Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 3 (of 8): English Explorations and Settlements in North America 1497-1689 — John Shaqi
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 3 (of 8): English Explorations and Settlements in North America 1497-1689
History
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 3 (of 8): English Explorations and Settlements in North America 1497-1689
America -- Discovery and exploration; America -- History; United States -- History
The work of George Beste, the writer of the account of Frobisher’s
three voyages, before mentioned, published in London in 1578, speaks of
Sebastian Cabot as having discovered sundry parts of new-found-land,
and attempted the passage to Cathay, and as being an Englishman, born
in Bristowe. And a yet further reference is made to him, with the
singular additional statement that the date of his discovery was 1508.
This date may be a clerical or typographical error.
These brief notices of Sebastian Cabot are cited as showing how a
tradition is kept alive by one author or compiler quoting another,
neither of which is of the slightest authority in itself.
In 1582 there appeared at Paris a work entitled _Les Trois Mondes_,
etc. by L. V. Popellinière. It is a mere compilation, and embraces
translations from various authors relating to the discoveries of the
different maritime nations of Europe in various parts of the world. His
third world is Australia, called by the Spaniards, he says, Terra del
Fuego, which is here represented on a map as a large continent.[70] On
fol. 25 it is said that Cabot was the first to conduct the English to
the Baccalaos, which was better known to him than to any other; that
he armed two ships at the charge and with the consent of Henry VII. of
England to go there, and took out with him three hundred Englishmen,
and sailed along 48½ degrees in a strait, but was so baffled by the
extremity of the cold which he found there in July, that, although the
days were long, and the nights were clear, he did not dare to pass
beyond with his men to the island to which he wished to conduct them.
This is substantially a resumé of the account in Gomara, with a
discrepancy in stating the latitude reached.
Following a long resumé in French of the conversation in the first
volume of Ramusio, this writer remarks: “This then was that Gabote
which first discovered Florida for the King of England, so that the
Englishmen have more right thereunto than the Spaniards; if to have
right unto a country, it sufficeth to have first seen and discovered
the same.”[71]
In 1580 was published the first edition of Stow’s _Chronicle_ (or
_Annals_) _of England_, etc., which contains, under the year 1498, the
alleged passage from Fabian, which Mr. Biddle[72] charges Hakluyt with
perverting, by prefixing in his larger work the name of John Cabot to
the “Venitian” as it appeared in the _Divers Voyages_ of 1582. The
passage in Stow begins thus: “This year one Sebastian Gabato, a Genoa’s
son, born in Bristow,” etc. Reference will be made to this document
farther on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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