Already on the 7th June,
1454, Affonso had granted to the Order of Christ, for the explorations
"made and to be made at the expense of the aforesaid Order," the
spiritual jurisdiction of Guinea, Nubia, and Ethiopia, with all rights
as exercised in Europe and at the Mother house of Thomar.
Now on the 28th December, 1458, Prince Henry granted "in his town" that
"the said Order should receive one twentieth of all merchandise from
Guinea," slaves, gold and all other articles; the rest of the profit to
fall to the Prince's successor in this "Kingdom of the Seas." In the
same way on the 18th September, 1460, the Prince grants away the Church
Revenues of Porto Santo and Madeira to the Order of Christ, and the
temporalities to the Crown of Portugal. It was his to give, for by Royal
Decree of September 15, 1448, the whole control of the African and ocean
trade and colonies had been expressly conferred upon the Infant. No
ships as we have seen could sail beyond Bojador without his permit;
whoever transgressed this forfeited his ship; and all ships sailing with
his permit were obliged to pay him one fifth or one tenth of the value
of their freight.
But the end was in sight. The Prince was now sixty-six, and he had spent
himself too strenuously for there to be much hope of a long life in him.
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