BIBLIOTHECA AUGUSTANA

 

Ferdinando Magellano

1480 - 1521

 

Relazione del primo viaggio

intorno al mondo

 

1519 - 1522

 

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Settembre 1519

 

Marti a xx de septembȓ neL medesimo anno ne partissemó da questo Locho chiamato san luchar pigliando La via de garbin et a 26 deL dicto mese ariuassemo a vna Jsola de la grā canaria ɋ se dise teneriphe in 28 gradi de Latitudine per pigliar carne acha et legnia stessimo yui tre giorni et mezo per fornire Larmata de le decte cose poi andassemo a vno porto de La medesma ysola deto monte rosso þ pegolla tardando dui giorni Sapera vȓa IlLma sa. ɋ in queste ysolle dela grā canaria ge vna infra le altre ne laqalle nō si troua pur vna goza de hacqua ɋ nascha sinon nel mezo di descendere vna nebola daL ciello et circunda vno grande arbore che e ne la dicta ysola stilando dale sue foglie et ramy molta hacqua et al piede deL dicto arbore e adrissado in guiza de fontana vna fossa houe casca tuta la acqua de La qalle li homini habitanti et animali cosi domestici como saluatici ogni giorno de questa hacqua et nō de alta habondantissimamēte si saturano.

 

We left that village, by name San Luchar, on Tuesday, September xx of the same year, and took a southwest course. On the 26th of the said month, we reached an island of the Great Canaria, called Teneriphe, which lies in a latitude of 28 degrees, [landing there] in order to get flesh, water, and wood. We stayed there for three and one-half days in order to furnish the fleet with the said supplies. Then we went to a port of the same island called Monte Rosso to get pitch, staying [there] two days. Your most illustrious Lordship must know that there is a particular one of the islands of the Great Canaria, where one can not find a single drop of water which gushes up [from a spring]; but that at noontide a cloud descends from the sky and encircles a large tree which grows in the said island, the leaves and branches of which distil a quantity of water. At the foot of the said tree runs a trench which resembles a spring, where all the water falls, and from which the people living there, and the animals, both domestic and wild, fully satisfy themselves daily with this water and no other.