Show papal error that cost spam spain much territory king solomon offered to divide a small boy to whom two women m omen laid claim and won a great reputation for wisdom by so doing pope ales alex ander VI born roderick borgia actually d d divide the world and got no special credit for it even in his own day he ile was an abler administrator a more versatile politician a more far sighted statesman a greater patron of the arts and sciences and a much better friend to the common people than was the hebrea manarel and that s about all the good it d d him vasco da gama had rounded the cape of good hope to give portugal a foothold in india columbus had sailed west to d scover what might prove to be a new continent and he le ie presented spain it was inevitable that there should be conflicting claims and perfectly natural that the rival rulers should turn to the pope as the logical umpire alexander did not find the lem d for generations the portuguese had been sailing south ward ard along the nest african coast and their claims were odiously to be preferred along the routes they followed the spaniards through their genoese agent had found land in the na est what was easier than to draw a line from north to south on the map and let the broad atlan tic separate the new dominions of the rivals every one was happy it was seven years before the por discovered that brazil stud stuck out so far to eastward that it crossed the pope popes s line and tl blat at the I 1 oly father had gin given en them far more than they had dreamed of they were quick to colonize and find that is how 0 w brazil speaks portuguese to this day although ever every y other latin lat in american land prefers spanish cleveland plain dealer |