te more plainely; for truths seketh no secrete comers. But if you
will have me to reveale those secrete causes, to say as the thinge was,
they were nothinge else but the feare and jelousie that he had, that Kinge
Henry the vij'th. of England, with whome Bartholmewe Columbus had bene to
deale in this enterprice, and even aboute this time had concluded with the
Kinge upon all pointers and articles, whoe even nowe was readie to sende
him into Spaine to call his brother Christopher into England, shoulde put
a foote into this action; which, if he had don, he shoulde bothe have
share with the Spaniardes in the profitt, and greatly ecclips their honour
and glorie. Also, he coulde not choose but be privie to the longe
conference that Christopher Columbus had before time with the Kinge of
Portingale, and offer which he made firste of all to the said Kinge of
this discovery, whoe thoughe at the firste delte doubly with Columbus, and
sent other to finde oute that thinge which Columbus offered, yet, they
missinge of their purpose, the Kinge of Portingale woulde have employed
Columbus, and delte effectually with him to that ende; but he conceavinge
a greate displeasure againste the Kinge and his nation for his secrete
seekinge to defraude him of his honour, and benefite of his offer, stole
prively oute of his realme into Castile. But the Pope, fearinge that
either the Kinge of Portingale mighte be reconciled to Columbus, or that
he mighte be drawen into England, by interposinge of his usurped
aucthoritie, thoughte secretly, by his unlawfull division, to defraude
England and Portingale of that benefite. Loe, these were indeede those
secrete causes, sodenly, withoute makinge the other Kinges privie, to make
his generall and universall donation of all the West Indies to the Kinges
of Spaine, by drawinge a lyne of partition from one pole unto another,
passinge a hundred leagues westwarde of the Iies of Azores; which
division, howe God caused to be deryded by the mouthe of a poor, simple
childe, Fraunces Lopez de Gomera, one of the Spaniardes owne
historiographers, dothe specially note in manner followinge: Before I
finishe this chapiter (saieth he), I will recite, to recreate the reader,
that which happened, upon this partition, to the Portingales. As Fraunces
de Melo, Diego Lopes of Sequeria, and others, came to this assembly, and
passed the river by Quidiana, a little infant that kepte his mothers
clothes, which she had washt and honge a