Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/129

 so easily and with so little cost, labour and danger be followed and obteined.

Though hitherto your grace haue made thereof a proofe, and found not the commoditie thereby as you trusted, at this time it shalbe none impediment: for there may be now prouided remedies for things then lacked, and the inconueniences and lets remooued, that then were cause your graces desire tooke no full effect: which is, the courses to be changed, and to follow the aforesayd new courses. And concerning the mariners, ships, and prouision, an order may be deuised and taken meete and conuenient, much better then hitherto: by reason whereof, and by Gods grace, no doubt your purpose shall take effect. And whereas in the aforesayd wordes M. Robert Thorne sayth, that he would haue the old courses to bee changed, and the newe courses (to the North) to bee followed: It may plainely be gathered, that the former voyage, whereof twise or thrise he maketh mention, wherein it is like that sir Thomas Pert and Sebastian Cabot were set foorth by the king, was made towarde Brasill and the South parts. Moreouer it seemeth that Gonsaluo de Ouiedo, a famous Spanish writer alludeth vnto the sayde voyage in the beginning of the 13. chapter of the 19. booke of his generall and natural historie of the West Indies, agreeing very well with the time about which Richard Eden writeth that the foresaid voyage was begun. The authors wordes are these, as I finde them translated into Italian by that excellent and famous man Baptista Ramusius.

Nel 1517. Vn Corsaro Inglese, sotto colore di venire à discoprire, se ne venne con vna gran naue alla volta del Brasil nella costiera di Terra ferma, e indi attrauerso à questa isola Spagnuola, e giunse presso la bocca del porto di questa città di S. Domenico, e mandò in terra il suo battello pieno di gente, e chiese licentia di potere qui entrare, dicendo che venia con mercantie a negotiare. Ma in quello instante il castellano, Francesco di Tapia fece tirare alla naue vn tiro d'artiglieria da questo castello, perche ella se ne veniua dìritta al porto. Quando gli Inglesi viddero questo si ritirarono fuori, e quelli del battello tosto si raccolsero in naue. E nel vero il Castellan fece errore: perche se ben fosse naue entrata nel porto, non sarebbono le genti potuto smontare à terra senza volontà e