It Hath Been Attempted By Corterialis The Portuguese, Scolmus The
Dane, And By Sebastian Cabot In The Time Of King Henry VII.
And it hath been performed by the three brethren, the Indians
aforesaid, and by Urdaneta, the friar of Mexico.
Also divers have proposed the like unto the French king, who hath
sent two or three times to have discovered the same; the discoverers
spending and consuming their victuals in searching the gulfs and
bays between Florida and Labrador, whereby the ice is broken to the
after-comers.
So that the right way may now be easily found out in short time, and
that with little jeopardy and less expenses.
For America is discovered so far towards the north as Cape Frido,
which is at 62 degrees, and that part of Greenland next adjoining is
known to stand but at 72 degrees; so that we have but 10 degrees to
sail north and south to put the world out of doubt hereof; and it is
likely that the King of Spain and the King of Portugal would not
have sat out all this while but that they are sure to possess to
themselves all that trade they now use, and fear to deal in this
discovery lest the Queen's Majesty, having so good opportunity, and
finding the commodity which thereby might ensue to the commonwealth,
would cut them off and enjoy the whole traffic to herself, and
thereby the Spaniards and Portuguese with their great charges should
beat the bush and other men catch the birds; which thing they
foreseeing, have commanded that no pilot of theirs, upon pain of
death, should seek to discover to the north-west, or plat out in any
sea-card any through passage that way by the north-west.
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