1516. of most of the principall Cities and townes upon occasions. The voyage of Sir Thomas Pert, and Sebastian rico. Hat learned and painefull writer Richard Eden in a certaine Epistle of his to the duke of Northumberland, before a worke which he translated out of Munster in the yeere 1553, called A treatise of new India, maketh mention of a voyage of discoverie undertaken out of England by sir Thomas Pert and Sebastian Cabota, about the 8. yere of King Henry the eight of famous memorie, imputing the overthrow thereof unto the cowardise and want of stomack of the said Sir Thomas Pert, in maner following. If manly courage, saith he, (like unto that which hath bene seene & proved in your Grace, as well in forreine realmes, as also in this our countrey) had not bene wanting in other in these our dayes, at such time as our 1516. Pert was Vice soveraigne lord of famous memorie king Henry the 8. about the same yeere of his raigne, furnished and sent out certaine shippes under the governance of Sebastian Cabot yet living and one Sir Thomas Pert, whose This sir Tho. faint heart was the cause that the voyage tooke none admirall of effect; if, I say, such manly courage, whereof wee have England, and spoken, had not at that time beene wanting, it might dwelt in happily have come to passe, that that rich treasurie Poplar at called Perularia, (which is nowe in Spaine in the citie Blackwall. of Sivill, and so named, for that in it is kept the infinite riches brought thither from the newfoundland of Peru) might long since have beene in the tower of London, to the kings great honour and wealth of this realme. Hereunto that also is to bee referred which the worshipfull M. Robert Thorne wrote to the sayde king Henry the 8. in the yeere 1527. by doctor Leigh his ambassadour sent into Spaine to the Emperour Charles the fift, whose wordes bee these. Now rest to be discovered the North parts, the which it seemeth unto me, is onely your highnes charge and dutie, because the situation of this your realme is thereunto neerest and aptest of all other and also, for that already you have taken it in hand. And in mine opinion it will not seeme well to leave so great and [III. 499.] profitable an enterprise, seeing it may so easily and with so litle cost, labour and danger be followed and obteined. Though hitherto your grace have made Note. thereof a proofe, & found not the commoditie thereby as you trusted, at this time it shalbe none impediment: for there may be now provided remedies for things then lacked, and the inconveniences and lets removed, that then were cause your graces desire tooke no full effect: which is, the courses to be changed, and to follow the aforesayd new courses. And concerning the mariners, ships, and provision, an order may be devised and taken meete and convenient, much better then hitherto by reason whereof, & by Gods grace, no doubt your purpose shall take effect. And whereas 1516. in the aforesayd wordes M. Robert Thorne sayth, that he would have the old courses to bee changed, and the newe courses (to the North) to be followed: It may plainely be gathered, that the former voyage, whereof twise or thrise he maketh mention, wherein it is like that sir Thomas Pert and Sebastian Cabot were set foorth by the king, was made towarde Brasill and the South parts. Moreover it seemeth that Gonsalvo de Oviedo, a famous Spanish writer, alludeth unto the sayde voyage in the beginning of the 13. chapter of the 19. booke of his generall and natural historie of the West Indies, agreeing very well with the time about which Richard Eden writeth that the foresaid voyage was begun. The authors wordes are these, as I finde them translated into Italian by that excellent and famous man Baptista Ramusius. Nel 1517. Un Corsaro Inglese, sotto colore di venire á An English discoprire se ne venne con una gran nave alla volta great shippe at del Brasil nella costiera di di Terra ferma, & indi Brasill 1517. attraverso á questa isola Spagnuola, & giunse presso la bocca del porto di questa città di S. Domenico, & mandò in terra il suo battello pieno di gente, & chiese licentia di potere qui entrare, dicendo che venia con mercantie a negotiare. Ma in quello instante castellano Francesco di Tapia fece tirare alla nave un tiro d'artiglieria da questo castello, perche ella se ne veniva dìritta al porto. Quando gli Inglesi viddero questo si ritirarono fuori, & quelli del battello tosto si raccolsero in nave. Et nel vero il Castellan fece errore perche se ben fosse nave entrata nel porto, non sarebbono le genti potuto smontare à terra senza volontà & della città & del castello. La nave adunque veggendo come vi era ricevuta, tirò la volta dell' isola di San Giovanni, & entrata nel porto di San Germano parlarono gli Inglesi con quelli della terra, & dimandarono vettouaglie & fornimenti per la nave, & si lamentarono di quelli di questa città, dicendo che essi non venivano per fare dispiacere, ma per contrattare, San Juan de puerto Rico. il Et neere & negotiare con suoi danari & mercantie. Hora quivi 1516. 1516. de Oviedo, who though it please him to call the captain of this great English ship a rover, yet it appeareth by the Englishmens owne words, that they came to discover, and by their traffique for pewter vessell and other wares at the towne of S. Germaine in the Iland of S. John de puerto rico, it cannot bee denied but that they were furnished with wares for honest traffique and exchange. But whosoever is conversant in reading the Portugall and Spanish writers of the East and West Indies, shall commonly finde that they account all other nations for pirats, rovers and theeves, which visite any heathen coast that they have once sayled by or looked on. Howbeit their passionate and ambitious reckoning ought not to bee prejudiciall to other mens chargeable and painefull enterprises and honourable travels in discoverie. [III. 500.] A briefe note concerning a voyage of one Thomas Tison an English man, made before the yeere 1526. to the West Indies, & of his abode there in maner of a secret factor for some English marchants, which under hand had trade thither in those dayes: taken out of an olde ligier-booke of M. Nicolas Thorne the elder, a worshipfull marchant of Bristol. T appeareth out of a certaine note or letter of remembrance, in the custodie of mee Richard Hakluyt, written 1526. by master Nicolas Thorne the elder, a principall marchant of Bristol, unto his friend and factour Thomas Midnall, and his servant William Ballard at that time remaining at S. Lucar in Andaluzia: that before the sayd yeere one Thomas Tison an Englishman had found the way to the West Indies, and was there resident: unto whom the aforesayd M. Nicolas Thorne sent armour and other commodities specified in the letter aforesayd. This Thomas Tison (so farre as I can conjecture) may |