THE NAME AMERICA 659 



Library of New York; the third copy is in the Mazarine Library iu 

 Paris (an incomplete copy, having only the first thirty-eight leaves); 

 y^nd the fourth copy is preserved in the city library of Besan^on. 



After having been deterred twice from naming himself as the sole 

 author of the St. Di6 book, Waltzemiiller got up a special edition of 

 his own, which he had printed at Strasburg in 1509. Very likely these 

 proceedings caused an estrangement and a final breach between the casti- 

 gator (proof-reader) 21acomylus and the Vosgian Gymnasium, and this 

 was the niain reason for the stopping of the St.-Di6's Ptolemey edition, 

 and its transfer to Strasburg in 1512, where it was issued at last in 1513. 



" LE QUATTRO GIORNATE." 



After his success with the publication of his first letter to Lorenzo 

 Pierfrancisco de Medicis, Vespucci took special i)recautions to have all 

 his voyages well known in different parts of Europe. In his letter to 

 Soderini, of 1504, he speaks of a book written by him under the title 

 '' Le Quattro Gioruate," which was never published, and the manu- 

 script of which had escaped all researches until this day. But he wrote 

 a resume of it, dated Lisbonne, September 4, 1504, taking special care 

 to address it, first, to the King of Spain; second, to his friend the 

 Gonfalonier of Florence; and third, to King Rene, due of Lorraine. 



The copy addressed to Ferdinand of Spain was never pul)lished, and 

 until now has not been found in the archives of Spain. Probably it 

 was written in Spanish, and with a dedication to the King. The copy 

 addressed to Soderini was published in 1506, at Pescia, near Florence, 

 by Piero Paccini, under the title, " Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci delle 

 isole nuovamente trovate in quatro suoi viaggi," in an Italian rather 

 incorrect, containing a quantity of Spanish words and phrases, as 

 might be expected from a man like Vespucci, who had lived at least 

 twelve years in Spain or among Spaniards. It was dedicated to His 

 Magnificence Signor Pietro Soderini, Perpetual Gonfalonier of the II- 

 lustre Republic of Florence, but without the name, giving only his title 

 of" Magnifice Domine," and " Vostra Mag." 



The third copy was addressed to Rene, King of Sicily and Jerusalem 

 and Due of Lorraine. It was published iu 1507, at St. Die, by the 

 Gfjmnasiiim Vomgense, under the title " Quattuor Americi Vesputii 

 Navigationes," in Latin, translated by the Canon Jean Basin, from a 

 French version. That French version was never published, or, if pub- 

 lished, no copy of it has ever been found; and the manuscript is un- 

 known, very likely lost and destroyed. It is dedicated to the " lUus- 

 trissimo Renato Jherusaleni et Sicilio Regis ;" but for some unexplained 

 reason the dedication to Soderini was coi)ied entirely, with only the 

 name of the good King Rene put instead of" Magnifice Domine," and 

 4'T. M." (tua majestas) instead of "Vostra Mag.," which has been ren- 

 dered by the translator from Italian into French as " Vest ra Majestas" 

 or" Votre M^je6t6." It has been the custoai to say that Jean Basin 



