.XX. from the Conquest, to the Death oj §^ Mary I.

" Lord of Ireland, to all to whom" these Presents shall come, Greeting.

Be it known, that We have given" and granted, and by these Presents" do give and grants for Us and Our" Heirs, to our well-beloved John Ca->“ bot : , Citizen of Venice , to .Lewis-, Se-“ baftian, and Santius, Sons of the said" “John, and to their Heirs and.Astigns," and every of them, full and. free“ Authority, Permission and Power," to fail to all Parts, Countries and" Seas of the East, of the West, and." of the North, under our Bannerstf and Ensigns, with five Ships, of what-tc e.ver Burden or Quantity soever they" be,, and as many Mariners, or Men,“ asi they may desire to, have with them,<c in the said Ships, upon their ownproper Costs and Charges ; to seek* f out, discover and find whatsoever" Isies, Countries, Regions or Pro-" vinces of the Heathens and Infidels,«>« whatsoever they be, and in whatPart- of the World soever they be,which before this Time have been.unknown to all Christians. Wehave granted to them, their- Heirsand Assigns, and to every of them," and have given diem, Licence to fet-* r up our Banners and Ensigns in everyVillage, Town, Castle, lsie, or mainLand, of them newly found. And“ that the aforesaid John and his Sons," or their Heirs and Assigns, may fub-<c due, occupy and polfefs all such" Towns, Cities, Castles and Isies, of" them found, which they can subdue," occupy and possess, as our Vassals" and Lieutenants, getting unto us theft Dominion, Title and Jurisdiction of" the same Villages, Towns, Castles," and firm Land so found. On Con-“ dition, however, that the aforesaid" John, and his Sons and Heirs, and" their Deputies, be bound and obli-* f ged, of all the Fruits, Profits, Gains," and Commodities arising from such" Navigation, for every their Voyage," as often as they siiall arrive at our" Port of Brijlol (to which Port only" they shall always be obliged tp** return) all Manner of neceflary" Costs aad Charges by them made be-" ing first deducted, to pay unto Us,“ in Wares or Mony the fifth Part of" the Capital Gain so gotten. We" giving and granting unto them,<f and to their Heirs and Deputies,tc that they shall be free from all pay-ing of Customs, of all and singu-<f lar siich Merchandize, as they shall

" bring with them, from those Placestf so newly found. And, moreover,tf we-have given and granted to them,ef their Heirs and Asiigns, that all the" firm Land, Isies, Villages, Towns,

" Castles and Places, whatsoever they" be, that they siiall chance to find,

" may not be frequented or visited by" any. other of Our Subjects, without" the Licence of- the aforesaid John,

" and his Sons, and their Assigns, un-" der Pain of Forfeiture, as well of(f their Ships, as of all and singular,f Goods of all them that shall pre-" fume to fail to those Places so found.

" Willing, and most streightly com-" manding, all and singular Our Sub-jects, as well on .Land as on Sea, to" give good Assistance to the aforesaidJohn, and his Sons, and their Af-signs, and that, as well in arming" and-furnishing- their Ships and Vel-" sols, as in. Provision of Food, andin buying of Victuals for their Mony,

“ and all other Things by them to be" provided, necessary for the said Na-" vigatioy, they do give them all theircc Help and. Favour. In Witness where-" of we have caused- to be made these" our Letters Patents, Witness Our-" selves at Westminster, the fifth Day" of March, in the eleventh Year of" our Reign.”

Hackluyt, from whom I have ta-ken this Commission, places in theMargin, A.D. 1495. But, accordingto RymeV s Foedera, it was dated March5. 1496.

T o the Ship granted by the King,of which, however, this Commissionmakes no Mention, some Merchants ofLondon added three more, laden withsuch siightCommodities, as were thoughtproper for Commerce with barbarousPeople.

By an Extract from a Record of the John Cabot,Rolls it appears, that tho’ Cabot’s Com- an ^ ? eba „ stj ~million was signed in March 1495, or proceed en1496. he did not go to Sea on this Ex- their fistpedition, ’till the Beginning of the Voyage.Year 1497.

This Record is in the followingWords:

* r Billa Jtgnata, Anno 13* Hen- A Record ofRICI Seftimi. Permiffion

REX, terrio Die Februarii, An-f^fciot.no 13. licentiam dedit Joanni Cabo-to, quod ipfe capere posst sex NavesAnglic anas, in aliquo portu, fiveportibus Regni Anglic?, ita quod sint