In the course of such wanderings and perils | voting himself incessantly to these studies, he we at length find Christopher Columbus at Lis- came to the full conviction that the earth was bon, the capital of Portugal. He was then a round, and that it was about as large as it has tall, serious, dignified man, about thirty-five since been proved to be. He consequently inyears of age. The intense earnestness of soul ferred that, by sailing directly west, one would with which nature had endowed him made him sooner or later come to the eastern shore of almost of necessity a man of religious emotions. Asia. The great island of Japan was then Such souls, imaginative, reflective, yearning for dimly known. Columbus judged that Japan something higher and holier than time can give, was about in the situation of Florida, and that are compelled to find the home of their thoughts the continent of Asia extended over the whole with Deity, Infinity, Eternity, Columbus was expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the American thus a religious man, a devout man, and in continent. The conviction in his own mind Christianity alone could he find the solution amounted to certainty, that by sailing west he of the profound and awful mystery of this our would reach the shores of Asia. He expected earthly being. to reach those shores about where the present line of the American continent is found. But he also expected to find in the vast Atlantic between, many islands of surpassing wealth and grandeur and beauty. He was, at the time of which we now speak, residing in the city of Lisbon, and he had married a lady of congenial character, but without fortune. By the construction of maps and charts, then in great demand for the extended commerce of Portugal, he obtained an ample competence and no little celebrity. His profession led him carefully to study all that was then known of geography, and every intelligent mariner who returned from a distant cruise was put under contribution by Columbus for more accurate information respecting the land and the sea. 66 We have said that Columbus was a devout man. Religious enthusiasm influenced him above all other considerations. "These realms," said he, are peopled by immortal beings, for whom Christ has died. It is my mission to search them out, and to carry to them the gospel of salvation. Wealth will also flow in from this discovery. With this wealth we can raise armies and rescue the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem from the hands of the infidels." But a small portion of our globe had then been visited. As Columbus sat at his table constructing his charts he became profoundly excited in contemplating those vast regions of which nothing was known. His pencil rapidly sketched the shores of the Mediterranean, the coast of Africa from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verd. He then dotted down the Canary, the Madeira, and the Cape de Verd islands. Then, pushing out three hundred leagues into the Atlantic, he sketched the Azores. Here his mari-complishment of his ulterior plans. time knowledge terminated. Pencil in hand he paused, and pondered, and grew excited. What is there beyond these islands? Is the earth a level plain? Where, then, does it end? Is it a globe? How large, then, is it? If it take the sun so many hours to pass from the eastern to the western end of the Mediterranean, how large a space could it traverse in twenty-four hours, from noon till noon? His whole soul became engrossed in the exciting study. By day and by night it was ever in his mind. Rumors were continually reaching his ears of islands which had beer dimly discerned in the western horizon. Excited mariners had transformed the gorgeous clouds of sunset into fairy-lands with towering mountains and widespreading savannas. Columbus was quite unable to think of fitting out an expedition himself. It was not to be supposed that private individuals could be induced to run the necessary risk. His only hope was in governmental favor. A sovereign state by the discovery would obtain great renown. Such a state could also confer upon him titles and dignities which would invest him with the authority necessary for the ac There was a general interest at that time in new discoveries. The boldest adventurers were frequently in the studio of Columbus, to obtain charts, and to communicate intelligence of the realms which they had visited, or which they had in imagination seen looming up in the distant horizon of the sea. The deep and silent enthusiasm of Columbus was thus roused to intensity, steadfast and abiding, of which only the most noble natures are susceptible. De He consequently applied to the Portuguese Government, and succeeded in obtaining an audience with King John II. The King listened with interest to his statements. But when Columbus demanded as a reward that he should be appointed Viceroy over the realms he might discover, and that he should receive onetenth of the profits of the expedition, the King declined embarking in the enterprise. He was, however, so much impressed by the statements of Columbus that he assembled a council of the most scientific men in Lisbon to consider the matter. The majority of the council pronounced the views of Columbus visionary. The King then condescended to a measure exceedingly ignoble. We can hardly speak He of it in terms of denunciation too severe. riage of Ferdinand and Isabella, and these two distinguished sovereigns were combining their energies to drive the Moors from the Peninsula. Columbus, with his son Diego, embarked for Spain, and landed ac the little sea-port of Palos, near the mouth of the river Tinto. Ferdinand and Isabella were at this time at Cordova, about a hundred miles distant, involved in the most important warlike movements, surrounded with the glitter and the din of arms, and all the warlike chivalry of Spain. It was indeed an unpropitious hour to seek their aid in an enterprise so novel and so hazardous. with all necessary supplies and sent it ostensibly | Castile and Aragon had been united by the maron a voyage to the Cape de Verd Islands. The captain of the vessel, however, received secret instructions, upon his arrival at the islands, to push out boldly into the Atlantic and pursue the route marked out by Columbus. The captain obeyed orders. After a few days' sail to the westward he encountered a fearful storm. His light caravel was tossed like a cork upon the majestic waves of the Atlantic. The sailors became terrified, and turning from the tempest which headed them, they put back to the Cape de Verd Islands, and thence to Lisbon, apologizing for their cowardice by exaggerated statements of peril, and by ridiculing the plan of Columbus. This dishonorable act roused the indignation of Columbus. His wife being dead, he resolved no longer to remain in a land whose Court could be guilty of such perfidy. Disappointed and deeply wounded, yet with purpose unshaken, this heroic man took his only child, Diego, and returned to his native city, Genoa. This was the home of his boyhood. And Columbus was destined here to find the truth of the adage, "A prophet is not without honor save in his own country and his own house." He applied to the Genoese Government to aid him in his undertaking; but his application was contemptuously rejected, he not being able even to obtain a hearing. Columbus, pale, thin, melancholy, with coarse and threadbare garments, having no luggage to encumber him, took Diego by the hand, and set out to traverse the weary leagues to Cordova. Having walked about a mile and a half they came to the gate of a convent. Diego was hungry and thirsty. The father knocked at the gate, and asked of the porter a slice of bread and a cup of water for his child. The Prior of the convent chanced at that moment to pass, and, struck with the dignified air and intellectual features of the stranger, entered into conversation with him. The Prior, an intelligent man, was impressed by the earnest character of Columbus and the grandeur of his views. He detained him as a guest, and sent for a scientific physician in the neighborhood to meet him. He was now in a state of deep poverty. But the one idea still filled his mind. Some friends Columbus had by chance fallen in with contook an interest in his cause, but friends who genial spirits. In the quiet cloisters of La could afford him but slender assistance. He Rabida these three men, with mutual enthusithought of applying to the King of England, asm, studied the enterprise of the discovery of and also of carrying his proposal to Venice. a new world. The noble Prior, a man of inAt length he decided to try his fortune in Spain. | fluence in the Court as well as in the Church, detained Columbus and his son for some time | quisitions which would place Spain in the forewith generous hospitality. He took charge of the education of the bright and attractive child, and gave the father a letter of introduction to the Confessor of the Queen. ground of all the nations. With characteristic caution he declined forming any judgment himself, but appointed a council of the most learned astronomers and cosmographers of the kingdom to hold an interview with Columbus, carefully to examine his plan, and report their opinion. Cheered by this unexpected good fortune, Columbus again set out for Cordova. The Court presented the aspect of a military camp. All the chivalry of Spain was there congre- The conference was held in a large hall in gated in battle-array. Bands of music filled the old convent of St. Stephens, at Salamanca. the air with martial strains. Plumes and ban- The assembly, convened by royal missives, was ners were gleaming in the sunlight, and squad- imposing in numbers and in dignity. Exalted rons of horse and vast masses of artillery crowd-functionaries of the Church, professors in the ed the streets of the city and encamped around the walls. Columbus, undismayed by the aspect of affairs, presented his letter to the Confessor, Fernando Talavera. But Talavera was a cold, calculating man, unsusceptible of generous impulses. He was entirely engrossed in the affairs of the campaign, and after listening with silent civility to the statements of Columbus, with chilling politeness he dismissed him. deemed it an intrusion to present so chimerical a project to the Sovereigns when oppressed with the weighty cares of war. The courtiers, contrasting the magnificent plans of Columbus with his threadbare aspect and his poverty, made themselves merry at his expense. He Columbus found no encouragement at Cordova. Soon both of the Sovereigns advanced with their armies into the province of Granada, where the Moors had their last foothold, and through the summer the war was prosecuted with uninterrupted vigor. In the fall they returned to Cordova, exulting over their victories; and after a few days of public rejoicings, with all the noisy accompaniments of military pomp, they repaired to Salamanca, nearly three hundred miles distant, to pass the winter. Columbus remained all this time at Cordova, unable to approach the Court, and gaining a frugal living by designing maps and charts. He had, however, produced a deep impression upon the minds of many thinking men in Cordova by the dignity of his demeanor, the elevation of his views, and by the remarkable conversational eloquence with which he advocated them. A wealthy and intelligent gentleman became so much interested in Columbus that he received him to his house as a guest, and introduced him to the Grand Cardinal, who had more influence than any other man in the councils of the Sovereigns. The Cardinal listened with profound attention to Columbus, and deeming his project worthy of state consideration, secured for him the long wished for audience with the King. This interview was to the enthusiastic adventurer an hour of intense yet solemn exaltation. Deeming himself the Heaven-chosen instrument for the most important of earthly enterprises, even the splendors of royalty could not dazzle him. The King, shrewd, sagacious, and ambitious, was excited by the idea of discoveries and ac universities, and statesmen of high rank, presented an array which must have overawed any plain man of ordinary capacity. Columbus, a simple mariner, with unaffected majesty of demeanor and of utterance, and with every fibre of his soul vibrating in the intensity of his zeal, presented himself before his examiners, sanguine of success. But he soon found, to his extreme chagrin, that learned men may be full of prejudice and bigotry. His statements were assailed with citations from the prophets and the Psalms, and with extracts from the religious writings of the Catholic fathers. The declaration that the earth was round was declared to be absurd. "What!" exclaimed several of these sages of the fifteenth century, "can any one be so foolish as to believe that the world is round, and that there are people upon the side opposite to ours, who walk with their heels upward and their heads hanging down, like flies clinging to the ceiling! That there is a part of the world where the trees grow with their branches hanging downward, and where it rains, hails, and snows upward!" But the doctrine of Columbus was stigmatized not only as absurd, but also as heretical, since to maintain that there were inhabitants in those distant lands would be an impeachment of the Bible, as it was deemed impossible that any descendants of Adam could have wandered so far. Others, in the pride of philosophy, with great complacency urged the philosophical objection that, admitting the world to be round, should a ship ever succeed in reaching the other side it could never return, since no conceivable strength of wind could force a ship up the mountainous rotundity of the globe. Columbus, far in advance of his age, gave the same answer which is now given to theological objections to the revelations of science. The inspired writers were not publishing scientific treatises, but were addressing the popular mind, and their allusions to nature referred merely to its obvious aspects. To the self-conceited philosophers he replied in arguments which, though unanswerable, were not to them convincing. The reasoning of Columbus produced, however, a profound impression upon some minds in that assembly. Diego de Deza, a divine of lofty character, who afterward became Archbishop of Seville, warmly espoused his cause. squadrons presented the most exciting and engrossing scene which can occur on earth. The majority, however, were decidedly hostile | foe, and the sweep of assailing and retreating to his views; and the declaration that any land could be found by sailing west from Europe was declared by them to be philosophically false and religiously heretical. And this was but about four hundred years ago! Columbus was bitterly disappointed, but not discouraged. The conference had made his scheme widely known. The attention of all the learned in the realm, and of all the dignitaries about the Court, was called to the subject. And though Columbus was insulted with lampoons and jests, still individuals of exalted worth in increasing numbers supported and consoled him. And here was Columbus, moving from tent to tent, regardless of the turmoil of war, urging his claim wherever he could find a listening ear. In September, Malaga having surrendered, the Court returned to Cordova, and then for eighteen months it was constantly on the move, still surrounded by the din of arms. Columbus followed the Court, vainly watching for an opportunity to gain another hearing. In the spring of 1489 he succeeded in obtaining from the King an order for another conference of learned men, to be assembled at Seville. But suddenly a new campaign was opened, and the council was postponed, as all the energies of the Government were engrossed in the siege of Baza. Another year of tumultuous war passed away, and then came months of festivity and triumph over another victory. Columbus, during many of these weary months, lingered at Cordova, though still supported at the expense of the Court. The King and Queen were now making preparations on the grandest scale for the siege of Granada. Columbus, conscious that when the campaign was once fairly opened no thought could be turned to him, with renewed impor Columbus had been received as an attaché to the Court during the months in which, with many interruptions, this all-important question was under discussion. It was a period of the wildest warfare against the Moors of Granada, and the Court, in the whirlwind of the strife, was incessantly moving from place to place. There were but few moments of repose when Columbus could get any ear to listen to his story. During the summer of 1487 the King and Queen were encamped before Malaga, conducting its memorable siege. Silken pavilions, decorated with all the appliances of beauty and luxury, crowning an eminence which commanded a view of the beleaguered city and of the as-tunity pressed his suit. At length he obtained sailing hosts, accommodated the Court. A vast semicircular array of tents, sweeping around the city from shore to shore on each side, afforded encampments for the chivalrous nobility of Spain. The whole encircled space was filled with all the glittering magnificence of war. It was an agitated sea of plumes and banners and gleaming helmets, while the vigor of the assault, the roar of the battle, the sallies of the the reply that the cares and expenses of royalty were so great that the subject could receive no more attention until the conclusion of the war. The blow fell heavily upon Columbus; but with an indomitable spirit he made no surrender to despair. Resolute, yet saddened, he now looked around for his next resource. There were at this time in Spain many feudal nobles, rich and powerful. From their own im pregnable castles they led strong armies of retainers into the field. The Duke of Medina Sidonia furnished for the siege of Malaga an army of cavaliers, a hundred vessels, and large sums of money. He was a man of heroic character, and ambitious of princely enterprise. Columbus turned to him. At first the Duke listened eagerly to his suggestions, but closed the interview by contemptuously declaring the scheme nothing but the dream of an Italian visionary. To another noble duke Columbus applied, but with similar results. He now resolved to try his fortune at the Court of France. Before setting out for Paris he returned to the convent of La Rabida, at Palos, to take leave of his son, Diego, who was still there. Again he approached the gates of the hospitable convent. His purse was empty, and his threadbare clothes were covered with the dust of travel. Seven years of incessant toil and disappointment had passed since he first asked for a cup of water at that gate. Care and sorrow had whitened his locks, and plowed deep furrows in his cheeks. The worthy Prior received him with sympathy and affection. Upon learning that Columbus was about to direct his footsteps to Paris, he was alarmed at the thought that Spain would thus lose the glory of so great a discovery. He immediately sent for the physician of whom we have before spoken, and for other influential friends, to hold a consultation. Among the rest came Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the illustrious head of a family which had obtained wealth and renown through maritime adventures. Pinzon could appreciate the views of Columbus. He warmly espoused his cause, and freely pledged his purse to aid him in the further prosecution of his suit at Court. mule and provide himself with raiment suitable for his appearance at Court. Great was the joy which these glad tidings infused to the world-weary heart of Columbus. The long, dark, dismal night seemed passing away, and a glorious morning was dawning. Columbus was speedily mounted upon his mule, and was trotting joyfully along over the hills and valleys of Andalusia to the city of Granada. He arrived there just in time to see the Moorish banner torn down and the flag of Spain unfurled upon the towers of the Alhambra. The Moorish power was forever crushed, and Spain was disenthralled. It was the most exultant hour in Spanish history. In the midst of these rejoicings Columbus was introduced to the cabinet of the Queen. With unaffected majesty he presented himself before her, feeling by no means that he was a needy adventurer imploring alms, but that he was a Heaven-sent embassador, with a world in his gift, which he would bequeath to Spain, if Spain were worthy of the legacy. "I wish," said he, "for a few ships and a few sailors to traverse between two and three thousand miles of the ocean, thus to point out a new and short route to India, and to reveal new nations majestic in wealth and power. I ask only in return that I may be appointed Viceroy over the realms I discover, and one-tenth of all the profits which may accrue." The courtiers of the Queen were astonished at what they deemed such audacious demands. They urged upon Isabella that it would be insulting to the nobility of Spain that an obscure sailor, merely the captain of a successful maritime expedition, should demand wealth and honors which would place him next in rank to the crown. ment whatever in his requisitions. He would not go forth the discoverer of a world as merely the hireling of any prince. The Prior had been formerly Confessor to Isabella. He immediately wrote to the Queen, in Isabella, influenced by these representations, the most earnest terms, urging that Spain might offered him terms more moderate, yet honornot lose so grand an opportunity. An old sail-able; but Columbus refused to make any abateor mounted a mule and carried the letter to Isabella, who was about one hundred and fifty miles distant, at Santa Fé, conducting the siege of Granada. The Queen returned an encouraging reply, requesting the Prior to come and see her. This response excited intense joy in the hearts of the little coterie at the convent, and the worthy Prior, though it was midnight, saddled his mule and departed from the courtyard to urge the claims of Columbus upon Isabella. It was a glorious mission, and the good old Catholic ecclesiastic was worthy of it. Sadly yet resolutely he saddled his mule and rode out from the streets of Santa Fé, to return to his friends in Palos, thence to go and offer his services to the King of France. But "blessings brighten as they take their flight." The Queen was troubled by the departure of Columbus. The character of the man had produced a profound impression upon her mind. She was bewildered in contemplating the magnitude of the loss to her crown and to her fame should the scheme of Columbus prove a reality. Ferdinand came into the cabinet. She expressed her anxiety to him. He replied: The Queen had a warm heart as well as a strong mind. Her affections came to the aid of her intellect, and she listened sympathizingly to the plea of her revered Confessor. She had never heard the cause thus plead before. "The royal finances are absolutely drained She had never been thus personally and direct- by the war. We have no money in the treasly appealed to. She was the independent Sov-ury for such an enterprise." ereign of Castile. Her husband was King of Aragon. She immediately took Columbus under her care, requested him to come to Santa Fé, and with woman's thoughtful kindness sent him a sum of money that he might purchase a The enthusiastic response burst from the lips of the Queen: "I will undertake the enterprise for my own crown of Castile, and I will pledge my own private jewels to raise the necessary funds." |