IN NORTHERN MISTS 



ing islands, and he has returned safely and has discovered two very large and 

 fertile islands, and found as it seems the seven cities ^ 400 leagues to the west 

 of the island of England. His majesty the King here will on the first oppor- 

 tunity send him with fifteen or twenty ships . . ." [cf. Harrisse, 1882, p. 323]. 



On December 18 (27, N.S.), 1497, Soncino again writes to the 

 Duke more fully about Cabot's voyage : 



" Perhaps among Your Excellency's many occupations it may not be unwel- 

 come to hear how this Majesty has acquired a part of Asia without drawing 

 his sword. In this kingdom is a Venetian called Messer Zoanne Caboto, of 

 gentle bearing, very skilful in navigation, who, seeing that the most serene 

 Kings, first of Portugal and then of Spain, had taken possession of unknown 

 islands, proposed to himself to make a similar acquisition for the said Majesty. 

 After having obtained the royal privilege, which assured to him the use of the 

 dominions he might discover, while the Crown retained the sovereignty over 

 them, he gave himself into the hands of fortune with a small ship and eighteen 

 men, and sailed from Bristol, a port on the west of this kingdom; and after 

 passing Ireland farther west, and then steering to the north, he began to sail 

 towards the eastern regions [i.e., westward to the lands of the Orient, thus 

 making for the east coast of Asia], leaving [after some days] the pole-star on 

 his right hand; and after a good deal of wandering [havendo assai errato] he 

 finally came to land [terra firma], where he raised the royal banner and took 

 possession of the country for his Highness, and after having taken some 

 tokens [of his discovery] he returned. As the said Messer Zoanne [John] 

 is a foreigner and poor, he would not be believed if his crev/, who are nearly 

 all English and belong to Bristol, had not confirmed the truth of what he 

 said. This Messer Zoanne has the description of the world on a chart, and 

 also on a solid sphere which he has made, showing on it where he has been; 

 and in traveling towards the east he went as far as to the land of the Tanais 

 [i.e., Asia], and they say that the country there is excellent and temperate, and 

 expect that brazil-wood [il brasilio] and silk ~ grow there, and they declare 

 that this sea is full of fish which can be caught not only with the seine, but 



per dubito . . ."; while Tarducci [1892, p. 350] gives: " Vene in mare per 

 dubito . . .", where "mare" is perhaps a misprint for "nave"(?). In any 

 case the meaning must be that Cabot turned back and would not go farther 

 into the country for fear of being attacked by the inhabitants, which might 

 easily have been dangerous for him with his small crew. 



1 That is, the mythical " Island of the Seven Cities " out in the Atlantic. 



2 It ^ is interesting that here we find attributed to the newly discovered 

 country the two features, dye-wood and silk, which were the most costly 

 treasures characteristic of the land that was sought, exactly in the same way 

 as the Norsemen attributed to their Wineland the Good the two features, wine 

 and cornfields (wheat), which were characteristic of the Fortunate Isles. 

 Thus history repeats itself. 



