Dedikation von Richard Hakluyte zu 1555 Galvao: Tratado dos descobrimentos

Richard Hakluyt
The discoueries of the world from their first originall vnto the yeere of our Lord 1555.
London 1601.

THE EPISTLE DEDICATORIE.

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To the Right Honorable Sir Robert Cecill, Knight, principall Secretarie to her Maiestie, Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries, the worthy Chancellour of the Universitie of Cambridge, and one of her Majesties most honorable privie Counsell.

RIGHT Honorable, while I went about to publish our English Voyages and Discoveries, I was advised by master Walter Cope, a gentleman of rare and excellent parts, to draw them into a short sum, adding that in his opinion that course woulde proove most acceptable to the world, especially to men of great action and employment.
Although in that worke then under the presse I could not conveniently alter my course, yet holding his advice, as in many things else, so in this, for sound and very good, I heere present unto your Honour a briefe Treatie most agreeable to the same. The authour whereof was one Antonie Galuano, a Portugall gentleman: of whose pietie towards God, equitie towards men, fidelity to his Prince, love to his countrey, skill in sea causes, experience in histories, liberalitie towards his nation, vigilance

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valour, wisedome and diligence in restoring and settling the decaied state of the Isles of Maluco, (where he remained sixe or seven yeeres governour,) if it please your Honour to read Fernando Lopez de Castagneda, or Ioannes Maffeius in their Histories of the East Indies, you shall finde more written in his singular commendation, then a large Epistle can well comprehend.

The worke though small in bulke containeth so much rare and profitable matter, as I know not where to seeke the like, within so narrow and streite a compasse. For heerein is orderly declared, who were the first discoverours of the world since the time of the flood : by what waies from age to age the spicerie, drugs, and riches of the East were conveied into the West: what were the causes of the alterations of those courses, as namely the changes of empires and government: the ceasing of all trafficke for many yeeres by the Gothes invasion of the Romane Empire: the rising up of the Mahumetane sect; with their overrunning of Africke and Spaine: the renewing againe, after many yeeres disturbance, of the traffic and entercourse of the East Indies; first by the califas of the aforesaid sect: and eftsoones by the Venetians, Ienowais and Florentines.
Then followeth the taking of Ceuta in Barbarie by John the first king of Portugall of that name, in the yeere of our Lord 1415, whose third sonne Don Henry (which he had by the vertuous Ladie Philippa, daughter of John of Gante, and sister to Henry the fourth, King of England) was the first beginner of all the Portugall

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discoveries, and continued the same for the space of fortie and three yeeres even to his dying day. By whose encouragement the Kings of Portugall found out with much patience and constancie the last way of the bringing the Spicerie into Europe by the Cape of Buona Sperança; and for these hundred yeeres past have become the chiefe Lords of the riches of the Orient. By emulation of which their good endevors, the Antiles and the West Indies began to be discovered by the kings of Spaine. The infancies of both which most important enterprises, the progresse of the same from time to time, the discoveries of islands, rivers, baies and harbours, of many rich provinces, kingdomes, and countries; the erecting of castles in sundry convenient islands and places, with the drawing of trafficke unto the same, where, when, by whom, and by whose authority is heere succinctly and faithfully recorded. So that if it please your Honour at your convenient leisure to take a sea card or a mappe of the world, and carie your eie upon the coast of Africa from Cape de Non, lying on the mayne in 29 degrees of northerly latitude, and follow the shore about the Cape of Buona Sperança till you come to the mouth of the Redde Sea, and passing thence along by the countrey of Arabia crosse over to India, and doubling Cape Comory compasse the gulfe of Bengala, and shooting by the citie of Malacca through the Streite of Cincapura, coast al the south of Asia to the northeast part of China, and comprehend in this view all the islands from the Açores and Madera in the West, to the Malucos, the Phillippinas,

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and Japan in the East: you shall heere finde by order, who were the first discoverours, conquerours and planters in every place: as also the natures and commodities of the soyles, togither with the forces, qualities, and conditions of the inhabitants. And that which I mention of the Orient, is likewise to be understood of the Occident.

Now touching the translation, it may please you, sir, to be advertised that it was first done into our language by some honest and well affected marchant of our nation, whose name by no meanes I could attaine unto, and that as it seemeth many yeeres ago. For it hath lien by me above these twelve yeeres. In all which space though I have made much inquirie, and sent to Lisbon, where it seemeth it was printed, yet to this day I could never obtaine the originall copie; whereby I might reforme the manifold errours of the translator.

For whereas a good translator ought to be well acquainted with the proprietie of the tongue out of which and of that into which he translateth, and thirdly with the subject or matter it selfe: I found this translator very defective in all three; especially in the last. For the supplying of whose defects I had none other remedie, but to have recourse unto the originall histories, (which as it appeereth are very many, and many of them exceeding rare and hard to come by) out of which the authour himselfe drew the greatest part of this discourse. And in very deede it cost me more travaile to search out the grounds thereof, and to annexe the marginall quotations unto the work, then the translation

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of many such bookes would have put me unto. Of which quotations there is yet a farther use, to wit, that such as have leasure sufficient, and are desirous to reade these things more at large, (for brevitie oftentimes breedeth obscuritie) may fully satisfie their desires by having recourse by the help thereof to the pure fountaines, out of which those waters which are drawne are for the most part most sweet and holsome. Now if any man shall marvel, that in these Discoveries of the World for the space almost of fower thousand yeeres here set downe, our nation is scarce fower times mentioned: hee is to understand, that when this author ended this discourse, (which was about the yeere of Grace 1555) there was little extant of our mens tranvailes. And for ought I can see, there had no great matter yet come to light, if myselfe had not undertaken that heavie burden, being never therein entertained to any purpose, until I had recourse unto yourselfe, by whose speciall favour and bountiful patronage I have been often much encouraged, and as it were revived. Which travailes of our men, because as yet they be not come to ripenes, and have been made for the most part to places first discovered by others, when they shall come to more perfection, and become more profitable to the adventurers, will then be more fit to be reduced into briefe epitomes, by my selfe or some other endued with an honest zeale of the honour of our countrey. In the meane season nothing doubting of your favourable acceptation of this my labour, I humbly beseech the author of all goodnes to replenish and enrich

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you with his best blessings, long to protect and preserve your Honour to the profitable service of her Majestie, and to the common benefit and good of the Realme.

From London this 29. of October 1601.

Your Honors Chaplein, in all dutie most readie to be commanded, RICHARD HAKLUYT