have given, granted, and assigned forever, as appears more fully in
our letters drawn up therefor, to you and your heirs and successors,
kings of Castile and Leon, all and singular the far-away and unknown
mainlands and islands lying to the west in the Ocean Sea, that have
been discovered or hereafter may be discovered by you or your envoys,
whom you have equipped therefor not without great hardships, dangers,
and expense; providing however these countries be not in the actual
possession of Christian owners. But inasmuch as by this apostolic see
have been granted divers privileges, favors, liberties, immunities,
exemptions, faculties, letters, and indults to some kings of Portugal,
who also by similar apostolic grant and donation in their favor,
have discovered and taken possession of other countries and islands
in the waters of Africa, Guinea, and the Gold Coast, with the desire
to empower by our apostolic authority, as also is right and fitting,
you and your aforesaid heirs and successors with graces, prerogatives,
and favors of no less character; moved also thereto wholly by our own
similar accord, not at your instance nor the petition of any one else
in your favor, but through out own sole liberality as well as the same
knowledge and fulness of our apostolic power, we do by tenor of these
presents, as a gift of special favor, empower you and your aforesaid
heirs and successors to the end that in the islands and countries,
already discovered by you or in your name and to be discovered
hereafter, you may freely and legally, as is proper, use, employ,
and enjoy in all things and through all things exactly the same as
if they had been granted especially to you and your aforesaid heirs
and successors, all and singular the graces, privileges, exemptions,
liberties, faculties, immunities, letters, and indults that have been
granted to the kings of Portugal, the terms whereof we wish to be
understood as sufficiently expressed and inserted, the same as if they
had been inserted word for word in these presents. Moreover we extend