Decades of the New World

Decades of the New World, by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, is a collection of eight narrative tracts recounting early Spanish exploration, conquest and colonization of the New World, exploration of the Pacific, and related miscellany. The first four of these tracts were first published disjointly in three volumes in 1511, 1516, and 1521. All eight tracts were first anthologized, that is, first published as the completed Decades of the New World collection, in 1530. Being among the earliest histories of the Age of Discovery, the Decades are of great value to the history of geography and discovery.

History

In 1530 the eight Decades were published together for the first time at Alcalá. Later editions of single or of all the Decades appeared at Basel, Cologne, Paris, and Madrid. A German translation was published in Basle in 1582; a French one by Gaffarel in Recueil de voyages et de documents pour servir à l'histoire de la Geographie.
The first three decades were translated into English by Richard Eden and published in 1555, thus beginning the genre of English discovery travel writing, which stimulated English exploration of the New World. Eden's translations were reprinted with supplementary materials in 1577 by Richard Willes under the new title, The historie of travayle into the West and east Indies. Richard Hakluyt had the remaining five decades translated into English by Michael Lok and published in London in 1612.

The Decades describe the early contacts of Europeans and Native Americans derived from narratives of the voyages of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean, reports from Hernán Cortés's Mexican expedition, and other such resources. They consisted of eight reports, two of which Martyr had previously sent as letters describing the voyages of Columbus, to Cardinal Ascanius Sforza in 1493 and 1494. In 1501 Martyr, as requested by the Cardinal of Aragon, added eight chapters on the voyage of Columbus and the exploits of Martin Alonzo Pinzón. In 1511 he added a supplement giving an account of events from 1501 to 1511. By 1516 he had finished two other Decades:

The first was devoted to the exploits of Alonso de Ojeda, Diego de Nicuesa, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa. It was first published against his consent in a Venetian-Italian summary in Venice in 1504, reprinted in 1507, and published in a Latin translation in 1508. The original Latin text was published in 1511.
The second gave an account of Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean, Columbus' fourth voyage, and the expeditions of Pedrarias Dávila.
The first three appeared together at Alcalá de Henares in 1516 under the title: De orbe novo decades cum Legatione Babylonica.
The Enchiridion de nuper sub D. Carolo repertis insulis was printed as the fourth Decade, describing the voyages of Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, Juan de Grijalva, and Hernán Cortés.
The fifth Decade dealt with the conquest of the Aztec Empire and the circumnavigation of the world by Ferdinand Magellan.
The sixth Decade gave an account of Dávila's discoveries on the west coast of America.
The seventh Decade had collected descriptions of the customs of the natives in present-day South Carolina, including the "Testimony of Francisco de Chicora", a Native American taken captive there; as well as those of natives in Florida, Haiti, Cuba, and Darién.
The eighth Decade told the story of the march of Cortés against Olit.

Table

Decade	Length	Contents	Written	Published	Colophon	OCLC	Note
First	10 lib. 128 pp.		14 May 1493 – Dec. 1510	Apr. 1511 Seville, Crown of Castile	Hispali: Jacobu Corumberger alemanu		Originally denominated Oceani decas. Revised in 1516 edition. Plagiarized translation of incomplete 1501 draft published 1504.
Second	10 lib. 86 pp.		1514	9 Nov. 1516 Alcalá, Crown of Castile	Alcala: contubernio Arnaldi Guillelmi		–
Third	10 lib. 127 pp.		1514–1516	9 Nov. 1516 Alcalá, Crown of Castile	Alcala: contubernio Arnaldi Guillelmi		–
Fourth	10 lib. 47 pp.		1520	1521 Basel, Swiss Confederacy	Basileae:		–
Fifth	10 lib. 149 pp.		1521–1523	Dec. 1530 Madrid, Crown of Castile	Compluti: Michaele d Eguia		–
Sixth	10 lib. 27 pp.		1524	Dec. 1530 Madrid, Crown of Castile	Compluti: Michaele d Eguia		–
Seventh	10 lib. 78 pp.		1524	Dec. 1530 Madrid, Crown of Castile	Compluti: Michaele d Eguia		–
Eighth	10 lib. 85 pp.		1524–1525	Dec. 1530 Madrid, Crown of Castile	Compluti: Michaele d Eguia		–

Editions

P. Martyris ab Angleria Mediolonensi. . Impressum Hispali : per Jacobu Corumberger alemanu, 1511.
Petri Martyris. . In illustri oppido Carpetanae pvinciae Copluto quod vulgariter dicitur Alcala: in contubernio Arnaldi Guillelmi, 1516.
Petri Martyris ab Angleria Mediolanensis protonotarij Cęsaris senatoris. . Compluti: apud Michaele de Eguia, 1530.
Petri Martyris ab Angleria Mediolanen. Apud Ioannem Bebelium, 1533.
Peter Martyr of Angleria. . Wrytten in the Latine tounge and translated into Englysche by Rycharde Eden. Londini : in ædibus Guilhelmi Powell, 1555.
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, , Putnam, 1912.
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, Decadas del nuevo mundo, 1944.
Petrus Martyr de Anghieria, Opera: Legatio Babylonica, De Orbe novo decades octo, Opus Epistolarum, Graz: Akademische Druck- U. Verlagsanstalt, 1966

Table

Title	Contents	Collaborator	Colophon	Date and Place	Language	OCLC	Note
Libretto de tutta la nauigatione de Re de Spagna, de le Isole et terreni nouamente trouati	1st dec.	Angelo Trevisan, Albertino Vercellese	Venesia: Albertino da Lisona vercellese	10 Apr. 1504 Venice, Republic of Venice	Italian	–	Plagiarized in 1501 from incomplete Latin draft copy.
Paesi nouamente retrouati et Nouo Mondo da Alberico Vesputio Florentino intitulato	1st dec.	Francanzano da Montalboddo	Vicentia: impensa de Mgro Henrico Vicentino	3 Nov. 1507 Vicenza, Republic of Venice	Italian		First reprint of plagiarized 1504 edition.
Itinerariu Portugallesiu e Lusitania in India inde in occidentem demum ad aquilonem	1st dec.	Archangelo Madrignani		1 Jun. 1508 Milan, Duchy of Milan	Latin		First Latin of 1507 edition.
Neuwe umbekanthe landte und ein new weldte in kurtz verganger zeythe erfunden	1st dec.	Jobst Ruchamer	Nüreinbergk: mich Georgen Stüchssen	20 Sep. 1508 Nuremberg, Free Imperial City of Nuremberg	German	–	First German translation of 1507 edition.
Paesi nouamente ritrouati & Nouo Modo da Alberico Vesputio Florentino intitulato	1st dec.	–	Milano: Jo. Jacobo et fratelli da Lignano	17 Nov. 1508 Milan, Duchy of Milan	Italian	–	First reprint of 1507 edition.
Nye vnbekande Lande Unde eine nye Werldt in korter vorgangener Tyd gefunden	1st dec.	Henning Ghetelen, Jobst Ruchamer	Nüreinberch: my Jürgen Stüchssen	18 Nov. 1508 Nuremberg, Free Imperial City of Nuremberg	German		Second German translation of 1507 edition.
S’ensuyt le Nouveau monde et navigations faictes par Émeric de Vespuci, Florentin, des pays et isles nouvellement trouvez, auparavant à nous incongneuz, tant en l’Éthiope que Arrabie, Calichut et aultres plusier régions estranges	1st dec.	Mathurin du Redouer	Paris: de P. Le Noir	1510 Paris, Kingdom of France	French		First French translation of 1507 edition.
P Martyris angli mediolanensis opera Legatio babylonica Oceani decas Poemata Epigrammata	1st dec.	–	Hispali: Jacobu Corumberger alemanu	Apr. 1511 Seville, Crown of Castile	Latin		First edition to contain the first decade.
Paesi nouamete ritrouati Nouo Mondo da Alberico Vesputio Florentino intitulato	1st dec.	–	Milano: Io. Iacobo & Fratelli da Lignano	1512 Milan, Duchy of Milan	Italian	–	Second reprint of 1507 edition.
S’ensuyt le Nouveau Monde & navigations: faictes par Emeric de Vespuce, Florentin, des pays & isles nouvellement trouvez, auparavant a nous incongneuz tant en lethiope que Arrabie, Calichut et aultres plusier régions estranges	1st dec.	–	Paris: veuve de Jean I Trepperel et Jean Jehannot	1515 Paris, Kingdom of France	French		Second French translation of 1507 edition.
Anglerius Petrus Martyr De Orbe Novo Decades	1st–3rd dec.	–	Alcala: contubernio Arnaldi Guillelmi	9 Nov. 1516 Alcalá, Crown of Castile	Latin		First edition to contain second and third decades.
De nvper svb D. Carolo repertis insulis, simulq incolarum moribus, r. Petri Martyris Enchiridion, dominae Margaritae, divi Max. caes. filiae dicatum	4th dec.	–	Basileae:	1521 Basel, Swiss Confederacy	Latin		First edition to contain fourth decade.
De orbe nouo Petri Martyris ab Angleria Mediolanensis Protonotarij Cesaris senatoris decades	dec.	–	Compluti: Michaele d Eguia	Dec. 1530 Madrid, Crown of Castile	Latin		First edition to contain all eight decades.
The Decades of the Newe Worlde or West India	1st–3rd dec.	Richard Eden	Londini: Guilhelmi Powell	1555 London, Kingdom of England	English		First English edition to contain first three decades.
De nouo orbe, or the historie of the west Indies	dec.	Michael Lok, Richard Eden	London: for Thomas Adams	1612 London, Kingdom of England	English		First complete English edition.
Fuentes históricas sobre Colón y América	dec.	Joaquín Torres Asensio	Madrid: San Francisco de Sales	1892 Madrid, Kingdom of Spain	Spanish		First complete Spanish edition.
Décadas del nuevo mundo	dec.	Agustín Millares Carlo, Edmundo O'Gorman, Joseph H. Sinclair	México: José Porrúa e Hijos	1964–1965 Mexico City, Mexico	Spanish		First complete Mexican edition.

Decades of the New World

History

Contents

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Editions

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