The Diplomatic History of America Author:Henry Harrisse Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: IV. ALLEGED PROTEST OF PORTUGAL AT ROME. The difference in the dates between the two Bulls inter ccetera, the one of May 3, the other of May 4, has led to ... more »the belief that immediately after the publication of the first Bull Portugal had lodged a protest with the Curia, and that the Pope had yielded at once to the demands of Joao II. in issuing a third Bull (C), which would thus have been a Bull of Compromise, or Restrictive. But it is improbable that the restriction was prompted by any such circumstance. It is necessary at the outset to recall the fact that no mention whatever of Portugal is to be found in the Bull of May 4, and if she is named in that ofMay 3 it is neither to confirm nor to pro- tedrr- her rights to Oceanic possessions, as is generally believed. Alexander VI. only and incidentally declares therein that the Kings of Portugal having obtained formerly from the Holy See certain privileges, favours and immunities concerning Africa, Guinea and the Gold Mine, he grants to Spain, as regards the islands and lands discovered, or to be discovered by her, privileges, favours, and immunities identical to those which Portugal possesses regarding her African possessions. Nothing more ! The clause seems to have been inserted simply to avoid repeating in detail articles set forth at length in other Bulls. The protection of the rights of Portugal, therefore, must not be sought there, but (if anywhere at all) in the clause of the Bull inter- ccetera, of May 3 : " Omnes et singulas terras et insulas . . . quas sub dominio actuali temporali aliquorum Dominorum Christianorum constituae non sint " (All and singular the lands andislands . . . such as have not adlually been heretofore possessed by any other Christian prince). We are not even certain that there were ambassadors...« less