Page:European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its dependencies.djvu/53

 council, and their ambassador and representative qualified to act in what is below written, and the honorable Dom João da Silveira, baron d'Alvito, member of the council of the very exalted and very powerful lord, Dom Alfonso, by the grace of God, king of Portugal and the Algarves on this side and beyond the sea in Africa, private secretary to the king, inspector of the treasury, chancellor-in-chief of his firstborn son, the very illustrious prince, Dom John, heir of the said kingdoms and lordships, and qualified representa­ tive of the said lords of the other part--as both showed by the procurations of their constituents the said lords.

[Here follow the powers granted by Ferdinand and Isabella to Rodrigo Maldonado, dated July 2, 1479, and the powers granted by King Alfonso and Prince John, his son, to João, baron d'Alvito, dated August 19, 1479. The ratification then continues:]

And thereupon the said representative of the said lord and lady, Don Ferdi­ nand and Doña Isabella, king and queen of Castile, Aragon, etc., declared that inasmuch as since the death of the lord king Don Henry of glorious memory, former king of Castile, Leon, etc., there have been and are at present serious disputes, questions, discussions, and differences between his constituents, the said lord and lady of the one part, and the said representative of the said lords, the king and prince, of the other part, because the said lord and lady, King Don Ferdinand and Queen Doña Isabella called themselves king and queen of Castile, Leon, Portugal, and the Algarves, etc., and the said lord, King Dom Alfonso, called himself king of Castile, Leon, etc., which furnished the chief cause for very serious and very cruel wars that were waged here dur­ ing the said time between the said lords, and from which resulted the deaths of many men, conflagrations, fires, innumerable acts of violence, imprisonments, ransoms and other injuries, offenses of different kinds, the capture of cities, towns, villages, and fortresses, many losses anal injuries, waste and expenses, and intolerable evils, to the great disservice of God our Lord, and of the said lords, and grave injury and detriment to the said their kingdoms and lordships, and the subjects and natives of the latter (and may this now be adjusted by our Lord, through His infinite goodness and clemency, as the Author of peace, for He always recommended and ordered that peace be pro­ cured and kept) and the said lady, Infanta Doña Beatrice, for His service and that of the said lord and lady, because of her relationship and great obligations toward them, tried and endeavored with all her might to obtain peace and harmony between them, and will set in motion and make use of any means whatsoever to free them from the said disputes and differences, and wars and evils, and cause agreement and peace between them--the said lord and lady, moved with zeal for the service of God and for the public welfare of the said kingdoms and lordships, and the subjects and natives of them, and desirous of continuing the peace of their progenitors, the very fortunate kings of glorious memory, who had observed here an inviolable peace for themselves and for the said their kingdoms and lordships from very remote and ancient times, and in order to preserve the close relationship that exists between them, and the great love and harmony which reigned between themselves and the said their kingdoms before the said wars, and in order to avoid the occurrence of other evils and injuries from this time forward, and which are increasing daily, do determine to confirm, revise, and agree to, for themselves and their successors, and for the said their kingdoms and