[thacher] the CABOTIAN DISCOVERY 299" 



" These North seas haue bene searched by one Sebastian Cabot, a 

 Venetian borne, whom being yet but in maner an infant, his parents car- 

 ried with them into England, hauing occasion to resort thither for trade- 

 of merchandise, as is the maner of the Venetians to leaue no part of the 

 world vnsearched to obtaine riches. He therefore furnished two ships in 

 England at his owne charges, and tirst with 300, men, directed his course 

 80 farre towards the North pole, that euen in the moneth of July he 

 found monstrous heapcs of ice swimming on the sea. and in maner con- 

 tinuall day light, yet saw he the land in that tract free from ice, which 

 had bene molten by the heat of the kSunne. Thus seeing such hea])es of 

 ice before him, he was enforced to turne his sailes and follow the West, sa 

 coasting still by the shore, that bee was thereby brought so farre into the 

 South, by reason of the land bending so much Southwards, that it was 

 there almost equall in Latitude, with the sea Fretum Herculeum, hauing 

 the North pole eleuate in maner in the same degree. He sailed likewise 

 in this tract so farre toward the West, that hee had the Island of Cuba on 



his left hand, in maner in the same degree of longitude 



Sebastian Cabot himself named those lands Baccalaos, be- 

 cause that in the seas thereabout hee found so great multitudes of cer- 

 taine bigge lishes much like vnto Tunics, (which the inhabitants called 

 Baccalaos), that they sometimes stayed his ships. He found also the 

 people of those regions couered with beastes' skinnes, yet not withovit the 

 vse of reason. Hee also saieth there is great plentie of Eeares in those 

 regions which vse to eate tishe : for plunging themselues into the water, 

 where they perceiuo a multitude of these fishes to lie, they fasten their 

 clawes in their scales, and so draw them to land and eate them, so (as he 

 saieth) the Bearcs, being thus satisfied with fish, are not noisome to men. 

 Hee declareth further, that in many places of these regions, hee saw great 

 plentie of Laton (copper) among the inhabitants. Cabot is my very 

 friend, whom I vse familiarlie, and delight to haue him sometimes keepe 

 me companie in mine owne house. For being called out of England by 

 the commandement of the Catholike king of Castile, after the death of 

 king Henry, the seuenth of that name, king of England, he was made 

 one of our counsell and Assistants, as touching the ail'aires of the new 

 Indies, looking for ships daily to bee furnished for him to discouer this 

 hid secret of Nature." " This vyage is appoynted to bee begunne in Maich 

 in the yeare next fo]owynge,beinge the yeare of Chryst M.D.XVi. What 

 shall sticceade, youre holynes shal be advertised by my letters if god 

 graunte me lyfe. Sume of the Spanyardes denye that Cabot was the 

 fyrst fynder of the land of Baccallaos : And aflirme that he went not sO' 

 farre westwarde.'' ' 



1 The last three sentences are found in the " third decade " of Peter Martyr 

 printed at Alcala in 1.5ir>, and also in Richard Eden's English translation printed at 

 London in lôôô, but they are omitted by Hakluyt. 



