I 



432 HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



" men and women, infe&ed the Spanifli army, the Ita- 

 " Hans, Germans, &c." Who could believe that a lite- 

 rary Spaniard would disfigure the public fa&s of his own 

 nation, which occurred not more than eighty years be- 

 fore, fo much that not one of his propofitions is correct ; 

 but when he means to difparage America he lofes all 

 regard to truth. It is certain and notorious, that there 

 was no war between Spain and France in 1493 > tnat tne 

 Catholic king was not then in Naples, but in Barcelona, 

 nor recovered of his wounds which he had received from 

 a mad perfon ; that Columbus did not bring with him 

 a multitude of Indian men and women, but only ten 

 men ; that Columbus did never come into Italy after 

 his glorious expedition ; that the Indians he brought 

 with him never faw Italy. 



After having made the mod: diligent enquiry, we dis- 

 cover no grounds for believing the French evil came 

 from America into Europe ; we rather find ourfelves in- 

 duced to believe it as well as the fmall-pox, was brought 

 from Europe to America. 1. Becaufe, neither Colum- 

 bus, in his journal, nor his fon, in the life of his re- 

 nowned father, who faw thofe countries, and noted 

 their peculiarities, make mention of the French evil, 

 although they relate minutely the hardfhips and fufFer- 

 ings of the firft voyages. Neither is there any mention 

 made of it in the hifiories of thofe countries written by 

 Peter Martyr of Angheira (#), an author contemporary 

 with Columbus, and well-informed, having been protho- 

 notary to the council of the Indies, and abbot of Ja- 

 maica. Oviedo, the firft who attributed that diftemper 

 to America, did not go there till twenty years after the 



ifland 



(«) Of all things which were brought from the Weft-Indies belonging to the 

 art of medicine. Part i. cap. 9. 



