BURT FRANKLIN ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. THE LIBRARY OF TEXAS THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY. SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, G.C.St.S., F.R.S., Corr. Mem. Inst. Fr., Hon. Mem. Imp. Acad. Sc. St. Petersburg, &c., &c., PRESIDENT. INTRODUCTION. THE first account of FERNANDO DE SOTO's travels through the southern portion of North America, was written by one of the Portuguese adventurers who accompanied the expedition throughout, and returned to his native country. It was published at Evora, in 1557, under the following title: "Relaçam verdadeira dos Trabalhos q ho Gouernador dō Fernādo d' Souto & certos Fidalgos Portugueses passarom no d'scobrimēto da Provincia da Frolida. Agora nouamete feita per hu Fidalgo Deluas". Copies of this work are extremely rare. The price of one, mentioned in Mr. Rich's "Catalogue of Books relating principally to America", is stated at £31. 10s. It is a small octavo, in black letter. There is a copy in the collection of the Right Honourable Thomas Grenville, recently bequeathed to the British Museum. The translation by Hakluyt, here reprinted, of this narrative by the "Gentleman of Elvas", has been already brought under the notice of the Hakluyt Society by Mr. Winter Jones, in his Introduction to the "Divers Voyages touching the discoverie of America". The reader will have there seen, that Hakluyt's intention in making this translation, was evidently to encourage the young colony in Virginia, and to procure an increase of support for that under taking, at a period when its chances of prosperity were but precarious. The work first appeared in 1609, under the following title: Virginia richly valued by the description of the maine land of Florida her next neighbour; out of the foure yeeres continuall travell and discoverie for above one thousand miles east and west, of Don Ferdinando de Soto, and sixe hundred able men in his companie. Wherein are truly observed the riches and fertilitie of those parts abounding with things necessarie, pleasant, and profitable for the life of man; with the natures and dispositions of the inhabitants. Written by a Portugall gentleman of Elvas, emploied in all the action, and translated out of Portuguese by Richard Hakluyt. At London, printed by Felix Kyngston for Matthew Lownes, 1609; small 4to.1 1 Among the poems of Michael Drayton, the celebrated author of the Polyolbion, is an "Ode to the Virginian Voyage", which was most probably written at this period (1609), and in a warm tone of sympathy with Hakluyt's praiseworthy exertions. We quote from the collected edition of his poems published in 1619-20: You brave heroique minds, That honour still pursue, Lurk here at home with shame. Britans, you stay too long, Your course securely steere, |