NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



[2«d s. No 105., Jan. 2, '58. 



him the next day, I said that I had the means of ren- 

 dering Venice a partaker of this navigation, and of shew- 

 ing her a passage whereby she would obtain great profit, 

 which is the truth, for I have discovered it." — P. 16. 



Cabot then states that as by serving the King 

 of England he could no longer benefit his country, 

 he begged the Emperor to recall him forthwith, 

 which he did. Contarini compliments Cabot on 

 his patriotism, but questions much how far his 

 project was feasible, and starts several difficulties 

 as to effecting his intended navigation. Cabot in 

 reply considers his plan practicable, and adds : — 



" I will tell you that I would not accept the offer of 

 the King of England, for the sake of benefiting my 

 Country, as had I listened to that proposal,- there would 

 no longer have been any course for Venice." 



At a later interview he added : — 



" The way and the means are easy ; I will go to Venice 

 at mj' own cost ; they shall hear me, and if they disap- 

 prove of the project devised by me, I will return in like 

 manner at mj^ own cost. He then urged Contarini to keep 

 the thing secret." 



Space will not allow me to give a continuation 

 of this interesting narrative. Subsequent letters 

 from Contarini show that Cabot persevered in his* 

 proposal — that the Council of Ten, with whom he 

 had communicated, caused a letter to be di'awn 

 up which was to be carefully conveyed to Cabot, 

 exliorting him to come to Venice, where he "would 

 obtain everything." 



Although Venice did not, according to Mr. 

 Cheney, 



" derive any material advantage from the abilities of 

 either of her two subjects, John and Sebastian Cabot, she 

 long continued to cherish their renown, and even to this 

 da}% in the Sala della Scudo, in the Ducal Palace, there is 

 a full-length portrait of Sebastian Cabot, copied appar- 

 ently from a picture attributed to Holbein. 



" This copy was painted in the year 1763, and the in- 

 scription beneath it runs thus : — 



" ' Henricus VII., Anglia; Rex Joannem Cabotam et 

 Sebastianum Filium Astronomiaj Reig (Reiq;?) nauticse 

 Peritissimos anno 1496, navarchos instituit suis Litteris 

 qui viam invenirent quam animo agitabant ad Indos 

 Orientales Cursu per Hyperboreum Instituto. Hae(Hac?) 

 speamissaea tamennavigatore(navigatione?) Terra nova 

 detecta et Floridse promontorium.' " 



The inscription on the Bristol picture is more 

 brief: — 



" Effigies Sebastiani Caboti Angli Filii Jobannis Ca- 

 boti Veneti Militis Aurati primi invctoris terra; novae sub 

 liefico VII., Angliaj Kege." 



J. H. Mabki-and. 



ORIGINAL LETTJEE FEOM CROMWELL TO WALLEE. 



We are indebted to the kindness of the Rev. 

 Lambert B. Larking for the opportunity of pub- 

 lishing the following interesting Letter, the ori- 

 ginal of which is in the posisession of Harry 



Edmund Waller, Esq., the present representative 

 of the poet : — 



" For my very lovinge 



freind Edward Waller, 

 Esq., 



Northampton. 



haste, haste. 

 « S% 

 *' lett it not trouble you that by soe unhappye 

 a mistake you are (as I heare) att Northampton, 

 indeed I am passionately affected with itt. I have 

 noe guilt upon me unlesse it bee to bee revenged, 

 for your soe willinglye mistakinge mee in your 

 verses. This action will putt you to redeeme mee 

 from your selfe as you have already from the world. 

 Ashamed I am, 



" Y-^ freind and 



" Servant, 



" Olivee, p. 

 "June 13'% 

 " 1655. 



Whether or not there is any person who pos- 

 sesses sufficient knowledge of the affairs of the 

 poet Waller to be able to read this epistolary 

 riddle, we do not know. To us it is at present 

 inexplicable. The following are the only points 

 in reference to it which seem clear. 



1. Waller is not known to have been in any 

 political trouble after 1643, when he was fined 

 10,000^., and went into France. 



2. He returned out of France, as is dimly 

 guessed, in 1654; and, as would now appear, he 

 had published his Panegyric (Fenton's Waller, 

 p. 113.) shortly before the date of the present 

 note. The exact time of the publication of the 

 Panegyric was never known before. 



3. The Protector wrote this note from White- 

 hall. A letter of the same day to Blake, on 

 official business, is dated there. (Carlyle's Let- 

 ters and Speeches of Cromwell, last edit., iii. 106.) 



4. The note acknowledges, as if by the bye, and 

 in a kindly reproving manner, the flaming com- 

 pliments of the Panegyric, just come out. 



What was the nature of tlie " mistake" which 

 led Waller to Northampton we cannot guess. 



The poet's name was " Edmund," as all the 

 world knows ; but in the direction of this letter, 

 which is altogether in the Protector's autograph, 

 Waller is styled "Edward." During his long ab- 

 sence from England his christian name had either 

 becomSjUnfamiliar to Oliver's ear, or he was misled 

 by the poet's being termed "Ned" among his 

 familiar associates. Johnson tells \is, in liis Life 

 of Waller, that Mr. Saville said that "no man in 

 England should keep him company without drink- 

 ing but Ned Waller." 



