Antonio pigafeta patricio vicentino et Caualier de
Rhodi aL JlLmo. et Exellmo. S. philipo de villers
lisleadam Jnclito grā maisto de Rhoddj
signior suo obseruantissimo.
Perche sono molti curiosi IlLmo
et exellmo. Signor che non solamente se contentano
de sapere et Intendere li grandi et admirabillj cose che dio
me a concesso de vedere et patire nela infrascripta mia
longa et pericolosa nauigatiōe. Ma anchora vogliono
sapere li mezi et modi et vie che ho tenuto ad andarui, non
prestando qella Jntegra fede aL exito se prima
nō anno bonna Certeza deL initio pertanto sapera
va. Jlla. sa. che ritrouandomi neL
anno de La natiuita deL nȓo saluatore
mo.vc.xix in spagnia in la corte deL
serenissimo Re de romani con el Ŗdo
monsor. franco chieregato alhora proŧho
apco. et oratore de La sta. memoria de papa Leone
xo. che per sua vertu dapoi he acceso aL
episto di aprutino et principato de teramo. Hauendo yo
hauuto grā notisia þ molti libri letti et per
diuerse personne che praticauano con sua sa. de le
grande et stupende cose deL mare occeanno
deliberay con bonna gratia deLa magesta Cezaria et deL prefacto S. mio
far experientia di me et andare a vedere qelle cose che
potessero dare alguna satisfatiōe a me
medesmo et potessero parturirmi qalche nome
apresso la posterita hauendo Inteso ɋ alora
si era preparata vna armata in la cita de Siuiglia che era de
cinqƺ naue per andare a scoprire la Speceria nele ysolle
de maluco de la qalle era capitanio generalle ferando de
magaglianes gentilhomo portuguese et era comre de
sto. Jacobo de la spada piu volte cō molte
sue laude haueua peregrato in diuerse guize lo mare occeanno.
Mi parti cō molte letere di fauore dela cita de barsalonna
doue alhora resideua sua magesta et sopa vna
naue passay sino amalega onde pigliando eL Camino
þ tera junsi a siuiglia et iui essendo
stato ben circa tre mesi espetando que La dicta armata
se ponese in hordine þ la partita finalmente como
qi de soto intendera v exa sa.
con felicissimi auspitij in comensiamo la nȓa
nauigatiōe Et þcħe ne leser mio in ytalia Quando
andaua a la santita de papa Clemente qella per sua
gratia amonteroso verso dime se dimostro assai benigna
et humana et dissemi che li sarebe grato li
copiasse tute qelle cose haueua viste et
passate nella nauigatiōe Benche yo ne habia hauuta pocha
Como dita niente dimeno segondo el mio debiL potere li ho voluto
satisfare. Et cosi li oferisco in questo mio
libreto tute le vigilie fatiqƺ et peregrinatiōe mie
pregandola quando la vachera dalle asidue cure Rhodianne
se degni transcorerle peril que me potera esere nō
pocho remunerato da. V Jll. s. a la cui bonna graca mi donno
et recomando.
Hauendo deliberato il capitanio generalle difare
cosi longa nauigatiōe þ lo mare occeanno doue
sempre sonno Jnpetuosi venti et fortune grandi et
nō volendo manifestare aniuno deli suoj el viagio che
voleua fare açio nō fosse smarito in
pensare de fare tanto grande et stupenda cosa como fece
cò lo aiuto de ydio li Capitani sui che menaua in sua
cōpagnia lo odiauano molto nō so perche sinon
þche era portuguese et essi spagnioli. Volendo
dar fine a questo que promise cō Juramento aLo
inperatore D. carlo Re de spagnia açio le naue nele fortune
et nela nocte non se separesseno vna de lalta.
ordeno questo hordine et lo dete atuti li piloti et maestri de le
sue naui Loqual era lui de note sempre voleua andar inanzi
dele altre naui et elle seguitaseno la sua con vna
facela grande de legnio che la quiamano farol Qual sempre
portaua pendēte de la popa de la Sua naue questo
segniale era acio de continuo lo seguitaseno se faceua
vno alto fuoco con vna lanterna ho cō vno pezo de
corda de iuncho che la chiamā strengue di Sparto molto batuto
neL hacqua et poi secado al sole ho vero al fumo ottimo per
simil cosa ge respondeseno açio sapese per
chesto segnialle che tute veniuano insieme se faceua duj
focqi senza lo farolo virasseno o voltasenno in
altra banda quando eL vento nō era buono et al
preposito þ andar al nȓo camino ho ɋdo voleua
far pocho viagio se faceua tre fuochi tolesseno via la bonneta,
che he vna parte de uela che se ataca da basso dela vela magiore
quando fa bon tempo þ andar piu la setol via açio
sia piu facile aracogliere la vela magior quando se amayna in
pressa in vno tempo subito: Si faceua quatro fochi amaysseno
tute le vele facendo poi lui vno segniale di fuoco como staua
fermo Se faceua piu fochi ouero tiraua alguna bō barda fose
segniale de tera o de bassi. Poi faceua quatro fuochi quando voleua far
alsare le vele in alto açio loro nauegasseno seguendo
sempȓ þ Quela facela de popa Quando
voleua far metere la boneta faceua tre fuochi Quando
voleua voltarse in altra parte faceua duj Volendo poi
sapere se tute le naue lo seguitavāo et veniuāo
insieme faceua vno þche cussi ogni naue facesse
et li respondese ogni nocte se faceua tre gardie la
pa nel principio de la nocte La seconda
Que la chiamano modora neL meso La ta nel fine
tuta la gente dele naue se partiua in tre Coloneli
el po era del capo. houero del
contra maistro mudandose ogni nocte. Lo secondo deL piloto ho
nochiero. Lo to del maestro þ tanto lo
Capo genneral Comando che tute le naue obseruaseno
Questi segniali et guardie acio se andase piu
seguri.
Luni a x d' agusto go de sancto
laurentio Nel anno Ja deto esendo la armata fornita de tute le
cose necessarie per mare et dogni sorte de gente eramo ducente et
trentasete homini nela matina Se feceno þste per
partirse daL mole de siuiglia et tirando molta artegliaria deteno
il trinqueto aL vento et venne abaso del fiume betis al pñte
detto gadalcauir passando þ vno luocho chiamato gioan dal farax
che era gia grande habitatiōe de mori per mezo lo
qalle staua vn ponte che pasaua el dicto fiume þ
andare a siuiglia dilque li e restato fin aL presente nel
fondo del acqua due colonne que quando passano le naui
año bisognio de homini ɋ sapianno ben lo Locho
delle colonne þ cio nō desseno in
esse et e bisognio passarle quanto el fiume
sta piu cressente et anche þ molti altri luochi
deL fiume ɋ nō a tanto fondo che baste þ
passare le naui cargate et qelle non sianno
tropo grandi Poi venirono ad un alto
ɋse chiama coria passando þ molti altri
villagij a longo deL fiume tanto ɋ ajonseno ad vno
castello deL duca de medina cidonia il qalle
se chiama S. lucar che e porto þ entrare nel
mare occeanno leuante ponente cō il capo de sanct vincent
che sta in 37 gradi de latitudine et longui dal deto porto x leghe
da Siuiglia fin aqi þ lo fiume gli sonno 17 ho
20 Leghe dali alquanti giorni vene el capitanio genneralle cō li
alt capi þ lo fiume abasso neli bateli de
le naue et iui stessimo molti giorni per finire la
armata de alcune cose li manchauāo et ogni di andauamo
in tera ad aldir messa aduno locho ɋ se chiama
ñra dona de baremeda circa S. lucar. Et avanti la partita Lo
capo genneraL volse tucti se
confessaseno et nō consentite ninguna dona
venisse ne Larmata per meglior rispecto.
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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, I determined, by 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 of Maluco, under command of Captain-general Fernando de Magaglianes, a Portuguese gentleman, comendador of the [Order of] Santo Jacobo de la Spada [i.e., “St. James of the Sword”], [who] had many times traversed the Ocean Sea in various directions, whence he had acquired great praise, 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 as 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, although you are busied with continual Rhodian cares, to deign to skim through it, by which I shall be enabled to receive a not slight remuneration from your most illustrious Lordship, to whose good favor I consign and commend myself.
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 which is well beaten in the water, and then dried in the sun or in the smoke – a most excellent material for such use. They were to answer him so that he might know by that signal whether all of the ships were coming together. If he showed two lights besides that of the farol, they were to veer or take another tack, [doing this] when the wind was not favorable or suitable for us to continue on our way, or when he wished to sail slowly. If he showed three lights, they were to lower away the bonnet-sail, which is a part of the sail that is fastened below the mainsail, when the weather is suitable for making better time. It is lowered so that it may be easier to furl the mainsail when it is struck hastily during a sudden squall. If he showed four lights, they were to strike all the sails; after which he showed a signal by one light, [which meant] that he was standing still. If he showed a greater number of lights, or fired a mortar, it was a signal of land or of shoals. Then he showed four lights when he wished to have the sails set full, so that they might always sail in his wake by the torch on the poop. When he desired to set the bonnet-sail, he showed three lights. When he desired to alter his course, he showed two; and then if he wished to ascertain whether all the ships were following and whether they were coming together, he showed one light, so that each one of the ships might do the same and reply to him. Three watches were set nightly: the first at the beginning of the night; the second, which is called the midnight, and the third at the end [of the night]. All of the men in the ships were divided into three parts: the first was the division of the captain or boatswain, those two alternating nightly; the second, of either the pilot or boatswain’s mate; and the third, of the master. Thus did the captain-general order that all the ships observe the above signals and watches, so that their voyage might be more propitious.
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, (and counting those of every nationality, we were two hundred and thirty-seven men), made ready to leave the harbor of Siviglia. 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. Two columns of that bridge have remained even to this day at the bottom of the water, and when ships sail by there, they need men who know the location of the columns thoroughly, so that the ships may not strike against them. They must also be passed when the river is highest with the tide; as must also many other villages along the river, which has not sufficient depth [of itself] for ships that are laden and which are not very large to pass. 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. It is in an east and west direction with the cape of Sanct Vincent, which lies in 37 degrees of latitude, and x leguas from the said port. From Siviglia to this point [i.e., San Lucar], it is 17 or 20 leguas by river. Some days after, the captain-general, with his other captains, descended the river in the small boats belonging to their ships. We remained there for a considerable number of days in order to finish [providing] the fleet with some things that it needed. Every day we went ashore to hear mass in a village called Nostra Dona de Baremeda [our Lady of Barrameda], near San Lucar. Before the departure, the captain-general wished all the men to confess, and would not allow any woman to sail in the fleet for the best of considerations.
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