obedience to their mafter's inftructions, had repaired to Grand Cairo. From that city, they travelled along with a caravan of Egyptian merchants, and embarking on the Red Sea, arrived at Aden in Arabia. There they separated; Payva failed directly towards Abyffinia; Covillam embarked for the Eaft Indies, and having vifited Calecut, Goa, and other cities on the Malabar coaft, returned to Sofala, on the east fide of Africa, and thence to Grand Cairo, which Payva and he had fixed upon as their place of rendez vous. Unfortunately the former was cruelly murdered in Abyffinia, but Covillam found at Cairo two Portuguese Jews, whom John, whofe provident fagacity attended to every circumftance that could facilitate the execution of his fchemes, had difpatched after them, in order to receive a detail of their proceedings, and to communicate to them new inftructions. By one of thefe Jews, Covillam tranfmitted to Portugal a journal of his travels. by fea and land, his remarks upon the trade of India, together with exact maps of the coafts on which he had touched; and from what he himself had obferved, as well as from the information of skilful feamen in different countries, he concluded, that by failing round Africa, a paffage might be found to the East Indies d).

d) Faria y Soufa Port. Afia, vol. i. p. 27. Lafitau Decouv. i. 48.

Preparations for another voyage.

The happy coincidence of Covillam's opinion and report, with the discoveries which Diaz had lately made, left hardly any fhadow of doubt with refpect to the poffibility of failing from Europe to India. But the vaft length of the voyage, and the furious ftorms which Diaz had encountered near the Cape of Good Hope, alarmed and intimidated the Portuguese to fuch a degree, although by long experience they were now become adventurous and fkilful mariners, that fome time was requifite to prepare their minds for this dangerous and extraordinary voyage. The courage, however, and authority of the monarch, gradually dispelled the vain fears of his fubjects, or made it neceffaryto conceal them. As John thought himself now upon the eve of accomplishing that great defign, which had been the principal object of his reign, his earnestness in profecuting it became fo vehement, that it occupied his thoughts by day, and bereaved him of fleep through the night. While he was taking every precaution that his wisdom and experience could fuggeft, in order to endure the fuccefs of the expedition, which was to decide concerning the fate of his favourite project, the fame of the vaft difcoveries which the Portuguese had already made, the reports concerning the extraordinary intelligence which they had received from the Eaft, and the profpect of the voyage which they now

meditated, drew the attention of all the European nations, and held them in fufpence and expectation.

The attention of mankind fixed upon it.

By fome, the maritime skill and navigations of the Portuguese were compared with thofe of the Phenicians and Carthaginians, and exalted above them. Others formed conjectures concerning the revolutions which the fuccefs of the Portuguese schemes might occafion in the course of trade, and the political state of Europe. The Venetians began to be difquieted with the apprehenfion of lofing their Indian commerce, the monopoly of which was the chief fource of their power as well as opulence, and the Portuguese already enjoyed in fancy, the wealth of the Eaft.

Suddenly turned to a new object.

But, during this interval, which gave fuch fcope to the various workings of curiofity, of hope and of fear, an account was brought to Europe of an event no lefs extraordinary than unexpected, the discovery of a New World fituated in the weft; and the eyes and admiration of mankind turned immediately towards that great object.

A mo

BOOK II.

Birth and education of Columbus.

77

mong the foreigners whom the fame of the discoveries made by the Portuguese had allured into their fervice, was Chriftopher Colon or Columbus, a fubject of the republic of Genoa. Neither the time nor place of his birth are known with certainty (a); but he was defcended of an honourable family, though reduced to indigence by various misfortunes. His ancestors having betaken themselves for fubfiftence to a fea faring life, Columbus difcovered, in his early youth, the peculiar character and talents which mark out a man for that profeffion. His parents, instead of thwarting this original propenfity of his mind, feem to have encouraged and confirmed it, by the education which they gave him. After acquiring fome knowledge of the Latin tongue, the only language in which fcience was taught at that time, he was inftructed in geometry, cofmography, aftronomy, and the art of drawing. To thefe he applied with such ardour and predilection, on account of their connection with navigation, his favourite object, that he advanced with rapid proficiency in the ftudy of them. (1461) Thus qualified, he went to fea at the age of fourteen,

See NOTE XI.

and began his career on that element which conducted him to fo much glory. His early voyages were to thofe ports in the Mediterranean which his countrymen the Genoefe frequented. (1467.) This being a sphere to narrow for his active mind, he made an excurfion to the northern feas, and vifited the coafts of Iceland, to which the English and other nations had begun to refort on account of its fifhery. As navigation, in every direction, was now become enterprifing, he proceeded beyond that ifland, the Thule of the ancients, and advanced feveral degrees within the polar circle. Having fatisfied his curiofity by a voyage which tended 'more to enlarge his knowledge of naval affairs, than to improve his fortune, he entered into the fervice of a famous fea captain, of his own name and family. This man commanded a small fquadron, fitted out at his own expence, and by cruifing fometimes against the Mahometans, fometimes against the Venetians, the rivals of his country in trade, had acquired both wealth and reputation. With him Columbus continued for feveral years, no lefs diftinguifaed for his courage, than for his experience as a failor. At length, in an obftinate engagement, of the coaft of Portugal, with fome Venetian caravels, returning richly laden from the Low Countries, the veffel on board which he ferved took fire, together with one of the enemy's fhips, to which it was faft grappled. In this dreadful