U N or OF THE I VERS ITY ILLINOIS 9I0B H12. Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library M&V -1 ' <&'• 12 m i- • u «'» r ! . F\' ■’ t ; '■ 1 ■ V> y l IMN UUit V \o D,j Mia 19 DEC X 013 C- KOli I 1 xJ * 3 I9GS JRK - 4 1912 OEO i 2 i!#f. JriJ 'J JL u DEC 12 APR 2 A f; lOVi : '®£C x 4 AUG 31 MAY 14 Mf \\l ^ K NuV ■ ij • i *. .OKT'- SEP 23 m AUG 2 81P4 / L161—1141 . WORKS ISSUED BY C |)t ©aftlujJt J^orietg. DIVERS VOYAGES TOUCHING THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA, ETC. M.DCCC.L. L % » / • * - T / * * ' ■ . u . ' il". jl :V> ly« M DIVERS VOYAGES. TOUCHING THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA AND THE ISLANDS ADJACENT. COLLECTED AND PUBLISHED BY RICHARD HAKLUYT, PREBENDARY OF BRISTOL, IN THE YEAR 15S2. EDITED, TOttj) JloUs anti an Entrotiuctton, BY JOHN WINTER JONES, OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY, M.DCCC.L. r t)t &.*? W\^ LONDON: RICHARDS, PRINTER. THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY (ttounctl* SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, G.C.St.S., F.R.S., Corr. Mem. lust. Fr., Hon. Mem. Imp. Acad. Sc. St. Petersburg, &c., &c., President. Vice-Admiral Sir CHARLES MALCOLM, Knt. ") ^ Vice-Presidents. The EARL OF ELLESMERE. ) Rear-Admiral Sir FRANCIS BEAUFORT, K.C.B. CHARLES T. BEKE, Esq., Phil. D., F.S.A. Captain C. R. DRINKWATER BETHUNE, R.N., C.B. The LORD ALFRED S. CHURCHILL. WILLIAM DESBOROUGH COOLEY, Esq. BOLTON CORNEY, Esq., M.R.S.L. The Right Rey. LORD BISHOP OF ST. DAVID’S. Sir HENRY ELLIS, K.H., F.R.S. JOHN FORSTER, Esq. R. W. GREY, Esq., M.P. THOMAS HODGKIN, Esq., M.D. JOHN HOLMES, Esq. JOHN WINTER JONES, Esq. P. LEVESQUE, Esq. The very Rev. the DEAN OF ST. PAUL’S. THOMAS RUNDALL, Esq. The Right Hon. the LORD ADVOCATE OF 'SCOTLAND. The Hon. HENRY E. J. STANLEY. R. H. MAJOR, Esq., F.R.G.S., Honorary Secretary. 184674 INTRODUCTION. The “ Divers Voyages touching the Discoverie of America”, was the first publication of the active- minded and public-spirited clergyman from whose name the Hakluyt Society has derived its designation. To many members the question will naturally suggest itself, why, having thought the name worthy adoption, the work should have been so long postponed. The following is the explanation of this circumstance. When the Hakluyt Society was instituted, the first work proposed for publication was the u Divers Voy¬ ages”; but it having been ascertained that the late intelligent American bookseller, Mr. Rich, had con¬ templated publishing a fac-simile reprint, and that he had had cut a fount of black-letter type for that pur¬ pose, application was made to him, in order to ascer¬ tain whether he still proposed carrying that design into effect. Mr. Rich, in reply, stated that he was willing to leave the work in the hands of the Society, provided the Council would print it as he himself had proposed to do, and would purchase the type he had had cast for it. As it was not deemed advisable to adopt this proposition, and as a separate publica¬ tion by the Society would have interfered prejudicially b 1L INTRODUCTION. with Mr. Rich’s prior right, it was considered proper to forego what would certainly have been the most appropriate leader of their series, and to adopt some other work. When, however, after the lapse of three years, the subject was again mentioned to Mr. Rich, he stated that he had abandoned his intention of publishing the book ; and the Society, being now un¬ fettered, lost no time in placing it in course of pre¬ paration. Before making any remarks upon the work itself, it will be proper to say something of the compiler; than whom few, perhaps, have better deserved an honourable place in the memory of their countrymen, and none have commanded more general respect with those who have taken the trouble to make themselves acquainted with his far-seeing and patriotic views, and the untiring perseverance with which he sought to make his views effective. It is hardly necessary to refer here to the solitary exception to this feeling of admiration for the labours of an honest, upright man, which is presented in the person of Mr. Biddle, in his Memoirs of Sebastian Cabot. Mr. Tytler, in his Historical View of the Progress of Discovery on the more Northern Coasts of America , has sufficiently exposed the animus of Mr. Biddle’s strictures. The ancestors of Hakluyt were established at a very early period in the county of Hereford. The family seat was at Yatton ; and they must have ranked amongst the principal landowners of the county. In the list of sheriffs, given by Duncumb in his History of Here¬ fordshire, we find that Walter de Hackluit filled that INTRODUCTION. Ill office in the first, second, third, and fourth years of Edward II; Hugh Hackluit, in the tenth and eleventh years of the same reign ; Edward Hackluit, in the thirty-first, thirty-second, and thirty-third years of Edward III; Leonard Hackluit, knt., in the second year of Hen. IY; and a Ralph Hackluit in the seven¬ teenth year of Edw. IV, and again in the twenty-third of Hen. VII, and tenth of Hen. VIII. The list of members for the county, contained in the same work, presents us with Walter de Hackluite, in the sixth year of Ed. II; Edmund Hakelute, in the first year of Ed. Ill; Edmund Fitz-Edmund Hackluit, in the twenty-eighth of Ed. Ill; Edward Hackluit, in the thirty-first of Ed. Ill; and Leonard Hakkluyt, in the ninth, eleventh, and seventeenth years of Rich. II. We also learn, from the General Introduction to the same work, that Walter Iiakelut was knighted, with several others, in the thirty-fourth year of Ed. I; and in a return of the principal inhabitants of Here¬ fordshire, made to royal commissioners in the twelfth year of Henry VI, we find, in the list of knights, Walter Hackluit, and in that of the gentlemen, Wil¬ liam Hackluit, Hugh Hackluit, and Egidius Hackluit. One Thomas Hakeluyt was chancellor of the diocese of Hereford in the year 1349. It appears also, from the two following documents, that Thomas Hakeluytt, probably the head of the family, was in the wardship of Henry VIII, and Edward VI. Yizt.: 1. “ An indenture, made the 8th day of August, anno 28 Hen. VIII, between William Beuyle, gentleman, Roger Acton, gentillman, twoo of the cousins and lieyres of John IV INTRODUCTION. Suggewas, deceased, Philip Baskerwile, Esq., and Elizabeth, his wife, late wife of James May, one other of the cousins and heyres of the said John Suggewas, and Richard Watkyn, gentilman, the king’s coihittee of the body and lands of Thomas Hakeluytt, sonne and heyre of John Hakelnytt, Esq., deceased, one other of the cousins and heyres of the said John Suggewas, on the one partie, and John White, on the other partye, etc., for a messuage in Grafton in com. Heref. Datum A 0 . 21, H. 8 .”—Visitation of Huntingdonshire, p. 45, published by the Camden Society. 2. “ Extract from a Court Roll held at Kyngstaple, in the county of Hereford, 26 April, 1 Ed. YI, containing a memo¬ randum that Thomas Havarde, Esq., the king’s feodary, had granted to Thomas Mynde all the purpartie of Thomas Hake- luyt, gent., the king’s warde, and one of the lords of King- staple, of the copice of Cary Woodde and lands in Castell- dichefelde, Vaughans Welle, and Moche Cavene, to hold during the minority of the same Hakeluyt, paying yearly the sum of three shillings and eight pence.” [Additional Char¬ ters and Rolls, No. 1351, Brit. Mus.] The subject of this memoir was born about the year 1553, in or near London as it has been conjec¬ tured, but upon what authority does not appear, un¬ less it be the circumstance of his having been educated at Westminster school, in which he informs us he was one of the queen’s scholars. He was elected to Christ Church College, Oxford, in the year 1570, being then seventeen years of age. He took his degree of Bachelor of Arts on the 19th of February 1574, and «/ ' that of Master of Arts on the 27th of June 1577. The love of cosmography, and maritime discovery, for which he became so justly distinguished at a later period of his life, had been implanted in him while he INTRODUCTION. V was yet a scholar at Westminster. The following is the graphic account of his introduction to this fasci¬ nating pursuit, given by himself in the dedication to Sir Francis Walsingham, prefixed to the first edition of his General Collection of Voyages and Travels. “ I clo remember that being a youth, and one of her Ma¬ jesties scholars at Westminster, that fruitful nurserie, it was my happe to visit the chamber of M. Richard Hakluyt, my cosin, a gentleman of the Middle Temple, 1 well knowen unto you, at a time when I found lying open upon his boord cer- teine bookes of cosmograpliie with an universall mappe : he seeing me somewhat curious in the view thereof, began to instruct my ignorance by shewing me the division of the earth into three parts after the olde account, and then ac¬ cording to the latter and better distribution into more. He pointed with his wand to all the known seas, gulfs, bayes, straights, capes, rivers, empires, kingdoms, dukedoms, and territories of ech part; with declaration also of their spe¬ cial commodities and particular wants which by the benefit of traffike and intercourse of merchants are plentifully supplied. From the mappe he brought me to the Bible, and turning to the 107th Psalme, directed mee to the 23rd and 24th verses, where I read that they which go downe to the sea in ships and occupy by the great waters, they see the works of the Lord and his woonders in the deepe, etc., which words of the Prophet, together with my cousins discourse (things of high and rare delight to my yong nature) tooke in me so deepe an impression, that I constantly 1 Wood, in his Athena Oxonienses , vol. ii, p. 186, edit. Bliss, falls into a confusion between the cousins, and states that our author studied law in the Temple. The mistake is natural, inasmuch as Richard Hakluyt of Yatton was himself distinguished for his geo¬ graphical knowledge, and frequently applied to for advice by mer¬ chants and others. VI INTRODUCTION. resolved if ever I were preferred to the university, where better time and more convenient place might he ministred for these studies, would, by God’s assistance, prosecute that knowledge and kinde of literature, the doores whereof (after a sort) were so happily opened before me.” He did not forget this resolution when the oppor¬ tunity for carrying it into effect arrived. He pro¬ ceeds, in the same dedication :—“ According to which my resolution, when not long after I was removed to Christ Church in Oxford, my exercises of duety first performed, I fell to my intended course, and by degrees read over whatsoever printed or written discoveries and voyages I found, extant either in the Greeke, Latine, Italian, Spanish, Portugall, French or English languages; and in my publike lectures was the first that produced and shewed both the olde and imper¬ fectly composed and the new lately reformed mappes, globes, spheares and other instruments of this art for demonstration in the common schooles, to the singular pleasure and generall contentment of my auditory.” It is much to be regretted that Hakluyt does not say specifically where these lectures were delivered. Oldys, in his memoir of Hakluyt, printed in the Biographia Britannica , expresses himself in such a manner as to lead to the supposition that they were read at Oxford, but the silence of Anthony a Wood on the subject at least throws much doubt upon the cor¬ rectness of such an inference. It may not be out of place here to mention a curious error into which Oldys has fallen respecting this same lectureship. Speaking of the publication of the present work he INTRODUCTION. Vll says, quoting from notes he tells us he had made many years before, “ It appears, in the epistle dedi- catorie, that his lecture of navigation, before mentioned, was so well approved of by the renowned Sir F. Drake, that he made some proposals to continue, and establish it in Oxford, upon the prospect, which Mr. Hakluyt soon after had, of some engagement abroad.” It is difficult to imagine, as the reader will be able to judge for himself by turning to page 16, that the man who wrote this sentence could possibly have • seen the epistle dedicatorie in question. The proposal for founding a lectureship, not continuing one, came from Hakluyt himself, in consequence of what he had heard of the good results of such establishments in Spain, and of what he knew of the fatal consequences resulting from the too general ignorance of our own seamen : and the place was not Oxford, where, for the purpose he had in view, it would be totally useless, but London, or about RatclifFe; in the very centre, in fact, of the localities most frequented by mariners of all grades. It had no reference whatever to Hakluyt’s lectureship, whether at Oxford or elsewhere; of which, although his own statement is specific that he did, at some time before 1589, deliver lectures on cosmo¬ graphy, he leaves us to form our own conclusions as to the probable period and locality. There is, no doubt, however, as to the reality and earnest¬ ness of Hakluyt’s exertions in this direction. He returns to the subject in the dedication of the first volume of the second edition of his Collection, where he urges on the Lord Admiral Howard the import- via INTRODUCTION. ance of establishing such a lectureship in London. 1 The honour due to the suggestion was not the less that the suggestion itself was allowed to pass unheeded whom it rested to give this boon of nautical instruction to our seamen. Let us hope that this now national reproach is about to be effectually removed. 2 1 See also Hakewill’s Apology, 3rd edit. 1635, fol. p. 310, where Hakluyt’s suggestion is particularly noticed. 2 In a paper addressed to Lord Mahon, president of the Society of Antiquaries, and printed in vol. xxxviii of the Archceoloyia , p. 283, Mr. Payne Collier publishes for the first time two highly interesting letters from Hakluyt to Sir F. Walsingham. The first letter is for the most part upon the subject mentioned in the text. As Mr. Collier does not say where the original is to be found, we print it as it appears in the Archccologia. “ Right Honorable, “ The famouse disputations in al partes of the mathematikes, which at this present are held in Paris, for the gayning of the lecture which was erected by the worthy scholer Petrus Ramus, to the great increase of those excellent sciences, put me in mynd to sollicite your honour agayne and agayne for the erection of that lecture of the arte of navigation, whereof I have had some speach with your honour, Sir Francis Drake, and Alderman Barnes and other. And that you might meet with al inconveniences, which might frustate the expected profit, which is hoped for by the erec¬ tion of the same, I send your honour here the testament of Petrus Ramus, newly put out agayne in printe, and sent unto mee by monsur Bergeren, Ramus his executor; whereby you may see, first the exceeding zeale that man had to benefit his countrey, in be¬ stowing 500 livers, which (as your honour knoweth) is fiftie pound sterling, upon establishing of that lecture, bequeathing not halfe so much to al the kindred and friends he had. Secondly, you may note, that he, being one of the most famouse clerkes of Europe, thought those sciences, next after divinitie, to be most necessarie for the common welth, in that he erected a newe lecture of the same, whereas there was one before erected, and endued with fiftie INTRODUCTION. IX It is very probable that some proposals had been made to Hakluyt to accompany Sir Humphry Gilbert in his last and fatal voyage to Newfoundland, in the year pound stipend, by the kinges of France. Thirdly, that most pro¬ vident order, which the good man by his will hath taken, is most requisite to be put in execution in England; which is, that everie three yeares there shalbe publicke disputation, signified to al men by publicke writing, wherein it shalbe free for any man, for three monethes space, to dispute agaynst the reader for the tyme being; who, yf he be found negligent, or yf any one of the competitours be found more worthy by the opinion of certayne indifferent men of lerninge, chosen out of the purpose to be judges, that then the unworthie shall give place to the more sufficient; who, so being placed, is bound in three yeares space to read through the course of the mathematikes. “ Yf, by your honour’s instigation, her Majestie might be en- duced to erecte such a lecture in Oxford, and the like for the arte of navigation might by some other meanes be established at London, allowing to each of them fiftie poundes yearly, with the same conditions, in my simple judgment it would be the best hun¬ dred poundes bestowed these five hundred yeares in England. For it is not unknowne to your wisdome, how necessarie for service of warres arithmeticke and geometrie are, and for our new discoveries and longe voyages by sea, the arte of navigation is, which is com¬ pounded of many partes of the aforesayd sciences. “ Understandinge heartofore of your honour’s great abundance of busines, and your dangerouse sicknes, I thought it not meet to trouble your honour with such thinges as I had carefully sought out here in France, concerning the furtherance of the westerne discoveries, but chose rather to imparte the same with Mr. Carlile, which thing also I did. But, being lately advertised of your re¬ covery (for which I humblie thanke almightie God), I was bold to signifie unto your honour my dealing with Horatio Palavicini, to become an adventurer in those westerne voyages, and, among other talke, alleadged your good disposition to the same; which he hearing of, replyed very cheerfully, that yf he were moved thereto by the least word from your honour, he would put in his hundred pound adventure or more. If Mr. Carlile be gone, yet it might come in c X INTRODUCTION. 1583 but no particulars are to be found recorded. The circumstance that Hakluyt contemplated taking part in the expedition is alluded to in a letter ad- good tyme to serve Mr. Frobisher’s tnrne, yf your wisdome shall like well of yt, seeing he setteth not forth, as I understand, until the beginning of May. “ I understand that the papistes give out secretly in the towne, that there shall shortly come forth a confutation of the defence of the execution of justice in England, which was set forth in English and French in London. When yt cometh forth, I trust to have it with the first. “ There is good hope that the minister, and those that were taken lately with him in Paris, by the abbot of St. Geneveva, shall very shortly be set at libertie; for the King secretly seemeth to favour them; and they have very discreetly aunswered for them¬ selves, that they were not at any communion or sermon, but that they met together to consult whether to go out of Paris to some place lawful by the edict. A frind of myne told mee he heard a frier inveigh very exceeding bitterly agaynst them in a sermon before a great congregation of people. “ Wee have heard by divers letters from Geneva that, besides the earthquake, which was there about the end of Februarie, which untyled many houses, and overthrewe many chymneis in the towne, there is besides a whole village, in the contrey of Vallaye, swallowed up, being foure dayes journey of Geneva. “ Those that favour the Spanish here in the towne have spred al abroad, these two or three dayes, that Monsur is dead, which is nothing so. “ Thus leving other matters and advertisementes of importance to them unto whom they apperteyne, with remembraunce of the continuance of my humble dutie to your honour, and your worthy and vertuouse sonne in lawe, I leve you to the merciful protection of the Almightie. Paris, the first of April, 1584. “ Don Antonio, his captaynes, and his fleet, are not yet departed from Paris, but look every day to depart. “ Your honour’s most humble “ Richard Hakluyt.” 1 The second letter from Hakluyt to Sir F. Walsingham, pub- INTRODUCTION. XI dressed to him by Stephanas Parmenius, of Buda (one of those engaged in the expedition), on their arrival at the port of St. John. His words are lished by Mr. Collier in the paper before quoted from (ante p. viii), refers to a “ motion heartofore made” to him by Sir F. Walsingham whether lie could be contented to accompany an expedition to America, in which he expresses his willingness to go and to employ all his observations, readings and conference whatsoever for that object. It does not appear that he contemplated any pecuniary adventure in the undertaking, as he refers his “ entertaynment in this voyage” to Walsingham. The voyage here contemplated was most probably that of Sir Francis Drake to the West Indies and Carthagena in South America, the English fleet leaving England in the month of September 1585. It is certain, however, that Hak¬ luyt did not accompany it. The letter, as given by Mr. Collier, is as follows :— “ Right Honourable, “ I understand from your servant Curtis your good acceptation of my hastie letter, your special favour and good will towardes mee, as also your expectation of my diligent inquirie of such thinges as may yeld any light unto our westerne discoverie. For the two former I yeld you most humble thankes; and for the later, I nether have nor will omitte any possible diligence, expecting intelligences thereof from Roan, Diepe, and St. Malo very shortly. “ In Paris I have seen in one man’s house, called Perosse, the value of five thousand crownes worth of furres, as sables, bevers, otters, and other sortes, which he bought in August laste of the men of St. Malo; and the yeare before, he told mee he bestowed four thousand crownes with them in the like commoditie. He gave me further to understand that he saw great quantitie of bulfe hides, which they brought home, and sent into the lowe countreys to sell. All which commodities, with diverse other of noe lesse value, are brought out of the most northerly partes of those countreys, where- unto our voyage of inhabiting is intended. “ And now, because I knowe that this present enterprise is like soone to waxe colde, and fall to the ground, unlesse in this second voyage all diligence in searching everie hope of gayne be used; and calling to mynd that your honor made a motion heartofore unto me, XU INTRODUCTION. “ Non statueram ad te scribere, cum in mentein veniret promissum literarum tuarum. Putebas te superiore jam Junio nos subsecuturum. Itaque de meo statu whether I cold be contented to goe myselfe in the action, these are to put your honor out of doubte, that for myne owne parte, I am most willing to goe now in the same this present setting forth, and in the service of God and my countrey to employ al my simple observations, readinges, and conference whatsoever. For obtaining leave of my L. Ambassador heere to departe, I doubt not but to find meanes of myselfe, seeing he may have inough to supply my roome. “ For leave of my colledg, and entertaynment in this voyage, I will wholly referre yt unto your honor, who wish me so well as you will not see my poore estate impared. Because the tyme is ex¬ ceeding shorte, I wold desire your honor’s present aunswere; uppon sight whereof, with winges of Pegasus, I wold fy in England. “ I have talked twise with Don Antonio of Portugal, and with five or sixe of his best captaynes and pilots, one of whom was born in Paste India. They al wish al prosperitie to Her Majestie and yourselfe, and say that, if the Queene of England wold joyne with their master, whose strength by sea they commend unto the skyes, they know how the King of Spayne, our mortal enemy, might easily be met withal, and she much enriched. The number of Portingalls which hange uppon the poore King are aboute an hun¬ dred or sixe score: diverse of them are lately come out of the Easte India, overlande by Tripoly in Siria. They have a voyage in hand, with five or sixe sayle of ships, which are in preparing at Newe Haven for the coste of Guinea, and the castle of Mina, wherein most parte of the Portingalls aforesayd are to be employed, being joyned in company with the French. They set forward, as I heare, within this moneth. “ One Sinior Andreas, borne in Savoy, is nowe, I heare, in Paris, which hath bin lately in the Island of Japan, with whom, by meanes of Doctor Pena, I shall have conference within a day or two. Diverse other intelligences, tending toward the furtherance of our western planting and discoverie, I looke for from sondry places very shortly. In the meane season, with remembrance of my humble dutie to your honor, and to your worthy and honorable INTRODUCTION. Xlll ex cloctore Humfreclo certiorem te fieri jusseram. Yerum sic tibi non esset satisfaction, etc.”— Hak¬ luyt, vol. iii, p. 161. Whatever may have been his intention in this respect, it may be presumed that his plans were changed, in consequence of his having been appointed chaplain to Sir Edward Stafford, ambassador from Queen Elizabeth to the court of France. At this period, also, he is said to have held a professorship of divinity, but we are not told where ; it could hardly have been at Oxford, for if so it would not have been omitted in the Athena Oxonienses . In the month of May 1585, during his residence at Paris with the British em¬ bassy, the reversion of the next prebendal stall that should become vacant was secured to him by the queen’s mandate ; and in the same, or the following year, he, by virtue of this grant, took possession of the first stall in the cathedral of Bristol, which at that time became vacant by the death of Dr. John Gough. Notwithstanding this preferment he did not, as he informs us himself, give up his post of chaplain sonne-in-lawe, I cease for the present, and beseech the Almightie to hold yon bothe in his safe garde. “ It was told me by Perosse, of whom I spake before, and by Andrew Thevet, the Kinges cosmographer, that Duke Joyeuze, Admiral of France, and the Cardinal of Burbon and their frindes, have had a meaning to send out certayne ships to inhabite some place of the north part of America, and to carry thither many friers and other religiouse persons; but I thinke they be not in haste to doe yt. Paris, from my Lord Ambassadour’s house, the vijth of Januarie, 1584. “ Your honor’s most humble to command, “ Bichard Hakluyt, Preacher.” XIV INTRODUCTION. to the British embassy at Paris until the year 1588, when he returned to England with Lady Sheffield, sister to his early patron the Lord Admiral Howard, after a residence in France of five years. Elizabeth had granted to Sir Walter Raleigh letters patent, dated the 25th of March 1584, authorising him, in the usual terms, to discover, search, and find out such remote heathen and barbarous lands, coun¬ tries, and territories not actually possessed by any Christian prince, nor inhabited by Christian people, as to him, his heirs, etc., should seem good. This patent Raleigh, in the latter part of this year 1588, assigned to Hakluyt, and several other gentlemen and merchants, as a corporation of counsellors, as¬ sistants, and adventurers, for the purpose of carrying out the object of the patent. On the 20th of April 1590, he was instituted to the rectory of Wetteringsett cum Blochford, in the county of Suffolk. The next event we find recorded in the life of Hakluyt, apart from his literary labours, is that of his marriage, which is supposed to have taken place in or about the year 1594. About the year 1605, he succeeded Dr. Richard Webster as a prebendary of Westminster. Hakluyt, by his writings, and by his personal exer¬ tions with several persons of influence, was the chief promoter of a petition, addressed to King James in the year 1606, praying that he would grant patents for the colonization of Virginia. A charter was in consequence granted, bearing date April 10, 1606, by which two companies were formed, subsequently known as the London Company, and the Plymouth INTRODUCTION. XV Company. The tract of country lying between the thirty-fourth and forty-fifth degrees of latitude was to be divided into nearly equal portions, one of which was to be enjoyed by each of the said companies. The first settlement was effected by the London, or South Virginian Company; the chief adventurers in which, as patentees, were Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt, and Edward Maria Wingfield. Notwithstanding the extraordinary interest our author took in maritime discovery, and his extensive intercourse with seafaring men of all grades, it does not appear that he was ever tempted to quit his native country, with the exception of his sojourn in France. Contenting himself with the peaceful task of collecting and recording the accounts of other men’s doings, it is not surprising that his life should afford so little of incident to be recorded. He died on the 23rd of November 1616, and was buried in St. Peter’s Church, in Westminster Abbey, on the 26th of the same month. He left one son, who in¬ herited from his father a fair estate, which, it is said, he had not the prudence to keep, and an illustrious name, which he knew not how to value. Hakluyt had three brothers; one older, and two younger than himself. Of the eldest, Thomas, we are only told that he was elected from Westminster school to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1567. The next, Oliver, was educated at the same college, and after¬ wards practised, with distinction, as a physician. The youngest, Edmund, held the post, for four years, XVI INTRODUCTION. of tutor to the Lord William Howard, the eldest son of the earl of Nottingham. Having given this hasty sketch of the life of our author, we now proceed to the discussion of those labours, by which his name has become inseparably connected with the history of maritime discovery and enterprise. It has been already stated, that he had been chosen to lecture on cosmography and naviga¬ tion ; but his views extended much farther than in¬ structing his countrymen in these branches of know¬ ledge. He saw clearly the course in which lay the advantage and glory of his country ; he saw that maritime traffic, and the acquisition of territory by colonization, were the means by which England was to improve the moral condition of her people, and main¬ tain her position as a great naval power. Anxious to promote these objects, he cultivated the acquaintance of all who could give him information, and sought the pro¬ tection of men who, appreciating his views, could assist him in carrying them into effect. No labour, no ex¬ pense deterred him. In the account of the u English Voyage to Newfoundland in 1536”, given by him in his General Collection , p. 517-519 ; vol. iii, p. 129- 131; he says, “ One Master Hore, of London, a man of goodly stature, and of great courage, and given to the studie of cosmography, encouraged divers gentle¬ men, and others, being assisted by the king’s favour and good countenance, to accompany him in this voyage of discovery”, and that “ his persuasions tooke such effect, that within short space many gentlemen of the innes of court, and of the chancerie, and divers INTRODUCTION. XVII others of good worship, desirous to see the strange things of the world, very willingly entered into action with him.” This was a very disastrous voyage; re¬ markable for the intense sufferings of the crew, and the very curious incident of their obtaining partial relief for their hunger by taking from an osprey’s nest the fish the parent bird brought in great abund¬ ance to its young. Hakluyt was so anxious to obtain correct particulars of this voyage, that he rode two hundred miles, in order to obtain the facts from the lips of one Thomas Butts, then the only survivor of the adventurers in the said voyage. He was inces¬ santly emploj^ed in the examination, collection, tran¬ script, and translation of accounts of voyages and travels, charters, letters, and documents bearing in any way upon his subject, and in correspondence with men eager to impart information, obtain advice and assistance, or to encourage him in his laudable and patriotic efforts. The celebrated Abram Ortelius, and Gerard Mercator, were among those who ex¬ changed with him friendly communications upon the subjects of common interest between them. Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir Robert Cecil, the Lord High- Admiral Howard, Sir Philip Sydney, and Sir Francis Drake, were among those who supported him in his labours by their commendations, and encouraged him to proceed. On the 11th of March 1583, Sir F. Walsingham writes to Hakluyt, thanking him for the exertions he had made to assist in “ the discovery of the western parts yet unknown”, and wishing him to continue “ his travaile in these, and like matters.”— d XV111 INTRODUCTION. Hakluyt Collection , vol. iii, p. 181. And by a letter of the same date, addressed to the Mayor of Bristol, Sir Francis Walsingham recommends the Bristol adventurers to confer with the bearers of his letter, K. Hakluit and Thomas Steven ton, on the subject of some ships these Bristol merchants were about to fit out for the purpose of accompanying Sir Humphry Gilbert in his ill-fated expedition before referred to. lb. The first work which issued from our author’s pen was the collection now republished ; and it is not im¬ probable that it may have been this work to which Sir F. Walsingham more particularly alluded in his letter of the 11th March 1582, when he spoke of Hakluyt’s exertions to assist in the discovery of the western parts yet unknown. It would be impossible to explain Hakluyt’s views, or the object towards which his exertions were directed, more clearly than he has himself done in the epistle dedicatory to Sir Philip Sydney, prefixed to this work. The glory of England ; the advantages of colonization, as a means of employing the idle, of rendering the laws less san¬ guinary, by diminishing the necessity for capital punishment, and of enlarging the commerce of the country; the extension of the knowledge of navigation, particularly amongst our merchant seamen ; and the conversion of the savage, and consequent promotion of the worship and glory of God, are all brought forward in their turn. We shall have much to say, in the course of this Introduction, upon the various pieces of which this collection is composed; but we postpone our remarks for the present, in INTRODUCTION. XIX order to dispose of the other works which either emanated from our author, or were produced at his suggestion. These will be taken in the order of their production, as nearly as we have been able to ascer¬ tain it. He did not neglect his favourite pursuit during his residence in France ; but made diligent inquiries for information, not only among cosmographers and others, but also in the libraries, both public and private. During his researches he discovered a manuscript account of Florida, a country which had been visited, and to a certain extent explored, by Ribault in 1562, and by Laudonniere in the following years. Perceiving the interest and importance of this work, he engaged, at his own expense, Martin Basanier to publish the book at Paris, in French, in the year 1586. 1 It is dedi¬ cated to Sir Walter Raleigh ; and the editor takes occasion to bestow high praises upon Sir Walter, for the enterprise he displayed in his then late discovery of Virginia. This work does not contain Ribault’s own account of his voyage. The attention this book excited in France, encouraged Hakluyt to present it to his countrymen in an English dress, and it was published in London, in the year 1587, with the fol¬ lowing title: “ A notable historie containing foure voyages made by certayne French captaynes unto Florida; wherein the great riches and fruitefulnes of the countrey, with the maners of the people, hitherto concealed, are brought to light; written, 1 See Dedication to vol. ii. of the 2nd edition of his general col¬ lection. XX INTRODUCTION. all saving the last, by Monsieur Laudonniere, who remained there liimselfe as the French king’s lienetenant a yere and a quarter; newly translated out of French into English by It. H. London *. imprinted by Thomas Dawson, 1587. 4to.” Hakluyt has prefixed to his translation a dedicatory epistle to Sir Walter Raleigh, encouraging him to prosecute the colonization of Virginia, by pointing out the advantages, and probable resources of the district. In the year 1587 he also published, at Paris, a re¬ vised edition of Peter Martyr Anghiera’s work, De orbe novo. This edition appeared with the following title: “ De orbe novo Petri Martyris Anglerii Mediolanensis Protonotarii et Caroli quinti Senatoris Decades octo, dili- genti temporum observatione et utilissimis annotationibus illustrate, suoque nitori restitute, labore et industria Richardi Hakluyti Oxoniensis Angli, etc. Parisiis, 1587.” 8°. Amongst other improvements in this edition, men¬ tioned in the Latin dedication to Sir Walter Raleigh, prefixed to the work, he observes: “ Cartam geogra- phicam praecipua operis loca continentem ut perpen- dicularem appendicem adjunxi, memor illius quod vere dicitur 1 Geographiam esse historise oculuin’.” The map here referred to is one of the world, and is dedicated to Hakluyt in the following words: “ Doctiss. et ornatiss. Rich. Hakluyto F.G.S. Cui potius quam tibi orbem hunc novum dicassem ? cum tu assiduis eruditisque libris tuis ipsum eundem in dies illustriorem reddas. Eum igitur uti tua humanitate dignum est accipe, teque nos vicissiin amabimus. Paris. Cal. Maij. 1587.” This map is of very rare occurrence. There is pre- INTRODUCTION. XXI fixed a dedication, in Latin, to Sir Walter Raleigh, occupying nine pages Many years afterwards, Michael Lok, whose name is intimately connected with the maritime history of this period, translated Anghiera’s work into English at the recommendation of Hakluyt. The title is as follows: “ The histone of the West Indies, containing the Actes and Adventures of the Spaniards which have conquered and peopled those countries, inriched with varietie of pleasant relation of the manners, ceremonies, lawes, governments, and warres of the Indians. Published in Latin by Mr. Hakluyt, and translated into English by M. Lok. Gent. London. Printed for Andrew Webb.” This publication preceded by a very short time the permanent colonization of Virginia, the first English settlement in America; and it is but just to presume, that the public and private efforts of our author must have had a most important influence in directing at¬ tention towards these establishments, from which such mighty results subsequently followed. We shall have to refer to his exertions in this respect on more than one occasion. It has been stated, in the early part of this narra¬ tive, that Hakluyt was one of those to whom, in the year 1588, Sir Walter Ralegh assigned his patent for the prosecution of discoveries in heathen lands. Whether this circumstance directed his attention more particularly towards the maritime exertions of the English, or whether, as he himself states, 1 he was roused by the reproach of want of enterprise, brought 1 Dedication to the first edition of his general collection. XXII INTRODUCTION. against his countrymen by foreigners, certain it is that about this time he bent all his efforts towards the arrangement of materials for a work which should show that the English had not been idle, or unsuc¬ cessful. This project, and its author, are thus referred to by Philip Jones, in the dedication to Sir Francis Drake, prefixed to his Certain briefe and speciall Instructions for Gentlemen , ^rc., employed in ser¬ vices abroad. London: 1589. 4to. “ I confesse tliat although my propension was alwaies to enclevor somtliing for the inlargement of your name and honor, having so well deserved of this commonwealth and of every particular thereof, yet I was motioned to remember yourselfe in the impression of this Index by my very good and learned friend Mr. Richard Hackluyt, a man of in¬ credible devotion towarde yourselfe and of speciall careful- nesse for the good of our nation; as the world injoying the benefit of some of his travels can give testimonie, and is pos¬ sible to give better if that rare and excellent worke which he now plyeth once come to publike view. In the mean time I record his diligence,” etc. The result of these labours appeared toward the end of the year 1589, in the publication of a folio volume, with the following title:— “ The principall navigations, voiages and discoveries of the English nation made by sea or over land to the most remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth at any time within the compasse of these 1500 yeeres: devided into three severall parts according to the positions of the regions wherunto they were directed. The first conteining the personall tra¬ vels of the English into Judsea, Syria, Arabia, the river Euphrates, Babylon, Balsara, the Persian Gulfe, Ormuz, INTRODUCTION. XXU1 Chaul, Goa, India, and many islands adjoyning to the south parts of Asia : together with the like unto Egypt, the chiefest ports and places of Africa within and without the streight of Gibraltar, and about the famous promontorie of Buona Espe- ranza. The second, comprehending the worthy discoveries of the English towards the north and north-east by sea, as of Lapland, Scrikfinia, Corelia, the Baie of S. Nicholas, the Isles of Colgoieve, Yaigats, and Nova Zembla toward the great river Ob, with the mightie empire of Russia, the Cas¬ pian sea, Georgia, Armenia, Media, Persia, Boghar in Bactria, and divers kingdoms of Tartaria. The third and last, in¬ cluding the English valiant attempts in searching almost all the corners of the vaste and new world of America from 73 degrees of northerly latitude southward to Meta Incognita, Newfoundland, the maine of Virginia, the point of Florida, the baie of Mexico, all the inland of Nova Hispania, the coast of Terra Eirma, Brasill, the river of Plate to the streight of Magellan and through it, and from it in the South Sea to Chili, Peru, Xalisco, the gulfe of California, Nova Albion upon the backside of Canada further than ever any Christian hitherto hath pierced. Whereunto is added the last most renowned English navigation round about the whole globe of the earth. By Richard Hakluyt, master of artes and student some time of Christchurch in Oxford. Imprinted at London by George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, 1589.” Eol. The dedication to Sir Francis Walsingham, prefixed to this edition, contains some interesting particulars relating to the life of the author ; and of which Oldys, in his memoir of him in the Biographia Britannica , has made good use. In the address to the reader, Hakluyt explains the character of his work in the fol¬ lowing concise terms. “ I meddle in this work with the navigations onely of our XXIV INTRODUCTION. owne nation. And albeit I alleage in a few places (as the matter and occasion required) some strangers as witnesses of the things done, yet are they none but such as either fayth- fully remember or sufficiently confirme the travels of our owne people, of whom (to speake trueth) I have received more light in some respects than all our owne historians could affoord me in this case, Bale, Eoxe, and Eden onely excepted.” His anxiety to communicate the best information he possessed, is shown in the account of u The Ambassage of Sir Hierome Bowes, to the emperour of Moscovie, 1583”, printed at page 491 of the first edition of his General Collection, in some copies of which this nar¬ rative will be found to have been reprinted, with the title altered, as follows: “ A briefe discourse of the voyage of Sir Jerome Bowes, knight, her majesties ambassadour to the emperour of Mus- covia, in the yeere 1582 : and printed this second time according to the true copie I received of a gentleman that went in the same voyage for the correction of the errours in the former impression.” Having now given a definite form to his work, he went on with increased energy. u The honour and benefit of this commonwealth”, he says, “ hath made all difficulties seem easy, all pains and industry pleasant, all expenses of light value and moment to me.” In 1598 he published the first volume of a second edition of his Collection, and two other volumes followed in the two succeeding years. The first volume is dedicated to the Lord Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham; and it maybe mentioned (par paren- thdse) as a curious fact that, neither in this dedica- INTRODUCTION. XXV tion, nor in any part of the introductory matter, does he make the slightest allusion to the first edition. The second and third volumes are dedicated to Sir Robert Cecil, the principal secretary of state, le whose earnest desires to do him [Hakluyt] good, lately broke out into most bountiful and acceptable effects.” The titles of the several volumes of this edition are as follows: “ The principal navigations, voiages, traffiques and dis¬ coveries of the English nation made by sea or over land to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth at any time within the compasse of these 1500 yeeres : devided into three severall volumes according to the positions of the regions whereunto they were directed. This first volume containing the woorthy discoveries, etc. of the English toward the north and north-east by sea, as of Lapland, Scrikfinia, Corelia, the baie of S. Nicholas, the isles of Colgoieve, Yaigatz, and Nova Zembla toward the great river Ob, with t the mighty empire of Russia, the Caspian sea, Georgia, Armenia, Media, Persia, Boghar in Bactria, and divers king¬ doms of Tartaria. Together with many notable monuments and testimonies of the antient forren trades and of the warre- like and other shipping of this realme of England in former ages. Whereunto is annexed also a briefe commentarie of the true state of Island and of the Northern seas and lands situate that way. And lastly the memorable defeate of the Spanish huge Armada, anno 1588, and the famous victorie atchieved at the citie of Cadiz, 1596, are described. By Richard Hakluyt, etc. Imprinted at London, by George Bishop, Ralph Newberie, and Robert Barker, 1598.” Fol. In the dedication to the volume, Hakluyt addresses the Lord-Admiral strongly on the subject of the e XXVI INTRODUCTION. establishment of a lectureship, on navigation, in the city of London. 5 “ Tlie second volume of the principal navigations, voyages, traffiques, and discoveries of the English nation made by sea or over land to the south and south-east parts of the world at any time within the compasse of these 1600 yeres : divided into two severall parts. Whereof the first containeth the personall travels, etc., of the English through and within the streight of Gibraltar to Alger, Tunis, and Tripolis in Barbary, to Alexandria and Cairo in iEgvpt, to the isles of Sicilia, Zante, Candia, Bliodus, Cyprus and Chio, to the citie of Con¬ stantinople, to divers parts of Asia Minor, to Syria and Armenia, to Jerusalem and other places in Judsea; as also to Arabia downe the river of Euphrates to Babylon and Balsara, and so through the Persian gulph to Ormuz, Chaul, Goa, and to many islands adjoyning upon the south parts of Asia; and likewise from Goa to Cambaia and to all the dominions of Zelabdim Echebar, the great Mogor, to the mighty river of Ganges, to Bengala, Aracan, Bacola, and Chonderi, to Pegu, to Jamahai in the kingdome of Siam, and almost to the very frontiers of China. The second comprehendeth the voyages, trafficks, etc., of the English nation made without the streight of Gibraltar to the islands of the Azores, of Porto Santo, Madera, and the Canaries, to the kingdomes of Barbary, to the isles of Capo Yerde, to the rivers of Senega, Gambra, Madrabumba, and Sierra Leona, to the coast of Guinea and Benin, to the isles of S. Thome and Santa Helena, to the parts about the cape of Buona Esperanza, to Quitangone 1 In some copies of the first volume of the second edition, the voyage to Cadiz in 1596 is altogether suppressed or reprinted. Where this is the case, the title-page is found to bear date 1599, and that part of it which refers to the expedition to Cadiz is omitted ; other alterations of a minor character being also intro¬ duced into it. INTRODUCTION. XXvii neere Mozambique, to the isles of Comoro and Zanzibar, to the citie of Goa beyond cape Comori, to the isles of Nicubar, Gomes Polo, and Pulo Pinaom, to the maine land of Malacca and to the kingdome of Junsalaon. By Bichard Hackluyt, etc. Imprinted at London by George Bishop, Balph New- bery, and Robert Barker, anno 1599.” “ The third and last volume of the voyages, navigations, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation, and in some few places where they have not been, of strangers, performed within and before the time of these hundred yeeres to all parts of the Newfound world of America or the West Indies, from 73 degrees of northerly to 57 of southerly latitude: as namely to Engronland, Meta Incognita, Estotiland, Tierra de Labrador, Newfoundland, up the Grand bay, the gulfe of S. Laurence, and the river of Canada, to Hochelaga and Saguenay, along the coast of Arambec to the shores and maines of Virginia and Florida, and on the west or backside of them both to the rich and pleasant countries of Nueva Biscaya, Cibola, Tiguex, Cicuic, Quivira, to the 15 provinces of the kingdome of New Mexico, to the bottome of the gulfe of California, and up the river of Buena Guia : and likewise to all the vies, both small and great, lying before the cape of Florida, the bay of Mexico, and Tierra firma, to the coasts and inlands of Newe Spaine, Tierra firma and Guiana, up the mighty rivers of Orenoque, Dessekebe, and Marannon, to every part of the coast of Brasil, to the river of Plate, through the streights of Magellan forward and backward, and to the south of the said streights as far as 57 degrees: and from thence on the back side of America along the coastes, har¬ bours and capes of Chili, Peru, Nicaragua, Nueva Espanna, Nueva Galicia, Culiacan, California, Nova Albion, and more northerly as farre as 43 degrees. Together with the two renowmed and prosperous voyages of Sir Francis Drake and Mr. Thomas Candish round about the circumference of the whole earth, and divers other voyages intended and set forth XXV111 INTRODUCTION. for that course. Collected by Richard Hakluyt, preacher, etc. Imprinted at London by George Bishop, Ralfe New- berie and Robert Barker. Anno Dom. 1600.” This and the preceding volume, as we have already stated, are dedicated to “ Sir Robert Cecil, principall secretarie to Her Majestie.” In the de¬ dication to the second volume, Hakluyt strongly urges on the minister the expediency of colonizing Virginia, and refers to the . circumstance of Cecil having consulted him, in 1597, “touching the state of the country of Guiana, and whether it were fit to be planted by the English?” In the dedication to the third volume, Hakluyt takes an opportunity to refer to the subject of a lectureship on navigation for the benefit of English mariners, and to urge its esta¬ blishment, referring to the good example of Spain in this respect. But Hakluyt was not satisfied with labouring him¬ self, and encouraging others to labour; he endea¬ voured to provide against the time when professional or other cares might interfere with his great pursuit. In the dedication of the third volume he says: “ As I long since foresaw that my profession of divinity, the care of my family, and other occasions, might call and divert me from these kind of endeavours, I therefore have for three years past encouraged and furthered in these studies of cosmography and foreign histories my honest, industrious, and learned friend, Mr. John Pory; one of special skill and extraordinary hope to perform great matters in the same and beneficial to the commonwealth.” The result of this encouragement was a translation INTRODUCTION. XXIX of the History of Africa by John Leo, commonly called Leo Africanus, which Mr. Pory published in the year 1600, with the title— “ A geographical historie of Africa, written in Arabicke and Italian, by John Leo, a More, borne in Granada and brought up in Barbarie, etc. Before which out of the best ancient and moderne writers is prefixed a generall description of Africa, and also a particular treatise of all the maine lands and isles undescribed by John Leo. And after the same is annexed a relation of the great princes and the manifold religions in that part of the world. Translated and collected by John Pory, lately of Gonevill and Cains College in Cam¬ bridge. Londini, Impensis Georg. Bishop, 1600.” Pol. In his dedication to Sir Robert Cecil, the translator refers to the interest Hakluyt took in the work, in the following terms : “M. Richard Hakluyt, who out of his mature judgement in these studies, knowing the excellencie of this storie above all others in the same kinde, was the only man that mooved me to translate it.” Pory was not the only person whom Hakluyt en¬ couraged to make translations of works bearing upon his favorite pursuit. Parke, in the preface to his translation of the History of China , from the Spanish of Gonzalez de Mendoza, bears the following testimony to his active zeal: “ Which labours I have undertaken at the earnest request and encouragement of my worshipfull friend Master Richard Hakluyt, late of Oxforde, a gentleman, besides his other manifolde learning and languages, of singular and deepe insight in all histories of discoverie and partes of cosmo- graphie. And also for the zeale he beareth to the honor of XXX INTRODUCTION. liis countrie and countrimen brought the same [ i . e. Gon¬ zalez de Mendoza’s work] first above two years since over into this court/’ etc. Again, about the year 1612, P. Erondelle published a translation of part of Lescarbot’s Histoire de la Nouvelle France , under the title of— “ Nova Francia, or the description of that part of New France which is one continent with Virginia. Described in the three late voyages and plantation made by Monsieur de Monts, Monsieur de Pont-Grave, and Monsieur de Poutrin- court, into the countries called by the French men La Cadie, lying to the south west of Cape Breton. Together with an excellent treatise of all the commodities of the said countries, and maners of the naturall inhabitants of the same, etc. London, printed for Andrew Webb.” 4to. From the preface we learn that Hakluyt was also the instigator of this work. “ Gentle reader, the whole volume of the navigations of the French nation into the West Indies (comprised in three bookes) was brought to me to be translated by Mr. Bichard Hackluyt, a man who for his worthy and profitable labours, is well known to most men of worth not only of this king- dome but also of forrain parts, and by him this part was selected and chosen from the whole worke, for the particular use of this nation, to the end that comparing the goodnesse of the lands of the northern parts heerein mentioned with that of Virginia, which (though in one and the selfe same continent, and both lands adjoining) must be far better by reason it stands more southerly neerer to the sunne, greater encouragement may be given to prosecute that generous and goodly action in planting and peopling that country to the better propagation of the Gospel of Christ, the salvation of innumerable souls, and general benefit of this land, too much INTRODUCTION. XXXI pestred with over many people. ... If a man that sheweth foorth effectually the zealous care he hath to the wellfare and common good of his country deserveth praises of the same, I refer to the judgement of them that abhor the vice of ingra¬ titude (hatefull above all to God and good men) whether the said Mr. Hakluyt (as well for the first procuring of this translation, as for many workes of his set out by him for the good and everlasting fame of the English nation) deserveth not to reape thankes.” In the following year, 1601, Hakluyt gave to the world a translation, from the Portuguese, of a work by Antonio Galvam, entitled— “ Tratado dos varios e diversos caminhos por onde nos tempos passados a pimenta e especiaria veyo da India as nossas partes e assim de todos os descubrimentos antigos e modernos que sao feitos ate a era de 1550. Com os nomes particulares das pessoas que os fizerao em que tempos e suas alturas. Lisboa por Joao Barreira, 1563.” 8vo. This work was edited and published, after the author’s death, by Francesco de Sousa Tavares. To the English version Hakluyt gave the title— “ The discoveries of the world from their first originall unto the yeere of our Lord 1555. Briefly written in the Portugall tongue by Antonie Galvano, Governour of Ternate, the chiefe island of the Malucos : corrected, quoted, and now published in English by Richard Hakluyt, sometimes student of Christchurch in Oxford. Londini, Impensis G. Bishop. 1601.” 4to. This translation was not his own, as he himself states in the dedicatory epistle to Sir Robert Cecil. His words are— “ Now touching the translation, it may please you, sir, to xxxu INTRODUCTION. be advertised that it was first done into our language by some honest and well affected marchant of our nation, whose name by no means I could attain unto, and that, as it seemeth, many yeeres ago. For it hath lien by me above these twelve yeeres. In all which space, though I have made much . inquirie and sent to Lisbon, where it seemeth it was printed, yet to this day I could never obtain the originall copie; whereby I might reforme the manifold errours of the trans¬ lator. ^ He then proceeds to describe the trouble it cost him to verify the facts from the original histories, and to annex the marginal quotations to the work. His last publication was a translation of Fernando de Souto’s discoveries in Florida, which he printed under the following title: “ Virginia richly valued by the description of the maine land of Florida her next neighbour : out of the foure yeeres continuall travell and discoverie for above one thousand miles east and west of Don Ferdinando de Soto, and sixe hundred able men in his companie. Wherin are truly observed the riches and fertilitie of those parts abounding with things necessarie, pleasant and profitable for the life of man : with the natures and dispositions of the inhabitants. Written by a Portugall gentleman of Elvas emploied in all the action, and translated out of Portugese by Richard Hakluyt. At London, printed by Felix Kyngston for Matthew Lownes, 1609.” 4to. This work was evidently intended to encourage the young colony in Virginia, and procure support for the undertaking. The hardships, naturally attendant upon the first attempts at colonization in Virginia, had been greatly increased by mismanagement, and \ INTRODUCTION. XXXlii the losses and discouragement of the settlers had ar¬ rived at such a height that, but for the opportune arrival of Lord Delawarr in the month of June, 1610, the colony would have been abandoned ; the settlers being actually on their way to the sea coast when they were met by their new governor, with supplies of stores and men. It was, probably, for the purpose of again stimulating the exertions of the colonists, depressed by much suffering, and of procuring the additional support, of which they stood so much in need, that in the year 1611 the title of the Virginia richly valued, was altered as follows: “ The worthye and famous historie of the travailes, disco¬ very, and conquest of that great continent of Terra Florida, being lively paraleld with that of our now inhabited Virginia. As also the comodities of the said country, with divers excel¬ lent and rich mynes of golde, silver, and other metals, etc., which cannot but give us a great and exceeding hope of our Virginia, being so neere of one continent, etc. London, printed for Matthew Lownes, 1611.” 4to. The preface is addressed “To the right honorable the right worshipfull counsellors, and others, the cheerefull adventurers for the advancement of that Christian and noble plantation in Virginia”, whom, perhaps, it was found necessary to excite by a direct reference to “ riche mynes of golde, silver, and other metals.” It will be evident from all that has been said, that Hakluyt took a deep interest in the success of the Virginian colony. Robertson, in his History of America , vol.iv, p. 171, 10th edit., bears honorable tes¬ timony to our author, in the following words : u The / XXXIV INTRODUCTION. most active and efficacious promoter of this (the colonization of Virginia) was Richard Hakluyt, pre¬ bendary of Westminster, to whom England is more indebted for its American possessions than to any man of that age.” The esteem in which he was held by mariners is evidenced by the fact, that in a voyage of discovery made by Hudson in the year 1608, at the charge of the Muscovy company, a promontory, on the continent of Greenland, was named Hakluyt’s Headland ; l and three years later, in a voyage of discovery to Pechora, in Russia, made at the expense of the same company, by William Gourdon, a river was named by the navi¬ gators Hakluyt’s River. 2 We have already mentioned that his estate de¬ scended to his son, who is reported to have squandered it. His unpublished manuscripts, sufficient to have formed a fourth volume to his Collection, had a better fate, by falling into the hands of Purchas, who in¬ serted them, in an abridged form, in his Pilgrimes. It is to be regretted that this compiler should have adopted the plan of curtailing all his narratives ; we get more facts, within a given compass, it is true, but this advantage is more than compensated by the loss of the interest, and indeed confidence, which a genuine unabridged narrative always inspires. Purchas, how¬ ever, was fully able to appreciate the merit of such a 1 Purchas , vol. iii, p. 464. The name of Hakluyt’s Headland no longer exists, nor can the locality be identified. 2 Purchas , vol. iii, p. 531. This river cannot be identified at the present day. INTRODUCTION. XXXV man as Hakluyt, and has not neglected to give him the praise he deserves; “thereby”, says Oldys, “concurring with those writers of established judgment who have distinguished, according to his deserts, the surpassing knowledge and learning, diligence and fidelity, of this naval historian.” In Wood’s Athencp Oxonienses , edit. Bliss, a refer¬ ence to three of Hakluyt’s manuscripts, in the Selden Collection, is given as follows : viz.,— 1. “ Notes of certain commodities in good request in the East Indies, the Moluccas, and China.” 2. “ The chiefe places where sondry sorte of spices do growe in the East Indies, gathered out of sondry the best and latest authors by R. Hackluyt.” 3. “ The remembrance of what is good to bring from the Indyes into Spayne, being good marchandize and bowght by him that is skillfull and trusty.” These manuscripts the Editor has printed in the Appendix to this work. There is every reason to con-' jecture that these notes were drawn up for the use of some body of merchants ; the nature of the notes themselves, and the language used in several places, leave little room for doubt on this point. The ques¬ tion is, for whose use were they intended ? It is not probable that they were framed for the Muscovy Com¬ pany, which had been incorporated by Philip and Mary as far back as the year 1554, and, in all probability,! stood in little need of such assistance.. But in the yeai| 1600, the date of the Notes, Queen Elizabeth granted a* charter to an association of merchants, with whose gigantic growth there is no parallel in the history of commercial success. This association, “ The United XXX VI INTRODUCTION. Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies”, commonly called “The East India Company”, 1 sent out their first venture in the same year. Notes such as those drawn up by Hakluyt, contain precisely the information which would be required by men about to trade to the East; and when we look at the coinci¬ dence in the dates of the charter and the notes, we cannot but come to the conclusion that it was for the use of the East India Company that Hakluyt framed them. 2 We now turn to the discussion of Hakluyt’s first publication, the Divers Voyages touching the Discoverie of America. This work is of extreme rarity; when perfect it contains two maps, fac¬ similes of which are given with this edition. We are not aware of the existence of more than five copies of the book; and of these two only con¬ tain both the maps, and a third has one map. The two perfect copies are in the British Museum. One of these was acquired in the year 1841, at the sale of the library of the late Mr. George Chalmers, and is the most interesting of all, having the auto¬ graph signature of the author subscribed to the 1 This is now their legal title by the 3rd and 4th Wm. IV, c. 85, s. 111. 2 The Editor’s acknowledgments are due to Thomas Rundall, Esq. of the East India House, for his kindness in searching in the archives of the Company for evidence of these notes having been communicated to it. Memoranda of “ What the Indies do vent”, etc. were found by that gentleman, but not in such a form as to identify them with the “ Notes”. This want of success, however, can hardly be considered to affect the question. INTRODUCTION. XXXV11 “ Epistle Dedicatorie”, and of which signature a fac¬ simile is here given. The second is contained in the Grenville Collection. A third copy is in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford: this copy has only one map, that by Michael Lok. A fourth copy is in the possession of Mr. Edward A. Crowninshield, of Boston, with the maps supplied in fac-simile ; and the fifth is in the library of Mr. James Lennox, of New York, the maps being also supplied in fac-simile. 1 It may be said of this, as of every other work of J At a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, held in the month of March 1850, a copy of Michael Lok’s map was exhibited by Mr. Payne Collier, and a letter read, addressed by that gen¬ tleman to the president, comprising “ Some observations on Richard Hakluyt, and American discoveries.” Speaking of the “Divers Voyages”, Mr. Collier says: “ Another copy has come to light, from which the map before the society has been extracted for exhibition this evening ; and I apprehend that a third copy of the volume is preserved in the cabinet of a chary lover of old books, who was glad to obtain it at a high price, although it has not either of the maps that properly belong to it.” Unfortunately, the names of the lucky possessors, or supposed possessors of these copies, are not given by Mr. Collier. The map, so exhibited, makes the fourth known, and not, as Mr. Collier supposes, only the second. XXXV111 INTRODUCTION. which Hakluyt was either the author or promoter, that it had a direct and practical object. At the period when he commenced his geographical studies there was but one English book in existence present¬ ing even a limited view of maritime discovery; viz., Eden’s Historie of Travayle; and this was confined to a translation of four decades of Peter Martyr , of Oviedo’s History of the West Indies , and of extracts from various writers on geographical subjects, as Zi- glerus, Paulus Jovius, Haiton, Herberstein, and others. The English, in general, knew little of what had been accomplished by their own countrymen, and still less of the labours of foreigners. Merchant ad¬ venturers collected information for the purposes of their traffic, but they had no interest in making it public, and a gold-mine, or a galleon, was in general the real object of expeditions professing to aim at higher purposes. With this spirit pervading all classes, it is not surprising that Hakluyt should express him¬ self in the following language, in his epistle dedicatory to Sir Robert Cecil, prefixed to the English transla¬ tion of Galvam’s work: “Now if any man shall marvel that, in these discoveries of the world for the space almost of fower thousand yeeres here set downe, our nation is scarce fower times mentioned, he is to understand that when this author ended his discourse (which was about the yeere of grace 1555) there was little extant of men’s travailes. And for aught I can see there had no great matter yet come to light if my selfe had not undertaken that heavie burden, being never therein enter¬ tained to any purpose untill I had recourse unto yourselfe, by whose speciall favour and bountifull patronage I have INTRODUCTION. XXXIX been often much encouraged and as it were revived. Which travailes of our men, because as yet they be not come to ripenes, and have been made for the most part to places first discovered by others, when they shall come to more perfection and become more profitable to the adventurers, will then be more fit to be reduced into briefe epitomes by myselfe or some other endued with an honest zeale of the honor of our country.” And, again, in the preface to the first volume of the second edition of his General Collection, he says,— “ For the bringing of which into this homely and rough- hewn shape which here thou seest, what restlesse nights, what painefull dayes, what heat, what cold, I have endured; how many long and changeable journeys I have travailed; how many famous libraries I have searched into; what va- rietie of ancient and moderne writers I have perused; what a number of old records, patents, privileges, letters, etc., I have redeemed from obscuritie and perishing : into how ma¬ nifold acquaintance I have entred; what expenses I have not spared; and yet what faire opportunities of private game, preferment and ease I have neglected, albeit thyselfe canst hardly imagine, yet I by daily experience do finde and feele, and some of my entier friends can sufficiently testifie,” etc. At the period when this was written the history of travel was in truth to the English reader all but a blank, and it is not too much to say, that when our author wished to enlist the sympathies of his country¬ men in favour of his enlightened views for the moral and political improvement of the nation, he found few or no evidences to which he could point in support of his proposals. Hakluyt was an ardent advocate for emigration. But xl INTRODUCTION. emigration to the states of a foreign power would give strength to such power at the expense of England. In order to be beneficial it must be connected with a sound system of colonization ; and he naturally looked towards the vast continent of America as the only field upon which any such system could be carried out with effect. Here again he had to find information not only for the nation at large, but for those through * whom the accomplishment of his designs was to be effected. For this purpose he brought together va¬ rious accounts showing the discovery of the whole of the east coast of North America. The materials for this collection had to be gathered from various sources. One only was printed to his hand, viz. Ribault’s dis¬ covery of Florida, and this, he informs us, was so rare, that had he not reprinted it, it would have utterly perished. The rest were either in manuscript or printed in a foreign language. A very slight examina¬ tion of this little work will show that it is skilfully put together for the object in view. After a list of writers of geography and another of travellers, we have a short chapter showing the great probability of a pas¬ sage to India by the north-west. This is followed by the epistle dedicatorie to “ Master Phillip Sydney, Esquire,” in which the author explains his views upon many subjects: The letters patent granted by King Henry VII to John Cabot and his three sons for ex¬ ploring unknown regions: and, A note of Sebastian Cabot’s voyage to the coast of North America. We then have a declaration of the Indies and lands disco¬ vered unto the emperor and the king of Portugal, INTRODUCTION. xli written by Robert Thorne, and showing that the northern part of America remained for “ King Henrie the Eight to take in hande”; and The booke made by Master Robert Thorne, being an information of the parts of the world discovered by him [the Emperor Charles V] and the king of Portingale; and also of the way to the Moluccaes by the north. This is followed by the relation of John Yerazzani, in which he gives an account of his voyage of discovery along the eastern coast of America from about South Carolina to New¬ foundland. Then come the Discoverie of the Isles of Frisland, etc., made by Nicolas Zeno and his brother Antonio ; and The discovery of Florida by Captain John Ribault. Having thus given the reader the fullest particulars then known respecting the coast of America, he proceeds with notes given to Arthur Pett and Charles Jackman, sent bv the merchants of the Muscovy Company for the discovery of the north-east streight, “ not altogether unfit for some other enter¬ prises of discoverie hereafter to be taken in hande.” These notes are evidently framed with a view to com¬ mercial enterprise, but they are followed by “ Notes to bee given to one that prepared for a discoverie”, which are drawn up as instructions to colonists. The whole is wound up by the “ Names of certain commo¬ dities growing in part of America not presently inha¬ bited by any Christians from Florida northward”, containing a goodly list of objects available both for the necessaries and the luxuries of life. In a work so suggestive as this before us, it is dif¬ ficult to avoid the innumerable temptations to dis- g xlii INTRODUCTION. cursiveness which beset almost every page. Minute annotation would, however, be out of place in the present instance. No more notes, therefore, have been given than appeared to be necessary for the pro¬ per elucidation of the text, reserving for this Intro¬ duction such further remarks as might be desirable for the purpose of illustration. These will now be made, in as concise a form as possible, upon the several pieces, in the order in which they occur in the Collection. Our author commences with “The names of certaine late writers of Geographie, with the yeere wherein they wrote”, and “ The names of certaine late travay- lers, both by sea and by lande, which also for the most part have written of their owne travayles and voyages.” In order to make these lists really useful, the works of the respective authors should be enumerated. This deficiency it is now proposed to supply, giving in every instance the title of the first edition, where it could be ascertained. 1. Ismail Ibn Ali Abulfeda. The work which entitles him to a place in this list is named “ Taku- wimu 1-boldan” (i. e ., The description of the coun¬ tries), and is the most complete and best geographical work in Arabic. Portions have been published from time to time by European scholars, as follows: i. Descriptio Chorasmke et Mawaralnahrce [i.e., regionum extra Oxum). Arabice cum versione J. Gravii. Lon- dim, 1650. 4to. INTRODUCTION. xliii ii. Descriptio Peninsula; Arabise (printed with the Descriptio Chorasmic), Arab. Lat.; in vol. 3 of Geographic veteris Scriptores Grseci minores. [Edited by J. Hudson.] Oxo- nise, 1698-1712. 8vo. hi. Tabula Syrire, Arabice cum versione Latina et notis J. B. Koehler, et cum observationibus J. J. Reiskii. Lipsise, 1766. 4to. iy. Descriptio iEgypti, Arab. Lat. et cum notis J. D. Mi- chaelis. Goettingae, 1776. 8vo. v. Tabulae quaedam geographicae . . . nunc primum Arabice ed. F. T. Rinck. Lipsiae, 1791. 8vo. vi. Descriptio regionum Nigritarum, Arabice. Printed at the end of Makrizi, Historia Regum Islamiticorum in Abissinia . . . cum versione Latina E. T. Rinck. Lugduni Batavorum, 1790. 4to. 2. Sir John Mandeville. He wrote an account of his travels in the east. This work is said to have been composed originally in French in the year 1355, at Liege, to which place he had retired some years before his death. We give the titles of four editions (in as many languages), which were printed prior to the year 1500. Ce livre est eppelle madeville et fut fait et compose par monsieur jelian de mandeville chevallier natif dagleterre de la ville de saict alei. Et parle de la terre de promis¬ sion cest assavoir de Jerusalem et de pluseurs autres isles de mer et les diverses et estranges choses qui sont es dites isles. End. Cy tinist ce tresplaisant livre nome Mandeville....Et fut fait la 1480 le un jour davril. Fol. This is supposed by Brunet to be the first edition in any language. The first Italian edition is without title, but has the following colophon: xliv INTRODUCTION. Explicit Johannes 1 -i- ct (? fSw-'J- CrlX >*? t~b t\ry -m- * fl!> Srtttv' L *J ^ /^C^~ irr %Ar*’”••&"• t px X° yr /-<> *** a AcT" ^ n^C? &+t -CCc v&jot**r voJS^~ 'ThokS-j Y C &- C^y c (X Of INTRODUCTION. CXI amonge those eight w ch are here in this river of Lisbon. And in case that it fall out that the English army goe not for the Indies, and occupie it selfe in this kingdomc, because there bee English ships w ch will doe the one and the other, wee shall bee enforced to make another army for the safe conduct of the Indian fleete of twelve ships, fower pataclies, and fifteene hundred soldiers, beside ma¬ riners. “ A1 these things seeme unto me to bee necessarie for his ma ties service to bee prepared w th greate diligence and care, and to provide money needful for the same without preferringe the one before the other, but that al may bee don without omittinge of any parte. Yet I referre my- selfe wholely to better advice and riper judgment. Written in Lisbon the 26 of October, after the Spanish accomptc, 1585. THE ENDE. Translated out of Spanish by Richard Hakluyt, preacher. {Endorsed.) “ The opinion of Don Alvaro Ba^an, Marches of Santa Cruz, and late Admiral of Spayne, touching the army of Francis Drake, lying at the yles of Bayona, on the cost of Galizia, declaring what harme hee might doe in al the West Indies.” The document of which the above is a portion is printed entire in Hakluyt’s General Collection , voh iii, p. 532. Edit. 1600. DIVERS 'oyages touching the discouerie of America and the Hands adiacent vnto the same, made first of all by our Englishmen and afterwards by the French¬ men and, Britons . And certaine notes of adaertisements and obserua- tions, necessarie for such as shall heereafter make the like attempt. tfoo fHappeS amtepcti fycereunto for tfjc plainer untJerstanUing of tlje Indole matter. Imprinted at Lon- don for Thomas Woodcocke, dwelling in paides Church-Yard , at the signe of the blacke beare. 1582 . THE NAMES OF CERTAINE LATE WRITERS OF GEOGRAP1IIE, WITH THE YEERE WHEREIN THEY WROTE. The yeere of our Lorde. 1300. Abelfada Ismael, Prince of Syria, Persia, and Assyria. 1 1320. John Mandeuill, Englishman. 2 1500. Albertus Crantzins of Hambnrge. 3 1520. Peter Martyr, Millanoyse. 4 1525. Gonsaluo Ouiedo, Spaniarde. 5 1527. Robert Thorne, Englishman. 1530. Hieronymus Fracastor, Italian. 6 1539. Gemma Frisius. 7 1540. Antonie di Mendoza, Spaniard. 8 1541. Gerardus Mercator, Fleming. 9 1549. John Baptista Guicchardine, Florentine. 10 1553. John Baptista Ramusius, hee gathered many notable things. 11 1554. Sebastian Munster, Germane. 12 1554. Thomas Giunti, Venetian. 13 1555. Clement Adams, Englishman. 1555. Orontius Finseus, Frenchman. 14 (!) Ismail Ibn Ali Abulfeda, King of Hammah, in Syria, born in the year 1273. ( 2 ) Sir John Mandeville, born at St. Albans. ( 3 ) Albert Krantz, a native of Hamburg. ( 4 ) Pietro Martire Anghiera, born at Arona in 1455. ( 5 ) Gonsalvo Hernandez de Oviedo y Valdez, born at Madrid about 1478. ( 6 ) Girolamo Fracastoro, a native of Verona, born in the year 1483. ( 7 ) Reinerus Gemma, born at Dockum, in Friesland, in 1508. ( 8 ) Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of Mexico. ( 9 ) Gerard Mercator, born at Rupelmond, in 1512. ( 10 ) Giovanni Batista Guic¬ ciardini. ( n ) Giovanni Batista Ramusio, born at Venice in 1486. ( 12 ) Sebastian Munster, born at Ingelheim in 1489. ( 13 ) Tommaso Giunti, a celebrated printer at Venice. ( I4 ) Oronce Fine, born at Bri- 4 1564. Abraham Ortelius, Fleming. 15 1574. Hierome Osorius, Portingall. 16 1575. Andreas Theuet, Frenchman. 17 1575. Francis Belforest, Frenchman. 18 1576. Humfrey Gilbert Knight, Englishman. lr> 1577. Dionyse Settle, Englishman. 1578. George Beste, Englishman. 1580. Nicolas Chauncellor, Englishman. an^on in the year 1494. ( 15 ) Abram Ortel, a native of Antwerp, was born in the year 1527. ( 16 ) Jeronimo Osorio, born at Lisbon in 1506. ( 17 ) Andre Thevet, a native of Angouleme. ( 18 ) Francois Belleforest, born at Sarzan, near Samatan, in 1530. ( 19 ) Sir Humphrey Gilbert, born in Devonshire in 1539. THE NAMES OF CERTAINE LATE TRAUAYLERS, BOTH BY SEA AND BY LANDE, WHICH ALSO FOR THE MOST PART HAUE WRITTEN OF THEIR OWNE TRAUAYLES AND VOYAGES. The yere of our Lorde. 1178. Beniamin Tudelensis, a Iewe. 1 1270. Marcus Paulus, a Venetian. 2 1300. Harton, an Armenian. 3 1320. John Mandeuile Knight, Englishman. 1380. Nicolaus and Antonius Zeni, Venetians. 1444. Nicolaus Conti, Venetian. 1492. Christopher Columbus, a Genoway. 4 1497. Sebastian Gabot, an Englishman, the sonne of a Venetia. 5 1497. M. Thorne and Hugh Eleot of Bristowe, Englishmen. 1497. Vasques de Gama, a Portingale. 6 1500. Gasper Corterealis, a Portingale. 7 1516. Edoardus Barbosa, a Portingale. 8 1519. Fernandus Magalianes, a Portingale. 9 1530. John Barros, a Portingale.' 0 1534. Jaques Cartier, a Briton. 11 1540. Francis Vasques de Coronado, Spaniarde. 1542. John Gaeton, Spaniarde. 12 (’) Benjamin Ben Jona, born at Tudela in the first half of the twelfth century. ( 2 ) Marco Polo, a native of Venice. ( 3 ) Hatto, Hayto, Aitho- nus, Aythonus, Haithonus, or Aytonus, Prince of Gorigos, in Cilicia. ( 4 ) Cristoforo Colombo, a native of Genoa, born about the year 1447. ( 5 ) Sebastian Cabot, born at Bristol about the year 1467. ( 6 ) Vasco da Gama, born at Sines, in Portugal. ( 7 ) Gaspar Cortereal, born at Lisbon. ( 8 ) Duarte Barbosa, a native of Lisbon. ( 9 ) Fernando de Magalhaens. ( 10 ) Ioao de Barros, was born at Viseu, in Portugal, in the year 1496. ( n ) Jacques Cartier, born at St. Malo. ( 12 ) Juan Gaetano. 6 1549. Francis Xauier, a Portingale. 13 1553. HughWillowbie knight and Richard Chauncellor, Eng. 1554. Francis Galliano, a Portingale. 14 1556. Steuen and William Burros, Englishmen. 15 1562. Antonie Jenkinson, Englishman. 1562. John Ribault, a Frenchman. 1565. Andrewe Theuet, a Frenchman. 1576. Martin Frobisher, Englishman. 16 1578. Francis Drake, Englishman. 17 1580. Arthur Pet and Charles Jackma, Englishmen. 1582. Edwarde Fenton and Luke Warde, Englishmen. 1582. Humfrey Gilbert knight, Edward Heyes, and Antonie Brigham, Englishmen. ( 13 ) Francois Xavier, Saint, born at the Castle of Xavier, at the foot of the Pyrenees, in 1506. ( u ) The person here meant appears to be Antonio Galvam, Governor of the Moluccas, born in 1503 at Lisbon; or, according to Barbosa Machado, in the East Indies. ( 15 ) Stephen Burrough, born at Northam, in Devonshire, in 1525. ( 16 ) Sir Martin Frobisher, born at Doncaster. ( 17 ) Sir Francis Drake, born near Tavistock, in Devonshire, in 1545. 7 A YERIE LATE AND GREAT PROBABILITY OF A PASSAGE BY THE NORTH-WEST PART OF AMERICA IN FIFTY- EIGHT DEGREES OF NORTHERLY LATITUDE. An excellent learned man of Portingale, of singuler grauety, authorities and experience, tolde mee very lately, that one Anus Cortereal / Captayne of the yle of Tercera, about the yeere 1574, which is not aboue eight yeres past, sent a Sliippe to discouer the North-west passage of America, and that the same shippe arriuing on the coast of the saide America, in fiftie eyglite degrees of latitude, founde a great entrance ex¬ ceeding deepe and broade without all impediment of ice, into wliiche they passed aboue twentie leagues, and found it alwaies to trende towarde the South, the lande lying lowe and plaine on eyther side: And that they perswaded them selues verely that there was a way open into the south sea. But their victailes fay ling them, and being but one shippe, they returned backe agayne with ioy. This place seemeth to lie in equal degrees of latitude with the first entrance of the sounde of Denmark, betweene Norway and the head land, called in Latin Cimbrorum promontorium , 2 and therefore like to bee open and nauigable a great part of the yeere. And this report may be well annexed unto the other eight reasons mentioned in my epistle dedicatorie, for proofe of the likeli¬ hood of this passage by the north-west. 3 1 i.e., Ioaf>, or Ioannes. 2 Anglic I, the Skaw. 5 This statement is extremely vague. There can be no doubt but that the “ great entrance” mentioned in the text was Hudson’s Straits ; but, unfortunately, we have no further account of this expedition. It is, to say the least, singular, that the names of Gaspar Cortereal and his de¬ scendant or relative Anus (or Joannes), should be connected with two independent discoveries of this great inland sea, at the distance of nearly eighty years from each other. + TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL AND MOST VERTUOUS GENTLEMAN MASTER PHILLIP SYDNEY, ESQUIRE. I maruaile not a little (right worshipfull) that since the first discouerie of America (which is nowe full fourescore and tenne yeeres), after so great conquests and plantings of the Spaniardes and Portingales there, that wee of Englande could neuer haue the grace to set fast footing in such fertill and temperate places as are left as yetfvnpossessed of them. But again e,] when I consider that there is a time for all meiqj and see the Portingales ti me to he out of date , and that the nakednesse of the Spaniards and their long hidden secretes 1 are nowe at length espied, whereby they went about to delude the worlde, I conceiue great hope that [the time approchethj and nowe is, that we of England may share and p art s t akes (if wee will our selues), both with the spaniarde and the Portingale, in part of America and other regions, as yet vn- discouered. And surely if there were in vs that desire to aduaunce the honour of our countrie which ought to bee in euery good man, wee woulde not all this while haue foreslowne 2 the possessing of those landes, wliichc of equitie and right appertaine vnto vs, as by the discourses that followe shall appeare most plainely. Yea, if wee woulde beholde with the eye of pitie how al our Prisons are pestered and filled with able men I to serue their Countrie, which for small roberies are dayly hanged vp in great numbers, euen twentie at a clappe, out of one iayle (as was seene at the last assizes at Rochester),(wee 1 By “ hidden secretes”, it is presumed that the author alludes to the false pretence of religion used by the Spaniards as a cloak for their cruel oppression of the Indians; or, as he expresses it in a subsequent passage, “ pretending to convert infidels, but seeking their goods.” 2 Foreslowne—Forborne, in the sense of neglected. THE EPISTLE DEDICATOR!E. 9 woulde hasten and further euery man to his power the de¬ ducting 1 of some Colonies of onr superfluous people into those temperate and fertile partes of America, which, being within sixe weekes sayling of England, are yet vn possessed by any Ch ristian s : and seeme to offer themselues vnto vs, stretching neerer vnto lier Majesties Dominions then to any other part of Europe. [ W ee reade that the Bees whe* they grow to he too many in their own hiues at home, are wont to bee led out by their Captaines to swarme abroad and seeke them¬ selues a new dwelling placeA If the examples of the Gre¬ cians and Cart haginian s of olde time and the practise of our age may not mooue vs, yet let vs learne wisdo me of t hese smal weake and vnreasonable creatures. It chaunced very lately that vpon occasion I had great conference in matters of Cos- mographie with/an excellent learned man of Portingale^ most priuie to all the discoueries of his nation, who wondered that those blessed countries from the point of Florida North¬ ward were all this whileVvnplanted by Christi ans, ( protesting with great affection and zeale, that if hee were nowe as young as I (for at this present hee is threescore yeeres of age) lie^lyoulde sel all hee had, being a man of no small wealth and honour, to furnish a conuenient number of ships to sea for the inhabiting of those countries, and reducing those gentile people to cliristianitie^ Moreouer, hee added, that John Barros, their chiefe Cosmographer, being moued with the like desire, was the cause that Bresilia was first inhabited by the Portingales : 2 where they haue nine baronies or lord- 1 Deducting, i. e., conveying. 2 This statement must be received with caution. The coast of Brazil was discovered by Vicente Yanez Pinzon, in the year 1499, and posses¬ sion taken for the crown of Portugal by Pedro Alvarez Cabral in 1500. The first settlement was made as early as the year 1503, by Amerigo Vespucci. Joao de Barros, who was not born until the year 1496, held successively the offices of Captain or Governor of Fort St. George da Mina, Treasurer of the Colonial Department, and Factor or Agent- General for the Colonial Possessions of Portugal in India and Africa. C The speech of a learned Portingale. Master John Barros, the causer ofthe inhabiting of Bresilia. 10 THE EPISTLE ships, and thirtie engennies or snger milles, two or three hundred slanes belonging to eche myll, with a Indge and other officers and a Church: so that euery mill is as it were a little common wealth: and that the countrie was first planted by such men as for s mall offences we re saued from the rope. 1 This liee spake not onely vnto mee and in my hearing, but also in the presence of a friend of mine, a m^in of great skill in the Mathematikes. J If this mans desire might bee exe¬ cuted, wee might not only for the present time take posses¬ sion of that good land, but also, in short space, by Gocks grace, finde out that sliorte and easie passage by the North- About 1539 he obtained the Captaincy (or in other words a grant) of a district in the Brazils called Maranham, but that was ten years after the attention of the Portuguese government had been steadily directed towards the colonization of the Brazils, and the system of dividing the country into captaincies had been adopted. His great work, the Decads, was not published until the year 1553, and these contained the history of the East and not of the West Indies. It appears, therefore, that neither his official nor his historical labours pointed towards the American continent ; and although he may have influenced the movements of his government in this respect, there is no evidence on record to support the broad assertion contained in the text.—See Barbosa Machado, Bibliotheca Lusitana. —Southey’s History of the Brazils , part i, page 32-48. 1 The Portuguese and Spaniards, but particularly the former, set the example to modern Europe of transporting criminals to their colonies. The first legislative enactment in England, upon the subject of transport¬ ation, was the statute 39 Eliz. c. 4, by the fourth section of which it was enacted—that u if any rogues shall appear to be dangerous to the inferior sort of people, i p2 v/ DEDICATORIE. 11 west, which wc haue hetherto so long desired, and whereof wee haue'many good and more then probable coniectures/: a fewe whereof I thinke it not amisse hcere to set downe, although your worship knowe them as well as my selfe. Firstj therefore, it is not to be forgotten that Sebastian Gabot wrote to Master Baptista Ramusius, that he veryly beleeued that all the north part of America is dinided into Ilandcs. 1 Secondly^that master John Yerazanns, which had been thrise on that coast, in an olde excellent mappe which he gaue to King Henrie the eight, and is yet in the custodie of master Locke, doth so lay it ont as it is to bee seene in the mappe annexed to the end of this boke, beeing made according to Verazanus plat. Thirdly, the story of Gil Gonsalua, recorded by Franciscus Lopes de Gomara, which is saide to haue sought a passage by the Northwest, seemeth to argue and proue the same. 2 | Fourthly in the second relation of Iaques Cartier, the 12 chapter, the people of Saguinay doe testifie that vpon their coastes Westwarde there is a sea, the ende whereof is vnlmowne vnto them. 3 iftlyJin the end of that discourse is added this, as a special remembrance, to wit, that they of Canada say that it is a monethes space t o saile to a lande where cinamon and cloues are growing. 4 Sixtly, the people of Florida signified vnto 1 Ramusio, Navigationi , vol. iii, Preface, p. 6. 2 For the passage referred to in the text, see Lopez de Gomara, His- toria general de las Indias , fol. 258. Anvers, 1554, 12°. 3 The following is the passage referred to in the text: “We understood of Donnacona and of others, that the said river is called the River ot Saguenay . . . and that beyond Saguenay the said river entereth into two or three great lakes, and that there is a sea of fresh water found ; and as they have heard say of those of Saguenay, there was never man heard of that found out the end thereof : for as they told us, they themselves were never there.”— Hakluyt , vol. iii, p. 225. The river here meant is the St. Lawrence ; and the lakes and sea, Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michi¬ gan, and Lake Superior. 4 Hakluyt, vol. iii, p. 232. This statement is far too vague to admit of any conjecture as to the land meant. * I^ * 12 THE EPISTLE John Ribault (as it is expressed in his discourse lieere with all imprinted), that they might saile from the Riuer of May vnto Ceuola and the south sea through their countrie within twentie dayes. j Seuenth ly, the experience of captain Fro¬ bisher 1 on the hyther side, and Sir Fraunces Drake on the back side of America, 2 with the testimonie of Nicolaus and Anthonius Zeni, that Estotilanda is an Ilande, 3 doth yeelde no small hope thereof. Lastly, the judgement of the ex¬ cellent Geographer Gerardus Mercator, which his sonne, 1 Frobisher made three voyages in search of a north-west passage : the first in the year 1576, and the second and third in the two following years. On each occasion he penetrated far enough to excite hopes of ultimate success ; but not so far as to meet with any of those discou¬ raging circumstances which at a later period checked the spirit of adven¬ ture in this quarter, and it is to be hoped will at length be allowed their due weight in determining how far it is expedient to risk the lives of brave men in solving a geographical problem,—the explanation of which, however complete, can lead to no practical result. In the first voyage those straits were discovered which have since borne Frobisher’s name : “ He entered”, the account says, “ the same the one and twentieth of July, and passed above fifty leagues therein . . having upon either hand a great maine or continent.”— Hakluyt , vol. iii, p. 58. In the third voyage, the ships missed Frobisher’s Straits, and bearing to the south of Queen Elizabeth’s Foreland, entered Hudson’s Straits by mistake,—“of Avhich mistaken straights, considering the circumstance, we have great cause to confirm our opinion, to like and hope well of the passage in this place. For the foresaid bay or sea, the further we sailed therein, the wider we found it, with great likelihood of endless continuance.”— lb. vol. iii, p. 80. 2 The voyage of Drake, in which he discovered and took possession of California, under the name of New Albion, was performed in the years 1577-80. There is no circumstance connected with this voyage calcu¬ lated to raise hopes of the practicability of the north-west passage, beyond the fact, that Drake sailed as high as the forty-eighth degree of north latitude, with the bold design of returning home by a north-east passage, and still found an open sea before him : at this point, however, the suffer¬ ings of his men from cold obliged him to turn southwards again. It is worthy of notice, that in the description of New Albion, contained in the account of this voyage, the following passage occurs : “ There is no part of earth here to be taken up wherein there is not some probable show of gold or silver.”— Hakluyt , vol. iii, p. 730. 3 S zepost, under “ The Discoverie of the Isles of Frisland, Iseland,” etc. DEDICATORIE. 13 ltumold Mercator, my friende, shewed mee in his letters, and The iudge drewe out for mee in writing, is not of wise men lightly to ^ l " s 0 J I a er * be regarded. His words are these— Magna tametsi pauca SSEth- de nona Frobisheri nauigationc scribis, quam miror ante multos annos no fuisse attentatam. Non enim dubium est, quin recta et breuis via pateat in occidentem Cathaium vsq;. In quod regnu , si recte nauigationem instituant, nobilissimas totius mundi merces colligent et multis Gentibus adhuc idololatris Christi nomen communicabunt. You write (saith hee to his sonne) great matters, though very briefly, of the new dis- couerie of Frobisher, which I wonder was neuer these many yeeres heretofore attempted. For there is no doubt but that there is a straight and sho rt way open into the W est, euen vnto Cathay. Into which kingdome, if they take their course aright, they shall gather the most noble merchandise of all the worlde, and shall make the name of Christ to bee knowne vnto many idolatrous and Heathen people. And lieere, to conclude and shut vp this matter, I haue hearde my selfe of Merchants of credite, that have liued long in Spaine, that King A lawe Phillip hath made a lawe of late that none of his subiectes madeofiate A . by King shall discouer to the Northwardes of flue and fortie degrees of PhlUl i } - America : whiche may bee thought to proceede chiefly of two causes, the one, least passing farther to the North they should discover the open passage from the south sea to our north sea: the other, because they haue not people enough to possesse and keepe that passage, but rather thereby shoulde open a gappe for other nations to passe that way. Certes, i f hetherto in our own e discouerics we had not beene led with a prepostero us desire of seeking rather gam e then G od^ glorieTKassurc my self that our labours had taken farre better effecte. But wee forgotte that Godlinesse is great riches, and that if we first seeke the kingdome of God all other thinges will be giuen vnto vs, and that as the light ac- companieth the Sunnc, and the lieate the fire, so lasting riches do waite vpon them that are zealous for the aduauncement 14 THE EPISTLE The co’trac- tatio’ house at Siuilh of the kingdome of Christ and the enlargement of his glori¬ ous Gospel!: as it is sayde, I wili h onour them that honour mee. ^ I truste that nowe, being taught by their manifolde losses, our men will take a more godly course, and vse some part of their goods to his glorie : if not, he will turne euen their couetousnes to serue him, as he hath done the pride and auarice of the Spaniards and Portingales, who, pretend¬ ing in glorious words that they made their discoueries chiefly to conuert Infidelles to our most holy faith (as they say) in deed and truth, sought not t hem but their goods and ri ches. Whiclie thing, that our nation may more speedily and happily performe, there is no better meane, in my simple iudgemet, then the increase of knowledge in the arte of nauigation and breading of skilfulnesse in the sea men: whiche Charles the Emperour, and the king of Spaine that nowe is, wisely consi¬ dering, haue in their Contractation house 1 in Siuill, appointed a learned reader of the sayde art of Nauigation, and ioyned with him certayne examiners, and haue distinguished the orders among the sea men, as the groomet, whiche is the basest degree, the marriner, which is the seconde, the master the thirde, and the pilot the fourth, vnto the which two last degrees none is admitted without hee haue heard the reader for a certaine space (which is commonly an excellent Mathematician, of which number were Pedro di Medina, 2 which writte learnedly of the art of nauigation, and Alonso di Chauez 3 and Hieronimus di Chauez, whose works likewise 1 Contractation-house, i. e., the house in which agreements are made for the promotion of trade—the Exchange. 2 Pedro de Medina, born at Seville. He wrote— 1 , Arte de Navegcir , Seville, 1545, fol. 2, Regimiento de Navegacion, Seville, 1563, 4to. 3, Libro de las Grandezas y Cosas memorables de Espana , Seville, 1543, fol. 4, Chronica breve de Espana , Seville, 1548. 5, Chronica de los Duques de Medina Sidonia , MS. 6, Dialogos de la Verdad sobre la Conversion del Pecador , Valladolid, 1545, fol. 7, Tabula Hispanice Geographica ; used bj Ortelius, in his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. 3 Alonso de Chaves was a Spanish cosmographer, and one of the exa¬ miners of pilots (Herrera, Historia general de los Ilechos de los Castellanos DEDICATORIE. 15 I liauc seene), * 1 and being founde fitte by him and his assis¬ tants, which are to examine matters touching experience, they are admitted with as great solemnitie and giuing of pre¬ sents to the ancient masters and Pilots, and the reader and examiners, as the great doctors i n the Yniuersities, or our great Sergeant es at the law when they proceed, and so are admitted to take ch arge for the Indies. And that your wor- sliippe may knowe that this is true, Master Steven Borrows, 2 m. steuen nowe one of the foure masters of the Queene's nauie, tolde me that, newely after his returne from the discouery of Mos- couie by the North in Queene Maries daies, the Spaniards hauing intelligence that he was master in that discouerie, tooke him into their cotractation house at their making and en las Isles y Tierra Firme del Mar Oceano , Dec. in, p. 219; iv, p. 30), but we cannot find any account of bis works. 1 Geromino de Chaves, a native of Seville. His works are— 1 , Tratado de la Fsfera, que compuso el doctor Juan de Sacrobusto, con muchas adi- ciones, traducido con escolios y figuras, Seville, 1545, 4to. 2, Chronogra- phia o Repertorio de los Tiempos, Seville, 1554, 4to. 3, He was also the author of two maps : one of America, which was never published ; and the other of Seville and its territory, which was used by Ortelius, in his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. 2 The following inscription occurs on a monumental brass, in the middle aisle of Chatham Church, and is here given from a rubbing, with which we have been favoured by William Thomas Wright, Esq., of Gravesend:—“Here lieth buried the bodie of Steuen Borough, who departed this life ye xijth of July, in ye yere of our Lord 1584, and was borne at Northam, in Deuonshire, ye xxvth of Septemb’, 1525. He in his life-time discouered Muscouia, by the Northerne sea passage to St. Nicholas, in the yere 1553. At his settinge foorth of England, he was accompanied with two other shippes, Sir Hugh Willobie beinge Admirall of the fleete, who, with all the Company of ye said two shippes, were frosen to death in Lappia ye same winter. After his discouerie of Roosia, and ye Coastes there to adioyninge—to wit, Lappia, Nova Zemla, and the Cun trie of Samoyeda, etc. : hee frequented ye trade to St. Nicholas yearlie, as chiefe pilot for ye voyage, untill he was chosen for one of ye fowre principall Masters in ordinarie of ye Queen’s Ma tiss royall Navy, where in he continued beinge imployed as occasion required, in charge of sundrie sea seruises, till time of his death.” This inscription is printed in the Registrum Rofense , p. 731. THE EPISTLE 0 A lecture of the art of nauigatio’ necessarie for to be erected in London. / The bounti- full offer of Sir Fra’cis Drake to¬ ward fur¬ thering the art of Naui- gation. lfj -b Ct*j . admitting of masters and pilots, giuing him great honour, and presented him with a payre of perfumed gloues, woorth hue or six Ducates. I speake all this to this ende, that the like order of erecting such a Lecture here in London, or about Ratcliffe, in some conuenient place, were a matter of great consequence and importance for the sauing of many mens lines and goods, which nowe, through grosse ignorance, are dayly in great liazerd, to the no small detriment of the whole realmedjf For whiche cause I haue dealt with the right worsliipfull sir Frances Drake, that seeing God hath blessed him so wonderfully, he woulde do this honour to him selfe and benefite to his countrey, to bee at the cost to erect such a lecture : Whereunto, in most bountifull maner, at the verie first, he answered, that he liked so well of the motion, that he would giue twentie poundes by the yeere standing, and twentie poundes more before hand to a learned man, to fur¬ nish him with instruments and maps, that woulde take this thing vpon him: yea, so readie he was, that he earnestly re¬ quested mee to lielpe him to the notice of a fitte man for that purpose, which I, for the zeale I bare to this good actio*, did presently, and brought him one, who came vnto him and con¬ ferred with him thereupon : but in fine he would not vnder- take the lecture vnless he might haue fourtie pounde a yeere 1 In the course of nearly three hundred years, but little improvement, if any, appears to have been effected in this respect. In the year 1848, certain papers relating to the commercial marine of Great Britain were presented to both Houses of Parliament: they consist of answers addressed to Mr. Murray, of the Foreign Office, in reply to queries submitted to several of the British Consuls abroad—having a particular reference to the character and conduct of British shipmasters and seamen. Two sen¬ tences from these documents will suffice to show how closely the present state of things resembles that against which Hakluyt so strongly pro¬ tests :—“ There is no system of regular education for the merchant ser¬ vice of Great Britain ; but in foreign countries this is much attended to” (page 1). Again :—“ Is it justifiable, that the lives of thousands of persons should be jeoparded, because shipowners have a right to place incompetent persons in charge of vessels?” (page 142). DEDICATORTE. 17 standing, and so the matter ceased for that time: howebeit, the worthie and good Knight remaineth still constant, and will be, as he told me very lately, as good as his worde. No we,- if God slioulde put into the head of any noble man to contribute other twentie pounde to make this lecture a competent liuing for a learned man, the whole realme no doubt might reape no small benefite thereby. To leave this y matter and to drawe to an ende I haue heare, right worship - full, in this hastie worke first put downe the title which we haue to that part of America which is from Florida to 67 de¬ grees northwarde by the IetterF"pafentes graunted to Iohn d Gabote and his three sonnes, Lewes, Sebastian,’ and Santias, Idnn.T with Sebastians owne Certificate to Baptista Ramusius of his discouerie of America, and the testimonie of Fabian, our own Chronicler. Next, I have caused to bee added the letters of Mr. Robert Thorne to King Henrie the eight, and lhs dis¬ course to his Ambassadour, doctor Ley, in Spaine, of the like argument, with the Kings setting out of two ships for dis¬ couerie in the 19 yere of his raigne. The* I have translated the voyage of Iohn Verarzanus from thirtie degrees to Cape Briton (and the last yeere, at my charges and other of my - '' friendes, by my exhortation, I caused laques Cartiers two c voyages of discouering the grand Bay, and Canada, Sagui- ' f nay, and Ilochelaga, to bee translated out of my Volumes, which are to be annexed to this present translation). More—- ouer, following the order of the map, and not the course of time, I have put downe the discourse of Nicliolaus and An¬ tonins Zenie. The last treatise of Iohn Ribault is a thing that hath been alreadie printed, but not nowe to be had, vnlesse I had caused it to be printed againe. 1 The mappe is 1 The title of the first edition of this treatise is “ The whole and true discouerye of Terra Florida, (englished the Florishing lande) Conteyning aswell the wonderfull straunge natures and maners of the people, with the merueylous commodities and treasures of the country : As also the plesaunt Portes, Hauens and wayes therevnto. Neuer founde out before the last yere 1562. Written in Frenche by Captaine Ribauld, the fyrst D 18 THE EPISTLE DEMCATORIE. master Michael Lockes, a man, for his knowledge in diuers languages, and especially in Cosmographie, able to doe his countrey good, and worthie, in my iudgment, for the mani- folde good partes in him, of good reputation and better for¬ tune. This cursorie pamphlet I am ouer bold to present vnto your worshippe : but I had rather want a litle discretion then to bee founde vnthankful to him which hath been alwaies so readie to pleasure me and all my name. Heere I cease, crauing pardon for my ouer boldnesse, trusting also that your worshippe will continue and increase your accustomed fauour to- warde these godly and honourable discoueries. 0 . . Your worshipped humble alwayes to commaunde. R. H. that wholly e discouered the same. And no we newly set forthe in Eng- lishe the xxx of May. 1563. Prynted at London by Rouland Hall for Thomas Hacket.” A copy is in the general library of the British Museum, but the work is of great rarity. 19 A LATINE COPIE OF THE LETTERS PATENTES OF KING HENRIE THE SEVENTH, GRAUNTED vnto Iolm Gahote and his three Sonnes, Lewes, Sebastian, and Santius, for the disconering of newe and vnknowen Landes. Henricus dei gratia rex Anglice et Francice et dominus hiber- nice, omnibus ad quos prcesentes literce nostrce peruenerint, salu- tem , Notum sit et manifestum: quod dedimus et concessimus, ac per prcesentes damns et concedimus pro nobis et hceredibus nos - tris dilectis nobis Ioanni Gaboto ciui Veneciarum, Lodouico, Sebastiano et Santio, filiis dicti Ioannis, et eorum et cumslibet eorum hceredibus et deputatis , plenam ac liberam authoritate facultatem et potestatem nauigandi ad ornnes partes, regiones et sinus maris orientalis, occidentalis, et septentrionalis, sub banneris, vexillis et insigniis nostris, cum quinque nauibus siue nauigijs cuiuscunque portiturce et qualitatis existant et cum tot et tantis nautis et hominibus quot et quantos in dictis nauibus secum ducere voluerint, suis et eorum propriis sumptibus et ex- pensis ad inueniendum, discoperiendum et inuestigandum quas- cunque insulas, patrias, regiones siue prouincias gentilium et infidelium quorumcunque in quacunqueparte mundi posit as, quce Christianis omnibus ante hcec tempora fuerint incognitce. Con¬ cessimus etiam eisdem et eorum cuilibet eorumque et cuiuslibet eorum hceredibus et deputatis ac licentiam dedimus ad affigen- dum prcedictas banneras nostras et insignia in quacunque villa, oppido, castro, insula sen terra firma a se nouiter inuentis. Et quod prcenominatus Ioannes et filii eiusdem seu hceredes et eorundem deputati quascunq; huiusmodi villas, castra, oppida et insulas a se inuentas quce subiugari, occupari, possideri pos- sint, subiugare, occupare, possulere valedt tanqud vasalli nostri et gubernatores, locatenentes et deputati, eorundem dominium, 20 LETTERS PATENTES. titulum et iurisdictionem earundem villarum, castrorum, oppi- dorum, insularum, ac terra firmce sic inuentorum nobis acqui- rendo. It a tamen vt ex omnibus fructibus, proficuis, emolu¬ ment is, commodis, lucris, et obuentionibus ex huiusmodi naui- gatione prouenientibus, prafatus Ioannes et fitii ac hceredes, et eorum deputati tenedtur et sint obligati nobis pro omni viagio suo, toties quoties ad portu nostril Bristollia applicuerint fad quern omnino applicare tenedtur et sint astricti) deductis omni¬ bus suptibus et impensis necessariis per eosdem factis, quintam partem capitalis lucri facti, siue in mercibus siue in pecuniis persoluere. Dantes nos et concedetes eisde suisq: hceredibus et deputatis, vt ab omni solutione custumarum omniu et singu- lorum bonorum ac mercium, quas secum reportarint ab illis locis sic nouiter inuentis, liberi sint et immunes. Et insuper dedimus et concessimus eisdem ac suis lueredibus et deputatis, quod terra omnes firmce, insulae, villa, oppida, castra et loca quacunq; a se inuenta, quot-quot ab eis inueniri contigerit, non possint ab aliis quibusuis nostris subditis frequentari seu visi- tari, absq: licentia pradictorum loannis et eius filiorum suo- rumq; deputatorum, sub poena amissionis ta nauium, quam bonorum omniu quorumcunq; ad ea loca sic inuenta nauigare prasuentiu. Volentes et strictissime mandantes omnibus et sin¬ gulis nostris subditis tarn in terra quam in mari constitutis, vt prafato loanni et eius filiis, ac deputatis, bond assistentiam faciant et tam , in armandis nauibus seu nauigiis, quam in pro - uisione quietatus et victualium pro sua pecunia emendorum, atq: aliarum omnium rerum sibi prouidendarum pro dicta nauiga- tione sumenda, suos omnes fauores et auxilia impertiant. In , cuius rei testimonium has liter as nostras fieri fecimus patentes : teste me ipso apud Westmonasteriu quinto die Martii, anno regni nostri vnclecimo. 91 X THE SAME LETTERS PATENTS IN ENGLISH. Henrie, by tlie grace of Gocl, king of England and France, and Lorde of Irelande, to all, to whom these presentes shall come, greeting. Be it knowen, that we haue giuen and granted, and by these presentes doe gine and grant for ns and our heyres, to our well beloued John Gabote, citizen of Venice, to Lewes, Sebastian, and Santius, sonnes of the saide John, and to the heires of them and euery of them, and their deputies, full and free authoritie, leaue, and power, to sayle to all partes, countreys, and seas, of the East, of the West, and of the North, under our banners and ensignes, with hue ships W e ™j e to of what burden or quantitie soeuer they be: and as many hi?sonneL ot mariners or men as they will haue with them in the saide to discouer . vnknowen ships, upon their owne proper costes and charges, to seeke lands vnder out,fdiscouer,jand finde, whatsoeuerjl es, countreyes, regions banner - or prouinces, of the heathen and infidelles, whatsoeuer they bee, and in what part of the worlde soeuer they be, whiche before this time haue been vnknowen to all Christians. We haue granted to them also, and to euery of them, the heires of them, and euery of them, and their deputies, and haue giuen them licence to set up our banners and ensignes in euery village, towne, castel, yle, or maine lande, of them newely founde. And that the foresaid John and his sonnes, or their heires and assignes, may subd ue, occu pie, and _pos- sesseThose sesse, all such townes, cities, c astle s, and yles, of them founde, the kings ^ --- --—- - ' ~ — ■ -—•— vassalles. which they can subdue, occupie, and possesse, as our vas- sailes and lieufenahtes, get tin g vnto vs the rule, title, and iurisdiction of the same villages, townes, castles, and firme lande so founde. Yet, so that the foresaide John and his sonnes and heires, and their Deputies, bee holden and bounden of all the fruites, profites, games, and commodities, growing of such nauigation, for euery their voyage, as often as they shall arriue at our port of Bristoll (at the which port they shall be bounde and holden only to arriue), all manner of To subdue 22 LETTERS PiTENTES. The fift of all goods to be paid to the king. Freedome from all customes. None but they and their assig- nes may trauaile thither. The 5 of March 1594. necessarie costes and charges by them made being deducted, to pay vnto us in wares or money the fifth part of the Capi- tall gaine so gotten. Wee giuing and graunting vnto them and to their heires and Deputies, that they shall bee free from all paying of customes of all and singuler such merchandize as they shall bring with them from those places so newely founde. And, moreouer, wee haue giuen and graunted to them, their heires and Deputies, that all the firme landes, lies. Vil¬ lages, Townes, Castles, and places, whatsoeuer they he, that they shall chaunce to finde, may not of any other of our sub- iectes bee frequented or visited without the licence of the foresayd John, his sonnes, and their deputies, under paine of . forfayture as well of their shippes as of all and singuler goods of all them that shall presume to sayle to those places so founde. Willing and most straightly commaunding all and singuler our subiectes, as well on lande as on sea, ap¬ pointed officers, to giue good assistace to the aforesaid John and his sonnes and deputies, and that as well in arming and furnishing their ships or vessels, as in prouision of quiet- nesse, and in buying of victualles for their money, and all other thinges by them to be prouided, necessarie for the saide nauigation, they doe giue them all their helpe and fauour. In witnesse whereof, wee have caused to bee made these our letters patentes. Witnesse our selfe at Westmin¬ ster, the fifte day of March, in the xi yeere of our reigne. A NOTE OF SEBASTIAN GABOTES -.VOYAGE OF Discoueriejtaken out of an old Chronicle, written by Robert Fabian, sometime Alderman of London, which is in the custodie of John Stowe, Citizen, a diligent searcher and presenter of Antiquities. This yeere the King (by meanes of a Venetian, whiche made in the 13 liimselfe very expert and cunning in knoweledge of the cir- Henrie the^ J r ° & VII. 149S. cuite of the worlde and Ilandes of the same as by a Carde and other demonstrations reasonable hee shewed), caused to man and victuall a shippe at Bristowe, to search for an Ilande, Note, whiche hee saide hee knewe well was riche and replenished with riche commodities. Which Ship, thus manned and vic¬ tualed at the kinges cost, diuers merchants of London ven¬ tured in her small stockes, being in her as chiefe Patrone the saide Venetian. And in the companie of the saide shippe sayled also out of Bristowe three or foure small ships fraught Bristow - with sleight and grosse merchandizes, as course cloth, Caps, Laces, points, and other trifles, and so departed from Bris¬ towe in the beginning of May: of whom in this Maiors time returned no tidings. London.' sa- Of three sauage men which hee brought home and presented vnto the king in the xvn yeere of his raigne. This yeere also were brought vnto the king three men. Three taken in the new founde Hand, 1 that before I spake of in brought into England. William Purchas time, being Maior. These were clothed in beastes skinnes, and ate rawe fleshe, and spake such speech Rawe flesh, that no man coulde understand them, and in their demea- skins, nour like to bruite beastes, whom the king kept a time after. 1 Hands.—Stowe, Annals, p. 485. Edit. 1615. Sebastian Gabots letters to Kamusius. 24 SEBASTIAN GABOTES VOYAGE. Of the which vpon two yeeres past after I saw two apparelled after the maner of Englishmen, in Westminster pallace, which at that time I coulde not diseerne from Englishemen, till I was learned what they were. Bnt as for speech, I heard none of them vtter one worde. ] John Baptista Ramusius, in his preface to the thirde volume of the nauigations, 1 writeth thus of Sebastian Gabot :— In the latter part of this volume are put certaine relations of John de Verarzana, a Florentine, and of a great Captaine 2 a Frenchman, and the two voyages of Jaques Cartier, a Briton , 3 who sailed vnto the lande set in fiftie degrees of latitude to the north, which is called New France : and the which landes hitherto it is not throughly knowne whether they doe ioyne with the firme lande of Florida and Nona Hispania, or whether they be separated and dinided all by the Sea as Hands: and whether that by that way one may goe by Sea vnto the countrie of Cathaio : 4 as many yeeres past it was written vnto me by Sebastian Gaboto, our countrie man Vene¬ tian, a man of great experience, and very rare in the art of 1 Page 6. Edit. 1565. 2 The title of this piece is as follows :—“Discorso d’un gran capitano di mare Francese del luoco di Dieppa sopra le navigationi fatte alia terra nuova dell’ Indie occidental^ chiamata la nuova Francia, da gradi 40 fino a gradi 47 sotto il polo artico, e sopra la terra del Brasil, Guinea, Isola di San Lorenzo e quella di Summatra, fino alle quali hanno navigato le caravelle e navi Francesi.” Who the great captain may have been does not appear. 3 i. e., from Brittany. 4 Cathaia, or Cathay, has been mentioned by writers as a great kingdom, as early as the thirteenth century : it is not easy, however, to ascertain what district was comprised under this appellation. The locality was the north of China ; but the notions of the early cosmographers appear to have beeu far from definite upon the subject.—See a learned dissertation, by Andreas Muller, entitled Disquisitio Geographica et Ilis- torica de Ckataja, in which he discusses “ Qumnam Chataja sit, et an sit idem ille terrarum tractus quern Sinas et vulgo Chinam vocant, aut pars ejus aliqua'F’ Berolini, 1671, 4to. SEBASTIAN GABOTES VOYAGE. 25 Nanigation and the knowledge of Cosmographie: who sayled along and beyonde this lande of Newe Fraunce, at the charges of King Henrie the seuenth, king of Englande. And hee tolde mee, that haning sayled a long time West and by North beyonde these Ilandes vnto the latitude of 67 degrees and an halfe under the North Pole, and at the 11 day of June, find¬ ing still the open Sea without any manner of impediment, hee thought verily by that way to haue passed on still the way to Cathaio, which is in the East, and woulde haue done it, if the mutinie of the shipmaster and marriners had not rebelled, and made him to returne homewardes from that place. 1 But it seemeth that God doth yet still reserue this great enterprise for some great Prince to discouer this voyage of Cathaio by this way; which for the bringing of the spiceries from India into Europe were the most easie and shortest of all other wayes hetherto founde out. And, surely, this en¬ terprise woulde hee the most glorious, and of most impor¬ tance of all other, that can he imagined, to make his name great, and fame immortall, to all ages to come, farre more then can be done by any of all these great troubles and He calleth them Hands. Sebastion Gabot might haue sailed to Cathaio. This voyage to Cathay reserued hy God for some great Prince. This way the shortest of all others. This disco- uery were a most glori¬ ous ente- prise. 1 There is much contradictory evidence, and of an early date, as to the degree of north latitude actually reached by S. Cabot; and the natural consequence has been great discrepancy in the statements of later writers, according as they have followed one or other of the earlier authorities. The doubt is, whether he stopped short at 56 degrees, or had penetrated as high as 67, when compelled to turn back by the mutinous fears of his crew. There is a strong presumption in favour of his having actually discovered Hudson’s Straits, and gained the 67th degree through Fox’s Channel.—See Ramusio, Navigationi , vol, i, fol. 402. Edit. 1550. Id. vol. iii, fol. 417. Edit. 1565 ; the various statements in Hakluyt’s PrincipaU Navigations , vol. iii, p. 6-9, 25, 26. Edit. 1600; vol. iv, p. 417. Edit. 1811 ; Gomara, Historia general de las Indias, fol. 31. Edit. 1554 ; and also the Memoir of iS. Cabot , by Biddle, where the subject will be found discussed at considerable length. It is to be regretted that this gentleman has not been as careful in the arrangement of the very valuable materials he has brought together, as he has been diligent in the collec¬ tion of them: we can rarely be certain that we have got all the informa¬ tion contained in his book upon any given subject. E 2G SEBASTIAN GABOTES VOYAGE. William Worthing¬ ton, Pen¬ sioner. warres, which dayly are vsed in Europe among the miserable Christian people. This much concerning Sebastion Gabotes discouerie may suffice for a present cast: hut shortly, God willing, shall come out in print, all his owne mappes and discourses, drawne and written by himselfe, 1 which are in the custodie of the worshipfull master Willia Worthington, 2 one of her Maiesties Pensioners, who (because so worthie monumentes shoulde not be buried in perpetuall obliuion) is very willing to suffer them to be ouerseene and published in as good order as may bee, to the encouragement and benefite of our Countriemen. 1 Cabot’s Maps and Discourses were never printed. See also Memoir of S. Cabot , page 221, where Mr. Biddle suggests that Worthington may have been a creature of Philip II of Spain, and have been employed by him for the purpose of gaining possession of all Cabot’s charts and papers. 2 William Worthington. One of the “ ordinary gentlemen and pen¬ sioners” of King Edward VI, and “ bailiff and collector of the rents and revenues of all the manors, messuages, and hereditaments, within the city of London and county of Middlesex, which did belong to colleges, guilds, fraternities, or free chapels.”—Strype, Ecclesiastical Memorials , vol. ii, part ii, page 234. Oxford, 1822. A DECLARATION OF THE INDIES AND LANDES discouered and subdued vnto the Emperour and the king of Portugale; and also of other partes of the Indies and rich countries to be discouered, which the worshipfull Master Uobert Thorne, merchant of London (who dwelt long in the city of Siuil, in Spaine), exhorted King Henrie the eight to take in hande. MOST EXCELLENT PRINCE, Experience proueth that naturally all Princes bee desirous to extend and enlarge their dominions and kingdomes. Wher- fore it is not to bee maruelled to see them euery day procure y e same, not regarding any cost, perill, and labour, that may thereby chaunce; but rather it is to bee majcucilcd -if there be any prince content to line-quiet with liis owne dominions. For surely the people would thinke he lacketh the noble courage and spirit of all other. The worlde knoweth that the desires of Princes haue beene so feruent to obtaine their purpose, that they haue aduentured and proued things to mans coniecture impossible, the which they haue made pos¬ sible, and also things difficult haue made facil; and thus to obtaine their purpose, haue in maner turned vp and downe the whole worlde so many times, that the people inhabiting in the farthest regio of the Occident, haue pursued with great desires, labours, and perils, to penetrate and enter into the farthest regions of the Orient: And in likewise those people of the said partes of the Orient haue had no lesse labour and desire to enter and penetrate into the farthest land of the Occident, and so following their purchase [purpose ?] haue not seased vntill they could passe no farther by reason of the great Seas. This naturall inclination is cause that scarsely it may bee 28 DECLARATION OP saide there is any kingdome stable, nor king quiet, but that his owne imagination, or other Princes his neighbours, doe trouble him. God and nature hath prouided to your Grace, and to your Gracious progenitors, this Realme of Englande, and set it in so fruitefull a place, and within suche limites, that it shoulde seeme to bee a place quiet and aparted from all the foresaide desires. One speciall cause is, for that it is compassed with the Sea: by reason thereof it seemes, this notwithstanding, their desires and noble courages haue been most commonly like vnto others : and with marueilous great labours, costes, and perilles, they haue trauelled and passed the Seas, making warre not onely with kings and dominions nigh neighbours, but also with them of farre countries, and so hath wonne and conquered many riche and faire Dominions, and amplified this your Graces Realme with great victorie and glory. And also nowe of late, your Grace hauing like courage and desire, and not without iust cause to enlarge this your kingdome, and demaund your limites and tribute of the French king, which at that present hee restrained, your Grace in person passed with a great power into France, 1 putting your Grace’s person to great paine and labour, and without doubt victoriously you had conquered the saide Realme of Fraunce as yee began, if your aduersarie had not reconciled him, and knowledged your Graces right and title: and so promised truely to pay the tribute then due, and ful¬ fill your request in all thinges, and also desired your Grace for peace, the which of your clemencie you could not refuse. Nowe I, considering this your noble courage and desire, and also perceiuing that your Grace may at your pleasure, to your greater glory, by a godly meane, with litle cost, perill, or la¬ bour to your Grace or any of_your Subiectes,'amplifie and inriche this your saide Realme, I knowe it is my bounde dutie to manifest this secrete vnto your Grace, which hitherto, as I 1 Henry VIII passed over into France in the month of June, 1513. THE INDIES. 20 suppose, hath bcene hid: which is, that with a small number N otef) of shippes there may bee discouered diuers newe landes and kingdomes, in the whiche, without doubt, your Grace shall winne perpetuall glory and your Subiects infinite profite. To which places there is left one way to discouer, which is into the North: For that of the foure parts of the worlde it seemeth three partes are discouered by other Princ es. For out of Spaine they haue discouered all the Indies and Seas Occidental!, and out of Portugale all the Indies and Seas Ori- • ental: So that by this part of the Orient and Occident they haue compassed the worlde. For the one of them departing towarde the Orient, and the other towarde the Occident, met againe in the course or way of the middest of the day, and so then was discouered a great part of the same Seas and coastes by the Spaniard^. So that nowe rest to bee dis¬ couered the said North partes, the which it seemeth to mee is onely your charge and dutie. Because the situation of this your Realme is thereunto neerest and aptest of all other: and also for that you haue alreadie taken it in hande: A nd, in Note, mine opinion, it wijl not seeme well to leaue so great and profitable an enterprise, seeing it may so easily, and with so little coste, labour, and daunger, bee followed and obteined: Though, heretofore, your Grace hath made theereof a proofe, and founde not the commoditie thereby as you trusted, at this time it shall bee no impediment. For there may bee nowe prouided remedies for thinges then lacked, and the in- conueniences and lettes remooued that then were cause your Grace's desire tooke no full effect, which is, the courses to be chaunged, and followe the aforesaid new courses. 1 And con- 1 In Hakluyt’s Collections , vol.i, page 515, we find an account of “ The voyage of Sir Thomas Pert and S. Cabota to Brasil, St. Domingo, and St. John de Porto Ricco, an. 1516.” This is the only voyage of the kind in Henry YIII’s reign, prior to the time when Thorne wrote this Declaration; and is, no doubt, the a proofe” referred to in the text. Hakluyt declares that the expedition failed through the cowardice of Sir Thomas Pert ; but we are not informed whether the object were the discovery of new 30 DECLARATION OF cerning the marriners, shipipes, and prouision, an order may be denised and taken, meete and conuenient, much better then hetherto. By reason whereof, and by God^s grace, no doubt your purpose shall take effect. Surely the coste heerein will bee nothing in comparison to the great profite. The labour is much lesse, yea nothing at all, where so great honour and glory is hoped for: and, considering well the courses, truly the dager and way is shorter to vs the to spaine or Portugal!, as by euident reasons appeareth. And Note. nowe to declare some thing of the commodit ie and v tilitie of this Nauigation andjiiscouering: it is very cleere and certaine that the Seas that commonly men say that without great danger, difficultie, and perill, yea, rather, it is impossible to passe, those same Seas bee nauigable, and without any such daunger but that shippes may passe, and have in them per- petuall cleerenesse of the day without any darknesse of the night: which thing is a great commoditie for the nauigants to see at all times rounde about them, as well the safegardes as daungers; and howe great difference it is betweene the commoditie and perilles of other, whi^h lease the most parte of euery foure and twentie houres the saide light and goe in darknesse, groping their way, I thincke there is none so ignorant but perceiueth this more plainely then it can bee expressed : yea, what a vantage shall your Graces Subiects haue also by this light to discouer the strange landes, coun¬ tries, and coastes, for if they that bee discouered to sayle by them in darkenesse is with great danger, muche more then the coastes not discouered be dangerous to trauell by night or in darknesse. Yet these dangers or darkenesse hath not letted the Spaniardes and Portingals and other to discouer many unknowen realmes to their great perill, which con- regions, or a predatory excursion against the Spanish possessions. The “new courses” recommended by Thorne, evidently refer to the expediency of attempting a northern passage in preference to the more beaten track towards New Spain. THE INDIES. 31 sidered (and that your Grace’s Subiectes may haue the said lighte) it will seeme your Gr ace’s sulj aects to bee witho ut ac- tiui tie or courage in le auing fodo thi s glorious and noble en terpri se. For they, being past"" this little way which they named so dangerous, which may bee ii or iii leagues before they come to y e Pole, and as much more after they passe the Pole, it is cleere that from thence foorth the Seas and landes are as temperat as in these partes, and that then it may be at the will and pleasure of the marriners to choose whether they will saile by y e coastes that bee colde, temperate, or hot. For they being past the Pole, it is plaine they maye decline to what parte they list. If they will goe towarde the Orient, they shall inioy the regions of all the Tartarians that extende towarde the midday, and from thence they may goe and pro- ceede to the lande of y e Chinas, and from thence to the land of Cathaio oriental, which is of all the mayne lande most orientall that can bee reckoned from our habitation. And if from thence they doe continue their nauigation, fol¬ lowing the coaste that returns towarde the Occident, they; shall fall in Melassa, 1 and so in all t he In dee s whi ch we call oriental; and, following that way, may return hither by the Cape of Bona Speransa : 2 and thus they shall compasse the whole worlde. And if they will take their course after they be past the pole towarde the Occident, they shall goe in the backe side of the new found lande, which of late was dis- couered by your Grace’s subiectes, vntill they come to the back¬ side and South seas of the Indees occidentals. And so con¬ tinuing their Gage, they may returne thorowe the Straite of Magallanas to this countrey, and so they compasse also the worlde by that way, and if they goe this thirde way, and after they bee past the pole, goe right towarde the pole Ant- artike, and then decline toward the lands and Hands situated betweene the Tropikes and vnder the Equinoctial, without 1 Melassa—most probably the Malay peninsula. 2 Cape of Good Hope. 32 DECLARATION OF THE INDIES. doubt they shal find there y e richest lads and Hands of the worlde of Golde, precious stones, balmes, spices, and other thinges that wee here esteeme most: which come out of strang countreys, and may returne the same way. By this, it appeareth your Grace have not onely a greate aduantage of the riches, but also your subiectes shal not trauell halfe of the way that other doe, which goe rounde about as aforesaide. Jfcr —* ^ ' A. ptimn CtcC/vxt 70 ^HVViw/% ' rU * Jtyf- ^ L ?’ - - , ... 4/ 4o tWj/ s attfe"- 5 Sir^S «•***»*■ * T mP*’ **7 =a 'o u ^ S * W£ ,' a ^ '«K »_ __ MMt C*C- * _ *** 'F- ■*H» <*» ***, Wt. . -» “Sa«i ** «■* M» ‘>53. » «*S *•» «B ®»J « « k **Si * 4 , ss, « «a k_ raa ea- «r~ ; w >as se ' * ■+ ta§ *■ «*' «» <«=» ^ ^ }x’txCm.6'CzjC ?ja:V.-.-n : . '/ lo i [later f T^i)Ct- ~&r 3V *«® «l K*- «*»> **■ '“’ *’* «\>*? ^ ~ * - - j-*- «■*«r - -'n^-~ ^q5c 7Z3-J?C-Z-y-y> z Lo uam'-r^l^ z *■ ?f ?«! 4o ^ *-* •** ^ «**<*• ~ „ ,•>"** . „ * 3 = 3 . w **• .«-k c» ^ _ -- — ~ ~ ~~ - _ — _ _ _ <5 I ^ voi <5) 0 Vn *vf <*s | O *'C\ frv^ ^ 1 o *K 7* ^.■ttlhurtkr) \<-"} d *Un JQjy |4isis the forme of a Mappe fent ifl 7 . from Skill in Spay mr hyrnaifter Robert Thorne march aunt, to D o<£tor LeyEmbaiTadourforkingHenry thc8. to Charles the Emperour. [And although thefameinthis prefcnttimemAyfeeinc rude, yet Ihauc/etit out , he- ptufehisbookecoulde not well bevnderftood without the fame. The imperfection of rhich hd appe may be excuied by that tymerthe knowledge of Cofmographienot thenhe- yng entreJ among ourMarchauntes^ as no we it is. I 33 THE BOOKE MADE BY THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Master Robert Thorne, in the yeere 1527, in Siuill, to Doctour Ley, 1 Lorde Ambassadour for King Henrie the eight, to Charles the Emperour, being an information of the parts of the world discouered by him and the King of Portingale : And also of the way to the Moluccaes by the north. Right Noble and Reuerende in, etc. — I receiued your letters, and haue procured and sent to lmowe of your seruant who your Lordeship wrote shoulde bee sicke in Merchena. 2 I can not there or els where heare of him, w’out he be re¬ turned to you or gone to S. Lucar and shipt. I can not iudge but that of some contagious sicknes he died, so that the owner of the house for defaming his house woulde bury him secretly and not be known of it. For such things haue ofte times happened in this countrey. Also, to write to your Lordshippe of the newe trade of spicerie of the Emperour, there is no doubt but that the Ilandes 3 are fertile of cloues, nutmegs, mace, and cinnamon: And that the saide Ilandes, with other there about, abounde in gold, Rubies, Diamonds, Balasses, 4 Granates, 5 iacincts, and other stones and pearles, as al other lads that are vnder and nere y e equinoctial. For we see where nature giueth any thing she is no nigarde. For as with vs and other, that are 1 Dr. Edward Lee, chaplain and almoner to King Henry VIII, and afterwards archbishop of York.—Wood, Atlience Oxon. vol. i, page 138. Edit. 1813. 2 Marchena, near Seville. 3 The Philippine Islands, discovered by Magellan for the crown of Spain, in the year 1521. 4 The Balass ruby, of a faint red colour. 5 Granate, or grenatite; prismatic garnet, of a shining, transparent, yellowish red. F 34 THE BOOKE MADE BY aparted from tire sayde equinoctial^ our mettalles be lead, tynne, and yron, so theirs be golde, siluer, and copper. And as our fruites and graines be aples, nuttes, and corne, so theirs bee dates, nutmegges, pepper, cloues, and other spices. And as wee haue iette, amber, cristall, iasper, and other like stones, so haue they rubies, diamonds, balasses, saphires, Iacincts, and other like. And though some say that of such precious mettals, graines, or kind of spices, and precious stones, the aboundance and quantitie is nothing so great as our mettals, fruites, or stones, aboue rehearsed : yet, if it be well consi¬ dered how the quantitie of the earth vnder the equinoctiall to both the tropicall lines (in which space is founde the said golde, spices, and precious stones), to be as much in quan¬ titie as utmost all the earth from the tropickes to both the poles: it can not be denied but there is more quantitie of the said mettels, fruites, spices, and precious stones, then there is of the other mettels and other tliinges before rehearsed. And I see that the preciousnesse of these thinges is measured after the distance that is betweene vs, and the things that we haue appetite vnto. For in this nauigation of the spicerie was discouered, that these Hands nothing set by golde, but set more by a knife and a nayle of yron, then by his quan¬ titie of Golde : and with reason, as the thing more necessarie for mans seruice. And I doubt not but to them shoulde bee as precious our corne and seedes, if they might haue them, as to vs their spices : and likewise the peeces of glasse that heare wee haue counterfayted, are as precious to them as to vs their stones : which by experience is seene daylie by them that haue trade thither. This of the riches of those countries is sufficient. Touching that your Lordship wrote, whether it may be profitable to the Emperour or no, it may be without doubte of great profit: if, as the King of Portingall doth, he woulde become a marchant and prouide shippes, and their lading, and trade thither alone, and defende the trade of these MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 35 Hands for liimsclfe. But other greater busines withholdeth him from this. But still, as novve it is begunne to bee occu¬ pied, it would come to much. For the ships comming in safetie, there would thither many euery yeere, of whiche to the Emperour is due of all the wares and Juelles that come from thence the fiffc part for his custome cleare without any cost. And besides this, he putteth in euery flote a certayn quantitie of money, of whiche hee enioyeth of the games pounde and poundes, like as other aduenturers doe. In a flote of three sliippes and a carauell, that went from this citie, armed by the marchauntes of it, which departed in Aprill last past, I and my partener liaue 1400 Ducates, that Note we employed in the sayde fleete, principally for that two Englishmen, friends of mine, whiche are somewhat lefirned in Cosmograpliie, shoulde goe in the same shippes, to bring mee certaine relation of the situation of the coHntrey, and to bee experte in the Nauigation of those seas, and there to haue informations of many other things and aduise that I desire to know especially. Seeing in these quarters are shippes and marriners of that countrey, and cardes by which they sayle, though much vnlike ours: that they should procure to haue the said Cards, and learne howe they vnderstande them, and especially to know what Nauigation they haue for those Ilandes Northwardes and Northeastwarde. For if from the sayde Ilandes the Sea do extende without Note interposition of lande, to sayle from the North poynt to the Northeast poynt, 1700 or 1800 leagues, they should come to the Newe founde Ilandes that wee discouered, and so wee shoulde bee neerer to the sayde spicerie by almost 2000 leagues then the Emperour or the king of Portingal are. And to aduise your Lordshippe whether of these spiceries of the King of Portingal or the Emperours is neerer, and also of the titles that eyther of them hath, and howe our Newe founde landes are parted from it (for that by writyng without some demonstration it were harde to giue any declaration of it), 36 THE BOOKE MADE BY To know the lati¬ tudes. I have caused that your Lordeshippe shall receyue herewith a little Mappe or Carde of the worlde: the whiche I feare mee shall put your Lordshippe to more labour to understande then mee to make it, only for that it is made in so little roome that it cannot be but obscurely set out, y t is desired to be seene in it, and also for y l I am in this science little expert: Yet to remedy in part this difficultie, it is necessary to declare to your Lordshippe my intent, with which I trust you shal perceiue in this card part of your desire, if, for that I cannot expresse mine intent with my declaratio, I doe not make it more obscure. First, your Lordship knoweth that the Cosmographers liaue deuided the earth by 360 degrees in latitude, and as many in longitude, vnder the which is comprehended al the round- nesse of the earth: the latitude beeing deuided into 4 quarters, ninetie degrees amount to euerie quarter, which they mea¬ sure by the altitude of the poles, that is, the North and South starres, beeing from the line equinoctiall, till they come right vnder the North starre, the saide ninetie degrees: and as muche from the sayde line equinoctiall to the South starre bee other ninetie degrees. And asmuche more is also from eyther of the saide starres agayne to the equinoctiall. Which, imagined to be rounde, is soone perceiued thus 360 degrees of latitude to be consumed in the said foure quarters, of ninetie degrees a quarter, so that this latitude is the measure of the worlde from North to South, and from South to North. And the longitude, in which are also counted other 360, is counted fro West to East or from East to West, as in the card is set. The said latitude your Lordship may see marked and deuided in the end of this carde on the left hande. So that if you woulde know in what degrees of latitude any region or coast standeth, take a compasse and set the one foote of the same in the equinoctiall line right against the said region, and apply the other foote or compasse to the saide region or coast, and then set the sayd compasse at the ende of the 37 MASTER ROBERT THORNE. carde, where the degrees are deuided. And the one foote of the copasse standing in the line equinoctial^ the other will sliewe in the scale the degrees of altitude or latitude that the sayd region is in. Also, the longitude of the worlde I have set out in the nether part of the carde, contayning also 360 degrees : which begin to be couted, after Ptolome and other Cosmograpliers, from an head land, called Capo verde} which is ouer against a little crosse, made in the part Occident all, where the diuision of the degrees beginneth and endeth in y e same Capo verde. Nowe, to knowe in what longitude To know the Long: any lande is, your Lordshippe must take a ruler, or a com- tudes. passe, and set the one foote of the compasse upon the lande, or coast, whose longitude you woulde knowe, and extende the other foote of the compasse to the nexte parte of one of the transuersall lines in the Orientall or Occidentall part: which done, set the one foote of the compasse in the saide transuersall lyne at the ende of the nether scale, the scale of longitude and the other foote sheweth the degree of longi¬ tude that the region is in. And your Lordshippe must vnder- stande, that this carde, though little, conteyneth the vniuersall whole worlde betwixte the twoo collaterall lines, the one in the Occidentall parte descendeth perpendicular vppon the 175 degree, and the other in the Orientall on the 170 degree, whose distaunce measureth the scale of longitude. And that whiche is without the two sayde transuersall lynes is onely to shew liowe the Oriental part is ioyned with the Occident, and Occi¬ dent with the Orient. For that that is set without the line in 1 The meridian adopted by Ptolemy is not Cape Verde, but Ferro, the most westerly of the Canary Islands, which were well known to the ancients as the Insulas Fortunatae, although gradually forgotten after the destruction of Carthage, the great maritime power of antiquity. Some have fixed the first meridian at the island of St. Nicholas, near Cape Verde; some at the island of Corvo, one of the Azores. The Dutch have chosen the Peak of TenerifFe; others, the Isle of Palma, one of the Cana¬ ries ; and the French have reckoned, within the last hundred years, both from the Island of Ferro, and from Paris. 38 THE BOOKE MADE BY the Orient parte is the same that is set within the other line in the Occidentall parte : and againe, that that is sette without the iine in the Occidentall part is the same that is set within the line on the Orientall parte : To shewe that though this figure of the worlde, in playne or flat, seemeth to haue an ende, yet one imagining that this sayde carde were set vpon a round thing, where the endes shoulde touche by the lines, it would plainely appeare howe the Orient part ioyneth with the Occident, as there without the lines it is described and figured. And for more declaration of the said card, your Lordship shall vnderstand, that beginning on the parte Occi¬ dentall within the lyne, the first land that is set out is ye mayne land, and Hand of the Indies 1 of ye Emperour. Which mayne lande or coast goeth Northwarde, and finisheth in the lande that wee founde, which is called lieere Terra de Labra¬ dor. So that it appeareth the sayde lande that wee founde, and the Indies, to bee all one mayne lande. The sayd coast from the saide Indies Southwarde, as by the carde your Lordshippe may see, cometh to a certaine straite sea, called Now called Estrecho de todos Sanctos: by which straite Sea the Spaniardes the streit of Mageiane. g 0 to the spiceries, as I shall declare more at large : the which straite sea is right against the three hundred fifteene degrees of Longitude, and is of Latitude or altitude from the Equinoctiall fiftie-three degrees. The first lande from the sayd beginning of the carde towarde the Orient, is certaine Ilandes of the Canaries, and Ilandes of Capo verde. But the first mayne lande next to the line Equinoctiall, is the sayde Capo verde, and from thence northwarde by the streite of this sea of Italie. 2 And so followeth Spayne, Eraunce, Flaunders, Almaine, Denmarke, and Norway, which is the highest parte toward the North. And ouer against Elaun- ders are our Hands of England and lrelande. Of the landes and coastes within the straites, I haue set out onelye the 1 Mexico and the West Indies. 2 The Straits of Gibraltar. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 39 Regions, deluding them by lynes of their lymittes, by whiche playnelie I thinke your Lordship may see, in what situatio euerv region is, and of what highnesse, and with what regions it is ioyned. I doe thinke few are lefte out of all Europe. In the partes of Asia and Affrica, I could not so well make the said diuisions: for that they be not so well knowen, nor neede not so muche. This I write, because in the sayde carde bee made the sayde lynes, and strikes that your Lord- shippe should vnderstande wherefore they doe serue. Also, returning to foresayde Capo verde, the coast goeth South- warde to a cape, called Capo de bona speransa d which is right ouer agaynst the sixtye and sixtie-fifte degree of Longitude. And by this cape goe the Portingales to their spicerie. For from this cape towarde the Orient, is the Lande of Calicut, as your Lordshippe may see in the head lande ouer against the 130 degree. From the said Cape of Bona Speransa the coast returneth toward the line Equinoctiall, and passing foorth, entreth the read sea, and returning out, entreth againe into the gnlfe of Persia, and returneth towarde the Equinoctiall line, till that it commeth to the headland called Callicut 2 aforesaide, and from thence the coast, making a Gulfe, 3 where is the riuer of Ganges, returneth towarde the line to a head lande called Malaclia, where is the principall spicerie: And from this cape, returneth and maketh a great Gulfe, 4 and after, the coast goeth right toward the Orient, and ouer against this last gulfe and coast be manie Ilandes, 5 which be Ilandes of the spiceries of the Emperour. Upon which the Portingales and he be at variaunce. The said coast goeth towarde the Note. Orient and endeth right against the 155 degrees, and after returneth toward the Occident Northwarde : which coast not yet plainely knowne, I may ioyne to the new found land found by vs, that I spake of before. So that I finishe with 1 Cape of Good Hope. 2 How called Cape Comorin. 3 The Bay of Bengal. 4 The Gulf of Siam. 5 The Philippine Islands. 40 THE BOOKE MADE BY this, a briefe declaration of the carde aforesavde. Well I knowe I shoulde also haue declared how the coastes within the streites of the Sea of Italie runne. It is plaine, that passing the streites on the Northside of that Sea after the Coast of Granado, and with that which pertaynes to S payne, is the coast of that which Fraunce hath in Italie. And then followeth in one peece all Italie, which lande hath an arme of a sea, with a gulf, which is called Mare Adriaticum. And in the bottome of this gulfe is the citie of Venice. And on the other part of the said gulfe is Sclauonia, 1 and nexte Grecia, then the streites of Constantinople, 2 and then the Sea called Euxinus, which is within the saide streites : and com- ming out of the said straits, floweth toward Turcia maior. (Though now on both sides it is called Turcia.) And so the coast runneth Southward to Syria, and ouer against the said Turcia are the Hades of Rhodes, Can die, and Cyprus. And ouer against Italie are the Ilandes of Sicilia and Sardinia. And ouer against Spaine is Maiorca and minorca. In the ende of the gulfe of Syria is Iudea. And from thence returneth the coast toward the Occident, till it commeth to the streites where wee beganne, whiche all is the coast of Affricke or Barbarie. Also, your Lordshippe shall vnder- stande, that the coastes of the Sea throughout all the world I haue coloured with yellow, for that it may appeare that all that is within the line coloured yellow, is to be imagined to be mayne land, or Hand: and all without the sayde line so coloured to bee Sea; whereby it is easie and light to know it. Albeit, in this little roome, aiiy other description would rather haue made it obscure then cleere. Also, the sayd ' */ coasts of the Sea are all set iustly after the manner and forme 1 Istria, Croatia, and Dalmatia, to which the term Sclavonia was for¬ merly applied, as well as to that part of Europe which is known at the present day as Sclavonia Proper, situate between the Save, the Danube, and the Illova. 2 The Dardanelles and Sea of Marmora. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 41 as they lye, as the nauigation approoueth the throughout all the carde, saue onely the coastes and lies of the spicerie of y e Emperour, which is from ouer against the 160 to the 215 degrees of Longitude. For these coastes and situations of the Hands, euery of the Cosmographers and pilots of Portin- gall and Spayne doe set after their purpose. The Spaniards, more towards the Orient, because they should appear to apper- taine to the Emperour: and the Portingalles more toward the Occident, for that they should fall within their iurisdic- tion. So that the Pilots and nauigants thither, which in such cases should declare y e truth, by their industrie doe set the falsely euery one to fauour his prince. And for this cause can be no certaine situatio of y t coast and Hands til this difference betwixte them be verified. Nowe, to come to the purpose of your Lordsliippes demaunde, touching the difference betweene the Emperour and the king of Portin- gall, to vnderstad it better, I must declare y e beginning of this discouering. Though, peradueture, your Lordship may say, y f in that I liaue writte ought of purpose, I fall in the Pro- uerbe, A gemino ouo helium: But your Lordship commaunded me to be large, and I take licence to be prolixouse, and slial be, peraduenture, tedious, but your Lordship knoweth that nihil ignorantia verbosius. In the yeere 1484, 1 the king of Portingal minded to arme certaine caruelles to discouer this spicery. Then forasmuch as he feared that being discouered, euerie other prince would send and trade thither, so y l the cost and peril of discouering should be his, and the profite common : wherefore, first, he gaue knowledge of this his mvnd to all princes christened, saying, y 1 he would seeke amogst y e infidels newe possessios of regions, and therefore 1 In this year Congo was discovered by Diego Cam, a Portuguese.— Barros, Asia, Dec. i, fol. 39. This was the first voyage in which stone pillars were used by the Portuguese to mark their discoveries ; they had previously used wooden crosses. We do not find in the different histories of Portuguese discovery, any account of the application to the various sovereigns of Europe, mentioned in the text. C, 42 THE BOOKE MADE BY would make a certain army: and j x if any of the would help in y e cost of y e said army, he should enioy his parte of the profite, or honour, that slioulde come of it. And as then this discouering was holden for a straunge thing and vncertaine. Nowe they say, that all the Princes of Christendome aun- sweared, that they woulde bee no parte of such an army, nor yet of the profite y 1 might come of it. After the which, he gaue knowledge to the Pope of his purpose, and of the answere of all the Princes, desiring him, y t seeing that none would helpe in the costes, that hee woulde iudge all that shoulde he founde and discouered to he of his iurisdiction, and com- maund that none other Princes should intermeddle there¬ with. The pope saide not, as Christ saith, Quis me constituit iudicem inter vos ? He did not refuse, but making himselfe as Lorde and Iudge of all, not only grauted that all that should be discouered from Oriet to Occidet should be the kings of Portingall, but also, that vpon great censiires no other Prince should discouer but he : And if they did, all to be the kinges of Portingall. 1 So he armed a fleete, and in the yeere 1487 was discouered y e Hands of Calicut, 2 from 1 See Barros, Asia (Dec. i, fol. 14-39. Edit. 1628), as to the grants to this effect by various popes (beginning with Martin V, down to Sextus IY), of all that might be discovered by the Portuguese from Cape Bojador to the East Indies inclusive. Also, Dec. i, lib. ii, cap. 4; and Navarrete, Collection de Viages , tom. ii, p. 23 el seqg.; as to the bulls of Pope Alexander YI, dated 2nd and 3rd May 1493, granting to Spain the whole of the western hemisphere, to commence at a line drawn from the north to the south pole, one hundred leagues westward from the Azores and Cape Yerde Islands. 2 What is here termed the discovery of the islands of Calicut, or in other words, the passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, was not accomplished until the year 1498. But in 1487, the practica¬ bility of the passage was proved by Bartholomeu Diaz, w r ho actually doubled the cape in that year.—Barros, Asia, Dec. i, fol. 43. Edit. 1628. On the 8th of July 1497, Yasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon for the purpose of accomplishing the passage to the east by this route; and after exploring the eastern coast of Africa as far as Melinda, he steered across the Indian Ocean, and made land in India for the first time at the city of Calicut, on the 18th of May 1498.— Id. Dec. i, fol. 63-73. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 48 whence is brought all the spice he hath. After this, in the yeere 1492, the king of Spaine, willing to discouer landes towarde the Occident, without making any such diligence, or taking licence of the king of Portingale, armed certayne caruelles, and then discouered this India Occidental!, espe¬ cially two Ilandes of the saide India, that in this carde I set foorth, named, the one Ladommica, and the other Cuba, 1 and brought certaine gold from thence. Of the which, when the king of Portingall had knowledge, he sent to the king of Spayne, requiring him to give him y e said Hands. For that by the sentence of the Pope, all that should be discouered was his, and that he should not proceede further in the dis- couerie without his licence. And at the same time it seemeth, that out of Castill into Portingale had gone, for feare of burning, infinite number of Iewes that were expelled out of Spayne, for that they would not turne to be Christians, and carried with the infinite number of gold and silver. So that it seemeth that the King of Spayne answered that it was reaso that the king of Portingall asked, and that to bee obedient to that which the pope had decreed, he would giue him the said Hands of the Indies. Now, for as much as it was decreed betwixt y e said kings, y l none should receiue y e others subiects, fugitiues, nor their goodes, therefore the king of Portingale should pay and returne to the king of Spaine a million of Golde or more, that the Iewes had car¬ ried out of Spaine to Portingale; and that so doing, he would giue these Ilandes, and desist from any more discouering. And not fulfilling this, he would not onely not giue these Hands, but procure to discouer more where him thought best. It seemeth that the king of Portingale would not, or could not, with his ease pay this mony. And so not paying that, he coulde not let the King of Spaine to discouer : so that hee 1 The island of Dominica was discovered by Columbus, on the 3rd of November 1493 ; and Cuba in the month of October 1492 .—Select Letters of Columbus , edited by Major for the Hakluyt Society, pp. 2, 21. 44 THE BOOKE MADE BY enterprised not toward tlie Orient where he had begun and found the spicery. And consented to the king of Spaine, that touching this discouering, they should deuide the worlde betweene them two. And that all that should be discouered fro Capo verde, where this carde beginneth to be counted in the degrees of longitude, to 180 of the sayde scale of longi¬ tude, which is halfe the worlde toward the Orient, and finisheth in this carde right ouer against a little crosse made at the sayde 180 degrees, to be the king of Portingalles. And all the lande from the sayde Crosse towarde the Occident vntill it ioyneth with the other Crosse in the Orient, which conteinetli the other hundreth and eightie degrees, that is the other halfe of the worlde, to bee the king of Spaynes. So that from the lande ouer agaynst the sayde hundreth and eightie degrees vntill it finish in the three hundred and sixtie on both the endes of the carde, is the iurisdiction of the king of Spayne. So after this manner they deuided the worlde betweene them. 1 Nowe, for that these Hands of spicerie fall neere the terme and lymites betweene these Princes (for as by the sayde carde you maye see they beginne from one hundred and sixtie degrees of Longitude, and ende in 215), it seemeth all that falleth from 160 to 180 degrees shoulde bee of Portingall: and all the rest of Spayne. And for that their Cosmographers and Pilots could not agree in the situation of the said Hands (for the Portingals set them al within their 180 degrees, and the Spaniards set them all without: and for that in measuring, all the Cosmographers of both partes, or what other that euer haue beene, canot giue certaine order to measure y e logitude of the world as 1 See ante , p. 42, note 1. An agreement between Spain and Portugal was concluded on the 7th of June 1494, and is known as the Capitula¬ tion of Tordesillas. Its object was to secure to Portugal all that might be discovered within a line, to be drawn from the north to the south pole, at the distance of three hundred and seventy leagues from the Cape Verde Islands. — Navarrete, Colleccion de Viages y Descubrimientos, tom. ii, p. 130 et seqq. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 45 they do of y e latitude: for y l there is no starre fixed fro The longi . East to West, as are y e starrs of the poles from North to to be 1'ourule _ out. South, but all mooueth with the mouing diuine) : no maner can be found how certainely it may be measured, but by con- iectures, as the Nauigantes liaue esteemed the way they haue gone. But it is manifest, that Spayne had the situation of all the landes from Capo verde towarde the Orient of the Portingales to their 180 degrees. And in all their cardes they neuer hitherto set the sayd Hands within their limita- tio of the sayd 180 degrees (Though they knew very well of the Ilandes) til nowe that the Spaniards discouered them. And it is knowne that the king of Portingale had trade to these Hands afore, but would neuer suffer Portingale to goe thither from Calicut: for so much as hee knewe that it fell out of his dominion : least by going thither there might come some knowledge of those other Ilandes of the King of Spayne, but bought the cloues of Merchauntes of that countrie, that brought them to Calicut, much deerer then they would haue cost if he had set for the, thinking after this maner it would abide alwaies secrete. And now that it is discouered he sendes and keepes the Spanierds from the trade all that he can. Also, it should seeme, that when this foresaide consent of the diuision of the worlde was agreed of betweene them, the king of Portingale had alreadye dis¬ couered certayne Ilandes that lye ouer against Capo verde) and also certayne parte of the mayne lande of India towarde the South, from whence he fet Brasill, and called it the lande of Brasill. 2 So for that all shoulde come in his terme and 1 The Cape Verde Islands were discovered by Antonio Nolle, a Geno¬ vese, in the service of the Infante Don Henry of Portugal. Geographers are not agreed as to the year in which this discovery was made : accord¬ ing to Chelmicki (Corografia Cabo-Verdiana, p 2), it was in the month of May 1446 ; hut we find it also assigned to the years 1440, 1445, 1449, 1450, and 1460. 2 The natural conclusion to be drawn from this and the following pas¬ sage is, that the Portuguese had discovered Brazil before the agreement as to the three hundred and seventy leagues had been entered into. But 46 THE BOOKE MADE BY limites, hee tooke three hundred and seuentie leagues be- yonde Capo verde: and after this, his 180 degrees, being his part of the worlde, shoulde beginne in the Carde right ouer against the 340 degrees, where I haue made a little compasse with a crosse, and shoulde finishe at the 160 degree, where also I haue made an other little marke. And after this com¬ putation without any controuersie, the Ilandes of the spicerie fall out of the Portingales domination. So that nowe the Spaniardes say to the Portingales, that if they woulde be¬ ginne their 180 degrees from the saide Capo Verde, to the intent they shoulde extende more towarde the oriente, and so to touche those Ilandes of the spicerie of the Emperour, which is all that is betweene the two crosses made in this carde, that then the Ilandes of Capo verde, and the lande of Brasill that the Portingales nowe obtaine, is out of the sayde limitation, and that they are of the Emperours. Or if their 180 degrees they count from the 370 leagues beyonde the sayde Capo verde, to include in it the sayde Ilandes and landes of Brasill, then plainely appeareth the saide 180 degrees shoulde finishe longe before they come to these Ilandes of the spicerie of the Emperour: As by this Carde your Lordesliippe may see. For their limittes shoulde be¬ ginne at the 340 degrees of this Carde, and ende at 160 degrees, where I haue made two little marks of the compasse with crosses in them. this is not correct, the Capitulation of Tordesillas bearing date five years before the coast of Brazil was known. The name given to the country by the discoverers was Santa Cruz, which was afterwards changed to Brazil, from the immense quantity of the wood so called found there. There is early evidence to prove that the wood gave the name to the country, and not the country to the wood. The following passage occurs in the Liber Radicum of the Rabbi Kimchi, a Spaniard, who lived in the thirteenth century. “Algummim (2 Chron. ix, 10), alias Almugim (1 Kings, x, 12) : both stand for the same, and in common language it is called Corallo; but some persons declare it to be a sort of wood used for dying, called in Arabic Albakam , and in common language Brazil .”— Kimchi, Lib. Rad. sub voce, axb- MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 4 7 So that plainely it shoulde appeare by reason, that the Portingales shoulde leaue these Ilandes of Capo verde, and land of Brasill, if they would haue part of the spicerie of the Emperours : or else holding these, they haue no parte there. To this the Portingales say, that they will beginne their 180 degrees from the selfe same Capo verde: for that it maye extende so muche more towarde the oriente, and touche these Ilandes of the Emperours: and woulde winne these Ilandes of Capo verde and lande of Brasill neuer the lesse, as a thinge that they possessed before the consent of this limi¬ tation was made. 1 So none can verylye tell whiche hath the best reason. They bee not yet agreed, Quare sub Iudice Us est. But without doubte, by all coniectures of reason, the sayde Ilandes fall all without the limitation of Portingale, and pertayne to Spaine, as it appeareth by the most parte of all the Cardes made by the Portingales, saue those they haue falsified of late purposely. 2 But nowe touching that your Lordeshippe 1 See ante , page 9, note, as to the discovery of Brazil. 2 In the year 1524, a serious effort was made to settle these differences, and commissioners from both crowns met at the boundary between Badajoz and Yelves. It had been previously agreed, that the Portuguese should be allowed the three hundred and seventy leagues mentioned in the text, and the points to be discussed were — 1, Upon what medium the line of demarcation should be made, whether upon the marine chart, or upon the spherical map ; 2, How they should fix the proper situation of the Cape Yerde Islands ; and 3, From which of the Cape Yerde Islands they should commence the measurement of the three hun¬ dred and seventy leagues, for the line of demarcation. Difficulties imme¬ diately arose. There was found to be a difference of seventy leagues between the situation of places, as laid down in the maps produced by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Again, the Portuguese wished to measure the three hundred and seventy leagues from La Sal, the most eastern of the Cape Yerde Islands; the Spaniards, from San Antonio, the most western : the distance between the two being not less than seventy leagues. The Portuguese rejected both the marine charts and maps of the Spaniards, and endeavoured to confine the inquiry to the question of actual possession of the Spice Islands. The Spanish commissioners, on the other hand, insisted upon fixing the line of demarcation, affirming, 48 THE BOOKE MADE BY wrote, whether that which wee discouered toucheth any New found thing the foresayde coastes : once it appeareth plainely, that engi? S h- ythe the Newe founde lande that wee discouered is all a mayne lande, with the Indies occidental!, from whence the Empe- ronr hath all the golde and pearles: and so continueth of coaste more then 5000 leagues of length, as by this Carde appeareth. For from the saide newe landes it proceedeth toward the occidet to the Indies, and from the Indies return- eth toward the orient, and after tnrneth sonthwarde vp till it come to the straytes of Todos Sanctos, whiche I reckon to bee more then 5000 leagues. Note. So that to the Indians it shoulde seeme that wee haue some title, at least, that for our discouering wee might trade thither as other doe. But all this is nothing neere the spicerie. Tosayie by Nowe then (if from the sayde newe founde landes the Sea the pole. v J bee Nauigable), there is no doubte, but sayling Northwarde and passing the pole, descending to the equinoctiall lyne, ( wee shall hitte these Ilandes, and it shoulde bee much more shorter way then eyther the Spaniardes or the Portingales haue. For wee bee distaunt from the pole but 39 degrees, and from the pole to the Equinoctiall bee 90, the which added together be 129 degrees, leagues 2480, and myles 7440. Where wee shoulde finde these Ilandes. And the Nauigation of the Spaniardes to the spicerie is, as by this Carde you may see, from Spayne to the Ilandes of Canarie, and from these Ilandes they runne ouer the lyne Equinoc- that the line of partition for the three hundred and seventy leagues must commence at the Island of San Antonio, and that the Moluccas, Sumatra, Malacca, the Philippine Islands, and also China, fell within the line of demarcation for Castille, by many degrees ; and that their situation was not in the longitude affirmed by the Portuguese. In the midst of these discussions, the term for which the commission was appointed expired, and the commissioners ultimately came to the decision that they could decide nothing; and not knowing what better to do, left the matter to be settled by their respective sovereigns.—Herrera, Historia de la Espana, tom. i, Descripcion, p. 2, Dec. in, lib. vi, cap. 3-8 ; Navarrete, Colleccion, tom. iv, p. 310 et seqq. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 49 tiall South war de to the cape of the mayne lande of Indians, called the Cape of Sainte Augustine, and from this cape Soutliwardes to the straytes of Todos Sanctos, in the whiclic 0rt . he , Nauigation to the sayde straites is 1700 or 1800 leagues: and Magelen - from these straytes, being past them, they returne towarde the line Equinoctiall to the Ilandes of spicerie, whiche are distante from the sayde straites 4200 or 4300 leagues. The Nauigation of the Portingalles to the sayd Hands is, departing from Portingale Southwarde towarde the Capo verde, and from thence to another Cape, passing the lyne equinoctiall, called Capo de bona speransa, and from Por¬ tingale to the cape is 1800 leagues, and from this cape to the Ilandes of spicerie of the Emperour is 2500 leagues. So that by this nauigation amounteth all to 4300 leagues. So that as afore is sayde, if betweene our Newe founde landes, or Norway, or Islande, the Seas towarde the north be Naui- gable, wee shoulde goe to these Ilandes a shorter way by more then 2000 leagues. And though wee went^bPTo^fhe' saide Ilandes, for that they are the Emperours or Kinges of Portingale, wee shoulde by the way, and comming once to Note - the line Equinoctiall, finde landes no lesse riche of Golde and spicerie as all other landes are vnder the saide line Equi¬ noctiall: and also shoulde, if wee may passe vnder the North, enioye the Nauigation of all Tartarie. Which should bee no lesse profitable to our commodities Benefite to Englande. of clothe, then these spiceries to the Emperour and king of Portingale. But it is a generall opinion of all Cosmograpliers, that Obiection. passing the seuenth clyme, 1 the sea is all ice, the colde so 1 A climate is a space of the surface of the globe comprised between two circles parallel to the equator. The general rule for determining the region embraced by each climate has been a certain variance in the length of the longest day, so that the longest day at the parallel nearest to the equator shall exceed the longest day at the parallel nearest to the pole by the period of time fixed upon. Ptolemy made a quarter of an hour his rule; but most geographers, up to a period long subsequent to the time H 50 THE BOOKE MADE BY An s were. much that none can suffer it. And hitherto they had all the like opinion, that vnder the lyne Equinoctiall for muche lieate the lande was inhabitable. 1 Yet since by experience is prooued no lande so much habitable nor more temperate. And to conclude, I thinke the same shoulde bee founde vnder the North if it were expe¬ rimented. For as all fudge, Nihil fit vacuum in rerum natura: So I iudge there is no lande inhabitable nor Sea innauigable. If I should write the reason that presenteth this vnto mee, I shoulde bee too prolixe, and it seemeth not requisite for this present matter. God knoweth that though by it I shoulde haue no great interest, yet I haue had and still haue no little f f ls v C oue?ie° f minde of this businesse : So that if I had facultie to my the pole. ^ s } 10u ^ B ee ^e p rs t thing that I woulde vnderstande, M.Thorne e uen to attempt, if our Seas Northwarde bee nauigable to the uerS’s^f 00 ' Pole, or no. I reason, that as some sicknesses are heredi- iand tound tarious and come from the father to the sonne, so this inclin- A true opinion when Thorne wrote, made half an hour the boundary of each climate, which would bring the “seventh clyme” mentioned in the text to about 50^ de¬ grees north. This, however, would not at all bear out the assertion, that “ it is a general opinion of all cosmographers, that passing the seventh clyme, the sea is all ice, the cold so much that none can suffer it.” Geogra¬ phers have been far from unanimous on the subject. Ricciolius, in his Geo- grophia ei Hydrographia reformata , page 268, Edit. Venetiis, 1672, fol. commences a very learned disquisition, “ De climatum diversitate,” by observing, “ There is a marvellous confusion respecting them, and not a little need of reformation.” It is quite clear, that the opinion quoted by Thorne, must have been founded upon tables very different from those generally given; and that his “seventh clyme” must have been much farther north. Jan Janson, referring to the necessarily increasing con¬ traction of the climates as they receded from the equator, when the variance of time is made the basis of the limit, proposed that the northern and southern hemispheres should be divided into ten climates of ten degrees each,— thus rejecting all consideration both of time and of temperature. This would bring the northern limit of the seventh climate to seventy degrees ; but this division, which was adopted by Blaeu, was not introduced until more than a century after Thorne wrote.—Janson, Novus Atlas , tom. i, cap, 6, Introd. Edit. 1658 ; Blaeu, De Globis , cap. 4, No. 3. 1 In pro non, i. e., not habitable. MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 51 ation or desire of this discouerie I inherited of my father, which with another merchant of Bristowe, named Hugh Eliot, were the discouerers of the newe found lads, of the which there is no doubt, as now plainly appeareth, if the marriners woulde then haue been ruled, and folowed their ^J lees pilots mind, the lands of the west Indies, from whence all also S sSa? the gold commeth, had been ours. For all is one coaste, as writeth in an epistle by the carde appeareth, and is aforesaide. Also in this carde, ^Baptist ^ by the coastes where you see C, your Lordship shall vnder- stand it is set for Cape or head land; where I, for Hand ; where P, for Port; where 11, for Bluer. Also in al this little carde, I thinke nothing be erred touching the situation of the land, saue onely in these Hands of spicery : which for that as afore is sayd, euery one settetli them after his minde, there can be no certification how they stand. I doe not denie that there lacke many things that a consumate carde should haue, or that a right good demonstration desireth. For there should be expressed all the mountaines and riuers that are principal! of name in the earth, with the names of Portes of the sea, the names of all principal! cities, whiche all I might haue set, but not in this Carde, for the little space would not consent. Your Lordship may see that setting only the names almost of euery region and yet not of all, the roome is occupied. Many Hands are also left out for the saide lacke of roome : the names almost of all portes put to silence, with the roses of the windes or pointes of the compasse : For that this is not for Pilots to sayle by, but a summarie declaration of that which your Lordship commaunded. And if by this your Lordshippe cannot well perceiue the meaning of this carde, of the which I woulde not maruell, by reason of the rude composition of it, will it please your Lordship to aduise mee to make a bigger and a better mappe, or els that I may cause one to bee made. For I knowe my selfe in this and all 1 Ramusio, Navigationi , vol. iii, p. 6, Preface. Edit. Id05. 52 THE BOOKE MADE BY other nothing perfect but Licet semper discens, nunquam tamen ad perfectam scientiam peruenient. Also I knowe to set the forme Sphericall of the workle in Plano after the true rule of Cosmographie, it would haue been made otherwise then this is : howbeit the demonstration shoulde not haue beene so plaine. And also these degrees of longitude, that I set in the lower part of this Card, shold haue been set along by the line equinoctiall, and so then must bee ima¬ gined. For the degrees of longitude neare either of the poles are nothing equal in bignes to them in the equinoctiall. But these are set so, for that setting them a long the Equi¬ noctiall, it would haue made obscure a great parte of the mappe. Many other curiosities may be required, which for the nonce I did not set downe, as well for that the intent I had principally was to satisfie your doubt touching the spicerie, as for that I lacke ley sure and time. I trust your Lordshippe, correcting that which is erred, will accept my good will, which is to do any thing that I maye in your Lordshippes seruice. But from henceforth, I knowe your Lordshippe wil rather commande me to keepe silence then to be large, when you shalbe weeried with the reading of this discourse. Iesus prosper your estate and health. Your Lordshippes Robert Thorne, 1527. Also this Carde, and that which I write touching the vari- aunce betweene the Emperour and the king of Portingale, is not to bee shewed or communicated there with many of that Courte. For though there is nothing in it preiudiciall to the Emperour, yet it may bee a cause of paine to the maker : as well for that none may make these Cardes but certaine appointed and allowed for masters, as for that per- aduenture it woulde not sounde w r ell to them, that a stranger shoulde knowe or discouer their secretes: and wolde appeare MASTER ROBERT THORNE. 53 worst of all, if they vnclerstand that I write touching y e short way to the spicerie by our Seas. Though, peraduenture, of troth, it is not to bee looked too, as a thing that by all opi¬ nions is impossible, and I tliinke neuer will come to effect : and, therefore, neither lieere nor elswhere is it to bee spoken of. For to moue it amongest wise men it shoulde bee had in derision. And, therefore, to none I woulde haue written nor spoken of such things but to your Lordship, to whome boldly I commit in this all my foolish fantasie as to my selfe. But if it please God that into Englande I may come with your Lordship, I will shewe some coniectures of reason, though against the generall opinion of Cosmographers, by which shall appeare this that I say not to lacke some foundation. And tyll that time, I beseeche your Lordship let it bee put to silence : and in the meane season it may please God to sende our two Englishmen, that are gone to the spicerie, which may also bring more plaine declaration of y t which in this case might bee desired. 1 Also I knowe, it needed not to haue beene so prolixe in the declaration of this Carde to your Lordship, if the saide Carde had beene very well made after the rules of Cosmographie. For your Lordship woulde soone vnderstande it better then I, or any other that coulde haue made it: and so it shoulde appeare that I shewed Delphinum natare. But for that I haue made it after my rude maner, it is necessarie that I be the declarer or gloser of mine owne work, or els your Lordship should haue had much labour to vnderstande it, which nowe with it also cannot bee excused it is so grossely done. But I knewe you looked for no curious things of mee, and therefore I trust your Lordshippe will accept this and holde mee for excused. In other mens letters that they write, they craue pardon that at this present 1 See ante, p. 35, where Thorne informs us, that he and his partner had ventured 1400 ducats in a certain fleet of Spanish merchantmen, princi¬ pally that he might have an opportunity of sending two Englishmen with them, who might thereby haye an opportunity of observing the naviga¬ tion to the Spice Islands. 54 THE BOOKE MADE BY MASTER ROBERT THORNE. they write no larger : bnt I must finish, asking pardon, that at this present I write so largely. Iesus preserue your Lord- ship with augmentation of dignities. Your seruant Robert Thorne. 1527. This Exhortation to king Henrie the eight, with the dis¬ course to Doctor Ley, his Ambassadour in Spaine, was pre- serued by one master Emmanuel Lucar, executour to master Robert Thorne, and was friendly imparted vnto mee by master Cyprian Lucar, his sonne, an honest Gentleman, and very forwarde to further any good and laudable action. And that it may bee knowne that this motion tooke present effect with the king, I thought it good herewithall to put downe the testimonie of our Chronicle that the king set our shippes for this discouerie in his lifetime. Master Hall 1 and master Grafton 2 in their Chronicles write both thus: This same moneth king Henry the eight sente two faire ships well manned and victualed, hauing in them diuers cunning men, to seeke strange regions : and so they set foortli out of the Thames the xx day of May, in the xix yeere of his raigne. In the yeere of our Lorde 1527. 3 1 Vol. ii, fol. 158, b. Edit. 1550. 2 Page 1149. Edit. 1569. 3 These two ships were the Mary of Guildford and the Sampson, which sailed from Plymouth on the 10th of June 1527. The Mary of Guild¬ ford arrived at Newfoundland on the 21st of July; but the Sampson had been separated from her consort in a storm about the 1st of July, and was never heard of afterwards. The fullest account of the voyage, and that extremely meagre, is given by John Rut, the master of the Mary of Guildford, in a letter addressed by him to King Henry YIII, from St. John’s Bay, Newfoundland, and dated August 3rd, 1527.—Purchas, Pil- grimes, vol.iii, p, 809. See also Hakluyt (vol. iii, p. 129), who evidently had not seen Rut’s letter, and was very imperfectly acquainted with the particulars of this voyage ; and Memoirs of Cabot, p. 272, et seqq. FINIS. 0 ILLVSTRI VIRO, DOMINO PHILIPPO SIDN/EP MICHAEJL LOK CIVIS PONDINENSIS HANG c hartam dedicabax : * ±f 22. . 0 &> v 0 / s s' s' s' s' s S ' ' 's' S' s' s' / s' s s' S' s' s' s' S' S S S. ■ s s' ' s s s' '''s'' s' 's’ ' 's' " ' 's' ' 's' <. - „ ' ~ s s s' / v /A/ - ^ , ' / / r? / / / , $£3&/Cy '- v. V. \ «^SJ» s'-A V V. S. S> VV 'v V \\ X \ X .X 1 it -So CVL C I A s \\\\ \v o "TP V > tl 1 2. C)0 r . nP'/jiZ/'A?/*- /04rf TO THE MOST CHRISTIAN KING OF FRAUNCE, FRAUNCES THE FIRST. THE RELATION OF JOHN VERARZANUS, A Florentine, of the lande by him disconered in the name of his Maiestie, written in Diepe the eight of July 1524. I wrote not to your Maiestie (most Christian king) since the time wee suffered the tempest in the North partes, of the snccesse of the foure Ships which your Maiestie sent forth to discouer new lands by the Ocean, thinking your Maiestie had been alreadie duly enformed thereof. Nowe by these presents I will giue your Maiestie to vnderstand howe by the violence of the windes wee were forced with y e two ships, the Norman and the Dolphin, in such enill case as they were, to lande in Britaine. 1 Whereafter wee had repaired them in all pointes as was needefull, and armed them very well, wee tooke our course a long by the coast of Spaine. Afterwardes, with the Dolphin alone, wee deter¬ mined to make discouerie of newe Countries, to prosecute the nauigation wee had alreadie begun, which I purpose at this present to recount vnto your Maiestie, to make manifest the whole proceeding of the matter. The 17 of Ianuarie, the yeere 1524, by the grace of God, wee departed from the dis- habited Rocke, 2 by the Isle of Madera, appertaining to the king of PortingaU, with fiftie men, with victuals, weapon, and other ship munition very well prouided and furnished 1 Brittany. 2 One of the Dezertas. 56 THE DISCOUEItlE OF for 8 monethes: And say ling westwards with a faire Easterly winde, in 25 dayes wee ranne 500 leagues, and the 20 of Februarie wee were onertaken with as sharpe and terrible a tempest as ener any saylers suffered: whereof with y e diuine helpe and mercifull assistaunce of Almiglitie God, and the goodnesse of our ship, accompanied with the good hap of her fortunate name, wee were deliuered, and with a prosperous wind followed our course West and by North, and in other 25 dayes wee made aboue 400 leagues more: where wee dis- couered a newe landj'nieuer before seene of any man, either auncient or moderneJand at the first sight it seemed some¬ what lowe, but beeing within a quarter of a league of it, wee perceiued by the great fiers that wee sawe by the Sea coaste that i t was inhabited: and saw that the lande stretched to the Southwards : in' seeking some conuenient harborough whereby to come a lande and haue knowledge of the place, wee sayled fiftie leagues in vaine, and seeing the lande to runn still to the Southwards, wee resolued to returne backe againe towardes the North, where we found our selues trou¬ bled with the like difficulty: at length, beeing in despaire to finde any port, wee caste anker upon the coast, and sent our Boate to shore, where we sawe gr eat store o f people, which came to the Sea side, and seeing vs to approcheAhey fled away, and sometimes would stande still and looke backe, beholding vs with great admiration : but afterwardes, beeing animated and assured with signes that wee made them, some of them came harde to the Sea side, seeming to reioyce very much at the sight of vs, and marueiling greatly at our appa- rell, shape, and whitenes, shewed vs by sundry signes where wee might most commodiously come a land with our Boat, offering vs also of their victuals to eate. Nowe I will briefly declare to your Maiestie their life and manners, as farre as wee coulde haue notice thereof: These people goe altogea- 1 Probably in the neighbourhood of Charleston, in South Carolina, or of the Savannah. 57 MORUM BEGA . 1 tlier naked, except only that they couer their priuie partes with certaine skinnes of beastes like vnto Marterns, which they fasten vnto a narrowe girdle made of grasse, verye arti¬ ficially wrought, hanged about with tailes of diuers other beastes, which rounde about their bodies hang dangling downe to their knees. Some of them weare garlandes of byrdes feathers. The people are of colour russet, and not much vnlike the Saracens, their hayre blacke, thicke, and not very long, which they tye togeather in a knot behinde, and weare it like a taile. They are wel featured in their limbs, of meane stature, 1 2 and commonly somewhat bigger then we, brode breasted, strong armes, their legges and other partes of their bodies well fashioned, and they are dis¬ figured in nothing, sauing that they haue somewhat brode visages, and yet not all of them: for wee sawe many of them well fauoured, hauing blacke and great eyes, with a cheerefull and stedie looke, not strong of body, yet sharpe witted, nymble and great runners, as farre as we coulde learne by experience; and in those two last qualities they are like to the people of the East partes of the worlde, and especially to them of the vttermost partes of China, wee coulde not learne of this people their manner of liuing, nor their particular customes, by reason of y e short abode we made on the shore, 1 This should be Norumbega, or Nurumbega, as appears by the follow¬ ing passages, from a piece entitled “ Discorso d’un gran Gapitano di Mare Francese ”, inserted by Ramusio in his Collection, vol. iii, p. 425. Edit. 1565:—“Della terra di Norumbega” .“La terra e detta da paesani suoi Nurumbega”, etc. According to Michael Lok’s map, and also that of Ortelius and some other geographers, Nurumbega comprised the dis¬ trict between the river and Gulph of St. Lawrence and the Hudson river. Cluverius, however, in his Introductio ad Universam Geographiam, p. 552, Amstel. 1697, says : “ Pars tamen ejus [Nova Francia], quae ad mare accedit Norumbega ab urbe cognomine dicta.” And this corresponds with the map in Ramusio (vol. iii, page 424. Edit. 1565), where Nurumbega appears to comprise the southern portion of that district, from Long Island Sound to the Bay of Fundy. 2 i. e., middle or medium stature. I 58 THE DISCOUERIE OE our companie being but small, and our ship ryding farre of in the Sea. And not farre from these we founde an other people, whose liuing wee thinke to bee like vnto theirs (as heereafter I will declare vnto your Maiestie), shewing at this present the situation and nature of the foresaide lande: The shore is all couered with small sande, and so ascendeth vp- wardes for the space of fifteene foote, rising in forme of little hilles about fiftie paces broade. And sayling forwards, wee founde certaine small Biuers and armes of the Sea, that enter at certain creekes, washing the shore on both sides as the coast lyeth. 1 And beyonde this wee sawe the open Countrie rising in height aboue the sandie shore, with many fayre fieldes and plaines, full of mightie great woods, some verie thicke and some thinne, replenished with diuers sortes of trees, as pleasaunt and delectable to beholde as is possible to imagine. And your Maiestie may not thinke that these are like the woodes of Hercinia, 2 or the wilde Desertes of Tartary, and the North erne Coastes full of fruitlesse trees : But full of Palme trees, Bay trees, and high Cypresse trees, and many other sortes of trees vnknowne in Europe, which yeeld most sweete sauours, farre from the shore; the propertie whereof wee coulde not learne for the cause aforesaide, and not for any difficultie to passe through the woods : Seeing they are not so thicke but that a man may passe through them. Neither doe wee thinke that they part taking of the East worlde rounde about them are all to geather voide of drugs or spicerie and other richesse of gold, seeing the colour of the lande doth so much argue it. And the lande is full of many beastes, as Stags, Deare, and Hares, and likewise of Lakes and Pooles of Fresh water, with great plentie of foules, con- uenient for all kinde of pleasant game. This lande is in 1 This description corresponds with the character of the shore and country about George Town and Long Bay. 2 A vast forest in antient Germany, remarkable for its wild character in the time of Caesar. The Black Forest in Suabia is a portion of it, and attests by its name the character of its gloomy parent. MORUM BEGA. 59 latitude 34 D, with good and liolsome ayre, temperate be- Gr.34. tweene hot and colde, no vehement windes doe blowe in those Regions, and those that doe commonly raigne in those Coastes, are the North West and West windes in the Som¬ mer season (in the beginning whereof wee were there), the skie cleere and faire, with very little raine : and if at any time the ayre bee cloudie and mistie with the Sowtherne winde, immediately it is dissolued, and waxeth cleare and fayre agayne. The Sea is caulme, not boysterous, the waues gentle, and although all the shore bee somewhat lowe and with out harborough: yet it is not daungerous to the saylers, beeing free from rockes and deepe, so that within foure or fiue foote of the shore, there is twentie foote deepe of water without ebbe or flood, the depth still increasing in such vni- forme proportion. There is very good ryding at Sea: for any Ship beeing shaken in a tempest, can nener perislie there by breaking of her cables, which wee haue proued by experience. For in the beginning of March (as is vsual in all Regions), beeing in the Sea oppressed with Northerne windes, and riding there, wee founde onr anker broken before the earth fay led or mooued at all. Wee departed from this place, still running a long the coaste, which we found to trende towarde the East, 1 and wee saw euerie where verie great tiers by reason of th e multitude of the inhabita nts. While we rode on that Coaste, partlie because it had no harborough, and for that wee wanted water, wee sent our Boat a shore with 25 men : 2 where, by reason of great and continual waues that beate against the shore, being an open coast, without succour, none of our men coulde possible goe a shore without loosing onr boate. We sawe there many people, which came vnto the shore, making diuers signes of friendship, and shewing that they were content W'ee shoulde come a lande, and by trial we courteous _ and gentle found the to be very courteous and gentle, as your maiestie people. 1 Probably Onslow Bay. 2 Probably about Raleigh Bay. 60 THE DISCOUERIE OF shal vnderstand by the successe. To the intent we might sende them of onr thinges, which the Indians commonly desier and esteeme, as sheetes of Paper, glasses, belles, and such like trifles : Wee sent a young man, one of our Mar- riners, a shore, who swimming towards them, and being within 3 or 4 yeards off the shore, not trusting them, cast the thinges vpon the shore, seeking afterwardes to returne, hee was with such violence of the waues beaten vpon the shore, that he was so bruised that hee lay there almost dead, whiche the Indians perceiuing, ranne to catche him, and drawing him out, they carried him a little way of from the sea : The young man perceiuing they caried him, beeing at the first dismaide, began then greatly to feare, and cried out pitiously, likewise did the Indians, which did accompanie him, going about to cheere him and giue him courage, and then setting him on the grounde at the foote of a little hill against the sunne, beganne to beholde him with great admi¬ ration, marueiling at the whitenesse of his fleshe: and put¬ ting off his clothes, they made him warme at a great fire, not without our great feare which remained in the boate that they would haue rosted him at that fire and haue eaten him. The young man hauing recouered his strength, and hauing stayed a while with them, shewed them by signes that hee was desirous to returne to the sliippe : And they with great loue clapping him fast about with many embracings, accom¬ panying him vnto the sea, and to put him in more assurance, leauing him alone, they went vnto a high grounde and stoode there, beholding him, vntil he was entred into the boate. This yong man obserued, as we did also, that these are of colour enclining to Blacke, as the other were, with their fleshe verie shining, of meane stature, handsome visag, and delicate limmes, and of verie little strength: but of prompt witte, farther wee obserued not. Departing from hence, following the shore, which trended somewhat towarde the North, in 50 leagues space, wee came MOTtTJM BEG A. 61 to another lande, 1 which shewed much more faire and full of woods, being very great, where we rode at Ancker, and that wee might haue some knowledge thereof, wee sent 20 men a lande, which entred into the countrey about two leagues, and they founde that the people were fledde to the woods for feare, they sawe onely one olde woman with a young maide of 18 or 20 yeeres olde, which, seeing our companie, hid them- selues in the grasse for feare, the olde woman caried two Infantes on her shoulders, and behinde her necke a cliilde of 8 yeeres olde : the yong woman was laden likewise with as many: hut when onr men came vnto them, the women cryed out, the olde woman made signes that the men were fled vnto the w r oods as soone as they sawe vs : to quiet them and to winne their fauour, our men gaue them suehe victuals as they had with them to eate, which the old woman receiued thankfully: hut the yong woman disdained them al, and threwe them disdainefully on the grounde, they tooke a ^ ch ilde fromj bh e olde woman to bring into Fraunce. and ^ goi ng about to take the young woman, which was verye F beawtifull , and of tal stature, they could not possibly, for y e great outcries that shee made, bring her to the sea, and espe- cially hau i ng great woods to passe through, and being farre f rom the shippe, wee purposed to leaue her behi ndg, bearing aw r ay th e__chihla o nely. We found those folkes to bee more white than those that we founde before, being clad with cer- taine leaues y 1 hang on boughes of trees, which they sowe together wuth thredes of wilde hempe, their heads were trussed vp after the same manner as the former were, their ordinarie foode is of pulse, w r hereof they haue great store, differing in colour and taste fro ours, of good and pleasant taste. Moreouer, they liue by fishing and fouling, which they take with ginnes, and bowes made of hard wood, the arrowes of Canes, being headed with the bones of fishe and other beastes. The beastes in these parts are much wilder 1 About latitude 38 north. 62 THE DISC0UEEJE OF the in our Europe, by reason they are continually chased and hunted. Wee sawe many of their boates, made of one tree, 20 foote long, and 4 foote broade, which are not made with Iron, or stone, or any other kinde of metal (because that in all this countrie, for the space of 200 leagues whiche we ranne, wee neuer sawe one stone of any sort) : they help themselues with fyre, burning so much of the tree as is sufficient for the liollownesse of the boate, the like they doe in making the sterne and the foreparte, vntill it be fitte to saile vpon the sea. The lande is, in situation, goodnesse, and fairenes, like the other : it hath woods like the other, tliinne and full of diuers sortes of trees: but not so sweete, because the countrey is more northerly and cold. Wee sawe in this Countrey many Vines growing naturally, which growing vp take hold of the trees, as they do in Lombardie, w c if by husbandmen they were dressed in good order, without all doubte they woulde yeelde excellent wines: for wee liauing oftentymes seene the fruite thereof dried, whiche was sweete and pleasaunt, and not differing from ours. Wee doe thinke that they doe esteeme the same, be¬ cause that in euery place where they growe, they take away the vnder braunches growing rounde about, that the fruite thereof may ripen the better. We found also roses, violettes, lillies, and many sorts of herbes, and sweete and odoriferous flowers, different from ours. We knewe not their dwellinges, because they were farre vp in the lande, and we iudge by manye signes that wee sawe, that they are of wood and of trees framed together. Wee doe beleeue also, by many coniectures and signes, that many of them sleeping in the fieldes, haue no other couer then the open skye. Further knowledge haue wee not of them, we thinke y 4 all the rest whose countreys we passed liue all after one manner. Hauing our aboade three dayes in this cuntrey, riding on the coast for want of har- boroughs, we concluded to departe from thence, trending MOUUM BEGA. 63 along the shore betweene the North and the East, sayling onely in the daytime, and riding at ancker by night. In the space of 100 leagues sayling, wee founde a very pleasant place, situated amongst certaine litle steepe liilles: from amiddest the which hillcs there ran down into the sea a great streame of water, which within the mouth was very deep, and from y e sea to y e mouth of same, with the tyde, which wee found to rise 8 foot, any great vessell laden may passe vp. 1 But because wee rode at Ancker in a place well fensed from the winde, wee woulde not venture our selues without knowledge of the place, and wee passed vp with our boate onely into the sayde Riuer, and sawe the Countrey very wel peopled. The people are almost like vnto the others, and clad with the fethers of foules of diuers colours, they came towardes vs very cherefully, making great showtes of admi¬ ration, shewing vs where we might come to lande most safely with our boate. We entred vp the said riuer into the lande about halfe a league, where it made a most pleasant lake about 3 leagues in compasse: on the which they rowed from the one side to the other, to the number of 30 of their small boates : wherein were many people, wliiche passed from one shore to the other to come and see vs. And beholde, vpon the sodaine (as it is wont to fall out in sayling), a contrarie flawe of winde comming from the sea, wee were enforced to returne to our Shippe, leauing this lande to our great discontent¬ ment, for the great commoditie and pleasantnesse thereof, whiche wee suppose is not without some riches, all the hills shewing minerall matters in the. We weied Ancker, and sayled towarde the East, for so the coast trended, and so alwayes for 50 leagues, being in the sight thereof, wee disco- uered an Ilande in the forme of a triangle, distant from the 1 The mouth of the Hudson River answers to this description. The Hudson is, most probably, the river known in this locality to the geogra¬ phers of the sixteenth century as the Rio Grande. The plea¬ santries and riches of the lande. The de scrip- tio’ of Clau¬ dia Ilande. 64 THE DISCOUERIE OF maine lande 3 leagues, about the bignesse of the Ilande of the Rocles, it was full of hilles, couered with trees, well peopled, for we sawe fires all along the coaste, wee gaue the ciaudi awa s name of it of your Maiesties mother, 1 not staying there by Francis. reason of the weather being contrarie. Ttecoun- And wee came to another lande, being 15 leagues distant ^' e G ‘ Uoy from the Ilande, where wee founde a passing good hauen, wherein being entred we founde about 20 small boates of the people, which with diuers cries and wondrings came about our shippe, comming no nerer then 50 paces towards vs, they stayed and behelde the artificialnesse of our ship, our shape, and apparel, tha they al made a loud showte together, declar¬ ing that they reioyced: when we had something animated them, vsing their geastes, they came so neere vs, that wee cast them certaine bells and glasses and many toyes, whiche when they had receiued, they lookte on them with laughing, and came without feare aborde our ship. There were amongst these people 2 kings, of so goodly stature and shape as is possible to declare, the eldest was about 40 yeares of ag, the second was a yong man of 20 yeeres old. Their apparell was 1 Or rather his first wife, Claudia. Generally supposed to be the island now called Martha’s Vineyard. If this supposition be correct (and it would be difficult to substitute any more plausible conjecture), it becomes im¬ possible to make the subsequent account of Verazzani’s course correspond with the present character of the coast, unless we admit, that at this point he sailed back a few leagues. He says : “Wee came to another land, being 15 leagues distant from the Ilande, where we founde a pass¬ ing good haven”:—and, subsequently, describes the land as lying east and west, and the mouth of the haven as open to the south. Sailing from Martha’s Vineyard eastward, and following the coast, no haven would be found corresponding in any particular with that described in the text, nearer than Boston, which, however, is much more than fifteen leagues from Martha’s Vineyard, which opens to the east and not to the south, and where the land runs north and south, and not east and west ; not to mention other points of difference. If, on the other hand, we suppose that on leaving Claudia, he approached the main land to the north-west, the fifteen leagues would bring him to Narraganset Bay, which in all its main features corresponds with the “ passing good haven”, as described in the text. MOIiUM BEGA. 65 on this maner : the elder had upo his naked body a harts skin, wrought artificialie with diuers braunches like Damask e, his head was bare, with the liaire tyed vp behinde with diuers knottes : About his necke he had a large chaine, garnished with diuers stones of sundrie colours, the young man was almost appareled after the same manner. This is the good¬ liest people, and of the fairest conditions, that wee liaue found in this our voyage. They exceed vs in bignes, they are of the colour of brasse, some of the encline more to whitness : others are of yellowe colour, of comely visage, with long and blacke lieire, which they are very carefull to trim and decke vp, they are blacke and quicke eyed. I write not to your Maiestie of the other parte of their bodie, hauing all suche proportion as appertayneth to anye handsome man. The women are of the like conformitie and Beawtie, verie hand¬ some and well-fauored, they are as well mannered and con- tinente as anye women of good education, they are all naked, saue their priuie partes, whiche they couer with a Deares skinne, braunched or embrodered, as the men vse: there are also of them whiche weare on their armes verie riche skinnes of leopardes, they adorne their heades with diuers ornamentes made of their owne heire, whiche hange downe before on both sides their brestes, others vse other kinde of dressing them selues, like vnto the women of Egypt and Syria, these are of the elder sorte: and when they are married, they weare diuers toyes, according to the vsage of the people of the East, as well men as women. Among whom wee sawe many plates of wrought coper, which they esteeme more then golde, whiche for the colour they make no accompt of, for that among all other it is counted the basest, they make most accompt of Azure and red. The things that they esteemed most of al those which we gaue them, were bels, cristall of Azure colour, and other toies, to hang at their eares or about their necke. They did not desire cloth of silke or of golde, much lesse of any other K 66 THE DISCOUERIE OF sorte, neither cared they for tliinges made of steele and Iron, which wee often shewed them in our armour, whiche they made no wonder at, and in beholding them they onely asked the arte of making them : the like they did at our glasses, which whe they behelde, they sodainely laught and gane them vs againe. They are very liberal, for they giue that which they haue; we became great friendes with these, and one day wee entred into the hauen with our shippe, where as before wee rode a league of at sea by reason of the contrary weather. They came in great companies of their « small boates vnto the ship with their faces all bepainted with diuers colours, shewing vs y l it was a signe of ioy, bringing vs of their victuals; they made signes vnto vs where wee might safest ride in the hauen for the safegarde of our shippe, keeping still our companie : and after we were come to an Ancker, we bestowed fifteene dayes in prouiding our selues many necessary things, whether euery day the people re- payred to see our ship, bringing their wiues with them, whereof they are very ielous : and they themselues entring abrode the shippe, and stayinge there a good space, caused their wiues to stay in their boates, and for al the intreatie we could make, offering to giue them diuers things, we could neuer obtaine that they would suffer them to come aborde our ship. And oftentimes one of the two kings comming with his queene, and many gentlemen for their pleasure, to see vs, they all stayed on y e shore, two hundred paces fro vs, sending a small boate to giue vs intelligece of their com¬ ming, saying they would come to see our shippe, this they did in token of safetye; and assoone as they had answere from vs, they came immediately, and hauing stayed a while to beholde it, they wondered at hearing the cryes and noyes of the marriners. The queene and her maids stayed in a very light boate, at an Hand a quarter of a leage off, while the king abode a long space in our ship, vttering diuers conceites with geastures, viewing with great admiration all MORUM BEGA. 67 tlic furniture of the shippe, demaunding the propertie of euerie thing perticularly. He tooke likewise great pleasure in beholding our apparell, and in tasting our meates, and so courteously taking his leaue departed. And sometimes our men staying for two or three dayes on a little Ilande nere the ship for diuers necessaries (as it is y e vse of seamen), he returned with 7 or 8 of his gentlemen to see what we did, and asked of vs oft times if wee meant to make any long aboade there, offering vs of their prouision : then the king drawing his bowe, and running vp and downe with his gen¬ tlemen, made much sporte to gratifie our men; wee were oftentimes within the lande 5 or 6 leagues, which we found as pleasant as is possible to declare, very apt for any kinde of husbandry, of corne, wine, and oyle : for that there are plaines 25 or 30 leagues broad, open and without any impe¬ diment of trees of such fruitfulnesse, that any seede being sowne therein, will bring forth most excellent fruite. We entred afterwards into the woods, which wee found so great and thicke, that any armie, were it neuer so great, might liaue hid it selfe therein, the trees whereof are okes, cipres trees, and other sortes, vnknowen in Europe. We found Pomi appii, 1 Damson trees, and Nutte trees, and many other sorts of fruits, differing fro ours : there are beasts in great abundance, as hartes, deares, leopardes, and other kinds, which they take with their nets and bowes, which are their 1 A particular kind of apple; but this term is not in use at the present day, and probably never extended beyond Italy. Pliny (Historia Natu¬ ralise b. 15, c. 14) says : “ Ab Appio e Claudiana gente Appiana sunt cognominata”; from which we may infer, either that Appius introduced them into Italy from some foreign country, or that he produced them from some particular graft. Matthioli, in his Discorsi nelli sei Libri di Dioscoride (tom. i, p. 260), observes : u In Tuscany, those [apples] called 1 appie’ and 1 mele rose’, are prized before all others, because in these two species an aromatic and pleasing odour is found combined with a very agreeable taste. Wherefore, I think that those would not err much who should call the ‘ appie ’ the honey apple, and the 1 mele rose’ the Epirus apple of Dioscorides.” 68 THE DISCOUERIE OF chiefe weapons; the arrowes wliiclie they vse are made with great cunning, and in steade of iron they head them with smeriglio, 1 w l iasper stone, and hard marble, and other sharp stones, which they vse in stead of iron to cut trees, and make their boates of one whole piece of wood, making it hollowe with great and wonderfull art, wherein 10 or 12 men may bee comodiously; their oares are shorte, and broad at the ende, and they vse them in the sea without anye daunger, and by maine force of armes, with as great speedinesse as they liste them selues. We sawe their houses, made in cir- culer or rounde fourme, 10 or 12 foote in compasse, made Avith halfe circles of timber, seperate one from another, with¬ out any order of building, couered with mattes of strawe wrought cunningly together, which saue them from the winde and raine, and if they had the order of building, and perfect skil of workmaship as we haue, there w T ere no doubt but y l they would also make eftsoones great and stately buildings. For all the sea coastes are full of cleare and glis¬ tering stones, and alablaster, and therefore it is full of good hauens and liarbarours for ships. They mooue the foresaide houses from one place to another, according to the commo- ditie of the place and season, wherein they will make their aboade, and only taking of the couer they haue other houses builded incontinent. The father and the whole familie dwell together in one house in great number: in some of them we sawe 25 or 30 persons. They feede as the other doe afore- saide, of pulse, wliiclie doe groAve in that countrey with better order of husbandry the in the others. They obserue in their sowing the course of the Moone, and the rising of certaine starres, and diuers other customes spoken of by antiquitie. Moreouer, they liue by hunting and fishing; they liue long, and are seldome sicke, and if they chaunce to fall sicke at any time, they lieale tliemselues with fire, without any phisi- tion, and they say that they die for very age. They are very pitiful and charitable towardes their neighbours, they make 1 Emery. MORUM BEGA. 69 great lamentations in tlieir aduersitie and in their miserie, the kinred recken vp all their felicitie, at their departure out of life, they vse mourning, mixt w 1 singing, w c continueth for a 15g space. This is asmuch as wee coulde learne of them. This lande is situated in the Paralele of Rome, in 41 degrees and 2 terces : but somewhat more colde by accidentall cause and not of nature (as I will declare vnto your high- ncsse els where), describing at this present the situation of the foresaide countrie, which lyeth East and West, I say that the mouth of the hauen lyeth open to the South halfe a league broade, and being entred within it, betweene the East and the North, it stretcheth twelue leagues : where it waxeth broder and broder, and maketh a gulfe aboute 20 leagues in compasse, wherein are hue small Islandes, very fruitfull and pleasant, full of hie and broade trees, among the which Ilandes any great Nauie may ryde safe without any feare of tempest or other daunger. Afterwardes, turning towards the South, and in the entring into the Hauen, on both sides there are most pleasant hilles, with many riuers of most cleere water falling into the Sea. 1 In the middest of this entraunce there is a rock of free¬ stone growing by nature, apt to builde any Castle or Eor- tresse there, for y e keeping of the hauen. The fift of May, being furnished with all thinges necessarie, we departed from y e said Coast, keeping along in the sight thereof, and we sayled 150 leagues, finding it all w'ayes after one manner : but the lande somewhat higher with certaine mountaines, all which beare a shewe of minerall matter; wee sought not to lande there in any place, because the weather serued our turne for sayling: but wee suppose that it was like to the 1 After a very careful examination of the best printed maps,— Ame¬ rican and English, and many MSSwe have come to the conclusion, that this haven is Narraganset Bay. In following a route like this of Verazzani, it must be borne in mind, that many of the statements as to distance will be merely rough estimates ; and that even on the point of degrees of latitude, it will not be safe to give writers of this early period credit for strict accuracy. 70 THE DISCOUEllIE OF former; the Coast ranne Eastward for the space of fiftie leagues. And trending afterwardes the North, wee founde another lande 1 high, full of thicke woods, the trees whereof were firres, Cipresses, and such like, as are wont to growe in colde Countries. The people differ much from the other, and looke how much the former seemed to he courteous and gentle, so much were these full of rudenesse and ill manners, and so barbarous, that by no signes that euer wee coulde make, wee could haue any kinde of trafficke with them. They cloth theselues with Beares skinnes, and Leopardes, and sealles, and other beastes skinnes. Their foode, as farre as wee coulde perceiue, repayring often vnto their dwellings, wee suppose to bee by hunting and fishing, and of certaine fruites, which are a kinde of rootes which the earth yeeldeth of her owne accord. They haue no graine, neither sawe wee any kinde or signe of tyllage, neither is the lande, for the barrennes therof, apt to beare frute or seed. If at any time we desired by exchaunge to haue any of their commodities, they vsed to come to the Sea shore vpon certaine craggie rocks, and wee standing in our Boats, they let downe with a rope what it pleased them to giue vs, crying continually that wee should not approch to the lande, demanding immedi¬ ately the exchange, taking nothing but kniues, fishookes, and tooles to cut withall, neither did they make any account of our curtesie. And when we had nothing left to exchange with them, when we departed from them, the people shewed all signes of discourtesie and disdaine, as was possible for any creature to inuent. Wee w r ere, in despight of them, two or three leagues within the lande, being in number 25 armed men of vs. And when we went on shore, they shot at vs with their bowes, making great outcries, and afterwardes fled into the woods. Wee founde not in this lande any thing notable, or of importance, sauing very great woods and cer¬ taine liilles, they may haue some mynerall matter in them, because wee sawe many of the haue headstones of Copper 1 About Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, or the southern part of Maine. MO RUM BEGA. 71 hanging at their eares. We departed from thence, keeping our course North-East along the coaste, which wee founde more pleasant champion, and without woods, with high moun- taines within the lande : continuing directly along the coast for the space of fiftie leagues, wee discouered 32 Ilelandes 1 lying all neare the lande, being small and pleasant to the viewe, high, and hauing many turnings and windings be- tweene them, making many fayre karboroughes and clianels, as they doe in the goulfe of Venice in Saluonia, and Dal¬ matia; wee had no knowledge or acquaintance with the people: wee suppose they are of the same maners and nature that the others are. Sayling Northeast for the space of 150 leagues, we approched to the lande that in times past was discouered by the Britons, which is in fiftie degrees. 2 Hauing now spent all our prouision and victuals, and hauing discouered about 700 leagues and more of newe Countries, and being fur¬ nished with Water and Wood, wee concluded to returne into Eraunce. Touching the religion of this people which wee haue founde, for want of their language, we could not vnderstand, neither by signes nor gesture, that they had any religion or lawe at all, or that they did acknowledge any first cause or mouer, neither that they worship the heauen or starres, the Sunne or Moone, or other Planets, and much lesse, whether they bee idolaters; neither coulde wee learne whether that they vsed any kinde of Sacrifices or other adorations, neither in their villages haue they any Temples or houses of prayer. We suppose that they haue no religion at all, and y* they liue at their owne libertie. And y t all this proceedeth of igno¬ rance, for that they are very easie to bee persuaded: and all that they see vs Christians doe in our diuine seruice, they did the same, with the like imitation as they sawe vs to doe it. 1 We conjecture this to be Penobscot Bay. 2 Newfoundland. Podesta. THE DISCO UERIE OF THE ILES OF FRISLAND, Iseland, Engroueland, Estotiland, Drogeo, and Icaria, made by M. Nicolas Zeno, Knight, and M. Antonio his Brother. In the yere of our Lord 1200, There was in the Citie of Venice a famous Gentleman, named M. Marino Zeno, who for his great vertue and singular wisedome, was called and elected gouernour in certain common wealthes of Italy, in the admi¬ nistration whereof hee bore himselfe so discreetly, that hee was beloued of all men, and his name greatly reuerenced of those that neuer knewe or sawe his person. And among sundrie his worthie workes, this is recorded of him, that hee pacified certaine greeuous ciuile dissentions that arose among the Cittzens of Verona: whereas otherwise if by his graue aduise and great diligence, they had not beene preuented, the matter was likely to breake out in hot broiles of warre. Hee was the first Agent that the common wealth of Venice kept in Constantinople in the yeere 1205, quando n’era patrona , conli baroni frdcesi. This Gentleman had a sonne, named M. Pietro, who was the father of the Duke Rinieri, which Duke dying with out issue, made his heyre M. Andrea, the sonne of M. Marco his brother. This M. Andrea was cap- taine generall and Procurator, a man of great reputation for many rare partes, that were in him. He had a sonne M. Ri¬ nieri, a worthie Senatour and prudent councellour : Of whom descende M. Pietro, Generall of the league of the Christians against the Turkes, who was called Dragon, for that in his armes hee hare a Dragon. Hee was father to M. Carlo, the famous Procurator and Generall againste the Genowayes in those cruel warres, when as almost all the chiefe princes of THE DISCOUERIE OE MORUM BEGA. 73 Europe did oppugne and seek to ouertlirow our Empire and libertie, wliere by bis great valiancie and prowesse, like an other Furius Camillus, lie delivered his Countrie from the present perill it was in, being readie to become a pray and spoyle vnto the enemie, wherefore hee was afterwarde sur- named the Lion, and for an eternall remembrance of his fortitude and valiant exploits he gaue the Lion in his armes. M. Carlo had two brethren, M. Nicolo the knight and Anto¬ nio, the father of M. Dragon, of whom issued M. Caterino, the father of M. Pietro, this M. Pietro had sonnes M. Caterino that dyed the last yeere, M. Francisco, M. Carlo, M. Battista, and M. Vincenzo. That M. Caterino was father to M. Nicolo that is yet liuing. Now M. Nicolo the knight, being a man of great courage and very nobly minded, after this foresaide warre of Genoua, that troubled so our predecessours, entred into a wonderfull great desire and fansie to see the fashions of the world, and to trauaile, and to acquaint himselfe with the manners of sundry nations, and learne their languages, whereby afterwards vp5 occasions hee might be y e better able to do seruice to his coutrie and purchase to himselfe credite and honor. Wherfore hee caused a shippe to bee made, and hauing furnished her at his proper charges (as hee was very w r ealthie), hee departed out of our Seas, and passing the straites of Gibralterra, he sailed for certaine dayes vpon y e Ocean, keeping his course stil to y e Northwards, w 4 intent to see Englaund and Flaunders. Where being assaulted in those Seas by a terrible tempest, was so tossed for the space of many dayes with the Sea and winde, that hee knew r e not where hee was, till at length hee discouered lande, and not beeing able any longer to sustaine the violence of the tempest, the ship was cast away vpon the Isle of Friseland. The men were saued and most part of the goods that were in the Ship. And this was in the yeere 1380. The inhabitants of the Hand came running in great multitudes w t weapons to set vpon M. Nicolo and his men, who beeing sore wether beaten The ship of M. N. Zeno cast away vpon Fris- landin anno lm L 7 4 THE DISCOUERIE OF A forraine prince hap- ninp to be in Frisla’d wt armed men. When M. Zeno suffer¬ ed ship- wrack, there came vnto him and spake latin. Zichmni prince of Porland or duke of Zorani. Frisland the king of Nor- wayes. and ouerlaboured at Sea, and not knowing in what part of the worlde they were, were not able to make any resistaunce at all, much lesse to defende them selues conragionsly, as it behooued them in such dangerous case. And they shoulde haue been doubtlesse very discourteously entreated and cruelly handeled, if by good hap there had not been hard by the place a Prince with armed people. Who vnderstanding that there was e'uen at that present a great ship cast away vpon the Hand, came running at the noyse and outcries that they made against our poore Mariners, and drilling away the inhabitants, spake in latine, and asked them what they were and from whence they came, and perceiuing y 4 they were Italians and all of one Countrie, he was surprised with mar- ueilous great ioy. Wherefore promising the all that they shoulde receiue no discourtesie, and that they were come into a place where they shoulde bee well vsed and very welcome, he tooke them into his protection vpon his faith. This was a great Lord, and possessed certaine Hands, called Porland, lying one the Southside of Frisland, being y e richest and most populous of all those partes; his name was Zichmni : and beside the said little Hands, he was Duke of Sorani, lying within the land towards Scotland. Of these North partes I thought good to draw the copie of a Sea carde, which amongest other antiquities, I haue in my house, wdiich al¬ though it be rotten through many yeres, yet it falleth out indifferent well, and to those that are delighted in these things, it may serue for some light to the vnderstanding of that, which without it cannot so easily be conceiued. Zi¬ chmni, being Lorde of those Seignories (as is said), was a very warlike and valiant man, and aboue all things famous in Sea causes. And hauing this yeere before giuen the ouerthrowe to the king of Norway, who was Lord of the Ilande, beeing desirous to winne fame by feates of armes, was come on land with his me to giue the attept, for y e winning of Frisland, which is an Hand much bigger then Ireland. Wherefore MORUM BEGA. / 5 seeing that M. Nicolo was a ma of iudgement and discretion, and very expert both in Sea matters and martiall affaires, lice gaue him commission to goe aboord his nanie with all his men, charging the captaine to honour him, and in all things to vse his counsaile. This Nauie of Zichmni was of thirteene vessels, wlierof two only were with oares, the rest small barkes, and one ship, with the which they sayled to the Westwardes, and with little paines wonne Ledouo and Ilofe, and diuers other small Ilandes, and turning into a bay called Svdero, in the hauen of the towne named Sanestol, they tooke certaine small Barks laden with salt fish. And heere they founde Zichmni, w r ho came by land with his armie, conquering all the countrie as he went; they staied here but a while, but held on their course to the Westwards, till they came to the other Cape of the goulfe or bay, then turning againe,they found certaine Ilelandes and broken landes, which they reduced all vnto the Seignorie and possession of Zichmni. These Seas for as much as they sayled, were in maner nothing but sholds and rocks, in sort that if M. Nicolo and the Venetian mariners had not beene their Pilots, the whole Fleete, in iudgement of all that were in it, had been cast away, so small was y e skill of Zichmnis men in respect of ours, who had been trained vp in the art and practice of nauigation all the daies of their life. Now the Pleete hauing doone such things (as is declared), y e Captaine, by the counsel of M. Ni¬ colo, determined to goe a lande at a towne called Bondendon, to vnderstande what successe Zichmni had in his warres, where they heard, to their great content, that he had fought a great battaile and put to flight the armie of his enemie : by reason of which victorie they sent Embassadours from all partes of the Ilande to yeeld the countrie vp into his handes, taking down their enseignes in euery towne and castell: They thought good to stay in that place for his comming, being reported for certaine that he would bee there very shortly. At his comming there was great congratulate and many 76 THE DISCOUEHIE OF signes of gladnes shewed, as wel for the victorie by lande as for that by Sea, for the which the Venetians were honoured and extolled of all men, in such sort y t there was no talke but of them, and of y e great valour of M. Nicolo. Wherfore, the Prince, who was a great fauourer of valiant men, and especially of those that coulde behaue them selues well at the Sea, caused M. Nicolo to bee brought before him, and hauing commended him with many honourable speeches, and praysed his great industrie and dexterie of wit, by the which he acknowledged himselfe to haue receiued an inestimable benefite, as the sauing of his Fleete and the winning of many maJeknight places, he made him Knight, and rewarded his men with by zichmm. man y r i c ] ie and bountifull giftes : Then departing from with fisher l^ ence ^ they went in triumphing maner towardes Priseland, the chief Citie of y e Ilande, situate on the Southest side of the Isle within a goulf (as there are very many in that Hand). In this goulfe or bay there is such great abundance of fish taken, that many ships are laden therewith, to serue Plaunders, Britaine, England, Scotland, Norway, and Denmarke, and by this trade they gather great wealth. a letter sent And thus much is taken out of a letter that M. Nicolo sent K zem> er vnto M. Antonio his brother, requesting him that hee woulde from Frise- . land to his seeke some meanes to come to him. Wherefore hee, who brother M. Venice°End as great desire to trauaile as his brother, bought a Ship, letter. firat an( l directing his course that way, after hee had sayled a great while, and escaped many dangers, hee arrived at length in safetie with M. Nicolo, who receiued him very ioyfully, for that hee was his brother not only in fleshe and blood, but also in valour and good qualities. M. Antonio remained in Friselande, and dwelt there for the space of fourteene yeeres, foure yeeres with M. Nicolo, and ten yeeres alone. Where they came into such grace and favour with the Prince, that hee made M. Nicolo Captaine of his Nauie, and with great preparation of warre, they were sent foorth for the enterprise of Estlande, which lyeth upon the coaste between Friseland Frisland; for Foun¬ ders, Bri¬ taine, Eng¬ land, Scot¬ land, Nor¬ way, and Denmark. But not to bee proued that euer any came the’ce. M0RUM BEGA. 77 and Norway, where they did many domages, but hearing that the king of Norway was comming towardes them with a great Fleet, they departed w l such a terrible flaw of wind y l they were driue vpo certain sholdes. Where a great part of their ships were cast away, y e rest were saued upo Grisland, a great Hand, but dishabited. The king of Norway his fleete being taken with the same storme, did vtterly perishe in those seas. Whereof Zichmni liauing notice, by a shippe of his enemies, that was cast by chaunce upon Grisland, hauing repayred his fleete, and perceyuing him selfe northerly neere vnto the Islandes, determined to set vpon Islande, which together with the rest was subiect to the king of Norway: but he founde the countrey so well fortified and defended, that his fleete being so small, and very ill appointed both of weapons and men, hee was gladde to retire. And so hee left that enterprise without perfourming any thing at all, and in the same chanelles he assaulted y e other lies, called the Islands, which are seven : Talas, Broas, Iscant, Trans, Mi- nant, Dambere, and Bres, and hauing spoyled them all, hee built a fort in Bres, where he left M. Nicolo, with certaine small barkes and men and munition. And nowe thinking he had done well for this voyage, with those fewe shippes which were left hee returned into Frieslande. M. Nicolo remayning nowe in Bres, determined vpon a time to goe forth and dis- couer lande, wherefore arming out their small barkes in the moneth of July, he sayled to the Northwardes, and arriued in Engrouelande. Where he founde a monastery of Fryers Engroue- of the order of the Predicators, and a church dedicated to Preaching . Friers of S S. Thomas, harde by a hill that casteth forth fire like Vesu- Thomas, uius and Etna. There is a fountayne of hot burning water, with the whiche they heate the Churclie of the monasterie and the Fryers chambers; it commeth also into the kitchen so boyling liotte, that they vse no other fire to dresse their meate, and putting their bread into brasse pottes without any water, it 78 THE DISCOUEltlE OF A notable lye. cloeth bake, as it were in a hot ouen. They hane also small gardens couered ouer in the winter time, which being watered with this water, are defended from the force of the snowe and colde, which in those parts being situate farre vnder the pole, is very extreeme, and by this meanes they produce flowers and fruites and herbes of sundrie sortes, enen as in other temperate conntreys in their seasons, in suche sorte that the rude and sauage people of those partes seeing these supernaturall effectes, doe take those Friers for Gods, and bring them many presentes as chickens, fleshe, and diuers other thinges, and haue them all in great reuerence as Lords. When the frost and snowe is great, they heate their houses in maner before said, and will, by letting in the water or opening the windowes, temper the heate and colde at their pleasure. In y e buildings of the monastery, they vse no other matter but that which is ministred vnto them by the fire, for they take the burning stones that are cast out as it were sparkles or ceindres at the firie mouth of the hill, and when they are most enflamed, cast water vpon them, wherby they are dissolued and become excellet white lime, and so tough, that being contriued in building, it lasteth for euer. And the very sparkles after the fire is out of them do serue in steede of stones to make walles and vautes : for being once colde, they will neuer dissolue or breake except they be cut with some iro toole, and the vautes that are made of them are so light, that they need no sustentacle or proppe to holde them vp, and they wil endure continually very fayre and whole. By reason of these great commodities, the friers haue made there so many buildings and walles that it is a wonder to see. The couerts or roofes of their houses for the most part are made in this maner; first they rayse the wall vp to his full height, then they make it enclining or bowing in by litle and litle in forme of a vaute. But they are not greatly troubled with raine in those partes, for that, by reason of the pole or colde climate, the first snowe being falne, it MORUM BEG A. 79 thaweth no more for the space of nine monefhs, for so long dureth their winter. They feede of the fleshe of wilde beastes and of fish, for where as the warme water falleth into the sea, there is a large and wide hauen which by reason of the lieate of the water, doeth neuer freeze all the winter, by meanes whereof there is suche concourse and flocks of sea fonle and such aboundance of fishe, that they take thereof infinite mul¬ titudes, whereby they maintayne a great number of people rounde about, whiche they keepe in continuale worke, both in building and taking of foules and fishe, and in a tliousande other necessarie affaires and busines about the monasterie. Their houses are builte about the hill on euery side, in fourme rounde, and 25 foote broade, and in mounting vp- wardes they goe narower and narower, leauing at the toppe a litle hole, whereat the ayre commeth in to giue light to the house, and the flore of the house is so hot, that being within they feele no colde at all. Hither in the sommer time come Trade in * sommer many barkes from the Hands there about, and from the Cape aboue Norway, and from Trondon. And bring to the MeT-s in in. Friers al maner things that may be desired, taking in grouelacL change thereof fishe, which they drie in the sunne, or in the colde, and skins of diuers ldndes of beastes. For the which they haue wood to burne, and timber verie artificially carued, and corne and cloth to make them apparell. For in change of the two foresayde commodities, all the nations bordering rounde about them couet to trafficke with them, and so they without any trauell or expences haue that which they desire. To this monasterie resort Friers of Norway, of Suetia, and Resort of ^ friers from of other countreys, but the most part are of the Islandes. There are continually in that part many barkes, whiche are kept in there by reason of, the sea being frozen, wayting for the season of the yeere to dissolue the Ice. The fishers boates are made like vnto a weauers shuttle; taking the skins of fishes, they fashio them with the bones of the same fishes, and sowing the together in many doubles, they make Norway and Sueden to the monas¬ terie in In- grouelande called S. Tho*. 80 THE DISCOUERIE OF tliem so sure and substantial!, that it is miraculous to see how in tempests they will shut theselues close within, and let the sea and winde carrie them, they care not whether, without any feare eyther of breaking or drowning. And if they chance to be driuen vpd any rocks they remaine sounde, without the least bruse in the worlde : And they haue, as it were, a sleeue in the bottome, w r hich is tied fast in y e middle, and when there cometh any water into their boat, they put it into the one halfe of y e sleeue, the fastning y e ende of it w t two peeces of wood, and loosing y e band beneath, they conuey the water forth of the boate: and this they doe as. often as they haue occasion, without any perill or impedi¬ ment at all. Moreouer, the water of the monasterie, being of sulphurious or brimstone nature, is conueyed into the lodginges of the principall Friers by certaine vessels of brasse, tinne, or stone, so hotte, that it heateth the place as it were a stowe, not car¬ rying with it any stinke or other noysome smell. Besides this, they haue another conueyance to bring hot water, with a wall vnder the ground, to the ende it should not freese, vnto the middle of the court, where it falleth into a great vessel of brasse, that standeth in the middle of a boyling fountayne, and this is to heate their water to drinke, and to water their gardens, and thus they haue from the hill the greatest commodities that may be wished; and so these Fryers employ all their trauaile and studie for the most part in trimming their gardins, and in making faire and beawti- full buildings, and especially handsome and commodious; neyther are they destitute of ingenious and painefull artificers for the purpose, for they giue very large payment, and to them that bring them fruites and seedes they are very boun- tifull, and giue they care not what. So that there is great resort of workmen and maisters in diuers faculties, by reason of the good games and large allowance that is there. The most of them speake the Latin tongue, and especially MORUiAI BEGA. 81 the superiours and principalis of the monasterie. And this is in the mo nastarie S. as muche as is knowen of Engrouelande, which is all by the relation of M. Nicolo, who maketh also particular description iE k toS e of a riuer that he discouered, as is to he seene in the carde of the two letter. that I drewe. And in the ende, N. Nicolo, not being vsed and acquainted with these cruell coldes, fell sicke, and a little while after returned into Frislande, where he dyed. He left behinde him in Venice two sonnes, M. Giouanni and M. Toma, who had two sonnes, M. Nicolo, the father of the famous Cardinal Zeno and M. Pietro, of whom descended the other Zenos that are liuing at this day. Now M. Nicolo being dead, M. Antonio succeeded him, n. zeno both in his goods and in his dignities and honour, and albeit lande? he attempted diuers wayes, and made greate supplication, hee coulde neuer obtaine licence to returne into his Countrey, for Zichmni had determined to make himselfe Lorde of the sea. Wherefore, vsing alwayes the counsaile and seruice of M. Antonio, hee sent hym with some small barkes to the Westwardes, for that towardes those partes some of his fish¬ ermen had discouered certaine Ilandes verye rich and popu¬ lous; which discouerie, M. Antonio, in a letter to his brother M. Carlo, recounteth from point to point in this manner, sauing that wee haue chaunged some olde woordes, leauing the matter entire as it was. Sixe and twentie yeeres agoe there departed foure Fisher ^m.A n- 3 letter be- ginneth from the boates, the wliiche a mightie tempest arising, were tossed for the space of manye dayes verye desperately vpon the Sea, brother in "V enice, when at length the tempeste ceassying, and the weather waxing fayre, they discouered an Ilande called Estotilande, Estotitand. lying to the Westwardes aboue 1000 Miles from Frislande, vpon the wliiche one of the boates was caste awaye, and sixe 6 Fisher . . _ . 1 . .. men taken. men that were m it were taken ot the mhabitauntes, and brought vnto a verye fayre and populous Citie, where the kyng of the place sent for manye interpreters, but there was none coulde bee founde that vnderstoode the language of the M 82 THE DISCOUERIE OF Fishermen of Frislande spake latin. Sixe were 5 yeeresin Eslotilande. One of the fishers of Frisland re- porteth of Estotilande. Estotilande rich: abounding with al the commo ditie of the worlde. Aboundance of golde. Trade from Estotiland to Engroue- land—skins, brimstone, and pitche. Gold, corne, and bere or ale. Many cities and castles. A countrey called Dro- gio. fishermen, excepte one that spake Latin, who was also cast by chaunce vpon the same Ilande, who in the behalfe of the kyng asked them what Countreymen they were, and so vnderstanding tlieyr case, rehearsed it vnto the King, who willed that they shoulde tarrie in the Countrey, wherefore, they obeyinge his commaundement, for that they coulde not otherwise doe, dwelte hue yeeres in the Ilande, and learned the language, and one of them was in diuers partes of the Ilande, and reporteth that it is a verye riche Countrey, abounding with all the commodities of the worlde, and that it is little lesse than Islande, but farre more fruitefull, hauing in the middle thereof a verye hyghe mountayne, from the whiche there riseth foure Kiuers, that passe throughe the whole Countrey. The inhabitantes are very wittie people, and haue all the artes and faculties as wee haue : and it is credible, that in time past they haue had trafficke with our men, for he sayde that he sawe latin bookes in the Kings library, whiche they at this present doe not vnderstande, they haue a peculiar language, and letters, or caracters, to themselues. They haue mines of all manner of mettals, but especially they abounde with golde. They haue their trade in Engroueland, from whence they bring skins, and brimstone, and pitch : And he saith, that to y e southwards there is a great populous coutrey, very rich of gold. They sowe corne, and make bere or ale, which is a kind of drinke that the north people doe vse, as we do wine. They haue mightie great woods; they make their buildings with wals, and there are many cities and castles. They build smal barkes, and haue sayling, but they haue not the lodestone, nor know not the vse of the copasse. Wherefore these fishers were had in great estima- tio, insomuch that the king sent them with 12 barkes to the southwardes, to a countrey whiche they call Drogio : but in their voyage they had suche countrary weather, that they thought all to haue perished in the sea, but yet escaping that MORUM BEGA. 83 cruell death, they fel into another more cruel. For they were take in the countrey, and the most parte of them eaten by the Sauage people, which fecde vpon mans fleshe, as the sweetest meate in their iudgementes that is. But that fisher, with his fellowes, shewyng them the maner of taking fishe with nettes, saued their liues : and woulde goe euery day a fishing to the sea and in fresh riuers, and take great aboundance of fish, and giue it to the chiefe men of the countrey, whereby hee got himselfe so great fauour, that hee was very well beloned and honoured of euery one. The fame of this man being spred abroad in the countrey, there was a Lorde thereby that was verie desirous to hane him with him, and to see how hee vsed his miraculous arte of catching fishe, in so mnche that he made warre with the other Lorde, with whom hee was before, and in the ende pre- uayling, for that hee was more mightie and a better warriour, the fisherman was sent vnto him, with the rest of his com¬ pany. And for the space of thirteene yeeres that hee dwelt in those partes, he saith that he was sent in this order to more than 25 Lordes, for they had continuall warre amongest them selues, this Lorde with that Lord, and he with another, onely to haue him to dwell with them; so that wandring vp and downe the Countrey, without any certayne abode in one place, hee knewe almost all those partes. He saith that it is a very great countrey, and, as it were, a newe world, the people very rude and voyde of all goodnesse; they goe all naked, so that they are miserablie vexed with colde; neyther haue they the wit to coner their bodies w* beasts skins, w l they take in huntinge; they haue no kind of metal; they liue by huting; they carie certain lances of wood, made sharp at y e point; they haue bowes, the stringes whereof are made of beastes skinnes : They are a very fierce people, they make cruell warres one with another, and eate one an other, they haue gouernours and certayne lawes verye diners amongest them selues. But the farther to the South west wardes, the The 6 fish- erme’ of frisland only saued by shewing the maner to take fishe. The chiefest of the 6 fish¬ ers specified before his co’panions. In the space of 13 yeres in Drogio. Sent to more then 25 lords, which continually warred amongst the selues for the same fisherman. 84 THE DISCOTJEKIE OE more ciuility there is, the ayre being somewhat temperat, so that there they haue Cities and temples to Idolls, wherein they sacrifice men, and afterwardes eate them; they haue there some knowledge and vse of gold and silner. Nowe this fisher hauing dwelt so many yeeres in those countreys, purposed, if it were possible, to returne home into his conntrey, hut his companions dispayring euer to see it agayne, let him goe in Gods name, they kept them selues where they were. Wherefore hee bidding them farewel, fledde through the woods towardes Drogio, and was verie well receiued of the Lorde that dwelt next to that place, who knewe him, and was a great enemie of the other Lorde, and so running from one Lorde to an other, being those by who hee had passed before, after long time and many trauelles, he came at length to Drogio, where hee dwelt three yeeres. When as by good fortune he heard by y e inhabitants y t there were certaine boates arriued upon y e coast, wherefore, en- tring into good hope to accdplish his intent, he went to y e sea side, and asking the of what conntrey they were, they answered of Estotiland, whereat he was exceeding glad, and interpret™ 6 requested that they woulde take him into them, whiche they Ihat’lriued did verye willingly, and for that hee had the language of the the boates of Conntrey, and there was none of them that conlde speake it, Estotilande. they vsed him for their interpreter. Aftcrwcirds hee tie- And after that, hee frequented that trade with them, in quented that them 7n ith suc ^ sor te, that hee became verye riche, and so furnishing thathe°he- ou ^ a barke of his owne, hee returned into Erislande, where STIndso hee made reporte vnto this Lorde of that welthie Conntrey. hark of his And hee is throughly credited, because of the Mariners owne, and ° ^ Frisiande 0 w ^io approoue many straunge thinges that hee reporteth to reported. 6 the b ee true. Wherefore, this Lorde is resolued to sende me Lonie to 18 foorth with a fieete towardes those partes, and there are so manye that desire to goe in the voyage for the noueltie and minded'to strangenesse of the thing, that I thinke we shall be very send M. An- . -iti tonio zeno strongly appointed, without any publike expence at all. And 3 yeresin Drogio. Where by happ arriu. ed certaine boates from Estotiland. MORUM BEGA. 85 this is the tenor of the letter, before mentioned, which I hane heere set downe to giue intelligence of an other voyage, that onsstot£ tes M. Antonio made, being set out with many Barkes and men, of 3 letter. notwithstanding hee was not captaine as hee had thought at the first hee shoulde, for Zichmni went in his owne person: and concerning this matter, I haue a letter in forme, as fol- 4 letter be- ginneth fro' loweth. Our great preparation for the voyag of Estotiland, island was begun in an vnlnckie houre, for three dayes before our thJj^caSo departure, the fisherman died that shoulde haue been our guid : notwithstanding, this Lorde wonlde not giue oner the Sat should enterprize, but in steade of the fisherman, tooke certayne guid and Marriners that returned out of the Ilande with him, and so cedatne making our nauigation to the Westwards, we discouered cer- SkeSinhis St6Gd6 tayne Ilandes subiect to Prislande, and hauing passed cer- whichcame tayne shelues, we stayed at Ledouo for the space of 7 dayes [™ d Estoti " to refreshe our selues, and furnish the fleete with necessarie prouision. Departing from hence, we arriued the first of m- July at the He of Ilofe, and for that the winde made for vs IIe w r ee stayed not there, but passed forth, and being vpon the maine sea there arose immediatly a cruell tempest, where- w r ith for eight dayes space wee were miserably vexed, not knowing vdiere wee were, and a great part of the Barkes w r ere cast away; afterwarde waxing faire wether, we gathered vp the broken peeces of the Barkes that were lost, and sayl- •ing with a prosperous winde, wee discouered lande at West. Wherefore, keeping our course directly vpon it, wee arriued SsS'dis. in a very good and safe harborough, where wee sawe an infi- the iiand nite companie of people readie in armes, come running very InfinUe furiously to the water side, as it were for defence of the pe^lein 1 Ilande. Wherefore, Zichmni causing his men to make signes aums ‘ of peace vnto them, they sent tenne men vnto vs that coulde speake tenne languages, but wee coulde vnderstande none Annw of them, except one that was of Island. He being brought Icana - before our Prince and asked what was the name of the Hand, and what people inhabited it, and who gouerned it, answered, 86 THE DISCOUERIE OF Icaria Ilande. All the kings yt had raigned in that Ila’d were called Icari, after the name of the first king of yt place: which they say was the sonne of Dedalus, king of Scots. Icarius drowned. Icarian Sea. The people of Icaria de¬ sirous of the Italian tongue. Hauing in that Hand 10 men of ten sundry nations. that the Hand was called Icaria, and that all the kinges that had raigned there, were called Icari, after the name of the first king of that place, which, as they say, was the sonne of Dedalus, king of Scotland, who conquering that Hand, left his sonne there for king, and left the those lawes that they retain to this present, and after this, he desiring to sayle fur¬ ther, in a great tempest that arose, was drowned; wherefore, for a memoriall of his death, they call those Seas yet the Icarian Sea, and the kings of the Hand, Icari; and for that they were contented with that state which God had give them, neither whold they alter one iote of their lawes and eustomes, they would not receiue any straunger, wherefore they requested our Prince that hee woulde not seeke to violate their lawes, which they had receiued from that king of wor- thie memorie, and obserued very duly to that present: which if hee did attempt, it woulde redounde to his manifest destruc¬ tion, they being all resolutely bent rather to leaue their life, than to loose in any respect the vse of their lawes. Not¬ withstanding, that wee should not thinke they did altogether refuse the conuersation and trafhcke with other men, they tolde vs for conclusion, that they would willingly receiue one of our men, and preferre him to be one of y e chiefe amongest them, only to learne my language the Italian tongue, and to bee enformed of our maners and eustomes, as they had alreadie receiued those other tenne of tenne sundrie nations, that came vnto their Hand. To these things our Prince answered nothing at all, but causing his men to seeke some good harborough, hee made signes as though he would come on lande, and sayling round about the Hand, hee espied at length a harborough on the East side of the Ilande, where he put in with all his Fleet, the mariners went on land to take in wood and water, which they did with as great speede as they conlde, doubting, least they shoulde be assaulted by the inhabitants, as it fell out in deed, for those that dwelt there abouts, making signes vnto the other with fire and MORUM BEGA. 87 smoke, put them seines presently in armes, and the other comming to them, they came all running downe to the Sea side vpon our men with bowes and arrowes and other wea¬ pons, that many were slaine and diuers sore wounded. And we made signes of peace vnto them, but it was to no purpose, for their rage encreased more and more, as though they had fought for life and liuing. Wherefore, wee were forced to depart, and to sayle along in a great circuite about the Hand, being alwaies accompanied vpon the hil tops and the Sea coast with an infinite multitude of armed men, and so dou- infinite bling the Cape of the Hand towardes the North, wee found armed men A # in Icaria. many great sholdes, amongst the which for the space of ten daies we were in continual danger of loosing our whole Fleete, but that it pleased God all that while to send vs very faire weather. Wherefore, proceeding on till we came to y e East cape, we sawe the inhabitaunts still on the hill tops and by the Sea coast keepe with vs, and in making great out¬ cries, and shooting at vs a farre of, they vttered their olde spitefull affection towards vs. Wherefore we determined to stay in some safe harborough, and see if we might speak once againe with the Islander, but our determination was frustrate, for the people, more like vnto beastes than men, stood continually in armes, w* intent to beat vs backe if we should come on lande. Wherefore, Zichmni seeing hee coulde not preuaile, and thought if hee shoulde haue per- seuered and followed obstinately his purpose, their victuals would haue failed them, hee departed with a faire winde, and sailed sixe dayes to the Westwards, but the winde chaung- ^7^" ing to the Southwest, and the Sea waxing rough, wee sayled 4 waS3s. West " dayes with the wind in the powpe, and at length discouering land, wee were afraide to approch neere vnto it, being the sjjj 4 of Sea growen, and we not knowing what lande it was, but God prouided for vs, that the winde ceasing, there came a greate calme. Wherefore, some of our companie rowing to land with oares, returned and brought vs word to our great com- 88 THE DISCOUERIE OF 100 good souldiers sent by Zichmni to search the countrie (which countrie is not named). June. The ayre so te’perate and sweete as impossi¬ ble to ex- presse it. Hauen Trim. Capo di Trim. The 100 souldiers returned which had been through the Hand, re¬ port what they sawe and found. forte, that they had fonnde a very good Countrie, and a better harborough, vpon which newes wee towed our ships and smal Barkes to lande, and being entred into the harborough, wee sawe a farre of a great mountaine y t cast forth smoke, which gaue vs good hope that we shoulde finde some inha- bitantes in y e Hand, neither would Zichmni rest, although it were a great way of, hut send a 100 good souldiers to search the Countrie, and bring report what people they were that inhabited it; and in the meane time they tooke in wood and water for the prouision of the Fleete, and catcht great store of fishe and Sea foule, and founde such abundance of birdes egges, that our men that were halfe famished were filled withall. Whiles we were riding here, began the moneth of June, at which time the ayre in the Hand was so temperate and pleasant as is impossible to expresse; hut when we coulde see no people at all, wee suspected greatly that this pleasant place was desolate and dishabited. We gaue name to the hauen, calling it Trim, and the point that stretched out into y e sea we called Capo di Trim. The 100 souldiers that were sent foorth, eight dayes after returned, and brought worde that they had been through the Ilande, and at the moun¬ taine, and that the smoke was a naturall thing, proceeding from a great fire that was in the bottome of the hill, and that there was a spring, from which issued a certaine matter like pitch, which ran into the Sea, and that there ahoutes dwelt greate multitudes of people half wilde, hiding theselues in caues of the grounde, of small stature, and very fearefull, for as soone as they sawe them, they fled into their holes; and that there was a great riuer and very good harborough. Zichimni being thus informed, and seeing that it had a hol- some and pure ayre, and a very fruitefull soyle, and fayre riuers, with sundrie other commodities, fell into such liking of the place, that he determined to inhahite it, and build there a Citie. But his people being weary and faint with their long and tedious trauaile, began to tumult and mur- MORUM BEGA. 89 mure, saying, that they would returne into their Countrie, zichmni 5 ; account of, 9 ; said to have caused Brazil to be colonized by the Portuguese, 9 ; this statement doubt¬ ful, ib. Belleforest (Francois), works, 1; birth, etc., 4 Benjamin, Tudelensis, works, lii ; birth, etc., 5 Best (George), works, li, 4 Brazil, when discovered, 9 ; colonized by the Portuguese, ib. ; origin of name and its antiquity, 46 Brigham (Anthony), 6 Burrough (Stephen), works, lxi; birth, etc., 6; account of, on a monu¬ mental brass in Chatham church, 15 Burrough (William), works, lxi, 6 Burros (Steven), see Burrough Burros (William), see Burrough C. Cabot (John), discoverer of America, lxviii ; account of his expedition in 1496, ib. ; letters patent granted to him and to his three sons by Henry VII, 19 Cabot (Sebastian), works, lvii ; birth, etc., 5; argument in favour of a north-west passage, 11 ; extract from Peter Martyr respecting his voyage along the east coast of North America, lxxxviii; extract from Gomara on the same subject, lxxxix ; note of his voyage, 23 ; extract from Ramusio respecting his voyage to the north, 24 ; maps and discourses in the possession of William Wor¬ thington, 26 Cabral (Pedro Alvarez), took posses¬ sion of Brazil in 1500, 9 Calicut, Vasco da Gama arrives at, by sea in 1498, 42 Cam (Diego), discovers Congo in 1484, 41 Cape Verde islands, discovery of, 45 Cartier (Jacques), lviii, xcv, 5 Cathaia, explanation of, 24 Chancellor (Nicholas), works, lii, 4 Chancellor (Richard), works, lx, 6 Charles V, emperor of Germany, study of navigation promoted by, 14 Chart, by R. Thorne, explanation of, 36 Chaves (Alonso de), account of, 14 Chicoria, described, 108 Claudia island, discovered by Veraz- zani, 63 Climate, described, 49 Colombo (Cristoforo), works, lvi ; birth, etc., 5 Congo, discovered by Diego Cam, in 1484, 41 Conti (Nicolo di), works, lvi, 5 Contractation House, 14 Coronado (Francis Vasques de), see Vasques Cortereal (Anus), ship sent by him in 1574 to discover a north-west pas¬ sage, 7 A A 2 INDEX. Cortereal (Gaspar), 5 Crantzius (Albertus), see Krantz Cuba, discovered by Columbus in 1492, 43 D. Diamonds, prices of, 158, 161,164, 165 Diaz (Bartholomeu), doubles the Cape of Good Hope for the first time in 1487, 42 Dominica, discovered by Columbus in 1493, 43 Drake (Sir Francis), 6 ; makes a voyage of discovery along the western coast of North America as high as the 48th degree, 12 ; offer to found a lectureship in navigation, 16 Drogeo, discovery of, 72 E. Eleot (Hugh), see Elliot Engroveland, discovery of, 72; Fran¬ ciscan monastery at, described, 77 ; Zichmni arrives there, and builds a city, 87 Erondelle (P.), translation of part of Lescarbot’s “ Histoire de la Nouvelle France,” xxx Estotiland, discovery of, 72 ; descrip¬ tion of, 81 Fenton (Edward), 6 Finseus (Orontius), see Fine Fine (Oronce), works, xlix ; birth, etc., 3 Florida, first French colony in, under Albert de la Pierria, xciv; misman¬ agement and sufferings of the first colonists, ci; second colony under the command of Laudonniere, cv; destroyed by the Spaniards, cviii ; natives of, their evidence in favour of the north-west passage, 11 ; dis¬ covery of, by J. Ribault, 91, 97 ; description of the country, its inha¬ bitants and produce, 98 Fracastoro (Girolamo), works, xlv ; birth, etc., 3 Frisland, discovery of the island of, 72 Frobisher (Sir Martin), 6 ; made three voyages in search of the north-west passage, 12 G. Gabot, see Cabot Gaetano (Juan), works, lix, 5 Gaeton (John), sec Gaetano Galvam (Antonio), works, lxi; birth, etc., 6 ; his “ Tratado”, published in English by Hakluyt, xxxi Galvano (Francis) see Galvam Gama (Vasco da), works, lvii ; birth, etc. 5 ; doubles the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, and arrives at Cali¬ cut in 1498, 42 Gemma, Frisius, see Gemma (R.) Gemma (Reinerus), works, xlv; birth, etc. 3 Geography, names of writers on, 3, 4 Gilbert (Sir Humphrey), works, 1. ; birth, etc. 4, 6 Giunti (Tommaso), xlviii ; birth, etc. 3 Gonsalva (Gil) said to have sought a passage by the north-west, lxiv, 11 Gonzalez de Mendoza, (-), History of China translated by Parke, xxix Good Hope, Cape of, doubled for the first time by Bartholomeu Diaz in 1487, 42 Grafton (Richard), extract from his chronicle, relating to the voyage of discovery by two ships in 1527, 54 Guicciardini (Giovanni Batista), works, xlvi; birth, etc. 3 H. Haithonus, see Hatto Hakluyt, Family of; account of, ii-iv Hakluyt. (Richard), birth and educa¬ tion, iv ; circumstance which led him to study Geography, v; his desire to procure the establishment of a lec¬ ture on navigation, vii ; addresses the Lord Admiral Howard on the subject, vii; letter to Sir Francis Walsingham principally upon the same subject, viii; proposal to him to accompany Sir Humphrey Gilbert in his voyage to Newfoundland in 1583, ix ; second letter to Sir F. Walsingham, xi; appointed chaplain to Sir Edward Stafford, ambassador to the Court of France, xiii; made a prebendary of Bristol, xiii; one of those to whom Sir Walter Raleigh assigned his letters patent for dis¬ coveries in heathen lands, xiv ; in¬ stituted to the rectory of Wettering- set-cum-Blochford, in Suffolk, xiv; his marriage, xiv ; chief promoter of a petition to King James for a char¬ ter for the colonization of Virginia, xiv ; death, xv ; his anxiety to pro¬ mote geographical discovery, xvi ; his exertions to procure information, xvii; encouraged by Sir F. Wal- INDEX. 3 singham to continue his labours, xvii; his first work, the “Divers V oyages”, xviii; induces Basanier to edit the voyages of Ribault and others to Florida, and also pub¬ lishes an English translation of the work, xix ; publishes an edition of Peter Martyr Anghiera’s work, De orbe novo, xx ; publishes his “ Prin¬ cipal Navigations.of the Eng¬ lish Nation”, etc.xxii-xxviii; induces Pory to publish a translation of the History of Africa by Leo Africanus, xxix ; induces Parke to publish a translation of the History of China, from the Spanish of Gonzalez de Mendoza, xxix; induces P. Eron- delle to publish a translation of part of Lescarbot’s Histoire de la nouvelle France, xxx ; publishes an English translation of a work by A. Galvam, xxxi; translates F. de Souto’s Dis¬ coveries in Florida, xxxii; a promon¬ tory on the continent of Greenland named after him, xxxiv ; a river dis¬ covered in a voyage to Pechora named after him, ib. ; description of his “ Divers Voyages,” xxxvi etseq Will. 145 ; note of the chief places where spices grow in the East In¬ dies, 151 ; of the several prices of precious stones and spices, 158 ; good merchandize to bring from the East Indies into Spain, 160 ; note of commodities in good request in the East Indies, the Moluccas, and China, 166 Hall (E.), extract from his chronicle re¬ lating to the voyage of discovery by two ships in 1527, 54 Harton, see Hatto Hatto, works, liii; birth, etc. 5 Hayto, see Hatto Henry VII., king of England, letters patent granted by him to John Cabot and his three sons, lxxi, 19 ; letters patent granted to Richard Warde and others, lxxiii ; also to Hugh Elyot and others, lxxxv Hernandez de Oviedo y Valdez (Gon- salvo), works, xlv ; birth, etc. 3 Heyes (Edward), works, lxiii, 6 Hudson’s straits, discovered by Gaspar Cortereal, and by the ship said to have been sent out by Anus Cor¬ tereal, 7 I. J. Jackman (Charles), 6 Icaria, discovery of, 72, 85 Iceland, discovery of, 72 Jenkinson (Anthony), works, lxii, 6 Jordan, river, 112 K. Krantz (Albert), works, xliv ; birth, etc. 3 L. La Pierria (Albert de), remains in Flo¬ rida at the head of [28] thirty settlers left there by Ribault, c, 114 ; explores the country and endeavours to conci¬ liate the natives, ci; is put to death by his companions, cii. Laudonniere (-), sails to Florida in command of three ships, with emi¬ grants, cv ; erects a fort named Ca¬ roline, on the river St. John, ib. ; relieved by Ribault when about to abandon the colony in despair, cvii ; colony destroyed by the Spaniards, cviii Lee (Edward), account of, 33 Leo, Africanus, History of Africa, trans¬ lated by J. Pory, xxix Lescarbot (M.) Histoire de la Nouvelle France, translated by Erondelle, xxx Letters patent, granted by the sove¬ reigns of England for the discovery and planting of unknown lands, lxxi Lock (Michael) translation of Hakluyt’s edition of Peter Martyr Anghiera’s work, De Orbe Novo, xxi ; autobio¬ graphical account of, xc Longitude, adopted by Ptolemy, and by different countries, 37 Lucar (Cyprian), 54 Lucar (Emanuel), 54 M. Magalhaens (Fernando de), works, lviii, 5 Magalianes (Fernandas), see Magalhaens Mandeville (Sir John), works, xliii ; birth, etc. 3 Martyr (Peter), see Anghiera Mary of Guildford, voyage of discovery to the north, 54 May, river, discovered, 98 Medina (Pedro de), works, 14 Mendoza (Antonio de), works, xlvi ; birth, etc. 3 Mercator (Gerard), works, xlvi; birth, etc. 3; opinion in favour of the ex¬ istence of the north-west passage, 13 Meridian, see Longitude Munster (Sebastian), works, xlviii; birth, etc. 3 4 INDEX. N. Navigation, study of, recommended, 14 ; Reader in the art of, appointed by the Emperor Charles V, ib.; Im¬ portance of founding a lectureship on, in London, 16 ; mariners igno¬ rant of navigation in the sixteenth century and at the present day, ib. Ni