PONCE DE LEON, Juan, Spanish discov erer: b. Leon, about 1460; d. Cuba, 1521. He fought in the conquest of Granada and in 1493 shipped with Columbus on the admiral's second voyage. Subsequently he held under Ovando the post of governor of the eastern portion of Espanola, in 1508 undertook the con quest of Porto Rico and in 1510 was made gov ernor of the island. He had already played a brave part in the struggles attending Spanish colonization in the New World, when in 1512 he obtained from King Ferdinand permission to conquer Bimini. The Indians seem to have spoken of a land called Bimini, north of Es panola and in the 1511 edition of the of Peter Martyr is a map on which appears a large island named Beimeni. To this Bimini Ponce de LeOn was going for the 'TonsJu ventatis,( or fountain of youth, the belief in such a fountain being a part of the folklore of his day. A spurious letter purporting to he from John Prester (q.v.), circulated through Europe in the 12th century, tells of such a fountain. Sir John Mandeville calmy appropri ated the story, described the fount as at a place called Polombe and said that he °drank thereof thrice,* and (feel me the better and the haler.' Stories of an island northward of Espanola, where a fountain of youth was, must have been afloat in Spain; for the same 1511 edition of the 'Decades' refers to them. In the patent
granted in 1512 to De LeOn, condition was made that the island had not been already discovered. In March 1513 the veteran set sail with three caravels from San German in Porto Rico. On the 27th he came in sight of the mainland on which he landed, 2 April, taking possession in the flame of the king and calling the region Florida, since 27 March had been Easter Sun day, styled by the Spaniards Pascua Florida The spot at which he landed was a little northward of the present site of Saint Augustine. He then coasted about the peninsula to the west side, reaching lat. 27° 30'. The bay at which he arrived was long known as Juan Ponce. He reached Porto Rico on the return voyage 21 September. He had to subdue the Caribs, a long undertaking; and not until 1521 did he attempt a new expedition. Then with a new patent for conquest and settle ment, he set out with equipment for starting a colony. The hostility of the Indians, however, rendered the success of the enterprise doubtful. Ponce De Leon was severely wounded by an arrow and returned with the whole expedition to Cuba, where he died of his wound. He had not discovered that Florida was not an island, but he opened the path to this knowledge.