BIBLIOTHECA AUGUSTANA

 

Ferdinando Magellano

1480 - 1521

 

Relazione del primo viaggio

intorno al mondo

 

1519 - 1522

 

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Settembre 1521

 

Essendo partiti de questa ysola çioe deL porto neL capo de qella ysola pulaoā in contrassemo vno Jonco che veniua da burne neLqalle era lo gouuernatoȓ de pulaoan li facessemo segnio amaynasse le velle et lui nō volendole amaynare lo pigliassemo þ forsa et Lo sacquegiassemo seL gouernatoȓ volse essere libero ne dete in termino de sette giornj Quatro cento mesure de rizo vinti porci vinti capre et cento cinquanta galine poy ne a presento cochi figui canne dolci vazi de vino de palma et alte cose vedẽ do nuy la sua liberalita gli rendessemo alguni sui pugnialli et archibusi poy li donassemo vna bandiera vna vesta de damasco giallo et xv braçia de tella a vno suo figliolo vna capo de panno lazuro et a vno fratello deL gouuernatoȓ vna vesta de panno þde et alte cose se partissemo de lui Como amiçi et tornassemo indrieto fa la ysola de cagajan et qeL porto de Cippit pigliando lo Camino a la carta deL leuante verso siroco þ trouare le ysolle de malucho pasassemo þ certi monticelli circa de liqalli trouassemo lo mare pienno de herbe cō lo fondo grandisso Quando pasauarho þ questi ne pareua intrare þ vno alto mare restādo chipit al leuante trouassemo due ysolle zolo et taghima aL ponente apresse de le qalle nascono le perle le due deL re de burne forono trouatte quiui et le hebe como ne fo referito in questo modo Questo re piglio per moglie vna figliola deL re de zolo laqalle li disse como suo padre haueua Queste due perle costui si delibero hauerli in ogni modo ando vna nocte con cinquecento prao et piglio lore con duy sui figlioli et meno li a burne seL re de zolo se volse liberare li fu forsa darli le due perle.

 

Having left that island, that is, the port, we met at the head of the island of Pulaoan a junk which was coming from Burne, on which was the governor of Pulaoan. We made them a signal to haul in their sails, and as they refused to haul them in, we captured the junk by force, and sacked it. [We told] the governor [that] if [he] wished his freedom, he was to give us, inside of seven days, four hundred measures of rice, twenty swine, twenty goats, and one hundred and fifty fowls. After that he presented us with cocoanuts, figs [i.e., bananas], sugarcanes, jars full of palm wine, and other things. Seeing his liberality, we returned some of his daggers and arquebuses to him, giving him in addition, a flag, a yellow damask robe, and xv brazas of cloth; to his son, a cloak of blue cloth; to a brother of the governor, a robe of green cloth and other things; and we parted from them as friends. We turned our course back between the island of Cagaian and the port of Cippit, and laid our course east by south in order that we might find the islands of Malucho. We passed by certain reefs [literally: small elevations] near which we found the sea to be full of grass, although the depth was very great. When we passed through them, it seemed as though we were entering another sea. Leaving Chipit to the east, we found two island, Zolo and Taghima, which lie toward the west, and near which pearls are found. The two pearls of the king of Burne were found there, and the king got them, as was told us, in the following manner. That king took to wife a daughter of the king of Zolo, who told him that her father had those two pearls. The king determined to get possession of them by hook or by crook. Going one night with five hundred praus, he captured the king and two of his sons, and took them to Burne with him. [He told] the king of Zolo that if he wished freedom, he must surrender the two pearls to him.

 

Biblioteca ambrosiana di Milano, Ms. L 103 Sup., fol. 46v/47r