The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation, vol. 12 | Page 8

castles, and firme land so found. [Sidenote: Bristol
thought the meetest port for Westerne discoueries.] Yet so that the
aforesayd Iohn, and his sonnes and heires, and their deputies, be holden
and bounden of all the fruits, profits, gaines, and commodities growing
of such nauigation, for euery their voyage, as often as they shall arriue
at our port of Bristoll (at the which port they shall be bound and holden
onely to arriue) all maner of necessary costs and charges by them made,
being deducted, to pay vnto vs in wares or money the fift part of the
capitall gaine so gotten. [Sidenote: Freedome from custome.] We
giuing and granting vnto them and to their heires and deputies, that
they shall be free from all paying of customes of all and singular such
merchandize as they shall bring with them from those places so newly
found. And moreouer, we haue giuen and granted to them, their heires
and deputies, that all the firme lands, isles, villages, townes, castles and
places whatsoeuer they be that they shall chance to finde, may not of
any other of our subiects be frequented or visited without the licence of
the foresayd Iohn and his sonnes, and their deputies, vnder paine of
forfeiture aswell of their shippes as of all and singuler goods of all
them that shall presume to saile to those places so found. Willing, and
most straightly commanding all and singuler our subiects aswell on
land as on sea, to giue good assistance to the aforesayd Iohn and his
sonnes and deputies, and that as well in arming and furnishing their
ships or vessels, as in prouision of food, and in buying of victuals for
their money, and all other things by them to be prouided necessary for
the sayd nauigation, they do giue them all their helpe and fauour. In
witnesse whereof we haue caused to be made these our Letters patents.
Witnesse our selfe at Westminister the fift day of March, in the
eleuenth yeere of our reigne.[10]
* * * * *
Billa signata anno 13 Henrici septimi.
[Sidenote: A record of the rolls touching the voyage of Iohn Cabot and
Sebastian his sonne.] Rex tertio die Februarij, anno 13, licentiam dedit
Ioanni Caboto, quod ipse capere possit sex naues Anglicanas, in aliquo
portu, siue portibus regni Angliæ, ita quod sint de portagio 200.
doliorum, vel subtus, cum apparatu requisito, et quod recipere possint
in dictas naues omnes tales magistros, marinarios, et subditos regis, qui
cum eo exire voluerint, &c.

The same in English.
The king vpon the third day of February, in the 13 yeere of his reigne,
gaue licence to Iohn Cabot to take sixe English ships in any hauen or
hauens of the realme of England, being of the burden of 200 tunnes, or
vnder, with all necessary furniture, and to take also into the said ships
all such masters, mariners, and subjects of the king as willingly will go
with him, &c.[11]
* * * * *
An extract taken out of the map[12] of Sebastian Cabot, cut by Clement
Adams, concerning his discouery of the West Indies, which is to be
seene in her Maiesties priuie gallerie at Westminster, and in many other
ancient merchants houses.
Anno Domini 1497 Ioannes Cabotus Venetus, et Sebastianus illius
filius eam terram fecerunt peruiam, quam nullus priùs adire ausus fuit,
die 24 Junij, circiter horam quintam bene manè. Hanc autem appellauit
Terram primùm visam, credo quod ex mari in eam partem primùm
oculos iniecerat. Nam quæ ex aduerso sita est insula eam appellauit
insulam Diui Ioannis, hac opinor ratione, quòd aperta fuit eo die qui est
sacer Diuo Ioanni Baptistæ: Huius incolæ pelles animalium,
exuuiasque ferarum pro indumentis habent, easque tanti faciunt, quanti
nos vestes preciosissimas. Cùm bellum gerunt, vtuntur arcu, sagittis,
hastis, spiculis, clauis ligneis et fundis. Tellus sterilis est, neque vllos
fructus affert, ex quo fit, vt vrsis albo colore, et ceruis inusitatæ apud
nos magnitudinis referta sit: piscibus abundat, ijsque sane magnis,
quales sunt lupi marini, et quos salmones vulgus appellat; soleæ autem
reperiuntur tam longæ, vt vlnæ mensuram excedant. Imprimis autem
magna est copia eorum piscium, quos vulgari sermone vocant
Bacallaos. Gignuntur in ea insula accipitres ita nigri, vt coruorum
similitudinem mirum in modum exprimant, perdices autem et aquilæ
sunt nigri coloris.
The same in English.
In the yeere of our Lord 1497 Iohn Cabot a Venetian, and his sonne
Sebastian (with an English fleet set out from Bristoll) discouered that
land which no man before that time had attempted, on the 24 of
Iune,[13] about fiue of the clocke early in the morning. This land he
called Prima vista, that is to say, First seene, because as I suppose it
was that part whereof they had the first sight from sea. That Island

which lieth