es, infantes, or
whatsoever other persons, orders or knighthoods, who for any reason
whatever may now be there, even for motives of charity or the faith,
or the ransom of captives. Nor shall it matter how urgent these reasons
may be, even though, based on repealing clauses, they may appear of the
most positive, mandatory, and unusual character; nor even should there
be contained therein sentences, censures, and penalties of any kind
whatever, providing however these have not gone into effect through
actual and real possession; nay even though it may have happened on
occasion that the persons, to whom such gifts and grants were made,
or their envoys, sailed thither through chance. Wherefore should any
such gifts or grants have been made, considering the terms of our
present decree to have been sufficiently expressed and inserted, we
through similar accord, knowledge, and fulness of our power do wholly
revoke the former. Moreover as regards countries and islands not in
actual possession of others, we wish this to be considered as of no
effect, notwithstanding what may appear in the aforesaid letters,
or anything else to the contrary. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, on
the twenty-fifth day of September in the year of the Incarnation of
our Lord one thousand four hundred and ninety-three, the second year
of our pontificate.

The Treaty of Tordesillas

[This treaty was signed by the respective representatives of
the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs, June 7, 1494, at the city of
Tordesillas. Full powers were conferred upon these representatives in
special letters, that of the Catholic sovereigns being given June 5
at Tordesillas, and that of King Dom Joan of Portugal, March 8. The
former sovereigns, as well as their son Don Juan, signed the treaty
in person, at Arevalo, July 2; the King of Portugal, September 5,
at Setubal--each ratifying it fully. The letter given by Ferdinand
and Isabella to their representatives is as follows:]

Don Fernando and Dona Isabel, by the grace of God, King and Queen of
Castilla, Leon, Aragon, Secjlia, Granada, Toledo, Valencia, Galisia,
Mallorcas, Sevilla, Cerdena, Cordova, Corcega, Murcia, Jahan, Algarbe,
Algezira, Gibraltar, and the Canary Islands; count and countess of
Barcelona; seigniors of Vizcaya and Moljna; duke and duchess of Atenas
and Neopatria; count and countess of Rosellon and Cerdanja; marquis
and marchioness of Oristan and Goceano: Inasmuch as the most serene
King of P