IN NORTHERN MISTS 



himself had great expectations and saw a brilliant future 

 before him, when he would rule as a prince over newly 

 conquered kingdoms which he would make subject to the 

 English crown. And, as we have seen, he was liberal in 

 distributing islands to his barber, to a Burgundian, etc. 



At the beginning of 1498, Cabot obtained new letters patent, 

 dated February 3, in the thirteenth year of Henry VII.'s reign.^ 

 These letters are in John Cabot's name alone (his sons are not 

 mentioned this time). 



They give him the right of taking at his pleasure six English ships in any 

 English port, of 200 tons or under, with their necessary equipment, "and 

 theym convey and lede to the Londe and lies of late founde by the seid John 

 in oure name and by oure commaundemente, payng for theym and every of 

 theym as and if we should in or for our owen cause paye and noon otherwise." 

 And the said John might further " take and receyve into the seid shippes and 

 every of theym all suche maisters maryners pages and our subjects, as of 

 theyr owen free wille woll goo and passe with hym in the same shippes to the 

 seid Londe or lies," etc. 



It thus seems as if this not very prodigal king had on 

 second thought considerably reduced his first plan of sending 

 a fleet of ten, fifteen, or twenty ships with all the prisoners of 

 the realm. 



The most important documents on this voyage are: 



(i) Two contemporary letters, written before the return 

 of the expedition, by the older Spanish Ambassador in London, 

 Ruy Gonzales de Puebla, and the younger contemporary 

 Spanish Minister in London, Pedro de Ayala, to Ferdinand 

 and Isabella of Spain. The latter's is dated July 23 (August 3, 

 N.S.), 1498; the former's undated, but of about the same 

 time. 



(2) A narrative in the so-called " Cottonian " Chronicle ^ 

 (the contents of which are the same as in Robert Fabyan's 

 Chronicle) undoubtedly refers to this voyage of 1498 and 

 not, as many have assumed, to the voyage of 1497. It 



1 This would be, according to the reckoning of that time, February 3, 1497, 

 since the civil year began on March 25; in New Style it will therefore be 

 February 12, 1498. 



2 The MS. is preserved in the British Museum. Cf. G. P. Winship, 1900, 

 p. 47- 



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