The Christianizing of the New World. 219 



through the bowels of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, 

 inasmuch as you intend of your OAvn free will and out of zeal 

 for the orthodox faith to undertake this expedition, you will 

 diligently and out of a sense of duty induce the inhabitants of 

 the said countries to embrace the Christian religion. We more- 

 over exhort you not to allow yourselves to be deterred by dan- 

 gers or trials and to remain firm in the hope that Almighty God 

 will prosper your efforts ; and, in order that you may the more 

 willingly and courageously set about so great an undertaking, 

 after having received of the abundance of apostolic bounty by 

 our own act, without being moved thereunto by any petition 

 presented to us by you or by another in your behalf, but out of 

 our sheer liberalit}', with certain cognizance, out of the fullness 

 of apostolic power by the authority of Almighty God given us 

 in blessed Peter, and of the vicegerency of Jesus Christ which 

 we exercise upon earth, we, by tenor of these presents, give, 

 grant and assign in perpetuit}'' to you and your heirs and 

 successors, the kings of Castile and Leon, all the aforesaid un- 

 known continents and islands that have been or shall hereafter 

 be discovered by your envoys which are not actually under the 

 temporal dominion of any Christian prince, together with all 

 their territories, cities, castles, towns and villages, all their rights, 

 jurisdictions and possessions. We moreover create, constitute 

 and appoint you and your heirs and successors aforesaid loMs 

 of the same, with full, free and universal authority. We decree, 

 however, that by this our grant, donation and assignment no 

 acquired right of any Christian ruler is to be understood as taken 

 away, nor is it to be taken awa5^ We moreover command you, 

 in virtue of holy obedience (according to your promise, which 

 we feel certain you, in your great devotion and royal magna- 

 nimity will fulfill), to appoint with all due diligence virtuous, 

 God-fearing, learned, experienced and tried men, who shall in- 

 struct the natives of the aforesaid islands in the Catholic faith 

 and imbue them with good morals. Moreover, we strictly for- 

 bid, under penalty of excommunication, to be incurred in the 

 act of disobedience, all persons of whatsoever rank, be it even 

 imperial or royal, state, degree, order or condition, to presume 

 to go, whether for the purpose of trade or for any other what- 

 soever, to the aforesaid islands and continents after they have 

 been discovered by your envoys or by those sent for the purpose 



