“civet, for what was not worth more than forty or fifty: not that they sold the things by weight; but "the author judged it to be about that quantity.”* Leaving the river Gambia, Ca da Mofto and his company went down the coaft, discovered Cape Roxo, and, afterwards failed up the river Grande; but for want of any knowledge of the language of the people, were forced to return to Portugal. Sometime between 1460 and 1464, an expedition went out under Piedro de Cintra, one of the king of Portugal's gentlemen, to make further discoveries along the African coaft. These voyagers, whose story is briefly told by Ca da Mosto, discovered Sierra Leone (so called on account of the roaring thunder heard there) and went a little beyond Cape Mefurado. The hiftorian Barros fays that the African coaft from Cape Bojador to Sierra Leone, was difcovered in Prince Henry's time, in which case it seems probable that this voyage of Piedro de Cintra's was before the prince's death, but Ca da Mofto, Prince Henry's (and I incline to trust him) makes it afterwards. death. However that may be, we may fairly confider * Aftley's Voyages, vol. 1, p. 594. Prince Henry's character. Sierra Leone as being near the point of discovery attained at, or about, the death of Prince Henry, of whom, before parting with him, we must say fomething. "He had a grandeur of nature," fays Faria y Soufa, "proportionate to the greatness of his doings; he was "bulky and strong; his complexion red and white; his "hair coarse, and almost hirfute; his afpect produced "fear in those who were not accustomed to him; not to "those who were, for even in the strongest current of his " vexation at any thing, his courtesy always prevailed over "his anger; he had a grave ferenity in his movements, a notable conftancy and circumspection in his words, "modefty in all that related to his ftate and perfonal "obfervance, within the limits of his high fortune; he was patient in labour, bold and valorous in war, versed "in arts and letters; a fkilful fencer; in the mathema"tics fuperior to all men of his time: generous in the "extreme: zealous in the extreme for the increase of "the faith. No bad habit was known in him. He did "not marry, nor was it known that he ever violated the purity of continency. His memory was equal to the "authority he bore, and his prudence equal to his "memory. He died at Sagres in the year one thousand "four hundred and fixty three, in the fixty seventh year "of his age, and lies with his father in the most illuf"trious church of Batalla."* *Faria y Soufa, tom. 1, part 1, cap. 1. The above is of the class of characters, fomewhat unqualified and general, which we are accustomed to from hiftorians; but, I believe, it is one of the trueft of its kind: it lacks, however, thofe flight touches and variations in which fo much of individual resemblance confifts. We may map down the main qualities of a man, one by one; but this alone will hardly fuffice to convey to us fuch a complex, perverse, varying, dubious thing as any one human character. Fortunately, in this case, we are enabled from the chronicler Azurara, who evidently knew the prince well, and fpeaks with perfect honefty about him, to supply two or three of those little niceties of description which give life and reality to the picture. Azurara fays, that the Prince was a man "of great "counsel and authority, wife, and of good me mory, but in some things flow, whether it was "through the prevalence of the phlegmatic tem"perament in his conftitution, or from intentional "deliberation, being moved to fome end which "men did not perceive."* His portrait confirms the latter hypothefis, giving the idea of a man of great deliberation, but no laxity of purpose: and we may notice * Azurara, cap. 4. how this would agree with the story of his apparently sudden resolve in sending out his first expedition, a thing with him probably long thought of, little talked of, and rapidly put in execution. Again, in another place, the Chronicler hints at a defect in the prince, where he fays, "There was "no hatred known in him, nor ill will against any person, however great the injury he had "received from him; and fuch was his benignity "in this respect, that judicious men remarked against him, that he was wanting in distri"butive justice, (jufticia diftributiva) for, in all "other refpects, he conducted himself juftly." There are inftances in his hiftory which bear out this, and one especially, in which he is stated to have overlooked the defertion of his banner, on an occafion of great peril to himself, and afterwards to have unjustly favoured the perfons who had thus been found wanting in courage. I suppose we must confefs this to have been an error on his part, but at least it is an heroic one, Cæfar-like, and adds, perhaps, to our liking for him, what little it may take away from our confidence in the precifion of his justice. We learn from the fame fource that his house was the refort of all the good men of the kingdom, and of foreigners, and that he was a man. of intense labour and ftudy. "Often the fun Altogether, whether we confider this Prince's motives, his objects, his deeds, or his mode of life, we find him not merely one of the most notable men of his own country and period, but of all modern times and nations, and one upon whofe shoulders might worthily reft the arduous beginnings of continuous maritime discovery. Would that fuch men remained to govern the lands they have the courageous forefight to discover. Then indeed they might take to themselves the motto "talant de bien faire" which this, their great leader, caused to be infcribed by his captains in many a land, which as yet at least has not found much good from its introduction, under his aufpices, to the civilization of an older world. King Alfarms out fonfo In 1469, and perhaps in confequence of Prince Henry's fuperintendence of African discovery being miffed, King Alfonfo adopted a new fyftem, of Africa and farmed out the commerce with the coaft of to Fernando Gomez. * Azurara, cap. 6. the Coast |