The Third Voyage of Americus Vespucius.

While I was at Seville recovering from the fatigues of my late voyages, and intending again to visit the Land of Pearls, it happened that Emanuel king of Portugal chose, for what reason I know not, to send me a letter by a messenger, earnestly desiring my immediate presence at Lisbon, where he engaged to do much for my advantage.  I signified by the messenger that I was entirely disposed to comply with the commands of his majesty, but was then ill, and should certainly evince my obedience if I recovered.  The king of Portugal afterwards sent Julian Bartholomew Jocundus from Lisbon, with orders to use his endeavours to bring me with him to the royal presence; and as all my acquaintances urged me against attempting another voyage on account of my bad health, I was obliged to comply, and immediately departed from Spain, where I had been very honourably entertained, the king even having conceived a good opinion of me, and so great was the urgency that I set out without taking leave of my host.  On presenting myself to Emanuel, I was graciously received, and strongly urged to go along with three of his ships which had been fitted out for discovering new countries; and as the requests of kings are equivalent to commands, I consented to his desire.

I accordingly departed from Lisbon with the three ships belonging to his majesty on the 10th of May 1501.  We steered, in the first place, for the Canaries, after which we proceeded for the western coast of Africa, where during three days stay we took a prodigious number of certain fishes which are called Phargi.  From thence we went to that part of Ethiopia which is called Besilica[1], which is situated in the torrid zone and first climate, in 14 deg. of north latitude.  We here remained for eleven days, taking in wood and water to enable us to continue our voyage through the southern Atlantic.  Leaving this port with a S.E. wind, we arrived in about sixty-seven days at a certain island which is 700 leagues to the S.E. of the before-mentioned port.  During this voyage, we suffered prodigiously, owing to the tempestuous weather which we encountered, especially near the equator.  At that place it was winter in the month of June, the days and nights were of equal length, and our shadows were always towards the south.  At length it pleased the Almighty to conduct us to a new country on the 17th of August, where we came to anchor about a league and a half from the shore, to which we went in our boats to see whether it were inhabited.  We accordingly found that it was full of inhabitants, who were worse than beasts; though at our first landing we could not see any of the natives, we yet saw by numerous traces on the shore that the country was very populous.  We took possession of this land for the king of Castile[2], finding it in all appearance fertile and pleasant.  This place is five degrees beyond the equator to the