n 1500 by Bobadilla. _Cf._ the letter to the nurse
above, p. 380.

[417-2] This is one of the most important passages bearing upon the age
of Columbus. As he came to Spain at the end of 1484 according to
Ferdinand Columbus, _Historie_, ch. XII., Peschel fixed his birth in
1456, _Zeitalter der Entdeckungen_, p. 76. The majority of modern
critics, however, have agreed upon the basis of notarial documents in
Genoa that 1446 was the date of his birth and propose therefore to emend
the text here by substituting "treinta y ocho" for "veinte y ocho." On
the various dates set for his birth see Vignaud, _The Real Birth-date of
Christopher Columbus_. Vignaud fixes upon 1451.

[418-1] _Blanca_, a copper coin worth about one-third of a cent.

[Illustration: The New World in the Cantino Chart of 1502, showing the
state of geographical knowledge at the time of the death of Columbus.]

ORIGINAL NARRATIVES OF THE VOYAGES OF JOHN CABOT

INTRODUCTION

John Cabot, the Venetian sailor who took the first English ship across
the Atlantic, was not a writer like Columbus, and consequently our
knowledge of his projects and his achievements is limited to what is
derived from the reports of other men who knew him or his son and from
certain official documents. In general our material may be classified
into: (_a_) English official documents, (_b_) reports derived from John
Cabot himself, and (_c_) reports or records derived more or less directly
from Sebastian Cabot. The materials in _a_ and _b_ are harmonious; those
in classes _b_ and _c_, on the other hand, are practically
irreconcilable. The result of this conflict of testimony has been to
discredit Sebastian Cabot and to lead many scholars to believe that he
tried to ascribe to himself what his father did. Other critics reluctant
to bring so serious a charge against a man who held honorable positions
in Spain and later in England believe that the material in class _c_
relates to the second voyage--that of 1498, and that by a mistake it was
in the minds of the narrators confused with the voyage of 1497. For a
presentation of all the original material the reader may be referred to
H. Harrisse, _John Cabot the Discoverer of North America, and Sebastian
his Son_ (London, 1896), and to G.E. Weare, _Cabot's Discovery of North
America_ (London, 1897). G.P. Winship, _Cabot Bibliography_ (London,
1900), gives a complete guide to the Cabot literature. For a brief
account of the voyag