JOHN CABOT'S VOYAGES 



one ship.^ If we may interpret Ayala's words of 1498 literally, 

 that Bristol had sent out ships yearly for the seven previous 

 years to search for the island of Brazil, etc., then we must 

 suppose that Cabot actually set out in 1496 with the projected 

 expedition of five ships, but for some reason or other turned 

 back without having accomplished his object. After having 

 been unfortunate in so large an undertaking, Cabot may have 

 found it less easy to enlist support for a fresh attempt in 

 1497, and was thus obliged to content himself with one small 

 ship and a scanty crew (eighteen men).^ It may also be 

 supposed that, as the earlier expeditions consisting of several 

 ships had failed to find the land they were looking for, Cabot 

 as a practical seaman wished to make a pioneer expedition 

 with a small swift-sailing craft and a picked crew, before 

 again embarking on a large and costly undertaking. He 

 was more independent, and could sail farther and more rapidly 

 to the west than where he was tied by having to keep a fleet of 

 several ships together. 



Cabot's sons, who are mentioned in the letters patent, 

 may have taken part in the voyage of 1496; on the other 

 hand, it is less probable that they were among the eighteen 

 men in 1497.^ It is true that his son Sebastian claimed 

 to have been present as one of the leaders of the expedition, 

 but he also claimed to have made the voyage alone, so that no 

 weight can be attached to his words. In any case, he must have 

 been very young at that time, and he cannot have played any 



1 It has been suggested that Cabot set out in 1496 and did not return till Aug- 

 ust 1497 [cf. Church, 1897], but this cannot be reconciled with the statements 

 in the letters of Soncino and Pasqualigo that the expedition had only lasted a 

 few months. 



- According to Soncino's letter of December 18, 1497, Cabot was a poor 

 man. In addition to this he was a foreigner, and as such was scarcely looked 

 upon with favor; but, on the other hand, the reputation of Italian sailors was 

 great at that time, and he may therefore have been respected for his knowledge 

 of seamanship and cartography, which was not possessed by the sailors of Bristol. 



3 The only ones of these named in the authorities (Soncino's letter, Decem- 

 ber 18, 1497) are Cabot's Italian barber (surgeon?) from Castione, and a man 

 from Burgundy. 



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