The Boy's Hakluyt: English Voyages of Adventure and DiscoveryHakluyt, Richard
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The Boy's Hakluyt: English Voyages of Adventure and Discovery
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English -- Juvenile literature; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile literature
“‘I began therefore to saile toward the Northwest, not thinking to finde
any other land then that of Cathay, & from thence to turne toward India,
but after certaine dayes I found that the land ranne towards the North,
which was to mee a great displeasure. Neverthelesse, sayling along by
the coast to see if I could finde any gulfe that turned, I found the
lande still continent to the 56. degree under our Pole. And seeing that
there the coast turned toward the East, despairing to finde the passage,
I turned backe againe, and sailed downe by the coast of that land toward
the Equinoctiall (ever with intent to finde the saide passage to India)
and came to that part of this firme lande which is nowe called Florida,
where my victuals failing, I departed from thence and returned into
England, where I found great tumult among the people and preparation for
warre in Scotland: by reason whereof there was no more consideration had
to this voyage.’”
Here again the two voyages are confused; and besides, the date, 1496, is
wrong, and John Cabot is ignored. This would reflect upon the veracity
and generosity of Sebastian Cabot, were it not more than likely that the
reporter bungled, or that the accuracy of the statement suffered through
repetition. It is also to be taken into account that the interview was
had half a century after the events, and when Sebastian Cabot was an old
man.
The remainder of the interview touches briefly upon Sebastian Cabot’s
exploits of later years for Spain, and again, for England, and closes
cheerily: “... And waxing olde, I give my selfe to rest from such
travels, because there are nowe many yong and lustie Pilots and Mariners
of good experience, by whose forwardnesse I doe rejoyce in the fruit of
my labours, and rest with the charge of this office, as you see.”
The third testimony, from Ramusio’s preface to his third volume, which
was published in 1563, contrasts the Cabot voyages with those
subsequently made for the king of France, which established “New France”
in North America:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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