412

PIGA^ETTa’s voyage round the world.

explore the country towards Ethiopia , beyond the columns of Hercules. He more-over gave the command of them to the two captains, Jacob Cam, a Portuguefe, andMartin Bohem, a German from Nuremberg, of a good family in Bohemia , a manexpert in geography, well capable of bearing with patience the toil of a fea life, wellread in the latitudes and longitudes towards the well of Ptolomey , and ufed to longvoyages. Thefe two, by the help of the gods, ploughing the fea at fhort diftance fromfhore, having palled the equinoftial line, entered the nether hemifphere, where, frontingthe eaft, their lhadow fell towards the fouth, and on their right hand. Thus did hisinduftry throw open a new world hitherto unknown, and which none for many yearsbefore had attempted to explore, except the Genoefe, who failed in the attempt. Theobjedt of the voyage being now effe&ed in this manner, in the twenty-fixth monthfrom their departure the navigators returned to Portugal , though not without lofinga number of men, who died from the extreme heat of the weather;. As a token oftheir fuccefs they brought back with them pepper, grains of paradife, and many otherarticles too numerous to mention. Owing to the difcovery of this new world, a greatquantity of pepper is brought to .Flanders; and although it may not be fo wrinkled inits exterior as the pepper from the eaft, it polfelfes the pungency, is of the fame formas, and anfwers all the purpofes of, the real pepper. Much might be written on thisfubjedt, which, left I Ihould be tedious, I omit.”

Although the chronicle, from which this extradt is* given, be in the hand-writing ofSchedel, the extradt itfelf is added in a different hand. In the manufcript German tranllation of this book by George Ult, which he finilhed the 5th Odtober 1493, thefelines do not appear; they muft therefore have been added fince that time.

The whole, however, that can be gathered from this palfage is, as is juftly remarkedby Councillor Gebauer and Profelfor Tozen, “ that the King of Portugal, John II. in 1483, difpatched James Cam, a Portuguefe, and Martin Behaim of Nuremberg , withfome galleys, on a voyage to Ethiopia \ that they entered the South Sea, keeping at afhort diftance from fhore; that after paffing the line they arrived in the other he-mifphere, where, when they looked towards the eaft, their lhadow fell on their righthand ; that in this hemifphere they difcovered countries before unknown, which, formany years before, none but the Genoefe had attempted to explore, and they in vain;finally, that after a voyage of twenty-fix months they returned to Portugal , and, as aproof of the truth of the relation they gave of their voyage, brought back pepperand cardamoms.

Who, on reading this palfage with attention, a palfage inferted in the book writtenby .ZEneas Sylvius, De Europse fub Frederico III. Imperatore Statu, and which heextracted from Schedel, who, I fay, but muft perceive that it does not relate to thepart of the globe to which afterwards the name of America was given, and particularlynot to the Brazils. It is well known that Diego Cam extended the navigation of thePortuguefe, who before had never failed further.than Guinea , and that as early as 1484?.(and not in 1490) he difcovered the kingdom of Congo; a difcovery to which I fhallhereafter allude in fpeaking of the voyage of Martin Behaim oft' the coaft of Africa .

To thefe palfages, wrongly interpreted, are to be attributed all the falfities with whichthe hiftory of our celebrated navigator is disfigured. Some writers, not content withaffirming that he was the firft who difcovered America , afcribe to him likewife the dif-covery of the famous Strait of Fernan Magellan, atchieved by the,latter in 1419. ^

is William Poftell who firft advanced thefe aflertions. In two of his works he givesthe title of Fretuin Martini Bohemi to the Strait of Magellan . It is poflible he may

have