F25 TALE OF FERNAO MAGALLAO

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 TALE OF FERNAO MAGALLAO

 Antonio Pigafeta, patrician of Venezia and knight of Rhodi [i.e., Rhodes], to the most illustrious and excellent Lord, Philipo de Villers Lisleadam, renowned grand master of Rhoddi, his most honored lord

 Inasmuch as, most illustrious and excellent Lord, there are many curious persons who not only take pleasure in knowing and hearing the great and wonderful things which God has permitted me to see and suffer during my long and dangerous voyage, hereto appended, but who also wish to know the means and manners and paths that I have taken in making that voyage [literally: “in going thither”]; and who do not lend that entire faith to the end unless they have a perfect assurance of the beginning: therefore, your most illustrious Lordship must know that, finding myself, in the year of the nativity of our Savior MCCCCCXIX in Spagnia

  in the court of the most serene king of the Romans, with the reverend Monsignor, Francesco Chieregato, then apostolic protonotary and nuncio of Pope Leo X of holy memory (and who has since become bishop of Aprutino and prince of Teramo), and having learned many things from many books that I had read, as well as from various persons, who discussed the great and marvelous things of the Ocean Sea with his Lordship
 the good favor of his Cæsarean Majesty, and of his Lordship abovesaid, to experience and to go to see those things for myself, so that I might be able thereby to satisfy myself somewhat, and so that I might be able to gain some renown for later posterity. Having heard that a fleet composed of five vessels had been fitted out in the city of Siviglia for the purpose of going to discover the spicery in the islands under command of Captain-general Fernando de Magaglianes, a Portuguese gentleman  I set out from the city of Barsalonna, where his Majesty was then residing, bearing many letters in my favor. I went by ship as far as Malega, where, taking the highroad, I went overland to Siviglia. Having been there about three full months, waiting for the said fleet to be set in order for the departure, 

  finally, as your most excellent Lordship will learn below, we commenced our voyage under most happy auspices. And inasmuch 
s when I was in Ytalia and going to see his Holiness, Pope Clement, 
you by your grace showed yourself very kind and good to me at Monteroso, and told me that you would be greatly pleased if I would write down for you all those things which I had seen and suffered during my voyage; 
and although I have had little opportunity, yet I have tried to satisfy your desire according to my poor ability; therefore, I offer you, in this little book of mine, all my vigils, hardships, and wanderings, begging you,
 The captain-general having resolved to make so long a voyage through the Ocean Sea, where furious winds and great storms are always reigning, but not desiring to make known to any of his men the voyage that he was about to make, so that they might not be cast down at the thought of doing so great and extraordinary a deed, as he did accomplish with the aid of God (the captains who accompanied him, hated him exceedingly, I know not why, unless because he was a Portuguese, and they Spaniards), with the desire to conclude what he promised under oath to the emperor, 
Don Carlo, king of Spagnia, prescribed the following orders and gave them to all the pilots and masters of his ships, so that the ships might not become separated from one another during the storms and night 
These were [to the effect] that he would always precede the other ships at night, and they were to follow his ship which would have a large torch of wood, which they call farol. He always carried that farol set at the poop of his ship as a signal so that they might always follow him.
Another light was made by means of a lantern or by means of a piece of wicking made from a rush and called sparto rope 
They were to answer him so that he might know by that signal whether all of the ships were coming together

 On Monday morning, August x, St. Lawrence’s day, in the year abovesaid, the fleet, having been supplied with all the things necessary for the sea,

 Discharging many pieces of artillery, the ships held their forestaysails to the wind, and descended the river Betis, at present called Gadalcavir  

passing by a village called Gioan dal Farax, once a large Moorish settlement. In the midst of it was once a bridge that crossed the said river, and led to Siviglia.  
Then the ships reached another village called Coria, and passed by many other villages along the river, until they came to a castle of the duke of Medina Cidonia, called San Lucar, which is a port by which to enter the Ocean Sea  


We left that village, by name San Luchar, on Tuesday, September xx of the same year, and took a southwest course   
On the 26th,,,,of the said month, we reached an island of the Great Canaria, called Teneriphe, which lies in a latitude of 28 degrees,[landing there] in order to get flesh, water, and wood 
We stayed there for three and one-half days in order to furnish the fleet with the said supplies. Then we went to a port of the same island called Monte Rosso  


At midnight of Monday, October three, the sails were trimmed toward the south 
Thus for many days did we sail along the coast of Ghinea, or Ethiopia
I saw many kinds of birds, among them one that had no anus; and another, [which] when the female [wishes to lay its eggs, it does so on the back of the male and there they are hatched. The latter bird has no feet, and always lives in the sea. [There is] another kind which live on the ordure of the other birds, and in no other manner; for I often saw this bird, which is called Cagassela, fly behind the other birds 
That land of Verzin is wealthier and larger than Spagnia, Fransa, and Italia, 
The people of that land are not Christians, and have no manner of worship. They live according to the dictates of nature 
We remained in that land for 13 days. Then proceeding, on our way, we went as far as 34 and 
toward the Antarctic Pole, where we found people at a freshwater river, called Canibali  who eat human flesh. One of them, in stature almost a giant, 
That place is called the cape of Santa Maria, and it was formerly thought that one passed thence to the sea of Sur, that is to say the South Sea, but nothing further was ever 
Then proceeding on the same course toward the Antarctic Pole, coasting along the land, we came to anchor at two islands full of geese and sea-wolves  Truly, the great number of those geese cannot be reckoned; in one hour we loaded the five ships [with them]. Those geese are black and have all their feathers alike both on body and wings 
They do not fly, and live on fish. They were so fat that it was not necessary to pluck them but to skin them. Their beak is like that of a crow. 

 Leaving that place, we finally reached 49 and one-half degrees toward the Antarctic Pole. As it was winter, 
We passed two months in that place without seeing anyone. One day we suddenly saw a naked man of giant stature on the shore of the port, dancing, singing, and throwing dust on his head. The captain-general sent one of our men to the giant so that he might perform the same, actions as a sign of peace. Having done that, the man led the giant to an islet into the presence of the captain-general. When the giant was in the captain-general’s and our presence, he marveled greatly,

 Six days after the above, a giant painted 
A fortnight later we saw four of those giants without their arms for they had hidden them in certain bushes as the two whom we captured showed us. Each one was painted differently. The captain-general kept two of them—the youngest and best proportioned—by means of a very cunning trick, in order to take them to Spagnia. Had he used any other means [than those he employed], they could easily have killed some of us.The trick that he employed in keeping them was as follows. He gave them many knives, scissors, 

 port of Santo Julianno, we remained about five months 
Many things happened there. In order that your most illustrious Lordship may know some of them, it happened that as soon as we had entered the port, the captains of the other four ships plotted treason in order that they might kill the captain-general. Those conspirators consisted   


l. Those conspirators consisted of the overseer of the [leet, one Johan de Cartagena, the treasurer, Alouise de Mendosa, the accountant, 
Anthonio Cocha, and Gaspar de Cazada. The overseer of the men having been quartered, the treasurer was killed by dagger blows, for the treason was discovered. Some days after that, Gaspar de Casada, was banished with a priest in that land of Patagonia. The captain-general did not wish to have him killed, because the emperor, Don Carlo, had appointed him captain  
A ship called “Sancto Jacobo” was wrecked in an expedition made to explore the coast. All the men were saved as by a miracle, not even getting wet. Two of them came to the ships after suffering great hardships, and reported the whole occurrence to us. Consequently, the captain-general sent some men with bags full of biscuits 
Consequently, the captain-general sent some men with bags full of biscuits [sufficient to last] for two months. It was necessary for us to carry them the food, for daily pieces of the ship 
Leaving that place, we found, in 51 degrees less one-thirddegree, toward the Antarctic Pole, a river of fresh water. There the ships almost perished because of the furious winds; but God and the holy bodieS 
aided them. We stayed about two months in that river in order to supply the ships with water, wood, and fish, [the latter being] one braccio in length and more, and covered with scales. They were very good although small

 We caught many of them with iron hooks



 Then going to fifty-two degrees toward the same pole, 
we found a strait on the day of the [feast of theeleven thousand virgins [i.e. October 21],

  But the captain-general who knew where to sail to find a well-hidden strait, which he saw depicted on a map in the treasury of the king of Portugal, which was made by that excellent man, Martin de Boemia, sent two ships, the “Santo Anthonio” and the “Conceptione” (for thus they were called), to discover what was inside the cape de la []Baia [i.e., of the Bay]   
We, with the other two ships, [namely], the flagship, called “Trinitade,” and the other the “Victoria,” stayed inside the bay to await them. A great storm struck us that night, which lasted until the middle of next day, which necessitated our lifting anchor, and letting ourselves drift hither and thither about the bay.The other two ships suffered a headwind and could not double a cape 
formed by the bay almost at its end, as they were trying to return to join us; so that they thought that they would have to run aground. But on approaching the end of the bay, and thinking that they were lost, they saw a small opening which did not [exceed: crossed out in original MS.] appear to be an opening,Very joyful they immediately turned back to inform the captain-general. We thought that they had been wrecked, first, by reason of the violent storm, and second, because two days had passed and they had not appeared, and also because of certain [signals with] smoke made by two of their men who had been sent ashore to advise us

 After entering that strait, we found two openings, one to the southeast, and the other to the southwest

 The captain-general sent the ship “Sancto Anthonio” together with the “Concitione” to ascertain whether that opening which was toward the southeast had an exit into the Pacific Sea. The ship “Sancto Anthonio” would not await the “Conceptione,” because it intended to flee and return to Spagnia