TRINIDAD: THEN AND NOW. 



51 



Ferdinand was cool and wary and would not 

 trust his own judgment, so the matter was referred 

 to a body of the most learned men in Spain, and 

 arguments from the bible were cited against it. At 

 the very threshold of the discussion, instead of geo- 

 graphical objections Columbus was assailed with 

 citations from the Bible and the Testament : the 

 book of Genesis, the Psalms of David, the Prophets, 

 the Epistles and the Gospels. To these were added 

 the expositions of various saints and commentators, 

 such as St. Chrysostom, St. Augustine, St. Jerome 

 and a number of others, with the result that his pro- 

 ject was condemned as heretical. 



At this time he received a letter from Henry VII. 

 inviting him to come to England, and holding out 

 promises of encouragement. He evidently did not 

 accept this invitation ; why, it is difficult to un- 

 derstand, but there must have been strong hopes 

 held out by the Spanish sovereigns to induce 

 Columbus to decline the invitation ; and there is 

 ground for such a supposition, because he received 

 a large sum of money from the Spanish treasurer to 

 enable him to again attend a summons which he re- 

 ceived from the Castillian court, — supposed to have 

 emanated from Queen Isabella, who was a warm 

 advocate of Columbus' proposals. 



During the time he was waiting to have his pro- 

 ject again considered he supported himself, in part, 

 by making maps and charts, and occasionally by the 

 liberality of the Friar Diego de Deza. It was due to 

 the sovereigns to say that whenever he was summoned 



