HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 355 



dispersed abroad ; wherein the king did himself no 

 right ; for as there was a laboured tale of particu 

 lars, of Perkin s father and mother, and grandsire 

 and grandmother, and uncles and cousins, by names 

 and sirnames, and from what places he travelled up 

 and down ; so there was little or nothing to purpose 

 of any thing concerning his designs, or any practices 

 that had been held with him ; nor the Duchess of 

 Burgundy herself, that all the world did take know 

 ledge of, as the person that had pnt life and being 

 into the whole business, so much as named or pointed 

 at. So that men missing of that they looked for, 

 looked about for they knew not what, and were in 

 more doubt than before ; but the king chose rather 

 not to satisfy, than to kindle coals. At that time 

 also it did not appear by any new examination or 

 commitments, that any other person of quality was 

 discovered or appeached, though the king s closeness 

 made that a doubt dormant. 



About this time a great fire in the night time 

 suddenly began at the king s palace of Sheen, near 

 unto the king s own lodgings, whereby a great part 

 of the building was consumed, with much costly 

 household-stuff; which gave the king occasion of 

 building from the ground that fine pile of Richmond 

 which is now standing. 



Somewhat before this time also, there fell out a 

 memorable accident : there was one Sebastian Ga- 

 bato, a Venetian, dwelling in Bristol, a man seen 

 and expert in cosmography and navigation. This 

 man seeing the success, and emulating perhaps the 



