011r Catholic Heritage in Texas
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try to dissuade him from his purpose. The philosophical historian declares that he counseled Narvaez at this time, as a friend, that he should give thanks to God for all the blessings He had bestowed upon him and be resigned to spend his last days in peace and comfort, in the bosom of his family. But the determined adventurer, who appeared somewhat "worn" already, according to Oviedo, thanked the well-intentioned adviser coldly, without paying much heed to his counsel. 4 Nar,1/w: is given charter to colonise. In the petitions which he pre- sented to the king at this time, he declared that he had served His Majesty for twenty-six years in the conquest of the Indies; that having been ordered to go to New Spain, he had lost the greater part of his property in the enterprise; and that he had been imprisoned, while dis- charging this duty, and detained for five years. But in spite of the many hardships endured, he expressed his desire of further serving the! king by exploring, conquering, and settling the country that lay between the Rio de las Palmas and Florida. He asked, therefore, that a grant be made to him of this territory, which he would undertake to settle at his own cost. He submitted with this petition a list of terms and condi- tions which were intended to form the basis of the agreement for the proposed enterprise, after they were approved by the Council of the Indies. 5 The petitions and the terms suggested by Narvaez were referred to the members of the Council, who wrote their endorsements and modifica- tions on the back of the petition. Narvaez was at this time about forty-eight years of age. He was a native of Valladolid, or of Tudda on the Duro. He was tall, fair com- plexioned, and red bearded, according to Bernal Diaz, who knew him personally. His appearance was prepossessing, notwithstanding the loss of one eye, and he seems to have had a commanding personality. He was pleasant in conversation and could be very agreeable. His voice was deep and rich, sounding "as if it came from a cave." Las Casas, who knew him and was his companion during the early days of the conquest Relatw11 of Alvar Nuiiez Cabeca de Vaca, Appendix I, pp. 207-211 (Edition of 1871). The Spanish text of the three petitions presented by Narvaez is published in Pacheco y Cardenas, Documentos /neditos, Vol. 10, pp. 40-47. 4 0viedo, o'j. cit., Ill, 580. 5 "Petitions of Narvaez to the King of Spain ..." in :Buckingham Smith, Rela- tion, pp. 207-21 I. Although he presented three petitions, none of them is signed. But since the charter or grant was made on November 17 and December II, 1526, it is obvious the petitions must have been presented prior to that date.
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