sea, and tells us, that the emperor Sigismund, who came over hither in 1416, and went into France with Henry the Fifth, advised him to keep the two towns of Dover and Calais, as carefully as he would his two eyes.

in use.

It will be at once understood, that during the times of the history, of which so rapid a sketch has just been given, a very great diversity of means of warlike annoyance were In the earlier times, the vessels which were then probably mere galleys impelled by means of oars, were armed with beaks or prows, which they forcibly drove against each other; their principal aim being to sink the enemy; while these attacked and defended with javelins, spears, shields, and other weapons, resembling, in the most material respects, those used on shore.

Cannons are supposed to have been invented in 1330, and were used by the English at the battle of Cressy, in 1346. We do not find that they were used at sea before 1377, when the Venetians employed them against the Genoese; and it is not probable that the English would be long behind in adopting them; yet it seems they were not manufactured in England until 1547. Bombs and mortars were invented in 1634. The introduction of these warlike engines, and of fire-arms in general, gave an entire new character to the face of war, both by land and sea; and it is probable that steam will, in any future extensive war, produce a still farther change, at least in naval matters.

Of the exact dates of the introduction of various descriptions of cannon, and of the consequent changes in the size and forms of ships, we have no authority which can be entirely relied on.

CHAPTER II.

HENRY THE SEVENTH-ORIGIN OF THE ROYAL NAVY AS A DISTINCT SERVICE HENRY THE EIGHTH-EDWARD THE SIXTH-MARYSIR JOHN CABOT-SEBASTIAN CABOT HOWARD-SIR JOHN DUDLEY.

SOME writers date what they term the origin of the English navy, from the reign of Henry the Seventh, upon the ground that he was the first who built and maintained, at the public charge, ships of war. It is not disputed, indeed, that before this the sea forces of our kings were hastily assembled upon emergencies, were hired from merchants, and contributed by the then five principal seaport towns, to this day called the Cinque-ports. The hurried equipment and manning of these vessels, formed the only difference between ships of war, and ships of commerce. The introduction of cannon, leading to a great enlargement in the size, and change of the form of ships, contributed to bring on an alteration in this respect, although even later than the time we speak of, we find the royal ships employed occasionally as merchantmen, as in recent times the East Indiamen, and other large merchant vessels, were not unprepared for defence.

Our author tells us that Henry laid out £14,000 in the construction of a new ship, called THE GREAT HARRY, and which, properly speaking, was the first ship of the royal nary; for though he, as well as other princes, hired many ships, exclusive of those furnished by the ports, when he had occasion to transport forces abroad, yet he seems to have been the only king who thought of avoiding this inconveniency, by raising such a naval force as might be at all times sufficient for the service of the state; a design worthy of his wisdom to project, and of being in some degree perfected under the more fortunate reign of his son. Henry's policy was, generally speaking, peaceful; but he was politic enough to keep his navy in a highly efficient, and, indeed, in a progressive state, in order to prevent the attacks

38

DISCOVERIES OF COLUMBUS AND JOHN CABOT.

of enemies. Henry was ever anxious to guide the attention of his subjects to trade, which he both himself understood, and, unlike the French statesman, who was told that the greatest favour he could do to commerce, was to let it alone, knew how to encourage it. His long residence in Bretagne had given him an opportunity of acquiring a much greater skill in naval affairs, than most of his predecessors; and this was so well known, that eminent seamen, even in foreign countries, frequently, on that account, addressed themselves to him for favour and protection. Nor was it but by accident, that he was deprived of the glory of having patronised Columbus in the discovery of America. That illustrious navigator, disgusted at the indifference with which his proposals had been entertained by the governments of Genoa and Portugal, sent his brother Bartholomew to explain his plans, and request the means of carrying them into effect from Henry.

Bartholomew, on his voyage, was taken by pirates, and it was only after many difficulties, and a long delay, that he found his way to the court of Henry. The king liked his schemes so well, that they came soon to an agreement; but, by a new series of cross accidents, he was prevented from seeing his brother, until the latter, desponding of a reply to his communication to Henry, had concluded an agreement with the crown of Spain, and had sailed on that voyage of discovery, which terminated in placing the American islands at the disposal of Spain. This was in 1492.

John Cabot was by birth a Venetian, but had settled at Bristol for the purposes of trade. This man was of an enterprising spirit, and being emulous of the fame of Columbus, he addressed himself to the king, with proposals for making like discoveries, in case he met with due encour agement. His offer was readily accepted; and the king, by letters patent, dated March the fifth, in the eleventh year of his reign, granted to him, by the name of John Cabot, citizen of Venice, and to his three sons, Lewis, Sebastian, and Sanctius, leave to discover unknown lands, and to conquer and settle them, with many privileges, reserving to himself one-fifth part of the profits; and with this single restraint, that the ships they fitted out, should be obliged to return to the port of Bristol. Though these letters patent were granted in 1495, yet it was the next year before they proceeded to set out any ships; and then John Cabot had a permission from the king, to take six English ships in any

CABOT'S DISCOVERY OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

39

haven of the realm, of the burden of two hundred tons and under, with as many mariners as should be willing to go with him.

In consequence of this license, the king, at his own expense, caused a ship to be equipped at Bristol: to this the merchants of that city, and of London, added three or four small vessels, freighted with proper commodities, which fleet sailed in the spring of the year 1497. Our old chronicle writers, particularly Fabian, tell us of a very rich island, which John Cabot promised to discover; but in this they seem to mistake the matter, for want of thoroughly understanding the subject of which they were writing. John Cabot was too wise a man to pretend to know, before he saw it, what country he should discover, whether island or con tinent; but what he proposed was, to find a north-west passage to the Indies; so that he appears to have reasoned in the same manner that Columbus did, who imagined that, as the Portuguese, by sailing east, came to the west coast of the Indies, so he, by sailing west, might reach their opposite shore. This, with his discovering the island of Baccaloes, or Newfoundland, was certainly the source of this story.

John Cabot, having his son Sebastian with him, sailed happily on their north-west course, till the twenty-fourth of June, 1497, about five in the morning, when they first discovered land, which John Cabot, for that reason, called Prima Vista, that is, first seen. Another island, less than the first, he styled the island of St. John, because it was found on the feast of St. John Baptist. He afterwards sailed down to Cape Florida, and then returned, with a good eargo, and three savages on board, into England, where, it seems, he was knighted for this exploit, since on the map of his discoveries, drawn by his son Sebastian, and cut by Clement Adams, which hung in the privy gallery at Whitehall, there was this inscription under the author's picture: Effigies Seb. Caboti, Angli, Filii Jo. Caboti, Venetiani, Militis, Aurati, &c.

This was a very important discovery; since, in truth, it was the first time the continent of America had been seen; Columbus being unacquainted therewith, till his last voyage, which was the year following, when he coasted along a part of the isthmus of Darien. It is somewhat strange, that our English writers have delivered these matters so confusedly, especially such as lived under the reigns of queen Elizabeth, and king James the First, and, consequently, in and near the

time of Cabot's son; yet, so inaccurate are their relations, that some have been induced thereby to doubt, whether John Cabot made any discoveries at all. The Reverend Mr. Samuel Purchas, to whose labours the world is so much indebted, discovers a good deal of distaste, that America should be so called, from Americus Vesputius; and asserts, that it ought rather to be called Cabotiana, or Sebastiana: because, says he, Sebastian Cabot discovered more of it than Americus, or Columbus himself. In Stowe, and Speed, we find this very discovery ascribed wholly to Sebastian, without any mention of his father; and yet in Fabian's Chronicle, who lived in those days, we have these two remarkable passages :

"In the thirteenth year of king Henry the Seventh, (by means of one John Cabot, a Venetian, who made himself very expert and cunning in the knowledge of the circuit of the world, and islands of the same, as by a sea-card, and other demonstrations reasonable, he showed,) the king caused to man and victual a ship at Bristol, to search for an island, which he said he knew well was rich, and replenished with great commodities; which ship, thus manned and victualled at the king's cost, diverse merchants of London ventured in her small stocks, being in her, as chief patron, the said Venetian. And in the company of the said ship, sailed also out of Bristol three or four small ships, freighted with slight and gross merchandises, as coarse cloth, caps, laces, points, and other trifles; and so departed from Bristol in the beginning of May, of whom in this mayor's time returned no tidings."

Under the fourteenth year of the same king's reign, he tells us, "There were brought unto him," i e. Henry the Seventh, "three men taken in the new found island; these," says he, "were clothed in beasts' skins, and did eat raw flesh, and spake such speech, that no man could understand them, and in their demeanour like brute beasts, whom the king kept a time after, of the which, about two years after, I saw two, apparelled after the manner of Englishmen, in Westminster palace, which at that time I could not discern from Englishmen, till I was learned what they were; but as for speech, I heard none of them utter one word."

Thus it appears, from the best authority that can be desired, that of a contemporary writer, this discovery was made by Sir John Cabot, the father of Sebastian; and, indeed, so much we might have gathered, if we had wanted