longe desired north west
passage, which, with no small care these many yeres, I have observed in my
readinges and conferences concerninge the same matter.

1. My firste authoritie is in the seconde volume of Ramusius, in the
discourse of the discoverie of the ilandes Freseland, Iseland,
Engroneland, Drogeo, and Icaria, made in the northe by Sir Nicholas Zeny,
Knighte, and Mr. Anthony, his brother, in the yere 1380.(78) In which
discourse, amonge many other thinges tendinge to the proofe of this
passage, I finde this recorded: Scoprirono vna isola detta Estotilanda
posta in ponente lontana da Frislanda piu di mille miglia; whereof I
gather, that whereas still he calleth Estotiland an Ilande, and that it is
distant westwarde from Frislande more then a thousande miles, that the sea
is open above five hundreth miles further then Frobisher and his companie
discouered. Ffor he himself confesseth that he never sailed paste five or
sixe hundreth miles to the weste of Ffriselande; and here is mention made,
that those fishermen that discouered the iland of Estotiland founde it to
be more then a M. miles to the weste of the same.

2. The seconde testimonie to prove this north west passage is in the
preface of the aforesaide Ramusius before his thirde volume, where he
alleageth, in manner followinge, that which Sebastian Gabote wrote unto
him concerninge this matter: Many yeres paste I was written unto by
Sebastian Gabote, our contryman, a Venecian, and a man of greate
experience, and very singuler in the arte of navigation and in the
knowledge of cosmographie, whoe sailed alonge and beyonde Nova Francia, at
the chardges of Kinge Henry the seaventh, Kinge of England; and he
signified unto me, that havinge sailed a longe tyme west and by northe
beyonde those ilandes unto the latitude of 67. degrees and [an half] under
the north pole, on the xj'th day of June, and findinge the sea open and
withoute any manner of ympedymente, he thoughte verely that he mighte have
passed by that way unto Cathaia, which is in the Easte; and he woulde have
done yt, if the mutinie of the shipmaster and unruly mariners had not
inforced him to returne homewardes from that place. But it semeth (saith
Ramusius), that God doth yet reserve to some greate prince the discoverie
of this voyadge to Cathaio by this way, which, for the bringinge of the
spicerie from India into Europe, woulde be the moste easie and shortest of
all others hitherto founde oute. And su