I.

guese, for the first time, beheld a new heaven, BOOK and obferved the ftars of another hemisphere, John was not only folicitous to discover, but attentive to fecure the poffeffion of those countries. He built forts on the coaft of Guinea; he fent out colonies to fettle there; he establifhed a commercial intercourfe with the more powerful kingdoms; he endeavoured to render fuch as were feeble or divided tributary to the crown of Portugal. Some of the petty princes voluntarily acknowledged themselves his vaffals. Others were compelled to do fo by force of arms. A regular and well-digefted system was formed with refpect to this new object of policy, and by firmly adhering to it, the Portuguese power and commerce in Africa were established upon a folid foundation,

difcovering

a new route.

to the East

By their conftant intercourfe with the people Hopes of of Africa, the Portuguese gradually acquired fome knowledge of thofe parts of that country Indies. which they had not vifited. The information which they received from the natives, added to what they had obferved in their own voyages, began to open profpects more extenfive, and to fuggeft the idea of schemes more important, than those which had hitherto allured and occupied them. They had detected the error of the ancients concerning the nature of the torrid zone.

I.

BOOK They found, as they proceeded fouthwards, that the continent of Africa, instead of extending in breadth, according to the doctrine of Ptolemy, at that time the oracle and guide of the learned in the science of geography, appeared fenfibly.to contract itself, and to bend towards the east. This induced them to give credit to the accounts of the ancient Phenician voyages round Africa, which had long been deemed fabulous, and led them to conceive hopes that by following the fame route they might arrive at the East Indies, and engross that commerce which has been the fource of wealth and power to every nation poffeffed of it. The comprehenfive genius of Prince Henry, as we may conjecture from the words of the pope's bull, had early formed fome idea of this navigation. But though his countrymen, at that period, were incapable of conceiving the extent of his views and schemes, all the Portuguese mathematicians and pilots now concurred in reprefenting them as well-founded and practicable. The king entered with warmth into their fentiments, and began to concert measures for this arduous and important voyage.

Schemes

BEFORE his preparations for this expedition plishing were finished, accounts were tranfmitted from

for accom

this.

Vide Nov. Orbis Tabul. Geograph. fecund. Ptolem. Amft. 1730.

Africa,

1.

Africa, that various nations along the coaft had BOOK mentioned a mighty kingdom fituated on their continent, at a great distance towards the east, the king of which, according to their description, profeffed the Chriftian religion. The Portuguese monarch immediately concluded, that this must be the emperor of Abyffinia, to whom the Europeans, feduced by a mistake of Rubruquis, Marco Polo, and other travellers to the eaft, abfurdly gave the name of Prefter or Presbyter John; and as he hoped to receive information and assistance from a Chriftian prince, in profecuting a scheme that tended to propagate their common faith, he refolved to open, if poffible, fome intercourfe with his court. With this view, he made choice of Pedro de Covillam and Alphonfo de Payva, who were perfect masters of the Arabic language, and sent them into the east, to fearch for the refidence of this unknown potentate, and to make him proffers of friendship. They had in charge likewife to procure whatever intelligence the nations which they vifited could fupply, with respect to the trade of India, and the courfe of navigation to that continent ".

b

Faria y Sousa Port. Afia, vol. i. p. 26. Lafitau Decouv. de Port. i. 46.

BOOK

I.

Voyage of Bartholo mew Diaz,

1486.

WHILE John made this new attempt by land, to obtain fome knowledge of the country which he wifhed fo ardently to discover, he did not neglect the profecution of this great defign by fea. The conduct of a voyage for this purpose, the most arduous and important which the Portuguese had ever projected, was committed to Bartholomew Diaz, an officer whofe fagacity, experience, and fortitude, rendered him equal to the undertaking. He ftretched boldly towards the fouth, and proceeding beyond the utmost limits to which his countrymen had hitherto advanced, difcovered near a thoufand miles of new country. Neither the danger to which he was expofed, by a fucceffion of violent tempests in unknown feas, and by the frequent mutinies of his crew, nor the calamities of famine which he fuffered from lofing his ftore-fhip, could deter him from profecuting his enterprife. In recompence of his labours and perfeverance, he at last defcried that lofty promontory which bounds Africa to the fouth. But to defcry it, was all that he had in his power to accomplish. The violence of the winds, the fhattered condition of his fhips, and the turbulent fpirit of his failors, compelled him to return, after a voyage of fixteen months, in which he difcovered a far greater extent of country than any former navigator. Diaz had called the pro

montory

I.

montory which terminated his voyage Cabo Tor- BOOK mentofo, or the ftormy Cape; but the king, hist master, as he now entertained no doubt of having found the long defired route to India, gave it a name more inviting, and of better omen, The Cape of Good Hope".

More cerfpects of

tain pro

THOSE fanguine expectations of fuccefs were confirmed by the intelligence which John received over land, in confequence of his embaffy to Abyffinia. Covillam and Payva, in 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 feparated; Payva failed directly towards Abyffinia; Covillam embarked for the Eaft Indies, and having visited Calecut, Goa, and other cities on the Malabar coast, returned to Sofala, on the east side of Africa, and thence to Grand Cairo, which Payva and he had fixed upon as their place of rendezvous. Unfortunately the former was cruelly murdered in Abyffinia, but Covillam found at Cairo two Portuguese Jews, whom John, whose providentfagacity attended to every circumstance that could facilitate the execution of his fchemes,

fuccefs.