Textus epistulæ Christophori Columbi, quæ primum imaginibus illustrata Basileæ anno 1493 in ædibus Olpe excussa est. Prima notitia novarum a Columbo inventarum insularum novi mundi Latine divulgata est. (Textus originalis emendatus et ad præsentia accommodatus est.)	Translated text of the letter of Christopher Columbus, first published with illustrations in 1493 in Basel, Switzerland, by Olpe Press. The first news of Columbus’ discovery of the new islands of the New World was published in Latin.
In laudem Serenissimi Ferdinandi Hispaniarum regis, Bæticæ et regni Granatæ, obsidio, victoria, et triumphus; Et de Insulis in mari Indico nuper inventis	In praise of the Most Serene Ferdinand, King of the Spains, of Bætica, and of the kingdom of Granada, siege, victory and triumph; And about the newly discovered islands in the Indian Ocean
Acta Ludis Romanis Innocentio Octavo in solio Petri sedente Anno a Natali Salvatoris M·CCCC·XCII [millesimo quadringentesimo nonagesimo secundo ] Undecimo Kalendas Maji. 1·4·9·4 NIHIL SINE CAUSA. .I. .B.	Events occurring during the Roman Games Innocent the Eighth presiding over the see of Peter from the Year of the Savior’s Birth 1492, April 21 1·4·9·4 NOTHING WITHOUT CAUSE. .I. .B.
De Insulis nuper in mari Indico repertis	Concerning the Islands Recently Discovered in the Indian Sea
De Insulis inventis	Discovered Islands
Epistola Christoferi Colom (cui ætas nostra multum debet:  de insulis in mari Indico nuper inventis:  ad quas perquirendas octavo antea mense, auspiciis et ære invictissimi Fernandi Hispaniarum Regis missus fuerat) ad Magnificum dominum Raphaëlem Sanxis, ejusdem serenissimi Regis Thesaurarium missa, quam nobilis ac litteratus vir Aliander de Cosco ab Hispano idiomate in latinum convertit.  Tertio Kalendas Maji, .M.cccc.xciij. [millesimo quadringentesimo nonagesimo tertio ], Pontificatus Alexandri Sexti Anno Primo.	Letter of Christopher Columbus, to whom our age owes much, concerning the islands recently discovered in the Indian sea.  For the search of which, eight months before, he was sent under the auspices and at the cost of the most invincible Ferdinand, king of Spain.  Addressed to the magnificent lord Raphael Sanxis, a treasurer of the same most illustrious king, and which the noble and learned man Aliander de Cosco has translated from the Spanish language into Latin, on the third before the kalends of May, 1493, the first year of the pontificate of Alexander the Sixth.
Quoniam susceptæ provinciæ rem perfectam me consecutum fuisse, gratum tibi fore scio:  has constitui exarare, quæ te uniuscujusque rei in hoc nostro itinere gestæ inventæque admoneant.  Tricesimo tertio die postquam Gadibus discessi, in mare Indicum perveni, ubi plurimas Insulas, innumeris habitatas hominibus repperi, quarum omnium pro felicissimo Rege nostro, præconio celebrato, et vexillis extensis, contradicente nemine, possessionem accepi.  Primæque earum divi Salvatoris nomen imposui, cujus fretus auxilio, tam ad hanc quam ad ceteras alias pervenimus.  Eam vero Indi Guanahanyn vocant.  Aliarum etiam unamquanque novo nomine nuncupavi.  Quippe aliam Insulam Sanctæ Mariæ Conceptionis, aliam Fernandinam, aliam Isabellam, aliam Johannam, et sic de reliquis appellari jussi.  Quamprimum in eam insulam (quam dudum Johannam vocari dixi) appulimus, juxta ejus litus occidentem versus aliquantulum processi, tamque eam magnam nullo reperto fine inveni, ut non insulam, sed continentem Chatay provinciam esse crediderim, nulla tamen videns oppida, municipiave in maritimis sita confinibus, præter aliquos vicos et prædia rustica, cum quorum incolis loqui nequibam, quare simul ac nos videbant surripiebant fugam.	Because my undertakings have attained success, I know that it will be pleasing to you:  these I have determined to relate, so that you may be made acquainted with everything done and discovered in this our voyage.  On the thirty-third day after I departed from Cadiz, I came to the Indian sea, where I found many islands inhabited by men without number, of all which I took possession for our most fortunate king, with heralds proclaiming and standards flying, no one objecting.  To the first of these I gave the name of the blessed Saviour, on whose aid relying I had reached this as well as the other islands.  But the Indians call it Guanahani.  I also called each one of the others by a new name.  For I ordered one island to be called Santa Maria of the Conception, another Fernandina, another Isabella, another Juana, and so on with the rest.  As soon as we had arrived at that island which I have just now said was called Juana, I proceeded along its coast towards the west for some distance;  I found it so large and without perceptible end, that I believed it to be not an island, but the continental country of Cathay;  seeing, however, no towns or cities situated on the sea-coast, but only some villages and rude farms, with whose inhabitants I was unable to converse, because as soon as they saw us they took flight.
Progrediebar ultra, existimans aliquam me urbem villasve inventurum.  Denique videns quod, longe admodum progressis, nihil novi emergebat, et hujusmodi via nos ad Septentrionem deferebat (quod ipse fugere exoptabam — terris etenim regnabat bruma), ad austrumque erat in voto contendere, nec minus venti flagitantibus succedebant, constitui alios non opperiri successus, et sic retrocedens, ad portum quendam (quem signaveram) sum reversus, unde duos homines ex nostris in terram misi, qui investigarent, essetne Rex in ea provincia, urbesve aliquæ.  Hi per tres dies ambularunt, inveneruntque innumeros populos et habitationes, parvas tamen et absque ullo regimine;  quapropter redierunt.	I proceeded farther, thinking that I would discover some city or large residences.  At length, perceiving that we had gone far enough, that nothing new appeared, and that this way was leading us to the north, which I wished to avoid, because it was winter on the land, and it was my intention to go to the south, moreover the winds were becoming violent, I therefore decided not to expect other successes, and so, going back, I returned to a certain bay that I had noticed, from which I sent two of our men to the land, that they might find out whether there was a king in this country, or any cities.  These men traveled for three days, and they found people and houses without number, but they were small and without any government, therefore they returned.
Interea ego jam intellexeram a quibusdam Indis, quos ibidem susceperam, quomodo hujusmodi provincia insula quidem erat.  Et sic perrexi orientem versus, ejus semper stringens litora usque ad miliaria .cccxxij. [trecenta viginti duo] ubi ipsius insulæ sunt extrema;  hinc aliam Insulam ad orientem prospexi, distantem ab hac Johanna miliaribus .liiij. [quinquaginta quattuor] quam protinus Hispanam dixi, in eamque concessi, et direxi iter, quasi per Septentrionem, quemadmodum in Johanna, ad orientem, miliaria .dlxiiij. [quingenta sexaginta quattuor].  Quæ dicta Iohanna et aliæ ibidem insulæ quam fertilissimæ exsistunt.  Hæc multis atque tutissimis et latis, nec aliis quos unquam viderim comparandis portibus est circumdata.  Multi maximi et salubres hanc interfluunt fluvii.  Multi quoque et eminentissimi in ea sunt montes.  Omnes hæ insulæ sunt pulcherrimæ et variis distinctæ figuris, perviæ, et maxima arborum varietate sidera lambentium plenæ, quas nunquam foliis privari credo, quippe vidi eas ita virentes atque decoras, ceu mense Majo in Hispania solent esse:  quarum aliæ florentes, aliæ fructuosæ, aliæ in alio statu, secundum uniuscujusque qualitatem vigebant, garriebat philomena, et alii passeres varii ac innumeri, mense Novembris quo ipse per eas deambulabam.	Now in the meantime I had learned from certain Indians, whom I had seized there, that this country was indeed an island, and therefore I proceeded towards the east, keeping all the time near the coast, for 322 miles, to the extreme ends of this island.  From this place I saw another island to the east distant from this Juana 54 miles, which I called forthwith Hispana;  and I sailed to it;  and I steered along the northern coast, as at Juana, towards the east, 564 miles.  And the said Juana and the other islands there appear very fertile.  This island is surrounded by many very safe and wide harbors, not excelled by any others that I have ever seen.  Many great and salubrious rivers flow through it.  There are also many very high mountains there.  All these islands are very beautiful, and distinguished by various qualities;  they are accessible, and full of a great variety of trees stretching up to the stars;  the leaves of which I believe are never shed, for I saw them as green and flourishing as they are usually in Spain in the month of May;  some of them were blossoming, some were bearing fruit, some were in other conditions;  each one was thriving in its own way.  The nightingale and various other birds without number were singing, in the month of November, when I was exploring them.
Sunt præterea in dicta Insula Johanna septem vel octo palmarum genera, quæ proceritate et pulchritudine (quemadmodum ceteræ omnes arbores, herbæ, fructusque) nostras facile exsuperant.  Sunt et mirabiles pinus, agri, et prata vastissima, variæ aves, varia mella, variaque metalla, ferro excepto.  In ea autem quam Hispanam supra diximus nuncupari, maximi sunt montes ac pulchri:  vasta, rura, nemora, campi feracissimi, seri pascique et condendis ædificiis aptissimi.  Portuum in hac insula commoditas, et præstantia fluminum copia salubritate admixta hominum, quæ nisi quis viderit, credulitatem superat.  Hujus arbores, pascua et fructus multum ab illis Johannæ differunt.  Hæc præterea Hispana diverso aromatis genere, auro metallisque abundat.  Cujus quidem et omnium aliarum quas ego vidi, et quarum cognitionem habeo, incolæ utriusque sexus, nudi semper incedunt, quemadmodum eduntur in lucem, præter aliquas feminas, quæ folio frondeve aliqua, aut bombicino velo, pudenda operiunt, quod ipse sibi ad id negotii parant.	There are besides in the said island Juana seven or eight kinds of palm trees, which far excel ours in height and beauty, just as all the other trees, herbs, and fruits do.  There are also excellent pine trees, vast plains and meadows, a variety of birds, a variety of honey, and a variety of metals, excepting iron.  In the one which we said above was called Hispana there are great and beautiful mountains, vast fields, groves, fertile plains, very suitable to be sown and pastured on, and for the building of houses.  The convenience of the harbors in this island, and the remarkable number of rivers contributing to the healthfulness of man, exceed belief, unless one has seen them.  The trees, pasturage, and fruits of this island differ greatly from those of Juana.  This Hispana, moreover, abounds in different kinds of spices, in gold, and in metals.  On this island, indeed, and on all the others which I have seen, and of which I have knowledge, the inhabitants of both sexes always go naked, just as they came into the world, except some of the women, who cover their pudenda with a leaf or some foliage, or a cotton cloth, which they make themselves for that purpose.
Carent hi omnes (ut supra dixi) quocunque genere ferri.  Carent et armis:  utpote sibi ignotis.  Nec ad ea sunt apti.  Non propter corporis deformitatem, (cum sint bene formati) sed quia sunt timidi ac pleni formidine.  Gestant tamen pro armis arundines sole perustas, in quarum radicibus, hastile quoddam ligneum siccum et in mucronem attenuatum figunt, neque his audent jugiter uti;  nam sæpe evenit cum miserim duos vel tres homines ex meis ad aliquas villas, ut cum earum loquerentur incolis, exiisse agmen glomeratum ex Indis;  et ubi nostros appropinquare videbant, fugam celeriter arripuisse, despretis a patre liberis, et econtra.  Et hoc non quod cuipiam eorum damnum aliquod vel injuria illata fuerit;  immo ad quoscunque appuli, et quibuscum verbum facere potui, quicquid habebam sum elargitus, pannum aliaque permulta, nulla mihi facta versura, sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi.	All these people lack, as I said above, every kind of iron;  they are also without weapons, which indeed are unknown;  nor are they competent to use them, not on account of deformity of body, for they are well formed, but because they are timid and full of fear.  They carry for weapons, however, reeds baked in the sun, on the lower ends of which they fasten some shafts of dried wood rubbed down to a point;  and indeed they do not venture to use these always;  for it frequently happened when I sent two or three of my men to some of the villages, that they might speak with the natives, a compact troop of the Indians would march out, and as soon as they saw our men approaching, they would quickly take flight, children being pushed aside by their fathers and vice versa.  And this was not because any hurt or injury had been inflicted on any one of them, for to every one whom I visited and with whom I was able to converse, I distributed whatever I had, cloth and many other things, no return being made to me;  but they are by nature fearful and timid.
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos, omni metu repulso, sunt admodum simplices ac bonæ fidei, et in omnibus quæ habent liberalissimi, roganti quod possidet infitiatur nemo;  quin ipsi nos ad id poscendum invitant.  Maximum erga omnes amorem præ se ferunt, dant quæque magna pro parvis, minima licet re nihilove contenti, ego attamen prohibui ne tam minima et nullius pretii hisce darentur, ut sunt lancis, parapsidum, vitrique fragmenta, item clavi, ligulæ — quanquam si hoc poterant adipisci, videbatur eis pulcherrima mundi possidere jocalia.  Accidit enim quendam navitam tantum auri pondus habuisse pro una ligula, quanti sunt tres aurei solidi, et sic alios pro aliis minoris pretii, præsertim pro blanquis novis, et quibusdam nummis aureis, pro quibus habendis dabant quicquid petebat venditor, puta unciam cum dimidia et duas auri, vel triginta et quadraginta bombicis pondo, quam ipsi jam noverant.  Item arcuum, amphoræ, hydriæ, doliique fragmenta, bombicæ et auro tanquam bestiæ comparabant, quod quia iniquum sane erat, vetui, dedique eis multa pulchra et grata, quæ mecum tuleram nullo interveniente præmio, ut eos mihi facilius conciliarem, fierentque christicolæ, et ut sint proni in amorem erga Regem reginam principesque nostros et universas gentes Hispaniæ;  ac studeant perquirere et coacervare eaque nobis tradere quibus ipsi affluunt et nos magnopere indigemus.	Yet when they perceive that they are safe, putting aside all fear, they are of simple manners and trustworthy, and very liberal with everything they have, refusing no one who asks for anything they may possess, and even themselves inviting us to ask for things.  They show greater love for all others than for themselves;  they give valuable things for trifles, being satisfied even with a very small return, or with nothing;  however, I forbade that things so small and of no value should be given to them, such as pieces of plates, dishes, and glass, likewise keys and shoelace tips, although if they were to obtain these, it seemed to them like getting the most beautiful jewels in the world.  It happened, indeed, that a certain sailor obtained in exchange for a shoelace tips as much worth of gold as would equal three golden coins;  and likewise other things for articles of very little value, especially for new silver coins, and for some gold coins, to obtain which they gave whatever the seller desired, as for instance an ounce and a half and two ounces of gold, or thirty and forty pounds of cotton, with which they were already acquainted.  They also traded cotton and gold for pieces of bows, bottles, jugs and jars, like persons without reason, which I forbade because it was very wrong;  and I gave to them many beautiful and pleasing things that I had brought with me, no value being taken in exchange, in order that I might the more easily make them friendly to me, that they might be made worshipers of Christ, and that they might be full of love towards our king, queen, and prince, and the whole Spanish nation;  also that they might be zealous to search out and collect, and deliver to us those things of which they had plenty, and which we greatly needed.
Nullam hi norunt idolatriam;  immo firmissime credunt omnem vim, omnem potentiam, omnia denique bona esse in cælo, meque inde cum his navibus et nautis descendisse, atque hoc animo ubi fui susceptus postquam metum reppulerant.  Nec sunt segnes aut rudes;  quin summi ac perspicacis ingenii;  et homines qui transfretant mare illud non sine admiratione uniuscujusque rei rationem reddunt.  Sed nunquam viderunt gentes vestitas neque naves hujusmodi.  Ego statim atque ad mare illud pervenire, prima insula quosdam Indos violenter arripui, qui ediscerent a nobis, et nos pariter docerent ea, quorum ipsi in hisce partibus cognitionem habebant.  Et ex voto successit, nam brevi nos ipsos, et hi nos, tum gestu ac signis, tum verbis intellexerunt, magnoque nobis fuere emolumento.  Veniunt modo mecum tamen, qui semper putant me desiluisse e cælo quamvis diu nobiscum versati fuerint, hodieque versentur.  Et hi erant primi, qui id, quocunque appellabamus, nuntiabant, alii deinceps aliis elata voce dicentes, «Venite, venite et videbitis gentes æthereas.»  Quamobrem tam feminæ quam viri, tam impuberes quam adulti, tam juvenes quam senes, deposita formidine, paulo ante concepta, nos certatim visebant, magna iter stipante caterva, aliis cibum, aliis potum afferentibus, maximo cum amore ac benivolentia incredibili.	These people practice no kind of idolatry;  on the contrary they firmly believe that all strength and power, and in fact all good things are in heaven, and that I had come down thence with these ships and sailors;  and in this belief I was received there after they had put aside fear.  Nor are they slow or unskilled, but of excellent and acute understanding;  and the men who have navigated that sea give an account of everything in an admirable manner;  but they never saw people clothed, nor these kind of ships.  As soon as I reached that sea, I seized by force several Indians on the first island, in order that they might learn from us, and in like manner teach us about those things in these lands of which they themselves had knowledge.  And the plan succeeded, for in a short time we understood them and they us, sometimes by gestures and signs, sometimes by words;  and it was a great advantage to us.  They are coming with me now, yet always believing that I descended from heaven, no matter how long they have been around us, and though they be around us today.  And these men were the first who announced it wherever we landed, continually proclaiming to the others in a loud voice, “Come, come, and you will see the celestial people.”  Whereupon both women and men, both young men and old men, laying aside the fear caused a little before, visited us eagerly, filling the road with a great crowd, some bringing food, and some drink, with great love and extraordinary goodwill.
Habet unaqueque insula multas scaphas solidi ligni;  et si angustas, longitudine tamen ac forma nostris biremibus similes, cursu autem velociores.  Reguntur remis tantummodo.  Harum quædam sunt magnæ, quædam parvæ, quædam in medio consistunt.  Plures tamen biremi, quæ remigent duodeviginti transtris, majores, cum quibus in omnes illas insulas, quæ innumeræ sunt, trajicitur.  Cumque his suam mercaturam exercent, et inter eos commercia fiunt.  Aliquas ego harum biremium seu scapharum vidi quæ vehebant septuaginta et octoginta remiges.	On every island there are many canoes of a single piece of wood;  and though narrow, yet in length and shape similar to our rowboats, but swifter in movement.  They steer only by oars. Some of these boats are large, some small, some of medium size. Yet they row many of the larger rowboats with eighteen cross-benches, with which they cross to all those islands, which are innumerable, and with these boats they perform their trading, and carry on commerce among them.  I saw some of these rowboats or canoes which were carrying seventy and eighty rowers.
In omnibus his insulis nulla est diversitas inter gentis effigies.  Nulla in moribus atque loquela;  quin omnes se intelligunt adinvicem;  quæ res perutilis est ad id, quod serenissimum Regem nostrum exoptare præcipue reor, scilicet eorum ad sanctam Christi fidem conversionem.  Cui quidem quantum intelligere potui facillimi sunt et proni.	In all these islands there is no difference in the appearance of the people, nor in the manners and language, but all understand each other mutually;  a fact that is very important for the end which I believe to be earnestly desired by our most illustrious king, that is, their conversion to the holy religion of Christ, to which in truth, as far as I can perceive, they are very ready and favorably inclined.
Dixi quemadmodum sum progressus antea insulam Johannam per rectum tramitem, occasus in orientem miliaria .cccxxij. [trecenta viginti duo], secundum quam viam et intervallum itineris, possum dicere hanc Johannam esse majorem Anglia et Scotia simul, namque ultra dicta .cccxxij. [trecenta viginti duo] passuum milia, in ea parte quæ ad occidentem prospectat, duæ, quas non petii, supersunt provinciæ, quarum alteram Indi Anan vocant, cujus accolæ caudati nascuntur.  Tenduntur in longitudinem ad miliaria .clxxx. [centum octoginta] ut ab his quos veho mecum Indis percepi, qui omnis has callent insulas.	I said before how I proceeded along the island Juana in a straight line from west to east 322 miles, according to which course and the length of the way, I am able to say that this Juana is larger than England and Scotland together;  for besides the said 322 thousand paces, there are two more provinces in that part which lies toward the west, which I did not visit;  one of these the Indians call Anan, whose inhabitants are born with tails.  They extend to 180 miles in length, as I have learned from those Indians I have with me, who are all acquainted with these islands.
Hispanæ vero ambitus major est tota Hispania a Cologna usque ad Fontem Rabidum.  Hincque facile arguitur quod quartum ejus latus quod ipse per rectam lineam occidentis in orientem trajeci, miliaria continet .dxl. [quingenta quadraginta].  Haec insula est affectanda et affectata, non spernenda, in qua etsi aliarum omnium ut dixi pro invictissimo Rege nostro solemniter possessionem accepi, earumque imperium dicto Regi penitus committitur, in opportuniori tamen loco, atque omni lucro et commercio condecenti, cujusdam magnæ villæ, cui Nativitatis Domini nomen dedimus, possessionem peculiariter accepi.  Ibique arcem quandam erigere extemplo jussi, quæ modo jam debet esse peracta, in qua homines qui necessarii sunt visi, cum omni armorum genere, et ultra annum victu opportuno reliqui.  Item quandam caravellam, et pro aliis construendis tam in hac arte quam in ceteris peritos, ac ejusdem insulæ Regis erga nos benevolentiam et familiaritatem incredibilem. Sunt enim gentes ille amabiles admodum et benigne, eo quod Rex prædictus me fratrem suum dici gloriabatur.  Et si animum revocarent, et his qui in arce manserunt nocere velint, nequeunt, quia armis carent, nudi incedunt, et nimium timidi.  Ideo dictam arcem tenentes, duntaxat possunt totam eam insulam nullo sibi imminente discrimine (dummodo leges quas dedimus ac regimen non excedant) facile detinere.	But the circumference of Hispana is greater than all Spain from Colonia [Catalonia] to Fontarabia [Fuenterrabia].  And this is easily proved, because its fourth side, which I myself passed along in a straight line from west to east, extends 540 miles.  This island is to be desired and is very desirable, and not to be despised;  in which, although as I have said, I solemnly took possession of all the others for our most invincible king, and their government is entirely committed to the said king, yet I especially took possession of a certain large town, in a very convenient location, and adapted to all kinds of gain and commerce, to which we give the name of our Lord of the Nativity.  And I commanded a fort to be built where forthwith, which must be completed by this time, in which I left men as seemed necessary, with all kinds of arms, and plenty of food for more than a year.  Likewise one caravel, and for the construction of others men skilled in this trade and in other professions;  and also the extraordinary good will and friendship of the king of this island toward us.  For those people are very amiable and kind, to such a degree that the said king gloried in calling me his brother.  And if they should change their minds, and should wish to hurt those who remained in the fort, they would not be able, because they lack weapons, they go naked, and are too cowardly.  For that reason those who hold the said fort are at least able to resist easily this whole island, without any imminent danger to themselves, so long as they do not transgress the regulations and command which we gave.
In omnibus his insulis ut intellexi, quisque uni tantum conjugi acquiescit, præter principes aut reges, quibus viginti habere licet.  Feminæ magis quam viri laborare videntur;  nec bene potui intelligere an habeant bona propria;  vidi enim quod unus habebat aliis impartiri, præsertim dapes, obsonia, et hujusmodi.  Nullum apud eos monstrum repperi, ut plerique existimabant, sed homines magnæ reverentiæ atque benignos.  Nec sunt nigri velut Æthiopes.  Habent crines planos ac demissos, non degunt ubi radiorum solaris emicat calor.  Permagna namque hic est solis vehementia, propterea quod ab æquinoctiali linea distat — ubi videtur — gradus sex et viginti.  Ex montium acuminibus maximum quoque viget frigus, sed id quidem moderantur Indi tum loci consuetudine, tum rerum calidissimarum quibus frequenter et luxuriose vescuntur præsidio.	In all these islands, as I have understood, each man is content with only one wife, except the princes or kings, who are permitted to have twenty.  The women appear to work more than the men.  I was not able to find out surely whether they have individual property, for I saw that one man had the duty of distributing to the others, especially refreshments, food, and things of that kind.  I found no monstrosities among them, as very many supposed, but men of great reverence, and friendly.  Nor are they black like the Ethiopians.  They have straight hair, hanging down.  They do not remain where the solar rays send out the heat, for the strength of the sun is very great here, because it is distant only twenty-six degrees from the equinoctial line, as it seems.  On the tops of the mountains too the cold is severe, but the Indians moderate it, partly by being accustomed to the place, and partly by the help of very hot victuals, of which they eat frequently and immoderately.
Itaque monstra aliqua non vidi, neque eorum alicubi habui cognitionem, excepta quadam insula Charis nuncupata, quæ secunda ex Hispana in Indiam transfretantibus exsistit.  Quam gens quædam a finitimis habita ferocior incolit.  Hi carne humana vescuntur.  Habent prædicti biremium genera plurima, quibus in omnes Indicas insulas trajiciunt, deprædant, surripiuntque quæcunque possunt.  Nihil ab aliis differunt, nisi quod gerunt more femineo longos crines.  Utuntur arcubus et spiculis arundineis, fixis (ut diximus) in grossiori parte attenuatis hastilibus.  Ideoque habentur feroces, quare ceteri Indi inexhausto metu plectuntur, sed hos ego nihili facio plus quam alios.  Hi sunt qui coeunt cum quibusdam feminis, quæ solæ insulam Matheunin primam ex Hispana in Indiam trajicientibus habitant.  Hæ autem feminæ nullum sui sexus opus exercent, utuntur enim arcubus et spiculis, sicuti de earum conjugibus dixi, muniunt sese laminis æneis, quarum maxima apud eas copia exsistit.  Aliam mihi insulam affirmant supradicta Hispana majorem:  ejus incolæ carent pilis;  auroque inter alias potissimum exuberat.  Hujus insulæ et aliarum quas vidi homines mecum porto, qui horum quæ dixi testimonium perhibent.	And so I did not see any monstrosity, nor did I have knowledge of them any where, excepting a certain island named Charis, which is the second in passing from Hispana to India.  This island is inhabited by a certain people who are considered very warlike by their neighbors.  These eat human flesh.  The said people have many kinds of rowboats, in which they cross over to all the other Indian islands, and seize and carry away everything that they can.  They differ in no way from the others, only that they wear long hair like the women.  They use bows and darts made of reeds, with sharpened shafts fastened to the larger end, as we have described.  On this account they are considered warlike, wherefore the other Indians are afflicted with continual fear, but I regard them as of no more account than the others.  These are the people who visit certain women, who alone inhabit the island of Mateunin, which is the first in passing from Hispana to India.  These women, moreover, perform no kind of work of their sex, for they use bows and darts, like those I have described of their husbands;  they protect themselves with sheets of copper, of which there is a great abundance among them.  They tell of another island greater than the aforesaid Hispana, whose inhabitants are without hair, and which abounds in gold above all the others.  I am bringing with me men of this island and of the others that I have seen, who give proof of the things that I have described.
Denique ut nostri discessus et celeris reversionis compendium, ac emolumentum brevibus astringam, hoc polliceor:  me nostris Regibus invictissimis parvo eorum fultum auxilio, tantum auri daturum quantum eis fuerit opus.  Tantum vero aromatum, bombicis, masticis (quæ apud Chium duntaxat invenitur) tantumque ligni aloes.  Tantum servorum hydrophilatorum, quantum eorum majestas voluerit exigere.  Item reubarbarum et alia aromatum genera, quæ hi quos in dicta arce reliqui, jam invenisse atque inventuros existimo.  Quandoquidem ego nullibi magis sum moratus nisi quantum me coegerunt venti, præterquam in villa Nativitatis, dum arcem condere et tuta omnia esse providi.  Quæ, etsi maxima et inaudita sunt, multo tamen majora forent si naves mihi (ut ratio exigit) subvenissent.	Finally, that I may compress in a few words the brief account of our departure and quick return, and the gain, I promise this, that If I am supported by our most invincible sovereigns with a little of their help, as much gold can be supplied as they will need, indeed as much of spices, of cotton, of mastic gum (which is only found in Chios), also as much of aloes wood, and as many slaves for the navy, as their Majesties will wish to demand.  Likewise rhubarb and other kinds of spices, which I suppose these men whom I left in the said fort have already found, and will continue to find;  since I remained in no place longer than the winds forced me, except in the town of the Nativity, while I provided for the building of the fort, and for the safety of all.  Which things, although they are very great and remarkable, yet they would have been much greater, if I had been aided by as many ships as the occasion required.
Verum multum ac mirabile hoc, nec nostris meritis correspondens, sed sanctæ Christianæ fidei, nostrorumque Regum pietati ac religioni.  Quia quod humanus consequi non poterat intellectus, id humanis concessit divinus.  Solet enim Deus servos suos, quique sua præcepta diligunt, etiam in impossibilibus exaudire, ut nobis in præsentia contigit, qui ea consecuti sumus quæ hactenus mortalium vires minime attigerant.  Nam si harum insularum quippiam aliqui scripserunt aut locuti sunt, omnes per ambages et conjecturas;  nemo se eas vidisse asserit, unde prope videbatur fabula.  Igitur Rex et Regina, principes, ac eorum regna felicissima, cunctæque aliæ Christianorum provinciæ, Salvatori Domino nostro Jesu Christo agamus gratias, qui tanta nos victoria munereque donavit:  celebrentur processiones, peragantur solemnia sacra;  festaque fronde velentur delubra.  Exultet Christus in terris, quemadmodum in cælis exsultat, cum tot populorum perditas antehac animas salvatam iri prævidet.  Lætemur et nos, tum propter exaltationem nostræ fidei, tum propter rerum temporalium incrementa, quorum non solum Hispania, sed universa Christianitas est futura particeps.  Hæc ut gesta sunt sic breviter enarrata.  Vale.	Truly great and wonderful is this, and not corresponding to our merits, but to the holy Christian religion, and to the piety and religion of our sovereigns, because what the human understanding could not attain, that the divine will has granted to human efforts.  For God is wont to listen to his servants who love his precepts, even in impossibilities, as has happened to us on the present occasion, who have attained that which hitherto mortal men have never reached.  For if any people have written or said anything about these islands, it was all with obscurities and conjectures;  no one claims to have seen them;  wherefore it seemed like a fable.  Therefore let us, let the king and queen, the princes and their most fortunate kingdoms, and all other countries of Christendom give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon us so great a victory and gift.  Let religious processions be solemnized;  let sacred festivals be given;  let the churches be covered with festive garlands.  Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices in heaven, when he foresees coming to salvation so many souls of people hitherto lost.  Let us be glad also, as well on account of the exaltation of our faith, as on account of the increase of our temporal affairs, of which not only Spain, but universal Christendom will be partaker. These things that have been done are thus briefly related. Farewell.
Olisipone, pridie Idus Martii.	Lisbon, the eve of the Ides of March.
Christoforus Colom, Oceanicæ classis Præfectus.	Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean Fleet.
Epigramma. R. L. de Corbaria, Episcopi Montispalusii.	Epigram of R. L. de Corbaria, bishop of Monte Peloso.
Ad Invictissimum Regem Hispaniarum: Jam nulla Hispanis tellus addenda triumphis: Atque parum tantis viribus, orbis erat. Nunc longe Eois regio deprensa sub undis: Auctura est titulos, Bætice magne, tuos. Unde repertori merito referenda Columbo Gratia:  sed summo est major habenda Deo: Qui vincenda parat nova regna, tibique sibique: Teque simul fortem præstat et esse pium.	To the most invincible King of the Spains: No region now can add to Spain's great deeds: To such powerful men all the world is yet too small. An Orient land, found far beyond the waves, Will add, great Bætic, to thy renown. Then to Columbus, the true finder, give Due thanks;  but greater still to God on high; Who makes new kingdoms for himself and thee: Both firm and pious let thy conduct be.

NOTE Christopher Columbus himself gave his signature as Χρο FERENS Here, Χ is the Greek letter “Chi,” the initial for the proper name “Christ”; ρ is the Greek letter “rho,” our “R,” the second letter of the name, and ο is the Greek letter “omicron,” our “O,” the second-to-last (penultimate) letter of the accusative case (used for the direct object) in the form Χριστόν.  The overline (   ) over the Greek letters denotes an abbreviation, typical for divine names in those times. The word FERENS is the present participle of the Latin word ferre, to bear, carry, and accordingly means “bearing, carrying.”  Thus, the name which the Admiral of the Ocean Sea used for himself was, literally, “Christ-bearing (man).” English, of course, has modified his name to “Christopher.”