150 



COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER. 



in case of discord, the case is to be referred to two of 

 our relations, or other men of honor; and should they 

 disagree among themselves, they will choose a third 

 person as arbitrator, being virtuous and not distrusted 

 by either party. 



Item. All this revenue which I bequeath to Bar- 

 tholomew, to Ferdinand, and to Diego, shall be de- 

 livered to and received by them as prescribed under 



CATHEDRAL OF SANTO DOMINGO. 



the obligation of being faithful and loyal to Diego my 

 son, or his heirs, they as well as their children ; and 

 should it appear that they, or any of them, had pro- 

 ceeded against him in anything touching his honor, 

 or the prosperity of the family, or of the estate, either 

 in word or deed, whereby might come a scandal and 

 debasement to my family and a detriment to my es- 

 tate ; in that case, nothing farther shall be given to 

 them or him, from that time forward, inasmuch as 

 they are always to be faithful to Diego and to his 

 successors. 



Item. As it was my intention, when I first insti- 

 tuted this entailed estate, to dispose, or that my son 

 Diego should dispose for me, of the tenth part of the 

 income in favor of necessitous persons, as a tithe, and 

 in commemoration of the almighty and eternal God ; 

 and persisting still in this opinion, and hoping that 

 his High Majesty will assist me, and those who may 

 inherit it, in this or the New World, I have resolved 

 that the said tithe shall be paid in the manner fol- 

 lowing : 



Item. Don Diego my son, or whoever may be the 

 inheritor, shall appoint two persons of conscience and 

 authority, and most nearly related to the family, who 

 are to examine the revenue and its amount careful- 

 ly, and to cause the said tenth to be paid out of the 

 fourth from which Don Bartholomew is to receive his 

 million, to the most necessitated members of my family 

 that may be found here or elsewhere, whom thev shall 

 look for diligently upon their consciences; and as it 

 might happen that said Don Diego, or others after 

 him, for reasons which may concern their own wel- 

 fare, or the credit and support of the estate, may be 

 unwilling to make known the full amount of the in- 

 come; nevertheless, I charge him on his conscience 

 to pay the sum aforesaid ; and I charge them on their 

 souls and consciences not to denounce or make it 

 known, except with the consent of Don Diego, or the 

 person that may succeed him ; but let the above tithe 

 be paid in the manner I have directed. . . . 



Item. The said Don Diego, or whoever shall in- 

 herit the estate, must remit in bills, or in any other 

 way, all such sums as he may be able to save out of 

 the revenue of the estate, and direct purchases to be 

 made in his name, or that of his heirs, in a fund in 



the Bank of St. George, which gives an interest of 

 6 per cent., and is secure money ; and this shall be de- 

 voted to the purpose I am about to explain. 



Item. As it becomes every man of rank and prop- 

 erty to serve God, either personally or by means of his 

 wealth ; and as all moneys deposited with St. George 

 are quite safe, and Genoa is a noble city and power- 

 ful by sea : and as at the time that I undertook to set 

 out upon that discovery of the Indias it was with the 

 intention of supplicating the King and Queen, our lords, 

 that whatever moneys should be derived from the said 

 Indias should be invested in the conquest of Jerusa- 

 lem ; and as I did so supplicate them, if they do this, 

 it will be well ; if not, at all events the said Diego, or 

 such person as may succeed him in this trust, to col- 

 lect together all the money he can, and accompany the 

 King our lord, should he go to the conquest of Jeru- 

 salem, or else go there himself with all the force he 

 can command ; and in pursuing this intention, it will 

 please the Lord to assist toward the accomplishment 

 of the plan; and should he not be able to effect the 

 conquest of the whole, no doubt he will achieve it in 

 part. Let him therefore collect and make a fund of 

 all his wealth in St. George of Genoa, and let it mul- 

 tiply there till such time as it may appear to him that 

 something of consequence may be effected as respects 

 the project on Jerusalem ; for I believe that when their 

 highnesses shall see that this is contemplated, they 

 wul wish to realize it themselves, or will afford him, 

 as their servant and vassal, the means of doing it for 

 them. . . . 



Item. I also require of Diego, or whosoever may 

 be in possession of the estate, that in the case of any 

 schism taking place in the Church of God, or that any 

 person of whatever class or condition should attempt 

 to despoil it of its property and honors, they hasten 

 to offer at the feet of his Holiness that is, if they are 

 not heretics (which God forbid) their persons, power, 

 and wealth, for the purpose of suppressing such 

 schism, and preventing any spoliation of the honor 



and property of the Church. 

 Item. Whe 



len a suitable time shall arrive, he shall 

 order a church to be built in the island of Espanola, 

 and in the most convenient spot, to be called Santa 

 Maria de la Concepcion ; to which is to be annexed 

 a hospital, upon the best possible plan, like those of 

 Italy and Castile, and a chapel be erected to say mass 

 in for the good of my soul, and those of my ancestors 

 and successors, with great devotion, since no doubt it 

 will please the Lord to give us a sufficient re venue for 

 this and the aforementioned purposes. 



Item. I also order Diego, my son, or whosoever may 

 inherit after him, to spare no pains in having and 

 maintaining in the island of Espafiola four good 

 professors of theology, to the end and aim of their 

 studying and laboring to convert to our holy faith 

 the inhabitants of the Indies ; and in proportion as, 

 by God's will, the revenue of the estate snail increase, 

 in the same degree shall the number of teachers and 

 devout persons increase who are to strive to make 

 Christians of the natives ; in attaining which no ex- 

 pense should be thought too great. And in com- 

 memoration of all that I hereby ordain, and of the 

 foregoing, a monument of marble shall be erected in 

 the said Church of la Concepcion, in the most con- 

 spicuous place, to serve as a record of what I here en- 

 join on the said Diego, a& well as to other persons 

 who may look upon it; which marble shall contain 

 an inscription to the same effect. 



Item. I also require of Diego my son, and whoso- 

 ever may succeed him in the estate, that every time, 

 and as often as he confesses, he first show his obliga- 

 tion, or a copy of it, to the confessor, praying him to 

 read it through, that he may be enabled to inquire 

 respecting its fulfillment ; from which will redound 

 great good and happiness to his soul. 



SEVILLE, February 2, 1498. 



S. 

 S A S 



x M y 



EL ALMIKANTE. 



