CABOT. 219 



Henry the Seventh, mortified, no doubt, that he 

 had lost the opportunity of engaging the services 

 of that great man who, under frequent disap- 

 pointment from the court of Spain, had offered 

 himself to the English king, took advantage of 

 the presence of Sebastian Cabot, a well-known 

 skilful navigator, and determined to employ him 

 in searching for a passage to Cathay and the East 

 Indies, to the northward of the lands discovered 

 by the Spaniards. Cabot was, accordingly, grant- 

 ed a patent, authorizing him to search for un- 

 known lands, and to conquer and settle them ; 

 the king reserving to himself one-third of the 

 profits. 



Cabot sailed from England in the spring of 

 1497, and although unsuccessful in accom- 

 plishing the passage, became the first authen- 

 ticated discoverer of Newfoundland, and of the 

 coast of America down to Florida. On his 

 return, he found the attention of the court occu- 

 pied in preparing for a war with Scotland, and 

 his discoveries were not then followed up. 



The Portuguese, with the brilliant example of 

 Columbus before them, and encouraged by the 

 important voyages of Diaz and Covilham, now 

 forsook the tedious, and dilatory navigation of 

 the coast, and boldly launching out into the 

 ocean, strove to outrival the Spaniards in the 



A.D. 



1497. 



