The Quarti Partitu en Cosmographia by Alonso de Chaves – An interpretation

AGRUPAMENTO DE ESTUDOS DE CARTOGRAFIA ANTIGA XXVIII SECCÃO DE COIMBRA THE QUARTI PARTITU EN COSMOGRAPHIA BY ALONSO DE CHAVES. AN INTERPRETATION BY URSULA LAMB JUNTA DE INVESTIGAÇÕES DO ULTRAMAR COIMBRA • 1969 THE QUARTI PARTITU EN COSMOGRAPHIA BY ALONSO DE CHAVES — AN INTERPRETATION by URSULA LAMB The subjec o his pape is he manusc ip en i led: «Qua i Pa i u en Cosmog aphies by Alonso de Cha es (1), which is on deposi in he Lib a y o he Royal Academy o His o y in Mad id. I consis s o 150 olios bu he ex is no comple e in all sec ions, i.e. he able o con en e e s o pa s o which only a i le o e en a blank page appea in he manusc ip . Some selec ed passages o his book and a b ie desc ip ion we e published by Cesa eo Fe nandez Du o in 1895 (2). The e exis s an unpublished ansla ion in o English o pa ou in he Yale His o ical manusc ip collec ion made by Edwa d Lu he S e enson in 1929, and e e ence o i appea s in se e al mode n wo ks (3). My acquain ance wi h he book came abou because o a conce n wi h he pilo -examina ions un by he Casa de Con a ación in Se ille and wi h he li e a u e which migh e lec he con en o he cu iculum o e ed o s uden pilo s. An a emp will be made o show ha his documen was he deposi o y o he ma e ial augh in Se ille, especially o he pilo s o he Ca e a de Indias and ha i s ands poised on he di iding line be ween (1) Full i le o he manusc ip , Qua i Pa i u en Cosmog aphia p a ica i po o o nob e llamado Espeio de Na egan es: Ob a muy u ilissima i cõpendiosa en oda la A e de Ma ea i mui neccesa ia i de g an p o echo en odo el cu so de la na egaciõ, p incipal- men e de Espana. Ago a nue amen e o denada y compues a po Alonso de Cha es cosmo- g apho Dela Mages ad Cesa ea del empe ado y Rei delas espanas Ca lo quin o Sempe Augus o: Dell collegio dela compa de Jesus de Monso io, Real Academia Biblio eca de la His o ia, MS 9-14-1 2791. (2) Cesa eo Fe nandez Du o, «De algunas ob as desconocidas de Cosmog a ia y Na egacion y singula men e de la que esc ibio Al onso de Cha es a p incipios de siglo x i». Rep in , Re is a de Na egacion y Come cio, Mad id, 1895, 46 pp.. (3) Li e a y es a e o Edwa d Lu he S e enson in he Yale His o ical Manusc ip Colle ion. imp o isa ion and o ganiza ion o bo h scien i ic eaching and p ac ices. In addi ion, he manusc ip con ains he ea lies p ese ed example o pa o a Pad on Real, which was he cen al p oduc o he Casa's mos impo an scien i ic en e p ise. Ce ainly he au ho o he Qua i Pa i u was ep esen a i e o he cosmog aphic es ablishmen . Alonso de Cha es was bo n be o e he beginning o he six een h cen u y and died in his nine ies in 1599. He spen his en i e p oduc i e li e ime as a cosmog aphe in he se ice o he Casa de Con a- acion a Se ille. His wo k was well enough ega ded by he c own o ha e him pu in cha ge o he examina ion o pilo s and o cha s in 1528, and o b ing him he i le o Royal Cosmog aphe . He was a membe o he Jun a appoin ed o se e wi h He nando Colon cha ged wi h he compila ion o a Pad ón Real in 1529. Du ing he absence o he Pilo Majo Sebas ian Cabo , on his expedi ion o he La Pla a, he scien i ic wo k o he Casa ell upon he cosmog aphe s Diogo Ribei o and Alonso de Cha es. Upon he dea h o Ribei o in 1533 Alonso de Cha es alone was o a while in cha ge o eaching and he examina ion o cha s and ins umen s. In 1552 he was made Pilo Majo , and he ook o e he cd ed a o Cosmog aphy e en ually succeeding his own son. Alonso de Cha es ook pa in all aspec s o he aining and examina ion o pilo s which he had by and la ge de eloped, w i ing a p ecis abou he p ac ices he es ablished in 1556. The c own allowed him o e i e only when he was o e nine y, despi e his ea lie eques s o be pensioned, and he was g an ed a deg ee o g udging ecogni ion which was excep ional in an epoch o no o ious oyal ing a i ude. So much su ices o es ablish he pi o al ole o he au ho o ou manusc ip in he cosmog aphic en e p ise o he Casa de Con a ación. I is he con en ion o his pape ha he Qua i Pa i u dese e a compa able place. The ou pa s o he manusc ip con ain a summa y o p ac ical knowledge o he p o essional pilo , ha is; he ex is ample and p ecise in he nume- a ion o obse ed and eco ded ac , i is limi ed in explana ion o wha is use ul o an unde s anding o he phenomena wi h which pilo s ha e o deal, and i is ca e ul in ins uc ions o he making and use o ins umen s and he conduc o ships. The book se a pa e n o la e A es by b inging i s he calenda ios which became ou ine in all simila ex s. Pa wo o he book conce ns nau ical ins umen s and b ings ins uc ions o hei use. The ins umen s gi en a e: compass, cha , ma i ime as olabe, quad an , balles illa, lead and line and sand clock. The e a e also ables o scales and measu es in use among cosmog aphe s. Pa wo p esen s he six een h cen u y concep s o he uni e se in e ms o P olomeic as onomy and A is o elian physics as commonly p esen ed in cosmog aphies o he epoch. I also con ains a eco d o eclipses om 1539-1560, wi h ables adjus ed o he me idian o Se ille. The e is ano he able o he «miles con ained by each deg ee o longi ude wi h e e ence o each pa allel o la i ude s a ing om he equinox». In his chap e he con o e sy o e he six een and se en een-mile deg ee o longi ude is men ioned. Book i e o his pa is he unusual one which was p in ed by Fe nandez Du o in 1895 along wi h o he selec ed exce p s om he wo k which a e he only ones e e o ha e been published. This sec ion discusses all ex an in o ma ion a ailable o sailo s o p edic ing he wea he . The ma e ial is collec ed om ancien au ho s as well as om pilo obse a ions. As many da a a e applicable o wea he inland as a e use ul a sea. The mos signi ican con ibu ion o his passage is he e o e he impo ance i a aches o he obse a ion and epea ed eco d o phenomena and no o hei na u e. Fe nandez Du o used he ex o a discussion o ma ine s hymes abou whea he om he poin o iew o li e a y, his o ical, and e hnological in e es , which, howe e , does no make he poin abo e. The Thi d Pa discusses he basic p oblem in na iga ion o how o know whe e he ship is and how o s ee om he e o he desi ed po . This sec ion p esen s he p oblem o compass declina ion (so called by Cha es and no a ia ion), which was hen a he cen e o scien i ic deba e. Book wo o Pa Th ee con ains a discussion o cu en s and ides. Cha es' in e p e a ion o he o igin and na u e o ocean cu en s pe suaded him ha he e would ha e o be an open no he n passage om A lan ic o Paci ic and ha a solid and pe manen sepa a ion o he oceans could no be assumed no was he e knowledge enough o deny his heo y, he said. His ea men o ides is ho ough and does no appea in such de ail in any o he la e Spanish A es. I con ains an analysis o idal low as obse ed on a ious coas s and an explana ion based upon he phases o he moon. In addi ion he e is he p ecise desc ip ion o an ins umen designed o ell he s a e o he ide a any la i ude a any ime. This desc ip ion is no illus a ed and I ha e no ound he ins umen men ioned among hose ca ied by Spanish pilo s o he ca e a. Tides we e no majo p oblem o he Ca ibbean and o p ac ical pilo s he expe ience wi h he ampli udes o ides in a ious la i udes and o he peculia i ies wi h idal cu en s in es ua ies, bays and s ai s, was mo e han a ma ch o an ins umen which me ely coun ed ime. The di e ence be ween he heo e ical sa is ac ion and he use o ins umen s o he ca e a pilo s which was a majo ba le g ound be ween cosmog aphe s and pilo s a his ime in Se ille (4), s ands nowhe e be e e ealed han in he design and subsequen obscu i y in o which his «ins u- men o gene al de ma eas» was allowed o all. The Thi d Book o Pa Th ee b ings discussion abou wha o do in a shipw eck. He e om he i s , Alonso de Cha es is mo e p ac ical han o ins ance Ped o de Medina. The la e ad ises he d oning sailo o emembe he yea , mon h, day, and hou o he acciden in o de o es ablish his loca ion, while Cha es ad ises he man o shou , and o ind a plank o (4) URSULA LAMB, «Science by Li iga ion: Compass and Cha be o e he Law, 1545-46» pape ead be o e he Socie y o he His o y o Disco e ies, Blooming on ILL. Oc obe 1965, o be published in Te ae Incogni ae, No 1. ba el o hold on o. I his sounds i ial, i is cha ac e is ic o he a i ude o i s hings i s , which is so e eshing a cha ac e is ic o he manusc ip . Unde six addi ional headings Cha es b ings he ocabula y used o desc ibe ships and hei pa s and he men who se e in hem, o ice s c ew and hei du ies. This passage was published by Fe nandez Du o and has led o cha ac e ize he manusc ip as a ocabula y o nau ical dic iona y (5). The e is u he mo e included a chap e on he conduc o wa a e a sea. This ea ly mode n discussion supe ceded he s a men conce ning na al wa in he «Sie e Pa idas» o Al onso he Wise (Pa idas II, Ti ulos 24 and 25, ley XXLV; and Ti ulo XXV, leyes 1-14). Cha es' chap e is he i s o discuss he use o i ea ms a sea and ea s he ac ics o na al wa a e by squad ons on he open sea. (Coas al de ense had been discused by Mosen Diego de Vale a on comission by he Ca holic Kings in 1497). Cha es ini ia ed he eaching o he cá ed a o na al wa and a ille y which was o be ounded in he Se ille School in 1576 and whose i s incumben was And es de Espinosa. The Fou h Pa , p ope ly called «espeio de na egan es» is a de o e o desc ibing he way o and om he Indies, ha is as in a mi o looking om wo sides. The de o e o consis s o an alphabe ic lis o place names which a e gi en hei «al u as y leguas» i.e., posi ion, and dis ance and di ec ion o he nea es po s o e e ence. I is he con en ion o his pape ha he de o e o o Cha es is in ac as close an app oxima ion o he ea lies Pad on Real as has ye been encoun e ed. This in e p e a ion es s upon he sequence in which he pad ones we e manu ac u ed and upon wha Cha es says abou Pa ou in his manusc ip . In esume he de o e o seems o be he Indies sec ion o he book which Cha es used o he examina ion o pilo s and cha s be o e he « isi a» o he Casa de Con a ación by he licenciado Sua ez de Ca ajal in 1540. F om in e nal da a, he manusc ip can be said o be closse o he yea 1539. Fe nandez Du o places i be ween 1520 and 1539 because hose a e he yea s o he au eo núme o. Bu chu ch es i als a e gi en only o he yea 1540 and eclipses om he yea 1539. S e enson placed he Ms in 1537 because he added a yea o he o de by he c own o make a Pad on Real a he end o 1536 when pape s we e o be newly ga he ed oge he o he pu pose (6). His e e ence is O iedo y Valdes. The e ce ainly was in use o examina ions a Real Pad on in Janua y 24 h, 1540, when Ped o de Medina was gi en access o i by cedula. In Oc obe o ha yea an o de was gi en ha all cha s had o be based upon he Pad ón, (5) H. C. WOODBRIDGE, «A en a i e bibliog aphy o Spanish and Ca alan Nau ical Dic iona ies, Glossa ies and Wo d Lis s», The Ma ine 's Mi o , 1951, ol. 37, p. 64. (6) This is also he yea when he cosmog aphe San a C uz was o be u nished wi h all he da a conce ning he Pad on Real o his Isla io. See he edi ion o San a C uz by F. Ma a Ca iazo. GONZALO FERNANDEZ DE OVIEDO Y VALDES, La His o ia gene al de las Indias, Mad id, 1851-1855, 4 ols.; ol. 2, p. 114 alludes o he map «pain ed» by Alonso de Cha es, 1536. and he appoin men o he Jun a by Ca ajal o a e ision o he Pad on da es om he same yea . I is p obable ha he manusc ip by Cha es was no published because i s in o ma ion, pa icula ly in pa ou , was supe ceded and no because i was censo ed. As o he manu ac u e o he espeio Cha es says: « ha i is due o he au ho » qual asismismo ho deno y compuso con sola su indus ia y abajo el dho Alonso de Cha es Cosm. de S.M. Cesa ea. La cual ob a es ap o ada po los o os cosmog aphos de su mages ad y con o me a o o y pa ece de los sabios y expe imen ados pilo os que na egan». The ex by Cha es is p ac ically a copy o he empe o 's ins uc ions o Sua ez de Ca ajal ha he should b ing oge he he mos ou s anding cosmog aphe s and he mos expe ienced pilo s in o de ha hey migh pool hei knowledge and compile and sign he co ec ed Pad on. I is sa e o assume hen ha he espeio da es no ea lie han 1536 when he da a we e ga he ed o Cha es, and 1540 when e ision was abou o begin. The manusc ip o he Qua i Pa i u con ains he e o e a pa o a documen which has been e y elusi e despi e much sea ch. When used in conjunc ion wi h he deposi ions by Falei o, Sebas ian Cabo and o he pilo s in he amous legal qua el be ween Ped o de Medina and Diego Gu ie ez, (1545-46) one migh ge an exac idea o he s a e o geog aphic knowledge and he con o e sies conce ning speci ic poin s in he mid six een h cen u y. I he espeio de na egan es o he Qua i Pa i u can indeed be ega ded as he ea lies su i al o a Pad on Real, i o e shadows he es o he manusc ip in impo ance. Bu exclusi e discussion o his Pa Fou o o any o he sepa a e pa o he manusc ip does no do jus ice o he whole. The manusc ip is unlike o he Spanish ex s a comp ehensi e eco d o bo h he A e and O icio de la Ma . I s ins uc ion is e lec ed in a manusc ip which comes as close o an ac ual ansc ip o a pilo s examina ion as I ha e ound exce p ed in he Apun es pa a una Biblio eca Cien i ica Española del siglo XVI by Felipe Pica os e, (p. 348). O he wo ks jus ci e ca ego ies o subjec ma e bu ha manusc ip b ings sample answe s, including misleading ones (as o wha is longi ude and la i ude and whe he unde he A c ic pole hey could be ound by he compass). In addi ion o he ex ensi e co e age o disciplines, he manusc ip also e e s o a wide geog aphic a ea. Men ion is ound o places on he No h Sea coas as well as o Medi e anean po s. Tides a e discussed wi h e e- ence o no he n la i udes and local p ac ice o co ec ing he compass, (aguja de co ujo) is men ioned. The manusc ip hus calls o mind ha while shipping o he Indies was e en ually concen a ed in wo lee s each yea , he po o Se ille was choked wi h Eu opean coas al a ic all yea ound. This is a good co ec i e o his o ians o he Ca e a de Indias o o he Po uguese impe ial o ei os, o o he exclusi e s udy o Eu opean shipping in isola ion om each o he . Cha es ook o his p o ince all he sea lanes which c ossed he oceans — e en i he espeio p ope is limi ed o he A lan ic ou es. This Ve sa ili y has many implica ions. Fo emos among hem is ha he accep ed ac s om wha e e qua e hey came. Th ough his manusc ip b ea hes a eedom o inqui y in na al ma e s which was o su i e he eedom o publish o some ime. The wo k on his aspec and o he s aised, howe e , is all o be done, and so is he analysis o he en i e manusc ip in he ligh o ime place and ci cums ance o i s w i ing and o he audience which i was mean o each, as well as o i s place in con empo a y li e a u e. I hough i jus i iable o p esen esea ch unde way a he han conclusions o his dis inguished audience as long as acquain ance wi h he Qua i Pa i u is no gene al among schola s. DISCUSSÃO R. A. SKELTON. —Fo he explo a ion and mapping o No h Ame ica in he second qua e o he x i cen u y, he de o e o o Cha es is a signi ican documen , which was ci ed by Ha isse only a second-hand h ough O iedo, and abs ac ed by Phelps S okes and Ganong om an (unpublished) ansc ip o F. C. Wiede . I is o be hoped ha , e en i we mus wai o a c i ical edi ion o he whole manusc ip , he de o e o may be published in ull, pe haps sepa a ely, as soon as possible. A. TEIXEIRA DA MOTA.—De emos es a g a os a au o a pelo exame que ez do in ul- ga esc i o de Alonso de Cha es e po nos e mos ado a g ande impo ância e signi icado de que se e es e. Fazemos o os po que possa em b e e se o almen e publicado, pa a melho conhecimen o das a es e ciencias do homem do ma em meados do seculo x i. Nes e momeh o em-nos ao espi i o, pela sua a inidade com a de Alonso de Cha es, a ob a de um a adis a ná ico po ugues coe o, o P.e Fe nando Oli ei a, cujos abalhos cons- i uem uma e dadei a enciclopedia ma i ima, ja que neles se ocupa de a e de na ega , ca og a ia nau ica, cons ução na al, o ganização da ida a bo do e a e da gue a no ma . O co ejo en e os dois a adis as de e pe mi i u eis conclusões sob e as semelhancas e di e encas nas ecnicas ma i imas de Po ugueses e cas elhanos, e ap o ei amos es e momen o pa a anuncia que a Secção de Lisboa do Ag upamen o de Es udos de Ca o- g a ia An iga abalha na edição da «A e Náu ica» do P.e Fe nando Oli ei a, es ando ja concluida a sua adução pa a po ugues. A au o a salien a mui o jus amen e o in e esse da ob a de Alonso de Cha es, pa a o melho conhecimen o da o ganização e ac i idade da Casa de Con a ación de Se ilha, no campo da nau ica e cosmog a ia, nomeadamen e no espei an e as uncoes do pilo o-mo e cosmog a os e as ques oes de ensino e espec i os exames. Tambem nes e campo se a igu a que pode á se mui o signi ica i a a compa ação en e o que se passa a nes es domínios na Casa de Con a ación, de Se ilha, e nos A mazens da Guiné, de Lisboa, ja que ambem e a nes es que se cen aliza a a admissao e exame de pilo os, o seu ensino e a elabo ação da «ca a pad ão d'el-Rei», pe cu so a lusi ana do «pad ón eal». Assim, apon amos que em 1559 e 1592 o am p omulgados em Po ugal « egimen os do cosmóg a o- -mo », cujo es udo emos em cu so, os quais lancam mui a luz sob e a impo an e ques ao do ensino e exame de pilo os, es ando ligados aqueles dois egimen os os nomes p es igiosos de Ped o Nunes e João Bap is a La anha. Em conclusao, o es udo de U sula Lamb e da maio opo unidade e ab e-nos impo - an es pe spec i as pa a o melho conhecimen o de ques ões que e n andado um an o esquecidas. W. WASHBURN. — The Socie y o he His o y o Disco e ies o he Uni ed S a es in ends o publish a new edi on o Ped o de Medina a Cosmog aphia edi ed by U sula Lamb who discusses he aining and examina ion o pilo s and he legal ques ions ela- ing o he licencing o pilo s in he in oduc ion o he book. F. MADDISON. — Can you gi e a disc ip ion o he ins umen o gene al de ma eas ? How did i wo k? U. LAMB. — The disc ip ion o he ins umen o gene al de ma eas comes in wo pa s. One: a desc ip ion o he manu ac u e o a ci cula ide- able which consis s o ou con- cen ically moun ed wheels which mo e inside one ano he . Ac oss he ace o he wheels mo es a «cuad an e» o 90°. Two: gi es se e al examples o he use o he ins umen a a ious imes and la i udes. I did no a i s ealize he impo ance o he appea ance o he ins umen , and my no es a e limi ed o pa one and a e ske chy. Pa wo would explain some ambigui y in wha appea s e ched on he wheels, since in my no es wo wheels ha e he zodiac ma ked on hem. I canno ge a mic o ilm and one will ha e o wai o publica ion in Spain be o e he ins umen will ake i s p ope place in he li e a u e. R A. SKELTON. — A e he e any places men ioned on he No h Ame ican con i- nen in Pa ou ? U. LAMB. — The de o e o does ha e poin s on he No h Ame ican con inen indi- ca ed om Baccalaos o Flo ida — which is he en i e coas . Yale Uni e si y has a ansc ip and ansla ion in o English o he de o e o in manusc ip which was made by E. L. S e enson in 1929. This wo k was based upon a o ocopy made on pla es a ha ime om a copy o he De o e o in he Palacio Real a Mad id. S e enson hough he o he h ee pa s o he Qua i Pa i u we e los . The o o copy is in he manusc ip sec ion o he New Yo k Public Lib a y.