over him in his determination to fathom the mystery of the Atlantic Ocean.[1]
and love for maritime discovery.
His visit to Lisbon,
From his earliest youth he had evinced a strong
inclination for the study of geography as well as
geometry and astronomy, of which he had gained a
superficial knowledge long before he resolved to push
his fortune from the ports of Spain. Trained to the
sea at a period when its followers were exposed to
more than usual dangers by the piratical habits
then prevalent, he had become daring and adventurous,
which, combined with his love for geographical
discoveries, rendered him peculiarly well adapted
for the exploration of unknown seas. Genoa, his
native city, was not then, however, in a position to
aid his cherished design, for this republic, once so
powerful, had been languishing for some time under
the embarrassment of a foreign and a foolish war.
Falling slowly but surely from her once high estate,
her spirit fell with her fortunes, and she had not the inclination,
even if she had had the means, to enter upon
extensive but doubtful adventures. Columbus had,
therefore, to seek aid in other lands. He repaired to
Lisbon, where many of his countrymen had settled;
and there, in the full vigour of his manhood, he took
up his residence about the year 1470, and soon afterwards
married a daughter of Bartolomeo de Palestrello,
who had been one of the most distinguished
navigators under Prince Henry of Portugal and the
colonizer and governor of Porto Santo.
By this marriage he obtained access to his father-in-*
- ↑ "Select Letters of Columbus," edited, with a careful Introduction, by E. H. Major, Esq., F.S.A., for the Hakluyt Society, 2nd ed. 1870 and "Life of Columbus," by Washington Irving. Lond. 12mo. 1830.
