216 W. E. Curtis — Pre-Columbian, Vatican Documents. 



pened that a great many of the inhabitants of that diocese who 

 were once Catholics 'have, alas! denied the sacred baptism the.y 

 had received. It is said that the people of that country have 

 no other reminder of the Christian religion than a certain capa- 

 ral which they show once a year and upon which the body of 

 Christ was consecrated by the last resident priest, one hundred 

 years ago. Owing to these and other considerations our prede- 

 cessor, Pope Innocent VIII, of happy memory, wishing to pro- 

 vide an ethcient and worthy pastor for the said chui'ch, which 

 has for so long been deprived of such a consolation, in accord- 

 ance with the advice of his brethren, of whom we were one, 

 appointed to the said see our venerable brother Mathias, a pro- 

 fessed member of the order of Saint Benedict and now bishop- 

 elect of Gades, having been preconized at our request previous 

 to our election. In his great zeal for the conversion of those 

 who have fallen away and for the expiration of error, he now 

 cheerfully resolves to set out upon his most dangerous voyage. 

 Whilst most highly commending in the Lord his pious and 

 laudable intention, we wish to assist him somewhat because of 

 his- poverty. Wherefore, of our own act, cognizance, and upon 

 the advice and with the consent of our brethren, we command, 

 under penalty of excommunication, to be incurred ipso facto, 

 our beloved sons, the copyists, abbreviators, the solicitors, the 

 officials of seals and registerator, and all other officials in the 

 respective offices, whether of the chancery or the apostolic 

 chamber, to forward and have forwarded promptly and entirely 

 free of charge all apostolic letters concerning the promotion to 

 the aforesaid church of Gades which have to be sent to the said 

 bishop-elect. Moreover, by the same act, with like cognizance 

 and under the same penalties, to be incurred by those who dis- 

 obey, and all else to the contrary notwithstanding, we order the 

 clerics and notaries of the apostolic chamber to deliver to the 

 said bishops all such briefs and bulls without payment or exac- 

 tion of any tax or of any of the fees or gratuities usually paid 

 on like occasions. Let everything be done gratis in all the 

 offices, because he is very poor, etc. 



This concludes the series of letters relating to the American 

 continent on the files of the Vatican dated prior to 1492, and 

 while they furnish presumptive evidence that the existence of 



