[s. E. DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 185 



truth. If we study that age in its own literature — in Machiavelli's works, 

 in the life of Benvenuto Cellini, in the histories of Spain and Italy — wo 

 will obtain the measure of Cabot's character — insincere, shifty, vainglor- 

 ious, jealous of the reputation of othei-s, greedy of reputation for himself ; 

 but not a fool, not an impostor, not a charlatan, not a liar more than the 

 courtiers he lived among. 



While there is no palliation for the evident endeavour of the son to 

 suppress and, even when in England, to minimize the achievements of 

 his father, it must be remembered that it was common in those days for 

 sailors to pass from the service of one prince into that of another, and 

 necessarily some negotiations must have preceded every such transfer. 

 Humboldt remarks that " Vespucius, Cabot and Magellan passed alter- 

 " nately from the service of one prince into that of another. Their 

 " loyalty consisted in embracing with ardour the interests of the country 

 *' where they wei-e resident, and their consciences were ti'oubled the 

 " less by the memory of benefits received in proportion to the length 

 " of the list of their grievances against the ungrateful government 

 " whose services they meditated abandoning."'^ Cabot was not a native 

 born Spaniard or Englishman, but Magellan was a Portuguese who be- 

 trayed to Spain the belief that the Moluccas were within the Spanish lines 

 of demarcation, and commanded an expedition to occupy for Spain rich 

 islands in the east ^vhich his own countrymen had discovered. To the 

 names above mentioned may be added many others. In Mr. Harrisse's 

 list of pilots it will be seen that Ribero, Pedro Eeinel, and Estevan Gomez 

 were Portuguese who passed into the service of Spain between 1517 and 

 1524, and the pilots of Magellan's expedition were also Portuguese.'* 

 These are only a few names hastily selected. The list might be much 

 enlarged. Dr. Justin Winsor, m explanation of some of Sebastian Cabot's 

 evidence in the case of the heirs of Columbus, says : " Too much should 

 " not be made of these variances, however, since Sebastian Cabot at both 

 " these dates was a paid officer of Spain, and could hardly be expected to 

 " damage the interests of his Spanish masters or his own." '* 



While there are points in Sebastian Cabot's life worthy of repro- 

 bation, he is not alone the object of these censures. One cannot fail to bo 

 struck with the arbitrary way in which the moral character and the 

 abilities of the men who are subjects of this controversy are dealt with. 

 Biddle blackened Worthington's character and Nichols assisted, while in 

 reality the maps he was charged with selling to Phillip 11. were safe in 

 England many years later, in 1582.'^ Bishop Howley " has a strong sus- 

 " picion that John Cabot's maps were purloined and sent off to Spain by 

 "Dr. Puebla," and again he suspects that "Cortereal may have got 

 " possession of Cabot's papers, map, globe, and log so mysteriously lost."^^ 

 The same papers Puebla stole for Spain were stolen again for Portugal, 

 and, after all, John Cabot himself freely gave a map to Spain. All the 



