Henry VII.'s firft Charter to the Cabot family for five fhips. reasonable demonftrations he showed, caused the King to man and victual a ship," &c. The charter fhows this to have been an error. The rich Venetian merchant and his fons were to find the ship and bear all expenfes, the wily king ftipulating for one-fifth of the gains, without any risk whatever. The patent runs thus: "Henry, by the grace of God, &c. &c. "Be it known to all, that we have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant, to our well-beloved John Cabot, citizen of Venice, to Lewis, Sebastian, and Sanctus, fons of the faid John, and to their heirs and deputies, full and free authority, leave and power, to fail to all parts, countries and seas of the East, of the Weft, and of the North, under our banners and enfigns, with five ships, of what burthen or quality foever they be, and as many mariners and men as they will take with them in the faid fhips, upon their own proper cofts and charges, to seek out, discover and find, whatsoever Ifles, Countries, Regions or Provinces of the Heathen and Infidels, whatsoever they be, and in whatsoever part of the world which before this time have been unknown to all Chriftians. We have granted to them and every of them and their deputies, and have given them our license, to fet up our banners and enfigns in every village, town, castle, ifle or mainland, of them newly found; and that the faid John and his fons and their heirs may fubdue, occupy and poffefs all fuch towns, cities, &c. by them found, which they fefs, trade, can fubdue, occupy and poffefs as our vaffals and lieutenants, getting to us the rule, title and jurifdiction of the faid villages, towns, &c. "Yet fo that the faid John and his fons and their heirs, of all the fruits, profits and commodities growing from fuch navigation, shall be held and bound to pay to us, in wares or money, the fifth part of the capital gain fo gotten for every their voyage, as often as they shall arrive at our port of Bristol (at which port they shall be obliged only to arrive), deducting all manner of neceffary cofts and charges by them made: we giving and granting unto them and their heirs and deputies that they shall be free from all payments of customs on all fuch merchandize they shall To conquer, and pay the 26 None other to trade thither on pain of forfeiture of ships and goods. The Cabots find the money. Life of Sebaftian Cabot. bring with them from the places fo newly found. "And moreover we have given and granted to them and their heirs and deputies that all the firm land, iflands, villages, towns, &c. they shall chance to find, may not, without license of the faid John Cabot and his fons, be fo frequented and visited, under pain of losing their fhips and all the goods of them who shall presume to fail to the places fo found. "Willing, and commanding ftrictly all and fingular our fubjects, as well on land as on fea, to give good affistance to the said John and his fons and deputies, and that as well in arming and furnishing their fhips and veffels as in provifion of food and buying victuals for their money, and all other things by them to be provided neceffary for the faid navigation, they do give them all their favours and affift ance. "Witness myself at Westminster, 5th March, in the eleventh year of our reign, or 1495 A.D." As the civil year began on March 25th this would be really in the year 1496 A.D., one year only before the expedition failed. CHAPTER III. Hypothetical voyage of the Cabots, in 1474 A. D., previous to the Charter of Henry; Supported by Sebaftian Cabot's Map, published 1544, now in Paris: reafons which ftrengthen this view. State of England, and of Bristol, at the period of the Charter. HE foregoing is the original charter of Henry VII., which is generally supposed to have preceded the difcovery. A contrary theory has been broached, and is upheld by Harris, Pinkerton, Barrow, and others; viz., that the Cabots had, from their own private resources, failed westward, and, discovering the land, returned haftily, and, by their representations induced the king to grant them this patent. The two first named write as follows: Theory of an earlier voyage. P. 190, ed. "But the year before that patent was granted, Harris, vol. ii. viz., in 1494, John Cabot, with his son Sebastian, had failed from Bristol upon discovery, 1744. Barrow, P. 32. and had actually feen the continent of Newfoundland, to which they gave the name of 'Prima Vista,' or first seen. And on the 24th of June in the fame year, he went on shore on an ifland, which, because it was discovered on that day, he called 'St. John's;' and of this island he reported very truly that the foil was barren, that it yielded little, and that the people wear bearskin clothes and were armed with bows, arrows, pikes, darts, wooden clubs, and flings; but that the coaft abounded with fish, and upon this report of his, the before-mentioned patent of March 5, 1496, was granted." Herein is the record of all the voyages muddled up in one statement. Barrow fays, "there is no poffible way of reconciling the various accounts but by fupof Voyages," pofing John Cabot to have made one voyage, at least, previous to the date of the patent, and fome time between that and the date of the return of Columbus, either in 1494 or 1495." See Map. Now, the above statements agree entirely with the inscription on the map of Seb. Cabot in the "Bibliotheque Imperial" of Paris, date |