The Life of Columbus.CHAPTERI.
Introduction—Early life—Commences a sea-faring life—Columbus goes to Lisbon—His views about undiscovered land in the west—He pursues measures to go on a voyage of discovery—He applies to the court of Spain.
Whohas not heard the name of Christopher Columbus—the bold navigator, or sailor, who first discovered America? Yet few children in the United States, perhaps, have read the story of his life. It is full of interest. Columbus was a remarkable man—remarkable for his courage—for his enterprise—for carrying through whatever he attempted. Few ever made greater exertion—few ever passed through severer trials and dangers—few, by one single act of their lives, were ever more useful to the world.
By the children of the United States, the name of Columbus should be had in honor. But for his enterprise, America would probably have remained unknown for many years longer. Before the voyage of Columbus, no one had crossed the Atlantic Ocean. At the present day, such a voyage is little more thought of than a journey to Quebec or Niagara. But at that time no one had ventured upon the undertaking. No such continent as America was known to exist, and the uncertainty of finding land, cast so much gloom upon a western voyage that few were willing even to think of it.
But with Columbus the case was different. He was a brave man. He was fitted for the boldest adventures. Although the existence of land to the west was uncertain, Columbus had so much faith that he determined to make the experiment. He therefore, boldly launching forth, stretched westward upon the swelling waters of the Atlantic. What was the result?—the discovery of a new continent—of a western world—of a land in which are now situated, among other countries, the United States. In some one of these states, little reader, you was born—here you live—here you enjoy a thousand blessings with other children—all to be traced back, under a kind providence, to the single voyage of Columbus about which I am going to tell you.
But before I tell you of that voyage, I will tell you some particulars of the early life of Columbus; and when you have read what I shall write, you will, I think, wonder that he should have ever undertaken it.
Columbus was born about the year 1435. His birth-place was Genoa, a city of Italy. His father was a poor but respectable man. He followed the business of wool-combing. Columbus was the eldest of four children. He had two brothers and one sister.
When young, he was considered a bright boy. He enjoyed few opportunities for study, but he diligently improved those he had. He excelled in a knowledge of geography, of which he wasfond. In after life his attainments in this study were of signal use to him.
Having devoted as much time to study as his father’s means would allow, he returned home, and for a time worked at wool-combing. But of this he was never fond. His genius was better fitted for more active employment, and as soon as permitted he sought occupation abroad.
The bent of his inclination was to follow the sea. He was yet young, being at this time but fourteen years of age, to embark upon so dangerous a course of life. But he had courage and resolution, and now eagerly embraced the opportunity of entering the service of a sea captain by the name of Colombo, a distant relative of his father.
Colombo himself was a bold, hardy, rough seaman. In the service of such a man, the native courage and enterprise of Columbus were not likely to droop. The voyages of his master were confined to the Mediterranean sea. Sailing in this sea, at all times dangerous by reason of the storms which sweep across it, was at that time doubly dangerous, since, in addition to storms, it was thronged with pirates.
With Colombo our young sailor made several voyages, but of the particulars of these, little is known. Some time after, Columbus enlisted into the service of a nephew of his old captain—a corsair, or pirate, and a most bloody man.
Soon after his enlistment, his new master received the news that four vessels, with rich cargoes, were about sailing from a certain port. Their great value was quite a temptation to run some hazard in the attempt to take them. With this object in view, the vessels of the corsair proceeded to sea. In a short time the merchant vessels were discovered, and a descent was made upon them.
The vessel on board of which Columbus was, coming up with one, began the attack. This was boldly met. On both sides the contest was spirited and bloody, and lasted from morning till night. During the engagement, these two vessels, coming in contact, were fastened together by means of chains and what are called grappling irons. The parties now fought not only with guns, but with sabres, and with every kind of weapon found on board. The butchery on both sides was appalling. At length one of the vessels took fire, and both were soon wrapped in flames.
To those who survived there was now but one way of escape—to plunge themselves into the sea, and to reach the shore if possible by swimming. What became of the rest, I know not, but of Columbus we are told that as he rose from the water into which he had leaped, he discovered an oar, upon which stretching himself, he succeeded in reaching land, after swimming a distance of six miles.
The next that we hear of Columbus is at Lisbon, in Portugal, where he arrived about the year 1470. The fight of which I have given an account took place at no great distance from Lisbon, and hence it is supposed that on getting ashore Columbus was induced to visit Lisbon, on account of the spirit of enterprise which more than in most other places abounded there.
Not long after reaching Lisbon, he became attached to a lady of rank, whom he married. She was the daughter of a distinguished sea captain, now dead. Columbus and his wife, for a time, lived with her mother. This lady had in her possession many charts and journals, belonging to her late husband. These she presented to Columbus, and from them he gained many new and important ideas in relation to discoveries which had been made, and of land which it was thought might exist at a distance in the oceans.
Columbus now continued to follow the seas, making several voyages to the coast of Guinea, in Africa. But at length he removed to the island of Porto Santo, in the vicinity of the island of Madeira. Porto Santo had then recently been discovered. This island lies about 700 miles south-west from Lisbon.
For some years before Columbus removed to Porto Santo, much had been said about lands to the west. No such lands were known to exist; but many thought it probable that they did.
Columbus heard what was said, read what was written, and his thoughts were fixed upon the subject. After his removal, he still dwelt upon it. At this time, the most western lands known were a group of islands called the Azores. These islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean, about half way between the eastern and western continents. They were discovered about the year 1450.
It was a question, and one of great interest, what lay beyond the Azores, to the west. Was it water only, or was there land? And by taking a westerly course could not a passage be found to India?
Columbus, as I said, dwelt long upon the subject, and at length became convinced that there must be land. In this opinion he was strengthened by certain discoveries which had been made by vessels which had sailed some distance westward into the Atlantic Ocean. These discoveries consisted in one case of a piece of carved wood, and in another of trunks of pine trees, unlike any which grew upon the Azores—but more than all, of two dead men’s bodies, cast upon Flores, one of the Azore islands, after a westerly wind, which differed in their appearance from any race of people then known. These, and several other circumstances, about which I have not time to be more particular, satisfied Columbus that there were lands to the west of the Azores. Thus, having formed his opinion, his next object was to contrive some plan to ascertain the truth of his conjectures.
As he was now near to the king of Portugal, he first made application to him. He had strong reasons to hope for success, chiefly on account of the spirit of enterprise which prevailed at that time in Portugal, on the subject of discoveries. King John listened to the views of Columbus with interest. He was himself nearly ready to patronize the project, but some of his chief advisers thought the plan a wild one.
King John, however, was not satisfied. His council, therefore, advised him to get Columbus to reveal his views and his plans, and to keep him in doubt, while a vessel was dispatched for the purpose of discovering the land which Columbus was so sure existed to the west.
All this was designed to rob Columbus of the honor which he would have, should he actually make such a discovery. This was mean, ungenerous and wicked. Columbus, however, knew not the design. He frankly gave his views—disclosed the route which he designed to take. Like an honest man, bent on effecting a good purpose, and trusting to the honesty of others, he told all he knew—all he designed.
The crafty Portuguese had now obtained possession of his secret,—all they wanted. Columbus was therefore put off for a time.
In the mean while a vessel was hastily and secretly fitted out and dispatched, with the hope of making the discovery, and of robbing Columbus of the glory of the enterprise.
The vessel in question sailed, as I said, but shortly after returned, her crew being too timid to encounter the dangers of an untried ocean.
Columbus at length heard of the infamous manner in which he had beentreated. He felt insulted—was grieved, but his spirit remained unbroken. He determined to quit a kingdom in which he had been so much abused. No ties bound him to it. His wife was now dead. With his only son, whom she had left to him, and whom he named Diego, he departed for Genoa.
Genoa, however, was not in a favorable situation to patronize the undertaking.
From Genoa he proceeded to Spain; but in what manner, or by what route, is now unknown.
The most that we know is, that one day a stranger, humbly clad, and on foot, leading a little boy, called at the convent of La Rabida, not far from a seaport in Andalusia, and requested food for the lad. It was Columbus and Diego.
They were noticed by the chief man of the convent, who entered into conversation with Columbus, who told him the story of his adventures. This greatly interested the friar or chief of the convent, who persuaded him to tarry some time with him, and who entered with deeper and deeper interest into the plans of Columbus, the more they were disclosed to him.
In the spring of 1486, Columbus, having made arrangements to have Diego educated at the convent of La Rabida, took leave of the worthy father, and proceeded to the court of Spain to solicit assistance in carrying his plans into execution.
Ferdinand and Isabella were at this time the sovereigns of Spain. We shall not detain our readers with an account of the many troubles and vexations which Columbus experienced before his request was granted. Several years passed in a fruitless urgency of his petition. Spain was at war, and her sovereigns pretended that they could not attend to him. Not a few distinguished Spaniards were jealous of him, and envious of his expected honor. They, therefore, endeavored to dissuade the king and queen from lending their patronage to him.
But at length the time arrived when, the war being over, the king and queen appointed persons to arrange a plan with Columbus. These persons, however, pretended that he was too extravagant in his demands, and the negotiation was broken off. Grieved and mortified, Columbus hastily left the court, and proceeding towards Cordova, intended thence to sail to France.
A friend to Columbus, finding he had departed, hastily repaired to the queen, and entreated her that he might be recalled, and that an enterprise which promised so much honor to Spain might be accomplished.
The king would not listen to the proposal. His funds had been exhausted by the war, and he felt himself unable to meet the expense. Isabella hesitated. But at length her generous spirit was victorious over all objections. She offered to fit out the expedition at her own expense, and directed that Columbus should be recalled.
While this was passing, he, disappointed, and no doubt dejected, was pursuing his journey towards Cordova. A messenger was dispatched to convey to him the happy turn in his fortune. The messenger overtook him—handed him the recall—and shortly after Columbus was again at Santa Fe, where the king and queen then resided.
He was received with kindness both by Ferdinand and Isabella, especially the latter. An arrangement was soon formed between Columbus and the queen. By this, the former was appointed governor-general of all lands which he might discover. He was to be entitled to one tenth of the gold and silver, pearls and precious stones, which he might find. The queen promised to fit out twovessels, and allowed him to furnish one.
These arrangements being made much to the satisfaction of Columbus, he set about preparing for the voyage.
It was determined that he should sail from a small sea-port by the name of Palos. This lies exactly east from Jamestown, in Virginia. Little did Columbus imagine that in a little more than one hundred years from that time, a settlement should be begun at a spot exactly west from where he then was, on a continent which he should discover, and which should be the beginning of a noble republic, such as we see at this day in the United States.
Little did he think of it. Yet he proceeded with as much zeal in preparing for his voyage, as if he had foreseen all the consequences of his enterprise.
He now made a visit to the convent of La Rabida, where he was welcomed by the kind father, who expressed his joy at the success of his friend. Here he took up his quarters, it being at no great distance from Palos, while the vessels were fitting at the latter place for the voyage.
I said the queen agreed to furnish two vessels, and Columbus was permitted to furnish one. He was unable himself to advance the necessary funds, but a friend kindly offered to do it for him.
The vessels provided for the voyage, were such as no seaman at the present day would think safe out of sight of land. Only one of them had any deck. This one, which was the largest, was called the Santa Maria. It was commanded by Columbus himself. The second was called the Pinta. Her captain was Martin Alonzo Pinzon. Nina was the name of the third, and was commanded by Vincente Yanez Pinzon. All the souls on board the three amounted to one hundred and twenty.
Lucius Valerius Pudens.—Lucius Valerius was born at Hisconium, in the reign of Trajan. At thirteen years of age, he became a competitor for the prize of poetry. This prize was a beautiful gold medal and an ivory lyre, which was every five years adjudged to the author who produced the best poem. Valerius, though opposed by a number of poets double his age, was victorious. Among other honors paid to him, it was determined to erect a bronze statue, which should be placed in the most conspicuous part of the city. The day of the presentation of this statue to the public view, presented a trait in the character of Valerius, still more lovely than his talents.
At the moment when the chief magistrate was placing a crown of laurel on the head of the statue, Valerius perceived a young man who had contested the prize with him,—and who was, in the opinion of many, little inferior to him,—looking upon this scene with a sorrowful and dejected countenance. Valerius instantly discovered the cause of his chagrin, and determined to remove it, which he did in the following manner. He seized the laurel crown, and, pressing towards his disappointed rival, placed it on his head, saying, “You are more deserving of it than I am; I obtained it more on account of my youth than my merit, and rather as an encouragement than a reward.” This generous conduct called forth enthusiastic admiration from the spectators; and the astonished youth, who thus unexpectedly received the crown of victory from the hands of the victor, was overcome with gratitude and joy. To preserve the remembrance of an action, which evinced at once so much modesty and such kind feelings, the people conferred on Valerius the surname ofPudens, which signifies modest,—an honor greater even than that which he derived from his poetry.