I have a new essay up on the website for The Race to the New World: John Cabot as "the one from the Indies." I had abandoned an earlier effort to explain the process of translating an early Spanish document, but have come to the subject with what I think is a much more accessible discussion of how I reached this particular translation of a diplomatic letter with aid of Dr. Janet Ritch, a linguist who is an expert in early Spanish and French. I hope it conveys the challenge of working with such early documents. I also propose a radically different interpretation of the letter's meaning.
http://web.mac.com/dwh5/Site_3/%22The...