THE
COMPANIONS
OF
COLUMBUS.
193
from a rash royster to a politic and discreet captain :" and thus it is that men are often made by their fortunes ; that is to say, their latent qualities are brought out, and shaped and strengthened by events, and by the necessity of every exertion to cope with the greatness of their destiny.
CHAPTER XV. TRANSACTIONS THE OF
VASCO
IN SPAIN.
COMMAND
T H E DISCOVERY
NUNEZ
PEDRARIAS
OF DARIEN.
DAVILA
TIDINGS
OF T H E PACIFIC
D E BALBOA
APPOINTED
RECEIVED
IN
TO
SPAIN
OCEAN.
now flattered himself that he had
made a discovery calculated to silence all his enemies at court, and to elevate him to the highest favor with his sovereign. He wrote letters to the king, giving a detail of his expedition, and setting forth all that he had seen or heard of this Southern Sea, and of the rich countries upon its borders.
Beside the royal fifths of
the profits of the expedition, he prepared a present for the sove足 reign, in the name of himself and his companions, consisting of the largest and most precious pearls they had collected.
As a
trusty and intelligent envoy to bear these tidings, he chose Pedro de Arbolancha, an old and tried friend, who had accompanied him in his toils and dangers, and was well acquainted with all his transactions. The fate of Vasco Nunez furnishes a striking instance how prosperity and adversity, how even life and death hang balanced upon a point of time, and are affected by the improvement or
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