A treatyse of the newe India
A treatyse of
the newe India, with other new
founde landes and Ilandes, aswell
eastwarde as westwarde, as they
are knowen and found in these oure
dayes, after the descripcion of Se-
bastian Munster in his boke of uni-
versall Cosmographie: wherin the
diligent reader may see the good
successe and rewarde of noble
and honeste enterpryses,
by the which not only world-
ly ryches are obtayned,
but also God is glo-
rified, & the Chri-
stian fayth en-
larged.
Translated out of Latin into Englishe. By
Ryrcharde Eden.
‘Praeter spem sub spae.’
PUBLISHED BY S. Mierdman
PUBLISHED FOR Edward Sutton
1553
1.
1.1.
And whereas they yet perceaved, that ye Christien men entended to continue there, thei sent an ambassadour to the admiral to desyre him to restrayne the outragiousnes and crueltie of his men, at whose handes they sustained such injuries and violence, as they scarcely loked for at the handes of mortal enemies. Declaringe further, that under the pretence of seking for gold they committed innumerable wronges and mischievous actes,Crueltie of coveousnes. spoyl [...]ng in maner all the hole region: and that for the avoyding of such enormities and oppressions, they hadde rather paye tribute, then to be thus dayly vexed with incursions, & never to be at quiete. Upon this complaynte it [Page] was agreed, that they shoulde paye yearely tribute to the Christian king &Bread of rotes. that they should applie themselves to gather and encrease theyr rotes, whiche were to them in the stede of flowre and wheat: and so consumed that with great labour they coulde scarcely fynde any in the wooddes.The tribute of the barbarians They payde therefore for their tribute, every thre monethes, certayn pound weyghtes of gold:Disobedience oloweth Idlenes but suche as had no gold, payde spyces, & gossampine cotton. In the meane time the Spaniardes, who should have been occupied in digging for golde, gave themselves to play, wantonnes & idlenes, contemning, & falling into hatered wt their governour, by which theyr licenciousnes, the people of the Iland beyng provoked, became more disobedient & wyld, degeneratinge from al kind of honestie & faithfulnes: yea y [...] spaniardes also became so negligent in seking for gold, yt sometyme [Page] the charges exceaded the gaynes. Neverthelesse in the yere of Christ, 1501. they gathered within ye space of two monethes twelve thousand poundes weyght of golde.But the Admirall appoyntinge his brother Bartholomeus Columbus,Bartholomeus Columbus, to be governour of the Iland, he in the yeare .1495. determined to returne to Spayne, to certifye the kyng of al these matters. In which viage, he manfullye defended him self in battayl against the rebelles of certayne other Ilandes which had conspyred agaynst the Spanyardes.
1.2. How the Portugals sought new Ilandes in the East partes, and how they came to Calicut.
IN this meane tyme that ye Spanyardes soughte newe and unknowen landes in the West partes, the Portugales attempted to doe the same in the Easte partes. And least one of them should be a lette or [Page] hinderaunce to the other,The bisshop of rome devideth ye world. they devyded the world betwene them by the aucthoritie of the Bishop of Rome, Alexander the .vi. of that name. And that on this condicion, that from the Ilandes called hesperides, or CaputverideHesperides (whiche are now called Caputveride)How the Spanyardes & Portugales devided the world betwene them. the one should sayle Westwarde, and the other towarde the South pole, thus devyding the world betwene them in two equal partes. So that whatsoever unknowen landes shoulde be discovered in the Easte partes, the same to be dewe to the Portugales: And all suche as shoulde be founde in the Weste partes, to appertayne to the Spanyardes. Whereby it came to passe, that the Spaniardes, ever by the South, sayled into the Weste, where they founde a large mayne land, with Ilandes great & litle innumerable,Golde & Pearles having in them great plentie of golde and pearles, and other great riches.