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II.

1491

confer with him upon this important fubject. BOOK The firft effect of their interview was a gracious invitation of Columbus back to court, accompanied with the prefent of a fmall fum to equip him for the journey. As there was now a certain prospect, that the war with the Moors would speedily be brought to an happy iffue by the reduction of Granada, which would leave the nation at liberty, to engage in new undertakings; this, as well as the mark of royal favour, with which Columbus had been lately honoured, encouraged his friends to appear with greater confidence than formerly in fupport of his scheme. The chief of these, Alonso de Quintanilla, comptroller of the finances in Caftile, and Luis de Santangel, receiver of the ecclefiaftical revenues in Aragon, whofe meritorious zeal in promoting this great design entitles their names to an honourable place in hiftory, introduced Columbus to many perfons of high rank, and interested them warmly in his be half. pisd

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BUT it was not an eafy matter to infpire Is again difFerdinand with favourable fentiments He ftill regarded Columbus's project as extravagant and chimerical; and in order to render the efforts of his partifans ineffectual, he had the addrefs to employ, in this, new negociation with him,

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BOOK fome of the perfons who had formerly pronounced his fcheme to be impracticable. To their astonishment, Columbus appeared before them with the fame confident hopes of fuccefs as formerly, and infifted upon the fame high recompence. He propofed that a fmall fleet fhould be fitted out, under his command, to attempt the difcovery, and demanded to be appointed hereditary admiral and viceroy of all the feas and lands which he should discover, and to have the tenths of the profits arifing from them, fettled irrevocably upon himself and his defcendants. At the fame time, he offered to advance the eighth part of the fum neceffary for accomplishing his defign, on condition that he fhould be entitled to a proportional share of benefit from the adventure. If the enterprise fhould totally miscarry, he made no stipulation for any reward or emolument whatever. Inftead of viewing this conduct as the cleareft evidence of his full perfuafion with respect to the truth of his own fyftem, or being ftruck with that magnanimity which, after so many delays and repulfes, would ftoop to nothing inferior to its original claims, the perfons with whom Columbus treated, began meanly to calculate the expence of the expedition, and the value of the reward which he demanded. The expence, moderate as it was, they reprefented to

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II,

be too great for Spain, in the prefent exhaufted BOOK ftate of its finances. They contended that the honours and emoluments claimed by Columbus, were exorbitant, even if he should perform the utmost of what he had promised; and if all his fanguine hopes fhould prove illufive, fuch vaft. conceffions to an adventurer would be deemed not only inconfiderate, but ridiculous. In this impofing garb of caution and prudence, their opinion appeared fo plaufible, and was fo warmly fupported by Ferdinand, that Ifabella declined giving any countenance to Columbus, and abruptly broke off the negociation with him which she had begun.

THIS was more mortifying to Columbus than all the disappointments which he had hitherto met with. The invitation to court from Ifabella, like an unexpected ray of light, had opened fuch prospects of success as encouraged him to hope that his labours were at an end; but now darkness and uncertainty returned, and his mind, firm as it was, could hardly fupport the fhock of fuch an unforeseen reverse. He withdrew in deep anguish from court, with an intention of profecuting his voyage to Eng, land, as his last resource.

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ABOUT that time Granada furrendered, and Ferdinand and Ifabella, in triumphal pomp, last fuccefs- took poffeffion of a city, the reduction of which extirpated a foreign power from the heart of their dominions, and rendered them masters of all the provinces, extending from the bottom of the Pyrenees to the frontiers of Portugal. As the flow of fpirits which accompanies fuccess elevates the mind, and renders it enterprifing, Quintanilla and Santangel, the vigilant and dif cerning patrons of Columbus, took advantage of this favourable fituation, in order to make one effort more in behalf of their friend. They addreffed themselves to Ifabella, and after expreffing fome surprise, that fhe, who had always been the munificent patronefs of generous undertakings, fhould hesitate fo long to countenance the moft fplendid fcheme that had ever been propofed to any monarch; they reprefented to her, that Columbus was a man of a found understanding and virtuous character, well qualified, by his experience in navigation, as well as his knowledge of geometry, to form just ideas with respect to the structure of the globe and the fituation of its various regions; that, by offering to rifk his own life and fortune in the execution of his feheme, he gave the moft fatisfying evidence both of his integrity

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II.

1492.

and hope of fuccefs; that the fum requifite for BOOK equipping fuch an armament as he demanded was inconfiderable, and the advantages which might accrue from his undertaking were immenfe; that he demanded no recompence for his invention and labour, but what was to arise from the countries which he fhould difcover;' that, as it was worthy of her magnanimity to make this noble attempt to extend the sphere of human knowledge, and to open an intercourse with regions hitherto unknown, fo it would afford the highest satisfaction to her piety and zeal, after re-establishing the Chriftian faith in those provinces of Spain from which it had been long banished, to discover a new world, to which the might communicate the light and bleffings of divine truth; that if now she did not decide inftantly, the opportunity would be irretrievably loft; that Columbus was on his way to foreign countries, where fome prince, more fortunate or adventurous, would close with his propofals, and Spain would for ever bewail the fatal timidity which had excluded her from the glory and advantages that she had once in her power to have enjoyed.

THESE forcible arguments, urged by perfons of fuch authority, and at a juncture fo well chofen, produced the defired effect. They dif

pelled

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