2.

The First Voyage Around the World by Antonio Pigafetta (by Anna Etorre)

A. The First Voyage Around the World by Antonio Pigafetta (Translated by Silva
Accora)

Antonio Pigafetta was a key player of one of the most amazing world exploration trips.
He was born in Vicenza in 1492, and he was an Italian seafarer and geographer.

The relevance of his own venture fundamentally lies in the fact that he took part to first
globe circumnavigation, between 1519 and 1522 and he was able to accomplish it after
the murder of Ferdinand Magellan, leaving a detailed description of the journey in the
Report of the first trip around the world, a lost manuscript that was rescued later, in
1797, and today is considered one of the most important documentary evidence relating
the geographical discoveries of the Sixteenth Century.

Antonio Pigafetta, fascinating and fleeing personality, for scholars he still represents a
partial mystery. About him, too little is known to define a satisfactory profile on the
biographical side. Documents and the testimony of contemporaneous scarce and his
own character are primarily appears from what he wrote in his own report.

His own narration about the first world circumnavigation was one of the greatest
achievements in the history of navy exploration and discovery. In his narration can be
found descriptions of people, countries goods and even the languages that were
spoken, of which the seafarer was trying to assemble some brief glossaries.

Pigafetta tells how, being in Barcelona in 1519, he heard about Magellan's expedition,
and being wishful to learn about the world he asked for and obtained the permission to
join the voyage.

Magellan's fleet weighed anchor from Seville on August 10th of the same year with five
smaller vessels, heading towards Canary Islands and down along the African coast, and
across the Equator. From there they sailed towards Brazil coast, where they stayed for
some time, making supplies and weaving friendly contacts with the cannibalistic natives
who dwelled there.

Moving on, then they arrived in Patagonia, where they spent winter months in desolate
solitude. They met local people, who looked like giants in their eyes full of wonders,
because of their robust body types.

They survived the mutiny of one of the captains and some disgruntled sailors and
continued the exploration of the coast. One of the vessels was drowned, but the whole
crew managed to be saved. They proceeded until the discovery of the strait named
after, Magellan himself, on October 21st 1520, and went through, although one of the
ships deserted, sailing back to Spain.
Finally, they arrived in the Philippines, where they became acquainted with the natives
who proved hospitable and welcomed them as guests in the king's palace. The
indigenous people, affected by the celebration of mass and the crucifix planted in the
island, promised to convert Christianity.

Quickly, they developed commerce and trade, and the king and the queen and other
notables of Cebu were converted until the entire population rapidly followed them in the
new religion.

Shortly after, happened the disastrous episode that changed the course of the
expedition. Magellan took part in a conflict between some local tribes and was killed.
The rest of the expedition managed to escape and retired, preparing to leave, but a trap
set by Magellan's interpreter and the king of Cebu, led to another massacre of the
Europeans.

The surviving ships continued toward Borneo and the city of Brunei, where they
managed to stock up, then from there, traveling southbound, they came to the
Moluccas, 27 months after the departure from Spain, finding a warm welcome by an
astrologer king who had predicted their arrival.

But this point, despite the perspective of good business and the rich exchanges that
would lie ahead, their desire to return to Spain urged them and pushed them to a quick
return. [(Translated by Silva Accorra and edited by Davide Spagnoli)
Source: https://www.inkroci.com].

B. First Voyage Around the World by Antonio Pigafetta (Translated by James

Alexander Robertso)

The land of Verzin is wealthier and larger than Spagnia, Fransa, and Italia, put together,
and belongs to the king of Portugalo. The people of that land are not the Christians, and
have no manner of worship.

They live according to the dictates of nature, and reach an age of one hundred and
twenty-five and one hundred and forty years. They go naked, both men and women.
They live in certain long houses by each end to large beams. A fire is built on the
ground under those boil, there are one hundred men with their wives and children, and
they make a great racket. They have boats called canoes made of one single huge tree,
hollowed out by the use of stone hatches. Those people employ stones as we do iron.
Thirty or forty men occupy one of those boats. They paddle with blades like the shovels
of a furnace, and thus, black, naked, and shaven, they resemble, when paddling, the
inhabitants of the Stygian marsh. Men and women are well proportioned as we. They
eat the human flesh of their enemies, not because it is good, but because it is certain
established custom.

That custom, which is mutual, was begun by an old woman, who had but one son who
was killed by his enemies,
In return some days later, that old woman’s friend captured one of the company who
had killed her son, and brought him to the place of her abode. She seeing him, and
remembering her son, ran upon him like an infuriated bitch, and bit him on one
shoulder. Shortly afterward he escaped to his own people, whom he told that they had
tried to eat him, showing them (in proof) the marks on his shoulder. Whomever the latter
captured afterward at any time from the former they ate, and the former did the same to
the latter, so that such a custom has sprung up in this way. They do not eat the bodies
all at once, but every one cuts off a piece, and carries it to his house, where he smokes
it. Then every week, he cuts off a small bit, which he eats, thus, smoked with his other
food to remind him of his enemies. The above was told me by the pilot, Johane.

Camagio, who came with us, and who had lived in that land for four years. Those
people paint the whole body and the face in a wonderful manner with fire in various
fashions, as do the women also. The men are [are:doublet in original manuscript
smooth shaven and have no beard, for they pull it out. They clothe themselves in a
dress made of parrot feathers, with large round arrangements at their buttocks made
from the largest feathers, and it is a ridiculous sight.

Almost all people, except the women and children, have three holes pierced in the lower
lip, where they carry around stones, one finger or thereabouts in length, au hanging
down outside. Those people are not entirely black but of a dark brown color. They keep
the privies uncovered and the body is without hair, while both men and women always
go naked. Their king is called cacich (i.e., cacique):

They have an infinite number of parrots, and gave 8 or 10 for one mirror: and little
monkeys hat look like lions, only (they are) yellow, and very beautiful, Thev make round
white (loaves of) bread from marrow, substance of tress which is not very good, and is
found between the wood and the bark and resembles buttermilk curds, Which have their
navels (lombelico) on their backs, and large birds with beaks like spoons and no
tongues.

They have swine whích have their navels (lombelico) on their backs, and large birds
with beaks like spoons and no tongues.

The men gave us one or two of their young daughters as slaves for one hatchet or one
large knife, but they would not give us their wives in exchange for anything at all. The
women will not shame their husbands under any considerations whatever, and as was
told, refuse to consent to their husbands by day, but only by night. The women cultivate
the fields, and carry all their food from the mountains in panniers or baskets on the head
or fastened to the head. But they are always accompanied by their husbands, who are
armed only with a bow of brazil-wood or of black palm-wood, and a bundle of cane
arrows, doing this because they are jealous (of their wives).

The women carry their children hanging in cotton net from their necks. I omit other
particulars not to be tedious. Mass was said twice on shore, during which those people
remained on their knees with so great contrition and with clasped hands raised
Aloft, that it was an exceeding great pleasure to behold them. They built us a house as
they thought that we were going to stay with them for some time, and at our departure
they cut a great quantity of brazil-wood (verzin) to give us. It had been about two
months since it had rained in that land, and when we reached that port, it happened to
rain, whereupon they said that we came from the sky and that we had brought the rain
with us.

The people could be converted easily to the faith of Jesus Christ.

At first those people thought that the small boats were the children of the ships, and that
the latter gave birth to them when they were lowered into the sea from the ships, and
when they were lying so alongside the ships (as is the custom), they believed that the
ships were nursing them. One beautiful young woman came to the flagship, where I
was, for no other purpose than to seek what chance might offer. While there and
waiting, she cast her eyes upon the master's room, and saw a nail longer than one's
finger.