The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part IIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part II
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
The manifolde testimonies, verbatim alleaged by me in the thirde chapiter,
of John Ribault, John Verarsanus, Stephen Gomes, Vasques de Coronado,
Jaques Cartier, Gasper Corterialis, and others, which all were the
discoverers of the coaste and inlande of America betwene 30 and 63
degrees, prove infallibly unto us that golde, silver, copper, perles,
pretious stones, and turqueses, and emraldes, and many other commodities,
have bene by them founde in those regions. To which testimonies I shoulde
have added many more yf I had not feared to be tedious. Nowe the fyfte
parte of all these aforenamed comodities cannot choose but amounte to a
greate matter, beinge yerely reserved unto her Majestie, accordinge to the
tenor of the patent graunted by King Henry the Seaventh in the xj’th. yere
of his raigne to John Gabote and his three sonnes, Lewes, Sebastian, and
Sancius; the wordes whereof it shoulde not be amisse here to sett downe,
as they are printed in my booke of voyadges. These are the wordes: Ex
omnibus fructibus, proficuis, emolumentis commodis, lucris, et
obuentionibus ex huiusmodi nauigatione prouenientibus, prefatus Joannes et
filij ac heredes et eorum deputati teneantur, et sint obligati nobis pro
omni viagio suo toties quoties ad portum nostrum Bristolliæ applicuerint
(ad quem omnino applicare teneantur et sint astricti), deductis omnibus
sumptibus et impensis necessarijs per eosdem factis, quintam partem
capitalis lucri facti, siue in mercibus, siue in pecuniis, persoluere.(76)
What gaines this imposition may turne unto the Crowne of England in shorte
tyme wee may more then gesse, havinge but an eye to the Kinge of Spaines
revenewes, which he nowe hath out of all his domynions in all the West
Indies.
The like in all respectes may be saied of the revenewes of the Crowne of
Portingale, which, beinge of itselfe one of the smallest and poorest
kingdomes of all Christendome, became in shorte space so riche and
honourable soone after their entringe into their southesterne discoveries,
traficques, and conquestes, that, before the deathe of their late younge
kinge Sebastian, their embassadors woulde strive and chalenge for the
chefest place with the embassadores of the greatest kinges of
Christendome; as I have hearde it dyvers tymes spoken at Paris at my
lordes table by men of greate honour and experience, in which citie moste
princes and states of Christendome have their embassadors comonly
resident.
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