This Gothic edition contains only the First Decade.
Two Italian books compiled from the writings of Peter Martyr antedate the above edition of 1511. Angelo Trevisan, secretary to the Venetian amba.s.sador in Spain, forwarded to Domenico Malipiero certain material which he admitted having obtained from a personal friend of Columbus, who went as envoy to the Sultan of Egypt. The reference to Peter Martyr is sufficiently clear. The work of Trevisan appeared in 1504 under the t.i.tle, _Libretto di tutta la navigazione del re di Spagna de le isole et terreni novamente trovati_. Published by Albertino Vercellese da Lisbona. Three years later, in 1507, a compilation containing parts of this same work was printed at Vicenza by Fracanzio, at Milan by Arcangelo Madrignano in 1508, and at Basle and Paris by Simon Gryneo. The volume was ent.i.tled _Paesi novamente ritrovati et Novo Mondo_, etc. Peter Martyr attributed the piracy to Aloisio da Cadamosto, whom he consequently scathingly denounces in the seventh book of the Second Decade.
In the year 1516 the first edition of the Decades, _De rebus oceanis et Orbe Novo Decades tres_, etc., was printed at Alcala de Henares under the supervision of Peter Martyr"s friend, the eminent Latinist, Antonio de Nebrija, who even took care to polish the author"s Latin where the composition fell short of his own exacting standard. _Cura et diligentia Antonii Nebrissensis fuerent hae tres protonotari Petri Martyris decades impressas in contubernio Arnaldi Guillelmi in ill.u.s.tri oppido Carpetanae provinciae, compluto quod vulgariter dicitur Alcala_. Factum est nonis Novembris, anno 1516 in fol. The appearance of this edition had the character of a veritable literary event and the success of the work was immediate and widespread. The narrative covered a period of somewhat more than twenty years, beginning with the first expedition of Columbus.
Four years later a Fourth Decade was published by its author, this being the last work he gave to the press during his lifetime. The earliest known copy was printed in Basle in 1521, the t.i.tle being _De insulis nuper repertis simultaque incolarum moribus_. An Italian and a German edition of the same in 1520 are noted by Harrisse. (Consult _Bibliotheca Americana Vetustissima_, p. 77, Additions, p. 80.)
_De Insulis nuper inventis Ferdinandi Cortesii ad Carolum V. Rom.
Imperatorem Narrationes, c.u.m alio quodam Petri Martyris ad Clementem VII. Pontificem Maximum consimilis argumenti libello_. Coloniae ex officina Melchioris Novesiani, anno MDx.x.xII. Decimo Kalendar Septembris.
The Fourth Decade under the t.i.tle, _De Insulis nuper inventis_, etc., was republished in Basle in 1533 and again in Antwerp in 1536.
_De Legatione Babylonica_, Parisiis, 1532, contains also the first three Decades. Mazzuch.e.l.li mentions an edition of the eight Decades published in Paris in 1536.
_De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris ab Angleria, mediolanensis protonotarii Caesaris senatoris Decades_. c.u.m privilegio imperiali. Compluti apud Michaelem d"Eguia, anno MDx.x.x, in fol.
_De rebus Oceanicis et Novo Orbe Decades tres Petri Martyres ab Angheria Mediolanensis, item ejusdem de Babylonica Legationis libri ires. Et item, De Rebus aethiopicis_, etc. Coloniae, apud Gervinum Caleniumet haeredes Quentelios. MDLXXIIII.
_De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris Anglerii mediolanensis, protonotarii et Caroli quinti Senatoris, decades octo, diligente temporum observatione et utilissimis annotationibus ill.u.s.tratae, suoque nitore rest.i.tae labore et industria Richardi Hakluyti Oxoniensis, Arngli_. Parisiis apud Guillelmum Auvray, 1587.
This edition is dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh: "_ill.u.s.tri et magannimo viro Gualtero Ralegho_."
An exceedingly rare and precious book published in Venice in 1534 contains extracts from the writings of Peter Martyr. It bears the t.i.tle: _Libro primo della historia dell" Indie Occidentali. Summario de la generate historia dell" Indie Occidentali cavato da libri scritti dal Signer Don Pietro Martyre_, etc., Venezia, 1534. Under the same t.i.tle this summario is published in the third volume of Ramusio, _Delle Navigationi et Viaggi_.
An Italian translation of _De Legatione Babylonica_ ent.i.tled _Pietro Martyre Milanese, delle cose notabile dell" Egitto, tradotto dalla Lingue Latina in Lingua Italiana da Carlo Pa.s.si_. In Venezia 1564.
_Novus...o...b..s, idest navigationes primae in Americam. Roterodami per Jo. Leonardum Berevout_, 1616. A French translation of this work was printed in Paris by Simon de Colimar, _Extrait ou Recueil des Iles nouvellement trouvees en la grande Mer Oceane au temps du Roy d"Espagne Ferdinand et Elizabeth_, etc.
_The history of Travayle in the West and East Indies, and other countries lying eyther way towardes the fruitfull and rich Moluccaes.
With a discourse on the Northwest pa.s.sage_. Done into English by Richarde Eden. Newly set in order, augmented and finished by Richarde Willes. London, 1577. Richarde Jugge.
Republished in Edward Arber"s work, _The First Three English Books on America_, Birmingham, 1885.
_De Orbe Novo or the Historie of the West Indies, etc., comprised in eight decades. Whereof three have beene formerly translated into English by R. Eden, whereunto the other five are newly added by the industries and painfull Travails of M. Lok_. London. Printed for Thomas Adams, 1612.
_The Historie of the West Indies, containing the Actes and Adventures of the Spaniards which have conquered and settled those countries_, etc. Published in Latin by Mr. Hakluyt and translated into English by Mr. Lok, London. Printed for Andrew Hebb. The book bears no date, but was printed in 1625.
_Opus Epistolarum Petri Martyris Anglerii Mediolanensia_. Amstelodami Typis Elzivirianis, Veneunt Parisiis apud Frederic.u.m Leonard. 1670.
_De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris Anglerii, regio rerum indicarum senatu, Decades octo, quas scripsit ab anno 1493 ad 1526_. Edition published at Madrid by Don Joaquin Torres Asensio, domestic prelate and canon of the cathedral, in 1892. Two vols. octavo.
_De Orbe Novo de Pierre Martyr Anghiera. Les huit Decades traduites du latin avec notes et commentaires_, par Paul Gaffarel, Paris.
MDCCCCVII.
WORKS RELATING TO PETER MARTYR AND HIS WRITINGS
PHILIPPI ARGELATI: Bononiensis, _Bibliotheca Scriptorum Mediolanensium_. Mediolani, MDCCXLV.
PICCINELLI: _Ateneo di Letterati Milanesi_. Milano, 1670.
GIAMMATTEO TOSCANO: _Peplus Italiae_.
GIROLAMO TIRABOSCHI: _Storia della Letteratura Italiana_. Modena, 1772.
R.P. NICERON: _Memoires pour servir a l"histoire des hommes ill.u.s.tres dans la Republique des Lettres_, Paris, 1745.
GIOVANNI MAZZUCh.e.l.lI: _Gli Scrittori d"Italia_. Brescia, 1753-1763.
NICOLAI ANTONII: _Bibliotheca Hispana nova sive Hispanorum Scriptorum_. Madrid, 1783.
FABRICII: _Bibliotheca Latina mediae et infimae latinitatis_. Padua, 1754. _Coleccion de Doc.u.mentos ineditos para la historia de Espana_, tom, x.x.xix.
JUAN B. MUnOZ: _Historia, de nuevo mundo_. 1793.
L. VON RANKE: _Zur Kritik neuerer Geschichtsschreiber_. 1824.
A. DE HUMBOLDT: _Examen critique de l"histoire de la geographie du nouveau continent_. 1837.
WASHINGTON IRVING: _Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus_.
H. HALLAM: _Introduction to the Literature of Europe_. 1839.
WM. PRESCOTT: _Conquest of Mexico; History of Ferdinand and Isabella_.
SIR A. HELPS: _The Spanish Conquest in America_. 1867.
M. PASCAL D"AVEZAC: _Les Decades de Pierre Martyr_, etc. (Bulletin de la Societe de Geographie, tom. xiv. Paris 1857-)
OSCAR PESCHEL: _Geschichte des Zeitalters der Entdeckung_. 1858.
MARTIN FERNANDEZ DE NAVARRETE: _Coleccion de los viajes y descubrimientos que hicieron par mar los espanoles_, etc. Madrid, 1858-59. _Coleccion de Doc.u.mentos ineditos ... sacados en su mayor parte del R. Archivo de Indias_. Madrid, 1864.
IGn.a.z.iO CIAMPI: _Pietro Martire d"Anghiera_, in volume x.x.x of the _Nuova Antologia_, 1875.
HERMANN SCHUMACHER: _Petrus Martyrus der Geschichtsschreiber des Weltmeeres_. 1879.
H. HEIDENHEIMER: _Petrus Martyrus Anglerius und sein Opus Epistolarum_.
J. GERIGK: _Das Opus Epistolarum des Petrus Martyrus_. 1881.
P. GAFFAREL ET L"ABBe SOUROT: _Lettres de Pierre Martyr Anghiera_.
1885.
J.H. MARIeJOL: _Un lettre italien a la cour d"Espagne_. (1488-1526.) _Pierre Martyr d"Anghera, sa vie et ses oeuvres_, 1887.