Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 2).djvu/570

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

division of the worlde was agreede of betweene them, the king of Portingal had already discovered certaine Islandes that lie over against Cape Verde, and also certaine part of the maine lande of India toward the South, from whence he sette Brasill, and called it the land of Brasil. So for that all should come in his terme and limites, hee tooke three hundred and seventie leagues beyond Cape Verde: and after this, his 180 degrees, being his part of the worlde, should begin in the Carde right over against the 340 degrees, where I have made a little compasse with a crosse, and should finish at the 160 degree, where also I have made another little marke. And after this computation without any controversy, the Islands of the Spicery fal out of the Portingals domination. So that nowe the Spaniards say to the Portingals, that if they would beginne their 180 degrees from the sayde Cape Verde, to the intent they should extende more toward the Orient, and so to touch those Islandes of the Spicerie of the Emperour, which is al that is betweene the two crosses made in this Card, that then the Islands of Cape Verde and the lande of Brasil that the Portingals nowe obtaine is out of the said limitation, and that they are of the Emperours. Or if their 180 degrees they count from the 370 leagues beyond the said Cape Verde, to include in it the said Islands and lands of Brasil, then plainely appeareth the said 180 degrees should finish long before they come to these Islands of the Spicerie of the Emperour: As by this Carde your Lordship may see. For their limits should begin at the 340 degrees of this Carde, and ende at the 160 degrees, where I have made two little markes of the compasse with crosses in them. So that plainely it shoulde appeare by reason, that the Portingals should leave these Islands of Cape Verde and land of Brasil, if they would have part of the Spicerie of the Emperours: or els holding these, they have no part there. To this the Portingals say that they will beginne their 180 degrees from the self same Cape Verde: for that it may extende so much more toward the Orient, and touch these Islandes of the Emperours: and woulde winne these Islands of Cape Verde and land of Brasil neverthelesse, as a thing that they possessed before the consent of this limitation was made. So none can verely tell which hath the best reason. They be not yet agreed. Quare sub Judice lis est.

But without doubt (by all conjectures of reason), the sayd Islands fall all without the limitation of Portingal and pertaine