with Old and New Names, 113; Catalan Map of Eastern Asia
(1375), 114; Marco Polo, 115; Albertus Magnus, 120; the Laon
Globe, 123; Oceanic Currents, 130; Tables of Regiomontanus
(1474-1506), 132; Map of the African Coast (1478), 133; Martin
Behaim, 134.

CHAPTER VII.

WAS COLUMBUS IN THE NORTH? 135

ILLUSTRATIONS: Map of Olaus Magnus (1539), 136; Map of Claudius
Clavus (1427), 141; Bordone's Map (1528), 142; Map of Sigurd
Stephanus (1570), 145.

CHAPTER VIII.

COLUMBUS LEAVES PORTUGAL FOR SPAIN 149

ILLUSTRATIONS: Portuguese Mappemonde (1490), 152; Père Juan
Perez de Marchena, 155; University of Salamanca, 162; Monument
to Columbus at Genoa, 163; Ptolemy's Map of Spain (1482), 165;
Cathedral of Seville, 171; Cathedral of Cordoba, 172.

CHAPTER IX.

THE FINAL AGREEMENT AND THE FIRST VOYAGE, 1492 178

ILLUSTRATIONS: Behaim's Globe (1492), 186, 187; Doppelmayer's
Reproduction of this Globe, 188, 189; the actual America in
Relation to Behaim's Geography, 190; Ships of Columbus's Time,
192, 193; Map of the Canary Islands, 194; Map of the Routes of
Columbus, 196; of his track in 1492, 197; Map of the Agonic
Line, 199; Lapis Polaris Magnes, 200; Map of Polar Regions by
Mercator (1509), 202; Map of the Landfall of Columbus, 210;
Columbus's Armor, 211; Maps of the Bahamas (1601 and modern),
212, 213.

CHAPTER X.

AMONG THE ISLANDS AND THE RETURN VOYAGE 218

ILLUSTRATION: Indian Beds, 222.

CHAPTER XI.

COLUMBUS IN SPAIN AGAIN; MARCH TO SEPTEMBER, 1493 243

ILLUSTRATIONS: The Arms of Columbus, 250; Pope Alexander VI.,
253; Crossbow-Maker, 258; Clock-Maker, 260.

CHAPTER XII.

THE SECOND VOYAGE, 1493-1494 264

ILLUSTRATIONS: Map of Guadaloupe, Marie Galante, and Dominica,
267; Cannibal Islands, 269.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SECOND VOYAGE, CONTINUED, 1494 284

ILLUSTRATION: Mass on Shore, 298.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE SECOND VOYAGE, CONTINUED, 1494-1496 303

ILLUSTRATIONS: Map of
the Native Divisions of Española, 306; Map of Spanish
Settlements in Española, 321.

CHAPTER XV.

IN SPAIN, 1496-1498. DA GAMA, VESPUCIUS, CABOT 325

LLUSTRATIONS: Ferdinand of Aragon, 328; Bartholomew Columbus, 329;
Vasco Da Gama, 334; Map of South Africa (1513), 335; Earliest
Representation of South American Natives, 336.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE THIRD VOYAGE, 1498-1500 347

ILLUSTRATIONS: Map of the Gulf of Paria, 353; Pre-Columbian
Mappemonde, restored, 357; Ramusio's Map of Española, 369;
La Cosa's Map (1500), 380, 381; Ribero's Map of the Antilles
(1529), 383; Wytfliet's Cuba, 384, 385.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE DEGRADATION AND DISHEARTENMENT OF COLUMBUS (1500) 388

ILLUSTRATION: Santo Domingo, 391.

CHAPTER XVIII.

COLUMBUS AGAIN IN SPAIN, 1500-1502 407

ILLUSTRATIONS: First Page of the _Mundus Novus_, 411; Map of
the Straits of Belle Isle, 413; Manuscript of Gaspar Cortereal,
414; of Miguel Cortereal, 416; the Cantino Map, 419.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE FOURTH VOYAGE, 1502-1504 437

ILLUSTRATIONS: Bellin's Map of Honduras, 443; of Veragua, 446.

CHAPTER XX.

COLUMBUS'S LAST YEARS. DEATH AND CHARACTER 477

ILLUSTRATIONS: House where Columbus died, 490; Cathedral at Santo
Domingo, 493; Statue of Columbus at Santo Domingo, 495.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE DESCENT OF COLUMBUS'S HONORS 513

ILLUSTRATIONS: Pope Julius II., 517; Charles the Fifth, 519;
Ruins of Diego Colon's House, 521.