ed to every outrage from the populace;
two of them were killed, their rivals and old enemies exciting the
general ferment for their destruction. Even in the seigniory the majority
was against them, and yielded to the pressing demands of the Pope. The
three imprisoned monks were subjected to a criminal prosecution.

Alexander VI despatched judges from Rome with orders to condemn the
accused to death. Conformably with the laws of the Church, the trial
opened with the torture. Savonarola was too weak and nervous to support
it; he vowed in his agony all that was imputed to him, and, with his two
disciples, was condemned to death. The three monks were burned alive, May
23, 1498, in the same square where, six weeks before, a pile had been
raised to prepare them a triumph.

DISCOVERY OF THE MAINLAND OF NORTH AMERICA BY THE CABOTS

A.D. 1497

SAMUEL EDWARD DAWSON

Newfoundland prides herself on being the oldest colony of the English
crown. By virtue of John Cabot's discovery, in A.D. 1497, she also claims
the honor of being the first portion of the New-World continent to be
discovered and made known by Europeans. This was fourteen months before
Columbus, on his third expedition, beheld the American mainland.

At the close of the fifteenth century, the impelling motive of discovery
among the Old-World nations, and their adventurous mariners, was the hope
of finding a short western passage to the riches of the East Indies. This
was the chief lure of the period, added to the ambition of Old-World
monarchs to extend their territorial possessions and bring them within
the embrace of their individual flags. Henry VII of England aided the
Cabots, father and son, to fit out two expeditions from Bristol to
explore the coasts of the New World and extend the search for hitherto
unknown countries. The result of these enterprises was the discovery of
Newfoundland and Labrador as well as other lands, and England's claim to
the possession of the greater portion of the North American continent.

Probably no question in the history of this continent has been the
subject of so much discussion as the lives and voyages of the two Cabots.
Their personal character, their nationality, the number of voyages they
made, and the extent and direction of their discoveries have been, and
still are, keenly disputed over. The share, moreover, of each in
the credit due for the discoveries made is a very battle-ground for
historians. Some learned w