which he wrote a former friend in 1504, he was himself upon the
ocean at that very time, seeking to rival Columbus in the discovery of
a continent!

The exact truth may never be learned as to this reputed voyage of
Vespucci, which he calls his "first," and which his enemies say was
never made! It seems incredible that he should be the "sole authority"
for this voyage, and that all contemporary history "is absolutely
silent in regard to it"; yet, so far as we can ascertain, it is the
truth. Leaving for future discussion, however, the proof and disproof
of this voyage--merely pausing to remark that at the period mentioned
a man holding his relations to Fonseca would have had no difficulty in
obtaining permission to make such a voyage, even without the sanction
of royal authority--we will now peruse the famous letter. It is
addressed to "Piero Soderini, Perpetual Gonfaloniere of the Republic
of Florence," and was written in 1504.

"MOST EXCELLENT SIR,-- ... The principal reason why I am
induced to write is the request of the bearer, Benvenuto
Benvenuti, the devoted servant of your Excellency and my
particular friend. He happened to be here in this city of
Lisbon, and requested that I would impart to your Excellency
a description of the things seen by me in various climes, in
the course of four voyages which I have made for the
discovery of new lands, two by the authority and command of
Don Ferdinand, King of Castile, in the great Western Ocean,
and the other two by order of Dom Manuel, King of Portugal,
towards the south. So I resolved to write, as requested, and
set about the performance of my task, because I am certain
that your Excellency counts me among the number of your most
devoted servants, remembering that in the time of our
youth, we were friends, going daily to study the rudiments
of grammar, under the excellent instruction of the venerable
brother of St. Mark, Friar Georgio Antonio Vespucci, my
uncle, whose counsels would to God I had followed! for then,
as Petrarch says, I should have been a different man from
what I am.

" ... Your Excellency will please to observe that I came
into the kingdom of Spain for the purpose of engaging in
mercantile affairs, and that I continued to be thus employed
about four years [six or seven], during which I saw and
experienced the fickle movements o