and the queen was not unlikely to
know well the bearing of a great man. He intimated to her highness that
what was an impossibility to the cosmographers, might not be so in nature.
Nor, continued he, should any endeavour in so great a matter be attributed
to lightness, even though the endeavour should fail; for it is the part of
great and generous princes to ascertain the secrets of the world. Other
princes (he did not mention those of neighbouring Portugal) had gained
eternal fame this way. He concluded by saying that all the aid Columbus
wanted to set the expedition afloat, was but a million of maravedis
(equivalent to about 308 Pounds, English money of the period); and that so
great an enterprise ought not to be abandoned for the sake of such a
trifling sum.

SUCCESS OF THE ADDRESS.

These well addressed arguments, falling in, as they did, with those of
Quintanilla, the treasurer, who had great influence with the queen,
prevailed. She thanked these lords for their counsel, and said she would
adopt it, but they must wait until the finances had recovered a little
from the drain upon them occasioned by the conquest of Granada, or if they
thought that the plan must be forthwith carried out, she would pledge her
jewels to raise the necessary funds. Santangel and Quintanilla kissed her
hands, highly delighted at succeeding; and Santangel offered to advance
the money required. Upon this the queen sent an alguazil to overtake
Columbus and bring him back to the court. He was overtaken at the bridge
of Pinos, two leagues from Granada; returned to Santa Fe, where the
sovereigns were encamped before Granada; was well received by Isabella;
and finally the agreement between him and their catholic highnesses was
settled with the secretary, Colama.

THE AGREEMENT SETTLED.

Not much is seen of King Ferdinand in all these proceedings; and it is
generally understood that he looked rather coldly upon the propositions of
Columbus. We cannot say that he was at all unwise in so doing. His great
compeer, Henry the Seventh, did not hasten to adopt the same project
submitted to him by Bartholomew Columbus, sent into England[8] for that
purpose by his brother Christopher; and it has not been thought to
derogate from the English king's sagacity.

[Footnote 8: It is difficult to determine how the project brought before
Henry the Seventh's notice by Bartholomew Columbus was received. Some
say it was made a mockery of at the En