22H IF. E. Curtis — Pre- Columbian, Voticfm Documents. 



11. 



996. Bull of Pope Alexander VI, dated Rome, June 25, 1493, 

 confirming Bernard Boil as the first missionary to the New World. 



(Translation.) 



.Alexander, etc., to our beloved son, Bernard Boil, friar of the 

 order of Minors and vicar of the said order in the kingdom of 

 Spain, health, etc. : 



By virtue of apostolic authority, with certain cognizance and 

 by tenor of these presents, we grant to thee, who art a priest, full, 

 free and universal faculty, permission power, and authority, 

 and the same to any members of thy own or another order, to* 

 be selected by thyself or by the King and Queen, viz., Ferdinand 

 and Isabella, without any necessity of permission unto this end 

 from thy superiors or from any others whatsoever, to go to the 

 aforesaid islands and countries, and to reside therein at your 

 pleasure, to preach and sow the word of God, of thyself or by 

 means of another or other suitable priests, whether secular or 

 regular and of whatsoever orders, and to bring into the Catholic 

 faith the said natives and inhabitants ; to baptize and instruct 

 them in that faith, and to administer to them as often as neces- 

 sary the sacraments of the church; to hear them, one and all, 

 in their confessions, whenever requisite, either in person or by 

 means of another or other priests, whether secular or regular, 

 and, after having carefully heard them, to grant them the re- 

 quired absolution from their crimes, excesses and transgressions, 

 even from such as may demand consultation of the apostolic 

 see, in anywise whatsoever, and to enjoin upon them salutary 

 penance; to commute to other works of piety all their temporal 

 vows, excepting only those of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the tombs 

 of the apostles Peter and Paul, Saint James of Compostella, and 

 the vows of religion; to found and erect, provided nobody's right 

 be infringed upon thereby, any churches whatsoever, chapels, 

 monasteries, houses of any religious orders whatsoever, even of 

 mendicant orders, whether for men or women; holy places, with 

 belfries, bells, dormitories, cloisters, refectories, orchards, gar- 

 dens and any other necessary adjuncts ; to receive into houses 

 of the professed of mendicant orders erected by thee for the 

 same and to grant permission to dwell permanently therein ; to 



