ch who was attempting to impose on the simple people of
the time. It was a fine summer's night, and the Moon was suddenly
eclipsed. 'Make me good amends,' said she, 'for old wrongs, or I will
bid the Sun also to withdraw his light from you.' Bradwardine, who had
studied the Arabian astronomers, was more than a match for this simple
trick, without calling in the aid of the Saxon law. 'Tell me,' he said,
'at what time you will do this, and we will believe you; or if you will
not tell me, I will tell you when the Sun or the Moon will next be
darkened, in what part of their orb the darkness will begin, how far it
will spread, and how long it will continue.'"

An eclipse of the Moon which happened when Columbus was at the Island of
Jamaica proved of great service to him when he was in difficulties owing
to the want of food supplies which the inhabitants refused to afford.
The eclipse was a total one, and so far as the description goes the
eclipses of April 2, 1493, and March 1, 1504, both respond to the
recorded circumstances: both were total and both occurred soon after
sunset. But, inasmuch as in the life of Columbus written by his son the
incident is placed nearly at the end of the work, there can be no doubt
that it is the later of the above eclipses which was the one in
question. The story is very graphically told by Sir A. Helps[134] in the
words following:--

"The Indians refused to minister to their wants any longer; and famine
was imminent. But just at this last extremity, the admiral, ever fertile
in devices, bethought him of an expedient for re-establishing his
influence over the Indians. His astronomical knowledge told him that on
a certain night an eclipse of the Moon would take place. One would think
that people living in the open air must be accustomed to see such
eclipses sufficiently often not to be particularly astonished at them.
But Columbus judged--and as the event proved, judged rightly--that by
predicting the eclipse he would gain a reputation as a prophet, and
command the respect and the obedience due to a person invested with
supernatural powers. He assembled the caciques of the neighbouring
tribes. Then, by means of an interpreter, he reproached them with
refusing to continue to supply provisions to the Spaniards. 'The God who
protects me,' he said, 'will punish you. You know what has happened to
those of my followers who have rebelled against me; and the dangers
which they encountered in their att