CHAPTER VI
THE door giving upon the great corridor opened. One said, "The King,Madam!" King Ferdinand entered quietly, in the sober fashion of asober and able man. He was cool and balanced, true always to his ownconception of his own dues. The Queen rose and stepped to meet him. Theyspoke, standing together, after which he handed her to her chair andtook beside her the other great chair which the pages had swiftlyplaced. After greeting his daughter and the Archbishop he looked acrossto the painter. "Master Manuel Rodriguez, good day!"
There fell a moment of sun-drenched quiet in which they all sat fortheir picture. Then said the King, "Madam, we are together, and here arethose who have been our chief advisers in this affair of discoveries.Master Christopherus is below. We noted him in the court. Let us havehim here and see this too-long-dragging matter finished! Once for allabate his demands, or once for all let him go!"
They sent a page. Again there was sunny silence, then in at the doorcame the tall, muscular, gray-eyed, silver-haired man whom I had met theday King Boabdil surrendered Granada.
He made reverence to the Queen and the King and to the Archbishop. Itwas the Queen who spoke to him and that gently.
"Master Christopherus, we have had a thousand businesses, and so ourmatter here has waited and waited. Today comes unaware this quiet hourand we will give it to you. Here with us are the Archbishop and otherswho have been our counsellors, and here is Don Alonzo de Quintantellawho hath always stood your friend. In all the hurly-burly we yet tooktime, two days ago, to sit in council and come to conclusion. And now wegive you our determination. In all reason it should give you joy!" Shesmiled upon him. "How many years since first you laid your plan beforeus?"
He answered her in a deep voice, thrilling and crowded with feeling."Seven years, Madam your Highness! Like an infant laid at your feet. Andwinter has blown upon it, and sunshine carrying hope has walked aroundit, and then again the cold wind rises--"
The King spoke. "Master Christopherus, in war much else has to cease! Inmuch we have had to find patience, and you have to find it."
"My lord King, yes!" replied the tall man. "It is eighteen years sincein Lisbon, looking upon the sea one day, I said to myself, 'Is there aquestion that is not to be answered? This ocean is to be crossed. Thenwhy do not I cross it? There is Cipango, Cathay and India! Gold andspices are there, and here lie ships, and between, when all is said, isonly sea! God made the sea to be sailed! Yonder they worship idols, herewe worship Christ. There are idols, here is Christ. Once a Christopheruscarried Christ across water!' Eighteen years ago. I said, 'I can do it!'I say it to-day, my lord and my lady. I can do it!"
Of the seated great ones only the Queen's spirit appeared to answer his.He seemed to enchant her, to take her with him. But the King's cool faceregarded him with something like dislike. He spoke in an edged voice."Saint Christopher asked no great wage. That is the point, MasterChristopherus, so let us to it! At last the Queen and I say 'We agree'to this enterprise, which may bring forth fruit or may not, or may meanmere empty loss of ships and men and of our monies! Yet we say 'yea.'But we do not say 'yea ', Master Christopherus, to the too great ferryfee which you ask! I say 'ask', but verily the tone is of command!"
The man whom they called Master Christopherus made a slow, wide gestureof deprecation. The Archbishop took the word. "Too much! You ask ahundred times too much! I must say to you that it is unchristianlyarrogance. You talk like a soldan!" An assenting murmur came from theother ecclesiastics.
The Queen spoke. "Master Christopherus, if it be a great thing to do, isnot the doing it and thereby blessing yourself no less than others--isnot that reward? Not that Castile shall deny you reward, no! Trust methat if you bring us the key of India you shall not find us niggardly!But we and they who advise us stumble at your prescribing wealth, honorsand gifts that they say truly are better fitting a great prince! Trustus for enrichment and for honor do you come back with the great thingdone! Leave it all now to Time that brings to pass. So you will beclearer to go forth to the blessed carrying of Christ!"
She spoke earnestly, a Queen, but with much about her of womanly,motherly sweetness. I saw that she greatly liked the man and somewheremet his spirit. But the King was gathering hardness. He spoke to asecretary standing behind him. "Have you it there written down, theItalian's demand?"
The man produced a paper. "Read!" But before it could be unfolded,Master Christopherus spoke.
"'Italian!' Seven years in Spain and ten in Portugal, and a good whilein Porto Santo that belongs to Portugal, a little in England and inUltima Thule or Iceland, and long, long years upon ships decked andundecked in all the seas that are known--fourteen years, childhood andboyhood, in Genoa and at Pavia where I went to school, and all my yearsof hope in Christ's Kingdom, and in the uplands of great doers-andyour Highness says to me for a slighting word, 'Italian!' I was bornin Italy, but to-day, for this turn, King Ferdinand, you should call me'Spaniard'! As, if King John sends me forth be will call me Portuguese!Or King Henry will say, 'Christopher the Englishman' or King Charles, towhom verily I see that I may go, shall say, 'Frenchman, to whom all owethe marriage of East and West, but France owes Empire!"'
The King said, "It may be so, or it may not be so, MasterChristopherus.--Read!"
The secretary read: The Genoese, Cristoforo Colombo, called in SpainCristobal Colon, and in the Latin Christopherus Columbus, states anddemands in substance as follows: Sailing westward he will discover forthe King and Queen of the Spains the Indies and Cathay and Cipango,to the great glory and enrichment of these Sovereigns and the passingthereby of Spain ahead of Portugal, and likewise and above all to thegreat glory of Christ and of Holy Church. He will do this, having seenit clear for many years that it is to be done, and he the instrument.And for the finding by going westward of the said India and all the gainof the world and the Kingdom of God and of our Sovereigns the King DonFerdinand and the Queen Dona Isabella, he bargaineth thus:
"He shall be named Admiral of the Ocean-Sea, whereby he means thewhole water west of the line drawn by the Holy Father for the King ofPortugal. He shall be made Viceroy and Governor of all continents andislands that he may discover, claim and occupy for the Sovereigns. Andthe said Christopherus Columbus's eldest son shall hold these officesafter him, and the heir of his son, and his heir, down time. He shall begranted one tenth of all gold, pearls, precious stones, spices, orother merchandise found or bought or exchanged within his admiralty andviceroyship, and this tithe is likewise to be taken by his heirs fromgeneration to generation. He or one that he shall name shall be judge inall disputes that arise in these continents and islands, so be it thatthe honor of the Sovereigns of Spain is not touched. He shall have thesalary that hath the High Admiral of Castile. He and his family shallbe ennobled and henceforth be called Don and Dona. And for the immediatesailing of ships he may, if he so desire, be at an eighth of the expenseof outfitting, for which he shall be returned an eighth of all theprofit of this the first voyage."
The secretary did not make the terms less sounding by his reading.Wind in leaves, went a stir through the room. I heard a page near mewhispering, "O Sancta Maria! The hanger-on, the needy one! Since thebeginning of time I've seen him at doors, sunny and cloudy days, thebig, droning bee!" Manuel Rodriguez painted on. I felt his thought. "Ishould like to paint _you_, Admiral of the Ocean-Sea!"
The room recomposed itself. Out of silence came the King's voice, chilland dry. "We abate so vast a claim for so vast reward! But we would benaught else but just, and in our ability lavish. Read now what we willdo!"
The secretary read. It had a certain largeness and goodliness, as gorewards for adventure, even for great adventure, what the sovereignswould do. The room thought it should answer. The King spoke, "Wecan promise no more nor other than this. It contents you, MasterChristopherus?"
The long-faced, high-nosed, gray-eyed man answered, "No, my lord King."
"Your own terms or none?"
"Mine or none, your Highness."
The King's voice grew a cutting wind. "To that the Queen and I answer,'Ours or none!'" Pushing back his chair, he glanced at sun out ofwindow. "It is over. I incline to think that it was at best but an emptyvision. You are dismissed, Master Christopherus!"
The Genoese, bowing, stepped backward from the table. In his face andcarriage was nothing broken. He kept color. The Queen's glance wentafter him, "What will you do now, Master Christopherus?"
He answered, "My lady, your Highness, I shall take horse to-morrow forFrance."
The King said, "France?--King Charles buys ever low, not high!"
The Sovereigns and the great churchmen and the less great went awaytogether. After them flowed the high attendance. All went, Don Enriqueamong the last. Following him, I turned head, for I wished to observeagain two persons, the painter Manuel Rodriguez and the Admiral of theOcean-Sea. The former painted on. The latter walked forth quite alone,coming behind the grinning pages.
In the court below I saw him again. The archway to street sent toward usa deep wedge of shadow. He had a cloak which he wrapped around him anda large round hat which he drew low over his gray-blue eyes. With a firmstep he crossed to the archway where the purple shadow took him.
Juan Lepe must turn to his own part which now must be decided. I walkedbehind Don Enrique de Cerda through Santa Fe. With him kept Don Miguelde Silva, who loved Don Enrique's sister and would still talk of_devoir_ and of plans, now that the war was ended. When the house wasreached he would enter with us and still adhere to Don Enrique. But atthe stair foot the latter spoke to the squire. "Find me in an hour, JuanLepe. I have something to say to thee!" His tone carried, "Do you thinkthe place there makes any difference? No, by the god of friends!"
I let him go thinking that I would come to him presently. But I, too,had to act under the god of friends. In Diego Lopez's room I foundquill and ink and paper, and there I wrote a letter to Don Enrique, andfinding Diego gave it to him to be given in two hours into Don Enrique'shand. Then Juan Lepe the squire changed in his own room, narrow and bareas a cell, to the clothing of Juan Lepe the sailor.