This note following, concerning the ayde and assistance of the English Marchants, given to King John the first of Portugall, for the winning of Ceuta in Barbarie, which was the first occasion of all the Portugall discoveries, is taken out of Thomas Walsingham his Latine Chronicle. Anno 1415.

H

Oc anno Joannes primus Rex Portugalliæ fretus auxilio Mercatorum Angliæ quàm maximè, & Alemannorum, vicit Agarenos in terra Regis Betinarinorum, multis eorum millibus ad generum Cereris destinatis: cepítque civitatem eorum quàm amplissimam supra mare sitam, vocatam Ceut eorum lingua.

THis

The same in English.

His yere John the first king of Portugall, being principally assisted by the helpe of the English Marchants, and Almaines, overcame the Moores in the dominion of the king of Barbary, putting many thousands of them to the sword, and he tooke their city which was very mighty, seated upon the sea, which is called Ceuta in their language.

1415.

[II. ii. 2.]

[Confirmatio

1482.

Confirmatio treugarum inter Regem Angliæ Eduardum quartum, & Joannem secundum Regem Portugalliæ, datarum in oppido montis Majoris 8 Februarii, & apud Westmonasterium 12 Septembris, 1482, anno regni 22 Regis Eduardi quarti, lingua Lusitanica ex opere sequenti excerpta.

Libro das obras de Garcia de Resende, que tracta da vida è feitos del Rey dom Joham secundo. Embaixada que el Rey mandov à el Rey d'Inglaterra, cap. 33.

Da qui de Monte Mor mandov el Rey por embaixadores à el rey dom Duarte de Inglaterra Ruy de Sousa pessoa principal è de muyto bon saber é credito, de que el Rey muyto confiava, é ho doutor Joam d'Elvas, é Fernam de Pina por secretario. E foram por mar muy honradamente com muy boa companhia: hos quaes foram en nome del Rey confirmar as ligas antiquas com Inglaterra, que polla condisan dellas ho novo Rey de hum reyno é do outro era obrigado à mandar confirmar : é tambien pera mostrarem ho titolo que el rey tinha no senhorio de Guinee, pera que depois de visto el rey d'Inglaterra defendesse em todos seus reynos, que ninguen armasse nem podesse mandar à Guinee: é assi mandasse desfazer huna armada, que pera laa faziam, per mandado do Duque de Medina Sidonia, hum Joam Tintam é hum Guilherme Fabiam Ingreses. Com ha qual embaixada el rey d'Inglaterra mostrov receber grande contentamento, é foy delle com muyta honra recebida, é em tudo fez inteiramente ho que pellos embaixadores These writ- lhe foy requerido. De que elles trouxeran || autenticas escrituras das diligencias que con pubricos pregones fizeram é assi as provisones das aprovasones que eran

ings are in

the Tower.

necessarias é com tudo muyto ben acabado, é ha vontade del rey se vieram.

The Ambassage which king John the second, king
of Portugall, sent to Edward the fourth king
of England, which in part was to stay one
John Tintam, and one William Fabian English
men, from proceeding in a voyage which they
were preparing for Guinea, 1481, taken out of
the booke of the workes of Gracias de Resende,
which intreateth of the life and acts of Don
John the second, king of Portugall.
Chap. 33.

Nd afterwards the king sent as Ambas-
sadours from the towne of Monte major
to king Edward the fourth of England,
Ruy de Sousa, a principall person, and
a man of great wisedome and estimation,
and in whom the king reposed great
trust, with doctor John d'Elvas, and Fer-

dinand de Pina, as secretarie. And they made their
voyage by sea very honourably, being very well accom-

sage.

1481.

panied. These men were sent on the behalfe of their The first cause king, to confirme the ancient leagues with England, of this ambaswherein it was conditioned that the new king of the one and of the other kingdome, should be bound to send to confirme the olde leagues. And likewise they had order The second to shew and make him acquainted with the title which cause. the king held in the segneury of Ginnee, to the intent that after the king of England had seene the same, he should give charge thorow all his kingdomes, that no man should arme or set foorth ships to Ginnee: and The third also to request him, that it would please him to give commandement to dissolve a certaine fleet, which one John Tintam and one William Fabian, English men, were making, by commandement of the duke of Medina Sidonia, to goe to the aforesayd parts of Ginnee. With

cause.

1481.

[II. ii. 3.]

had an ordin

ary trade to the Canaries 1526.

which ambassage the king of England seemed to be very well pleased, and they were received of him with very great honour, and he condescended unto all that the ambassadours required of him, at whose hands they received authenticall writings of the diligence which they had performed, with publication thereof by the heralds: and also provisoes of those confirmations which were necessary. And having dispatched all things well, and with the kings good will, they returned home into their countrey.

A briefe note concerning an ancient trade of the English Marchants to the Canarie-ilands, gathered out of an olde ligier booke of M. Nicolas Thorne the elder a worshipfull marchant of the city of Bristoll.

T appeareth evidently out of a certaine note or letter of remembrance, in the custody of me Richard Hakluyt, written by M. Nicolas Thorne the elder a principall marchant of Bristoll, to his friend and factour Thomas Midnall and his owne servant William Ballard at that time resident at S. Lucar in The English Andaluzia; that in the yeere of our Lord 1526 (and by all circumstances and probabilities long before) certaine English marchants, and among the rest himselfe with one Thomas Spacheford exercised usuall and ordinary trade of marchandise unto the Canarie Ilands. For by the sayd letter notice was given to Thomas Midnall and William Ballard aforesayd, that a certaine ship called The Christopher of Cadiz bound for the West Indies had taken in certaine fardels of cloth both course and fine, broad and narrow of divers sorts and colours, some arovas of packthreed, sixe cerons or bagges of sope with other goods of M. Nicolas Thorne, to be delivered at Santa Cruz the chiefe towne in Tenerifa one of the seven Canary-ilands. All which commodities the sayd Thomas and William were authorised by the owner in the letter

before mentioned to barter & sell away at Santa Cruz. And in lieu of such mony as should arise of the sale of those goods they were appointed to returne backe into England good store of Orchell (which is a certaine kinde of mosse growing upon high rocks, in those dayes much used to die withall) some quantity of sugar, and certaine hundreds of kid-skinnes. For the procuring of which and of other commodities at the best and first hand the sayd Thomas and William were to make their abode at Santa Cruz, and to remaine there as factours for the abovesayd M. Nicolas Thorne.

And here also I thought good to signifie, that in the sayd letters mention is made of one Thomas Tison an English man, who before the foresayd yere 1526 had found the way to the West Indies, and was there resident, unto whom the sayd M. Nicolas Thorne sent certaine armour and other commodities specified in the letter aforesayd.

A description of the fortunate Ilands, otherwise called the Ilands of Canaria, with their strange fruits and commodities: composed by Thomas Nicols English man, who remained there the space of seven yeeres together.

Ine intent is particularly to speake of the Canaria Ilands, which are seven in number, wherein I dwelt the space of seven yeres and more, because I finde such variety in sundry writers, and especially great untruths, in a booke called The New found world Antarctike, set out by a French man called Andrew Thevet, the which his booke he dedicated to the Cardinall of Sens, keeper of the great seale of France.

It appeareth by the sayd booke that he had read the works of sundry Phylosophers, Astronomers, and Cosmographers, whose opinions he gathered together. But

c. 1550.