friends, the Prior of Santa
Maria de la Rabida, and Alonso de Quintanilla, treasurer of the royal
household, had succeeded in presenting to the sovereigns, decided "that it
was vain and impossible, nor did it belong to the majesty of such great
Princes to decide anything upon such weak grounds of information."(10)

Spain was at that time engaged in a costly war against the Moors, who
still held Granada; hard pushed as the sovereigns were for money to carry
on the necessary military operations, it is not strange that no funds were
forthcoming to finance the visionary schemes propounded by an obscure
foreigner. After some years of vain striving, Columbus was on the point
of quitting the country in despair, when two powerful allies
intervened--Cardinal Mendoza, Archbishop of Toledo, and Luis de Santangel,
who held the office of Receiver of Revenues of the Crown of Aragon.

It must have argued powerfully in favour of Columbus that he had won to
his support, not only several great ecclesiastics and the Duke of Medina
Celi, but also two of the most astute financiers of the realm,--Santangel
and Quintanilla, men not easily accessible to enthusiasms nor inclined to
encourage non-paying investments.

Whatever was the motive that prompted these men to take the project under
their protection, the Queen was primarily swayed by religious arguments,
which also with Columbus were as powerfully operative as his desire for
profit and glory.

The preface of his journal contains a review of of the year 1492, which
was signalised by the fall of Granada and the final expulsion, after seven
centuries, of the Moors from Spain. He recalls his petition to the Pope,
asking that learned Catholic doctors should be sent to instruct the Grand
Khan in the true faith, and to convert populous cities that were perishing
in Idolatry, to which his Holiness had vouchsafed no answer, after which
he continues:

"Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, promoters of the
Christian religion, and enemies of the sect of Mahomet and of all
idolatries and heresies, thought to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the
aforementioned provinces of India to see the said princes, the cities, the
countries, their position and everything concerning them and the way that
should be adopted to convert them to our Holy Faith."(11)

This passage reflects the mind and character of Columbus as he is
described by Las Casas; for even beyond the glory of penetrating