Authentic Letters of Columbus. 195 



please them not to permit this, my will and constitution of my entailed 

 estate to be any way altered, but to leave it in the form and manner 

 which I have ordained forever, for the greater glory of the Almighty, 

 and that it may be the root and basis of my lineage, and a memento 

 of the services I have rendered their Highnesses; that, being born in 

 Genoa, I came over to serve them in Castile and discovered to the 

 west of terra firma the Indies and islands before mentioned. I accord- 

 ingly pray their Highnesses to order that this, my privilege and testa- 

 ment, be held valid and be executed summarily, and without any op- 

 position or demur, according to the letter. I also pray the grandees 

 of the realm and the lords of the council, and all. others having ad- 

 ministration of justice to be pleased not to suffer this, my will and 

 testament, to be of no avail, but to cause it to be fulfilled as by me 

 ordained; it being just that a noble, who has served the King and 

 Queen and the kingdom, should be respected in the disposition of his 

 estate by will, testament, institution of entail or inheritance, and that 

 the same be not infringed either in whole or in part. 



In the first place, my son, Don Diego, and all my successors iind 

 descendents, as well as my brothers, Bartholomew and Diego, shall 

 bear my arms, such as I shall leave them after my days, without in- 

 serting anything else in them ; and they shall be their seal to seal with 

 all. Don Diego, my son, or any other who may inherit this estate, on 

 coming in possession of the inheritance, shall sign with the signature 

 which I now make use of, which is an X with an S over it, and an M 

 with a Roman A over it, and over that an S, and then a Greek Y, 

 with an S over it, with its lines and points as is my custom, as may 

 be seen by my signatures, of which there are many, and it will be 

 seen by the present one. 



He shall only write " The Admiral," whatever other titles the 

 King may have conferred on him. This is to be understood as 

 respects his signature, but not the enumeration of his titles, which 

 he can make at full length if agreeable, only the signature is to be 

 " The Admiral." 



The said Don Diego, or any other inheritor of this estate, shall 

 possess my offices of the Admiral of the Ocean, which is to the west 

 of an imaginary line, which his Highness ordered to be drawn, run- 

 ning from pole to pole, a hundred leagues beyond the Azores, and as 

 many more beyond the Cape de Verde Islands, over all of which I 

 was made by their order, their Admiral of the Sea, with all the pre- 

 eminences held by Don Henrique in the Admiralty of Castile; and 

 they made me their Governor and Viceroy perpetually and forever, 

 over all the islands and mainlands discovered, or to be discovered, 

 for myself and heirs, as is more fully shown by my treaty and privi- 

 leges as above mentioned. 



Item. The said Don Diego, or any other inheritor of this estate, 

 shall distribute the revenue which it may please our Lord to grant 

 him, in the following manner, under the above penalty. 



First. Of the whole income of this estate, now and at all times, 

 and of whatever may be had or collected from it, he shall give the 

 fourth part of it to my brother, Don Bartholomew Columbus, Adel- 



