The book was a translation of a Spanish manuscript written by Columbus's second son, Fernando Colón, between 1537 and 1539.

Subsequent to the preparation of the Preliminary Discourse, the known Spanish manuscript came into Sale's possession.

Sale says of the lost Spanish manuscript; The book is a moderate quarto.

Chapter 120, before the lacuna, is common to both; but when the Spanish manuscript resumes, its Chapter 200 corresponds to the Italian Chapter 199.

In the 13th century a Spanish manuscript called Libro de los Juegos describes the games of shatranj (chess), backgammon, and dice.

It was found in Spanish manuscripts of the Vulgate long after the Gallicanum supplanted it elsewhere.

Considered together, the Beatus codices are among the most important Spanish medieval manuscripts and have been the subject of extensive scholarly and antiquarian enquiry.

However Danila's use of colour was probably not present in the original manuscript and anticipates the use of colour in later Spanish manuscripts.

An example can be seen in the Spanish manuscript known as the Cantigas de Santa Maria, which contains fifty-one miniatures of instrumentalists.

The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts.