admitting the discoveries of the Bretons, and making the alleged
extent of the Verrazzano discovery, as already remarked, a mistake
of nautical observation only. That it was deliberately made, and for
that purpose, is shown by his taking the designation of the latitude
from the same sentence in the cosmography as that in which the
mention of the Portuguese discoveries occurs, in qualification of
the latitude.

The motive which led Ramusio to make this alteration is found in the
discourse of the French captain of Dieppe, in which it is stated
that this part of the coast was discovered by the Normands and
Bretons and the Portuguese, many years before the Verrazzano voyage.
Ramusio, as he informs us himself, translated that paper from the
French into the Italian and published it in the same volume, in
conjunction with the Verrazzano letter, which he remodelled. He thus
had the contents of both documents before him, at the same time, and
saw the contradiction between them. They could not both be true. To
reconcile them, alterations were necessary; and this change was made
in the letter in order to make it conform to the discourse. The fact
of his making it, proves that he regarded the letter as advancing an
indefensible claim.

It is also to be observed that in adopting the fiftieth parallel as
the extent of the discovery in the north, Ramusio obtained the
statement from the cosmography, showing that he had that portion of
the letter before him; and confirming the conclusion, expressed in a
previous section, that his version was composed from the Carli copy
of the letter, in which alone the cosmography occurs. Whether this
limit was so transposed by him for a purpose or not, may be a
question; but the origin of it cannot be disputed.