BARROS, João de.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

L'Asia. Nella quale oltre le cose appartenenti alla militia, si ha piena cognitione di tutte le Città, Monti, & Fiumi delle parti Orientali, con la descrittione de' paesi, & costumi di quei popoli. First Italian translation of the first two decades of Barros's celebrated chronicle of the beginnings of Portugal's seaborne empire, initially published in 1561 and "here reprinted from the same setting of type, the imprint date alone being altered" (European Americana)."The importance of Asia was speedily recognised in Italy, and especially in Venice, whose commercial supremacy was ended by the discovery of the sea route to India. The first two decades were translated into Italian by Alfonso Ulloa and printed in Venice... The name of Barros became famous in Italy, and we are told that the Venetians had his likeness placed among those of the most famous men of literature, and that Pope Pius IV ordered it to be put in the Vatican next to that of Ptolemy" (King Manuel, vol. II, p. 295). A brief selection was also translated by Ramusio in his Navigationi, 1554. The Portuguese originals appeared in 1552-53.The first decade recounts Portugal's pioneering exploratory voyages along the coast of Africa: the first voyage of Columbus (who had approached King João II for vessels to discover "Cypango", or Japan, via the Western Ocean) and the resultant dispute with Spain that led to the Treaty of Tordesillas demarcating the boundary between the dominions of Spain and Portugal over the non-Chri

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