s and
heartiness you enter upon an undertaking of so lofty a character as
has been entrusted to you by the graciousness of our apostolic favor,
we, moved thereunto by our own accord, not at your instance nor the
request of anyone else in your regard, but of our own sole largess and
certain knowledge as well as in the fulness of our apostolic power,
by the authority of almighty God conferred upon us in blessed
Peter and of the vicarship of Jesus Christ which we hold on earth,
do by tenor of these presents give, grant, and assign forever to
you and your heirs and successors, kings of Castile and Leon, all
and singular the aforesaid countries and islands thus unknown and
hitherto discovered by your envoys and to be discovered hereafter,
providing however they at no time have been in the actual temporal
possession of any Christian owner, together with all their dominions,
cities, camps, places, and towns as well as all rights, jurisdictions,
and appurtenances of the same wherever they may be found. Moreover we
invest you and your aforementioned heirs and successors with them,
and make, appoint, and depute you owners of them with full and free
power, authority, and jurisdiction of every kind, with this proviso
however, that by this gift, grant, assignment, and investiture of ours
no right conferred on any Christian prince is hereby to be understood
as withdrawn or to be withdrawn. Moreover we command you in virtue of
holy obedience, that, employing all due diligence in the premises,
as you promise--nor do we doubt your compliance therewith to the
best of your loyalty and royal greatness of spirit--you send to the
aforesaid countries and islands worthy, God-fearing, learned, skilled,
and experienced men in order to instruct the aforesaid inhabitants
and dwellers therein in the Catholic faith, and train them in good
morals. Besides, under penalty of excommunication _late sententie_
to be incurred _ipso facto_, [147] should anyone thus contravene, we
strictly forbid all persons of no matter what rank, estate, degree,
order, or condition, to dare, without your special permit or that
of your aforesaid heirs and successors, to go for the sake of trade
or any other purpose whatever to the said islands and countries
discovered and found by your envoys or persons sent thither. And
inasmuch as some kings of Portugal, by similar apostolic grant made
to them, discovered and took possession of islands in the waters
of Africa, Guinea, and