CHAPTER III - How, by the death of the King Dom Joam, the King Dom Manoel, who succeeded to the kingdom, occupied himself with the discovery of India

Summary

At this time also an illness overtook the king, which gave him care and occupation, so that he could no longer look after the building of the three ships, until the year 1495, when he died of his illness in Alvor; and there succeeded him as king the King Doin Manoel. He provided for the affairs of the kingdom as he thought fitting; and after all had been set in order, being inspired by Our Lord, he took the resolution to learn and inform himself about the affairs of India, for he knew that the king had had so great a desire in this matter that he had sent his two equerries, from whom there had not been any answer. He (Dom Joam) only had information by means of letters which he wrote respecting this to Venice, to a principal merchant, a great friend of his, who negociated and executed his commissions. From him he had received answers, in which he gave him a long account of India, and of its great riches and trade which issued from it by many seas and lands, by which way there came rich merchandise and aromatic spices to Alexandria, from which the Turk drew great profits; and from that place the merchandise came by the trading of the merchants who brought it to Venice. This was the greatest trade which there was in Venice, because it went thence to all parts, so that sometimes the galleys of Venice came to Spain and went to sell at Lisbon, as he had seen, but in what part India lay he was unable to tell him.