A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 2 | Page 9

silent despair. This heavy stroke was too much for
the inconsolable lover to support; though watched over with the utmost
solicitude by his afflicted friends, all attempts to administer consolation
were entirely fruitless, and he expired on the fifth day after the death of
his beloved mistress. With his parting breath, he earnestly enjoined his
surviving companions, to deposit his body in the same grave, under the
venerable tree, which they had so recently made for the victim of his
temerity; and where the altar which had been raised to celebrate their
deliverance, would now mark their untimely tomb.
Having performed this painful duty, the surviving companions of these
unfortunate lovers fixed a large wooden cross over the grave, on which
they carved the inscription which Machin had composed to record their
melancholy adventures; and added a request, that if any Christians
should hereafter visit the spot, they might erect a church in the same
place, and dedicate it to Christ. Having thus accomplished the dictates
of friendship and humanity, the survivors fitted out the boat, which had
remained ashore from their first landing, and put to sea with the
intention of returning if possible to England; but either from want of
skill, or owing to the currents and unfavourable winds, they likewise
were driven on the coast of Morocco, and rejoined their former
shipmates in slavery among the Moors.

This story is reported in a somewhat different manner by Galvano
already mentioned. According to him, one Macham, an Englishman,
fled from his country, about the year 1344, with a woman of whom he
was enamoured, meaning to retire into Spain; but the vessel in which
the lovers were embarked, was driven by a storm to the island of
Madeira, then altogether unknown and uninhabited. The port in which
Macham took shelter is still called Machico. His mistress being
sea-sick, Macham landed with her and some of the people, and the ship
putting to sea, deserted them. Oppressed with sickness and grief at
seeing herself in this hopeless state of exile, the lady died; and Macham,
who was extremely fond of her, constructed a chapel or hermitage
dedicated to Jesus the Saviour, in which he deposited her remains, and
engraved both their names, and the cause of their arrival, on a rude
monument which he erected to her memory. He afterwards constructed
a boat or canoe, which he hollowed out from the trunk of a large tree, in
which he, and those of his companions who had been left on shore
along with him, passed over to the opposite coast of Africa, without the
aid of oars, sails, or rudder. He was made prisoner by the Moors, who
presented him to their king, by whom he was sent to the king of Castile.
Madeira, in the Portuguese language, or Madera in Spanish, signifies
_wood_; and this island derived its name from the immense quantity of
thick and tall trees with which it was covered when first discovered.
One of the two capitanias, or provinces, into which this island is
divided, is named Machico, as is likewise the principal town of that
district, supposed to have originated from the traditionary story of the
misfortunes of Macham; the other capitania, with its principal town, the
capital of the island, is named Funchal, from Funcho, the Portuguese
term for Fennel, which abounds on the adjoining rocks.
[1] Astley, I. 11. and 586. Clarke, Progress of Maritime Discovery, I.
167. Although in our opinion a mere romance, we have inserted this
story, because already admitted into other general collections.--E.
[2] This work was printed in 1560, and was translated by Hakluyt:
There is an abstract of it in Purchas his Pilgrims, II. 1671, and it will be
found at the commencement of the second part of this Collection.--E.
[3] In small duodecimo and large print, under the title of Relation
Historique de la Decouverte de l'Isle de Madere: containing 185 pages,
besides twelve pages of preface.--Clarke.

[4] Clarke, Progress of Maritime Discovery, I. 167.
[5] In a note, Mr Clarke says the name of this lady has been supposed
by some writers to have been Dorset, corrupted by a foreign
orthography into D'Orset, and thence into D'Arfet. It may have been D'
Arcy.--E.
* * * * *

CHAP. XXI.
_Account of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands_[1].
The island of Nivaria, and others mentioned by Pliny, as known to Juba
king of Mauritania, were most probably Teneriffe and the other Canary
Islands; for Pliny notices that the summit of Nivaria was generally
covered with snow, which is frequently the case with the peak of
Teneriffe, and from this circumstance the name of Nivaria is obviously
derived. They appear likewise to have been known in the middle ages
to the Arabs of Morocco;