Early
American Literature
The Age of Exploration(1492-1620)
Provider:
Dr. Ron Tranquilla
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Concept & Background
Narrative of his third voyage to the Americas, 1498-1500 . . . I believe that the earthly Paradise [the Garden of Eden] lies here, which no one can enter except by God 's leave. I believe that this land which your Highnesses have commanded me to discover is very great, and that there are many other lands in the south of which there have never been reports. . . . I do believe, however, that, distant though it [the summ it of the Earthly Paradise] is, these waters may flow from there to this place which I have reached, and form this lake. All this provides great evidence of the earthly Paradise. . . . For I have never read or heard of such a quantity of fresh water flow ing so close to the salt And flowing into it, and the very temperate climate provides further confirmation. . . . [TOP] A Relation . . . Touching His Discovery of the Kingdom of. . . Cíbola (ca.. 1535) [Father de Niza and many other Spaniards were searching for legendary cities of Gold they believed to exist in Mexico and the Southwest. Father de Niza with two chiefs and interpreters, come to the city of Cíbola, a large Aztec city which he has been seeking]: It appears to
be a very beautiful city, the best that I have seen in these parts;
the houses are of the type that the Indians described to me, all of
stone with their storeys and terraces, as it appeared to me from a hill
whence I could see it. The town is bigger than the city of Mexico [a
clear exaggeration by Father de Niza]. . . . When I said to the chiefs
who were with me how beautiful Cíbola appeared to me, they told
me it was the least of the seven cities, and that Totonteac is much
bi gger and better than all the seven, and that it has so many houses
and people that there is no end to it. Viewing the situation of the
city, it occurred to me to call that country the new kingdom of St.
Francis, and there, with the aid of the Indians, I made a heap of stones
and on top of it I placed a small, slender cross. . . [and] declared
that I placed that cross and landmark in the name of Don Antonio de
Mendoza, viceroy and governor of New Spain for our Emperor, our Lord,
in sign of possession. . . that I took possession there of all the seven
cities and of the kingdoms of Totonteac and Acus and Marata. . . .
The
Relation was written in 1539. It first became available to an English-reading
audience in the third volume of the final edition of Richard Hakluyt's
Principall Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English Nation
(London: 1598-1600) [TOP] The Discovery and Conquest of Terra Florida (1557) [The
Indians are] a people so warlike and so nimble, that they care not a
whit for any footemen. . . . They never stand still, but are alwaies
running and traversing from one place to another; by reason whereof
neither crossebow nor arcubus can aime at th em; and before one crossbowman
can make one shot, an Indian wi ll discharge three or foure arrows;
and seldom misseth what he shooteth at. An arrow, where it findeth no
armour, pierceth deeply as a crossbow. Their bowes are very long, and
their arrows made of certain canes like reedes, very heavie, and so
strong th at a sharpe cane passeth thorow a target; some they arm in
the point with a sharp bone of a fish like a chisel, and in others they
fasten certaine stones like points of diamants. . . . [TOP] Historia de la Nueva México (1610) I sing of arms and the heroic man, . . . the feats, The deeds, of those brave Spaniards. . . In the far India of the West, Discovering in the world that which was hid. . . . Beneath the Arctic Pole, in height, Some thirty-three degrees, which the same Are, we know, of sainted Jerusalem, Not without mystery and marvel great, Are spread, extended, sown and overflow Some nations barbarous, remote From the bosom of the Church. . . Whose greatness it is a shame it should be held About the blood of Christ, whose holiness It causes pain to
think so many souls know not. . . . . [TOP] Hakluytus Posthumus (1628) God goeth before us,
and hath given Virginia so rich a portion, to allure and assure our
loves; . . . in endowing Virginia with so large a jointure, so temperate,
so commodious for the climate compared with other Countries, beyond
[i.e., better than] other Countries in her own diversified lands, Seas,
Rivers; in so fertile a soyle, in so str ong, sweete, stately, delicate
Woods and Timbers, in her naturell hopes of Wines, of Silkes, of the
bodies of Natives servile and serviceable; in Drugges, Irons, and probability
also of other Mines; in all materials for Shipping, and other buildings.
. . . [TOP] Handsome Lake (of the Seneca people) "Vision [in 1799] of How America Was Discovered" [Told by his brother Cornplanter; recorded and published in 1923 by Arthur C. Parker, a Senecan ethnographer] A great queen [the
queen of Spain] had among her servants a young minister. Upon a certain
occasion she requested him to dust some books that she had hidden in
an old chest. Now when the young man reached the bottom of the chest,
he found a wonderful bo ok which he opened and read. It told that the
white men had killed the son of the Creator and it said, moreover, that
he had promised to return in three days and then again in forty but
that he never did. All his followers then began to despair but some
said., "He surely will come again in time." When the young
preacher read the book he was worried because he had discovered that
he had been deceived and that his Lord was not on earth and had not
returned as promised. So he went to some of the chief preachers and
asked them about the matter a nd they answered that he had better seek
the Lord himself and find if he were not on the earth now. So he prepared
to find the Lord. . . . [He sees a castle of gold on a beautiful island,
and while others are fearfully praying and raising crosses, he bol dly
crosses over the bridge and knocks on the door. A man tells him he has
been waiting for him to come.] "Listen to me [says the man to the
young preacher] and you will be rich. Across the ocean there is a great
country of which you have never heard. The people there are virtuous,
they have no evil habits or appetites but are honest and single-minded.
A great reward is yours if you enter into my plans and carry them out.
Here are five things. Carry them over to the people across the ocean
and never shall you want for wealth, position or power. Take these cards,
this money, this fiddle, this whiskey and this blood corruption and
give them all to the people across the water. The cards will make them
gamble away their goods and idle away their time, the money will make
them dishonest and covetous, the fiddle will make them dance with women
and their lower natures will command them, the whiskey will excite their
minds to evil doing and will turn their minds, and the blood corruption
will eat their strength and rot their bones." [The young minister
meets Columbus and tells his story. Columbus fits out some boats, sails
to the West, finds America, returns to his people, and tells what he
has seen. Soon many ships come, and the white men swarm from their boats
to the shore, bringing their cards, money, fiddles, whiskey, and blood
corruption. The man in the gold castle was the devil, and when he saw
what his words had done, even he was sorry.] * "Handsome Lake" was a Native
American who lived in the Pittsburgh region around 1800. [TOP]
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