10 CONCEPTIONS OF COLUMBUS 



septentrlone in austro per Occeanum extra omnem ter- 

 ram per lineam rectam, quod bene potest incipiendo in 

 Anglia vel Hibernia per lineam rectam ad austrum usque 

 in Guinea.^- (Note that in sailing frequently from Lis- 

 bon to Guinea in a southerly direction, I noted with care 

 the route followed, according to the custom of pilots and 

 mariners; and afterward I took the elevation of the sun 

 many times with quadrant and other instruments, and 

 I found agreement with Alfraganus, that is to say, each 

 degree corresponds to 567^ miles, wherefore credence 

 should be given to this measure. Therefore we are able 

 to say that the circumference of the earth on the equator 

 is 20,400 miles, likewise that Master Joseph, the physi- 

 cian and astrologer, found this, as did many others sent 

 solely for this by the most serene king of Portugal; and 

 anyone can see that there is an error in the navigation 

 charts by measuring from north to south across the ocean 

 beyond all land in a straight line, which can easily be 

 done by starting in England or Ireland with a straight 

 line to the south as far as Guinea.) 



VIII 



Unus gradus respondet miliariis .56^. et circuitus 

 terre est leuche .5100. hec est Veritas. ^^ (One degree 

 corresponds to 56^ miles, and the circumference of the 

 earth is 5100 leagues. This is the truth.) 



IX 



El mundo es poco; el injuto d' ello es seis partes, la 

 septima solamente cubierta de agua. la experiengia ia 

 esta vista, i la escrivi por otras letras, i con adorna- 



12 Ibid., p. 407, No. 490. 



13 Ibid., p. 407, No. 491. 



