Nunc se asinus pardum vocat & formica leonem.]
Cōmissioners appointed for assessing of their fines that fauoured the Cornish rebels.
1498
After this, the king caused inquiries to be made, of all such as had aided with men or monie the Cornish rebels, so that diuerse persons as well in Summersetshire as Deuonshire were detected of that offense, which he minded for example sake should tast some part of due punishments for their crimes, according to the qualitie thereof. And therefore he appointed Thomas lord Darcie, Amise Paulet knight, and Robert Sherborne deane of Poules (that was after bishop of Chichester) to be commissioners for assessing of their fines that were found culpable. These commissioners so bestirred themselues, in tossing the coffers and substance of all the inhabitants of both those shires, that there was not one person imbrued or spotted with the filth of that abhominable crime, that escaped the paine which he had deserued: but to such yet as offended rather by constreint than of malice, they were gentle and fauourable, so that equitie therein was verie well and iustlie executed.
Abr. Fl. ex. I. S. pag. 872.
Gardens in Moore field laid wast to make archers game.
Price of haie doubled.
Sebastian Gabato his discouerie of an Iland of rich commodities.
¶ In this yeare all the gardens which had béene continued time out of mind, without Moore gate of London, were destroied, and of them was made a plaine field for archers to shoot in. Also this yéere was a great drought, by reason whereof a load of haie, which was before sold at London at fiue shillings, was this yeare sold for ten or twelue more. Also this yeare, one Sebastian Gabato, a Genoas sonne, borne in Bristow, professing himselfe to be expert in knowledge of the circuit of the world, and Islands of the same, as by his charts and other reasonable demonstrations he shewed, caused the king to man and vittell a ship at Bristow, to search for an Iland which he knew to be replenished with rich commodites. In the ship diuerse merchants of London aduentured small stocks, and in the companie of this ship sailed also out of Bristow thrée or foure small ships fraight with slight and grosse wares, as course cloath, caps, lases, points, and such other.
Sir Humfrie Gilbert knight, in his booke intituled, A discouerie for a new passage to Cataia, writeth thus; "Sebastian Gabato, by his personall experience and trauell, hath described and set foorth this passage in his charts, which are yet to be séene in the quéenes maiesties priuie gallerie at White hall, who was sent to make this discouerie by king Henrie the seuenth, and entered the same fret, affirming that hée sailed verie farre westward, with a quarter of the north, on the north side of terra de Labrador, the eleuenth of Iune, vntill he came to the septentrionall latitude of 67½ degrées, and finding the seas still open, said, that he might & would haue gon to Cataia, if the emnitie of the maister and mariners had not béene." Neuerthelesse, he went verie farre, euen to a nation inhabited with people more like beasts than men, as appeareth in the yeare 1502, and the seuentéenth of this kings reigne, when the said traueller was returned, and presented himselfe to the kings maiestie.