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BOOK But true fcience had hitherto made fo little pro

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grefs in Spain, that the pretended philofophers, felected to judge in a matter of fuch moment, did not comprehend the first principles upon which Columbus founded his conjectures and hopes. Some of them, from mistaken notions concerning the dimenfions of the globe, contended that a voyage to those remote parts of the eaft, which Columbus expected to discover, could not be performed in lefs than three years. Others concluded, that either he would find the ocean to be of infinite extent, according to the opinion of fome ancient philofophers; or, if he fhould perfift in fteering towards the weft beyond a certain point, that the convex figure of the globe would prevent his return, and that he must inevitably perifh, in the vain attempt to open a communication between the two oppofite hemifpheres, which nature had for ever disjoined. Even without deigning to enter into any particular difcuffion, many rejected the scheme in general, upon the credit of a maxim, under which the ignorant and unenterprising shelter themselves in every age, "That it is prefumptuous in any perfon, to fuppofe that he alone poffeffes knowledge fuperior to all the rest of mankind united." They maintained, that if there were really any fuch countries as Columbus pretended, they could not have remained

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mained fo long concealed, nor would the BOOK wifdom and fagacity of former ages have left the glory of this invention to an obscure Genoese pilot.

IT required all Columbus's patience and addrefs to negociate with men capable of advancing fuch ftrange propofitions. He had to contend not only with the obftinacy of ignorance, but with what is ftill more intractable, the pride of falfe knowledge. After innumerable conferences, and wafting five years in fruitless endeavours to inform and to fatisfy judges fo little capable of deciding with propriety, Talavera, at last, made fuch an unfavourable report to Ferdinand and Isabella, as induced them to acquaint Columbus, that until the war with the Moors fhould be brought to a period, it would be imprudent to engage in any new and extenfive enterprise.

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WHATEVER care was taken to foften the harshness of this declaration, Columbus confidered it as a final rejection of his propofals. But, happily for mankind, that fuperiority of genius, which is capable of forming great and uncommon defigns, is ufually accompanied with an ardent enthufiafm, which can neither be cooled by delays, nor damped by disappoint

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Negocia tion of his brother in England.

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Columbus was of this fanguine temper, Though he felt deeply the cruel blow given to his hopes, and retired immediately from a court, where he had been amused fo long with yain expectations, his confidence in the juftness of his own fyftem did not diminish, and his impatience to demonftrate the truth of it by an actual experiment, became greater than ever. Having courted the protection of fovereign ftates without fuccefs, he applied, next, to perfons of inferior rank, and addreffed fucceffively the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and Medina Celi, who, though fubjects, were poffeffed of power and opulence more than equal to the enterprise which he projected. His, negociations with them proved as fruitlefs as those in which he had been hitherto engaged; for these noblemen were either as little convinced by Columbus's arguments as their fuperiors, or they were afraid of alarming the jealousy, and offending the pride of Ferdinand, by countenancing a scheme which he had rejected".

AMID the painful fenfations occafioned by fuch a fucceffion of difappointments, Columbus had to fuftain the additional diftrefs, of having received no accounts of his brother, whom he

Life of Columb, c. 13. Herrera, dec. 1. lib. i. c. 7.

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had fent to the court of England. In his BOOK age to that country, Bartholomew had been fo unfortunate as to fall into the hands of pirates, who having ftripped him of every thing, detained him a prifoner for feveral years. At length he made his escape, and arrived in London, but in fuch extreme indigence, that he was obliged to employ himself, during a confiderable time, in drawing and felling maps, in order to pick up as much money as would purchase a decent dress, in which he might venture to appear at court. He then laid before the king, the propofals with which he had been entrusted by his brother, and, notwithstanding Henry's exceffive caution and parfimony, which rendered him averfe to new or expenfive undertakings, he received Columbus's overtures with more approbation than any monarch to whom they had hitherto been presented,

MEANWHILE, Columbus being unacquainted with his brother's fate, and having now no profpect of encouragement in Spain, refolved to vifit the court of England in perfon, in hopes of meeting with a more favourable reception there. He had already made preparations for this purpofe, and taken measures for the difpofal of his children during his abfence, when Juan Perez, the guardian of the monaftery of Rabida, near Palos,

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neftly folicited him to defer his journey for a fhort time. Perez was a man of confiderable learning, and of fome credit with Queen Isabella, to whom he was known perfonally. He was warmly attached to Columbus, with whofe abilities as well as integrity he had many opportunities of being acquainted. Prompted by curiofity or by friendship, he entered upon an accurate examination of his fyftem, in conjunction with a phyfician fettled in the neighbourhood, who was a confiderable proficient in mathematical knowledge. This investigation fatisfied them fo thoroughly, with refpect to the folidity of the principles on which Columbus founded his opinion, and the probability of fuccefs in executing the plan which he propofed, that Perez, in order to prevent his country from being deprived of the glory and benefit which muft accrue to the patrons of fuch a grand enterprise, ventured to write to Ifabella, conjuring her to confider the matter anew, with the attention which it merited.

MOVED by the reprefentations of a perfon whom fhe refpected, Ifábella defired Perez to repair immediately to the village of Santa Fé, in which, on account of the fiege of Granada, the court refided at that time, that fhe might confer

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