Page:The Works of Francis Bacon (1884) Volume 1.djvu/496

 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. and grandsire and grandmother, and uncles and cousins, by names and sirnames, and from what places he travelled up and down ; so there was little or nothing to purpose of any thing concern ing his designs, or any practices that had been held with him; nor the Duchess of Burgundy herself, that all the world did take knowledge of, as the person that had put life and being into the whole business, so much as named or pointed at. So that men missing of that they looked for, looked about for they knew not what, and were in more doubt than before; but the king chose rather not to satisfy than to kindle coals. At that time also it did not appear by any new ex amination or commitments, that any other person of quality was discovered or appeached, though the king s closeness made that a doubt dormant. About this time, a great fire in the night time suddenly began at the king s palace of Sheen, near unto the king s own lodgings, whereby a great part of the building was consumed, with much costly household-stuff; which gave the king occasion of building from the ground that fine pile of Richmond which is now standing. Somewhat before this time also, there fell out a memorable accident : there was one Sebastian Gabato, a Venetian, dwelling in Bristol, a man seen and expert in cosmography and navigation. This man seeing the success, and emulating per- Ivips the enterprise of Christopher Columbus in that fortunate discovery towards the south-west, which had been by him made some six years be fore, conceited with himself, that lands might likewise be discovered towards the north-west. And surely it may be he had more firm and preg nant conjectures of it, than Columbus had of this at the first. For the two great islands of the old and new world, being, in the shape and making of them, broaa towards the north, and pointed towards the south; i is likely, that the dis covery first began where the lands did near est meet. And there had been before that time a discovery of somo lands, which they took to be islands, and were indeed the continent of America, towards the north-west. And it, may be that some relation of this nature coming afterwards to the knowledge of Columbus, and by him suppressed, (desirous rather to make his enterprise the child of his science and fortune, than the follower of a former discovery,) did give him better assurance, that all was not sea, from the west of Europe and Africa unto Asia, than either Seneca s prophecy or Plato s antiquities, or the nature of the tides and land-winds, and the like, which were the conjectures that were given out, whereupon he should have relied: though I am not ignorant, that it was likewise laid unto the casual and wind-beaten discovery, a little before, of a Spanish pilot, who died in the house of Columbus. But this Gabato bear ing the king in hand, that he would find out an island endued with rich commodities, procured him to man and victual a ship at Bristol, for the discovery of that island; with whom ventured also three small ships of London merchants, fraught with some gross and slight wares, fit for commerce with barbarous people. He sailed, as he affirmed at his return, and made a card thereof, very far westwards, with a quarter of the north, on the north side of Terra de Labrador, until he came to the latitude of sixty-seven degrees and an half, finding the seas still open. It is certain also, that the king s fortune had a tender of that great empire of the West Indies. Neither was it a refusal on the king s part, but a delay by accident, that put by so great an acquest: for Christopherus Columbus, refused by the King of Portugal, who would not embrace at once both east and west, employed his brother Bartholomews Columbus unto King Henry, to negotiate for his discovery : and it so fortuned, that he was taken by pirates at sea, by which accidental impediment he was long ere he came to the king : so long, that before he had obtained a capitulation with the king for his brother, the enterprise by him was achieved, and so the West Indies by provi dence were then reserved for the crown of Cas tile. Yet this sharpened the king so, that not only in this voyage, but again in the sixteenth year of his reign, and likewise in the eighteenth thereof, he granted forth new commissions for the discovery and investing of unknown lands. In this fourteenth year also, by God s wonder ful providence, that boweth things unto his will, and hangeth great weights upon small wires, there fell out a trifling and untoward accident, that drew on great and happy effects. During the truce with Scotland, there were certain Scottish young gentlemen that came into Norham town, and there made merry with some of the English of the town; and having little to do, went sometimes forth, and would stand looking upon&quot; the castle. Some of the garrison of the castle, observing this their doing twice or thrice, and having not their minds purged of the late ill blood of hostility, either suspected them, or quarrelled them for spies: whereupon they fell at ill words, and from words to blows; so that many were wounded of either side, and the Scottish men, being strangers in the town, had the worst; insomuch as some of them were slain, and the rest made haste home. The matter being complained on, and often debated before the war dens of the marches of both sides, and no good order taken: the King of Scotland took it to himself, and being much kindled, sent a herald to the king to make protestation, that if repara tion were not done, according to the conditions of the truce, his king did denounce war. The king, who had often tried fortune, and was in clined to peace, made answer, that what had been done, was utterly against his will, and