118 исторических миниатюр и 108 авторских текстов на 13 иностранных языках. Сборник
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The Victoria ship headed by del Cano is capable to continue swimming without considerable repair. Victoria goes to the West, across the Indian and Atlantic oceans, bending around Africa, to Spain. Despite considerable difficulties, diseases, hunger, in team the discipline is maintained, the firmness remains.
Antonio Pigafetta, the knight of the Order of Rhodes (knight of the Order of Saint John) enlisted in an expedition as the understudy (doubler) continues to keep the diary.
The Stefan Zweig transmits following words of del Cano: "We resolved to die rather than fall into the hands of the Portuguese." Thus, in due course, he would proudly report to the Emperor. [5A]
The obstinacy of del Cano has appeared as victorious hardness.
"Not yet, however, had the "Victoria" reached home. With groaning timbers, slowly and wearily, exerting her last energies, she continued the final stage of the voyage. Of the sixty-six souls on board when she left the Spice Islands, only twenty-two were left; instead of one hundred and thirty-two hands there were no more than forty-four to do the work, just when powerful hands were most urgently needed. For, shortly before she reached port, there came another catastrophe. The old ship's seams were letting in water. "All hands to the pumps!" was the order. But the water seemed to gain on them. Would they not have to jettison some of the several hundred quintals of precious spices, to lighten ship? No, del Cano would not waste the Emperor's property. The tired men worked at the two pumps by day and by night, toiling like criminals at the treadmill, having all the time to make sail or shorten sail as the wind slackened or freshened, to handle the tiller, to keep watch at the masthead, and to discharge the hundred and one other tasks of their daily work. It was too much for them. Getting no sleep for night after night, they staggered and tottered at their posts. "They were feebler," writes del Cano in his report to the Emperor, "than men have ever been before." Yet each must continue to perform a double, a triple task. Even so, they were barely able to hold their own against the leak. At length, with the very last ounce of their failing strength, they reached the goal.
(...)
The greatest cruise in the history of the world, the first circumnavigation of the globe, was over.
(...)
Next morning the "Victoria" sailed upriver to Seville. (...) Seville and Spain had long since given up Magellan's fleet for lost, but here was the victorious ship proudly, triumphantly working her way upstream. At length, in the distance, shone the white bell-tower of La Giralda. It was Seville! It was Seville! "Fire the bombards!" shouted del Cano, and a salute resounded across the river. With the iron mouths of these guns, three years before, they had bidden farewell to Spain; with the same cannon they had solemnly greeted the Strait of Magellan, and again greeted the unknown Pacific. With the big guns they had saluted the newly discovered archipelago of the Philippines; as now, with the same thundering bombards, did they announce the completion of their duty on reaching Magellan's goal, the Spice Islands. Thus did they bid farewell to their comrades at Tidore, when the "Victoria" left the islands for Spain. But never did the iron voices sound so loud and so jubilant as now when they announced: "We have returned. We have done what no one ever did before us. We are the first circumnavigators of the world." [5A].
(...)
We will sum up the brief intermediate totals.
The success of expedition of Magallanes became implementation of that cultural potential, a fundamentals which were created by Henry the Navigator, his seaworthy school.
Clearly are visible: discipline, planned use, regularity, tendency to reach the purposes, the aspiration to achieve an effective.
And not on the last place - rationality: by badly managed Victoria ship was brought the load of spices the value of which is compensate for the expenses of the expedition.
On one of stages the expedition was subject to iron will of Magallanes, but on other - strong will of del Cano. And any special breaches of discipline on "Trinidad" under leading of Gomez de Espinosa, does not find out.
Probably, at the first round-the-world expedition there were both an improvisation, and intuitivism, and suddenness, and luck, and steady tendency to achievement of success. (Magellan was confident in existence of a Strait, after called by his name (now - Strait of Magellan). Intuition?)
But the authors writing about this expedition on such concepts do not place a particular emphasis. On the front place - the purpose, a duty, discipline, cooperation, the drawn-up plan, intellectuality (navigation and other knowledge, skills, abilities), rational reasons, and - is a lot of, it is a lot of work. In common, all that is a cultural basis of existence of the fleet of long sea and ocean voyages.
6. Francis Drake (improvisation, intuitivism, individual talent, suddenness, steady tendency to achievement of success, luck)
The history gives not only Prince Henry the Navigator's example (accumulation of knowledge and experience, systemacity and regularity, planned use), but also Francis Drake's example (inspiration, suddenness, an intuition, luck).
Global cruise of Francis Drake (1577-1580), the second in world history, - largely - improvisation.
(...)
Of course, a final result, but not a formal argument can be proof the correctness of a strategy based on inspiration, suddenness, intuition, fortune. The choice of such a strategy is a risk. And that risk falls upon the person who chooses this strategy.
(...)
7. Brief epilogue
As we see, there is rather thin hardly perceptiblean edge between improvising, using of intuition, personal talents, suddenness and discipline.
It is possible to assume that partly artificial opposition of ORDER and IMPROVIZATSII characterizes one more common cultural problem: a problem of relationship of a hierarchical structure and the talented personality (this problem became one of subjects of our essay " Henry the Navigator and ship's logs, Heinrich Schliemann and diaries. An essay of a history of creativity of daily personal records)".
In the other essay - "Success and recognition. To the question of successful travels of Georgy Baydukov, Chay Blyth, Alain Bombard, Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky, Maxim Gorky, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, Joshua Slocum, Howard Hughes"") - is raised the question about "accumulation of success", achievable during an recognition of the successful persons and public consolidation in the course of an recognition of the achieved successes.
And yet another opinion: passed about five hundred years from the date of the beginning of the first round-the-world expedition, but interest in her does not disappear!
Moreover, authors continue attempts to disclose all new and new historical and biographic nuances connected with the round-the-world expeditions and people who performed them.
December 11, 2016, December 24, 2016.
8. List of information sources:
[1] Full text of "The First voyage round the world, by Magellan" (The First voyage round the world, by Magellan by Pigafetta, Antonio). (English-language publication. Web Publishing.).