"I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjo…"

"Gold is most excellent; gold is treasure, and he who possesses it does all he wishes to in this world."

"Gold is a wonderful thing! And whoever possesses it can do what he will in this world, and can even help souls to Paradise."

"It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculi…"

"I have found no monsters, nor heard of any."