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intelligence and education to the minor nobility of that
age, even though the arms they sported were " assumed,"
and not won in the field, as were those of their rural rivals.
But Martin, in addition to claiming rank as a fidalgo
alem&o, or German nobleman, was about to marry the
daughter of the Captain donatory of Fayal, a noble
Fleming connected by marriage with several of the most
eminent families of the Kingdom.

Of course he may have had other claims, and if we
might accept the assertion that Behaim not only stood
high in favour with King John, but even held a salaried
appointment about his court, this would account
sufficiently for so inexpensive a distinction as a knighthood
. But no evidence in favour of such an assumption
has ever been forthcoming. His not being mentioned
among the members of King John's household for 14841
is, of course, not conclusive, for Behaim had only then
recently come to Portugal, but neither is he mentioned in
the 1 Chronicles' of Ruy de Pina or Garcia de Resende,
who must have met him frequently, and would hardly
have failed to have referred to him had he really held the
distinguished position at Court which is claimed on his
behalf. But, after all, the future son-in-law of the
Captain donatory of Fayal, the husband of a former lady-
in-waiting in the household of the late D. Fernando, the
King's father-in-law, would be readily admitted to the
King's presence. His relatives in Nuremberg certainly
believed him to have been on a pleasant footing with
King John, when young.2

This much is certain, that Martin Behaim claimed to
be a knight. In 1494 (App. X.) he asked that his
letters should be addressed " Dno. Martino Beheimo
Militi';3 on the memorial chandelier at Nuremberg his
son describes him as " Portugaliae Regis Miles auratus " ;
in the legal documents drawn up during his presence at
Nuremberg, 1490-1493, he is described as " Ritter," and
in the letter which the Senate of that city addressed to
King Manuel in 1520 he is referred to as " eques auratus."
Moreover, his Portuguese relatives objected to young
Martin being employed in trade, as his father had been
" a man of position and a knight," and lastly there is
the treatise ' De prima inventione Guineae,' which its
author, Diogo Gomez, communicated to " Martino de

1 'Livro das Moradias da Casa do Sr Rei D. Joao 2°,' 1484, and
P. Antonio Caetano de Sousa, ' Provas da historia genealogica da Casa
Real,' Lisbon, II., 1742, pp. 176-181.

4 Michael Behaim in a letter of November 12, 1518, to J. Pock
(Ghillany, Doc. XVI., p. 112), writes with reference to Behaim's son : ' His
late father, whilst young, was much liked by the old King, but how his
affairs turned out as he got old you are likely to know better than I do.'

8 " Miles " originally meant soldier, and in the feudal times vassal
or liegeman ; " miles auratus " was originally a soldier carrying a shield
inlaid with gold ; " auratus," during the Middle Ages, referred to an armor
ankle-ring which knights wore to show that they were under vows;
" miles " or " eques cingulo accinctus " meant a belted knight or chevalier.
" Miles," however, was generally used as a synonym for " eques," knight.
(See G. A. L. Henschell's ' Glossarium.')

Bohemia, inclito Militi Alemano" — the renowned
German Knight!4

These references show at all events that Behaim was
looked upon by his contemporaries not only as a German
nobleman, but also as a knight of the King of Portugal.
The only apparent exception to this rule seems to be the
letter of pardon, already quoted, which very disrespectfully
, and quite contrary to the painful punctiliousness of
the time, refers to the sister of Joz d'Utra (Hurter) as the
wife of one (de hum) Martin de Boeme !

IX. BEHAIM AND COLUMBUS.

1 propose in this chapter to deal with the relations
which are supposed to have existed between Behaim and
Columbus.

Antonio de Herrera,5 in his ' Historia General de las
Indias' (Dec. I., lib. 6, I., c. 2), after referring to
Columbus's views as to the ease with which India might
be reached by sailing to the West, adds that, " he was
confirmed in this opinion by his friend Martin de
Bohemia, a Portuguese, a native of the island of Fayal,
and a cosmographer of great judgment (de gran opinion)."

It is quite possible that Columbus and Behaim met
during the former's residence in Portugal, and that they
discussed the scheme of discovering the East by the
West. Behaim had arrived in Portugal in May or June,
1484, and stayed there, or in Fayal, until the spring of
1490, when he left for Nuremberg. Columbus, on the
other hand, made his first appearance in Portugal in
1476.° It was in Portugal that he conceived the idea of
reaching the spice-lands of India by sailing across the
Western Ocean. It was in Portugal he first studied the
' Imago Mundi' of Pierre d'Ailly,7 the ' Historia rerum

* Published by|Schmeller (' Abh. d. phil. CI. d. K. bayr. Ak.,' Munich,
t. IV., 1847), and by Gabriel Pereira (' Bol. da Soc. geogr. de Lisboa,'
t. XVII., 1901). Pereira identifies this Gomez with the Gomez " vinagro "
of Azurara (c. 13). He was born about 1420, was a page (moco da camera)
of Prince Henry, was knighted in 1440, was appointed a magistrate (juiz) at
Cintra by King Alfonso in 1466, and became warden (almoxarife) of the
Royal castle at that place in 1482 ('Archivo dos Acores,'pp. 77-87).
The MS. at Munich is in the hand of Valentin Ferdinand. Monetarius
saw the original at Lisbon, for he quotes from it.

5 Antonio de Herrera was born in 1559. He was appointed Historiographer
of India in 1596, and as such had access to the Spanish archives.
The first Decade of his 'Historia General de las Indias, 1492-1554,' was
published at Madrid in 1601. He died 1625.

6 See H. Vignaud's able 'Etudes critiques sur la vie de Colomb,'
Paris, 1904.

7 Pierre d'Ailly (Petrus de Alliaco) was born at Compiegne in 1350,
rose to high honours in the Church, and died at Avignon, Bishop of
Cambrai and Cardinal, 1420. He is credited with being the author of
one hundred and fifty-three works. His ' Imago Mundi,' largely based
upon Roger Bacon's ' Opus Majus,' was written in 1400, but only published,
at Lou vain, about 1480. A 1 Compendium Cosmographia;' was written
in 1413, after he had become acquainted with Angelo's Latin translation
of Ptolemy (Salainbier, 1 Petrus de Alliaco,' Paris, 1886).