. Although America
was discovered by Columbus, in the service of Spain, some years before
the Portuguese were able to accomplish their long sought route to India;
and although the discovery of America was performed infinitely quicker
than that of southern Africa and the route to India, Columbus having
accomplished his design at the very first attempt, and even without any
previous knowledge of the countries he went in search of; while the
endeavours of the Portuguese occupied a great number of years in almost
fruitless attempts, and extremely tedious progression; yet Don Henry
first set on foot the navigation of the ocean through unknown seas, and
inspired, other nations with the idea of making discoveries of distant
and unexplored regions; and ultimately great as were the discoveries of
Columbus, they may be said to have been accidentally made in the
erroneous attempt to go by a nearer route to the regions of which Don
Henry and his successors had long been in search.

These attempts of the Portuguese had been continued for nearly fourscore
years before any of their neighbours seem to have entertained the most
distant idea of engaging in foreign discoveries, even viewing their
endeavours as downright knight-errantry, proceeding from a distempered
imagination, as well in the first promoter as in those who continued to
prosecute his scheme. In a word, the relation of these discoveries forms
one of the most curious portions of modern history, as comprizing a great
number of the most extraordinary transactions that ever happened in any
period of the world. For this reason they are well worthy of being
particularly narrated, that the curious may be made acquainted with every
successive step in such important enterprizes, and by what almost
insensible degrees such vast undertakings were ultimately accomplished.
And as the intercourse of Europeans has operated a great change in the
countries to which they penetrated, and upon their original inhabitants,
so that both now appear in a very different light from what they did
before these expeditions and discoveries; therefore, every circumstance
belonging to these transactions deserves the most serious notice.

John 1. of Portugal, married Philippa, the eldest daughter of John of
Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, son to Edward III. of England, by whom he had
several sons, of whom Don Henry was the _fifth_. After serving with great
bravery under his father at the capture of Ceuta, he was