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John Cabot, the Discoverer of North-America and Sebastian, His Son
John Cabot the Discoverer of NorthAmerica and Sebastian His Son Author:Henry Harrisse Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. WAS JOHN CABOT A GENOESE? WE have shown that John Cabot was only an adopted citizen of Venice. It is necessary now to ascertain his birth-place... more ». Several writers presume that he was born at Castiglione, a place near Chiavari, in Liguria, because Raimondo di Soncino relates that: " Messer Zoanne Caboto ha donato una isola ad un suo barbero da castione Genovese :—Mr. John Caboto has given an island to a barber of his from the Genoese Castiglione."1 The fact that John Cabot made a present of an island to his barber (surgeon ?), who was a Genoese, is scarcely sufficient to prove that he also belonged to that nationality, inasmuch as he made at the same time a similar present to another of his companions, who was " Borgogne :—from Burgundy." There are better reasons to show John Cabot to have been a Genoese by birth. So early as January 2ist, 1496, Dr. Puebla, the ambassador of Ferdinand and Isabella to England, informs them of the efforts of an individual " like Columbus," who was endeavouring to fit out an expedition to discover transatlantic lands. His letter is lost, but we possess the reply of the Spanish monarchs, which contains the following passage : " You tell us that a man like Columbus has come to 1 Dispatch of December l8th, 1497. text to -draw a distinction between the Jean tt Sibasticn Cabot, doc. x, p. 325. Castiglione in Liguria, and several The expression " Castione Genovese," places of the same name in Lombardy is evidently intended in the original and Tuscany. England for the purpose of proposing an undertaking of the same kind to the English King."l The words " uno como Colon " so clearly suggest those used by Puebla two years afterwards : " otro Genoves como Colon," that we may suppose an ellipse in Their Majesties' answer, and...« less