1451-1506 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Modern Era)
CHRISTOPHORUS COLUMBUS
(c. 1451-1506)
EPISTOLA DE INSULIS NUPER REPERTIS
Epistola Christoferi Colom—cui etas nostra multum debet, de insulis in mari Indico nuper inventis, ad quas perquirendas octavo antea mense auspiciis et ere invictissimi Fernandi Hispaniarum Regis missus fuerat—ad magnificum dominum Raphaelem Sanxis, eiusdem serenissimi Regis thesaurarium, missa, quam nobilis ac litteratus vir Aliander de Cosco ab Hispano ideomate in latinum convertit tercio Kalendas Maii .M.cccc.xciij. Pontificatus Alexandri Sexti anno primo.]
[This is a letter from Christopher Columbus to a man whom my life owes a great deal, from the islands he has newly discovered in the Indian Sea, whereto he had been sent for the purpose of requisition eight months prior to the well wishes and authorization of the unconquerable King of Spain Ferdinand--that is, to the magnificent Lord Rafael Sanchez, the treasurer of the aforementioned and most serene king of all--and now sent, the noble and educated gentleman Alejandro of Cosco has translated it from my colloquial Spanish into Latin on the 3rd Kalends of May, 1493, in the first year of Pope Alexander Sextus' tenure.]
Quoniam suscepte provinciæ rem perfectam me consecutum fuisse gratum tibi fore scio, has constitui exarare, quæ te uniuscuiusque rei in hoc nostro itinere geste inventeque admoneant.
[Since I know it will please you that I have executed the search for the province, now undertaken and completed, I decided to plow these things out, which might update you of the sole matter, on this journey of my, and my actions, and discoveries.]
Tricesimo tercio die postquam Gadibus discessi,
[On the third day after I left Cadiz,]
in mare Indicum perveni,
[I arrived at the Indian Ocean,]
ubi plurimas insulas innumeris habitatas hominibus reperi.
[where I discovered quite a deal of islands inhabited by an innumerable amount of men.]
Quarum omnium pro fœlicissimo Rege nostro, præconio celebrato et vexillis extensis, contradicente nemine possessionem accepi.
[Of all these things I received, under the name of our most fortunate King, under our celebrated herald and flags unfurled, its possession, with nobody contesting.]
Primeque earum divi Salvatoris nomen imposui,
[I bestowed the name of the holy Savior --San Salvador--on the first of them,]
cuius fretus auxilio tam ad hanc quam ad ceteras alias pervenimus.
[and I, relying on so much aid, I traveled to one of the other ones.]
Eam vero Indi Guanahanyn vocant.
[To be honest, the Indians call it Guanahanin.]
Aliarum etiam unamquamque novo nomine nuncupavi,
[I also named each and every one of the other with a new name]
quippe aliam insulam Sancte Marie Conceptionis, aliam Fernandinam, aliam Hysabellam, aliam [f. 30v] Iohannam et sic de reliquis appellari iussi.
[so, I order them to be name Santa Maria of the Conception, another Fernandina, other Isabella, another Juan, and so on with the rest.]
Quam primum in eam insulam (quam dudum Iohannam vocari dixi) appulimus,
[As soon as I pushed onto the island I called Juan shortly before,]
iuxta eius littus occidentem versus aliquantulum processi,
[I went for somewhat west from the shore of this island,]
tamque eam magnam nullo reperto fine inveni,
[and I've found this island--how large it is--and previously undiscovered,]
ut non insulam, sed continentem Chatay provinciam esse crediderim,
[so large that I believed that it was not an island, by a land containing the Chatay,]
nulla tamen videns oppida municipiave in maritimis sita confinibus preter aliquos vicos et predia rustica,
[and yet, I saw no cities, or any settlements located on the beach exterior, besides a few villages and countryside sites of plunder,]
cum quorum incolis loqui nequibam.
[with whose residents I could barely even speak.]
Quare simul ac nos videbant,
[Wherefore, as soon as they began to see us,]
surripiebant fugam.
[they began to run away.]
Progrediebar ultra
[I began to go out farther,]
existimans aliquam me urbem villasve inventurum.
[thinking that I would soon or later find some city or villages.]
iuxta eius littus occidentem versus aliquantulum processi,
[I went for somewhat west from the shore of this island,]
tamque eam magnam nullo reperto fine inveni,
[and I've found this island--how large it is--and previously undiscovered,]
ut non insulam, sed continentem Chatay provinciam esse crediderim,
[so large that I believed that it was not an island, by a land containing the Chatay,]
nulla tamen videns oppida municipiave in maritimis sita confinibus preter aliquos vicos et predia rustica,
[and yet, I saw no cities, or any settlements located on the beach exterior, besides a few villages and countryside sites of plunder,]
cum quorum incolis loqui nequibam.
[with whose residents I could barely even speak.]
Quare simul ac nos videbant,
[Wherefore, as soon as they began to see us,]
surripiebant fugam.
[they began to run away.]
Progrediebar ultra
[I began to go out farther,]
existimans aliquam me urbem villasve inventurum.
[thinking that I would soon or later find some city or villages.]
Denique videns, quod longe admodum progressis nihil novi emergebat:
[and finally I began to see that nothing new emerged even after quite a distance of walking,]
et huiusmodi via nos ad septentrionem deferebat
[and our path this way carried us north]
(quod ipse fugere exoptabam;
[something which I, for my part, was hoping to avoid]
terris etenim regnabat bruma
[you see, cold fronts dominate the lands,]
ad austrumque erat in voto contendere
[and it was my intention to travel southward]
nec minus venti flagitantibus succedebant)
[nor did the winds die down any less in their gusts]
constitui alios non operiri successus.
[so I decided that the other proceedings should not be discovered.]
Et sic retrocedens ad portum quendam (quem signaveram) sum reversus.
[And thusly, while re-approached a certain bay which I marked on my map, I was turned about.]
Unde duos homines ex nostris in terram misi,
[So from there I sent two of my men from our group further inland]
qui investigarent,
[and these men began to make a search]
essetne Rex in ea provincia urbesve aliquæ.
[of whether the King was in this vicinity, or whether there any cities.]
Hi per tres dies ambularunt
[For three whole days did these men walk]
inveneruntque innumeros populos et habitationes, parvas tamen et
absque ullo regimine.
[and they found countless people and settlements, although rather small and lacking any real organization.]
Quapropter redierunt.
[Whereafter they returned.]
Interea ego iam intellexeram a quibusdam Indis, quos ibidem susceperam,
[In the meantime, I, for my part, had previously understood from certain Indians that I had taken prisoner there]
quomodo huiusmodi provincia insula quidem erat.
[how indeed a country of this type was an island.]
Et sic perrexi orientem versus eius
[And so I headed directly towards its east]
semper stringens littora usque ad miliaria .cccxxij.,
[always hugging the shore, up to a distance of 322 miles]
ubi ipsius insulæ sunt extrema.
[where the farthest extents of this very island lay.]
Hinc aliam insulam ad [f. 31r] orientem prospexi distantem ab hac Iohanna miliaribus.liiij.
[From there did I spot out another island to the east at a distance of about 54 miles from the island of Juan]
Quam protinus Hispanam dixi in eamque concessi
[And this island I immediately proclaimed "Hispana", and went with full number to it]
et direxi iter quasi per septentrionem,
[and I directed my journey somewhat northwards]
quemadmodum in Iohanna, ad orientem miliaria .dlxiiij.
[and around to Juan in an eastern direction for about 164 miles]
Quæ dicta Iohanna et alie ibidem insule quam fertilissime existunt.
[I must say how unbelievably fertile both Juan and the other islands around there were.]
Hæc multis atque tutissimus et latis nec aliis,
[This island is quite indeed the safest out of many, and there not near any others,]
quos unquam viderim,
[that I've ever seen]
comparandis portibus est circumdata.
[as it was surrounded by a ring of harbors.]
Multi maximi et salubres hanc interfluunt fluvii,
[The greatest number of refreshing rivers flow amidst it,]
multi quoque et eminentissimi in ea sunt montes.
[and there are number and extremely large mountains upon it.]
Omnes he insule sunt pulcerrime et variis distincte figuris,
[All of these islands are quite beautiful and marked by a variety of features]
pervie et maxima arborum varietate sidera lambentium plene.
[most of all is it completely covered by a miscellany of trees that touch the stars.]
Quas nunquam foliis privari credo,
[I think that these tree at no time miss any trees,]
quippe vidi eas ita virentes atque decoras,
[in fact, I saw that they were so green and ornate,]
ceu mense Maio in Hispania solent esse.
[that they might even grow in the month of May in Spain.]
Quarum alie florentes, alie fructuose, alie in alio statu secundum uniuscuiusque qualitatem vigebant.
[Of this plant life, some bloom flowers, other bear fruit, others flourish in another condition according to each type.]
Garriebat philomena et alii passeres varii ac innumeri mense Novembris,
[The fauna chatters constantly, there are all kinds of countless birds in the month of November,]
quo ipse per eas deambulabam
[when I myself began to walk through them.]
. Sunt preterea in dicta insula Iohanna septem vel octo palmarum genera.
[Moreover there are seven or eight types of palm trees on the island named Juan.]
Quæ proceritate et pulchritudine (quemadmodum cetere omnes arbores, herbe fructusque) nostras facile exuperant.
[To the extent to which there other trees, herbs, and fruit] they easily surpass our own in grandeur and beauty.]
Sunt et mirabiles pinus, agri et prata vastissima, varie aves, varia mella variaque metalla, ferro excepto.
[And there are wondrous pines, and fields, and the widest amount tracks of meadow ever, all kinds of birds and fruits and metals except for iron.]
In ea autem, quam Hispanam supra diximus nuncupari,
[However, on the island which I had named Hispana before,]
maximi sunt montes ac pulchri,
[there are extremely large , beautiful mountains,]
vasta rura, nemora, campi feracissimi seri pa<s>c<u>isque et condendis edificiis aptissimi.
[vast countrysides, groves, the most fertile fields to be sown, and most conducive for pastures and setting up buildings.]
Portuum in hac insula commoditas et præstantia flumi[f. 31v]num copia salubritate admixta hominum—quæ nisi quis viderit—credulitatem superat.
[The convenience of the harbors on this island, and their prominence, surpass belief, as the abundance of their streams are healthy for people.]
Huius arbores, pascua et fructus multum ab illis Iohane differunt.
[The trees of this island, as well as their meadows and fruits are differ quite a great deal from those of Juan.]
Hæc præterea Hispana diverso aromatis genere, auro metallisque abundat.
[On top of that, this island Hispana abounds with all kinds of perfumes, and gold, and previous metals.]
Cuius quidem et omnium aliarum, quas ego vidi et quarum cognitionem habeo, incole utriusque sexus nudi semper incedunt,
[To be honest about their people and their other things, which I saw and of which things I have an understanding, ever did their inhabitants, no matter the sex, approach us nude,]
[f. 32r] quemadmodum eduntur in lucem,
[every time they came out into daylight.]
præter aliquas feminas,
[except for a few women]
que folio frondeve aliqua aut bombicino velo pudenda operiunt,
[who covered their private parts with some foliage and leaves, like a veil or skirt,]
quod ipse sibi ad id negocii parant.
[something which they themselves prepare as a matter of business.]
Carent hi omnes (ut supra dixi) quocunque genere ferri.
[As I said above, all of these men lack anything similar to iron.]
Carent et armis,
[And they lack weapons,]
utpote sibi ignotis, nec ad ea sunt apti;
[that is they were unknown to them, nor are they familiar with their use.]
non propter corporis deformitatem (cum sint bene formati),
[And not on account of any bodily deformity, since they are well built,]
sed quia sunt timidi ac pleni formidine.
[but because they are nervous and full of fear.]
Gestant tamen pro armis arundines sole perustas,
[Nevertheless they carry sticks dried though by the sun in place of weapons]
in quarum radicibus hastile quoddam ligneum siccum et in mucronem attenuatum figunt;
[upon the roots of which they fix a particular dried wooden handle, one shaved down by a blade;]
neque his audent iugiter uti.
[Nor do these men bearly always make use of these things.]
Nam sæpe evenit,
[You see, it often turned out,]
cum miserim duos vel tris homines ex meis ad aliquas villas,
[since I sent two or three men from my group to one of their villages or another,]
ut cum earum loquerentur incolis,
[that when they would begin to speak to the inhabitants of these villages,]
exiisse agmen glomeratum ex Indis
[a crowded throng of Indians would run away]
et, ubi nostros appropinquare videbant,
[and whenever they seemed to approach our men]
fugam celeriter arripuisse despretis a patre liberis,
[they would quickly take flight, even abandoning their children from their parents]
et e contra;
[and so on]
et hoc non,
[and not otherwise]
quod cuipiam eorum damnum aliquod vel iniuria illata fuerit.
[except that some harm or another, or some injured incurred, will have come to each of these men.]
Immo ad quoscunque appuli et quibuscum verbum facere potui,
[Why I say, I approached each one of them, and tried to strike up a conversation with each of them,]
quicquid habebam, sum elargitus:
[whatever I had in my possession, I gave to them:]
pannum aliaque permulta, nulla mihi facta versura.
[I gave them a rag, and many other things, even though they exchanged nothing back.]
Sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi.
[But they are jittery and timid by nature.]
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos,
[However, when they find themselves unharmed]
omni metu repulso
[and all their fear has been quelled]
sunt admodum simplices ac bone fidei et in omnibus, quæ habent, liberalissimi.
[they are quite straightforward and well-intenting, and extremely generous with the possessions they have.]
Immo ad quoscunque appuli et quibuscum verbum facere potui,
[Why I say, I approached each one of them, and tried to strike up a conversation with each of them,]
quicquid habebam, sum elargitus:
[whatever I had in my possession, I gave to them:]
pannum aliaque permulta, nulla mihi facta versura.
[I gave them a rag, and many other things, even though they exchanged nothing back.]
Sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi.
[But they are jittery and timid by nature.]
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos,
[However, when they find themselves unharmed]
omni metu repulso
[and all their fear has been quelled]
sunt admodum simplices ac bone fidei et in omnibus, quæ habent, liberalissimi.
[they are quite straightforward and well-intenting, and extremely generous with the possessions they have.]
Quoniam suscepte provinciæ rem perfectam me consecutum fuisse gratum tibi fore scio, has constitui exarare, quæ te uniuscuiusque rei in hoc nostro itinere geste inventeque admoneant.
[Since I know it will please you that I have executed the search for the province, now undertaken and completed, I decided to plow these things out, which might update you of the sole matter, on this journey of my, and my actions, and discoveries.]
Tricesimo tercio die postquam Gadibus discessi,
[On the third day after I left Cadiz,]
in mare Indicum perveni,
[I arrived at the Indian Ocean,]
ubi plurimas insulas innumeris habitatas hominibus reperi.
[where I discovered quite a deal of islands inhabited by an innumerable amount of men.]
Quarum omnium pro fœlicissimo Rege nostro, præconio celebrato et vexillis extensis, contradicente nemine possessionem accepi.
[Of all these things I received, under the name of our most fortunate King, under our celebrated herald and flags unfurled, its possession, with nobody contesting.]
Primeque earum divi Salvatoris nomen imposui,
[I bestowed the name of the holy Savior --San Salvador--on the first of them,]
cuius fretus auxilio tam ad hanc quam ad ceteras alias pervenimus.
[and I, relying on so much aid, I traveled to one of the other ones.]
Eam vero Indi Guanahanyn vocant.
[To be honest, the Indians call it Guanahanin.]
Aliarum etiam unamquamque novo nomine nuncupavi,
[I also named each and every one of the other with a new name]
quippe aliam insulam Sancte Marie Conceptionis, aliam Fernandinam, aliam Hysabellam, aliam [f. 30v] Iohannam et sic de reliquis appellari iussi.
[so, I order them to be name Santa Maria of the Conception, another Fernandina, other Isabella, another Juan, and so on with the rest.]
Quam primum in eam insulam (quam dudum Iohannam vocari dixi) appulimus,
[As soon as I pushed onto the island I called Juan shortly before,]
iuxta eius littus occidentem versus aliquantulum processi,
[I went for somewhat west from the shore of this island,]
tamque eam magnam nullo reperto fine inveni,
[and I've found this island--how large it is--and previously undiscovered,]
ut non insulam, sed continentem Chatay provinciam esse crediderim,
[so large that I believed that it was not an island, by a land containing the Chatay,]
nulla tamen videns oppida municipiave in maritimis sita confinibus preter aliquos vicos et predia rustica,
[and yet, I saw no cities, or any settlements located on the beach exterior, besides a few villages and countryside sites of plunder,]
cum quorum incolis loqui nequibam.
[with whose residents I could barely even speak.]
Quare simul ac nos videbant,
[Wherefore, as soon as they began to see us,]
surripiebant fugam.
[they began to run away.]
Progrediebar ultra
[I began to go out farther,]
existimans aliquam me urbem villasve inventurum.
[thinking that I would soon or later find some city or villages.]
iuxta eius littus occidentem versus aliquantulum processi,
[I went for somewhat west from the shore of this island,]
tamque eam magnam nullo reperto fine inveni,
[and I've found this island--how large it is--and previously undiscovered,]
ut non insulam, sed continentem Chatay provinciam esse crediderim,
[so large that I believed that it was not an island, by a land containing the Chatay,]
nulla tamen videns oppida municipiave in maritimis sita confinibus preter aliquos vicos et predia rustica,
[and yet, I saw no cities, or any settlements located on the beach exterior, besides a few villages and countryside sites of plunder,]
cum quorum incolis loqui nequibam.
[with whose residents I could barely even speak.]
Quare simul ac nos videbant,
[Wherefore, as soon as they began to see us,]
surripiebant fugam.
[they began to run away.]
Progrediebar ultra
[I began to go out farther,]
existimans aliquam me urbem villasve inventurum.
[thinking that I would soon or later find some city or villages.]
Denique videns, quod longe admodum progressis nihil novi emergebat:
[and finally I began to see that nothing new emerged even after quite a distance of walking,]
et huiusmodi via nos ad septentrionem deferebat
[and our path this way carried us north]
(quod ipse fugere exoptabam;
[something which I, for my part, was hoping to avoid]
terris etenim regnabat bruma
[you see, cold fronts dominate the lands,]
ad austrumque erat in voto contendere
[and it was my intention to travel southward]
nec minus venti flagitantibus succedebant)
[nor did the winds die down any less in their gusts]
constitui alios non operiri successus.
[so I decided that the other proceedings should not be discovered.]
Et sic retrocedens ad portum quendam (quem signaveram) sum reversus.
[And thusly, while re-approached a certain bay which I marked on my map, I was turned about.]
Unde duos homines ex nostris in terram misi,
[So from there I sent two of my men from our group further inland]
qui investigarent,
[and these men began to make a search]
essetne Rex in ea provincia urbesve aliquæ.
[of whether the King was in this vicinity, or whether there any cities.]
Hi per tres dies ambularunt
[For three whole days did these men walk]
inveneruntque innumeros populos et habitationes, parvas tamen et
absque ullo regimine.
[and they found countless people and settlements, although rather small and lacking any real organization.]
Quapropter redierunt.
[Whereafter they returned.]
Interea ego iam intellexeram a quibusdam Indis, quos ibidem susceperam,
[In the meantime, I, for my part, had previously understood from certain Indians that I had taken prisoner there]
quomodo huiusmodi provincia insula quidem erat.
[how indeed a country of this type was an island.]
Et sic perrexi orientem versus eius
[And so I headed directly towards its east]
semper stringens littora usque ad miliaria .cccxxij.,
[always hugging the shore, up to a distance of 322 miles]
ubi ipsius insulæ sunt extrema.
[where the farthest extents of this very island lay.]
Hinc aliam insulam ad [f. 31r] orientem prospexi distantem ab hac Iohanna miliaribus.liiij.
[From there did I spot out another island to the east at a distance of about 54 miles from the island of Juan]
Quam protinus Hispanam dixi in eamque concessi
[And this island I immediately proclaimed "Hispana", and went with full number to it]
et direxi iter quasi per septentrionem,
[and I directed my journey somewhat northwards]
quemadmodum in Iohanna, ad orientem miliaria .dlxiiij.
[and around to Juan in an eastern direction for about 164 miles]
Quæ dicta Iohanna et alie ibidem insule quam fertilissime existunt.
[I must say how unbelievably fertile both Juan and the other islands around there were.]
Hæc multis atque tutissimus et latis nec aliis,
[This island is quite indeed the safest out of many, and there not near any others,]
quos unquam viderim,
[that I've ever seen]
comparandis portibus est circumdata.
[as it was surrounded by a ring of harbors.]
Multi maximi et salubres hanc interfluunt fluvii,
[The greatest number of refreshing rivers flow amidst it,]
multi quoque et eminentissimi in ea sunt montes.
[and there are number and extremely large mountains upon it.]
Omnes he insule sunt pulcerrime et variis distincte figuris,
[All of these islands are quite beautiful and marked by a variety of features]
pervie et maxima arborum varietate sidera lambentium plene.
[most of all is it completely covered by a miscellany of trees that touch the stars.]
Quas nunquam foliis privari credo,
[I think that these tree at no time miss any trees,]
quippe vidi eas ita virentes atque decoras,
[in fact, I saw that they were so green and ornate,]
ceu mense Maio in Hispania solent esse.
[that they might even grow in the month of May in Spain.]
Quarum alie florentes, alie fructuose, alie in alio statu secundum uniuscuiusque qualitatem vigebant.
[Of this plant life, some bloom flowers, other bear fruit, others flourish in another condition according to each type.]
Garriebat philomena et alii passeres varii ac innumeri mense Novembris,
[The fauna chatters constantly, there are all kinds of countless birds in the month of November,]
quo ipse per eas deambulabam
[when I myself began to walk through them.]
. Sunt preterea in dicta insula Iohanna septem vel octo palmarum genera.
[Moreover there are seven or eight types of palm trees on the island named Juan.]
Quæ proceritate et pulchritudine (quemadmodum cetere omnes arbores, herbe fructusque) nostras facile exuperant.
[To the extent to which there other trees, herbs, and fruit] they easily surpass our own in grandeur and beauty.]
Sunt et mirabiles pinus, agri et prata vastissima, varie aves, varia mella variaque metalla, ferro excepto.
[And there are wondrous pines, and fields, and the widest amount tracks of meadow ever, all kinds of birds and fruits and metals except for iron.]
In ea autem, quam Hispanam supra diximus nuncupari,
[However, on the island which I had named Hispana before,]
maximi sunt montes ac pulchri,
[there are extremely large , beautiful mountains,]
vasta rura, nemora, campi feracissimi seri pa<s>c<u>isque et condendis edificiis aptissimi.
[vast countrysides, groves, the most fertile fields to be sown, and most conducive for pastures and setting up buildings.]
Portuum in hac insula commoditas et præstantia flumi[f. 31v]num copia salubritate admixta hominum—quæ nisi quis viderit—credulitatem superat.
[The convenience of the harbors on this island, and their prominence, surpass belief, as the abundance of their streams are healthy for people.]
Huius arbores, pascua et fructus multum ab illis Iohane differunt.
[The trees of this island, as well as their meadows and fruits are differ quite a great deal from those of Juan.]
Hæc præterea Hispana diverso aromatis genere, auro metallisque abundat.
[On top of that, this island Hispana abounds with all kinds of perfumes, and gold, and previous metals.]
Cuius quidem et omnium aliarum, quas ego vidi et quarum cognitionem habeo, incole utriusque sexus nudi semper incedunt,
[To be honest about their people and their other things, which I saw and of which things I have an understanding, ever did their inhabitants, no matter the sex, approach us nude,]
[f. 32r] quemadmodum eduntur in lucem,
[every time they came out into daylight.]
præter aliquas feminas,
[except for a few women]
que folio frondeve aliqua aut bombicino velo pudenda operiunt,
[who covered their private parts with some foliage and leaves, like a veil or skirt,]
quod ipse sibi ad id negocii parant.
[something which they themselves prepare as a matter of business.]
Carent hi omnes (ut supra dixi) quocunque genere ferri.
[As I said above, all of these men lack anything similar to iron.]
Carent et armis,
[And they lack weapons,]
utpote sibi ignotis, nec ad ea sunt apti;
[that is they were unknown to them, nor are they familiar with their use.]
non propter corporis deformitatem (cum sint bene formati),
[And not on account of any bodily deformity, since they are well built,]
sed quia sunt timidi ac pleni formidine.
[but because they are nervous and full of fear.]
Gestant tamen pro armis arundines sole perustas,
[Nevertheless they carry sticks dried though by the sun in place of weapons]
in quarum radicibus hastile quoddam ligneum siccum et in mucronem attenuatum figunt;
[upon the roots of which they fix a particular dried wooden handle, one shaved down by a blade;]
neque his audent iugiter uti.
[Nor do these men bearly always make use of these things.]
Nam sæpe evenit,
[You see, it often turned out,]
cum miserim duos vel tris homines ex meis ad aliquas villas,
[since I sent two or three men from my group to one of their villages or another,]
ut cum earum loquerentur incolis,
[that when they would begin to speak to the inhabitants of these villages,]
exiisse agmen glomeratum ex Indis
[a crowded throng of Indians would run away]
et, ubi nostros appropinquare videbant,
[and whenever they seemed to approach our men]
fugam celeriter arripuisse despretis a patre liberis,
[they would quickly take flight, even abandoning their children from their parents]
et e contra;
[and so on]
et hoc non,
[and not otherwise]
quod cuipiam eorum damnum aliquod vel iniuria illata fuerit.
[except that some harm or another, or some injured incurred, will have come to each of these men.]
Immo ad quoscunque appuli et quibuscum verbum facere potui,
[Why I say, I approached each one of them, and tried to strike up a conversation with each of them,]
quicquid habebam, sum elargitus:
[whatever I had in my possession, I gave to them:]
pannum aliaque permulta, nulla mihi facta versura.
[I gave them a rag, and many other things, even though they exchanged nothing back.]
Sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi.
[But they are jittery and timid by nature.]
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos,
[However, when they find themselves unharmed]
omni metu repulso
[and all their fear has been quelled]
sunt admodum simplices ac bone fidei et in omnibus, quæ habent, liberalissimi.
[they are quite straightforward and well-intenting, and extremely generous with the possessions they have.]
Immo ad quoscunque appuli et quibuscum verbum facere potui,
[Why I say, I approached each one of them, and tried to strike up a conversation with each of them,]
quicquid habebam, sum elargitus:
[whatever I had in my possession, I gave to them:]
pannum aliaque permulta, nulla mihi facta versura.
[I gave them a rag, and many other things, even though they exchanged nothing back.]
Sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi.
[But they are jittery and timid by nature.]
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos,
[However, when they find themselves unharmed]
omni metu repulso
[and all their fear has been quelled]
sunt admodum simplices ac bone fidei et in omnibus, quæ habent, liberalissimi.
[they are quite straightforward and well-intenting, and extremely generous with the possessions they have.]
